'Citadel' review: Even in Episode 04, we only get crumbs
The fourth episode of Citadel has arrived. Starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden, it picks up from where the last three episodes left off and penetrates deeper into the backstories of Nadia, Mason, and Abby. It has been directed by Newton Thomas Sigel and Jessica Yu. This episode is not as underwhelmingly drab as the previous ones, but all it offers are breadcrumbs.
Here's what happens in the fourth episode
The focal point here is Abby, who is married to Mason (after his memories were erased). As we learn more about her past life through the flashbacks, we learn that she was connected to both Mason and Nadia. However, a turn of events leads her to be questioned as a mole, upending her whole life and triggering a chain of important events.
The action is almost shoved down our throats, again
Citadel might as well have become a montage of action sequences where everyone growls, shoots, and fights. While well-choreographed action sequences may have their charm, here, the unspoken rule is to undergo an excruciating wait to discover the cause and effect that has led Nadia and Mason to this. Burdensome jargon also sometimes bites Citadel, prompting you to hurriedly press the rewind button.
Once again, the story takes the backseat
We have crossed more than half the journey but Citadel's obsession to flaunt that action is its pivot hasn't waned at all. So much so, that it shoves the writing and the story into the forgetful background. Though the episodes are short, one can't help but hope for more than just breadcrumbs from a series that has marketed itself as a globetrotting spy adventure.
The turn of events can be confusing at times
Since the show has opted for a non-linear storytelling structure from the very beginning, it's tough to keep track of what's happening where, because the timeline shifts scene after scene, and the locations follow suit, too. Moreover, since Mason is supposed to have lost his memory, it's incomprehensible in many scenes whether we're meeting a pre-accident or post-accident Mason.
Saving grace: The story limps forward a little
Coming to the positive aspects, this episode has finally made some strides vis-a-vis the story. It takes only a few conversations amongst the central characters to help propel the story forward and even foreshadow the happenings of the next episodes, and I wonder why such conversations weren't stitched into the episodes earlier. At least they would have been saved from being so lusterless.
Can 'Citadel' redeem itself?
Citadel is famously mounted on a $300M budget, but I wonder how much of that went into the writing that can make or break a project. Here, it seems like a footnote; the last perfunctory ingredient in a recipe before the lid closes off. Eventually, if the series doesn't seem to care for its storytelling, the viewer can't be expected to, either. 2/5 stars.
