The first season of the Netflix series The Night Agent is now available to watch without a subscription, thanks to Sony’s new DVD release. It’s been a year since Low-level FBI Special Agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) thwarted a bombing on the DC Metro, saving countless lives. However, those responsible were never caught and their motives never revealed. One bloggr is constantly hounding Peter, accusing him of being a part of the bombing plot himself—Peter’s father was a disgraced former FBI agent, accused nearly 14 years earlier of being a traitor and selling off the state secrets. While Peter still believes that his father was innocent, his dad died in a car accident before he could prove it or get answers. Ever since the bombing, Peter has been working the night shift in a windowless room in the basement of the White House, waiting for a phone to ring that never does. He is part of the Night Action program, which answers calls from embedded agents/spies in trouble. Peter is caught between two worlds, reporting to both FBI Deputy Director Jamie Hawkins (Robert Patrick) and the President’s chief of staff, Diane Farr (Hong Chau), whose priorities don’t usually align.
Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan) is the CEO of a failed cybersecurity venture, who has gone to live with her aunt and uncle while trying to figure out the next stage of her life. One evening, she wakes up to some commotion in the house, and overhears her relatives talking about someone in the White House who can’t be trusted, and how some people are after them. Rose has never seen this side of her relatives and realizes they have been hiding something from her. Her uncle warns her that someone is about to break into the house, and hands her a phone number and some codewords, telling her to run to the neighbors’ and make the call. Shortly afterwards, two people with guns make their way into the house, but one of them sees Rose and pursues her. Rose manages to call the number, speaking to Peter, who is a bit surprised to hear the phone ring. But he remains calm, and talks Rose through the situation. Despite surviving this encounter, Rose now finds her life in constant danger, being pursued by a pair of deadly lovebird assassins (Phoenix Raei & Eve Harlow) working for who-knows-who and after her for who-knows-what. The only person she believes she can trust is Peter and even that is questionable given what she overheard and the fact that he works in the White House. The two attempt to go off grid as they try to unlock the key to this conspiracy, which appears to lead all the way to the Oval Office. However, someone seems to be tracking their movements, eliminating those they speak to. As the body piles up, and those behind the conspiracy try to discredit Peter and Rose, can they find a way to stop the deadly events in motion before even more innocent people are killed?!
I had never watched The Night Agent when it first dropped on Netflix, and since I don’t have a subscription, I was excited to check it out via this home video release. The series comes from Shawn Ryan (The Shield, S.W.A.T., Timeless) and is an action-packed thrill ride with lots of twists and turns. The tension is quite palpable at times, and the season has some amazing action sequences. But at the core of the story is this mystery and conspiracy, and some really interesting characters with backstories that are fleshed out over the course of the season. There are little details and moments here and there that make these characters feel genuine and real, and some lighter scenes sprinkled in to add some humor to break up the tension, conspiracy and deadly threats the characters are facing.
Gabriel Basso is perfectly cast as this young FBI Agent who is patriotic and loyal to his country, despite what happened with his father. He is haunted by his father’s past and just wants answers, but the one person who could do that is gone. Basso delivers on the more emotional drama and sometimes comedic moments with Peter, but he also really sells the action-packed fight scenes, being an MMA fighter off-screen. There is also this great chemistry between him and Luciane Buchanan. There is this instant connection that forms between Peter and Rose, even though their personalities are quite different. She is a bit of a rule breaker, while he is more of a by-the-books soldier, but they quickly realize they are going to need to adapt a bit of one another’s mythologies if they are going to stay alive and figure out what’s going on.
The cast is also filled with so many other great actors, including Hong Chau (The Whale, The Menu), who is great in this (despite her slightly distracting aged-up hair color) as the one person that Peter can trust in the White House; and the iconic Robert Patrick as Peter’s other more ornery boss. There’s also this interesting side story that ultimately connects to the main narrative, following Secret Service agent Chelsea Arrington (Fola Evans-Akingbola). She heads up the protection detail for the Vice President’s college-aged daughter, Maddie Redfield (Sarah Desjardins), and is reluctantly assigned a new partner Erik Monks (D.B. Woodside), a man who was once a hero, taking a bullet for the previous President, but then became addicted to pain killers. Chelsea isn’t so sure she can trust him.
One thing I learned while watching this show is to not get too attached to any characters, because just as you start to enjoy them, they may be gone. The stakes in this show feel very real, with characters getting killed off left and right by our sadistic Bonnie and Clyde assassin duo—we never actually hear their names, but these characters are so deliciously evil and fun, and quite memorably played by Eve Harlow & Phoenix Raei.
The first season of The Night Agent makes a great binge, with each episode ending on some big reveal or cliffhanger, making you eager to watch the next. Each episode also usually begins with some cold open flashback, helping to flesh out some of the backstories and events that led the characters to where they are now. Over the course of the season, we get a complete story that feels like it is resolved, while also setting things up for more. I am definitely looking forward to the second season! For those who don’t want to binge, there’s also Previously On’s before each episode to get you up to speed.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released this first season of The Night Agent only on DVD, despite the fact that it originally aired in 4K on Netflix. The picture looks OK and is certainly watchable, but for an action show like this, it’s a shame it didn’t at least get a Blu-ray release. The picture lacks that extra clarity and pop of an HD release, and I experienced some banding during some of the darker scenes. The audio track is more impressive, providing clear dialogue throughout, as well as a very immersive feeling, especially during the action packed scenes like the opening Metro bombing, an intense car chase, and other shootouts and explosions.
The season’s ten episodes are split across 4 discs, with 2-3 episodes per disc. These are placed on trays in a standard-sized clear DVD keepcase. The inside details the episodes, and there’s an insert advertising the second season coming soon to Netflix. The discs do contain some bonus material, including a great commentary on the pilot from Shawn Ryan, as well as 12 short deleted scenes, a fun gag reel, and sequences from the premiere and finale episodes shown before and after special effects were added.
What’s Included:
Episodes: (7:58:57)
- All 10 episodes of season 1:
Disc 1 (2:35:49): “The Call”, “Redial”, “The Zookeeper”
Disc 2 (2:26:15): “Eyes Only”, “The Marionette”, “Fathoms”
Disc 3 (1:28:58): “Best Served Cold”, “Redux”
Disc 4 (1:27:55): “The Devil We Know”, “Fathers” - 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.20:1
- Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Subtitles: English, English SDH
Extras:
- Episode 1 VFX (9:55)
View the “Train Sequence” and “Car Chase” sequences from the pilot in both a “Dailies Assembly” with full audio but no visual effects and the “Final Color and VFX” form back-to-back. - Episode 1 Commentary With Executive Producer Shawn Ryan (53:52)
Series Creator/pilot writer Shawn Ryan shares an interesting and informative behind-the-scenes commentary for the pilot episode. He talks about creating a DC subway in Vancouver, opening the series with a bang, casting and working with the various actors, the origins of the series, re-editing the pilot, the height disparity between Peter and Rose, some of the changes and reshoots that they made along the way, ideas that were brought up by crew members, how the production was affected by COVID, planning out the car chase, and more. - Deleted Scenes (9:08)
Collection of 12 deleted scenes. Play All, or select from:- Ambush Interview (1:47)
Blogger Elliot Rome harasses Peter on camera to admit he was involved in the DC Metro bombing; Peter gets frustrated when his glovebox won’t remain closed. - Burglar Getaway (:20)
Burglar runs away from the house as the cops arrive. - Document Drop (:20)
Peter drops some Top Secret documents on a desk. - Goodnight (:39)
Diane says goodnight to her assistant Irene. - If You Like Winning (:47)
Peter plays basketball with the president. - In at the Office (:29)
Peter arrives at the Night Action office and reads through some Too Secret documents. - Just Tell Me (1:17)
Peter and Rose return to her aunt and uncle’s home, and Peter describes how the events unfolded. - Never Mind (:43)
Diane discovers that the president seems to be avoiding her. - Not Enough Action (:31)
Peter tries to get Liam to let him know what’s happening in the action room. - Safest Place (:57)
Peter and Rose head down the elevator from his apartment, he keeps repositioning her to the safest position. - We Got Your Back (:57)
Peter watches Rome’s interview with his friends, who offer support. - Fired (1:28)
Rose tries to deal with an issue with an unhappy client.
- Ambush Interview (1:47)
- Blooper Reel (3:23)
The cast flub and improv lines, and have fun on set. - Episode 10 VFX (3:04)
View the “Lodge Explosion” and “Chopper Explosion” sequences from the season finale in both a “Dailies Assembly” with full audio but no visual effects and the “Final Color and VFX” form back-to-back.
Final Thoughts:
The first season of The Night Agent is a fun, satisfying, self-contained 10-episode thrill ride, with interesting characters, a great cast, lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing, real stakes, and lots of action. Unfortunately Sony has only given it a DVD release, and the picture quality leaves a bit to be desired for a show like this. That said, any shortcomings did not take away from my enjoyment of the show, and the release still comes highly recommended based on the quality of the series itself. The discs also include a nice selection of entertaining bonus material. I am definitely looking forward to seeing the second season of this series!
Night Agent, The – Season 1 (4 Discs) – DVD
35% Off $45.99 $29.99 (as of October 2, 2024 04:54 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
The Night Agent: A Novel
$9.99 (as of October 2, 2024 04:54 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
The Night Agent: A Novel
42% Off $18.99 $6.90 (as of October 2, 2024 04:54 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
