The Old Man season 2 episode 6 begins by reintroducing us to Julian (Gbenga Akinnagbe), Morgan Bote's special ops agent. Following the events of The Old Man season 1, he's trying to move on with his life, leaving his past career behind him.
That primarily comes in the shape of a new girlfriend (Jessica Parker Kennedy), who he helped get on the bus when she was injured back in season 1 and ran into again in this episode. She helps Julian come to terms with trying to enter a new phase of his life. But sometimes you can't escape the past.
That's proven true when Julian finds Harper (John Lithgow) waiting for him at this apartment, believing Bote sent him an email just before he was killed and he needs to see it.
Using your weapons
Chase (Jeff Bridges) and Zoe (Amy Brenneman) check into a hotel in London as the Dixons. Chase is very particular about what room they get, requesting the 12th floor, between rooms 01-05 and that it be an odd numbered room. As they get settled, Chase has a mini panic attack as he thinks about Emily, telling Zoe he's not able to turn this feeling off. She says it's OK to be angry. He knows there's a time for that (killing Pavlovich), but right now they need their wits as they try to get some answers.
They prepare for the meeting Zoe has with Nina Kruger (Rowena King), Hamzad's lawyer, to figure out what she knows about Pavlovich's involvement with Hamzad's mineral deposit. Zoe recalls things Bote told her, including that she wields two weapons in concert, one of which is empathy, something Chase previously told her as well. Zoe adds that to use her weapons she has to be OK with never trusting anyone ever again, never getting close to anyone. This she came up with on her own. Chase thinks she's implying if they get close again Zoe is worried he might be ruthless with her. She knows it's a possibility, but she's more worried about herself, because she's someone who breaks things and now she's armed with these new weapons.
Back in the US, Harper is using the weapons at his disposal to get Julian to help him. Julian claims he didn't get an email from Bote, saying Harper has the wrong person. Harper mentions how Bote took care of the people in his circle, built walls around them to keep them and those they cared about safe. With Bote dead, cracks in those walls are starting to appear, and they're only getting bigger, meaning both Julian and his new girlfriend aren't safe. Harper gives him his phone number and says if Julian helps them he'll make sure his walls don't fall for a long time. If he doesn't, he's on his own.
Where's Kruger?
Zoe waits at a restaurant for her meeting with Kruger, talking with Chase on an earpiece as he keeps eyes on her from above. After Chase reassures her that feeling like all eyes are on her is normal and they have a playful banter about Hamlet and revenge, Zoe asks how he made all his money as Henry Dixon? Chase says he came across information people wish he didn't have, which led to some good investment opportunities.
Then she asks who Lou Barlow is. Bote brought that name up, but she could tell he wasn't being entirely truthful when he talked about him. Chase says that kind of money changing hands can bring out the worst in people, and Barlow is the worst in people, someone Chase wishes he never crossed paths with. She asks what that means? He promises he'll tell her someday, but as they're talking Chase sneaks up behind her and says they're leaving. Kruger isn't coming. To confirm this he calls her assistant, Anna (Ana Mulvoy Ten), who says Kruger is dealing with a personal matter and won't give any info on how to reach her. Now they'll need to ask her another way.
After picking up some supplies at a hardware store, Chase builds what Zoe refers to as a "laser rifle" in the hotel room. Zoe is a flummoxed as she realizes Chase had this whole plan in place before they left the US: finding Anna, where she lives and knowing they would likely have to take these steps. She thought she was starting to understand the spy game. Chase tells her she understands the hard parts, what he's doing is just bells and whistles.
Anna arrives at her apartment door when Chase appears in the hall and asks for her help to find someone: Nina Kruger. Anna immediately becomes nervous. Chase says this was a courtesy, next time she won't see him coming. Anna quickly goes into her apartment and locks the door. But Zoe now has eyes on her, with the laser rifle pointed at her, which is able to pick up audio and pair Anna's phone with their computer. When Anna calls Kruger to let her know someone is looking for her, the computer is able to ID Kruger's phone number, which allows them to track it.
Zoe's self reflection
After they get the number, Zoe asks how Chase knew Anna would call Kruger. He says when you look someone in the eye and show them you're willing to do what they're most afraid of, almost everyone will do what you want them to. Zoe recalls Chase looked at her that way once, but she had a different reaction. She found what he feared and used it to hurt him, saying again she's "a person who breaks things." She's becoming unsettled as she realizes that doing this type of thing feels easy to her.
The next day as they're driving. Chase tells her how he once broke a dish and Abbey told him "a person who can't help but break everything they touch shouldn't be allowed in the house," that they should be outside with the animals. He wants her to know he understands what she is going through, because he feels the same way. She says she doesn't want to live outside with the animals. Neither does Chase.
Pavlovich's goals are revealed
Chase and Zoe arrive at Kruger's country home. He tells her to keep an eye out while he goes to check it out. As he approaches, the door is already cracked. He carefully walks inside and finds Kruger sitting in a chair, in distress. But there's someone else in the house as well, a man wearing a gas mask rifling through the study. Chase sees they have a gun (at the moment set on the floor), so he picks up a cane and attacks the man. As the fight ensues Chase gets knocked to the ground, but it allows him to grab the gun and kill the man. He searches him and finds a broken injector.
Chase takes Kruger out of the house. Zoe approaches but Chase tells her to stay back. The man released some kind of airborne poison in Kruger's house, and now Chase is exposed. He suspects the broken injector was the antidote. Kruger, through strained breath, sees Zoe and says the man didn't find what he was looking for, a thumbdrive hidden in the study. Once she says this she dies. Chase goes back into the house to grab the thumbdrive.
In it, Kruger explains Hamzad's mineral deposit is one of many around the world in places not friendly to western governments. Now those with access to those deposits are forming their own cartel for rare earth metals, which if successful could bring western economies to their knees. Pavlovich is involved in the cartel, but his association with Zoe and Chase threaten his position, as the others worry they can't trust him. So Pavlovich is on a mission to destroy any trace of those connections (specifically, them).
With this new information, Chase says they need to split up and Zoe needs to get somewhere safe and call Harper. He's going to let Pavlovich's men (who are on their way) take him as they are the only ones that have an antidote to what he was exposed to. Chase promises he'll come back.
Harper also finds out a key piece of information on Pavlovich. Julian meets with him again and shares the email Bote sent him, which he tried to delete but ultimately couldn't. As Harper looks at the paper he recognizes Pavlovich, but someone else as well: Marion (Janet McTeer), his ex-wife.
New episodes of The Old Man season 2 air Thursdays on FX, then become available to stream on-demand the next day on Hulu.
