The Veil

So much promise, so little delivered. It goes from difficult to follow to incomprehensible. If you are following it, then prepare to be disappointed because nothing much gets resolved. So you'll be left wishing for a slightly more conventional conclusion instead of one that makes you wish you hadn't spent 6 episodes getting to the messy end. It's ok not to resolve every thread and to not neatly wrap things up but we are after a story and entertainment so when you leave dissatisfied the work has failed. I don't want another season despite the fact that the main character was a good one. Complex and competent. That wasn't enough.

I don't like to leave bad reviews. But good grief this was disappointing. It started out OK, spy thriller, hardened female specialized agent trying to outwit a terrorist. Ok, I'm in. But then it got ridiculous and unbelievable. These two women driving around in a car magically evading all the spy agencies in the world, and the agencies acting in completely unbelievable ways. The whole "bad event we are trying to stop" made zero sense. And the final episode was stupid beyond belief. I can't even begin...

I have been an Elizabeth Moss fan since Mad Men.

But I think I'm done. I can't take the over-acting and loooong closeup shots staring at the camera with her mouth hanging open a la the Handmaid's Tale. Please Hod make it stop.

I would like to love this show as it is one of the few shows that have women in leading roles and that is actually the only good thing about the show. The story starts all right but lacks credibility as it progresses. A chain smoker lead in this day and age? And why is she actively sabotaging all the spy agencies she is working with? She works for MI6 but reports to everyone except them. And what do you do when you find a very dangerous terrorist? Obviously help her escape and evade all the governments and agencies.

This is simply bonkers.

The other flaw is that she smiles too much for no reason.

Despite all these limitations, the show is watchable.

Just suspend your logic and don't expect too much.

A lot of money went into producing this series. Great locations and scenery, decent plot, good supporting cast. What's wrong you ask? It's Elisabeth Moss trying to play a seductive, athletic, super spy. She is not capable. Her action scenes: ridiculous. Her emotions: phony. Her seductiveness: zero. Her acting: forced. She just isn't cut out for a role like this and I think she knows it. At times, she actually appears embarrassed by herself. There's a scene in episode 3 where she's following her suspected terrorist onto a plane. Her facial expressions look like someone whose feet are on fire. There's a second scene where she has to lie her way out of a situation which, of course, she does. The problem is, no one in the world would have believed what she said and how she said it. It was bad script, poorly adapted. In conclusion, if you thought George Lazenby was the worst 007, try watching The Veil for comparison. He won't seem so bad. I still enjoyed watching but cringed whenever she was on camera. Watching her is painful.

I write this because it would have helped me. It's a well done mini series and at the 3rd episode I might have thought it was an 8, but it's one of those series that is all based on the ending and how everything comes together. I just didn't find the ending very satisfying, not worth going through the 5 episodes to get there. My rating is "fine", but I would have skipped it if I had it to do over again.

Compared to some other reviews, I liked Moss's accent.

I liked the initial premise.

I thought some of the later story lines fell apart.

I wasn't convinced of why she'd believe so much in this woman to risk it all.