Memory Of A Killer Episode 1 Recap: Who Is Targeting Angelo's Family?

Not being able to trust one’s mind has to be the biggest challenge one can face in the late phases of life, and the challenge becomes a fear when you have some serious secrets to keep. Created by Ed Whitmore, Fox’s latest crime thriller series, “Memory of a Killer,” follows a familiar journey of an aging hitman losing track of his memories after finding himself cornered on all fronts, and piles on the tension by adding family ties into the mix. Fast-paced, stylish, compact, and well-acted, the pilot episode of “Memory of a Killer” is exciting enough to pique the interest of the viewers.

Spoilers Ahead

The pilot of “Memory of a Killer” focuses on its lead, Angelo Doyle, an aging hitman who is living a dual life – in quite a literal sense. Angelo is a professional hitman operating from New York, and negotiates his operations with assistance from his handler, Dutch, a veteran fixer who uses his profession of a chef as a cover. Angelo shares a loving bond with his Alzheimer’s-afflicted brother, Michael, who is living in a care home, and to the rest of the world, he is the only family Angelo has. However, Angelo’s pregnant daughter, Maria, and her husband, Jeff, live in Hudson Spring, and the veteran assassin has managed to keep this a complete secret from his other life. A tragic incident in the past has prompted Angelo to keep his family’s existence a secret from the world, as later in the episode, it is revealed that Angelo lost his beloved wife, Leah, at the hands of a notorious killer named Earl. It is not revealed whether this incident led Angelo to choose this profession, or whether he paid the price for his involvement in this dirty business. In front of his daughter, Maria, a schoolteacher by profession, and son-in-law, Jeff, a struggling app developer, Angelo pretends to be a successful photocopier salesman, and in his secret hideout/workspace/armory, he goes through the entire ritual of changing his getup and vehicle to maintain the perfect cover. Angelo shares an amicable relationship with his daughter, who is totally unaware of her father’s true identity. 

As the episode begins, after dropping his daughter off at her workplace, Angelo goes to New York for his latest assignment, as he has to take down a notorious gang boss known simply as Zheng. Dutch’s nephew, Joe, acts as Angelo’s contact inside the restaurant where Angelo has to assassinate Zheng. Things don’t go according to plan, as Zheng arrives with his family to celebrate his daughter’s birthday. Thanks to Joe’s help, Angelo improvises and manages to kill Zheng. Later on, Angelo laments that he had to eliminate Zheng on his daughter’s birthday, which highlights the sentimental side of the hitman. As Angelo returns to Dutch to get his payment, their conversation reveals Joe is trying to make a mark in their field of work and prove his worth. Angelo visits Michael, and following a heartfelt conversation about the past, he shares his concern with his caretaker, Jane, that he is not getting better. Jane reassures him before asking for approval to let Michael undergo music therapy, which might help him with his condition. 

Things turn dicey when Angelo finds himself being tailed by a blue pickup, and later while boarding his suite in a luxurious hotel where he lives, he ends up forgetting the security access code. For a sharp, no nonsense guy like Angelo, this is scary, especially because he has to carry on with his routine of living dual life every single day. After asking Joe to run the plates of the pickup, Angelo learns Zheng’s crew is not behind this, which prompts him to bring out old files related to his past assignments to narrow down possible suspects who might have held a grudge against him. Angelo finds a match in Carl Mosher, captain of the Bertoletti crime family, whom he recalls spotting on the streets earlier that day. Angelo rushes to Dutch after realizing that he killed Carl’s brother last year under Dutch’s orders, though he didn’t bother to inform him that he was taking down an influential crime family member on his behalf. Concerned for the safety of his family, Angelo asks Carl to send protection for Michael, and shares his concerns as to whether Dutch can take care of the Carl Mosher situation. However, Dutch forbids him from doing so, and reminds Angelo of his place by mentioning it was he who gave Angelo a chance when he was at his lowest. Things go further south when Angelo finds out that whoever is tailing him has learned about his daughter and her family’s existence. Tensed and worried, Angelo opens up about his crisis to Michael—who knows about Angelo’s whole secretive dual-life affair.

Angelo doesn’t give up, as he tries to fish out intel from Joe instead, by offering him a chance to earn his trust. With Joe’s help, Angelo manages to track Carl down in a club he often visits, but gets interrupted by Dutch, who also visits the same place quite often. Angelo strikes up a conversation with bartender Nicky, who seems to be aware of Carl’s activities, and brings her to his hotel suite after the duo hits it off pretty quickly. Angelo is able to learn about Carl’s whereabouts, but following a one-night stand with her, Angelo once again goes through an episode of memory loss as he exposes his cover to Nicky by putting his gun inside the refrigerator instead of his safe. Ignoring Dutch’s warning, Angelo beats up Carl by ambushing him outside of his place. 

Right after this incident, Angelo visits Maria in the clinic for her USG scan, which reveals she and Jeff are going to welcome a boy. It is simultaneously a moment of joy, and sheer fear as Angelo still isn’t sure whether the coast is clear, and he knows that by acting on his own he has drawn Dutch’s ire. 

Detective Dave Woods, who was involved in Leah’s murder case, informs Angelo that Earl has been released from prison two weeks ago, after acting as an informant to the feds, who decided to give him an early release. This completely shifts Angelo’s fears in an altogether different direction, as he realizes a ghost from his past is trying to haunt him once again. Frustrated and panicked, Angelo remains distracted while meeting Maria and Jeff in a café, when Earl tries to kill Maria by shooting her using a sniper rifle. Angelo notices the laser pointer on Maria just in time to save her, and rushes outside in a vain attempt to catch the shooter. As the episode comes to a close, Earl flees in the blue pickup van, and Angelo’s desperation is evident as he cries out loud. Why is Earl trying to target Angelo’s family once again? Is Earl being assisted by someone close to Angelo? Will his secret life get revealed to Maria and Jeff following the shooting? As the season progresses, the upcoming episodes will answer these questions.