The Veil

"The Veil," the latest offering from Steven Knight, creator of "Peaky Blinders," presents a mixed bag of espionage intrigue and melodrama. The series, starring Elisabeth Moss as MI6 agent Imogen Salter, delves into the shadowy world of international spies with a strong initial concept that occasionally gets bogged down by excessive emotional weight and melodramatic elements.

Elisabeth Moss, known for her intense and complex performances, delivers another strong portrayal as Imogen. Her character's adeptness at adopting various identities and unearthing secrets is compelling, particularly in the dynamic exchanges with Yumna Marwan's Adilah, a woman of mysterious motives. The chemistry between Moss and Marwan is one of the show's highlights, bringing depth to their complex relationship as they navigate a deadly game of truth and lies from Istanbul to Paris.

Supporting performances by Josh Charles and Dali Benssalah add layers to the international spy network, with Charles playing the brash American agent Max, whose interactions with the more reserved French agent Malik (Benssalah) provide unexpected moments of humor amidst the tension.

Despite these strengths, "The Veil" struggles under the weight of its own ambitions. While Knight's writing excels in creating a rich dialogue and intriguing plot twists, the series often veers into overwrought territory, detracting from the tight, suspenseful narrative that the genre demands. The heavy backstories and psychological trauma experienced by the characters, particularly Imogen, sometimes feel overplayed, risking the loss of the show's core espionage appeal.

In summary, "The Veil" is a visually captivating and well-acted series that will appeal to fans of spy thrillers, especially those who appreciate Moss's nuanced performances. However, it occasionally falters under the strain of its melodramatic elements, making it a series that, while engaging, could benefit from a more streamlined approach to its storytelling.

By focusing on its strengths-smart dialogue, strong performances, and intricate spy games-"The Veil" manages to entertain, even if it doesn't always hit the high notes it aspires to achieve.

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.

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.

Elisabeth Moss is a spy specialized in undercover work to extract information from unsuspecting (or are they suspecting this time) bad guys. She is somewhat of a wild card, go with the flow, doing things her way to get things done.

This time there is a potential ISIS terror thing that might happen and she is on the case working with the French and Americans befriending and helping a woman suspected to be ISIS.

Intriguing plot, good acting, some humor, some action, plenty of tension.

The intelligence people are competent, cunning and dangerous, it all seems very realistic and not romanticized like usual.