I.N.A.S.I.A.L.

It's a decent start. Charismatic, free-spirit CIA rookie uncovers a potentially significant revelation and decides to go after it. You'd think in real life someone in general counsel wouldn't still be alive if they just went to a clandestine location without warning by himself to meet with undercover agents. Nor would two co-workers allow that to happen and chalk it up to hazing. But it's Netflix, so hey, don't think about it too closely. You can see all the basic tropes setting up. The rookie who will soon become more valuable and experienced, the roommate who's his ex who he will eventually get back with, the idea that he'll have to transition from being general counsel to being an undercover agent, etc. But it's not bad enough to keep me from watching the second episode. So we'll see where this goes.

Why are American viewers so accepting of productions that are sub-par in every aspect of entertainment? To begin with the blasting rap crap is really distracting and it is certainly not clever. The casting is typically unrealistic, not to mention contrived to include everyone who looks and acts freakish. But not freakish in a humorous way. I did not find even one tiny chuckle in this episode, just a lot of dirty tricksters who deserved a kick in the ass. Humor is not based on deliberately hurting or humiliating another person. If you're the kind of dick who laughs when someone slips on an icy sidewalk, this will keep you howling. Why do viewers set the bar so low?

This kid is put into action by the CIA within minutes of getting his credentials. He goes to Yemen where he is brutally assaulted by the people of the person he is seeking. His colleagues set him up and he is nearly killed. They are lazy and unproductive. He is resourceful. Right now, there is little I understand about what is going on. He goes to see a prison contact and she is also a danger to him. I guess a couple more episodes are in order, but right now there is too much cliched junk to engage a viewer. Sometimes too much action can be a problem. There is so much here but it is unclear who the bad guys are working for.

I've read enough John Grisham, Tom Clancy, leCarré, and especially the superb John Wells series by Alex Berenson, to know that nearly EVERYTHING that happens in the show, The Recruit, is at best almost entirely implausible and at worst, utterly ridiculous. And YET ... this show just ... charms. Even a hardcore cynic such as I, turned off by the slightest inaccuracies in medical dramas and police procedurals, find myself smiling bemusedly as the show does its "shark jump" for the given episode. (And there's always at least one: Sent to Phoenix with no government credit card or cash ... REALLY?!) (Hares of to SYRIA on a case with basically no oversight or paperwork to go ... RIGHT!) (Chiefs of Staff calling peons directly: YUP!) In all the levels of government I've worked in, none of that happens. Ever. None of it makes any sense whatsoever either. And YET. Still I watch. Yep, The cast is just ... charming. The dialogue is decent, occasionally even witty. The overall plot-moronic, yes. But, since the focus is more on the emotional journies and growth of the characters, and the RELATIONSHIPS amongst them, the action is somewhat secondary. Which is refreshing for a show in the "spy thriller" genera. An altogether refreshing angle to examine young people entering the workforce and facing modern problems (and then some!) Cankt wait for Season 2!