'The Sympathizer' Episode 2 Takeaway: The General suspects a spy among his ranks

As he loses his position and stature, the General begins to suspect a spy close to him in 'The Sympathizer'

PUBLISHED APR 22, 2024

Toan Le as the General in 'The Sympathizer' (@HBO)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'The Sympathizer' Episode 2 has premiered on HBO Max. The episode is titled 'Good Little Asian' and sees the Captain (Hoa Xuande) and the General (Toan Le) escape from Vietnam after the fall of Saigon and relocate to the United States of America.

The General who was in a position of power in South Vietnam before the fall of Saigon suddenly lost his position and experienced a whole new low when people at the refugee camp disrespected him.

The people who left Vietnam in the hope of a better world in the United States of America were in for a huge disappointment with the inhuman conditions of the camp. They take their frustrations out on the General who is still delusional about being the man in charge.

Why does the General suspect a spy?

Robert Downey Jr as Professor Hammer in a still from 'The Sympathizer' episode 2 (@HBO) — Robert Downey Jr. as Professor Hammer in a still from 'The Sympathizer' Episode 2 (@HBO)

The General is shocked by the way people treat him and his natural reaction in such a situation is to think of a conspiracy being committed against him. The Captain with the help of Professor Hammer (Robert Drowney Jr.) relocates to Los Angeles and finds a way for the General to get out of the camp too.

Later on in the episode, we see more instances of him believing in a conspiracy being hatched to bring him down. After he relocates to South California, he tells the Captain about a possible assassination attempt at the refugee camp.

It is evident that he is becoming paranoid and delusional by the day and the last straw perhaps was the graffiti on his liquor store which calls him a butcher.

Why does the General want Major Oanh killed?

A still from Episode 2 of the series 'The Sympathizer' (@HBO)

The General at the peak of his paranoia points a gun to the Captain's head and asks the captain to immediately name some suspects. The captain, who needs to deflect the blame, finds Major Oanh (Phanxinê) as a suitable scapegoat.

The Captain names Major Oanh as his primary suspect because of his Peanut Candy, a Vietnamese sweet unavailable in the United States.

Major Oanh carries peanut candy and also gifts it to the General's wife. The evidence is enough to convince the General and Claude (Robert Drowney Jr.) who orders the Captain to eliminate Major Oanh.

'The Sympathizer' Episode 2 is available to stream on HBO Max