'The Sympathizer' Episode 3 Takeaway: Captain grapples with guilt over two deaths
Contains spoilers for 'The Sympathizer'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In 'The Sympathizer' Episode 3, Captain's (played by Hoa Xuande) life shifts between his past as a soldier in South Vietnam, his present as a refugee in the USA, and his future struggles as a prisoner.
Meanwhile, the focus also shifts to his emotional turmoil as he struggles with moral dilemmas while continuing his duties as a spy.
Captain feels guilty about the Watchman's death in 'The Sympathizer' Episode 3
In a flashback scene, we see Captain approached by Claude (Robert Downey Jr) to get information from Watchman (Phong Le), a Northern agent responsible for crafting bombs from wristwatches.
In the prison cell, Captain skillfully hints to Watchman that he is a Communist spy before issuing threats of torture by the CIA.
The Watchman agrees to confess in exchange for a bizarre wish. He asks for three hard-boiled eggs for breakfast.
As his wish is granted, he chokes himself to death by swallowing an unpeeled egg. In doing so, he not only takes his secrets to the grave but also saves Captain from getting caught.
Meanwhile, the Captain, who was unaware of Watchman's suicide plan, grapples with guilt for apparently pushing his comrade to death.
Major Oahn's murder takes a toll on Captain in 'The Sympathizer' Episode 3
Back to the present, Captain is tasked to kill Major Oahn (Phanxine). In the previous episode, Captain, to save himself, named Major as a primary suspect when General (Toan Le) questioned a breach in security due to a potential spy.
In Episode 3, Captain and Bon (Fred Nguyen Khan) join forces to assassinate Major without getting caught. Although they succeed in their plan, Captain struggles with the aftermath.
In the final scenes of the episode, Captain is horrified upon seeing Major's ghost. This indicates that our protagonist is struggling with his guilty conscience.
What does Captain tell the investigator in 'The Sympathizer' Episode 3?
As the episode takes us to the Captain's future fate, we witness him confessing to his crimes. Given pen and paper to document his admissions, he recounts the incidents in detail.
He opens up about the tragic death of Watchman and how he killed Major. The investigator tells him that he doesn't have the luxury to carry the guilt of two deaths.
Despite making hard choices that landed him in prison, he is aware that he had no other options at the time.
The scenes of interrogation project that he has already accepted his eventual fate. However, the creators of the series are still maintaining the mystery around how he gets caught and what will happen to him after he confesses to all his crimes.
Though he has managed to be in the good books of the General so far, it is only a matter of time before his secrets are out in the open and he runs for his life.
'The Sympathizer' is available to stream on HBO Max.