Abhiroop Das
Co-developed by Ed Whitmore and Tracey Malone, Fox’s ‘Memory of a Killer’ traces the double life of Angelo Doyle, who juggles the role of a loving parent as well as a master assassin who is feared all over the country. However, his perfectly built existence soon comes crashing down when he is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, a disease that seemingly runs in his family. Soon, cracks begin to show up in his psyche, often at the worst times, actively threatening the collision of the two sides of his life that he has kept hidden so far. The previous episode ends with the chilling revelation that the Ferryman is none other than FBI agent Linda Grant, who is on track to avenge the death of her son. How she plans to do that, however, is only unfolded by this episode, ominously titled ‘Shoot the Piano Player.’ SPOILERS AHEAD.
Angelo Learns the Truth About Brian and Gilchrist
‘Memory of a Killer’ season 1 episode 9 begins with Dutch being attacked out of the blue at his restaurant. By the time he wakes up, he is tied to a chair, with none other than Gilchrist glaring down at him. Her previous warning has turned out to be much more than an airy threat, and she plans to wipe out Dutch and his associates before Angelo can dig any deeper into the mystery about Brian Sparks. Gilchrist’s mistake, however, is that she only brings two enforcers to do the job, and it hardly takes Dutch much effort to free himself, kill them, and take her captive. That morning, when Angelo rushes to the restaurant, he is met with a rather harsh truth: Brian truly didn’t deserve to be killed, and Dutch hadn’t done his research before blindly sending Angelo to take an innocent life.
The revelation about Brian sends Angelo into a spiral, as he can no longer consider himself an assassin with a moral code. However, the search for the Ferryman is still only getting started, and he hardly has any time to cope with his regrets. With Joe’s help, Angelo tracks down the only lead he has thus far: Nicky. When he makes it to her building, however, one of the neighbors informs him about a surprising detail: Nicky killed her husband a year ago, allegedly in self-defense. While her case was taken up by the FBI, it was dismissed just as quickly, and that is the final piece in the puzzle that Angelo needs. FBI special agent Linda has been subtly targeting him this entire season, and she is perhaps the only person with enough resources to pull off such an attack.
From Angelo, the scene cuts to Linda at her home, revealing that she has had an alcohol addiction problem since the death of her son. However, after latching onto her revenge mission, she seemingly quit drinking as well as her recovery program, and instead began a particularly cruel path. A flashback reveals exactly how she manipulated Nicky by convincing her that the FBI can put her in jail and separate her from her daughter. With no way out, Nicky was forced to become Linda’s pawn in this operation, and it is implied that something similar happened in the case of Bloch. This also explains how Earl Hancock got an early parole, as he is effectively her right-hand man in all of this.
Nicky Sets up a Death Trap For Maria
As per the plan, Linda wants the people closest to Angelo dead, and at the top of the list is Maria herself. However, following Hancock’s earlier excursion at her home, they know that breaking and entering via conventional measures is no longer possible. Instead, Linda instructs Nicky to push further into Angelo’s family mesh and somehow disable the security systems. Although she is deeply reluctant, Nicky is forced into the plan and has to reconnect with Maria at the yoga class. Their conversation soon leads to how Maria needs an extra pair of hands at home now that Jeff is off to work, and Nicky offers to help. Soon enough, they are at Maria’s home, where Nicky finds her chance and sabotages the motion detectors and cameras, albeit with a heavy heart.
Meanwhile, Angelo gets a surprise phone call from Michael of all people, who murmurs about needing help at his care facility. The nurse on call also appears to be new, and that sends Angelo into a state of panic. When he rushes into the scene, however, he finds out that the nurse is new, but has seemingly been vetted, and this call was merely Michael having trouble with his Alzheimer’s. However, the suspicion never quite leaves Angelo’s mind, and nestles there as Dutch calls him to confirm that Gilchrist knows nothing about the mysterious Ferryman. With all leads snubbed, Angelo has to take on the more risky route, that of tailing Linda till he gets what he is looking for.
Angelo’s First Clash With Linda Ends With His Narrow Victory
Angelo and Linda’s reunion almost seems to be fated on some level, as not a few moments after he pretends to bump into her, he meets none other than Julia. In a flash, the family dynamics become clear to Angelo, and so does Linda’s motive. While the two aren’t able to exchange words right there, a call comes soon after, with Linda declaring open war on Angelo and Dutch. Except the hitman has a bargaining chip that can partially alleviate his culpability, that being Gilchrist. Once a meeting is set up between him and Linda, Angelo brings along Gilchrist, who reveals that it was Brian’s company that ordered the hit, as his discoveries could put a huge dent in their market cap. Still, as it’s Gilchrist who ordered the hit, Linda doesn’t waste a second in killing her with a bullet to the head.
Although Angelo makes a solid case for himself in front of Linda, the fight isn’t exactly over just yet. The only leeway she allows in that moment is a warning that both Maria and Michael are about to get attacked simultaneously, and Angelo is doomed to only be able to save one. While he is able to call the facility and check up on his brother, Maria’s call goes silent, prompting him to drive there first. Ominously, we see Hancock enter the house and shoot what appears to be Maria in bed, just as an assassin walks up behind Michael.
However, Hancock’s end of things is revealed to be a bait, as Nicky confessed the truth to Maria before bailing. Without any second thoughts, Maria shoots Hancock in the chest and goes down to call the police, unaware that he is still alive. Before he can shoot her back, however, Angelo ends his life with a clean shot to the head, revealing his face to his daughter. The task is far from over, though, as Angelo rushes to the facility only to find a body. Fortunately, it is not Michael, but his assassins, who were killed by the nurse, who in turn was hired by Dutch to keep watch over Michael. While the crisis is averted for now, Angelo and team still have a war awaiting them, as Linda is alive and vengeful as ever.
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