The Endgame kicked off with a bang, and it sounds like this new thriller fans hooked from the get-go!
NBC's latest crime caper sees Morena Baccarin and Ryan Michelle Bathé facing off as international arms dealer and criminal mastermind Elena Federova (Baccarin) and fearless FBI agent, Val Turner (Bathé).
In the pilot, Federova has been captured and transferred to a remote facility where Homeland Security tries to interrogate her for information connected to her many crimes, but she refuses to give anything up and simply claims there'll be "consequences" for her incarceration. (a full episode summary can be found later in this article).
What followed was a twist-filled pilot episode which has grabbed the attention of plenty of fans, as lots of viewers took to social media to share how invested they'd become from the off. One enthusiastic fan wrote: "Great show!!! Already looking forward to next week!! Thank you for giving me a reason to look forward to Mondays!!!"
Great show!!! Already looking forward to next week!!Thank you for giving me a reason to look forward to Mondays!!!#TheEndgameFebruary 22, 2022
Another viewer said: "one episode into #TheEndgame and I'm hooked!", and there were plenty more who came along to sing the show's praises after the first episode aired.
One episode into #TheEndgame, and I'm hooked! 🙌🏾 You know I love @missmorenab. pic.twitter.com/WOE5ndRBYFFebruary 22, 2022
#TheEndgame is perfection! Hour flew by way to fast. Can’t wait to see Fedorova vs. Turner matchup! Love seeing 2 powerful badass women in charge.@missmorenab #ryanmichellebatheKudos ladies, you have a hit here, bowing to both you Queens! Looking forward to MANY more seasonsFebruary 22, 2022
Okay, #TheEndgame, I will be back next Monday.February 22, 2022
The Endgame is DOPE!! Elena Federova giving Raymond Reddington a run for his money just off one episode. #TheEndgameFebruary 22, 2022
What happened in 'The Endgame' episode one?
*Spoilers ahead for The Endgame season premiere*
Those "consequences" that Elena teased during her initial interrogation were soon felt, as mercenary forces loyal to "The Queen" carried out a bank heist in Elena's name. Not content with this much chaos, Elena promises there's more to come if she isn't released.
Meanwhile, Val met with her husband Owen, a former federal agent who she turned in after discovering he was accepting drug money from a criminal organization; although she is working to try and get him released, Owen asks for a divorce and tells her to keep away from him.
Owen's arrest has caused a rift to open between Val and the other agents, and this becomes a problem once she becomes embroiled in the investigation into the heists. After the second one, Val reaches out to a former cartel boss who denies his own involvement in the hit and hints at Elena.
After a third bank raid, Val is sent in to interrogate Elena directly. Turns out, Val and Elena had crossed paths in Gambia in the past when Elena and a handful of mercenaries killed a local warlord, and the twists start coming thick and fast from there. Owen's divorce lawyer is revealed to be a partner of Elena's attorney, and Elena's mercenary forces pretended to be SWAT officers to successfully carry out their seventh heist.
Clearly, Elena has bigger goals than just money or power, especially when we learned at the end of the episode that Elena's husband, Sergey, is not dead. Val believed that Elena had poisoned Sergey in the past, but he's actually still alive and being held in the same prison as Owen, and appears to be awaiting Elena's arrival! Perhaps Elena is motivated by love and revenge for what had happened to them?
The Endgame continues on NBC on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, at 10 pm ET. You can catch up with the season so far on Peacock.
