Trailer for the series "The New Purchase" (Netflix)
One of the things Americans like to do is abuse the spy genre.
Over the years, quite a few series and films emerged that showed the comic-parody aspect of the field.
The masterful "Doctor Strangelove" and the "Austin Powers" film series mocked the subject in general, in "Such Spies" at the height of the Cold War and Seth Rogen's "Final Interview", the CIA, the agency that should serve as a source of national pride, was presented as an institution Shlomiali, to say the least.
The phenomenon even spread to Israel, when Alon Gor Aryeh "dared" to release the satirical film "The Mossad" in 2019, which dared to make fun of our holy of holies - the secret service with the highest prestige, which fights evildoers overseas.
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"The Recruit", an eight-episode spy series that premiered on Netflix last weekend, is also a kind of parody, albeit under the guise of an action drama.
Her CIA is a troubled organization, full of intrigue and senior officials, some of whom have borderline personalities and an inability to keep their lips sealed.
In short, a good base for almost any series.
Something is not ripe.
Noah Centineo, "The New Purchase" (Photo: Netflix)
Evan Hendricks (Noah Centineo) is a young lawyer who started working for the CIA, and as you might guess, a lawyer in the world famous intelligence organization is not a lawyer who runs from court to court, shouting "objection" and hammering out a winning speech at the jury.
In fact, in essence he is supposed to be a gray clerk dealing with thick-bellied binders, but the brash Hendrix is not exactly the kind of guy who keeps quiet about the yeast, but rather one who gets his hands dirty, goes on missions in the field, flies around in a three-piece suit and returns with a T-shirt he bought in a souvenir shop.
The real challenge begins when Hendrix unearths a threatening letter from a former agent of the organization, which forces him to embark on transoceanic flights, only to find himself in places he never imagined, protecting a brutal Belarusian killer (Laura Haddock), and surrounding himself with assassins and types who aren't exactly A.I. Islands.
On the way he also has to deal, of course, with some old guys who are not really keen on his sudden rise, because it is known that in any organization, and especially one that deals with espionage, those who share a corridor with you are more dangerous than those outside.
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Laura Haddock, "The New Purchase" (Photo: Philippe Bossé/Netflix)
"The New Purchase" is an initiation series with more than one meaning.
Not only Hendrix undergoes a baptism of fire, but also the man who plays him.
So far, the 26-year-old Centineo has starred in youth hits such as "To All the Boys I've Loved" and "The Foster Family."
Now he goes up to the field of the greats with a completely different character.
On the face of it, he has everything he needs - an arrogant half-smile that is always plastered on his face with a message of "I'm better than you", young chic and Zilniel beauty.
The problem is that something is not ripe there.
It is true that Owen's character is supposed to create ambivalence from the start and Centineo certainly conveys that it is difficult to be completely for him but not against him either, but his immaturity is evident and he does not generate full trust in his character.
Fortunately, the experienced team around him does the job - Haddock is great as the killer Max Maladza, Colton Dunn ("Superstore") and Artie Mann ("The Big Bang") combine forces well as the two lawyers who try to bring Owen down from the first moment, and Christian Baron (" Orfan Black") steals the show in a small role as Janus Farber, an operator who lives on the edge and is about to have a heart attack at any moment.
His character is the one that best illustrates the level of anxiety that accompanies CIA agents and the fact that they are exposed to an extremely short life span.
The anxiety is indeed prominent and is emblazoned above the comic-dramatic cover of the "New Purchase".
In fact, this series is a long and continuous anxiety attack, which creator Alexi Hawley (creator of "The Rookie") managed to transfer from the screen to the viewer.
One of the characters is asked about Evan's well-being and replies, "Right now he's fine, until he jumps into the shark pool as usual", and that's indeed the feeling that goes through - nothing is wrong, even when everything, apparently, is already working out.
There is no single moment to regulate the breath.
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Combine forces well.
Artie Mann and Colton Dunn, "The New Purchase" (Photo: Netflix)
and from fear to intelligence.
As usual for other series in the genre, this one also has no real connection to logic.
Evan flies, jumps and rushes around the world - from Yemen through Lebanon to Eastern Europe - in two weeks, and all this while carrying out legal procedures that should take months or maybe years.
OK.
On the other hand, those who watch series of this type do not expect from the beginning that logic will dictate the agenda, so it is desirable to simply ignore all the logical fallacies and holes in the plot, and there are no lack of them.
Basic irrationality is not the only motif that "The New Purchase" stole from the genre.
There is almost no cliché that is not embedded in this series - the young and rebellious talent who looks death in the eye time and time again and makes him lower his eyes, the grumpy boss who is never satisfied, the guys from the office trying to get a foothold, the "trust no one" narrative and more.
It feels like we've seen it a million times.
Why would it work?
Good question, but it works.
Despite all its shortcomings, "The New Purchase" is ultimately an ultimate binge.
Even if not all ends are closed, even if he insults every bit of intelligence in the brain, even if Centineo doesn't really shine in the main role, it is still one of the funniest series to hit the screen in recent times, one that provides a refreshing ending chord for 2022.
The trouble is that, as always on Netflix, this time too you will not get your satisfaction and you will have to stay in suspense until the next season, who knows when and if it will come out at all.
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