Victor was treading on thin ice, and he was well aware of it since he came to know in Spy/Master Episode 1 that Carmen Popsecu had the photograph to prove his guilt. Victor wanted to act fast because he wanted to escape Romania and also because he was scared that if the Soviet Union got to know about his deal with the Americans, they, too, wouldn’t take it very well. Victor had served the Soviet for 15 years, and he was, for some reason, ready to spoil that association. Maybe he would have had reason to believe that he wouldn’t be safe there, or maybe he just didn’t trust General Shakarov. The only thing that was stopping Mircea from going to the president was the fact that Victor was extremely close to the Ceausescu couple, and he knew that it would take some solid evidence to convince them that Victor was betraying them.
In addition to Victor being a Soviet spy, there were also rumors that he used to smuggle stuff and keep it in hidden locations. These smuggled goods were used to bribe politicians and important people so that he stayed in their good books, and they didn’t expose his deceptive ways and means even if they got to know about them. Victor was doing everything he could to buy some more time, but the Americans weren’t responding, and he had no clue if they would agree to take him in or not. More than anything, he was worried about his daughter, and he feared that once his seditious acts came to light, the government would hurt his family. In this recap, we will try to decipher Victor’s strategy, how he was trying to tip the scales in his favor, and whether the Romanian president got to know about his lies or not.
Spoiler Alert
Why Does Carmen Keeps An Eye On Victor?
Carmen had come to Bonn, and she told Victor that she had been assigned to help in the negotiations with West Germany. Now the fun part was that both of them knew what they were doing together, yet they had to find a way to outsmart each other. Victor knew that he would have to take his chances, as otherwise, it would be impossible for him to establish contact with the American embassy in the presence of the director of the Ministry of the Interior. Victor went to the same clothing shop where he had met Frank Jackson the last time. They had decided beforehand that they would meet there, but Jackson was a bit late, and because Carmen also came looking for Victor, he had to come out of the trial room and leave from there. Carmen was making sure that she was with Victor at all times so that he didn’t have an opportunity to meet anybody or make a call.
One more astonishing development made in Spy/Master Episode 2 was that Victor was having an extramarital affair with Ingrid, the same girl who had pointed a gun at him in the previous episode. Ingrid knew that he was married, but she kept meeting him over the years. Through Ingrid, he got to know that General Shakarov was in town, and he felt on edge as he knew what that man was capable of if he got a whiff of what Victor was up to. Victor, on purpose, wasn’t closing the deal with West Germany, as he wanted to spend more time in Bonn so that he didn’t have to go back before knowing what the Americans had in mind. Carmen told him time and again that the price the other party was offering was more than enough, but Victor told her that they could still get a better deal. When he went to negotiate once again, he asked Klaus, Ingrid’s colleague, if he could make a quick call to his doctor. He knew that Carmen would not be able to follow him there, and he would be able to talk to Frank Jackson and know why they were taking so much time to respond. Ingrid accompanied him, and after a bit of snooping around, she easily found who Victor had called. She confronted him and told him that he didn’t belong with the Americans and that he was committing a huge blunder by seeking refuge in their country. But Victor had made up his mind, and he told Ingrid that he expected her to be on his side and not betray him.
Did The President Learn About Victor’s Betrayal?
A man named Lari Bogdan was caught by the authorities near the Bulgaria-Romania border at the beginning of Spy/Master episode 2 because he was carrying smuggled goods. But Lari was just carrying the cargo, and the entire consignment belonged to Victor. Before anybody else could interrogate him and get any sort information from him, he committed suicide, though Mircea believed that Victor had a role to play in it. Mircea had the photographs, but he knew that to prove his claims, he would need something more to convince the president. Mircea was just waiting for the time when his men would locate the warehouse, and he could tell the president that his right-hand man was the one who was trying to backstab him.
Meanwhile, Victor was trying his level best to make Elena believe that Mircea was up to something since he was dating a girl of Russian origin. Victor also sent Elena a beautiful necklace from his consignment of smuggled goods in the hope that when the time came, she would influence her husband into believing that Victor couldn’t do any such thing that Mircea was telling him about. But officer Albescu located the warehouse where Victor Godeanu used to keep the smuggled goods, and Mircea immediately went to the president’s house to give him the photos himself. The revelation shocked the president and his wife, and though they resisted the impulse to brand Victor a traitor, the evidence was too convincing for them to turn a blind eye. Later, when Victor came to the president’s house, he didn’t meet him, and Elena even returned the necklace he had gifted her.
Spy/Master episode 2 ends on a cliffhanger where General Shakarov confronts Victor, and he is able to finally meet Frank Jackson. Shakarov told him that he expected him to be a bit more loyal and not disregard the association they had in such haste. It felt like Shakarov was ready to negotiate the terms of the deal so that he didn’t go with the Americans, but probably Victor had already made up his mind. Victor met Jackson, who told him that a car was waiting for them outside, though we were not told where they were planning to go.
The second episode leaves us at a point where the balance could tilt in anyone’s favor. There were a few obscure things that we noticed in this episode like Victor’s wife telling him that she had a problem with Elena Ceausescu. It felt like Victor had an affair with her, and Adela had started drinking to cope with the insecurity and frustration she felt. Adela told him that he never took her side in front of Elena, and that made her feel like she didn’t mean anything to him. As far as the stance of the United States of America is concerned, we believe that officially, they wouldn’t agree that they had taken Victor, but off the record, they would provide him with a safe passage so that they didn’t lose the opportunity to have such a valuable asset by their side.
