Citadel Episode 6 Review: Ace performers save this poorly written episode

Title: Citadel – Episode 6 (Secrets in Night Need Early Rains)

Director: Newton Thomas Sigel

Cast: Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Stanley Tucci, Ashleigh Cummings, Roland Moler, Osy Ikhile, Caoilinn Springall, Lesley Manville

Streaming on: Prime Video

Rating: ***

“You need to fight for your family,” this is what Bernard Orlick (Stanley Tucci) advises Kyle, aka Mason (Richard Madden), somewhere in the middle of the sixth episode when he plans to give up on his wife and daughter. Soon, you realise this episode is dedicated to the unravelling of family secrets.

Like its absurd title, Secrets in Night Need Early Rains, this episode is complex, and it takes off from where it left off in the previous one.

With a family member of one of the Tier-one agents’ held hostage, Manticore forces Nadia (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), Kyle, and Spence (Osy Ikhile) to acquire nuclear weapons which are beyond their reach. How the trio grapples with the threat, unravelling the conspiracy and shocking betrayals forms the crux of the narrative.  

Unfortunately, despite unscrambling several threads that weave the fabric of this series, this episode suffers from an info dump, which becomes tedious after a while. By mid-episode, the narrative gets convoluted. Also, with many cinematic liberties taken, the writing of this episode is the weakest of the series, and just like the previous episode, there are patches of the past that can be confusing. 

What saves the writing is the presence of a strong cast.

Priyanka is captivating as the strong-boned Nadia. She appears as an almost ironically detached young woman drawn to the danger of her career calling. Her privileged poise comes off as confident overall, but her maternal instincts in some scenes lack the gravitas, and the fault lies not with her but with the writers for not giving her a holistic character arc.

Similarly, Richard Madden’s portrayal of Kyle and Mason is earnest, but you do not empathise with him because the writers have overloaded his character with his choppy history.

Jonas and Madden’s scenes together are engrossing. The major draw in this episode is the sleek operation, from skydiving to landing on the submarine, to acquire the nuclear weapons. It is a treat to watch how Kyle nearly misses his landing, then pulled on board by Davik Silje (Roland Moller), and then surprised when Naadia comes to his rescue.

Dahlia Archer (Leslie Manville), as the diplomat and an antagonist, has her moment of on-screen glory as she narrates her role and motive. 

Overall, the first season of Citadel ends as a satisfyingly engaging thriller with the promise of returning soon with season two.