English author Frederick Forsyth's acclaimed novel has been adapted again as the latest TV series The Day of the Jackal, an adrenaline-pumping thriller featuring Eddie Redmayne in the titular role. While Sky managed to capture the core themes of the narrative, the series is crafted for present-day viewers who love to watch new takes on iconic stories.
The Day of the Jackal follows a skilled assassin or the Jackal tasked with eliminating people, especially political figures. Initially, Jackal might look like a villain, but as the story progresses, viewers are offered a dive into his life.
Just as the M16 officer Bianca is dealing with the pressure to balance her personal and professional life, the Jackal also faces challenges to leave no clue behind and ensure safety. The first five episodes are already out, and if you wish to explore what has happened so far, make sure to read the recaps below.
**Disclaimer: The article contains spoilers from the show**
The Day of the Jackal episode 1 recap: The deadly assassin is introduced
In episode one, the Jackal takes on the identity of Ralf, an old man in Munich, Germany, and in disguise, he begins the deadly mission. The assassin eliminated severe individuals in a building owned by magazine mogul and political figure Manfred Fest, who's also running for Chancellor.
The assassin also injured Fest's son Elias, and then successfully escaped using smoke bombs. The next day, Fest is on his way to the hospital to meet Elias, but the Jackal assassinates him using a sniper rifle. Before he leaves the place, Jackal destroys the weapon and even the hotel room to leave no trace.
Meanwhile in London, the M16 agents and Bianca Pullman discover what happened in Germany, and Bianca decides to take down the assassin. She began investigating Fest's murder despite her colleague's dismissive attitude. The first thing Bianca does in her investigation is trace the weapons used in the master plan.
She learns about a man named Norman Stoke who specializes in custom weapons, and identifies him as one of the suspects in the case. Biana takes off to Belfest to dig deeper into her case, but with the pressure to handle a dangerous case, she also struggles with her personal life, especially with her relationship with her daughter.
In another scene, we see the Jackal demanding more money from his client after successfully killing Fest. However, the client didn't pay him the extra money, injecting the assassin with anger. But he soon receives a new client, and this time it's a tech mogul Ulle Dag Charles (UDC).
Jackal also travels to different places including a villa in Spain where Jackal spent time with his wife Nuria and son Carlito. However, now that he's got a new high-stakes mission, Jackal must get back to work soon. He demanded ten times more than the offered price, meanwhile, Bianca is setting up a chase.
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The Day of the Jackal episode 2 recap: Tensions escalate
In episode 2, Bianca's mission to hunt down the assassin continues, but she's under the pressure of hiding a truth from her informant Alison. Bianca has information about Alison's daughter's death in police custody, and she's being pressured to reveal the truth. However, she manages to manipulate Alison and asks her to help find Norman Stoke.
Meanwhile, Jackal is using the alias "Charles" and celebrating his son's birthday in Spain. However, his client's refusal to pay him extra continues to bother him and he thinks about eliminating that client.
Meanwhile, in New York, a group decides to pay Jackal a sum of $20 million for UDC's assassination. On the other side, Bianca discovered the footage of Fest's murder and upon analyzing the shooter’s right-handedness, gun choice, and distinctive backpack, the team suspects him to be British.
The Jackal then identified links to Fest's son and suspects that Elias orchestrated his father’s assassination. Bianca then lands in Riga, Latvia with her M16 team to track down Jackal, but their mission fails.
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The Day of the Jackal episode 3 recap: Deception and danger
In episode 3, Bianca and Jackal both continue to struggle with the pressure of accomplishing their goals. Bianca even discovers a sniper rifle in a suitcase which keeps her investigation on, even when her colleague Damian mocks her after Bianca apologizes to Alison. Meanwhile, in Munich, Jackal disguised himself and gathered information about Elias Fest's family.
While Jackal is thrust into eliminating his client for unfair pay, his wife Nuria suspects him of having an affair. Nuria's suspicions intensify after discovering a locked door and safe that belongs to her husband. In another scene, Bianca's actions are being questioned, and there might be a mole in the agency.
In the episode's turning point, Jackal kidnaps Elias after killing his bodyguard in a high-speed chase. Elias then finally confessed to hiring Jackal to eliminate his father and refused to pay him more. As a result, Jackal killed Elias and destroyed any traces using a bomb.
The episode ends with Nuria discovering her husband's secret life after opening the safe. She discovers cash, passports, and disguises and is left feeling betrayed by her husband.
The Day of the Jackal episode 4 recap: A web of lies develops
Now that Elias Fest is also dead, Bianca and her team's mission gets even more complicated. Since Jackal is always one step ahead, he evades the authorities and ends up in Metz, France where he accidentally causes a crash into a van. To cover the traces, Jackal killed both, the driver and the policeman and ensured his safety.
Meanwhile, Jackal tries to manipulate Nuria after she finds out about his spy room. Jackal asked Nuria to meet him in Paris, and when she arrived, Nuria slapped her husband. Jackal confesses to lying to her but says that he truly loves her.
In New York, Leonora's team is concerned about whether the Jackal will be able to take out UDC, considering the recent death of Elias Fest. Later in the episode, Alison is found dead and Bianca's tension intensifies. She then welcomes a former colleague Vincent Pyne to her team and continues the mission. Meanwhile, UDC doesn't care about the threat to his life and goes to a lunch event in Estonia.
In the final moment of episode four, Jackal is about to kill UDC but before that happens, he survives a life-threatening situation. At the same time, Bianca found Larry keeping her daughter hostage and managed to shoot him in the leg. When Jackal returns to his hotel room, Leonora is found waiting for him and finally sees Jackal for the first time.
The Day of the Jackal episode 5 recap: UDC job still ahead
In the fifth episode, Bianca is worried about her daughter's life but stays focused on her mission. She knows that Jackal's next target is UDC, and she must find Norman as soon as possible.
Though she tracked him down in Budapest, Bianca couldn't get any information from Norman. Before this, Norman and Jackal spent hours creating a sniper rifle, and their mutual respect is highlighted in the episode.
However, Jackal discovers that Bianca and her team are behind him, and asks Norman to destroy any possible trace. While Norman was captured, Jackal successfully escaped. But before Bianca could get any information, Jackal shot Norman with the same weapon they both created to kill UDC.
The UDC job is still pending as Jackal is into a new threat. The episode ended leaving viewers curious about how Jackal will manage to complete his new task.
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