'The Endgame' Episode 1 Review: NBC's spy thriller is Morena Baccarin show all the way
'The Endgame' is a Morena Bacarrin show all the way. Her Elena Federova is a sly genius, plays her cards right, gives nothing away, and is an absolute charmer of a woman with that raised eyebrow when trying to make a statement. The latest NBC drama sees her orchestrate much from a concrete cell. She's the one moving the pieces and does a fabulous job at that.
Writer Nicholas Wootten makes it a compelling hide and seek story between Elena and Val Turner (Ryan Michelle Bathe). The latter was once a decorated FBI agent who's now relegated to a has been and is desperately trying to claw her way back into the force. Both women put on quite the show in an episode that is stylish, crisp, and engrossing.
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Now for the pilot episode. Quite simply, the overall plot is all about who cares more about their family that they would go to any lengths to protect it. Elena is introduced as an international arms dealer detained at the FBI facility in Queens, New York. Her only response to anything is that she in prison will have dire consequences. At the other end, masked criminals commit a bank heist which Elena claims she masterminded. The claim goes on to become a threat when Elena says more heists are on if she isn't set free.
Val is a federal agent and meets her imprisoned husband Owen —serving a ten-year term for collecting narcotics money from a criminal gang. He was turned in by his own wife and she now works to get him released. This is a woman with a point to prove and her fiery nature makes her one of the underdogs to root for on the show. The Jake Coburn and Wootton spy drama is all about the action and gets off to a promising start. Mercifully, there are no clunky lines and the pacing is on point.
If there are any flaws, it isn't visible in the pilot. One of the bigger challenges is what Elena's endgame is considering her character is pretty decently fleshed out in the first chapter. Only time will tell if Baccarin's Russian badass is worth the audience's time.
'The Endgame' airs Monday nights at 10 pm ET on NBC.