The Recruit (Netflix) (1 Viewer)

[benbess]

I found this new 8-episode show The Recruit on Netflix really entertaining! It's equal mixes of comedy, drama, and action. Set in the CIA, but inspired by the Office, Parks and Rec, and other dysfunctional workplace dramas, this show has lots of twists and turns, and enough realism mixed with the surrealism to keep me on the edge of my seat at times, while also laughing out loud at times. Highly recommended. My rating: A

I do feel like this trailer maybe gives away too much, although that's true of many trailers. I'd say just try the first episode and see if you like the set up.

 

[Malcolm R]

Just added this to my watchlist yesterday based on the synopsis. Don't really know anything about it, but it sounded like it could be good.

Though "inspired" by The Office and Parks & Rec isn't a plus for me (didn't care for either of those shows).

 

[benbess]

Just looked, and apparently a lot of people are watching this show. I really liked both of these shows.

 

[YANG]

i thought this is a salute to the film that starred Pacino and Farell initially when the title and action elements seems to suggest so...
thru the trailer, this seems to be the RECRUIT with addition of humor and "fun" included. hence... the key element of suspense is toned down, when compared to the cinematic RECRUIT.

this RECRUIT is in the different direction of RECRUIT.

 

[benbess]

A good review from my pov....

Review: Noah Centineo Wings It in a World of Espionage in Netflix’s ‘The Recruit’

'The Recruit' debuts Friday, December 16 on Netflix.

blackgirlnerds.com

"....Owen Hendricks (Centineo) is a 24-year-old recent law school grad who goes to work for the CIA. He’s intelligent, charismatic, hard-working, and incredibly ambitious, perhaps to a fault. Only days into the job, he gets an assignment that sends him all over the world to deal with scary people and life-threatening situations.

That assignment involves Max Meladze (Laura Haddock), a former CIA asset who sent them a “graymail” letter threatening to name names and spill some juicy secrets unless they get her out of prison. Russian spies aren’t anything new in storytelling, but there’s more to Max than just being a highly skilled killer, something Owen finds out the hard way.

When he’s not jet-setting or talking his way out of being tortured, Owen is at the CIA office where things aren’t as dangerous but are no less taxing. Two of his colleagues, Violet (Aarti Mann) and Lester (Colton Dunn), really commit to making his life hell. But it’s not just silly office pranks or humiliation. There are so many acronyms and code words in this profession. Owen doesn’t know any of them until his lack of knowledge gets him into varying degrees of trouble, sometimes putting his life on the line. It’s not super clear whether this is just traditional office hazing or jealousy, or both.

Owen’s boss Walter Nyland (Vondie Curtis-Hall), general counsel of the CIA, is the classic intimidating authority you want to impress at all times. He reminds me a bit of Stan Edgar from The Boys, though he smiles a lot more. Curtis-Hall really nails the “why are you still here” and “did you really just say that” looks, the two nonverbal responses he regularly gives to Owen....

Interestingly, the series isn’t nonstop action. So, when an action scene comes, it’s delightfully chaotic and intense with some disorienting camerawork that puts you in the scene. Owen is a snazzy dresser but ends up bruised and bloodied in pretty much every episode. He mostly rocks a suit or whatever clean clothes he can get his hands on after a scuffle.

In The Recruit, Centineo plays Owen as a “ready-for-anything go-getter” while somehow coming off as very chill, making his character someone you want to root for, laugh at, and be friends with. The relatability factor was intentional. At Netflix’s Tudum 2022 event, Alexi Hawley said, “None of us can realistically dream of being James Bond, but all of us have had the first job — with co-workers we can’t trust and agendas we don’t understand.”

The Recruit is somewhere between glossy and gritty without being too much of either. It’s the perfect blend of action and comedy and does its best to avoid spy thriller cliches by creating characters who aren’t only smooth-talking agents and devious femme fatales. The series isn’t over-the-top guns blazing, but with a comically reckless main character just kinda winging it in a world of espionage, it certainly never gets boring.