Rabbit Hole season 1 episode 3 recap & review: The Algorithms of Control

The third episode of Rabbit Hole looks back at how Weir and Valence started working together under Weir’s father and the threat they are facing right now. The episode is now streaming on Paramount+.

Recap

In 2018, Weir’s father, Ben, tells Weir and Valence about the highly intelligent and highly resourceful enemy they are facing. Eyes and ears will be on them everywhere.

They both need to trust Ben and each other and doubt everyone else around them. If they can’t trust Ben and the plan, there is no point in going forward.

In 1986, a troubled Weir beats up a kid at school. He is still disturbed by his father’s death and wishes to know what happened. Back home, he comes across a safe his father used to keep.

He finds some newspapers in which some numbers have been marked in the text. When Weir fails to open this safe, he decides to explode it, which results in cops coming to his house, and his mother, Claire, doesn’t waste time in sending him to the boarding school.

At the boarding school, he meets Miles Valence, who is well-versed in mathematics and computer codes. With the help of Miles, Weir plans to unlock the safe and see what his father is hiding.

In 2013, through the resources Weir and Valence found in that safe, they start a full-fledged business of their own. They meet an official from a snack brand company and tell him about their rival company that is making a snack similar to theirs.

They infiltrate the rival company’s test groups to manipulate testers and slow down the production of their snack. This way, Weir and Valence’s client can use this time to find an edge over their competition.

Right after that meeting, Valence pitches Weir that they should officially start a company as they have been so good at this. This is how the concept of Arda Analytics begins.

In 2017, while the news channels talked about the AeroDelhi flight that vanished in the air, Weir’s father, Ben, miraculously returned from the dead.

Ben reveals that he had to fake his death and place someone else’s body in the house because their lives were in danger. Right now, he needs Weir to take down a powerful man named Crowley. Ben also alerts Weir about an impending attack.

Weir is just mad at his father. He and his mother suffered because of him. During the conversation, Ben also reveals that Weir’s mother already knew that her husband is still alive.

Weir doesn’t buy a single word coming out of Ben’s mouth and throws him out of his apartment. He later shares this with Miles, who seems to believe that Ben might not be lying.

In 2018, the impending attack Ben talked about does take place, forcing Weir and Valence to meet him and aid him in this mission. Ben tells them about the agency they started, where they used various techniques to manipulate the population.

Weir and Valence already know about Ben’s research, as they found it inside the safe. It’s called the Algorithms of Control. One of Ben’s colleagues, Crowley, saw this with darkened eyes. He worked alone and made a lot of money out of it by helping high-profile politicians and oligarchs.

Now, Crowley seeks power, and in order for him to accomplish his mission, he may need the kind of company that Valence and Weir have. Ben advises them to split up. Valence’s company will lure Crowley in, while Weir will be working undercover with Ben.

At present, Weir and Ben argue over what they should do next. Weir wants to crack down on Valence’s communications data. Ben, on the other hand, thinks they should interrogate Homm. During their conversation, Weir sends someone a message, asking them to meet him.

Weir starts working on Valence’s communications data. Back at Arda Analytics’ office, Xander has tasked his hackers to track him down and keep an eye on what he is discovering.

Hailey strikes up a conversation with Weir and gets permission to go outside. Using a phone, she tries to access her e-mails, but Ben surprises her from behind.

Ben questions her about who she is working for and what she is hiding. By then, Hailey had dropped her phone. Maybe Ben didn’t notice her doing that now that he has grown older.

Weir has made four attempts to unlock Valence’s communications data, and he is on his last attempt. Agent Madi comes to meet Xander at Arda Analytics. Xander leaves the room and orders his hackers not to make a move until he comes back.

Agent Madi reveals that she didn’t come by herself; Xander called her by sending her an e-mail. That’s when Xander realizes that Weir has distracted him. Weir manages to access Miles’ communications data and copies the files required. Weir, Hailey, and Ben then waste no time in evacuating the place.

Review

  • Rabbit Hole does get its twists and turns right, making itself unpredictable all the time. It also has a knack for narrating its story in a very different way than the other spy thrillers. The viewers are constantly on the edge and are left surprised time and again. Maybe it stems from the fact that manipulation is what the series is all about.
  • The viewers are required to notice the smallest things about the characters’ behavior. These small behaviors or moves they make have a bigger impact toward the end of the episode.
  • The show is coming with plenty of twists and newer revelations in every episode. It just needs to make sure that the viewers won’t get overwhelmed by it because, in the third episode, it feels like these twists have a higher power over the story Rabbit Hole is telling.
Rabbit Hole season 1 episode 3
Rabbit Hole season 1 episode 3 recap & review: The Algorithms of Control 1

Director: Glenn Ficarra & John Requa

Date Created: 2023-04-02 12:30

Editor's Rating:
3.5

Also Read: The Luxbrant job in Rabbit Hole explained

More from The Envoy Web