Best known for portraying a blind man who uses his enhanced sense of hearing and martial arts skills to bring down the criminal underworld in Hell’s Kitchen, actor Charlie Cox has decided to temporarily replace his signature red horned costume and matching billy club for dossier files chock-full of confidential parliament information in the new Netflix show Treason.

Released on the streaming platform in December, Cox steps into the role of Adam Lawrence, an MI6 agent who suddenly finds himself pulled on all sides when his career suddenly takes a critical left turn due to his past actions suddenly coming to haunt him in the present.

Here’s why this series is the perfect watch for fans of shows that cover political espionage.

The Plot Packs a Poisonous Punch

     Netflix

Taking inspiration from Netflix’s political dramas of the past like House of Cards and more recently Anatomy of a Scandal, Treason once again shows the audience that government hierarchy can sometimes play very differently behind the scenes, even bringing one’s own demise into the mix.

Within mere minutes of the first episode’s opening, the current chief of the MI6 is poisoned by a mysterious assailant who swiftly makes a quick getaway. Adam, who was the deputy head before this unfortunate incident, becomes the interim chief for the time being and has his entire life turned upside down with those responsibilities alone. Visiting the healing Sir Martin Angelis in the hospital, Lawrence discovers a bow-wrapped pile of books that Angelis thinks were from him. This ultimately leads him into a constantly unraveling conspiratorial plot involving undercover Russians, the FBI, Prime Minister candidates, and even his own bedridden boss.

Treason is only five episodes long, but that doesn’t mean the action or the intrigue takes a back seat at any point during the show. Within each episodic entry, there are multiple jaw-dropping moments that force you to remember how deceptive and illusive people can be. While some of the roles are entirely good-natured and others just don’t care about being right with their actions, the entire cast truly does help bring this feeling forth with their complex and layered performances.

The Cast and Crew Make Treason Pop

As previously stated, Cox is most well known for playing the Marvel hero, Daredevil. Even though Matt Murdock and Adam Lawrence couldn’t be farther apart with their motives and background, the nature of hidden identities gives Cox an experienced edge in this role that could not be brought forth by most.

As for the female lead of Treason, Oona Chaplin was rightfully picked for this part. Obtaining a place in James Cameron’s Avatar sequels, Chaplin has been in many television series including Games of Thrones where her romantic interests and her love for her country clash very similar to her modern-day struggles in this new Netflix show. In both cases, Chaplin shows that if the situation calls for it, bravery can be born out of desperation.

Grabbing the audience by the throat as a treacherous MI6 head, Ciaran Hinds does a wonderful job in Treason by first lulling the audience into a certain place of safety. Just like in 2018’s The Terror where Hinds plays Sir John Franklin, a British Royal Navy officer who defies all morals in the name of his country, his portrayal of Sir Martin Angelis brings a scheming and slithering type of corrupted mind that stuns those who are watching.

Being already well versed in the political genre with features like 2008’s Quantam of Solace and the upcoming Chief of Station, Olga Kurylenko knows how to bring forth a covert operative that cares about her mission and nothing else. Albeit on the Russian side in Treason, Kurlenko knows how to show someone who stops at nothing to get what she needs. Both TreBeau Gadson and Samuel Leakey show an unbridled emotion for their father that was molded from their past roles on Netflix’s The Guard and 2020’s Hansel and Gretel, respectively.

Being so well-rounded with cast choices within a conclusive story, Treason wasn’t possible without the series’ creator, Matt Charman. He is responsible for many intriguing productions within the genre of political thrillers including 2015’s Bridge of Spies starring Tom Hanks and The Connection, an upcoming drama series that specifically explores the European side of the heroin smuggling business taking place between the 1930s and 1970s.

With the story of Treason being filled with as many twists and turns as the cast does with acting and producing credits, this is definitely a miniseries that you want to engage in as the actors and actresses make this show both mesmerizing and heart-pounding. Be careful with the connections you make though, as you may end up forgetting which side you began on.