‘Paris Has Fallen’ Episode 3 Recap: Who Authorized The Attack On Pearce And His Troops?

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The two-episode premiere of Canal+’s Paris Has Fallen provided a decent head start to the political action thriller, and the third episode capitalized on the momentum by intensifying the central mystery. Previously, the former French army captain, Jacob Pearce, systematically eliminated French Defense Minister Philippe Bardin, MI6 Agent Rowan Alexander, and French military defense contractor, Pascal Moulin, who sold out Pearce and his men to the Taliban for their personal and political gain, resulting in Pearce getting tortured by his captors for several years while his entire troop was wiped out. Additionally, an assassination attempt was made on Pearce’s life through car bombing after he was released from Taliban captivity, but instead of Pearce, the person he had fallen in love with, Amina Sayyid, was killed, along with her children. As Pearce begins his quest for vengeance, MI6 Agent Zara and French security officer Vincent try their desperate best to stop him as part of the French anti-terrorism task force. As the deep-seated corruption of first-world governments gets exposed by Pearce’s attacks, the third episode exposes secrets which further blur the line between the so-called good and evil.

Spoilers Ahead


Who Was Cedric Duval’s Handler?

The name of Cedric Duval was mentioned in the second episode as the anti-terror task force led by Zara and Vincent was able to intercept a communication between Pearce and his sniper, Matthew. Turns out, Duval was one of the operatives of the French external security agency, DGSE, and was responsible for planting the bomb in Pearce’s car. However, Duval didn’t have any idea that the blast would end up killing Pearce’s loved ones instead of him and remained remorseful for taking innocent lives. That doesn’t stop Pearce from abducting and torturing him in order to force him to give up the name of his handler, but Duval is unaware of the identity of his handler. Pearce tortures Duval to death, and the task force recovers his corpse much later. 

Anticipating much trouble on their way, DGSE reveals the identity of the handler to the task force: Beatrice Paquin. Zara and Vincent move fast to take her to a secure location before Pearce learns about and axes her as well. Beatrice was already made aware of Pearce’s activities and the task force’s movements from her contact in the DGSE, and she was practically waiting for them to arrive. Meanwhile, Pearce shares video footage where he announces five million euros for anyone who can bring him information pertaining to the attack orchestrated by DGSE. Beatrice is taken to a safehouse as it becomes evident that Pearce is unaware of the identity of Duval’s handler, which could be used to the task force’s advantage. Zara and Vincent try to pry out the information about others involved with the operation, but Beatrice, who is extremely cautious and distrusting, is unwilling to share that information. 


How Did Zara Plan To Catch Pearce?

Zara goes through Beatrice’s files to learn that she had a reputation as a ruthless field agent and was remarkably successful in her job. However, Beatrice’s family life hasn’t been as exceptionally good, as her profession has resulted in an ever-growing rift between her family and her. It is revealed that Beatrice is suffering from a terminal illness and seemingly has only years to live—and learning this, Zara plans to use her as bait to draw out Pearce. Zara knows that Beatrice’s moral compass is strong enough that, if pushed, she will willingly accept Pearce’s offer to save others involved, and the task force will have the chance to capture the terrorist. Both Vincent and Beatrice are upset with Zara for trying to manipulate Beatrice into the game, which is strange given how none of them would have had any qualms about doing the same to unknown people. 

Beatrice has lived a life full of regrets, has taken many decisions as an intelligence agent of which she isn’t proud, and eventually, after spending a night reflecting on her past, she agrees to be a part of Zara’s gamble. Even though there is absolutely no certainty about the fact that Pearce will take the bait, as there is a high chance he’ll realize he is being drawn into a trap, Zara is still willing to try as she believes Pearce’s emotional connection to the operation will make him curious enough. The task force will track Beatrice through her pacemaker, which has built-in GPS. Beatrice communicates with Pearce and reveals herself as Duval’s handler and shares that she will share information about who authorized the mission in exchange for the amount he promised. 


Who Authorized Attack On Pearce And His Squad?

Knowing very well that this could be a one-way trip, Beatrice calls her estranged son Ellis and apologizes to him for fumbling at parenting. She expresses her hope that Ellis will become a much better parent to his children. 

Following Pearce’s instruction as shared by Freja, his lackey, Beatrice boards a bus, which gets stopped in the middle of a tunnel through heavy traffic. Zara and Vincent were already tracking Beatrice’s movement to ensure she is safely extracted upon the completion of the mission, but find themselves blocked out of the tunnel—and it doesn’t take much time to realize that Pearce had planned a possible countermeasure. Inside the bus, Pearce is seen to be present, and one of the task force members opens fire on him, resulting in a chaotic situation in the tunnel as a gunfight ensues between Pearce’s men and Zara and Vincent. As per their agreement, Pearce sends the amount to Beatrice, which goes to her son Ellis’ account, but finds Beatrice unwilling to share the information still. Pearce forces her to reveal the intel by threatening her with one of the pregnant co-passengers’ lives, and Beatrice ends up sharing the information before getting fatally shot. Pearce manages to escape, and as Vincent tends to a dying Beatrice, he is shocked to learn that it was French President Juliette Levesque, the person he loves, who authorized the mission in the first place. 

Zara’s relationship with Thea turns sour as the latter finds Zara’s gun, and because Zara isn’t able to share the truth about her profession, a barrier is created between the duo. Vincent, the straight-arrow agent, is disturbed after learning the truth about Juliette’s involvement, and as he confronts her, she justifies her decision as a political strategy to ensure their government’s security. The episode ends with Pearce attentively watching one of Juliette’s press meetings as he prepares himself for his next target. It remains unknown, even with Freja’s benefactors sending financial aid, whether Pearce has enough reach and resources to target the President of the nation. Vincent’s presence in this situation makes things interesting, as Juliette’s action goes in completely opposite direction compared to his idealistic and upstanding nature. It remains to be seen whether revelations that show the government as the culprit in the entire fiasco are going to change Vincent’s mind about his alliances in the long run.


Siddhartha Das
Siddhartha Das
An avid fan and voracious reader of comic book literature, Siddhartha thinks the ideals accentuated in the superhero genre should be taken as lessons in real life also. A sucker for everything horror and different art styles, Siddhartha likes to spend his time reading subjects. He's always eager to learn more about world fauna, history, geography, crime fiction, sports, and cultures. He also wishes to abolish human egocentrism, which can make the world a better place.


 

 

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