In Netflix’s latest political thriller limited series “Zero Day,” the United States found itself under a brief cyber attack, resulting in death, chaos, and a threat that it would happen again. In desperation, the government enlisted the help of former president George Mullen, played by Robert De Niro, to track down the threat.
The show was created by television writer Eric Newman, journalist and ex-president of NBC News Noah Oppenheim, and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author Michael S. Schmidt.
Highs
The acting was generally well done throughout “Zero Day.” With a cast including De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Lizzy Caplan, and Angela Bassett. These actors did well infusing more personality than the script had. Not enough to save “Zero Day” from being boring, but at least no one actively brought it down.
Lows
George Mullen was a perfectly nice president. He was charismatic yet warm, mostly ethical, and extremely boring and unbelievable. Perhaps this itself was a political statement, showing an idealized version of an American president. If so, it was a deeply shallow statement that made for a boring protagonist. The audience was told George was a beloved president, yet showed nothing of his policies or his stances besides some vague idea of unity.
“Zero Day” acted like it had something to say, yet said nothing. It danced around real world political issues, flirting with ideas such as disorder, extremism, and how much power the government should have. Characters gave impassioned monologues about patriotism and corruption without saying anything at all. Every politician was so bland and one-note, it was impossible to even guess their beliefs. If one of the writers admitted the show was written by ChatGPT, it would be entirely believable.
Perhaps this was to give the show a more universal appeal. But shouldn’t a political thriller be, you know, political? Not to mention, it could have exchanged no stance for complex stances. How much power the government should have is a complex issue. How to react in a crisis is a complex issue. The show didn’t have to solve real world problems or be blunt, but a skillful writer can analyze and present thought provoking ideas and leave them for the viewer to decide.
The shallowness of a puddle did not stop “Zero Day” from acting as if it had the depth of the ocean. The show was insufferably self-absorbed, believing it was some groundbreaking, thought-provoking drama. Filmed and colored in a way that was tense and dark, using dreary cinematography and an uneasy score. The characters were constantly wound up, delivering their meaningless lines with dead seriousness. It lacked both the intrigue of a deep show and the fun of a shallow one. A political thriller that didn’t care to be political or thrilling.
Verdict
Despite “Zero Day” being helmed by two prolific journalists, it had nothing at all to say. It was painful to watch something act so profound and important while being hollow. At the same time, it was just unpleasant to watch with its bland cinematography and characters.
Rating: 2 out of 10
Frank Remski is a film and theater reviewer for The Eastern Echo. He is majoring in media studies and journalism and minoring in public relations. He has worked for The Echo since summer of 2023 and has written both news stories and opinion pieces.
