Citadel Episode 5 review: Most unpredictable thing about the series is that it is predictable

1/5

In order to get out of Manticore and secure the X Case, Nadia (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), Kyle (Richard Madden), and Carter (Osy Ikhile) must work together, but growing suspicion of one of the protagonists leads to a dramatic showdown.

In the fourth episode, we saw that Kyle's wife Abby (Ashley Cummings) is actually Celeste, an undercover agent whose memories have been wiped off. It all starts with securing an Oz Key, which everyone believes Abby has taken. However, Carter believes it's Nadia's fault and she shouldn't be trusted. This leads to even Mason having doubts about his ladylove. But what do they do about it? Mason proposes marriage to Nadia despite having major trust issues.

Yes, the constant question "Do you trust me?" finally has an answer, and it is "no." The most unpredictable thing about Citadel is that it is predictable. The fifth episode, which is the penultimate one, is about Nadia's past. The show screams of living in the past throughout. We see her vanishing for a few years away from Mason and then coming back on a mission, which we saw in the first episode. (Spoilers ahead!) What else can one do to move this stagnant story forward? Have a secret child. And lo, that's what happened!

Nadia has a daughter with Mason, which he doesn't know of, and she hasn't seen her since she was six months old. This is just reminding me of The Mother, starring Jennifer Lopez, which I watched last week.

If, at this point in time, you ask me what Citadel is about, I literally have no answer. We are taken into the past constantly to know about these characters; their memories are erased, which they regain. And now, what are they looking forward to? Are Citadel spies bad people? What's happening in Manticore? I am speechless but have a lot of questions.

There's action and romance fed to us constantly, but if you search for a story, it's an empty vessel. Even romance is not palpable due to the lack of chemistry between Priyanka and Richard. The fifth episode is titled Time Renders Us Enemies, and as time has passed, the Citadel spies are just turning into each other's enemies. We are even introduced to Rahi Gambhir (Paul Bazely), who is shown as a criminal but is also closely related to Nadia.

Bringing in new characters and getting new plotlines is a failed attempt at great storytelling, which could have been what we as viewers aspired for Citadel to be. Major disappointment, so to say!

Only one episode is left for the season to end, and they are planning its sequel too. Lower your expectations, as they did with the high-budget series.

The penultimate episode of Citadel doesn't bring any high hopes for how they are planning to end the first season.