The Recruit ending for season 1 closed on a massive cliffhanger that teased an unpredictable The Recruit season 2. The Recruit combines elements from Jack Ryan and The Bourne Identity, the last of which was directed by Doug Liman, who serves as executive producer for The Recruit. Like the best action-packed spy thrillers, The Recruit sets up many mysteries throughout season 1, most of which have been solved by the end of it. However, several unanswered questions remain after The Recruit's first season's ending that season 2 must answer.

The Recruit ending continued the show's non-stop action, with the stories of Owen, Max, and the Russian mob culminating in a gunfight that ended with Owen killing a man, thus changing the lawyer forever and setting up a very different direction for The Recruit season 2. The latter half of The Recruit ending explained the story in an epilogue, and it seemed like the Netflix show would end on a positive note. However, with Owen kidnapped and Max shot by Karolina, The Recruit ending delivered its biggest twist.

Max’s Daughter Is Alive?! The Recruit’s Karolina Twist Explained

Karolina Was Spying On Max The Entire Season

The most surprising plot twist in The Recruit ending in the Netflix show was all about Karolina showing up alive. At the beginning of The Recruit season 1, when Max was still in jail waiting for Owen to try to get her out, the former CIA asset was attacked by one of her inmates. Max brought up her inmate’s family to threaten her but made sure to point out that she would never hurt their daughter because she, Max, also used to have a daughter. Max never said Karolina was dead, but she suggested so.

However, The Recruit ending explained that Karolina was alive all along. It’s important to that, during The Recruit season 1, episode 7, Owen meets with a woman at a bar who goes by the name of Marta. Though the Netflix show quickly revealed that Marta was a spy whose real name appeared to be Nichka, this mysterious new character had another layer of secrecy to her. Nichka was another alias for Karolina, Max’s daughter, who had been alive and spying on Owen and Max since the duo returned to Europe.

Why Did Karolina Shoot Max?

Karolina Might Have Felt Her Mother Betrayed Her

Karolina shot her mother, Max, in The Recruit ending - a shocking twist for the series, considering that Max ed her fondly. Max believed her daughter was dead, meaning she had no idea why her daughter shot her. Although The Recruit’s Karolina revelation only happens at the end of season 1, there are enough clues throughout the Netflix series to speculate why Karolina shot Max. Karolina was a Russian spy working with a team to prevent Max from exposing Kirill, head of the Russian mob, and his wife. Karolina and her mother were on opposite sides.

Max Meladze was a spy for years, so her relationship with her daughter must have been complicated.

Karolina working as a Russian spy doesn’t explain why she shot Max. The situation had been resolved by the end of the Netflix series. If Karolina still had any affection for her mother, she could have made sure that Max Meladze wouldn’t be a problem for the government or the mob without killing her. For Karolina to never have revealed she was alive and then shoot her mother, the character must feel like Max betrayed her in some way. Max Meladze was a spy for years, so her relationship with her daughter must have been complicated.

Did Max Die In The Recruit’s Finale?

The Finale Makes It Seem Like She Is Dead

Max dies in the finale, or that is what The Recruit ending wants audiences to believe. Karolina shoots Max close to the chest, yet The Recruit season 1 ends directly after. Max was The Recruit’s main character along with Owen, and if she died, then The Recruit season 2 would be very different. Max was bleeding and in complete silence after getting shot, meaning that The Recruit season 2 could begin either confirming Max’s death or revealing she survived. Max wore the same jumpsuit the whole episode, but she could have a bulletproof vest under it.

Why Owen Wants To Leave The Agency

Owen Had To Kill People & Wanted Out

Before being kidnapped by Karolina and finding out that Max had also been kidnapped, Owen called Hannah and revealed he wanted to leave the CIA. Owen ed the CIA as a lawyer, and while he itted that he was looking for the thrill of the action due to the memories of his late father, Owen never imagined he would get involved with so much death. Owen killed a Russian agent from Karolina’s team in The Recruit ending, which had an impact on him as Owen had never killed someone before. That is why Owen decides to leave the CIA.

Do Owen And Hannah Get Back Together In The Recruit?

Hannah Flies To Europe, Teasing A Reunion

The Netflix series played with the question of who Owen ends up with throughout season 1. Owen and Hannah had broken up before the events of season 1 but remained roommates, yet they still had feelings for each other. Despite both moving on, with Owen dating Amelia and then becoming closer to Max, the Netflix series didn’t rule out the possibility of Owen and Hannah getting back together.

In fact, Hannah flew to Europe only because she was worried about Owen. The Recruit ending explained that Owen and Hannah would try to rebuild their relationship, but Owen was kidnapped first.

Why Was Owen Kidnapped In The Recruit’s Finale?

Karolina Wants To Know Why Owen Was With Max

Owen worked with Max Meladze for most of The Recruit season 1. Therefore, any enemies Max might have would also target Owen. Karolina doesn’t explain why she kidnapped Owen or why she shot Max, but she suggests that it all has to do with her mother. Karolina asked Owen why he was running around with her mother, which can be interpreted as Karolina itting that she is working against Max and whoever is helping her.

Owen and Max made a lot of noise in Europe, with Owen even killing one of Karolina’s men in the Netflix series. Whatever Karolina has planned for Owen will be revealed in The Recruit season 2.

How The Recruit’s Finale Sets Up Season 2

Owen Could Be Seeking Revenge In Season 2

Owen has changed a lot following the events of The Recruit ending. Before being kidnapped, Owen was ready to leave the Agency and rebuild his relationship with Hannah. Owen also wanted to distance himself from Max, realizing he had become too close to someone who could betray him. The Recruit ending explained the promise of a different Owen in season 2, but things will get worse for the lawyer-turned-agent before they get better, as Owen is currently kidnapped. If Max died in The Recruit’s season 1 ending, The Recruit season 2 could be about Owen’s revenge.

The Real Meaning Of The Recruit Season 1 Ending

There Is No Easy Way Out Of The Spy Game

The main theme of The Recruit's first season is that Owen is trying to figure out his place in the world. He realized that being a CIA agent did not make him happy, and he wanted out. This was made clearer when he was working with Max because he realized that the thrills and chills he expected as a spy were not what he thought they would be. When he had to kill people and then watch Max die beside him, Owen realized that this life of espionage is not for everybody.

Much like the mob, there is often no way to get out of the business alive.

After Max died, Owen seemed ready to leave the CIA behind, but he wasn't allowed to. This is the other significant meaning of the story that played out in the first season. Much like the mob, there is often no way to get out of the business alive. While the CIA might have been willing to allow Owen to walk away, his kidnapping proves that once he crossed that line, there was no turning back. Owen will have to do many more bad things, changing along the way, and might never have his happily ever after with Hannah.

How The Recruit Ending Was Received

A Theory Suggests Max Faked Her Death

The reviews for The Recruit's first season were slightly above average, with a 68% fresh rating, but the audience score was much higher, at 84% fresh on the Tomatometer. A sample of what many audience wrote: one viewer called the series a "frenetic and fun series that seems to be a product of Guy Ritchie's cinema. the story full of twists (with some flaws) is made perfect by the excellent cast." However, a sample of the mixed critics' reviews comes from Lauren Sarner of the New York Post:

"[The Recruit] could work if the show leaned into being a full-on ridiculous comedy about an unqualified man tasked with dangerous jobs, such as MacGruber. But it doesn’t do that; it tries to have it both ways, equal parts spy thriller and zany romp, and it doesn’t quite succeed at either one."

Some fans looked at the ending of the first season of The Recruit, including many who had theories about it. In a Reddit thread, @therecruit wrote that, "I think Max's death was staged. It's probably the only way she can be free, ie if the CIA and mafia think she's dead, and having Owen a witness to it.." Many of the Redditors agreed with it and believe that the second season will have Owen trying to cover up the secret, which could open up all the secrets of the agency for all to see.