Dickie had originally been dismissed from the field after claiming he was abducted and tortured by a legendary Russian puppet master named Alexander Popov .
The second season of begins with " Last Stop ," a premiere that masterfully shifts the series' focus from modern domestic extremism to a more classic espionage trope: the resurgence of Cold War "sleeper agents". The Incident: A Ghost from the Past [S2E1] Last Stop
Dickie methodically tracks the man across London, onto a train, and finally a bus. Dickie had originally been dismissed from the field
The term "Cicada" refers to deep-cover Russian sleeper agents embedded in British society—named after the insect that spends years underground before emerging. The term "Cicada" refers to deep-cover Russian sleeper
The pair are tasked by an outside contact to provide security for a meeting between a Russian defector and a British businessman. This subplot hints at a larger geopolitical intrigue involving Russian oligarchs.
The episode centers on , a retired MI5 field agent who now runs an adult toy shop in Soho. The inciting incident occurs when Dickie spots a man in a flat hat—a face he recognizes from his past as an agent in Berlin before the Wall fell.