Quantico made a sly shift last week. It’s poetic justice that the series was stealthily moved to Friday nights in the US with an episode titled, Spy Games. It may sound cerebral but the episode was at best, a no-brainer. Alex and McQuigg are assigned to protect a prince following the assassination of an emir, but it soon dawns upon the team that the killer is closer than they think.
One of the visual elements of espionage tales appears like a usual suspect right at the start - a black tie event that allows the crew to show off how well they clean up. It’s a cue - proceedings remain strictly predictable.
The Hitchcockian cat-and-mouse chase goes way back - to the inception of cinema itself. The question is - what are you bringing to the table that is unhackneyed and imaginative. Quantico falls widely short.
The redundant love triangle, Alex-Ryan-Shelby, keeps rearing its insipid head in every episode, especially since Alex seems to be moving on in a brighter direction. Ryan’s vague confession to Shelby makes for the most contrived conflict, setting the stage for some animosity and a web of misunderstandings for Alex and Shelby. When Alex said she’s done dating people she works with, did she mean it?
Some unexpected romances blossom as well. But one wonders if the makers could breathe fresh life into the show if they don’t hesitant to explore strong friendships and work bonds without romanticising them. Why the need to imbue the force with a strong shot of mush?
If there’s any chemistry with that on-point snap-and-crackle vibe, it’s the one between Harry and Alex. And it’s a relief that romance does not ruin it. “He’s cocky, he wears a five o’clock shadow like he was born with it, he’s Alex Parrish Type A,” Harry says of Mike as he talks to Alex over drinks. Alex is most appealing when she is not embroiled in toxic romantic tracks.
While new partnerships lend some spunk to the show, the newer entrants are conspicuous by their near absence.
While the crew keeps ballooning, we see very little of the newbies. Their quirks could go a long way in rejuvenating the show, trying to come into its own. That said, a smaller core could have facilitated more audience investment.
We are finally privy to Harry’s backstory and his track benefits from the closure. But the show is shying away from mining Joceyln’s potential. An episode steered by her telescopic vision and her ace visual surveillance skills could make for some crackling shenanigans. Instead she is consigned to the margins, doling out platitudes.
The mystery ultimately turns out to be banal - a ho-hum whodunit that lets you in on the culprit without too much mental acrobatics. A worthwhile takeaway was Alex’s itinerary for the perfect night out in New York.
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