NBC’s The Enemy Within recap: The line between traitor and patriot blurs

The premiere of NBC’s The Enemy Within took place not too long ago and it didn’t fail to surpass expectations. Check out a recap of the first episode below.

The Enemy Within, NBC’s newest series, turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Not only has it given fans something to watch during Manifest’s hiatus but The Enemy Within appears to be one of the most compelling network television shows to date—namely for the show’s thought-provoking storyline.

When the premiere episode starts out, it’s a flashback going back three years. Agent Erica Shepherd (Jennifer Carpenter) is walking down a crowded street and everything seems normal. Then all of a sudden, she notices that the street is filled with spies and government agents.  It was a sting to capture her. Shepherd is arrested on multiple counts of treason shortly after.

An explanation isn’t readily given but the audience learns soon after that Agent Shepherd was forced to betray her country—not by choice. Shepherd wound up becoming the unwitting accomplice to a terrorist plot which resulted in the deaths of four other Agents. Their deaths landed Shepherd in a supermax prison, branding her a traitor of the state at the same time.

In the present day, Agent Keaton (Morris Chestnut), another member of the FBI, is busy hunting a similar traitor who’s compromised the lives of intelligence officers. Keaton gets a lead but doesn’t know how to follow it up. He’s then urged by Director Bregman (John Finn) to recruit the one person who understands unbreakable codes—Erica Shepherd.

Keaton is staunchly against the idea but goes along with Bregman’s plan because someone else will step in if he doesn’t. Keaton picks Shepherd up from her detention facility and makes her an offer. She rejects the offer at first but accepts when a strange thought occurs—escape.

At the FBI headquarters, Shepherd successfully helps Keaton track down a terrorist by the name of Viktor Nemec (Pawel Szajda). He captured Analyst Anna Cruz (Coral Pena) and kept her with the intent of extracting sensitive information from her—information on other secret agents.

Shepherd eventually deduces that Nemec is leading them into a trap and then warns Keaton about possible IED’s planted nearby. The warning grants Keaton with the upper hand in their exchange, allowing him to save Anna in the process. Of course, Anna is compromised before being rescued.

A prologue at the episode’s end shows Anna taking a phone call from Tal, confirming that she’s infiltrated the FBI’s task-force.

Meanwhile, Shepherd escapes to complete a side mission of her own. Her getaway gives us the impression that she’s a real traitor but Shepherd’s final destination proves otherwise—mainly because it’s to visit her daughter, Hannah.

Not having seen her daughter in three years, Shepherd scrambles to reach Hannah’s school. She gets to the school’s gates but is interrupted by Agent Keaton and a swarm of police officers. Shepherd is dragged away but gets a quick glance at her daughter before leaving, making the trip worthwhile after all.

When they return to home base, Shepherd begins preparing for a trip back to the maximum security prison. She assumes her escape attempt would be cause for dismissal but Keaton keeps her around anyway. He doesn’t want to but Bregman forces Agent Keaton to do so, deeming Shepherd a temporary member of his team.

The Enemy Within airs Mondays on NBC. Episodes are uploaded to Hulu the following day. For more on NBC’s The Enemy Within, follow us on the Hulu Watcher Twitter Account @HuluWatcherFS or on the Hulu Watcher Facebook Page.