We might have lost two old men last week, but a third re-enters the scene as the tension ramps up for Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges), Harold Harper (John Lithgow), and their families.
Emily Chase (Alia Shawkat) is still in Afghanistan, and Chase and Harper’s hopes of getting the Taliban off her back hinge on a plan that has already gone wrong.
A key ally is dead, and Suleyman Pavlovich (Rade Serbedzija) is now targeting their lives. As Episode 5 of The Old Man progresses, the stakes are rising, and every character is pushed to their limits.
The latest episode of The Old Man ramps up the intensity as the show pushes into the second half of Season 2.
It focuses on Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges), Harold Harper (John Lithgow), and their families facing an increasingly dangerous set of circumstances.
As the pressure mounts, viewers are treated to emotionally charged moments, suspenseful sequences, and an eerie atmosphere reminiscent of Season 1.
The episode starts off not in the U.S. but in Afghanistan, where Emily Chase (Alia Shawkat) is attending Faraz Hamzad’s (Navid Negahban) funeral.
Emily, who barely knew her biological father, expresses her grief and thoughts through an internal monologue that feels poetic and reminiscent of the show’s earlier episodes.
This inner dialogue takes the form of a letter she is writing to her father, a way for her to say goodbye in her own way. As she struggles with her emotions, she also reflects on how she never truly got to know her mother either, despite growing up with her.
After the quiet, introspective funeral, Emily finishes her letter and burns it, symbolizing closure. Though she has decided to remain in Afghanistan for now, her companion Tarik (Amir Malaklou) boards a helicopter bound for the U.S., taking with him Farouk (Michael Sifain), a young boy who represents hope for their family’s future.
Emily warns Farouk that his new life will feel lonely and scary at first, but Tarik will protect him because he loves him. This is a comfort Emily herself never received when she left her home, making this goodbye even more bittersweet.
She later explains to Khadija (Jacqueline Antarmian) that she wants to avoid any bitterness between them when they meet again, though Khadija isn’t sure there will even be a next time since the Taliban have just arrived.
The tension only grows from there, as the scene shifts back to the U.S., where Harold Harper suddenly returns home. His wife Cheryl (Jessica Harper) is dealing with a mundane issue—a busted pipe and a plumber she can’t get ahold of.
Yet this plumbing problem is far from Harper’s biggest concern. Harold informs Cheryl that despite his long-held promise to keep his work away from home, things have changed.
He urges her to pack a bag for herself and their grandson Henry so they can stay in a hotel, only to be hit with a bombshell: Henry no longer lives with them.
This moment illustrates the level of chaos and disconnection in Harper’s life, as he can’t even keep track of where his grandson is living.
Before Harper can fully process this news, Dan Chase and Zoe (Amy Brenneman) arrive unannounced. They need to contact Emily and warn her about the danger she’s in now that Suleyman Pavlovich (Rade Serbedzija) is after them. The suspense ramps up as the trio waits in Harper’s house during a raging storm outside, creating a sense of unease.
The show uses minimal lighting, haunting music, and well-placed camera shots to heighten the tension, drawing viewers in despite the slow pacing.
As the camera lingers on an empty driveway just a little too long, the ominous atmosphere deepens, reminding fans of the style they loved in Season 1.
Meanwhile, Dan raids Harper’s closet for a change of clothes—he’s finally getting a long-overdue outfit change—and tries in vain to reach Emily.
She doesn’t pick up, her phone likely unable to receive calls due to her location. Despite Emily’s insistence on staying in Afghanistan, Chase remains determined to get his daughter out of danger.
Zoe, on the other hand, is more concerned with Morgan Bote’s (Joel Grey) body and speculates about the real reason behind his death. Chase suggests that Bote may have gotten too close to some inconvenient truths—possibly related to Pavlovich’s interest in a lithium mine—but cautions that the situation is likely more complicated than just a mine.
Back at home, Harper finally gets some time alone with Cheryl. He explains that Emily’s alter ego, “Angela Adams,” was entirely fabricated, and admits many of the truths he’s been hiding. Cheryl reveals that she didn’t want Henry to live in a house full of uncertainty, especially with the possibility that both Harold and Emily might never return.
This moment of honesty brings some relief to Harold, who desperately needs someone to confide in about the mess they’re in. For a man who’s carried so many secrets, this conversation feels like a much-needed release.
Zoe, while wandering around Harper’s house, notices that Emily was essentially part of the Harper family. She even appears in family photos, despite her complicated relationship with them. Zoe raises the point that this arrangement must have been difficult for Chase, but he brushes it off.
Their conversation is interrupted when the power goes out—a classic thriller moment that cranks the tension even higher. Though the house is plunged into darkness, the show cleverly uses lighting to make sure viewers can still follow the action. This visual technique is effective, keeping the suspense alive while allowing Chase’s growing anxiety to bubble up.
The pivotal moment of the episode comes when Chase’s call to Emily finally goes through. Chase tells her about Bote’s death and urges her to leave Afghanistan immediately. Emily, however, explains that it’s too late—the Taliban have arrived.
She informs her father that Hamzad is dead and that only a few families have been evacuated, with many children left behind. The Taliban are moving through the pass, and it seems inevitable that they will overrun the village.
Emily’s farewell to her family is heartfelt and filled with tension. She says goodbye to both Harold and Cheryl, and privately tells her father that finding a family in Afghanistan was not a rejection of him or her mother.
She asks Chase to accept that her choices were her own, but before she can finish her thoughts, gunfire erupts. The line goes dead, leaving Chase and Harper stunned and devastated.
What makes this scene especially powerful is the fact that viewers never actually see Emily during the phone call. The fear and sadness are conveyed solely through her voice and the reactions of Chase and Harper.
This approach mirrors the suspense of classic horror films, where the scariest moments often come from what we don’t see. It’s a subtle but effective way to make the audience feel the weight of the characters’ emotions.
Back in the basement, Chase distracts himself from his grief by trying to fix the leaking pipe, while Zoe offers him some words of comfort.
Although her role in the season has sometimes felt uncertain, here she serves as an emotional anchor for Chase, giving him a much-needed shoulder to cry on.
In a rare moment of vulnerability, Chase breaks down completely, letting out his grief in a raw, unfiltered way. Jeff Bridges’ performance in this scene is a standout, showing that even the toughest men can—and should—allow themselves to express their pain.
Just when it seems like Chase might get a moment to grieve, the power comes back on, and Harper joins him in the basement. The men decide it’s time to leave, but Chase wants to stay and get answers.
Both he and Harper overheard something strange on the phone: the attackers were speaking Russian, not the local languages they expected. This revelation points to a deeper conspiracy, likely involving mercenaries.
Harper begins to connect the dots, suspecting that Morgan Bote had been sending critical information to someone before his death. Before Harper can fully explain his theory, Chase reveals that the hitman they’ve captured knows nothing about Pavlovich or Afghanistan.
However, he does reveal one crucial detail—the hitman had two other targets: Marcia and Henry Dixon, the alter egos used by Chase and Zoe when they first went on the run.
The episode ends on a chilling note. Harper says goodbye to Cheryl, who plans to check into a hotel while he “cleans up” after the hitman’s death—a grim reference to the fact that Harper is about to dismember the body.
It’s a disturbing but fitting conclusion to an episode filled with dark, unsettling moments. The eerie tone, suspenseful pacing, and emotional weight make this one of the standout episodes of The Old Man so far.
With the stakes higher than ever, the characters are left to deal with grief, betrayal, and looming threats. As the show heads into the final episodes of the season, viewers can expect even more twists, as old alliances crumble and new dangers emerge.
