By the time I finished season one, I finally realized what this show reminded me of: The Queen's Gambit. Certainly not from the subject matter, but from the solidity of the presentation. Not only was it essentially error-free (casting, acting, directing, editing, plotting, and dialogue), but it was substantially far better than the previews would have led you to believe. As a spy series, it introduces new or under-used concepts, especially a kind of 'snow blindness' - a refusal to believe that a procedures manual doesn't cover everything significant, added to an acknowledgement by all that personal ambition is to be praised even when it jeopardizes lives. While this show is often amusing, it's a mistake to think of it as a comedy.
Review of The Recruit
