WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for The Recruit season 2.
Nathan Fillion appeared at the end of The Recruit season 1 and has now reprised his role in season 2. Known for shows such as Firefly, Castle, and The Rookie, Fillion’s cameo in The Recruit season 1’s finale was a big deal and set up a bigger role in the show’s next chapter. Considering that The Recruit’s creator, Alexi Hawley, wrote for Castle and created The Rookie, the fact that Nathan Fillion showed up in The Rookie was hardly a surprise.
Speaking to Collider about Fillion’s cameo in The Recruit season 1, Hawley revealed that he did not even need to finish his sentence for the actor to agree on the project because “[Fillion] is such a great guy.” The Recruit’s creator also talked about how Fillion was excited to get to curse in a show, which he often cannot do on network TV. Whereas Nathan Fillion only had a small scene in season 1, his character was a major player in The Recruit season 2.
Nathan Fillion Plays CIA Director Alton West In The Recruit Season 2
Fillion’s Character Is The One Calling The Shots In Season 2
Owen Hendricks’ life got more complicated in The Recruit season 2 as he had to answer not only to Vondie Curtis-Hall’s Walter Nyland, CIA’s general counselor, but also to Nathan Fillion’s Alton West, the CIA director. West stepped in to micromanage all the crises that the Agency was dealing with, most of which were tied to Noah Centineo’s character. When Owen opened an anonymous letter threatening to release classified information about CIA agents in South Korea, Fillion’s character intervened to try to stop this rookie lawyer from potentially making things worse.
The Recruit season 2 has six episodes, two less than season 1.
Given the nature of his job, West was not part of the action in The Recruit season 2 and spent all of the show in his office. While the CIA director tried to keep Nyland and Hendricks in check, The Recruit’s lead character is great at disobeying orders and solving matters with his own hands. Owen proved to be a big headache for West, but the CIA director also made Owen’s life more difficult.
What Nathan Fillion’s Character Meant For The Recruit Season 2
The CIA Director Was Another Obstacle For Owen Hendricks
Although the CIA was being blackmailed by Jang Kyu into helping him find his wife, Owen genuinely wanted to find her and was willing to almost cause an international crisis to do so. Even after Jang Kyu revealed the reason why his wife had been kidnapped, Owen decided to continue looking for her, even though those were no longer his orders. Once the CIA neutralized Jang Kyu’s “dead man switch” that would release the CIA’s crypto secret to the public, Nathan Fillion’s character ordered Owen to call it off and go back.
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The Rookie season 7 might not have premiered yet, but the ABC TV show notably needs to make it to season 9 for Nathan Fillion’s resume.
The inclusion of Nathan Fillion in The Recruit season 2’s cast was more than just a callback to his previous collaborations with Alexi Hawley. Having someone who, unlike Nyland, had no connection to Owen calling the shows added another layer of tension to The Recruit season 2. The CIA director was not interested in learning about Owen’s moral compass and only wanted to wrap up the situation as quickly as possible.
Source: Collider
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
