Our Biggest Unanswered Questions After Season 1

Editor’s note: The following article contains spoilers for Citadel Season 1.

Season 1 of the Russo Brothers’ Citadel did a marvelous job answering some of the series’ most pressing questions. When the credits of the season finale roll, we know who the mole is that betrayed Citadel, what exactly was Mason Kane’s (Richard Madden) and Nadia Singh’s (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) relationship, and how far Manticore can go while trying to dominate the world. That doesn’t mean Citadel doesn’t leave some loose threads behind to be tied either by Season 2 or the many international spinoffs coming to Prime Video in the next couple of years. So, now that the whole season of Citadel is available on Prime Video, it’s time to discuss the biggest unanswered question the show left behind.

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What Happened to Nadia’s Father?

While Mason and Nadia go globetrotting to rescue Carter Spence (Osy Ikhile), one of the few Citadel agents who survived the Manticore attack, Dahlia Archer (Lesley Manville) kidnaps the spies’ daughter to use the girl as a bargaining chip. The kidnapping underlines how powerful Dahlia is, as Nadia made sure not even Citadel knew about her daughter. However, since the abduction happens off-screen, we never learn what happened with Nadia’s father, Rahi (Paul Bazely), who was guarding the girl. We know Nadia’s father is a dangerous international terrorist, so we can imagine he wouldn’t give up the girl without a fight. But does that mean Dahlia executed Nadia’s father? Season 2 of Citadel would do well in explaining what happened to Nadia’s father.

Did Citadel Kill Mason’s Father?

In the final episode of Citadel Season 1, we learn that Dahlia is Mason’s mother. Season 1’s ending also explains why Dahlia quit Citadel, focusing her spy skills on building Manticore. According to Dahlia, Mason’s father was killed in a bombing attributed to terrorists when the explosions were actually caused by a Citadel air strike that went wrong. While Citadel is the good guy in the story, everyone knows the spy game is dangerous, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the accident really happened. However, since the Russo Brothers have asked fans to doubt everything they see on the screen, it’s fair to ask if Dahlia was telling the truth. Maybe she was spinning a lie to convince Mason to give her the confidential documents that caused the collapse of Citadel. Or perhaps someone else lied to Dahlia to make her blame Citadel for her husband’s death. It would be nice if Season 2 of Citadel gave us a definitive answer.

What Will Dahlia Do Next?

As far as we know, Dahlia was behind the rise of Manticore and the murder of almost every Citadel agent. However, when she failed to retrieve the nuclear warheads Manticore needed to ensure their world dominance, Dahlia became a target. So, she blew up her house, faked her death, and vanished into the night. Now we wonder what’s next for the villain. Maybe Dahlia will go after Mason and Nadia to get revenge and buy her way back into Manticore. Or perhaps she’ll become an independent agent meddling in Manticore’s plan. There’s enough space for Dahlia to reemerge as a different kind of villain or an unexpected ally. So, Season 2 of Citadel should explain what happened with Dahlia after her defeat.

Why Is Manticore Keeping Bernard Alive? And Where Is He?

Season 1 of Citadel shows how Dahlia is a ruthless killer who doesn’t hesitate to drop bodies to tie loose ends. This is why it is kind of surprising she decided to leave Bernard Orlick (Stanley Tucci) alive after extracting the information she needed from him. After finishing torturing Bernard, Dahlia even orders the execution of his family, which means she doesn’t need any leverage to deal with the former Citadel spy. So, why keep him alive? That unanswered question leads to another, as we desperately need to know where Manticore is keeping Bernard. Dahlia mentions a Brazilian base, so it’s fair to assume Bernard is under the watch of one of the families who fund Manticore. The eight Manticore families, for those needing a reminder, come from the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, China, South Korea, Italy, Germany, and France. That’s why Prime Video is already developing international spinoffs in Italy, Mexico, and India. So, with Bernard in Brazil, does that mean we’ll also get a Brazilian series in the future? That’s something we would love to watch!

Will Celeste Get Her Memories Back?

While Manticore raises the stakes for the world’s safety, Citadel puts its main characters through their fair share of personal drama. For instance, in the season finale, Mason finds out his wife, Abby (Ashleigh Cummings), is actually Celeste, the newbie spy whose mind he erased to protect Nadia. So, now Mason has to live with the knowledge he destroyed Celeste’s life. At the same time, he built a whole life with Abby. Mason will have to deal with the duplicate memories he now holds, but what about Abby/Celeste? If she ever finds out the truth, Mason risks losing his wife, child, and maybe his life if she ever finds out the truth. Celeste has every reason to hate Mason, even if Abby loves him. Of course, we love drama, so we would love to see Celeste getting her memories back. The final episode of Citadel Season 1 even sets a precedent for this, as Mason discovered his memories were safe in a secret backup server. Then, why not give Celeste the same opportunity?

Will Mason and Nadia Rebuild Citadel?

At the end of Citadel Season 1, all the main characters not dead or imprisoned by Manticore get together at Citadel’s abandoned U.S. headquarters. In the first season, Mason and Nadia got involved with Manticore while trying to figure out who they are and trying to save the people they love. Nevertheless, Manticore will remain a threat regardless of Manson and Nadia choosing to hide. This begs the question, will they rebuild Citadel and fight back? That would be the perfect template for multiple seasons, as rebuilding Citadel could unite the characters of numerous spinoffs under the same goal. And with eight families funding Manticore, there’s plenty of opportunity for the main series and the spinoffs to go after these influential people one season at a time. Finally, giving an overarching goal to the Citadel universe would help keep fans engaged, as the romance between Nadia and Mason is not enough to sustain the show long-term.

All episodes of Citadel Season 1 are currently available on Prime Video.