Wait, did you actually catch what happened in the ninth episode of the second season? It’s kind of wild how a show can simmer for so long and then just drop a massive identity bomb right when you think you’ve got the rhythm down.
Honestly, The Old Man IX—referring to the penultimate episode of the second season—is where the Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow dynamic finally stops being about old spies playing chess and starts being a tragedy about family legacy. If you haven't been keeping up, you've basically missed the moment the show shifted from a standard thriller into a deep dive into Afghan history and the messy reality of biological versus chosen fatherhood.
What actually happened in Episode IX?
The episode catches up with Angela (played by the incredible Alia Shawkat) after she's been abducted. This isn't just a "save the princess" trope. Far from it. We see her finally confronting Faraz Hamzad. It’s a brutal, psychological back-and-forth. At one point, they literally try to murder each other.
But then the turn happens.
It’s not just about her being a captive; it’s about her being invited into a family she never knew she belonged to. The focus shifts entirely. It stops being about what her abduction means to Dan Chase and Harold Harper—the two "old men" we’ve followed—and starts being about what her presence means for the entire region.
The Hamzad Connection
You’ve got to understand the weight of Navid Negahban’s performance here. As Faraz Hamzad, he isn't some cartoon villain. He’s a man trying to reclaim a piece of himself through Angela. The dialogue in The Old Man IX is sharp. It’s antagonistic, sure, but there’s a weirdly tender undercurrent of recognition.
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Angela's refusal to abandon Hamzad or the family her arrival put in danger is the pivot point. It’s what sets the stage for the finale. The local militia starts squeezing the family for info, and the stakes go from "personal vendetta" to "regional crisis" in about twenty minutes of screen time.
Why fans are still talking about the "Old Man" identity
There’s been some confusion online, mostly from gamers, thinking "The Old Man IX" refers to the legendary Garland from Final Fantasy IX.
While that "Old Man" is a 5,000-year-old antagonist from the world of Terra who works from the shadows, the TV show version is much more grounded in blood and dirt. It’s a funny coincidence, though. Both characters are essentially architects of their own destruction who use "children" (Zidane in the game, Angela in the show) to try and save a dying legacy.
But let’s be real. If you’re looking for the TV recap, you care about Dan Chase. You care about whether Jeff Bridges is going to survive the fallout of his own secrets.
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The fallout of the truth
The "bloody end" mentioned by critics isn't just about gunfire. It’s about the seismic impact these three Americans—Chase, Harper, and Angela—have had on a region they barely understand.
- Angela's Choice: She chooses to stay. That’s huge. It subverts everything Chase thought he was doing.
- The Harper/Chase Dynamic: Their partnership is frayed to the point of breaking.
- Hamzad's Motivation: We finally see the man behind the myth, and he’s just as broken as the guys chasing him.
Honestly, the way the writers handled the "truth" about Angela's parentage felt earned. It wasn't a cheap twist. It was a slow-burn realization that had been building since the very first episode.
What to do before the next season
If you’re feeling a bit lost after the intensity of The Old Man IX, the best thing you can do is re-watch the early Season 1 episodes where Chase discusses his time in Afghanistan.
Those throwaway lines? They aren't throwaway lines anymore. Every name he mentioned, every slight he brushed off—it all comes back to haunt him in this episode. You’ll notice the foreshadowing is actually pretty dense once you know where the story is headed.
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Pay close attention to the way the show uses silence. It’s one of the few thrillers on TV right now that isn't afraid to let a scene breathe for five minutes without a single word of dialogue. That’s the Jeff Bridges effect.
Your Next Steps
- Rewatch Season 2, Episode 2: This is the specific episode labeled "IX" in many digital guides (due to the way the show's episodes are numbered across seasons). It's the moment Angela’s journey truly begins to diverge from Chase’s.
- Compare the Narrative: Look at the parallel between Hamzad's village and the life Chase tried to build for Angela in the states. The "safety" Chase provided was built on a lie that destroyed a different family.
- Check the Timeline: Verify the dates of the Afghan flashbacks. The show is very specific about the 1980s timeline, and understanding the Soviet-Afghan War context makes Hamzad’s bitterness much more understandable.