The Night Agent Review 2023 Tv Show Series Cast Crew Online
One year after thwarting a terrorist attack on the Washington D. C. metro, FBI Agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) works in the basement of the White House monitoring an emergency phone line that never rings for a intelligence program called Night Action jointly reporting to the FBI, and the President’s Chief of Staff, Diane Farr (Hong Chau) who got him the position despite Sutherland’s history of having a father who allegedly turned traitor that has made Peter a popular target for conspiracy theorist. When cybersecurity specialist Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan) moves back with her aunt and uncle following the collapse of her startup, her first night she hears them discussing urgent matters in hushed whispers before their home is attacked by two assassins (Eve Harlow and Phoenix Raei). Before her aunt and uncle are killed they give Rose a phone number with a code phrase they tell her to call along with the words “Osprey was right”. Retreating to the neighboring house, Rose calls the number which puts her in contact with Peter who helps her stay alive during pursuit until the police arrive. As Peter takes over Rose’s protection, the two are thrown into a wide reaching conspiracy that reaches all the way to the highest echelons of power.
The Night Agent is an adaptation of the 2019 novel of the same name by Matthew Quirk and began development in 2020 under the stewardship of noted TV writer/producer Shawn Ryan. The show was picked up by Netflix and has recently debuted on the streamer and I’m happy to say it’s an engross and thrilling 10 episodes of television.
From the opening metro bombing where we’re first introduced to Peter Sutherland, the series immediately gets you hooked as it jumps to one year later and the unexplained bombing has been co-opted by liars and conspiracy theorists who try to smear Peter as complicit in the bombing rather than a hero. The show does a solid job establishing the high stakes of the series while also creating both Peter Sutherland and Rose Larkin as likable and engaging characters who you want to see together the pieces. Gabriel Basso gives a really good performance as Peter and having been a fan of this actor since his days playing Adam Jamison on The Big C, it’s nice to see he’s developed into a capable leading man with a relaxed masculine charisma that gives him the same level of appeal Robert Redford had in Three Days of the Condor. Luciane Buchanan is equally good as Basso’s co-lead sporting a sense of humor and spunky self-assuredness that makes her skillset complimentary to Peter’s with both characters getting equal chances to shine.
The show also features some solid supporting performances with Fola Evans-Akingbola very good and charismatic as young but determined Secret Service agent who is paired with a welcome appearance by Lucifer and 24 alum D. B. Woodside as a more seasoned but damaged veteran. But most prominently we have Hong Chau who is very good as Diane Farr who gets to play with the conflicted nature of her character. Chau is quickly becoming one of those actresses I look forward to seeing having loved her appearance in 2019’s Driveways and continuing her strong run with notable appearances in The Menu and The Whale in 2022, and I’m pleased to say Chau is no less good here.
The plot covers most of the major beats you know from this type of conspiracy thriller and if you’ve seen the British series Bodyguard or the movie Three Days of the Condor you’ll have a pretty good idea of the plot beats that are struck in terms of what kind of story this is. However, just because this is well trodden ground don’t mistake that for a lack of quality because you don’t always need to be original but you should always need to be engaging and the movie does a good job of that. While The Night Agent takes itself seriously (in comparison to the more dramedy inclined The Recruit), it does take pauses for exchanges between our cast as well as moments of genuine humor that give the show a bit more personality than you’d probably expect upon first seeing it. This even comes down to the assassins played by Eve Harlow and Phoenix Rael (whose characters I don’t believe are named in the series) as they have this quirky romantic relationship that’s showcased in between the chases and shootouts. As with many conspiracy shows there are the occasional bits that do stretch disbelief, but for the most part the central mystery was keeping me engaged especially when it was complimented with engaging characters and performances.
I really enjoyed The Night Agent and think it’s a solid 10 episodes of TV. The central mystery has a great hook and a pair of likable characters, there’s a strong feeling of tension and paranoia during the investigation, and there’s not a bad performance from the bunch. While the show does leave the door open to continuation, I’m pleased to say the series is mostly self-contained and doesn’t brazenly “season bait” so if there is a second helping of The Night Agent I’ll gladly take it if it can be kept to the same level.
