by Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
With Jack Ryan’s return to Amazon imminent, Netflix is here to sneak their lawyer-turned-spy show in under the wire.
The Recruit follows Owen (Noah Centineo), a newly hired lawyer at the Central Intelligence Agency, who gets in a little over his head when grunt work leads him to investigating whether a woman arrested for murder (Laura Haddock), who’s threatening to expose agency secrets, has the intel to make good on her threats.
It’s easy to see why Centineo has become an “it” actor, even if I haven’t checked out the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy myself. He oozes charisma in this show, which is a must for it to succeed. If the lead performance falls flat, there’s nothing to keep that nagging thought of how exactly he’s managed to weasel his way out of peril once again down. The story shows us just enough how Owens’s natural skills both get him into trouble and manage to get him out of it, and you just can’t help but root for the guy. Centineo plays it all pretty well.
It’s not just him that puts in an enjoyable performance. The friendship/roommate trio of Hannah (Fivel Stewart), his ex, and Terrence (Daniel Quincy Annoh), play off each other really well. Their interactions and friendship provide some of my favorite moments. The will-they-won’t-they thing Owen and Hannah have going is probably my favorite relationship of the entire show. Having a trio of lawyers, all with slightly different specialties, is an interesting twist that is used well for story moments. The cavalcade of office coworkers Owen has to navigate in the backstabbing world of the CIA make for some fun interactions, too. From the constantly worried Janus (Kristain Bruun), attached at the hip duo, Violet (Aarti Mann) and Lester (Colton Dunn), and Walter (Vondie Curtis-Hall) as the boss overseeing it all, it’s all pretty fun. Admittedly, while at times the office politics can feel a bit circuitous, I was having enough fun with our cast of characters that that and questions like, “How the hell is Owen still alive?” got pushed to the back of my mind, and I was largely able to enjoy the ride.
Aside from wondering how the writers are going to manage to keep our protagonist alive, you’ll likely be beset constantly with a sense of déjà vu. If you’ve seen any spy thriller ever, much of what The Recruit has to offer will seem familiar. There’s a moment when Owen thinks he’s going to be able to wipe his hands of Max, and you know that’s not the way this is going to go (and not just because you can see the episodes left). Speaking of Max, that’s perhaps the relationship/storyline that doesn’t quite work as well as the others. I doesn’t quite get their connection and there’s a hanging thread in that storyline that’s just seemingly left hanging for no reason, aside from putting Owen in a bad headspace for a minute.
All that’s why the likability of the performances is such a crucial aspect to keep you hooked. It’s all a bit of mindless fun, and most of the character names were already slipping out of my brain just hours after I’d finished my binge.
Of course, they leave you with a cliffhanger, but here’s hoping that this recruit garners enough of a following to get another season out of Netflix so we’re not left dangling. If you’re an espionage aficionado, there’s enough sleek storytelling and twists and turns here that should keep you entertained.
Even if the operation is something you’ve seen carried out plenty of times before.
Score: 7/10
The Recruit is currently streaming on Netflix
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