"Absentia" Season 3, Episode 7, "Liberavit," opens with Emily and Cal navigating through the facility, their eyes darting between the rooms where the captives were held. Their search culminates in a room filled with a gruesome display of dead bodies, the true extent of the operation's depravity etched on Emily's face—a mix of fear and realization.
Meanwhile, Julianne receives a call from Foster, the FBI director, informing her that she's been ordered by the DOJ to take over the investigation. A flashback to her clinical acceptance of the position from Crown rings in our minds—"Oh, how the turntables have turned."
Back at the facility, Emily and Cal encounter the woman in the white lab coat. Her phone rings, and it's Jericho. He demands the test samples be transferred, fearful that the facility's exposure is imminent. Emily, in a desperate moment, calls Jericho herself, offering to trade the files for Nick and giving him just three minutes to prove his authenticity. The emotional intensity of this exchange is palpable. Jericho sends a video of a man who is not Nick, and Emily and Cal realize they must find Nick on their own.
As a few men begin to close in on them, Cal recognizes one of them—Armstrong, the man who forced him to kill a young boy during his military service. The pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place for Cal.
On the lorry, Nick tries to escape but is hesitant about jumping off as the vehicle moves too fast. Finally, he gathers his courage and leaps off, only to be met by a hail of bullets from the guards as he runs into the woods. Nick manages to evade them and is found unconscious by a group of children from Syria. Their parents have also been kidnapped in the same ring.
As Emily's suspicions mount in the middle of the episode, she examines Cal's scars and tattoos and notices that one of the guards has the same tattoo as Cal. Her memories of Cal's actions and words flash before her eyes, and the suspicion now rests heavily on him.
As Nick Thompson stumbles upon a cozy-looking house nestled in the Austrian woods, he realizes his unexpected location with a quick glance at his surroundings. Reaching for his phone, he dials a few numbers, hoping for a familiar voice to offer guidance in this foreign land. Agent Thompson, on her late-night shift, answers the call, and Nick relays his coordinates. However, his relief is short-lived as a man enters the house, armed and dangerous. As the police sirens wail in the distance, one of the children manages to distract the intruder, allowing him to make a swift escape. Eventually, Nick decides to surrender to the authorities.
Meanwhile, Agent Thompson is nowhere to be found at work, causing Crown to worry. It's not like her to miss a shift without a reason. He decides to pay her a visit at home, only to find her on the floor, lifeless, with blood everywhere. The dramatic turn of events signals a shocking revelation: Thompson's death was orchestrated by someone she knew within the FBI. Crown shares this grim news with Julianne, who learns that Thompson's discovery might have cost her life.
Emily and Cal's escape from the facility is fraught with tension as they speed away in their vehicle. Emily's quest for the truth becomes more urgent as she demands answers from Cal about his tattoos. He reveals that he used to serve in the military alongside certain individuals. This revelation sends Emily into a frenzy, and she shows Cal her phone, displaying a text from Julianne accusing him of betrayal and feeding information to Meridian. Cal stands firm in his denial, but Emily has no time for his protestations. She pulls out her gun and orders him out of the car, turning their once-loving relationship into a bitter feud overnight.
The climax of "Liberavit" sees Emily continuing to listen to the radio as she shoots out the tires of a moving van carrying Nick. Inside, Nick awakens to the sound of her gunfire and cries out in agony, unleashing all the pain he has endured. This episode is a captivating chapter that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as the truth inches closer with every passing moment.
