WARNING: Potential spoilers ahead

When 'Deep State,' an espionage thriller series in the mold of 'Homeland' premiered in the United Kingdom on April 5 last year, it made history. Produced by Endor Productions for the Fox Networks Group of Europe and Africa, it became the network's first-ever commissioned script outside the shores of the United States. Quite the mantle to hold, and one that the eight-part series did justice to considering it was immediately renewed for a second season on the day of its release.

The series sees Mark Strong star as Max Easton, a former Field Agent for British Intelligence Service MI6 who has been out of the mire of special ops for 10 years but suddenly finds himself recruited back into the field. The likes of Joe Dempsie (Harry Clarke), Karima McAdams (Leyla Toumi), Lyne Renee (Anna Easton), and Anastasia Griffith (Amanda Jones) all play important roles as the season progresses, but none proved to be as intriguing as Alistair Petrie's George White.

White serves as the Head of Section at the MI6 and is the catalyst behind Max coming back into service, and it's apparent he has quite a few plots cooking on the side. While he seems like your run-of-the-mill antagonist at the start, a series of twists and turns later, it's not that clear cut anymore. At best, one could characterize White as ethically ambiguous, much like the others on the thriller, and to hear Petrie say it, he was quite surprised at who White was himself. 

"He can have a man killed and drink a glass of red wine straight afterward," he said in an exclusive interview with MEAWW. "I can’t blame that choice on anyone except me. But he was also clearly struggling emotionally. He was doing things that he knew was wrong but didn’t seem to feel he had a choice."

"His death scene with Mark Strong’s character broke my heart a little," he divulged. "He reveals why he brought Max back into service. He trusted him to find the truth, to attempt to end the rotten core of it all, to not stop until he succeeded even if it meant George had to die to achieve it. My proudest achievement with George was for the audience to admit, despite all he did, that they felt some sense of empathy for him at the end. "

Having initially come across as a ruthless, cold-blooded killer with his own agenda to serve, White is later shown to have a family to worry about and is distressed about something that is much larger than him. It gave audiences a hint of how his character operated, but his death meant there were many loose ends. Petrie, however, suggests that was not the last we saw of the MI6 boss.

"Season 1 never reveals why and how George went 'Deep State,'" he said. "We know he’s not a traditional out and out villain — our creator Matthew Parkhill would find that deeply uninteresting which is why my death in S1 allowed him the opportunity to establish and reveal so many of George’s motivations. I feel very attached to him - George, that is. Come to think of it, I’m rather partial to M. Parkhill too."

There is still little information available about the upcoming season, beyond the fact it will be Walton Goggins who will headline the thriller. Deadline reported that Goggins would be taking over for Mark Strong and will play a former CIA operative, Nathan Miller, who now works in the private sector as a “Michael Clayton-like” fixer for the deep state. Also joining the series are Victoria Hamilton as Meaghan Sullivan, a Republican U.S. senator who is determined to bring the illicit activities of the deep state to light; Lily Banda as Aicha Konaté, a Malian aid worker intent on improving things for her country; and Shelley Conn, who will be playing Miller's ex-wife.

Joe Dempsie, Karima McAdams, Anastasia Griffiths, and of course, Petrie will be reprising their roles as well. While Petrie could not go into detail about how the second season would turn out, he did give us some insight into what we can expect from White and some of the new additions.

"Season 2 is set two years before and 6 months after the events of Season 1," he revealed, "and my story is the origin thread. "The overarching story is a broader church, very much an ensemble piece with very significant character additions - Walton Goggins has arrived, Lily Banda, Victoria Hamilton, and Owen Teale."

He continued, "Our writer and showrunner have a global playground to examine the so-called Deep State and we’re off to dark dealings in Mali as well as Washington and London. It’s very entertaining but very thought-provoking stuff. The issues examined are darker, the explosions bigger. We have taken a huge leap this year. The shoot has been tough but incredibly rewarding."