Citadel, season 1 (2023–)

The Russo brothers, known from Marvel's 'Infinity War' and 'Endgame' and Netflix's 'The Gray Man', are at it again, this time with an entire series franchise that already has Italian and Indian spinoffs and a guaranteed second season. Despite a mixed reception, the series has shot straight into second place in Prime's list of most-watched series (behind 'Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power'), and I can see why. Despite a few plot holes (which may yet be salvaged), it's a fantastically entertaining rollercoaster ride that shamelessly recycles all the spy genre clichés from Bond to Bourne in new and interesting ways. The convoluted plot keeps pulling the rug from under our feet, taking place in two periods eight years apart, diligently jumping back and forth between them, but time and location labels always tell us where and when we are. 

Citadel is the name of a secret spy organization monitoring the course of history and intervening when necessary, but unlike the Bond films' SPECTRE, Citadel is composed of good people trying to save the world. Their opponent is an evil organization, Manticore, created by some of the richest bastards in the world in order to have their cake and eat it too.

The first episode opens with Manticore obtaining a list of all Citadel agents and wiping them out in one fell swoop. Only a few survive, and for security reasons they have their memories reset so they have no idea who they are, and the two main characters of the series (played by Richard Madden and Priyanka Chropra Jonas) who were once very close, now lead separate lives and have forgotten all about their past. But of course, fate brings them back together again ...

There's no need to reveal more here, except that the series is a total blast all the way through. The production value is sky-high and there's action galore. I binged the whole thing in two days, and once again, I don't understand the negative feedback from some critics. Why don't people like well-made, exciting entertainment?

From the supporting cast, I'd like to single out Stanley Tucci as the Citadel's answer to M (or rather Q), Lesley Manville as Manticore's cynical operations manager and Danish actor Roland Møller in a dual role as villainous twin brothers.