In the third episode of The Iris Affair, we find ourselves in Slovenia, 18 months ago. Iris delves into Jensen's old videos, including the one where he administered LSD to his terminally ill wife. The drug caused her to reframe her thoughts on death, and in the end, she passed away without fear. As Cameron catches up, they prepare to delve into Jensen's mind armed with his diary. The experiments commence, and Iris attempts to dig into the man's psyche, using intense brainwave activity as a form of lie detector to uncover the truth.
Iris reiterates the code changes, believing they could be linked to a DNA sequence for the world's toughest bacteria. This leads her down a rabbit hole that unveils another potential lead—astronomical coordinates to an area of space known as the Bootes Void. And wouldn't you know it, this code does the trick. Charlie awakens!
However, as soon as Charlie wakes up, chaos ensues. Alarms wail, the facility goes on lockdown, and Jensen suddenly wakes up too. He leaps out of his seat and kills the guard in his room. Iris is frozen in fear as she watches Jensen speak directly to the camera, asking her just what she's done. When he leaves, he goes on a rampage, killing numerous people in the facility and rushing towards the control room where Iris is currently at.
Iris decides to delete everything off the server, including all pictures and references to the right code that unlocks this mystery. She grabs the diary and flees from Jensen, who's hot on her heels. Iris escapes the facility just as the lockdown procedure is activated. On the other side of a large containment door, Jensen is shocked into submission but not before telling Iris that the diary should be burned and destroyed.
Iris's awareness of the machine's malfunction—evidenced by the warnings and Charlie's erratic behavior—spurs her decision to flee as Cameron's indecision over the situation forces her hand. She takes off with the diary, initiating her perilous journey that leads her from Slovenia to Sardinia.
In the present, we rejoin Joy, who brashly shoves past Krauss and seizes the briefcase for herself. But her luck soon runs out, and the element of surprise is lost. With Joy in captivity, Nico Casterman, the cop who worked with Teo earlier in the season, takes the lead in the investigation, determined to retrieve her. They've also discovered the bloodied bear trap in the woods and Iris's cabin, and believe all these incidents may be linked to Joy. Interestingly, we learn that Joy's father has actually embedded a tracker in her jacket.
Meanwhile, our resourceful Iris is back in public, but thanks to the lack of CCTV in the streets, she's managing to stay under the radar. She calls Teo and arranges a meeting at a nearby abandoned watchtower, which is just what Baptiste needs to spring his trap.
In Croydon, England, Alfie receives a call from Iris. She decides to work with him and provide him with a perfect story and cover…but in exchange for her assistance. Iris sends over a video of Charlie as proof, and Alfie is shocked when he sees it. Just before she hangs up, Iris sets up a meet with him in Rome for the following day.
When Iris goes to see Teo, who is now on his own, he reluctantly helps her escape…or does he? When Teo opens the boot, the grinning face of Baptiste and the end of his gun are there to greet her. This brings us up to speed with the moments at the start of episode 1. Joy is held at gunpoint just like before but eventually Iris concedes before the girl is harmed. As for Teo, well, he can just die.
Iris gives over the password, and as the briefcase is opened…it explodes. Cameron is still alive, since he's our main antagonist and it's only episode 3, while Iris and Joy are unscathed. Cameron realizes Joy's value and kidnaps her as a bargaining chip, taking her onboard a helicopter as they flee. However, not before Iris bargains and tells Cameron that if he kills her or harms Joy in any way, he won't find the journal.
Cameron dumps Joy's jacket out the helicopter while Iris is left to flee the scene before Nico and the others arrive. When they do show up, all that's left is Teo's dead body and the remains of the Special Unit.
