Noah Centineo and Laura shine like a star in the spy series

•  Noah Centineo gets too much flack.
• One of the main reasons The Recruit captures your interest is that it is action-packed.
• The Recruit is one such program.

Noah Centineo gets too much flack. After playing Peter, the male lead in Netflix’s To All the Boys trilogy, as well as starring in other teen rom-com from the streamer such as Sierra Burgess is a Loser and The Perfect Date, he finally seems to be branching out into new places. It’s not that these were bad career moves; in fact, each of the previously mentioned films actually did show that Centineo has that movie-star charisma that can carry him through even the weakest of scripts, but it’s easy to tell that he’s meant for more than just those roles.

Sadly, the movie didn’t offer his character much to do. He also had a supporting role as the superhero Atom Smasher in this year’s Black Adam, opposite one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, Dwayne Johnson. Fortunately, he also has the Netflix series The Recruit, which feels like it was inspired by Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan and Reacher but is told from a much younger viewpoint. In actuality, the series’ titular recruit, Owen Hendricks, is just 24 years old and is still getting his bearings as the first season comes to a close.

The show centers on Owen (Centineo), a recent Georgetown University graduate who is hired by the CIA to work as a lawyer rather than a spy like Jack Bauer. When he discovers a global plot involving the Russian mafia that could reveal a mountain of harmful US government secrets, his initially routine career is rapidly turned upside down. In the interim, Max Meladeze (Laura Haddock), an asset spending time in jail in Phoenix, Arizona, who wants to be cleared, discovers Owen and they find themselves forging an uneasy partnership. The plot keeps expanding, putting not only Owen but also his loved ones in peril.

One of the main reasons The Recruit captures your interest is that it is action-packed, full of turns and turns, smart and sardonic in its humor, and complicated to the point of being frustrating. Certain prestige television programs, such as Succession or Better Call Saul, require that you spend a whole night watching each new episode as soon as it airs.

The Recruit is one such program. However, it’s also the ideal kind of show to watch in the winter, when you’re confined inside, exercising on the treadmill, or looking for a show to watch before night, be it by yourself or with your significant other. The quality is there, the tale is engaging, and it has all of its charms. This isn’t a sly compliment either; in fact, it’s high praise, and it’s simple to imagine this series emerging as Netflix’s next major success. Recently, four-quadrant television has seen a lot of success on streaming sites. For a role like Owen, Centineo was the ideal fit.

He exudes all the qualities of an alluring leading man, not just in terms of sex appeal but also in his portrayal of a likable, straightforward, and, to be an honest, quite sympathetic character. The Recruit also sheds light on his personal life, including his love life, from living with his ex-girlfriend (Fivel Stewart), with whom he may or may not still have feelings, to his romance with his older coworker (Kaylah Zander). These sub-plots do occasionally border on overstaying their welcome, but at the same time, they also succeed in capturing the character’s complexity.

Although Centineo gets along well with all of his co-stars, the scenes he spends with Haddock’s Max are the most interesting. After playing supporting roles in movies like Transformers: The Last Knight and Guardians of the Galaxy, Haddock is finally offered a role in an action movie that suits her skill. She appears to enjoy playing a heroine that walks a fine line, occasionally attempting to seduce Owen while simultaneously showcasing her formidable fighting skills. The performances by Centineo and Haddock are what elevates The Recruit above your average spy drama and make it worth watching in the first place.

The Recruit has some passages where it begins to veer too far toward melodrama. Stewart and Daniel Quincy Annoh are both entertaining additions to the program, but the plot doesn’t seem to know how to make good use of them. There are certain scenes devoted to each of their particular romances, but given everything else going on, it’s difficult to feel invested in one of them.

Additionally, the series’ editing can occasionally be unsettling due to the needle drops, especially when switching between some of the heavier sequences. Each episode lasts about 50 minutes, and while some of them fly by quickly, others occasionally feel like they’re taking a little bit too long because of this type of editing.

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