The story follows several different dormant sleeper agents around the world as they get reactivated, while also depicting the fallout from project Treadstone in the present day. It also depicts the past, introducing how it all began. It is pretty well done, but it does have flaws.
The quality of each story varies, but it is great to see people in non-English speaking countries be given scope not to use English, irrespective of the quality of speech/pronunciation. I particularly like the events set in the past, and the story set in North Korea (though I'd query the quality of show's depiction of NK). Most of the storylines are enjoyable to watch.
The flaw: The storyline which should bring these disparate stories together or at least provide connection is pretty poorly done. I like the actors individually (Michelle Forbes, Omar Metwally and Tracy Ifeachor) but their storyline and the characters they depict destroy any goodwill/ suspension of disbelief the audience has. (They may as well be on a different TV show).
Particularly Tracy Ifeachor, it may not be fair, but she looks too young to be a seasoned journalist; her role as a freelance journalist uber-driver and the way she's wrangled into the plot is terrible. It's a pity because there could have easily been a more credible version of the present day CIA operation involving a journalist, in keeping with all the other storylines.
I'm giving it an 8 because it is ambitious, and only one of the storylines actively bothers me. But I don't think it will see a 2nd season, and I understand why.
Having said that, reviewers that simply state 'subtitles suck' should stick to low-brow cartoons. Not everything needs immediate explanation, many seem either too stupid or too impatient to accept that. Formulaic and 'exposition heavy' American telly has definitely addled the minds.
