The show moves to the modern era
Scenario
The Jackal is an elusive assassin who makes his living by carrying out contract killings for the highest fee. He soon meets his match in the face of a tenacious British intelligence officer who tracks him down in an exciting cat-and-mouse chase across Europe. “The Jackal” was filmed in 1963 and depicted the assassination of then-President of France, Charles de Gaulle.
Lynch was poorly cast
Graham Norton and guests: Denzel Washington/Paul Mescal/Saoirse Ronan/Eddie Redmayne/Blossoms (2024). TLDR: Redmayne does a great job. Unfortunately, the lead roles are not up to the same standard, which detracts from an otherwise impressive and high-quality production.
Overall, the story is a viable adaptation
No shadow of Lynch, that’s just the high bar Redmayne set. A more experienced actor would probably have portrayed a more believable doppelganger/opponent needed to challenge the Jackal. The character development works, although some of the narrative issues of the main characters are left open, but that may be desirable.
The barometer of deception is always on in the background
The locations, the different interactions, and Redmayne’s presentation of languages and changing characters really add a special layer to the story. I can’t wait to see how Se01 ends and how the quality is maintained or improved in Se02. Hopefully Lynch will ease the pressure and play more subtly as he tries to meet Redmayne.