Treason (2022)
On a whim, we watched this series on Netflix, last night. I found it gripping, my wife less so. But, it must be remembered that I may (or may not) have a thing or two to do with the behind-the-scenes world of international spies. Even the ending was startling, but it does fit the ‘real world’ scenario of espionage.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 14 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10. The website’s consensus reads: “Treason may take itself too seriously but could deliver thrills to fans of the double-crossing espionage genre.” In its review, The Hollywood Reporter said: “Treason is only five episodes long and each episode is under 46 minutes, making it one of those shows in which brevity is both its best and worst quality. It unquestionably races along… with characters constantly rushing off to secretive meetings at different London locations… But the events of the story take place within possibly two or three days and manage to be too derivative for the show to earn much credit as plot-driven, and too rushed for it to succeed as character-driven.”
The Guardian described the series as a “gripping… fun, frenetic espionage thriller” but questioned its lead’s hard-man credentials: “Cox is less an international man of mystery and more a lovely Labrador”. The Independent negatively reviewed the series: “Overambition is clearly preferable to a lack of creative aspiration. It’s a shame, then, that Treason is so relentlessly preposterous. Not only does Cox utterly fail to convince as someone competent or ambitious enough to be made head of MI6 at 40, but the show insists on saddling him with endless cliché.”
There are several good things about this series, including Oona Chaplin, who plays Adam’s wife, Maddy. She is the great granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, and Geraldine Chaplin’s daughter. Her role is the one that actually causes a lot of the actions in the story to take place. She wasn’t suspicious of her husband’s motives until the CIA, acting clandestinely in the UK, makes her doubt him. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that it was all going to end badly. Maddy is also the one to bring down the head of MI6, in an effort to clear Adam’s name and reputation. That part seemed a little far-fetched…
Spoiler Alert!
So, Adam’s answer to his son’s question at the beginning of this post was, “Yes, of course.”
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