The Recruit episode titles: What do the acronyms mean?

Noah Centineo stars in the new Netflix original spy thriller series The Recruit. The To All the Boys heartthrobs plays newbie CIA lawyer Owen Hendricks, who finds himself in way over his head when his job kicks off as much more than he was expecting.

On his first case on the job, Owen discovers that a former CIA asset threatened to reveal her connection to the agency in exchange for her freedom. The high stakes conspiracy lands Owen right in the middle of a dangerous battle for national security.

The Recruit offers a thrilling mystery with engaging characters, but viewers have their own mystery to solve thanks to the episode titles. Each episode is titled with an acronym, which is a nod to the CIA’s tendency to abbreviate longer titles by its initials.

But what do the episode title acronyms mean? If you listening closely to the dialogue in the series, the acronyms reveal themselves. We’re sharing what each episode title translates to below!

The Recruit episode title acronyms meaning

When Owen begins his first day at the CIA, he’s hit with all kinds of culture shocks. From the fast-paced environment to the high stakes of his job, it’s nothing like he could have imagined. Adding to the confusion, his new job also entails understanding so many acronyms for different divisions, projects, and anything you could imagine.

Owen mentions that he’s having trouble keeping up with all of the acronyms being thrown his way, which lends to the clever episode titles for the series. Each of the eight episodes are titled with a series of letters rather than full words, making for something of an Easter egg hunt while watching the episodes. Some are easier than others to track down, but we figured them out so you don’t have to.

Here are all of The Recruit’s episode title acronyms explained:

• Episode 1: “I.N.A.S.I.A.L.” means “I’m Not a Spy, I’m a Lawyer”
• Episode 2: “N.L.T.S.Y.P.” means “Never Let Them See You Pucker”
• Episode 3: “Y.D.E.K.W.Y.D.” means “You Don’t Even Know What You Do”
• Episode 4: “I.Y.D.I.A.A.C.” means “If You Do It as Anderson Cooper”
• Episode 5: “T.S.L.A.Y.P.” means “That Sounds Like a You Problem” (Technically, Owen says, “Wow, sounds like a you problem.”)
• Episode 6: “I.C.I.N.C.” means “I’m Clenching, I’m Not Clenching”
• Episode 7: “I.M.F.T.B.S.” means “It’s My First Time Being Sexpionaged” 
• Episode 8: “W.T.F.I.O.H.” means “Who the F*ck Is Owen Hendricks?”

What did you think about The Recruit on Netflix? Did you figure out any of the acronyms while watching? Share your thoughts about the show in the comments!