The second season of FX’s The Old Man has premiered with two action-packed, compact episodes, as we find former CIA operative Dan Chase and FBI assistant director Harold Harper trying their level best to find and rescue Emily from the clutches of terrifying Afghan warlord Faraz Hamzad. In the final moments of the previous season, it was revealed that Emily’s real identity is Parwana, and that she is the daughter of Belour and Faraz Hamzad. Chase, who was a former accomplice of Hamzad during the tumultuous Russian occupation of Afghanistan in the 80s, had helped Belour escape from Afghanistan, and they had taken a young Parwana with them as well, giving her a new identity, Emily Chase, erasing her past in a sense. Later on, Emily was appointed as an FBI agent by Chase and Harold’s mentor, Morgan Bote—unbeknownst to Harold, who guided her as a mentor. Eventually, as Hamzad’s plan of bringing Emily closer to his base of operations succeeded and he managed to abduct her, Harold and Chase needed to work together, and going against Bote’s command to not attempt to rescue Emily, the duo became fugitives. The first episode of the second season shows the two oldies, Chase and Harold, braving threats of several kinds, making a desperate attempt to rescue Emily, knowing full well how slim the chances of doing so are.Â
Spoilers Ahead
Assistance From the Resistance
Three weeks have passed since Emily’s abduction, and as the first episode begins, we find Chase and Harold making their way into Afghanistan, making arrangements for a safe gateway with a truck driver named Hameed. The driver is actually a trusted accomplice of Commander Abdul Nazary, one of the resistance fighters who is taking the battle to the present Taliban government and Faraz Hamzad. Harold’s contact with unknown higher-ups has arranged a somewhat safer getaway through Hameed.
Knowing such a monumental secret about Emily’s identity was kept concealed, Harold can’t help but grill a disgruntled Chase by asking questions about Emily to make sense of everything that is happening. Chase is unwilling to make things more complicated than they are already; for him, the mission is clear and simple: rescue his daughter and escape from the country; he doesn’t have time for Harold’s investigative assessments. Their bickering comes to an abrupt halt as the truck gets attacked by a rival clan, and in the ensuing gunfight, Hameed and all the members of the rival clan end up killing each other. Chase asks Harold to get in touch with his contact and ask for help, but he’s unwilling to do so. Harold takes the satellite phone that belonged to Hameed and asks Chase to lead the way to the resistance outpost, given the fact Chase is somewhat familiar with the ground reality in the country thanks to his past. However, one major issue still remains, as Chase points out: without Hameed being present with them, even if he is able to reach the location, how will they identify Abdul Nazary’s man?
Into the Trap of the Taliban
Bickering with each other, Chase and Harold finally reach the outpost where members of several different resistance clans have gathered around—and the presence of two white Americans is not welcomed, quite obviously. As the duo are taken outside to be executed, one of the resistance members, Omar, swoops in and makes a timely rescue, mentioning Commander Abdul Nazary has been expecting them. Chase mentioning that they are seeking help to get Emily back from Hamzad does the trick as resistance members back off. The duo starts following Omar to reach his clan outpost. Omar wonders if this is the kind of response the States is supposed to deliver—sending two frail oldies to rescue one of their federal officers. Omar becomes curious about Chase and questions him whether he was the legendary Baba-khorkhore, the right-hand man of Hamzad—for obvious reasons, Chase lies to him about it.
It is revealed that instead of opposing the Taliban like he used to do back in the 80s, Hamzad supports their governance at present, as the former enemies have joined hands to exploit the resources of Panjshir valley. The extremely valuable mineral deposit, which Belour wanted to keep hidden from her husband, has been found out by Hamzad—the Meshbahar mineral deposit, under the control of Hamzad, has made the Taliban agreeable enough to make deals with him. Also, Omar reveals that the American government has sanctioned the Taliban and every other clan except Hamzad, which has turned him into a valuable middleman to seek resources from the Panjshir valley.
Emily’s connection to Hamzad and to Dan and Chase as well—on a personal level—makes Omar wonder about the possible reason as to why she is deemed important. Chase reminisces about the past and his conversation with Belour, to whom he had promised he would hide Parwana’s true identity and keep her protected and away from Hamzad’s grasp—unfortunately, he has failed to do any of this, which makes Chase feel repentant. Upon reaching Omar’s clan, the group finds out all his brethren are to be slaughtered by the Taliban, and this time, adhering to Chase’s request, Harold calls his contact, Marion, his ex-wife, who had arranged for the communication with Abdul Nazary. Harold learns that they have been guided by the wrong man for so long, as Omar turns out to be a Taliban spy. A fight begins between Chase and Omar, and eventually, Omar manages to get an upper hand on Chase, plunging a knife into his shoulder. Chase somehow manages to hold him off as Harold arrives on a horseback and takes him to safety. Three Taliban operatives begin chasing them but soon lose their trail as Chase guides Harold to a secret hideout he and Belour used to frequent.
Did Chase and Harper Find Faraz Hamzad?
An injured, disgruntled Chase asks Harper to return to the States by making arrangements with Marion. With his daughter captured already, Chase doesn’t want to lose his old friend as well. To pressure Harper even more, Chase even mentions that Emily probably isn’t alive anymore, as Hamzad might have killed her after realizing that, despite being his own daughter, Emily is nothing like what Hamzad could have expected her to be. Harper interprets Chase’s paranoia as a reaction to his unwillingness to face Emily and acknowledge the decisions he had made to keep her own identity hidden from her—or perhaps it is the fear of what Emily’s mental state will be after learning the truth. Chase shrugs off Harold’s accurate assumptions and sulks in pain—eventually suggesting Harold call his home to check up on his family. Harold calls Marion to make arrangements, and afterwards he calls Cheryl, his wife, to inform her that the mission at hand is going to take some time to get untangled.
Perhaps it’s the pain, or a fever dream, or his own guilty conscience, which allows Chase to see a vision of young Hamzad, who mocks him about his past actions, stating that Chase’s desire to see the horrors he has conjured has brought him so far. Waking up in the morning, Chase sees Hamzad, in his present, elderly self, standing right in front of him, with deep-seated anger and hatred in his eyes. As the first episode ends, a gunshot shatters the silence of the valley, keeping the fate of Chase and Harold in question.
