George Mullen, a former American President, is the only one who left before the end of his second term. His son had just died, he quit. It was years ago, but he is still quite popular. So when an unimaginable catastrophe strikes the country, the President calls on him to head a commission of inquiry. 3402 people died within a few minutes, when all communication channel stopped functionning. Trains collided, planes couldn’t land anymore. Besides, all smartphones received a message announcing another attack to come.
The nation is in shock, while no one has the slightest clue about what happened. Suspicions turn to the Russians, but there’s no proof or claim. The only thing that is clear, although not reassuring, is that a malware exploited a zero day vulnerabiliy, in other words, a computer flaw that no one had detected before. Given the scale of the threat, the commission has carte blanche, and no fundamental rights or freedoms can be opposed. Everyone trusts Muller not to drift. But the old man is facing his own demons. Is he really the honest, reasonable man everyone think he is?
For conspiracy amateurs and Robert De Niro’s fan
Well, I fall into the second category. I was rather disappointed by the series, but that’s because it sounded promising. There are good things, though. I particularly liked the overall construction of the plot. In the first part, we follow Muller and his entourage as everyone, including him, begins to doubt his mental capacity. But in a second part, he holds his ground, and gradually gets closer to the truth. Not without making some terrible mistakes beforehand. And yes, De Niro is still an immensely gifted actor, a ‘monstre sacré’ of the 7th art.
That being said, The emotional part, and the ability to relate to the characters failed, at least for me. The music isn’t subtle, with little interest in conveying emotion. The characters are all human in their flaws, but almost all desperately selfish. At least the ‘bad guys’ don’t use the pretext of serving the country to achieve their own agenda. In fact, like its characters, the show takes itself a little too seriously. “Look, we care about our country, we are heroes”! Or not.
The suspense is ok, but not gripping. There are a few beautiful scenes, though, such as a great confrontation between Muller and the Mastermind of the attack. Two irreconcilable approaches, two points of view on how to save democracy from its own weaknesses. And therein lies my greatest regret. We could have had food for thought here about what’s threatening our democracies. Instead, like the characters’ pasts, this fascinating and profound theme is hastily crammed into certain plot points, as if to plug missing twists. A real shame. But hey, Robert De Niro…
Miniseries, 6 episodes (60 mn), 2025, on Netflix
WITH : Robert De Niro as George Mullen, Lizzy Caplan as Alexandra Mullen, Jesse Plemons as Roger Carlson, Joan Allen as Sheila Mullen, Connie Britton as Valerie Whitesell, Bill Camp as Jeremy Lasch, Dan Stevens (seen in Downton Abbey) as Evan Green, Angela Bassett as President Evelyn Mitchell, Matthew Modine as Richard Dreyer, McKinley Belcher III as Carl Otieno.
And Clark Gregg as Robert Lyndon, Gaby Hoffmann as Monica Kidder, Mark Ivanir as Natan, Mozhan Navabi as Melissa Kornblau, Hannah Gross as Anna Sindler, Cuyle Carvin as Special Agent Tom McCarthy, Eden Lee as Special Agent Angela Kim, Ryan Spahn as Blake ‘Leon’ Felton, Colin Donnell as Erik Hayes