Ever since The Night Agent ended, I've been looking forward to season 2. But I was watching loads of other shows when season 2 finally dropped on Netflix, so I thought I'd wait a while to make sure it got my full attention. I envisaged, like the first series, rapidly bingeing the latest adventures of spy Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso). But OMG season 2 is a turgid watch!
Never mind bingeing the second series, I feel like I'm ploughing through syrup and I've just about staggered to episode 6 in the hope it might finally get exciting. It hasn’t! How has The Night Agent, the biggest show of 2023 for Netflix, turned into something so slow and tedious?
Missing tension
Well, firstly, The Night Agent season 2 lacks tension. The first series belted along as Peter races across America trying to uncover a giant conspiracy at the top of the government while protecting tech whizz Rose (Luciane Buchanan), whose aunt and uncle have been murdered.
It reminded me of the first season of 24 starring Kiefer Sutherland. Peter was the new Jack Bauer.
Every episode, you felt time was running out, and you wanted Peter and Rose to succeed as they were chased about by a pair of hilarious assassins. And boy do I miss the killer couple Ellen and Dale from series one. At times, they stole the show, amusingly finding time to go house hunting in between psychotically chasing Peter and Rose. I’m not entirely sure if they were meant to be funny, but they were, and they gave the first series moments of light relief. Season 2 has none of that sense of humor.
We don't need Rose
There's no real sense of Peter and Rose being chased this time. We also don't need the character of Rose. Her story drove the original, but in season 2, she doesn't need to be there.
Indeed, her character keeps moaning that she doesn’t really need to be here and maybe she should just go home! We agree, Rose. This isn't fun. Go home, earn loads of money from being a top programmer and you’ll also get shot at a lot less.
Foxglove and the crazy plot
I can't even begin to explain the plot. Every so often, Catherine (Amanda Warren), Peter's new Night Action boss, will attempt to explain what's going on but it's so complicated I'm beyond caring. Peter will then look menacingly at the camera and knowingly say the word "Foxglove".
It started off promisingly with Peter losing his co-agent in Thailand in episode one, an episode with actual tension. OK, I’ll give the plot a go — so Foxglove is some kind of chemical weapons program, which some mole is leaking. Also involved are people trying to sell intelligence and an incredibly boring character whose dad is a war criminal. And then there's the Iranian embassy…
The Iranian connection
Another major issue is that a huge number of scenes take place in the Iranian embassy, where we meet Noor, a low-level aide aiming to leak intel to Peter in return for getting her family out of Iran. So we get scene after scene of Noor (Arienne Mandi) looking furtive as she tries to pull the wool over the eyes of the security man she flirts with.
This leads to another problem with the series: it doesn’t make any sense! She's acting so suspiciously the whole time even the most inept security team would spot something's up. She is somehow able to keep sneaking off to meet Peter, Rose, and Catherine with no one noticing!
Then you start thinking back, and so much more of the series makes no sense. There's a period where the US intelligence services are finding it impossible to discover Peter's location. Where is he? Well, he's playing basketball with a kid in the middle of New York! Seriously, you can't find him!
Also, if you ever want to find secret agents, just go to a scenic part of New York they are bound to be there! Most TV doesn't make too much sense when you pause to think, and it’s normally a clear sign you’ve become frustrated with a show when you start spotting all the things that don’t add up.
Is The Night Agent season 2 a bad show?
No. Gabriel Basso is still a great watch as Peter, and there are moments when it recaptures the enjoyment of the first series. It’s more of a disappointing series given just how good the original was. You have to hope the makers learn from this for The Night Agent season 3.
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