The fourth episode of The Iris Affair begins with us reliving the events in Slovenia 18 months ago. The base is a gruesome spectacle of recent deaths, and Cameron's arrival to find Jensen, who is covered in blood but still lucid, sets the stage for a labyrinth of obligation and deception. Jensen justifies these deaths as a duty, claiming he's trying to enlighten Cameron. However, Cameron's mind is a riddle of its own, intricate and not easily untangled.
In the present, Cameron speaks with Joy, seeking to grasp her role in this complex web of intrigue. He wavers between whether Iris genuinely cares for her or if she's selfishly exploiting her. Beyond the tutelage ties, there doesn't seem to be much substance, leading Cameron to engage in a game of negotiation with Joy.
Joy remains unswayed by Cameron's pleas and is adamant that Iris does care about her. This offers Cameron a sliver of hope to work with, and of course, it prolongs Joy's life too.
Meanwhile, Nico takes charge of traffic control and doubles down on her efforts to find Iris. With two cops dead and a trail of chaos in her wake, the authorities are relentless in their pursuit to track her down and prevent Iris from leaving Sardinia at any cost. Drones are deployed on the docks to search for Iris, who cleverly hides underwater until they pass by.
However, at the police headquarters, Nico learns of Alfie's podcast, revealing that our seemingly perfect mathematician is also a skilled boat driver and navigator of the stars. So she takes a ship and heads out into the water, keeping the lights low and navigating by the stars, heading straight for Rome. Along the way, Iris is stunned to realize that Jensen may have actually used his own DNA with Charlie, explaining his intense anguish over this revelation.
In the National Police Headquarters in Rome, news of the deaths on Sardinia reaches the Special Unit. Nico queries the chain of command, admitting that she has checked the official records and there is no mention of Iris' warrant here. However, Captain Bruni dismisses her concerns and orders her to work with her team to find Iris regardless. Unfortunately, they are searching in the wrong place as Iris manages to slip out and make it to Talamone on the Italian mainland in the morning.
Iris ditches the boat and swims to shore, a considerable distance from where she dumped it. She steals a plethora of gear from innocent people, including a bag, slippers, and a significant amount of money. She also manages to grab a phone. Iris organizes the meeting with Alfie in Rome, but it coincides with Nico Casterman contacting him and trying to find Iris. Alfie is twitchy enough for her to suspect something fishy, and the church bells clanging nearby don't help Nico track down his location.
Joy is brought to the secret base in Slovenia with Cameron. For the time being, she will stay here. As she settles in, Cameron receives a call from Hugo Pym, the acting Head of the Intragroup Committee and the dangerous individuals behind the Charlie Big Potatoes project. Hugo threatens Cameron if he stalls with results and decides to come over personally in the morning to oversee Joy's situation.
In the lively streets of Tor Bella Monaca, nestled within the heart of Rome, Iris, clad in her ill-gotten attire, takes a moment to sift through a swift YouTube tutorial on the art of unleashing a beating. It's a Matrix-like experience, where kung fu moves flow through her veins as if uploaded directly into her brain. With this newfound skill, she effortlessly dispatches a drug dealer, leaving behind only a trail of dust and a stolen motorcycle.
As she arrives at an apartment, Iris deftly shuts off the GPS tracking, then dials Cameron. His apologies for fleeing with Joy are tempered by a warning that Pym and his cronies aren't as forgiving as he is, and the situation could turn toxic in an instant. Iris, however, decides to forge ahead with him, hatching a plan to trade Joy for the journal. Whether this is just a clever ruse or a genuine bargain is anyone's guess.
To connect with Joy, Iris logs into her Spotify account and crafts a playlist that speaks volumes without a single word. Using song titles as her secret language, she sends a message across the digital ether. Luckily for her, Joy is listening at that very moment and even uploads a live recording in response. Within it, Iris asks Joy to obtain a DNA sample from Jensen.
Meanwhile, the Special Unit has their eyes on Iris, having uncovered the bag stolen from the beach, the abandoned boat, and the bus she boarded sans disguise. With CCTV footage in hand, they realize she's headed straight for Rome.
Iris, on the other hand, tracks down Alfie on a sightseeing bus and enlists his help in retrieving the diary. She's hidden it in plain sight—inside a library—but getting it out will require talking to a librarian with unwavering calmness. Unfortunately for Alfie, he's never spoken to a real person before and, despite his charisma in front of a camera, he crumbles in real life. Jittery and paranoid, he manages to snatch the journal but makes quite a spectacle of it!
Remember that drug dealer Iris dispatched with ease? Well, when her face appears on TV and the bounty of 4 million euros is made public, the leader of these dealers teams up with the Rome's youth to find her and bring her in. With the city's underworld on high alert, Alfie stumbles upon Nico Casterman as he exits the library. She intercepts him and insists they speak in private, leaving Iris uncertain of how to proceed.
