When a rookie intelligence agent took on the task of befriending the girlfriend of a criminal gang leader, the situation quickly turned personal. Netflix’s new Danish series, The Asset, is centered around Tea Lind, an ex-addict who had joined the police academy to change the trajectory of her life. She was hard-working, dedicated, and sharp. According to Folke, the head of the special crimes unit, Tea was tough and smart, and her troubled childhood, along with her past relationship with a drug dealer, made her the perfect fit to go undercover. Tea wasn’t given much of a choice—she was kicked out of the academy under the pretext of security issues, and Folke offered her the opportunity to work with them and prove herself to be considered for a position in the PET (Danish Security and Intelligence Service). Did Tea live up to their expectations? Let’s find out.
Spoiler Alert
How did Tea win Ashley and Miran’s trust?
Tea soon adopted the identity of Sara, a jeweler with her own store in Denmark, who’d recently returned from Dubai and was open to connecting with like-minded individuals. She ‘ran into’ Ashley at the nail salon and befriended her daughter, Sofia. She didn’t try too hard to become friends with Ashley, and the trick worked. Ashley soon visited her store and even considered collaborating on social media with her for her first modeling gig. Her partner, Miran, the criminal gang leader, didn’t approve of her friendship with Sara. He was territorial and wasn’t comfortable with the idea of Ashley meeting people he didn’t know personally. But Sara eventually managed to convince Miran that she was someone he could trust.
When he visited her store, he was impressed, and her overall respectful attitude towards him helped him feel less threatened by her. Miran’s men had killed an agent before Tea took up the job, having discovered he was a spy. The news of the agent’s death on a flight had garnered media attention, and naturally Miran was afraid that his gang would be on the police’s radar. After he met Sara, he considered investing in diamonds to put the pile of cash he had lying around to some use. Smuggling jewelry was a lot easier than a bag of cash, and he could legally fly out of the country with the stones and sell them in Spain. Folke had instructed Tea to accept Miran’s offer if he showed interest in investing in diamonds, since that was the only way they could track the stones and find his associates in Spain. But things didn’t go according to plan. Ashley didn’t want Miran to use her friendship with Sara to his advantage, so she chose to not discuss the proposal with her at first. But Miran forced her to call Sara in front of him and put her on loudspeaker. Since Sara already knew that Miran was listening to their conversation, she stated that she didn’t do business in cash to protect Ashley from abuse. Later, when Miran directly approached Sara again, she explained that, while she couldn’t directly help him buy the stones, she promised to provide him with paperwork to make the stones legal. Sara’s grading skill was tested, and Miran had all the more reason to trust her. She helped them negotiate the price and was ready to incorporate the stones in jewelry that he planned on hiding in Ashley’s bag during her trip to Malaga with her daughter, Sofia. But soon, Ashley found out about Miran’s plan, and she was upset. She refused to be used as a smuggler, especially when she was traveling with her daughter. Miran gaslighted her and accused her of being an ungrateful partner. Ashley considered leaving Miran that night, but Sara convinced her to stay. She had to do so to protect her job, and she told Ashley that there was no way she could run away from Miran, and if she considered separating from him, they needed to come up with a better plan. Ashley agreed and returned home to Miran.
Why was Sofia taken away from her parents?
Sofia’s schoolteachers had shown concern over her introverted nature. She often spoke about how her father physically tortured her mother, and that was obviously quite alarming for the school authorities. They weren’t sure if Miran and Ashley were capable of providing Sofia with a safe and nurturing space. The school authorities had decided to file a report, and the couple was visibly tense about the situation. The day after Ashley had briefly considered leaving Miran, two individuals from the child protective services showed up at their house. They’d come to the conclusion that Sofia wasn’t safe staying with her parents, so they’d decided to temporarily take Sofia into their care until their investigation was completed. Miran and Ashley protested, but that didn’t really help their case. Sofia was taken away against their wishes. We gradually find out in The Asset that Sofia’s separation from Ashley and Miran was planned by Folke. He believed that they needed to put pressure on the couple, and Tea wasn’t on the same page with him. She didn’t think it was fair to put a child under stress for the sake of their mission, but Folke didn’t care about her opinion. He thought it was her growing attachment towards Ashley that made her feel his decision was unjust. She was asked to convince Ashley to speak to PET, but Tea refused to do so. Folke decided to take matters into his own hands, so he approached Ashley directly when she stepped out for dinner with her friends. Ashley wasn’t interested, but she couldn’t completely shrug off the proposal.
Why did Tea blow her cover?
After taking a couple of days off from being Sara, Tea was back in the game. She’d come to realize that quitting wouldn’t help; Ashley needed her, and she had every intention of being by her side. Now, why did Tea feel so strongly for Ashley? She was likely reminded of her past. Her life was quite like Ashley’s when she was in love with a drug dealer. She was offered drugs and gifts to forget about the torture that she was forced to endure. She chose to become a police officer because she was determined to drastically change her life. She had found the light at the end of the tunnel, and she hoped to help Ashley experience the same. She sympathized with her, and Tea couldn’t stop herself from caring for her.
After a night of partying, Tea got the opportunity to walk into Miran’s office, and she took photographs of information relevant to his business. Later, after Miran came home, Ashley and Tea/Sara stepped out for a walk. Ashley had already discussed the opportunity of working with the PET with Tea, and she thought it was important to also inform her friend that the police knew that Sara had helped Miran. Regardless, Sara suggested Ashley cooperate with PET, but she refused to do so, fearing that it might also put Sara’s life in danger. Towards the end of The Asset, episode 5, Sara, aka Tea, confessed that she’d been working with PET all along. She informed Ashley that PET had been building a major case against Miran, and they had enough evidence against him. So, the PET had planned to soon press charges, and Ashley had the opportunity to become their key witness. If she offered them Miran, she could have Sofia back, and that was a deal Tea believed Ashley must immediately accept. Ashley couldn’t believe that the woman she trusted with all her secrets was a spy. She felt humiliated and cheated. She blamed herself for being so gullible, and she felt embarrassed wondering if she was targeted because she was so predictable. Tea tried to explain herself, but she knew that boat had sailed. No matter what she said or did, Ashley couldn’t trust her anymore. But she didn’t give up on helping Ashley; she continued to encourage her to break free from her abusive relationship and come to an agreement with the cops and start her life afresh with Sofia.
Why did Ashley agree to help the cops?
Ashley didn’t have a choice—she was a mother who desperately hoped to reunite with her daughter, and protecting her abusive partner wasn’t at the top of her priority list. She contacted Tea and asked her to introduce her to Folke. She agreed to a video recorded interrogation. She confessed that she’d always been aware that her partner was a drug dealer. Ashley also admitted to concealing and transporting cash for Miran around 10-12 times, and added that she got clothes and jewelry in return. When Folke asked her about the big shipment Miran had recently received, she clearly stated that she wasn’t involved in his business, and they never discussed the nitty-gritty of it. Ashley needed to provide the cops something that could be used against Miran apart from the information that they already had on him. So, she stated that the previous night, she’d seen Miran with blood on his hand; she didn’t know what had happened, but she believed it could be significant.
Folke instructed Ashley to ask Miran about it, and since her phone was already tapped, they would have a record of his confession. Ashley wasn’t a trained undercover agent, so lying to her partner didn’t come naturally to her. Miran suspected that there was something going on with Ashley, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. Ashley mentioned that she’d noticed the blood on his hands the other day, and she demanded an explanation. Miran confessed that he’d killed the guy who was responsible for Bambi’s (his younger brother) murder, Erik. After one of Bambi’s friends poisoned the undercover agent, who died on a flight, Miran couldn’t risk making any deliveries. He knew the cops would be watching him, and he had to stay out of trouble. Erik was disappointed with the delay, so to teach Miran and his gang a lesson, he killed Bambi.
Soon after the confession, Ashley contacted Tea; she wasn’t sure anymore if she wanted to be responsible for Miran’s arrest. They’d been together for years, and the guilt of betraying him overwhelmed her. In the final episode of The Asset, Miran overheard Ashley’s conversation with Sara. He couldn’t figure out what they’d discussed, but from Ashley’s nervous expression, he started to question her loyalty. When Miran saw Ashley’s recent pictures with Sofia (a special permission she was granted after she’d agreed to cooperate), he suspected that she had gone behind his back. Miran placed Ashley’s phone in the refrigerator (he was somewhat sure that it was already tapped). Ashley confessed that she’d been helping the PET so she would get back Sofia. Miran was devastated; he couldn’t believe that this was happening to him even though he thought he’d been so careful. Sara’s betrayal came to him as a surprise, and in that moment he knew he was doomed.
Did Miran confess?
By the time the cops arrived at Miran’s house, he’d already escaped. When Folke mentioned that they’d decided to arrest both Ashley and Miran, Tea thought of coming up with a plan to ensure Ashley’s safety. She felt guilty for making Ashley believe that if she cooperated, she would get to be with Sofia, when in reality she too would face charges for helping a drug dealer. Tea left a voice mail for Ashley stating that she needed to get out of the house before the cops arrived, and she asked her to meet her at the park.
Unfortunately, Miran heard the message, and instead of Ashley, he paid her a visit. She was asked to get in his car, and he was carrying a gun, so it wasn’t really a request. Miran was obviously disappointed in himself for letting Sara/Tea enter his life. Tea confessed that Ashley would have to serve her time, and Sofia wouldn’t be reunited with her parents any time soon. This infuriated Miran all the more, and he attempted to choke Tea with a plastic bag. Tea managed to utter the words ‘help Ashley,’ and that was when Miran decided to listen to her. She told him that he could save Ashley if he confessed his crimes and told the cops that Ashley was innocent and that he’d forced her to help him. She warned him that running away wouldn’t help his case, because the PET already had enough evidence against him. Towards the end of The Asset, Miran surrendered himself to the cops. During his interrogation, he took all the blame on himself and stated on record that Ashley was innocent and all these years he’d manipulated her to work for him. While he’d told Folke where they could find Erik’s body, he was silent when he was asked about the recent cocaine shipment.
What secret did Ashley discover?
Ashley was released after Miran’s confession. After a month, she was reunited with Sofia, and she brought her home to her new apartment. It wasn’t as spacious as their previous home, but this was all Ashley could afford after Miran’s arrest. Sofia didn’t complain; she was content with her room, and she was likely just glad to be with her mother. But for Ashley, the new setup was a compromise. Tea had tried to reconnect with Ashley. She met her at the park, but clearly Ashley had no intentions of reconnecting with her. She couldn’t overlook the fact that Tea had broken her trust, and she wasn’t really pleased with her present situation. Tea perhaps thought that somewhere deep down Ashley would be grateful that the PET intervened and, in a way, rescued her from her abusive marriage, but it wasn’t all black-and-white for Ashley.
Ashley’s father-in-law paid her a brief visit. It was obvious that he’d been keeping an eye on her, and he wanted to ensure that Sofia was well taken care of. He accused her of destroying his family, and he made it very clear that he would regularly check on Sofia. After he left, Ashley went to Sofia’s room, and she noticed a red teddy bear. Her daughter didn’t seem to have any clue where the teddy bear had come from. Ashley suspected there was something hidden inside—and she was right, there was a key. It was a key to a storage room. Ashley knew the location and headed to the spot, and in the final scene of The Asset, when Ashley opened the room, she stood before a towering pile of drugs (cocaine).
Is Tea alive?
Tea wasn’t sure if she was meant to continue as an undercover agent for the PET. She got too deeply attached to the case, and while she thought she was helping a friend escape an abusive relationship, her last conversation with Ashley left her wondering if she had done more harm than good. She lost the only friend she’d made in years, and her heart ached knowing that things would never be alright between them. She had grown up with an alcoholic mother, so it was not just Ashley that she connected with on a personal level, but also Sofia, who was growing up in an abusive household that had clearly impacted her mental health. When Folke offered her a job at the PET, she didn’t think she was the right fit for the role. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life living in constant guilt. Later, her handler, Yasin, begged Sofia to reconsider. They were inside Yasin’s car when suddenly two strangers on a bike slowed down and repeatedly shot at them. After the ambush, Tea wasn’t responsive while Yasin was conscious. She was admitted to a hospital, and thankfully she survived.
Will The show return with season 2?
The fact that Tea was targeted confirms that Miran’s associates were responsible for the attack. They had enough reasons to want to seek revenge on Tea. Miran’s gang didn’t operate alone; there was an entire system that was disrupted after his arrest, and PET, particularly Tea, had indirectly challenged them. The ending of The Asset suggests that Ashley now held all the power. The cops, Miran’s rivals, and his associates were curious about the last shipment, and they had no idea that Miran had hidden the key in plain sight. Niko, Miran’s right-hand man, possibly knew about it, and he will likely help Ashley if she decides to get back in business. She will probably reconnect with Miran’s associates and help the system get back in order. Ashley wasn’t confused or afraid; her calm demeanor hints at the possibility that she will now be in control of her life, but not quite the way Tea had hoped. While Miran will continue to serve his sentence, Ashley will take over the business. Considering she had helped the PET, they wouldn’t suspect her, at least initially.
Ashley had always wanted to be a strong, independent woman, and although this wasn’t ideal, she’ll convince herself that she was doing it to provide a better life for her daughter. But of course, Sofia didn’t care about living in a luxurious apartment, as long as she was safe and it was Ashley who was missing her lavish way of life. In The Asset season 2, we can expect the once-best friends, Ashley and Tea, to become sworn enemies. Tea will certainly accept the position she was offered at PET and track down the ones who’d attempted to murder her. Presumably, she will play a key role in finding out that Ashley was the new boss of the criminal gang! Ashley will be a force to reckon with—while Tea once served as PET’s prized asset, Ashley will rise to claim that title within the underworld.
