Elisabeth Moss has built a solid career over the past few years, bringing some complex, multifaceted characters to life, and her latest outing in the FX limited series The Veil is no exception. Moss stars as Imogen Salter, a cunning MI6 agent with a penchant for shape-shifting and deception who is tasked with uncovering a deadly plot that could claim thousands of lives but has a tendency to get lost in the weeds.
The Veil wastes no time getting the action going, opening with a brief look at Imogen and her past work before she is sent on a new mission, posing as a British NGO worker in a refugee camp on the Syrian-Turkish border. It is here where she meets Adilah El Idrissi (Yumna Marwan), a suspected ISIS operative who holds crucial information. From the start, the dynamic between the two women is fraught with tension and mistrust, setting the stage for a high-stakes game of cat and mouse. It all works to set the tone, giving a clear sense of the strength of these two women, but gets hung up on its many plot points in the process.
Although I have a problem with the pacing, the strength of The Veil lies in its exploration of the human side of espionage. Rather than simply being archetypes, Imogen and Adilah are given depth to make them feel like complex individuals struggling with their own demons and motivations. Moss excels at conveying Imogen’s quiet intensity and steely determination, while Marwan brings a compelling vulnerability to Adilah’s character.
“…the strength of The Veil lies in its exploration of the human side of espionage.”
I will say that I was shocked to see Moss bring her natural British accent to the role, having become so accustomed to her American style of speaking on shows like Mad Men, but it all works to give her the feel of an aloof spy who is always trying to prove herself right. Despite some solid performances across the board, Moss steals the screen in any scene she is in, bringing forward an assured but complex character that you can’t help but get invested in.
The series also delves into the murky world of international intelligence, where allegiances shift constantly, and trust is a rare commodity. For the most part, The Veil competently places Imogen between the French DGSE, represented by Malik Amar (Dali Benssalah), and the ever-interfering CIA, personified by the brash Max Peterson (Josh Charles). The power struggles and turf wars between these agencies add an extra layer of intrigue to the show and some much-needed brevity, especially after some of the darker scenes.
Creator Steven Knight, known for his work on Peaky Blinders and Great Expectations, has crafted a grounded and complex narrative that works to subvert the conventions of the spy genre. The Veil avoids the flashy gadgets and over-the-top action sequences that often plague the genre, opting instead for a more nuanced exploration of the human condition. I was eager to see where things would go next, and while I won’t spoil anything, the series does a great job of keeping the main pieces on the board, even when you don’t know what move they will make next.
“The Veil avoids the flashy gadgets and over-the-top action sequences that often plague the genre, opting instead for a more nuanced exploration of the human condition.”
While I liked most of what the show brought to the table, The Veil is far from perfect. While there are some unique concepts at work, the show feels uneven, with some episodes dragging while others rush through key plot points without pausing. The series also struggles to maintain a consistent tone, veering between tense thriller and character study, with some random action thrown in that feels oddly out of place, leaving the audience unsure of what to expect.
Beyond that, while the central performances are compelling, some of the supporting characters feel underdeveloped and underutilized. In particular, CIA agent Max Peterson often comes across as a caricature of American arrogance, lacking the depth and nuance that could have made him a more compelling antagonist. Many characters are thrown in and thrown out without giving the audience enough to latch on to, making them feel more like a plot device than people important to the story as a whole.
Despite these issues, The Veil remains an engaging and thought-provoking exploration of the shadowy world of espionage. While not a groundbreaking masterpiece, the series is a solid addition to the ever-growing canon of spy thrillers. It may not rewrite the rulebook, but it certainly adds some intriguing chapters to the genre. For fans of espionage dramas and the remarkable talent of Elisabeth Moss, The Veil is a tangled web well worth unravelling.
