Not based on a book serial nor true life story, the creators/writers trust the audience's intelligence and ability to connect the dots and fill-in the non-essential details while offering a fun nod-and-a-wink relationship with the clued-up genre fans that creates its own pleasure. Best to enjoy Signora Volpe on its own terms - or simply skip it.
Why do some viewers insist an actress stay in a pigeonhole? Committing outright stereotyping! Actual real-life spies have stated for the record that super-spy (now super hero) James Bond is a male fantasy - pure fictional escapism; Now let the females explore theirs, though Emilia's unthreatening Sylvia Fox is closer to reality than 007 is. Every woman who has taken self-defense and martial arts courses knows the power of her lower-center of gravity, to use the opponent's own force to their disadvantage, how to use the hardest/strongest parts of her body, leveraging with the element of surprise which were all executed well in this first episode. Sylvia Fox doesn't jog; she runs like boxers do every day - her body is lean, conditioned and flexible. While her opponents may have had more size and weight, they rely on their weapons thus are out-of-shape to bout. When she knows back up is needed, she has assessed the conditions, even wisely asks a favor of techno-savvy Raffaela (ep.2). Emilia Fox's Signora Volpe is a multilingual markswoman, smart, perceptive, compassionate, and skilled - can drive like Bond and knows the trick to winning a scooter race. You got the salient point if you think she doesn't come off as a badass super spy but Sylvia can kick-ass.