Created by Nick Santora, Netflix's latest action-comedy thriller series FUBAR (a slang used in the military) features Arnold Schwarzenegger in his first leading role in a scripted television series. In the eight-episode series, the 75-year-old actor is seen in the boots of a veteran undercover CIA agent, on the curb of retirement, as he faces a struggling relationship with his daughter Emma (Monica Barbaro) after discovering that she works for the CIA as well. Balancing the act between a fun family drama and a spy thriller, FUBAR finds its set of main characters, led by Schwarzenegger's Luke Brunner, traversing difficult missions as they set out to stop the leader of a paramilitary organization. The ending, in particular, leaves the future of its compelling characters in the dark as they face an unexpected situation that stands to change their lives forever.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Is a CIA Agent With a Mission

Arnold Schwarzengger as Luke Brunner, smoking a cigar on a yacht in FUBAR
Image via Netflix

Luke Brunner (Schwarzenegger) is about to retire after leading a long life as a CIA operative when he's sucked into one last mission: stop Boro Polonia (Gabriel Luna), whose father he had killed 25 years earlier. Under the guise of Finn Hoss, Brunner tries giving Boro the best of what life had to offer. But despite having it all, Boro chooses to follow his father's legacy. Now, having taken the reins of his father's organization, Boro has developed a suitcase bomb, a highly portable weapon of mass destruction.

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As Boro looks for buyers for his dangerous weapon, Luke Brunner pays a visit to him in the guise of Finn Hoss, an old friend. However, Brunner is hit by the shock of his life when he finds out that the agent he needs to extract is his daughter, Emma, who is a CIA operative working for Boro under the name Danielle DeRosa. Luke confronts his long-time friend and operator Barry (Milan Carter) about hiding the truth about Emma. The accidental meeting also leaves Emma equally shocked as she finds out that her father and Uncle Barry both work for the CIA.

Luke and Emma head out in the night to handle Boro's informant Troy. In the morning, when Boro finds out that his man has gone missing, it doesn't take Boro too long to find out that Finn is behind the murder of Troy. A hunt begins through Boro's territory as Luke and Emma get chased by Boro and his army. Just when Luke and Emma get cornered, Barry arrives with fellow operatives, Roo (Fortune Feimster) and Aldon (Travis Van Winkle), to rescue the two. While the group of CIA operatives takes down Boro's guys and get possession of Boro's suitcase bomb, Boro manages to escape.

At the CIA headquarters, CIA Regional Director Dot (Barbara Eve Harris) tasks Luke and Emma with finding Boro, along with the support of Barry, Roo, and Aldon. The fact that Dot chooses Luke to lead the team doesn't sit well with Emma, but reluctantly, Luke and Emma agree to work together. Dot also seeks the help of Tina (Aparna Brielle), a data analyst from the NSA. Knowing that Boro would now be looking for radioactive waste in order to re-create his bomb, Dot arranges for Luke and Emma to be plotted on a high-speed train, transporting the radioactive waste, under fake identities. Although Luke and Emma do not happen to find Boro, they do manage to prevent the radioactive material from reaching him.

Boro Starts Looking For Finn Hoss and Danielle DeRosa

Gabriel Luna as Boro in FUBAR.
Image via Netflix 

Boro finally resurfaces as he sets out on a hunt for the real identity of Finn Hoss and Danielle DeRosa. On the other hand, Tina tracks down the kidnapping of Dr. Karl Novac (Christian Bako), a Moldovan scientist. She concludes that Boro was possibly behind the kidnapping in an attempt to use Dr. Novac to build a copy of his bomb. After some difficult legwork, Emma gets hold of the secret documents from Dr. Novac's handler. Although Luke gets pissed at Emma for turning off the comms unilaterally during the mission, he expresses to Emma that he's proud of her afterward whereas Emma feels conflicted between her relationship with her fiancé Carter (Jay Baruchel) and her duties as an undercover agent. Dr. Pfeffer (Scott Thompson), a psychologist, is tasked by Dot to fix the situation between the father and daughter, but his efforts are in vain.

On the work front, Dot informs the team that with Dr. Novac in his possession, Boro would now be looking for a Miniature Nuclear Reactor (MNR) to make his bomb. They decide to lure out Boro using the help of The Great Dane (Adam Pally), a black-market middleman, who would approach Boro to sell an MNR. With Dane's help, Luke and his team fix a meeting with Boro. Luke, Emma, and Aldon head to the meeting spot, accompanied by a Great Dane lookalike. When Boro arrives, he senses something fishy but fails to predict the inevitable. Finally, Luke and Emma get their hands on the notorious Boro Polonia.

With Boro in captivity, the CIA decides to keep Norm Carlson (Tom Arnold), an interrogation expert, on standby to get the information out of Boro. While Emma supports the use of torture, Luke adopts the more peaceful approach of negotiation. Boro demands a house arrest in Bora Bora in return for information on his buyers who are looking to get their hands on nuclear explosives. While the negotiations with Boro continue, a situation develops at home for Luke and Emma, as Luke's granddaughter and Emma's niece, Romi (Rachel Lynch), is diagnosed with leukemia.

At the CIA headquarters, Dot decides to cut a deal with Boro, but Emma continues to show resistance against the idea of Boro walking free. On Dot's orders, Luke requests Emma to take time off and charges her with the responsibility of handling the situation with Kyle, for Romi's sake. Emma opts for the services of the CIA torture expert Norm to make Romi's father Kyle agree to a bone marrow donation procedure, which he finally does. During this entire episode, Emma also grows closer to Aldon while feeling continuously conflicted about wronging Carter.

Who's the Songbird in FUBAR?

Meanwhile, the situation with Boro gets out of hand as the deal goes wrong and Boro manages to escape from the hands of Luke and Roo, along with the suitcase that was retrieved from him initially. Barry and Tina are chosen to replace a Russian couple in a high-stakes card game where Boro's bodyguard Cain (David Chinchilla) would be present. Barry and Tina are tasked with hacking Cain's phone to gather data on Boro's potential buyers. To Barry and Tina's surprise, Boro also arrives at the card game for a meeting with a Russian agent. While Tina and Barry do not end up killing Boro, they manage to fetch the date from Cain's phone. At the same time, Boro cuts a deal with an agent from SVR, the Russian Intelligence Agency, who offers to give Boro the real identity of Finn Hoss and Danielle DeRosa in return for sole buying rights to all his weapons. The SVR agent also reveals that they have a mole inside the CIA, known by the code name "Songbird."

Luke and Boro Meet Once Again

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Luke and Gabriel Luna as Boro in 'FUBAR.'
Image via Netflix 

The CIA tracks Boro to a nuclear reactor in Sardovia and makes the arrangement for Luke and his team to be smuggled to the country inside coffins. With the mission of neutralizing Boro and getting possession of his nuclear weapons, Luke, Emma, Aldon, and Roo arrive in Sardovia, only to be attacked by their contact who was supposed to help them, leaving Aldon wounded and the team stranded to work out their way to Boro on their own. With Roo staying back beside Aldon, Luke and Emma head into the abandoned nuclear reactor in search of Boro and the nukes. On coming across Boro, however, Luke hesitates to pull the trigger as he is still sympathetic toward the child of the man he killed long ago. Luke gets distracted when he is attacked by Cain. During the ensuing struggle, an explosion is triggered in one of the reactors, leaving Cain dead and the entire section of the reactor in shambles.

The impact of the blast leaves Luke wondering about the bleak possibility of Emma's survival. With the clock running out fast, Luke's search for his daughter ends as he finds her trapped beneath a metal door with Boro. Emma and Boro work together to ensure that Emma gets out safely, but Luke refuses to let Boro walk for the sake of his family's safety. As Roo, Aldon, Emma, and Luke reach a safe distance, a massive explosion takes place in the nuclear reactor, confirming Boro's death.

Luke and Emma Finally Reconcile

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Monica Barbaro, and Jay Baruchel as Luke, Emma, and Carter in FUBAR
Image via Netflix

By the end of FUBAR, it becomes clear that Luke and Emma have been able to set aside their differences after going through a near-death experience together. Luke finally starts believing in Emma's abilities. But despite Emma's insistence that Luke continues to work, he confirms that it is time for him to retire. Unfortunately, Luke's retirement plans are ruined as he comes to know that Emma's mother Tally (Fabiana Udenio) has decided to marry another man after Luke broke her heart before leaving for Sardovia. Just before the wedding is going to take place, Emma confronts her father for giving up on his relationship with her mother.

After receiving a final push from his daughter, Luke decides to reveal his true feelings to Tally and inform her about his history as a CIA agent. Just when Tally was having a hard time believing what she was hearing, the chapel is attacked by armed men. Once the initial wave is taken down by Luke and Emma, who can no longer afford to conceal their identities, Boro arrives at the scene with his gun pointed at Tally. He actually survived the explosion and was found buried underground by his men two days later. Boro, who knew Emma's first name, noticed her engagement ring during his interaction back at the nuclear reactor and cross-referenced Emma's name to track her on an engagement announcement left by Carter. With his family in danger, Luke thinks on his feet and indirectly makes Tally distract Boro. In the small window of opportunity extended by Tally's distraction, Luke and Emma take down Boro, putting an end to his chapter.

'FUBAR' Reveals the Identity of the Songbird in the Climax

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Image via Netflix

However, Boro's second death in FUBAR proves more consequential as it was confirmed that Luke and Emma's identities have been compromised — a risk that the family and the CIA cannot afford. As the group present at the chapel makes an exit, a transport van, arranged by Tina from the CIA headquarters, arrives for them. For the understanding of the confused members of the group who have still not recovered from the shock they received, Luke lays down the situation in front of his family. With their identities compromised, they are a potential target for countless criminals and terrorist organizations. As he aptly puts out in his final words, the situation for the Brunners has indeed become Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition (FUBAR).

Boro Polonio's return from presumed death is not the only surprise that FUBAR keeps for its climax. While the crucial action takes place at the chapel, Tina is seen talking to someone in Russian over the phone back at the CIA headquarters, confirming that Tina was the Russian double agent placed inside the CIA by SVR. This revelation puts into question the seemingly innocent character's involvement in creating all the hurdles faced by Luke and his team throughout the series. In the final moments of its season finale, FUBAR throws an unexpected twist to set up a potential Season 2 for Netflix's latest action-comedy spy thriller.