Spoilers for Netflix’s The Night Agent lie ahead, so read at your own risk.
The Night Agent, which is one of the newest shows on Netflix’s 2023 TV schedule, is doing well with viewers. The show was made by Shawn Ryan and is based on Matthew Quirk’s book with the same name. It is full of action, heart, and political intrigue. Peter Sutherland, played by Gabriel Basso, and Rose Larkin, played by Luciane Buchanan, are the main characters in the story. Both characters end the season in interesting places that could be worth exploring in the future. Even though the show hasn’t been renewed yet, both Basso and Buchanan already have crazy ideas for Season 2 and beyond.
Peter and Rose crossed paths when Rose called Peter on the White House’s emergency Night Action line after seeing her aunt and uncle get killed. From there, the strange pair found out that Rose’s relatives, who were Night Agents, were part of a plot. Later, they found out that the Vice President (Christopher Shyer) and Chief of Staff (Hong Chau) had planned to kill a former terrorist in an attack in which the president was also involved. Rose and Peter, along with a few other people, were able to stop the plan in the end, and Peter was asked to join Night Action. Rose decided to go back to California to rebuild her business. Over the course of the season, they developed a romantic relationship. At the end of the season, they kissed goodbye before Peter flew off to a new job.
If the show gets a second season, it seems likely that Peter will still be the main character. Gabriel Basso made a bold suggestion when I talked to him to celebrate the premiere of the drama. No one can guess what he has in store for him as an agent, but we can guess. In short, the actor is sure his character should die at some point. (You did read that right.) It’s shocking, but Basso’s thoughts on the possibility are very deep:
In my head, I think Peter has to die – and not maybe in the second season maybe the third season. I just think to have morals and pursue truth and values in a field, in a profession where the more bendable in, you know, malleable your values are the better agent you would make, sets him up to be an enemy of his employers. So I think that having values and taking a stance and saying, ‘But this is wrong,’ sort of sets him up to be double crossed or die.
Even his co-star was shocked when she heard her co-star say those things. Still, that does make sense when you think about it. Peter works in a world where there are a lot of questionable people. Since he has shown that he can’t be swayed from his morals, others may see him as a liability. In some ways, his death would be a full circle because it would be similar to that of his father. Sutherland Sr. was called a traitor when Peter was a teenager, but he died before his innocence could be proven. But in the end, Peter found out that his dad did work with foreign agents, admitted it, and was killed because he was about to become a triple agent for the U.S. So it would make sense for Jr. to die in a heroic way.
When Luciane Buchanan thought about what might happen next for Rose, she couldn’t help but laugh. In a possible Season 2, the writers will likely decide to keep her in California and have her start up her business again. But before she gets to any of that, Buchanan said her character, who still has to deal with the tragedy in her family, needs to take care of herself:
I think therapy is the first thing she needs. She needs a little break in the woods to relax and think about all the deaths. I shouldn’t be laughing, but I am.
The New Zealand-born actress also got excited when a coworker said that Rose could take a “spa day.” She thought that her character could get a face mask, sit in a circle with other people, and talk about how she feels. All of that might sound funny, but after all she’s been through, the computer whiz could really use some time off. Let’s hope that after these 10 episodes, Rose and Peter can get their bearings. On top of that, we hope that Gabriel Basso and Luciane Buchanan will be able to play their roles again in a second season that has as many bold ideas as the first one.
The Night Agent is now streaming (opens in new tab) for anyone with a Netflix subscription and, if you’re done with it, do yourself a favor and check out other streamable political thrillers. There are also plenty of viable viewing options to make note of on the 2023 TV schedule.