WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for The Recruit season 2.
The expansion of Nathan Fillion’s character inThe Recruitseason 2 was a much-needed improvement to his limited role inThe Recruitseason 1. Fillion plays CIA Director Alton West inThe Recruit, often appearing during emergency and crisis situations involvingNoah Centineo’s CIA lawyer Owen Hendricks. InThe Recruitseason 1, Alton West only appeared in a few scenes via remote video calls.The Recruitseason 2, however, gets West more involved in the plot and has him sharing the screen with multiple CIA characters.
Best known for his celebrated television roles inCastle(2009-2016) andThe Rookie(2018-2025), Fillion first appeared inThe Recruitseason 1 finale. The ambiguity aroundNathan Fillion’s character inThe Recruitis cleared up in season 2, appearing in four of thesix episodes ofThe Recruitseason 2. It’s no coincidence thatThe Recruitcreator Alexi Hawley also created Fillion’s hit ABC police procedural seriesThe Rookie, which is currently in its seventh season and streaming now on Hulu.
Nathan Fillion’s CIA Director Was The Right Obstacle For Owen In Season 2
His Hard-Nosed Approach Is A Huge Contrast To Owen’s Youthful Optimism
The Recruitwas right to make Fillion’s CIA Director Alton West another force of opposition against Owen rather than keep him as an authoritative figure on the outside looking in. Prior toThe Recruitseason 2,Fillion had no idea who Owen was and didn’t have a big part in the unfolding actionin season 1 until the very last episode. Even then, West was more of an afterthought in the overall season, raising questions about if he would even return inThe Recruitseason 2.
InThe Recruitseason 2, however, several factors in West’s character were explored to make him more of a responsive and integral player throughout. West had no connection to Owen, didn’t care about him or his friends, and was ready to pull the plug on his hero mission inThe Recruitseason 2,making him somewhat of an antagonist.
Even though he and Owen are technically on the same side, West’s priorities as CIA Director make him very different from Owen’s falling upward approach.
West also authorized Dawn to assassinate Jang Kyun, revealing a ruthless dark side to his character that even Nyland could not support. Even though he and Owen are technically on the same side, West’s priorities as CIA Director make him very different from Owen’s falling upward approach.
Nathan Fillion Was Great In The Recruit, But He Needs More Screen Time In Season 3
Fillion Is The Biggest Star Of The Series Next To Centineo
IfThe Recruitseason 3happens at Netflix,Fillion’s character has to have more screen timewith the series' biggest star, Noah Centineo. He could be a good antagonist to Owen, even a potential graymailer, which would be a shocking twist.
10 Best Shows Like The Recruit
Several CIA-oriented action thrillers and espionage dramas like The Recruit are currently available to watch across various streaming platforms.
Since it was never officially confirmed that Max died inThe Recruitseason 1, West could have something to do with her disappearance, or perhaps he will want to deal with Nichka firsthand if she returns. Considering Fillion’s star power,The Recruithas to do more with his character than have him standing in a room looking at screens.
