The Night Agent

Hong Chau and Gabriel Basso stand out on "The Night Agent," a Shawn Ryan thriller based on Matthew Quirk's novel.

Still, it’s a pleasure to see a show better than it might have been, when so often the opposite is true: “The Night Agent” sparks with curiosity and intrigue, a richly detailed show that propels viewers forward with a relentless pace. So it is with “The Night Agent,” created by Shawn Ryan of “The Shield,” and based on a novel by Matthew Quirk. [Hong Chau](https://variety.com/t/hong-chau/) — the Oscar-nominated actor, who’s appeared in “The Whale,” “The Menu,” and “Downsizing” — is an interesting element on [Netflix](https://variety.com/t/netflix/)’s new series “ [The Night Agent](https://variety.com/t/the-night-agent/),” and a revealing one.

In one of those odd juxtapositions that come with the streaming age, a new Netflix drama about an FBI agent in the White House, "The Night Agent," has a ...

Charles Dance (“Game of Thrones”) also enters the chat in the later episodes, but by then, “Rabbit Hole” is already confusing enough that it’s barely worth the effort to try sorting things out. Netflix courts various audience niches, but this more closely approximates the meat-and-potatoes fare that has found success on more traditional platforms. That includes warnings from the President’s chief of staff, Diane Farr (Hong Chau, fresh off her Crisply told and smartly cast, the adaptation of Matthew Quirk’s novel issues a call worth answering. Perhaps inevitably, there are some clunkier aspects. [ “24”-like franchise](https://www.cnn.com/2017/02/01/entertainment/24-legacy-review/index.html) with “The Night Agent,” a twisty thriller with high-stakes corruption reaching deep into the corridors of Washington and a stalwart FBI agent who suffers for our sins.

Netflix's latest twisty thriller series begins with FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) preventing mass loss of life after he spots a bomb being placed ...

For her role in catching the bad guys, Chelsea is offered the top job of being one of the President's personal Secret Service agents. In their bunker, Maddie finally realises just what a sleazeball her father is, and decides to leave him there and take her chances with the bomb above ground. Meanwhile, Rose and Peter have convinced Farr to help them, after she realises her fellow conspirators have gone rogue and are planning to kill not just Zadar, but the President as well. By the end of the penultimate episode, Maddie has been rescued and she and Chelsea are reluctantly en route with Maddie's extremely suspicious-looking father to Camp David, where the President is due to meet Zadar for a friendly chat. So they're off to Camp David, too, to hopefully foil the plot, save the President and clear Peter's name. On the other end is tech expert Rose, who has just seen her aunt and uncle murdered in their home by unknown assailants, and now they are after her.

TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. In the new Netflix series "The Night Agent," Gabriel Basso plays a young FBI agent stuck in a dead-end job who ...

And this "The Night Agent" does provide. And if you want to learn more about how we put the show together and learn more about our producers and what they're paying attention to, subscribe to our free newsletter. You can tell the upbeat tale of reporters exposing the truth about Watergate in "All The President's Men." GROSS: John Powers reviewed "The Night Agent," the new series streaming on Netflix. I got a kick out of the toxic relationship between the spineless Veep and the daughter who despises him. In the new Netflix series "The Night Agent," Gabriel Basso plays a young FBI agent stuck in a dead-end job who suddenly finds himself in the middle of a huge conspiracy. Alas, like most so-called political thrillers - the recent Apple TV+ series "Liaison" is another example - "The Night Agent" never rises above formula. Are you ready to do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this muck, to keep Rose Larkin safe? And that was enough to keep me watching happily until the very end. It was Rose who made that late-night call to the night action desk as assassins were murdering her secret agent aunt and uncle. You can spoof it the way "The Manchurian Candidate" sent up anti-communist frenzy. Me, I'm hooked on thrillers whose heroes get caught up in treacherous political shenanigans - you know, the attempted military coup in "Seven Days In May," the assassination corporation in the "Parallax View" or the many delirious intrigues that fueled "Homeland."

Gabriel Basso, Luciane Buchanan, D.B. Woodside and Hong Chau star in Shawn Ryan's adaptation of Matthew Quirk's novel.

But the first episode established that it’s a show with a lot of stock characters and a conspiracy that doesn’t start in a particularly interesting way. The biggest intrigue might be with Ellen (Eve Harlow) and Dale (Phoenix Raei), whom we see executing someone in Racine, WI at the end of the first episode. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere. Our Take: There’s a certain amount of lunkheadedness that envelops the first episode of The Night Agent, more than you’d expect from a show written by Ryan. Maybe that’ll inject some personality into the series, but in the run up to that, all we see are flat line readings and action scenes. He does keep her safe, but not before dealing with conspiracy theorists outside his apartment and a car chase going the wrong way down a local highway. He also seems to be in a loyalty tug-of-war between White House chief of staff Diane Farr (Hong Chau) and his FBI boss, Deputy Director Jamie Hawkins (Robert Patrick). She is staying with her aunt and uncle, who just came back from a business trip. Peter answers and talks her through hiding from the gunmen until law enforcement gets there. As he’s getting treated for his injuries, he spots the man who left the bomb, chases him into an alley, but loses him when a car slams into him. [The Shield](https://decider.com/show/the-shield/), is now adapting [Matthew Quirk’s novel The Night Agent](https://www.amazon.com/Night-Agent-Novel-Matthew-Quirk/dp/0062875469?tag=decider08-20&asc_refurl=https://decider.com/2023/03/23/the-night-agent-netflix-review/&asc_source=web) for Netflix. The Gist: On the Metro train, one of the passengers, FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) notices a man leave a backpack and get off the train.

The first season of Netflix's 'The Night Agent' comes to an explosive end. Literally. Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland in The Night Agent Image via Netflix.

Before the president boards, Peter shoots the inside man in the head and holds the president at gunpoint as he tries to explain the situation to her and her remaining security. Redfield tells Maddie the president would like to speak with her alone, though he leads her to a protected underground bunker with a Secret Service agent, where he plans to stay with Maddie until the attack is over, and he can rise from the ashes as the new president. Peter is taken into custody, while Chelsea and Maddie arrive just in time to explain everything to President Travers about the conspiracy and clear Peter’s name. Back at the White House, Peter and Rose have a private meeting with President Travers. Elsewhere, Chelsea has located a bomb in the lodge, evacuating the building, while Maddie orders her father to let her out of the bunker. With Diane on their side, at least for the time being, Peter and Rose demand that she uses her power to get them into Camp David to stop Redfield and Wick (Ben Cotton) from killing both Zadar and Travers, as Redfield’s ultimate goal has shifted to taking her place as President of the United States. As Rose attempts to fix communications, Peter sets off to find the president and stop the attack. As Diane drives them to Camp David, she finally enlightens Peter on the metro bombing. But, an unexpected trip to Camp David puts her plan on hold, as the team has figured out that Zadar will be at Camp David and another attack is in the works. The finale of The Night Agent begins with a flashback to a pivotal moment in Peter’s life. Meanwhile, Peter and Rose confront Diane about the Camp David attack, Diane is stunned to learn about this, saying she would never do anything to hurt President Michelle Travers (Kari Matchett). But, an unexpected ally in Chelsea Arrington (Fola Evans-Akingbola), a member of the Secret Service assigned to protect the Vice President’s daughter Maddie (Sarah Desjardins), has provided them with a life vest.

With Netflix's twisty political thriller 'The Night Agent,' creator Shawn Ryan and star Gabriel Basso break down the show's first season.

Basso: I think the toughest thing for Peter is that the lies and the circumstances his father found himself in might be a reflection of his character as a man. So for me, if we were to get a second season, I think one of the interesting things we could delve into is Peter trying to figure out the why. One of the great things about being a writer is that you can write the ending you want, not the ending you have. There is something that Gabriel brings that I just can’t write on the page, and I hope he and I get to make this show for a while longer. Rose’s aunt and uncle were Sidewinder and Gazelle, so we’ll have to figure out what the perfect avatar for Peter is. We deviate a lot from the book, but this is in the book. I was so curious about what the truth was with my father, and I was devastated I would never get to ask him these questions and get the answers. You are invested narratively in the action, and I think that is unique. I loved the characters of Peter, Rose and Diane Farr, and I saw how I could use the book to meld with some original ideas I had been working on to make a TV show out of it. Jamie Vanderbilt, who is a great writer and producer that I respect a lot, and his company, had the rights to the book, and they asked if I would read it. Yes, you are going to have all the things about political thrillers that appeal to you in the movies. Instead, Redfield is outed as the engine of the power grab; and Diane Farr (Hong Chau), Travers’ chief of staff, survives only to face life behind bars for covering up the Metro bombing that kicked off the series.

In a flashback, Peter stops the metro bombing, and the man with a giant snake tattoo escapes. He is now a night agent and a night action is underway when ...

That is the full story recap of what happened in the Prime Video series The Night Agent Season 1 (Episodes 1-10). Along with the help of Farr, they infiltrate Camp David, Almora is killed, but Peter saves the President from boarding a helicopter that was set to blow up Redfield and is arrested for treason. Peter and Rose learn the suspect’s real identity in the metro bombing – Colin Worley. Peter and Rose uncover an assassination attempt on the President’s life. Maddie, Chelsea, Peter, and Rose know the Vice President is on the assassination attempt of Zadar. Colin Worley is the man behind the metro bombing, who Wick killed for botching the operation. The industry has a file labeled 2781 – the number of the subway train of the metro bombing. Peter and Rose meet Lorna, an old friend of Rose’s family, who leads them to the real target of the metro bombing – two city blocks near a coffee shop. They are about to sleep together when the man with the snake tattoo appears. In a flashback, Peter stops the metro bombing, and the man with a giant snake tattoo escapes. Those killers enter a home in Wisconsin a couple of days later and steal something important from the house, but what? [The Night Agent](https://readysteadycut.com/2023/03/23/the-night-agent-season-1-review/), is based on the [Michael Quirk novel of the same name](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44023366-the-night-agent).