Evan Green (Dan Stevens) prepares for filming the latest installment of his political talk show at his mansion in Oyster Bay, New York. As soon as he begins shooting The Evan Green Show, he says the Reapers aren’t the masterminds behind Zero Day. He even calls George Mullen (Robert De Niro) inept.
Zero Day recaps
Zero Day episode 1
Zero Day episode 2
Zero Day episode 4
Zero Day episode 5
Zero Day cast
People linked to the Reapers are violently arrested around the country — in the likes of North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Oregon. They ultimately arrest 41 people, with Carl (McKinley Belcher III) insisting someone will reveal who leaked the malware.
Are the Reapers really behind Zero Day? How does George react to the pressure Evan is putting on him? Here’s what happens in Zero Day episode 3:
Is Anna really still alive?
Roger (Jesse Plemons) tells George that Anna’s (Hannah Gross) parents are certain that she died in the car crash and fire. But George wants official proof.
Roger gets Anna's casket opened up, so they can get a cheek swab to verify her DNA.
Natan (Mark Ivanir) surprises Roger and asks if George is hearing and seeing things. Natan tells Roger that he can’t see George again, it’s too dangerous. He adds that George needs to step down now and vanish. Roger asks for proof, but Natan just leaves.
While in George's office, Roger opens up his notebook and sees that he's just written Who Killed Bambi, as well as gibberish, and paranoia over and over again.
Alexandra puts pressure on George
Richard (Matthew Modine) tells Alexandra (Lizzy Caplan) it’s time for the oversight committee to the Zero Day Commission to exercise some oversight. Especially as minors are being arrested. Richard says if Alex does this right, no-one will ever see her just as George’s daughter again.
Alexandra visits George at the commission headquarters. She’s concerned he’s too focused on the Reapers and wants to know if there’s proof they did it. George says it’s too early for that. He also won’t testify to the oversight committee.
Valerie takes over the office
Valerie Whitesell (Connie Britton) takes control of the office, insisting that no-one is allowed to see George without her knowing.
Alex scolds Sheila (Joan Allen) for hiring Valerie back as George's assistant. Sheila says she's not thinking of herself at the moment, she just wants the best for the country.
Valerie tells Sheila she’s keeping a close eye on George’s mental well-being.
Jeremy wonders what is happening
At the Zero Day Commission headquarters, George meets with CIA director Jeremy Lasch (Bill Camp). George defends not blaming Russia for the attack. Jeremy says people across the country now think their neighbors are terrorists. Jeremy also tells George he's not sure why George mentioned Proteus, but he won’t let George get inside his head.
Later, Valerie calls Jeremy and says they need to meet urgently. She asks Jeremy if they restarted Proteus, but he says it was shut down years ago after George told him to. Jeremy says someone else might have picked it back up again.
Evan turns the public against George
Evan interviews the mother of one of the teenagers who was arrested. Evan insists George is destroying the country’s civil liberties. The mainstream media picks up the news.
Evan also points the finger at Robert Lyndon (Clark Gregg), as he shorted the markets the day before the attacks, and wonders why he hasn’t been brought in for questioning. He also compares him to Jeffrey Epstein.
In a press conference, even President Mitchell (Angela Bassett) starts to distance herself from the Zero Day commission. Carl and Valerie tell George that makes sense, as they’ve yet to deliver any proof it was the Reapers.
George looks to get proof by interrogating Erik Hayes (Colin Donnell), a hacker who was arrested. George bonds with Hayes as they’re both veterans. Hayes insists he had nothing to do with Zero Day. George says if Hayes doesn’t reveal his links to the Reapers, he’ll have his interpreter from Afghanistan deported, his father taken off dialysis, and he even threatens to have his seven-year-old son put into foster care. George tells Hayes he has ten minutes to reveal how the malware was modified and who controls it.
Hayes knows Evan?
Hayes eventually opens up about Leon, the leader of the Reapers who orchestrated the plan. He says his plans with Zero Day was to redistribute wealth across the country and burn it all down. While watching Hayes being interviewed, George notices that he repeats a phrase Evan said on his show.
Meanwhile, Roger is forced into a car and taken to Lyndon’s yacht. Lyndon wants Roger to silence Evan Green, as he keeps mentioning him on television and making allegations about him. If he doesn’t, Lyndon will release all of the illegal activities Roger has committed for his clients to the public. Lyndon gives Roger an envelope of photos that immediately startles Roger. He says this is Roger’s only chance to save himself.
Roger shows George the photos, which show Hayes and Evan Green together. Anna Sindler is also in one of the pictures, too. Hayes and Evan were in the same city 17 times over the last seven years. Valerie says this doesn’t prove anything. Hayes is probably just a fan-boy. George insists that Evan Green needs to be arrested now. Valerie protests, saying it’s circumstantial evidence at best.
Evan is arrested in the middle of the night and forcibly removed in front of his wife and children. George, who has been imagining conversations with Evan through the television, visits a terrified Evan in his cell and asks him, “Who is the idiot now?”
