Ep 1. Now It Begins...

Now It Begins... is the first episode of the American drama television series, The Looming Tower. The show follows the events leading up to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, exploring the rivalry and tension between the FBI and the CIA in the years leading up to the devastating event.

The episode opens with FBI agent John O'Neill, played by Jeff Daniels, being introduced to the audience as a womanizer who is dismissed from an important post. We then see the CIA operatives tracking down the al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, and their actions to capture him. This event forms the base for the beginning of the rivalry between the CIA and FBI.

Agent O'Neill, who is the chief of the FBI's counter-terrorism unit in New York City, is tasked with investigating the possibility of al-Qaeda attacks on US soil. However, the CIA is simultaneously investigating the same group but at a much higher level - in collaboration with the Sudanese Intelligence Service. The FBI and the CIA have different approaches and resources, which results in tension between the two agencies.

The Chief of the CIA's Bin Laden Issue Station, Martin Schmidt, played by Peter Sarsgaard, is shown as a cold and calculating character, who plays his cards close to the chest and has no qualms about lying to both his bosses and subordinates at will.

Through the course of the episode, we see the challenges that both agencies face while trying to collect intelligence on al-Qaeda. The CIA feels that the FBI is hindering their progress while the FBI thinks it’s the other way around, leading to both agencies suffering from communication breakdowns and a lack of mutual trust.

The episode ends with a woman and her son entering the US embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, holding a bomb. The bomb explodes, killing many, including FBI agents, and injuring several others. This event further highlights the threat that al-Qaeda presents to US national security.

The Looming Tower is based on the book by Lawrence Wright, of the same name. The show is set in the years leading up to the 9/11 attacks, and it explores the politics, missed opportunities, and human errors that allowed the deadly attacks to take place.

Now It Begins... is an intriguing and captivating start to the series, which sets up the tone for what will come next. The episode does an excellent job of portraying the rivalry between the FBI and the CIA while highlighting the catastrophic consequences that stem from this unhealthy relationship. The show is masterfully crafted and nuanced, and viewers are sure to be gripped as they eagerly anticipate what comes next.