The Day of the Jackal series is receiving critical acclaim and has garnered positive reviews and ratings from the audience.
While the finale was packed and answered many questions from the season, our protagonist, Eddie Redmayne's Jackal, is still shrouded in a lot of mystery, with his origins unknown.
Being a hired assassin, he adopts multiple identities for different jobs, but it seems like the Jackal identity tends to stick with him and becomes the most popular.
The Day of the Jackal is adapted from Frederick Forsyth's novel of the same title, which was previously made into a film in 1973. While the series is inspired by the premise of the book, it seems to have made many changes to suit the television medium while adapting.
The Day of the Jackal did not establish any specific incidental connotations of the codename Jackal, but the book made several, ranging from a hunting animal to a person hired for menial tasks.
Here are some connotations to explain why the titular character is called Jackal in The Day of the Jackal.
The 'Jackal' codename origins are explained in Forsyth's novel The Day of the Jackal
While the show does not dwell too much on the backstory or the origins behind Redmayne's codeword Jackal (probably something kept for Season 2), Forsyth's novel does explain the name's origins.
While there is no particular incident that made the name Jackal who he is now, there are several connotations of the word that match perfectly with the aspects of the character, earning him the name Jackal.
The most obvious among them is the Jackal, a small predatory animal known for its hunting abilities and, hence, a perfect codename for an assassin.
Next, Jackal also means someone who does menial and degrading tasks for somebody, which again perfectly fits with the aspect of the character. While his task is nowhere small, it still matches with the meaning. In addition, Jackal also refers to a fast-approaching danger or warning, making it again a perfect choice for the character.
In the show, Zina approaches the Jackal on behalf of a consortium of billionaires and reveals that their intended target will go by the codename Rodin. When asked what alias he would prefer for himself, the assassin smirks and simply replies, "Jackal." It is the name we see on his army truck during his time with the British Army, which further suggests that the name holds a significant meaning from his past.
Exploring the Origins of Jackal in The Day of the Jackal
While he has multiple identities and aliases, he is known as Charles Calthorp, a wealthy businessman to his wife Nuria and his son. This seems to be his family name, which he adopted for his identity that contradicts the Jackal.
But he was not always Calthrop, it seems that his original name was Alexander Duggan, who supposedly died with his crew in Afghanistan when they drove over a landmine. But in reality, it was Duggan who became disillusioned with his identity and blew up his entire team while saving his best mate, Gary.
While Duggan became an assassin and adopted multiple identities like the Jackal, he became Calthrop to Nuria to have a family with her.
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