The Veil is another example of why we are in the golden age of brilliant female characters on screen. These strong, smart, and cunning female characters own the screen and set them ablaze. It just so happens that many can be found on FX. A network that celebrates edgy and innovative storytelling, with great female roles at the series center.
Often, these roles subvert female stereotypes. You have Anna Sawai’s brilliant performance in Shōgun, one of the greatest roles in television history, who gives a thoughtful, sumptuous, and cunning performance. Then, last year, in A Murder at the End of the World, Emma Corrin brought to life one of the most complex characters on television in recent memory.
FX’s The Veil’s Season 1 Review and Synopsis
And now you have The Veil’s Elisabeth Moss, star of such classic series as The Handmaid’s Tale, Mad Men, and West Wing. Moss plays an MI6 Agent, Imogen Salter, a brazen, bold, and assertive character whose ambition outmatches her beautiful and haunting flaws. Moss is simply spectacular here in The Veil, which is the best role of her career—she’s never been better.
Moss’s Imogen Salter is a British secret agent specializing in deep undercover operations. At the beginning of the series, she poses as an aid worker coming to a remote aid worker camp on the Syrian/Turkish border. Her mission is to infiltrate, abduct, and escape with her target, a woman being accused of being an ISIS terrorist.
That asset’s name is Adilah (Yumna Marwan), who claims she has been misidentified. Even though the evidence agrees with her, Salter stubbornly continues to work and, again, Adilah’s trust to prove she’s the infamous terrorist. Soon, Imogen begins to feel drawn to Adilah, letting her bias show. And with Adilah possibly being part of a plot to kill millions, Salter must find out before it’s too late.
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Elisabeth Moss Is Magnetic in The Veil!
The Veil is the creation of Steven Knight, who wrote the entire series. Knight’s writing is so good that it feels like a tremendous modern-day spy novel that slowly unfolds on its terms. Knight has loyal fans, but his films like Locke, Serenity, and an award-winning script for Eastern Promises. But the man knows television, creating one of the 21st century’s masterworks, Peaky Blinders.
Knight’s script has an intriguing plot and multiple atmospheric settings. He packs the series that drips with moral dilemmas that clash with exciting political intrigue. It is a near-perfect marriage of tension, suspense, tone, and pace. This is where Moss’s Salter and Marwan’s Adilah develop their complex roles. Knight can use these devices as a beard to keep the viewer guessing.
The Veil also has another great device of a great spy thriller — very entertaining and compelling supporting characters. One of those is played by Emmy-nominee Josh Charles (The Good Wife), whose cocky and brash CIA agent practically steals every scene he’s in. Charles is simply dynamic in the role and an excellent foil for the magnetic Moss to play off of.
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Is FX’s The Veil Worth Watching?
The Veil is worth watching because it is a well-written, brilliantly performed piece of binge-worthy popcorn television. However, the last episode lost its way slightly. The finale’s script seems to focus on developing the character’s backstory at the end instead of the beginning, possibly to hook the audience for additional installments.
Nevertheless, this brings Moss’s character full circle, giving her a stunning finale that cements her role as her best. The arc adds intricate and remarkable depth, making The Veil just as much about personal identity as a spy thriller. It establishes a psychological basis for her character that’s anything but glib. This is rewarding, not to mention suspenseful and gripping television.
Now, could we get a crossover series between Imogen Salter and Darby Hart? Come on, FX, make it happen.
You can watch the new series The Veil (2023) only on FX and Hulu.
8/10
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