The Agency 1.1-1.3: Sharp American British Spy Mix

I saw the first three episodes of The Agency on Paramount+Showtime last night.  It's a spy-thriller narrative, with John le Carré feel to it -- that is, a complex story, with several layers of characters, and a central character who, for whatever reason, is operating and living not completely in synch with his/her superiors in the agency.

And The Agency does have this particular twist: the "Agency" is actually our American agency, aka the CIA, in its critically important London bureau.  This affords The Agency the best of both worlds -- the easy rudeness or at least bluntness of Americans, working in the streets, and flats, and eateries of London.  In that mix, The Agency has connections with both the Americans in Sheraton Taylor's Lioness (here's my review of the first season, and I'll be reviewing the second season in the next day or so) and the Brits in Joe Barton's Black Doves and Debora Cahn's The Diplomat.   If this gives you the impression that spy thrillers are very much in the air these days -- or, more precisely, in the stream -- you'd be completely right.

All of these series also have top-notch famous acting, and The Agency is no exception.  Richard Gere plays the bureau chief, Jeffrey Wright is right below him, and Dominic West is right above him as the CIA Director (I'll just note that the first time I saw West in an American role was in The Wire, and his American accent was so good I was surprised to find out he was British).  Michael Fassbender plays the beleaguered  agent-hero, and does a good job of it, as does Jodi Turner-Smith as his girlfriend.

Now, you'll notice I haven't warned you about spoilers, because I don't intend to give you any.  But I will say that The Agency in its first three episodes offers a provocative blend of intellectual puzzling and life-and-death action.   I'll be back here with more when I see more of the series.  In the meantime, I highly recommend it.

The Goldfinch: The Burden of Immortality

My wife and I saw trailers for The Goldfinch in those bygone pre-Coronavirus days last Spring, when we went out to the movies.  But we didn't get a chance to see it in the Fall.  It therefore was a real pleasure to finally see it on Amazon Prime Video last night.  The movie is a tour-de-force, even a masterpiece, about the intersection of timeless art and the vicissitudes of human life.  "The Goldfinch" is a real Dutch Golden Age painting by Carel Fabritius, a student of Rembrandt's. The movie is based on a real novel by Donna Tartt about a series of fictitious events surrounding the painting, which I haven't read.

The narrative begins when a terrorist's bomb kills young Theodore Decker's mother during their visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City (another place I miss even driving by in these locked-in months).  He leaves with a painting that also survived the bomb, "The Goldfinch," which an old man, another victim of the bombing, urges Theo to take.  The next decade or more of his life, and the rest of the movie, is dedicated to Theo's keeping himself and the painting alive.  He navigates, sometimes expertly, the various family members, girls, women, friends, and players in the fine art and and antique business.

Oakes Fegley as young Theo and Ansel Elgort as his older self are just superb.  My favorite character other than Theo is Jeffrey Wright as James "Hobie" Hobart, whose explanations about the enduring differences between antiques and repros, and it the difference between mortal humanity and an immortal painting, and why it is therefore so crucial that the immortal painting survive, are non-pareil, in movies or anywhere.  And Wright delivers these talks perfectly - indeed, I like his performance in The Goldfinch even more than in Westworld and various commercials,  Other memorable performances include Ashleigh Cummings as Pippa, Theo's truest love, and Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard as young Theo's friend young Boris, who will play a game-changing role in Theo's later life.  For her part, Cummings manages to convey the deep, complex love she has for Theo, which may be immortal but doesn't always lead to happy endings.

There's a great artistic ambience in The Goldfinch, including the music of Glenn Gould (if you're interested in his virtuoso work and its continuing impact, check out Alida Altemburg's DMajor TV and her Glenn Gould page). And the New York City ambience, the restaurants and the busy streets, make me want to get out there and back there even more.   But like the painting, The Goldfinch movie transcends current catastrophes and even the pandemic, my guess it will be watched and appreciated forever.

 

Boardwalk Empire 4.2: J. Edgar

It's alway a treat in an historical drama to encounter a figure, early in life, whom we came to know later in life as a mover and a shaker.   Boardwalk Empire provided such a perk in episode 4.2, with the introduction of J. Edgar Hoover, a federal anti-crime guy in 1924, head of its Bureau of Investigation, on his way to being head of its successor the FBI straight through the Nixon administration until Hoover's demise in 1972.

As such, Hoover was more powerful in some ways than the Presidents he served.  His FBI undoubtedly collected dirt on the Kennedys, Martin Luther King Jr., and all kinds of American heroes whom Hoover hoped to dominate - a goal he attained with mixed but sometimes significant success.   Hoover was certainly a more powerful American than the ineffectual Warren Harding and the other people in his administration we've met on Boardwalk Empire.  I'm looking forward to seeing what impact Hoover has in this series on Nucky.

The arrogant Dr. Valentin Narcisse - played to the hilt by Jeffrey Wright - has already intersected with Nucky and Chalky, lecturing them both, and in particular lording it over Chalky.  Nooky is in general willing to do business with anyone who is not a direct threat to him, but he'll have his hands full with Narcisse, who is every bit a cold-blooded killer as he is haughty, eloquent, and educated.

Over in Chicago, we see what Van Alden is up to, and that's being increasingly drawn into the life of mobster muscle.  We also see Richard at home at last - but there's not much love between him and his sister, aggrieved at his disappearing from the family once before.  Richard would dearly like to retire and nurture his torn soul, but it's just a matter of time until he leaves home, and it will be fun to see where he and shotgun show up.

MIA is still Margaret - she's presumably, where, in New York City?  Her reappearance should also lead to some fireworks in Atlantic City, though Nucky so far is lavishing more attention on Eddie, and his fading heath, than on any thoughts of Margaret.  Well, Eddie was never anything but loyal, and Margaret, well ...

Note: Watch here for my sneak preview reviews - with no spoilers - of the next three episodes.  They'll be posted during the week, with the full recap and review to follow after the episodes air on Sunday nights.

See also Boardwalk Empire 4.1: Sneak Preview Review ... Boardwalk Empire 4.2: Sneak Preview Review

And see also Boardwalk Empire 3.1: Happy News Year 1923  ... Boardwalk Empire 3.2: Gasoline and the White Rock Girl ... Boardwalk Empire 3.3: The Showgirl and The Psycho ... Boardwalk Empire 3.5: "10 L'Chaim" ... Boardwalk Empire 3.7: Deadly Gillian ... Boardwalk Empire 3.8: Andrew Mellon ... Boardwalk Empire 3.9: Impaired Nucky

And see also Boardwalk Empire 2.1: Politics in an Age Before YouTube  ... Boardwalk Empire 2.2: The Woman Behind the Throne ... Boardwalk Empire 2.3: Frankenstein and Victrola ... Boardwalk Empire 2.4: Nearly Flagrante Delicto ... Boardwalk Empire 2.5: Richard's Story ... Boardwalk Empire 2.6: Owen and Other Bad News for Nucky ... Boardwalk Empire 2.7: Shot in the Hand  ...Boardwalk Empire 2.8: Pups with Fangs ... Boardwalk Empire 2.9: Ireland, Radio, Polio ...Boardwalk Empire 2.10: Double Shot ... Boardwalk Empire 2.11: Gillian and Jimmy  ... Boardwalk Empire Season 2 Finale: Stunner!

And see also Boardwalk Emipre on HBO ... Boardwalk Empire 1.2: Lines and Centers Power ...Boardwalk Empire 1.10: Arnold Rothstein, Media Theorist  ... Season One Finale of Boardwalk Empire

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Boardwalk Empire 4.2 Sneak Preview Review

Continuing with my sneak preview reviews of Boardwalk Empire - this one of 4.2 - courtesy of screeners from Starpulse, guaranteed to be spoiler free, and to be followed this Sunday with a proper recap/review after the episode has aired in New York, just up the road from A.C.

We learn what Richard, whom we saw on a killing spree in 4.1, is really up to.  And, in fact, 4.2 is one of the best Richard shows we've seen in lo these four seasons.  We learn about his family, and we see yet another very tender side of him.

Episode 4.2 also introduces this season's (so far) most important new character.  We've seen him in the HBO coming attractions, so I'm not giving anything away to say he's Dr. Valentin Narcisse - that's "Dr.," mind you, not "Mr.," as Narcisse instructs Nucky, because Narcisse has worked too hard to attain that title  - and he's played to arrogant lordly perfection by the talented Jeffrey Wright.  He's not only arrogant but liltingly poetic - as befits his Trinidadian heritage (not Jamaican, as he corrects Chalky) - and he can kill without missing a beat.  A suitable opponent for Nucky, and a kind of danger Nucky hasn't quite encountered before.

Speaking of masters - and servants - this is also an important episode for Eddie, who, as we saw last week, is not in the greatest physical shape.  There's always been a unique professional relationship between Nucky and Eddie, who has directly and indirectly saved Nucky's life on more than one occasion.   Nucky, for his part, knows how important Eddie is to his well-being, and Nucky's actions regarding Eddie reveal one of Nucky's kindest sides.

There were two major characters missing from the first episode.   We get one of them back, in fine form, but the other is still nowhere to be seen.  I'll talk more about this in my review after this episode airs on Sunday.

PS - Ok, here's one more nugget: look in 4.2 for another new character.  He likely won't be quite as important this season as Narcisse, but he's vastly better known in our real history than the person Narcisse is based upon, and who knows what trouble he'll pose for Nucky.

See also Boardwalk Empire 4.1: Sneak Preview Review ... Boardwalk Empire 4.1: Fame and Power

And see also Boardwalk Empire 3.1: Happy News Year 1923  ... Boardwalk Empire 3.2: Gasoline and the White Rock Girl ... Boardwalk Empire 3.3: The Showgirl and The Psycho ... Boardwalk Empire 3.5: "10 L'Chaim" ... Boardwalk Empire 3.7: Deadly Gillian ... Boardwalk Empire 3.8: Andrew Mellon ... Boardwalk Empire 3.9: Impaired Nucky

And see also Boardwalk Empire 2.1: Politics in an Age Before YouTube  ... Boardwalk Empire 2.2: The Woman Behind the Throne ... Boardwalk Empire 2.3: Frankenstein and Victrola ... Boardwalk Empire 2.4: Nearly Flagrante Delicto ... Boardwalk Empire 2.5: Richard's Story ... Boardwalk Empire 2.6: Owen and Other Bad News for Nucky ... Boardwalk Empire 2.7: Shot in the Hand  ...Boardwalk Empire 2.8: Pups with Fangs ... Boardwalk Empire 2.9: Ireland, Radio, Polio ...Boardwalk Empire 2.10: Double Shot ... Boardwalk Empire 2.11: Gillian and Jimmy  ... Boardwalk Empire Season 2 Finale: Stunner!

And see also Boardwalk Emipre on HBO ... Boardwalk Empire 1.2: Lines and Centers Power ...Boardwalk Empire 1.10: Arnold Rothstein, Media Theorist  ... Season One Finale of Boardwalk Empire

#SFWApro