Charlie Cox Is Drawn Into a Web of Betrayal and Secrets in This Netflix Spy Thriller

Spy shows are becoming a hot commodity in the television landscape. From The Agency on Paramount+ to The Night Agent and The Recruit on Netflix and Prime Video's ever-expanding Citadel universe, there's no shortage of cloak-and-dagger tales to choose from. But there's one that might have flown under people's radar: the five-part miniseries Treason, which debuted on Netflix in 2022. Treason was notable for being created by Matt Charman, the writer who helped shape Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies, but it's also notable for having Charlie Cox in the lead — and delivering a story that's full of twists and turns.

What Is ‘Treason’ About?

Treason kicks off when M:16 chief Sir Martin Angelis (Ciarán Hinds) is mysteriously poisoned, leaving Cox's Adam Lawrence to fill his shoes. Lawrence receives a coded message that brings him face-to-face with Kara Yusova (Olga Kurylenko), a Russian operative and his former lover. Kara reveals that she was the one who poisoned Angelis, and continues to manipulate Adam as she works to uncover the mystery behind the deaths of five of her operatives. Further complicating matters for Adam is the fact that MI:6 thinks he's gone rogue and brings in his wife Maddy (Oona Chaplin) to help capture him. Add in a CIA agent (Tracy Icheafor) and a kidnapped daughter, and life isn't going great for Adam.

Charlie Cox Plays Against Type on ‘Treason’

The biggest draw of Treason, other than the Byzantine plot it manages to pack into a mere five episodes, is Cox's performance. Adam Lawrence doesn't seem like the type of guy who would be in the espionage business - in fact, when he first appears on screen, he's talking to a group of schoolchildren about his job (which doesn't feel like anything a spy would do.) However, as Treason progresses, Cox shows a more cunning side to his character as he navigates his way through a labyrinth of lies. Cox's performance also changes based on the characters he's interacting with. In the first episode, his interactions with Chaplin have all the hallmarks of a long-running marriage that still has two parties who trust each other; this feels rather ironic, given how the film shakes out.

In contrast, the way he interacts with Kurylenko's Kara is ripe with tension. You never know what's going to happen, but you can also tell that these are two people who've shared a history — and not all of it is good. Cox is no stranger to playing complex characters, whether it was Matt Murdock in Daredevil or Owen Sleater in Boardwalk Empire, but Treason is a different beast. Adam Lawrence rarely solves his problems through fist fights or shootouts, but staying one step ahead of his enemy.

‘Treason’ Takes a Hard Look at the Realities of Spycraft

There's a moment in Bridge of Spies where a CIA agent sums up the reality of spycraft: "We are engaged in a war. This war does not for the moment involve men at arms; it involves information." Treason is built on this philosophy as the plot slowly unfolds and implicates nearly everyone. Adam's wife is revealed to have a dark history of her own, and it turns out that his boss was involved in a plot to insert a Russian agent into power in the British government. But none of that tops the finale, which ends on a shocking note: Adam is killed and framed as a double agent, while Maddy and Kara join forces to clear his name.

This was a shock, as the show had been marketed around Cox's presence. But killing him off wasn't just a way to keep the show interesting, it was also realistic. Unlike James Bond or Jason Bourne, Adam wasn't a highly skilled field agent. He was also unaware of the levels of corruption in MI6, meaning that he wasn't prepared for his boss to double-cross him. Despite having a genuinely creative ending, Treason was met with mixed to negative reviews. Despite its tepid reception, Treason is a solid look at the way spycraft plays out in real life. It's also a great reminder that Charlie Cox is more than Daredevil, and can hold his own in a major drama.

Treason is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

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