The Enemy Within finale video: Shepherd’s decision — Tal, or Keaton?

The Enemy Within

You’ve been waiting for answers for the majority of the season, and on Monday night, The Enemy Within finale is going to deliver them. Erica Shepherd’s been oscillating between two sides like the world’s most chaotic household fan this season, but soon, said fan’s going to get stuck. It’s going to be hard to move in yet another direction again after the decision that she’s about to make.

What’s the question? It’s not that hard to figure out — does she really want to be a part of the problem in America, or a part of the solution? Was she playing Tal this whole time, or was she playing Keaton and federal law enforcement? Within the promo below, Keaton asks Shepherd a pretty simple question: “Can I trust you?”

Before trying to even break that question down, we just gotta say that we feel really bad that the guy is in a position in the first place where such a question needed to be asked. Just think about his backstory, and think about what he’s lost already because of some of Shepherd’s decisions. Regardless of her motivation or her plan, results are still results. You can’t just look past that forever, but Keaton’s going to have to look past this if he wants to take down Tal. She’s really his only option, and that is why he finds himself in a spot where he has to count on her.

This brings us to the pivotal moment in the promo, one where Tal seems to be ordering Shepherd to kill Keaton — and we even see her fire the gun! We should note in here that there’s no actual, tangible evidence that Shepherd fires the gun at Keaton and kills him — she could be shooting one of his goons, or just creating a temporary distraction before she makes her play on Tal once and for all. we’re doing our best to imagine that she’s been playing the long game this whole time, and has always had some sort of mission in order to bring the guy in. It’s just a little bit easier to buy into this idea than that we’ve been waiting a story of a traitor this whole time … which is absolutely depressing and we like to think that there’s a little bit more hope in the world than this.

Is this the season or series finale?

One way or another, NBC isn’t saying — our hope is mostly that regardless, The Enemy Within wraps up most of the storyline with Tal this season. If Shepherd is on Keaton’s side, it certainly feels like there are ways in which to still use her for other cases. The ball’s in NBC’s court at the moment, as this is one of a surprisingly large group of shows for them that have not been renewed or canceled yet. We’re not entirely optimistic about its season 2 chances, but with its star power (Jennifer Carpenter and Morris Chestnut do have worldwide audiences), there’s at least a chance that NBC can make up for some ho-hum ratings this spring with a strong performance elsewhere and in streaming. If you want to put down a road to victory, that’s the best sort of pavement you’re going to find … and it may still be too flimsy to get you there.

For some more scoop on The Enemy Within and the upcoming finale…

Be sure to visit the link here! Meanwhile, let us know in the comments what you think is going to happen, and whether or not Shepherd is ultimately a friend or foe in your mind. (Photo: NBC.)

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