Netflix’s new animated series “Splinter Cell: Deathwatch” follows Sam Fisher and Zinnia McKenna, two agents of the Fourth Echelon. This is a sub-division of the National Security Agency that works under direct orders of the President of the United States, supporting field operatives tasked with the most dangerous intelligence-gathering missions the nation has to offer. Over the course of eight episodes, Fisher, a retired agent who must return to the field, and McKenna unravel a web of corporate conspiracies intertwined with Fisher’s past, McKenna’s present and the future of the free world.
The series, written by Derek Kolstad, creator of the “John Wick” movies, is a long-overdue revival of the original Tom Clancy’s “Splinter Cell” video game franchise created by Ubisoft, the last installment releasing in 2012. Initially released in 2002, the franchise is a collection of eight action-adventure stealth games that follow Sam Fisher, a highly trained agent of the Fourth Echelon.
“Splinter Cell: Deathwatch” is comprised of eight 22-minute episodes, each more compelling than the last. The short form of each episode makes the series easily bingeable and slightly addicting. Each episode concludes with a wild cliffhanger that leaves the audience wanting more, building higher stakes and tension that culminates in a series conclusion which is impossible to predict and absolutely jaw-dropping to behold. The show includes numerous violent action scenes each episode which parallel those of the “John Wick” franchise — clever, suspenseful and addictive. Additionally, the story is told using a series of flashbacks from Fisher’s past that are tied into the story as the episodes progress. There are many positive things to be said about the series itself — the interesting storyline, the cohesion between the score and visual cues and the overarching themes of corporate corruption in a war-torn world, just to name a few.
However, there are a few areas where the show was lacking. For example, most of the characters follow strict, cliche archetypes. Fisher is the independent, stubborn lone wolf who cannot for the life of him follow direct orders but is still somehow the best in his field. McKenna is the strong-willed woman who doesn’t need a man to save her and is haunted by a romantic past. Thunder is the team’s hacker, and he can bust through any firewall thrown at him with 15 seconds of key-clacking and various grunts. All this is to say that the characters feel a little “done,” but what can you expect from a series that began in 2002?
Another aspect of the series I was slightly disappointed by was the animation itself. The art style is that of a classic adult cartoon, reminiscent of shows like FX’s “Archer.” Personally, I was hoping for something more visually interesting and stylistically challenging.
Overall, coming from someone who has not played the games, the series is a solid watch, and I recommend it to anyone who loves a good spy story.
3.5/5