Were you a fan of “Homeland?” Are you now looking for a new spy thriller to stream early in your workweek?
You might try FX’s “The Veil.” The third episode drops on Hulu this Tuesday after premiering its first two episodes last week.
Set in the modern-day Middle East on the border of Syria and Turkey, the six-episode miniseries follows the cat-and-mouse relationship between two women who travel from Istanbul to Paris to London. One of them possesses a secret that the other needs to expose before hundreds of lives are lost in a potential terrorist attack just days away.
By now, Elisabeth Moss is worth watching in anything she does, having proven her chops as Peggy Olson in “Mad Men,” June Osborne in “The Handmaid’s Tale” and Cecilia Kass in “The Invisible Man.” This time, it’s odd hearing an American actress doing a British accent as veteran MI6 agent Imogen Salter. However, she does most of the acting with her eyes, questioning the validity of everything she’s told by the Turkish/Syrian refugee she’s transporting.
Enter Lebanese actress Yumna Marwan (“Little Birds”) as Adilah El Idrissi, who may or may not be ISIS leader Sabaine Al Kubaisi. Sporting a busted lip and scars on her face, she is battle-tested from abuse in the refugee camp and her hardened performance is quite convincing. You’ll lean forward to listen carefully to her dialogue, talking about her daughter and her former modeling career, while cringing at Imogen’s use of the word “radicalized.”
All six episodes are written by acclaimed British filmmaker Steven Knight, who earned Oscar and BAFTA nominations for writing the screenplay of Stephen Frears’ “Dirty Pretty Things” (2002). He also earned BAFTA nominations for writing David Cronenberg’s “Eastern Promises” (2007) and, my favorite, “Locke” (2013), which Knight directed himself the same year that he created the hit BBC series “Peaky Blinders” (2013-2022).
Just as “Locke” was a single-location ride set entirely in a car with Tom Hardy talking out the plot on speaker phone, the best scenes of “The Veil” come as Moss and Marwan ride in the car, staring out of the windshield with occasional skeptical glances to each other as shotgun riders. As they share personal anecdotes, they try to decipher what is true and what is not about each other’s back stories, ranging from family members to love lives.
Knight’s script is mostly an exercise in parallel action, cutting back and forth between the A-story of the women in the car and the B-story of the men at spy headquarters. American CIA Agent Max Peterson (Josh Charles) clashes with French DGSE Agent Malik Amar (Dali Benssalah), who had a past sexual relationship with Imogen. All the while, Malik’s French DGSE superior Magritte (Thibault de Montalembert) tries to keep them from bickering.
All six episodes are directed by Australian filmmaker Daina Reid, who earned an Emmy nomination for directing the “Holly” episode of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” It’s probably best to have a woman directing “The Veil,” tackling the subject of belly dancing without a typical “male gaze,” then unleashing action sequences where both women question how the other is so skilled at kicking butt. Was it fighting for survival or espionage/terrorist training?
The latest cliffhanger involves Adilah’s favorite childhood book, “Kitab al-Bulhan” (translated “Book of Wonders” from the late 14th century A.D.), which describes a different demon king for each day of the week, including a shapeshifter. Is this a hint that Adilah El Idrissi could somehow be supernatural? I hope that it doesn’t go in this direction because the series has been so grounded so far and it would feel like a stretch to insert such magic.
After just two episodes, it’s still way too early to render a verdict on “The Veil.” I’ll have a better idea after reaching the halfway point with Episode 3, which I’ll probably watch after work tonight. I say “probably” because the miniseries isn’t riveting enough so far to rush to watch it the second it drops. It’s more of a show to catch up with after you finish watching your other favorite shows and need something else to watch while doing dishes.
I know, I know — that’s not a ringing endorsement. Granted, it could certainly become one after I reach the end of all six episodes on May 28. But, like the main characters staring at each other on a long drive, I remain skeptical.
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