⭐⭐⭐.5
Creators (Platform): Josh Appelbaum, Bryan Oh, and David Weil (Amazon Prime Video)
Publisher (Release): Amazon Studios (2023)
Length: 6 episodes
Genres: Adult; Espionage; Thriller; Action; Romance
❗️Disclaimers❗️:
moderate violence
this review contains low-level spoilers
recommendation: vibe check before watching
👍 Pros 👍
Slick action and near-blockbuster scenes
Rich leads with crackling chemistry
Final twist that sets up an intriguing second season
👎 Cons 👎
Too big for its boots
Plot is a little trite and predictable
Style over substance
👀 Synopsis 👀
Global spy agency Citadel has fallen, and its agents’ memories were wiped clean. Now the powerful syndicate, Manticore, is rising in the void. Can the Citadel agents recollect their past and summon the strength to fight back?
🛎️ Introduction 🛎️
Citadel is a slick hit that suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. It chases after old-school James Bond vibes while falling for some more schlocky soap opera-y plot lines (gold for me, but it might be a little much for some). Helmed by the painfully attractive Richard Madden (playing Mason Kane) and Priyanka Chopra Jonas (playing Nadia Sinh), Citadel aims for blockbuster heights but is tied down by its more procedural TV platform.
🧩 Plots 🧩
Citadel skates some thin ice with a predictable and often trite storyline, swapping substance for style, but, there are some nuggets. Themes such as ethics in the face of new technology and the implications the subsequent consequences created by that technology cause are subtly woven throughout. It emphasises Citadel’s better handling of characters than the story, which is disappointing, but there are enough explosions and sharp choreography to keep the viewer interested.
Action abounds and delights
That said, Citadel pulls out its big guns for the final episode. I’m not talking explosions, I’m talking twist (yes, sadly, singular). While it telegraphs the majority of its moves, it deftly works to keep one final uppercut hidden. This twist…just got me, setting up a future (that’s been confirmed with a renewal) that I might’ve opted out of had the show not slapped me with something guaranteed to shake the show up.
…enough explosions and sharp choreography to keep the viewer interested.
🎭 Characters 🎭
What doesn’t suffer from an identity crisis is the dynamic duo that heads Citadel. Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas shine in their respective roles of Mason Kane and Nadia Sinh. Handling the action like pros, their crackling chemistry, and fraught but timeless relationship almost single-handedly keep the season afloat.
Citadel is headed with crackling chemistry
Supporting cast members such as Stanley Tucci as Bernard Orlick and Lesley Manville as Dahlia Archer help add emotional maturity and perspective, keeping the stakes of Citadel’s world global rather than being lost in the romance of it all.
Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas shine…
🧠 Final Thoughts 🧠
Citadel undoubtedly needed more time to set itself up, let its stories cook, and better deliver the global ramifications of an epic spy thriller, but with capable leads, a schlocky but irresistible romance, and slick action beats, it can be forgiven (a little) for its focus on style over substance. An anticlimactic finale delivers the series’s greatest twist, setting up solid and rocky ground for an announced second season.
The Phoenix Project 