Season 1 - 10 episodes (March 23, 2023)
Watch The Night Agent on Netflix // Buy the book (paid link)
Created by: Shawn Ryan (Based on The Night Agent by Matthew Quirk)
Starring: Gabriel Basso, Luciane Buchanan, Fola Evans-Akingbola, Sarah Desjardins, Eve Harlow, Phoenix Raei, Hong Chau
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
Low-level FBI agent Peter Sutherland works in the basement of the White House manning a phone that never rings, until the night it does, propelling him into a conspiracy that leads all the way to the Oval Office.
Verdict
This does a great job of slowly broadening this conspiracy before assembling the pieces in an action packed finale. What starts as a frantic phone call becomes a massive plot as a low level FBI agent and former tech CEO are the only ones that can unravel the attempt to overthrow the government. This delivers mostly what you'd expect in terms of plot revelations, action, and even backstory. While predictable, it's always entertaining, and that's due to the show never giving you too much information. The question of what's happening pushes you to keep watching.
Watch It.
Review
This is from Shawn Ryan, creator of one of my all time favorite series, The Shield. While none of his later works has reached the same heights, I'm willing to check out his work because of The Shield. I didn't realize he was the creator of this show until half way in.
From the start this sets up FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) as a real boy scout. He finds a bomb on a train and tries to save everyone. After this action packed introduction to Peter, this skips ahead to reveal an inconclusive investigation that left Peter on the outs. He's still an agent, but he serves the lowly role of answering the night phone.
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| Luciane Buchanan, Gabriel Basso play Rose Larkin, Peter Sutherland |
It's a phone that never rings, but you'd be right in assuming this is the night it will ring. Rose (Luciane Buchanan) calls, unaware of who she is calling but scared having been directed to call this number for help. Peter, established as a boy scout, springs to action to help Rose. She trusts no one, but begrudgingly trusts Peter because the plot requires it. This kicks off the plot as Peter and Rose try to figure out what's going on. After the first episode I was willing to be this would be a far reach conspiracy.
It's clear corruption pervades the government and somehow Rose's plight is linked to Peter's train bombing from years ago. Each episode brings in another element, going one step further into this maze. Who we think we can trust shifts. It's this pacing that makes this series so much fun. This builds the conspiracy perfectly, keeping me wondering until the end.
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| Hong Chau, Gabriel Basso play Dianne Farr, Peter Sutherland |
Rose only trusts Peter, and Peter trust Dianne Farr (Hong Chau). Farr, the chief of staff, is a great character that is blunt and to the point in every situation. She has no issue relaying exactly what she thinks about any situation. She is the inside track for Peter as he's concerned there's a mole in the White House.
Episode is one of the better episodes as everything comes to a point. I really wondered how Peter and Rose would get out of this episode. In the next episode they fall for each other. I expected this, but it's such an unnecessary trope.
In the last three episodes everything collides. Everything is indeed linked, but this series keeps the tension high with great pacing. It slowly reveals the information Even the Vice President is part of this conspiracy. The final episode is full of thrills as Peter must stop the conspirators and save the government.
The broad story beats are rather predictable, but this series excels in how it reveals the conspiracy. We never quite know how the pieces fit together until the final episode, and that's what drives this. Of course the fate of the world will rest on Peter. We can guess that someone's alliances will change and that it will be an uphill battle to prove the truth, but the conspiracy is able to carry the plot.
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