‘The Enemy Within’ Prepares to Tell Shepherd’s Story

Meredith Jacobs April 9, 2019, 12:30 pm

The Enemy Within - Season 1 — Will Hart/NBC

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 1, Episode 7 of The Enemy Within, “Decoded.”]

Once a traitor, always a traitor? The end of Monday’s episode of The Enemy Within suggests Will Keaton (Morris Chestnut) is right to tell Erica Shepherd (Jennifer Carpenter) he doesn’t trust her “for a second.” Has anything she’s told him been the truth?

Episode 7 hints that there’s more to her connection with Mikhail Tal (Lev Gorn) — the rogue terrorist who landed her in jail over spying for him — than she’s claimed. She takes advantage of the agents around her being busy with work and steals a phone from a desk drawer. Once alone in her cell, she places a call.

“I need a favor,” she tells the man who answers. “I need to speak with Tal.”

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At the beginning of the series, Erica is introduced as a former CIA agent who spied for the terrorist Will calls “one of the greatest threats to America today.” However, as she admitted to Will, she only gave Tal the names of the four agents — including Will’s fiancée — on his trail, because her daughter’s life was on the line.

“I didn’t work with Tal. I didn’t spy for him,” she said. “I made a choice to save my daughter.”

She claimed she didn’t want her daughter to have to live with the weight of knowing the choice she made. But there appears to be more to the story with that phone call and the Episode 8 preview. Has she been manipulating Will this entire time?

“An Offer” will feature flashbacks to the events that led to Erica’s betrayal. The promo shows Tal telling Erica exactly what will happen to her and promising a way out.

“You will be arrested as a traitor and spend your life in a cage,” he says. “Then, I will save you from that cage. I’m your salvation.”

Is that phone call part of the plan to “save [Erica] from that cage”?

Now, fans are wondering if it’s possible she’s been working for Tal this entire time.

What! Is Shepherd the mole of all moles, or is this some extreme endgame to get Tal! #TheEnemyWithin

— Ryan M. Spencer (@RyanMSpencer1) April 9, 2019

I’m thinking they will have to take down Shepherd over Tal she might be more important #TheEnemyWithin

— Tiffany Jones🎨💻 (@iAmTiffany_J) April 9, 2019

Omg!! What!!! Shepherd getting arrested was all a part of Tal’s plan!? What is going on!? Can’t wait til next week #TheEnemyWithin

— Bittersweet Symphony (@DNTDGURL) April 9, 2019

However, there are some who think that she’s still aiming to take down Tal, but it may be a question of what she’s willing to do to make that happen. Episode 7 does see her willing to sacrifice one (an innocent teenager) for the benefit of the many (keeping Tal in the dark about what they know about his operation).

Alot of talk tonight about sacrifice and what you are willing to give up to catch Tal. I think Sheperd went far deeper and gave up far more than we thought. And I don’t think she is really working with Tal. #TheEnemyWithin

— My Name is Fate (@Destini41) April 9, 2019