Created by: Matt Charman Genre: Spy thriller Duration: 5 episodes: 37-44 minutes Cast: Olga Kurylenko, Charlie Cox, Oona Chaplin, Ciarán Hinds, Tracy Ifeachor, Samuel Leakey, Beau Gadsdon
Now streaming on Netflix
I started watching Treason with meagre expectations because Netflix shows were touch and go over the holiday break. It is, therefore, safer to have low expectations and be surprised if the show is good. Treason, thankfully, was good and made me feel like a cynic for having low expectations. The last time I enjoyed a show this much was Anatomy of A Scandal. They both have that thing where you are sure you have the plot all figured out then a twist reminds you that you did not write the script.
Treason’s story is premised on Adam Lawrence (Cox), the deputy chief of the UK’s spy organisation, MI6. Adam quickly finds himself as the organisation’s chief after his boss, Sir Martin (Hinds) is poisoned and hospitalised. Just as Adam and his wife, Maddy (Chaplin) think their biggest concern will be getting their daughter, Ella (Gadson) to adjust to this development, we discover that there is more to his promotion than meets the eye. Kara (Kurylenko), a Russian spy who happens to have a personal history with Adam, turns up looking for information about the death of five men. Her search for this information is tied to every career milestone Adam has had and she has come to collect. This takes us down a rabbit hole that makes us look at every character with suspicion. That is what makes this unlimited series a good watch. There is no unnecessary drama to ‘spice’ things up. The story is the drama and how each character portrays it is the magic.
Kurylenko and Chaplin’s performances end up being the most outstanding, which is a surprise, considering how the show begins. The story is a reminder that people will pull at a thread until they get what they want no matter how much destruction happens in between. Information cannot be taken for granted.
The show does not have the camera tricks and advanced fight scenes most expect from a spy movie so you might find it slow if that is what you are looking for.
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