Bait Episode 1 recap: A James Bond audition gone wrong, a viral rumor and the return of the prodigal son

Prime Video's new Riz Ahmed comedy, Bait, is currently dominating streaming charts with solid IMDb scores from both audience and critics. The story revolves around an aspiring British actor of Pakistani origin whose James Bond audition rumor lands him in a social media mess.

Bait Episode 1 kicks off with quite the on-set tumult as our protagonist, Shah Latif (played by Ahmed), keeps forgetting a key dialogue in every take, thereby leaving the director and crew members frustrated. Having blown his only chance to get a breakthrough, Shah leaves the set and intentionally gets caught on camera by a paparazzi.

The pictures of Shah around the production unit send a chain of viral rumors all across the internet, which soon reach his family as well. As Shah returns home after a long time, he finds it difficult to juggle between the recent fame (online backlash) and the peer pressure from his close ones.

Bait Episode 1 sees Shah Latif putting himself into the spotlight, only to get torn by the James Bond rumor

As Bait Episode 1 starts, we see Riz Ahmed's central character Shahjahan aka Shah Latif auditioning for the role of James Bond after his agent got him onboard with great difficulty. Moreover, the casting director thought he would be worth the shot (having worked in a bunch of successful projects), but Shah fails to be up to the mark.

Having forgotten his lines at the same shot of every take, Shah is forced to leave the set with his head full of self-loathing and lack of confidence. A British Pakistani guy playing James Bond? The expected backlash seems to have gotten to him as well.

However, while on his way out, Shah is asked by one of the assistants to take the back exit to avoid the paparazzi and press waiting to dig into the hot rumor around James Bond. But our defeated hero fools the girl escorting him and goes out front. As seen in Bait Episode 1, a paparazzi was waiting right at the spot and clicks him, which would soon lead to a social media tumult. It was, anyway, Shah's intention to get the spotlight.

While on his way back, a fan stops Shah and confuses him with Dev Patel from Slumdog Millionaire. Shah initially plays along as he did not want to dishearten the man by revealing his actual identity, and right at this moment, an old woman shouts and drops the bomb about who he is. She even compares Shah Latif with Dev Patel, making the former look like some small star.

Zulfi comes to rescue Shah in Bait Episode 1

Bait Episode 1 introduces Shah's cousin Zulfi (played by Guz Khan) as the owner of a cab service in London, as the latter arrives at the scene to rescue his brother. Zulfi makes fun of Shah's loser streak in the acting industry while the latter jokes about his small-scale "wanna be" taxi business.

While the two brothers throw mud at each other in a playful display, Zulfi reveals that he is taking Shah home, as he hasn't been there for quite some time now. At home, Shah gets a warm yet comic welcome, and his other cousin Q (portrayed by Aasiya Shah) discovers that her brother is heavily trending online because of the James Bond audition - thanks to the clicks by the paparazzi.

Shah's family gets over-excited at this big news, and despite being quite traditional, his parents perceive the whole situation with quite a modern approach. However, it all becomes a little too much for the struggling actor, and he leaves the apartment to go to his place.

A second chance

Shah reaches his apartment, and he is seen standing in a state of despair with pending bills and a lack of work. As we see in Bait Episode 1, He had one shot at a really big role (the James Bond audition), but he blew it.

With his back against the wall, Shah only hopes for a miracle to save him as he takes out his limited edition gift watch, which he received at the Rising Star Award in a film festival back in the day. It is at this point that Felicia (Shah's agent) makes her first appearance and becomes the harbinger of good news.

As it appears, Shah Latif has become a major trend online in a very short span, and despite all the backlash, people want representation of the community in a role as big as James Bond. As it appears, Shah might get a second chance at the audition.

However, our protagonist looks worried about some of his controversial social media footprint from the past, but Felicia is convinced that the whole thing makes him the "edgy POC candidate". His agent advises him to keep a low profile and "let it play out" over time.

But Shah disobeys her and goes down to Kentish Town to attend a gig thrown by his Punjabi rapper buddy Taze. His plans are to "do a little thing over there" on the recent social media buzz that got him surrounded. Shah's friends give him a well-deserved warm welcome right after he bumps into an old fling, Yasmin.

Shah looks well-prepared to go on stage and put on a special display to gain more attention while the trend is still on. However, right before the performance, he checks his phone, and apparently, the recent Bond rumor has gone viral, but not in a good way.

Shattered by all the backlash and racist comments, Shah gets a panic attack and rushes out of the club. Back at his home, we see Shah's father busy with his night prayer when all of a sudden, a heavy object clatters in through one of the windows.

As it turns out, it is a severed pig's head targeting Shah and his community. While Shah and his parents stand in shock, the former receives a text from his agent Felicia reading that he has got the second chance at the James Bond audition, concluding Bait Episode 1 on an intense note.

Trending

Stay tuned to Soap Central for regular updates on daily soaps, TV shows, and movies.

Also Read - Bait: Should you watch or skip Riz Ahmed’s new Prime Video series? A viewer’s guide

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback