This episode of Quantico, titled “KUMONK,” is full of twists and turns, from the agents trying to catch the collaborators to unexpected relationships. The episode opens with Alex giving Owen a swimming lesson. She pushes him into the water, but it looks like they’re going to lock lips just moments before. There has been a bit of an interesting energy between Alex and Owen this season; and it’s definitely explored in this episode.

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Is an Alex and Owen Romance Brewing?

In the previous episode, the two had a moment when Owen had to admit that he has moments where he freezes during combat. So, of course, Alex is there to help him get through it. But during this episode, the two definitely seem to be getting closer. It’ll be interesting to see how their relationship evolves throughout the rest of the season as “the student becomes the teacher,” in Owen’s words.

Raina and Nimah try to keep up their switch-up after Nimah pretended to be Raina and turned herself in when Raina was framed for a terrorist attack. None of the agents are on to them yet. Shelby gives an update on who she thinks Nimah is on Raina’s trial. Shelby is afraid that the friend who she thinks is behind bars will break during the interrogation period, but her sister is confident that she’ll hang in there until she’s proven innocent.

Can Ryan Really Trust Sasha?

Meanwhile, Ryan and Sasha’s romance goes from ski trips to spending the night together. But what she doesn’t know is that in the previous episode, Ryan pretty much agreed to keep an eye on Sasha, who might be keeping her own secret after she was accused of being a Russian spy. He leaves her apartment but not before he plants a bug to see what she’s really up to. It doesn’t take long for her to reveal that she’s hiding something as she removes photos from her closet as soon as the coast is clear.

The agents as a unit have more to worry about as they receive multiple alerts on “civil unrest” in five different locations. Owen is convinced that the terrorists want to create a riot to make President Claire Haas, who is also Clayton’s mom, look as if she doesn’t have control over her citizens. But Clay is convinced that they have already lost the war they’ve been fighting and tries to have everyone agree to give up. But, thankfully, Raina steps in and pushes for them to keep going. Alex also wants to continue their investigation and creates a plan for them to go into the cities that the terrorists could be planning a riot for in hopes of stopping it before it can begin.

Ryan is certainly on to something with Sasha because she discovers her talking about him with the bug he planted in her place. He goes to check it out and has Raina (aka Nimah) cover for him. Owen and Alex lead the investigation as they decide to follow their instincts to find out which city the terrorists want to riot. They find a high alert case that’s happening in Cleveland and figure out that the attack must be happening there. But Raina’s questions almost get her caught, while Shelby catches Clay as he tries to go speak with his mom about disbanding the team of agents.

Ryan confronts Sasha just moments later, and she reveals that she found the bug he planted in his room. It turns out the secret conversation she had was a plot to get him to meet her. She reassures him that she’s an open book, but he insists that he still doesn’t trust her. So she amps it up and gives him a key to her apartment.

Two Blasts from the Past

Clay meets Claire, only to also be greeted by Caleb, who is clearly still in vacation mode. Caleb asks about Shelby before their awkward family dynamics shine through. Clay then states his case in an attempt to shut down the task force. Caleb steps in, and him and Claire agree that the agents need to continue their work. But she does second-guess, asking Clay to lead them, so Caleb suggests that he step in to help. Clay makes the wrong call to Felix, who clearly doesn’t have his best interests at heart.

Raina, Alex and Shelby arrive in Cleveland with the hope that they can convince the FBI heads in charge that they simply want to help prevent any unrest. But that nearly proves to be impossible when the one and only Miranda greets them.

Miranda coyly briefs them and tells them that they are more than prepared for any type of violence. But she knows they aren’t just there to help the FBI and clearly knows more about Nimah and Raina than the agents do because she immediately recognizes Raina, so her cover is pretty much blown. Still, Miranda refuses to help her former students, considering her own job is on the line as she sticks them on desk duty. Of course, they are determined to go beyond that, but it’ll be tough with Miranda watching them like a hawk.

They take turns questioning the different jurors, considering the jury was ordered to make a decision by a certain time. It’s definitely a race against the clock as the agents hope to get the jurors to rule justly. But one of the jurors reveals that the judge has been pressuring them to have a guilty verdict, which could lead to the riots and ultimately make President Haas look bad. Clay takes on his own challenge and uncovers secrets of his own, as it’s suggested that his mother wasn’t actually elected President.

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Do the Agents Finally Get a Win?

The storyline between Ryan and Sasha continues throughout the episode, as he realizes that she placed her own bug in his car keys. Moments later, Owen urges Alex to talk to the judge who could be swaying jurors. Miranda catches them after jurors complain that the agents were harassing them. She decides to put them in holding before they can go any further. Just moments after Owen hangs up with Alex, he’s attacked and everything Alex has been teaching him is tested. He and the masked mystery man go head-to-head, and Owen finally wins. He pulls off his mask only to find that he was fighting his former student, Sebastian, who has clearly gone wrong. As if right on cue, Ryan walks in and sees Sebastian as well.

They try to scare Sebastian into confessing who he’s working for, but he reveals that he knows about the secret task force and reveals that he was the last to see Harry. Sebastian also says that he wanted to make sure they were all on the same page. He realizes that they are and lists a handful of names connected to their recent investigations. Sasha is doing her own investigation and contacts one of the names on the list. But it looks like things will get dangerous for her.

Claire Haas Claps Back

Back at the courthouse, Raina, Shelby and Alex are successful at convincing Miranda to let them interrogate the judge. The judge admits that if he didn’t guarantee that the defendant was found guilty, he would be the one to pay. Unfortunately, they are too late because the defendant is found guilty, so they get ready for the riot. It turns out that’s just the beginning of the plan to undermine Claire. Clay was aware of it all along, as Claire herself shows up in hopes of calming down the people. She gives a compelling speech and pretty much shuts down the attempt to sabotage her before it can really even begin.

The agents realize that they have all eight of the terrorists and collaborators that they’ve been searching for during the entire second half of the sophomore season, thanks to the list of names Sebastian provided.

Love is in the Air

In case anyone is wondering, Shelby and Clay have an intense moment before Caleb and Shelby come face-to-face for the first time in years. Caleb tells Shelby to stop whatever it is that’s going on between her and Clay, or he’ll “make her life a living hell.” He ends by telling her to get rest because she “looks 10 years older” than she should.

But one romance that doesn’t look like it’s stopping is the one between Owen and Alex. They go out for drinks to celebrate their victory when Alex reveals to Owen that she trusts him, and she doesn’t trust anyone. She even uses Ryan as an example of someone who has lied to her. She credits Owen for never lying to her, and they share yet another moment.

Things aren’t as easy for the group as Felix’s boss, Harry Rourke, orders him to find out what Clay is up to.

Sasha’s Tragic Ending

Ryan confronts Sasha once again about the key bug, but Sasha is determined to go explore her lead. She gets in her car, and it blows up just seconds later. Unfortunately, that almost seems like the moment when Ryan discovers he can trust her.

What do you think about Owen and Alex getting closer? Do you think Sasha was being honest with Ryan? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Quantico season 2 airs Mondays at 10/9c on ABC. Want more news? Like our Quantico Facebook page.

(Image courtesy of ABC)

Char Little

Contributing Writer, BuddyTV