What Does Owen Hendricks Actually Do In The Recruit? His CIA Job Explained

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for The Recruit season 2.

Noah Centineo's Owen Hendricks works for the CIA in Netflix's action spy series The Recruit and his evolving job description covers a lot of departments. Introduced in The Recruit season 1 as a CIA attorney, Owen gains his footing at the CIA's General Counsel Office in Washington D.C. under the watchful eye of his new boss, Walter Nyland. He is initially given menial tasks, including searching for potential graymailers in hundreds of written letters to the CIA. It doesn't take long before Owen finds a potential threat, Maxine Meladze, a former Russian CIA asset.

Through his globe-trotting journey with Maxine in season 1, Owen encounters many obstacles and opponents that no average attorney, even at the CIA, would ever encounter. Thrust into high-stakes, full-throttle situations in both The Recruit season 2 and season 1, Owen assumes the unofficial role of a CIA field agent more often than he uses his law school expertise. Owen humorously stumbles into many of these dangerous situations, some of which he barely makes out alive. This inspires some uncertainty regarding what Owen's actual job is in The Recruit since he so often appears to be doing everything but it.

Owen Hendricks Is A Lawyer For The CIA In The Recruit

Owen Hardly Does Any Attorney Tasks In The Recruit

Noah Centineo as Owen looking serious in The Recruit season 2

Owen's official job in both seasons of The Recruit is as a CIA lawyer in Washington D.C. Generally, CIA lawyers are mostly litigation attorneys and are technically considered to be part of a separate entity from the CIA itself called the Office of the General Counsel. This implies that there would hardly ever be any overlap between the CIA and the Office of the General Counsel on active top-secret missions outside a legal context. Lawyers in all specialties are meant to offer legal advice to clientele. Interestingly, Owen rarely deals with legalese or performs many duties as an attorney.

Owen is a freshly hired CIA attorney who becomes an impromptu untrained operative.

Amelia, Owen's co-worker at the Office of the General Counsel, represents a more accurate depiction of a CIA attorney's profession. Amelia is never sent out to the field and works primarily in Washington D.C., where her life is never in danger from enemies of the CIA. Even Janus, who takes on a bigger role as part of the core cast of The Recruitseason 2, knows better than to get directly involved, choosing to stay inside his hotel during his and Owen's stay in South Korea. Ultimately, Owen is a freshly hired CIA attorney who becomes an impromptu untrained operative.

Owen Accidently Got Himself Involved In An Extorsion Case In Both Seasons

He Was Assigned To Search For Graymailers & Gets Pulled Into Their Worlds

Noah Centineo as Owen in an aiport in The Recruit season 2

Both seasons of The Recruit find Owen in similar predicaments involving former CIA assets who threaten to expose classified intel. Season 1's Max was a Russian CIA asset operating in Belarus before she was arrested for murder, while season 2's Jang Kyun is a Korean intelligence officer who needs the CIA's help to find his kidnapped wife, Nan Hee. Owen was assigned to review potential graymailers at the start of both season 1 and season 2. Rather than discovering Max and Jang Kyun and handing over their cases to an experienced CIA agent, Owen dives into their worlds.

A "graymailer" in The Recruit is someone who threatens to reveal government secrets, offering their silence in exchange for exoneration or assistance.

Owen's unusual involvement in these active CIA graymail cases drives his story forward, putting him in several dangerous situations, like in The Recruit season 1 finale. While the series offers an exaggerated portrait of the life of a CIA lawyer, these types of intense scenarios are what make Owen one of the best main characters from current action thriller shows. The Recruit would likely lose its appeal if Owen was stuck doing paperwork in Washington D.C. the whole time. The Recruit trades real-world accuracy for enhanced entertainment value, which works much better for the popular action spy Netflix show.

Owen Hendricks Is Basically A CIA Operative In The Recruit Season 2

He May Start Field Agent Training In The Recruit Season 3

Despite his increased role in the field in The Recruit season 2, Owen's title at the CIA's Office of the General Council has not changed since the start of The Recruit season 1. The entire timeline of both seasons of The Recruit only takes place over a few weeks, meaning that Owen is hardly in line for a promotion.

Overall, if Owen's adventures were already intense before, expect that they are going to get even more so once he becomes an official operative.

Considering that his heroic efforts led to saving Jang Kyuan and Nan Hee at the end of The Recruit season 2, CIA Director West may give Owen the green light to start training as an operative in The Recruit season 3. This opens up a lot of new possibilities for the show's main character, including higher-stakes cases. Overall, if Owen's adventures were already intense before, expect that they are going to get even more so once he becomes an official operative.

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