Do you enjoy fast-paced action series? I’m talking about those of the same ilk as “Homeland”, “The Diplomat” and “Black Doves”.
If you are, then “The Night Agent” season 2 needs to be added to your binge-watch list.
Based on Matthew Quirk’s spy thriller of the same name, this 10-part series is a rush. Each episode leaves the streamer on tenterhooks eager to see what happens next.
Think of it as being along the lines of “24” meets “The Blacklist”.
The second instalment picks up several months after the Camp David saga.
FBI Agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) is now a fully-fledged member of the covert Night Action unit.
On assignment with Alice Leeds (Brittany Snow) in Bangkok, Peter finds himself entwined in another cat-and-mouse chase after they are ambushed.
With the mission seriously compromised, leaving Alice dead, Peter goes AWOL trying to get to the bottom of what intelligence Warren Stocker shared with Jacob Monroe.
Meanwhile, his handler Catherine Weaver (Amanda Warren) is unimpressed by his behaviour, unaware that he has gone underground to uncover the leak in their agency.
Unbeknown to Peter, Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan), who has grown close to him after he helped keep her alive when her aunt and uncle, who worked for Night agent, was killed, has become his Achilles Heel.
The people he’s chasing use her to get to him.
While making a huge breakthrough at her tech company, Rose uses the software to track him down.
Unfortunately, she leaves a trail for the killers tracking him, too.
When Catherine, through Rose, manages to establish contact with Peter, they come up with a plan of action to kill several birds with one stone.
Peter, despite being wary of who he can trust, takes a leap of faith.
While Catherine deals with the corporate red tape and redacted government files, Rose uses her tech skills to help Peter with the case.
The investigations uncover Foxglove, an experimental chemical weapons program, which might be used in an attack on US soil. To get more clarity, they have to rely on the information from Noor Taheri (Arienne Mandi), a junior aide to the Iranian Mission at the United Nations in New York.
She is seeking asylum for her whole family.
Of course, no plan goes smoothly. And while Rose pleads to Peter’s humanity in several instances, he is firm in his objective to save American lives at all costs - collateral damage, notwithstanding.
Aside from the adroit direction, especially with the action scenes offsetting the drama, the cast plays their role with conviction.
Keon Alexander, as Javad, is also a marvel to watch as finds himself in a Catch-22 situation, where he is torn between his feelings for Noor and doing his job as a Quds Force counterintelligence officer and the head of security at the Iranian headquarters.
The script is masterfully woven with several layers to heighten the series’ suspense.
Overall, there is never a dull moment with this series, it takes you on a thrilling journey where loyalty, deception, family, romance and patriotism collide in an exhilarating showdown.
∎ “The Night Agent” season 2 is streaming on Netflix.
Rating: 3/5 *** Solid and enjoyable, though not groundbreaking.
Another series worth watching:
"The Diplomat"
Ambassador Kate Wyler (played by Keri Russell) continues to navigate the treacherous waters of diplomacy and international politics while dealing with mounting tensions in her personal life.
This season centers on the shocking revelation that Vice President Grace Penn orchestrated a terror attack on a British ship, Hms Courageous, to manipulate British public opinion and prevent Scottish independence.
Why would the Vice President take such drastic measures?
This audacious move is driven by her desire to keep a critical US submarine base in the region, highlighting the intertwining of power and personal ambition.