The Sympathizer review: An entertaining drama despite its drawbacks

Based on the novel of the same name, The Sympathizer follows a communist spy who moves to the US to continue his work even after the end of the Vietnam War. The series is streaming on Max.

Story

The show’s unnamed protagonist is a communist spy who infiltrates the secret police in South Vietnam for North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. 

He is known as the Captain after his post in the secret police. He serves as the right-hand man to a South Vietnamese General and lives at the General’s house, acting as his manservant.

The Captain is biracial and bilingual, born to a Vietnamese mother and a French father. He was sent to the US to study by a CIA agent named Claude, who is his mentor.

When the war comes to an end, the General flees to the US with his allies. The Captain’s handler asks him to leave with the General to continue spying on his activities.

The Sympathizer revolves around the Captain’s life in the US, his relationships with various individuals, and the difficult choices he must make to maintain his cover.

Performances

Hoa Xuande’s portrayal of the Captain is quite quirky and suits the style of the show. Xuande successfully depicts his character’s facade as well as the raw emotions that are revealed when the facade slips. 

He smiles and politely says things that he does not mean, which makes him appear harmless and convinces the audience that he is indeed a good spy.

Robert Downey Jr. infuses the characters he plays with the charisma that the audience has come to expect from him. 

However, on the downside, this means that all those characters are not entirely distinct from each other; one can trace similarities in their mannerisms.

Sandra Oh plays her part well, leaving no room for complaints, even if her character never truly seems important.

Fred Nguyen Khan and Toan Le, as Bon and the General, are two of the most enjoyable actors to watch in the show, easily standing out.

Positives

The choice of casting one actor, Robert Downey Jr., in multiple roles of American men while having different actors play the Vietnamese roles was a good one. 

It subverts the racist notion that people of all non-white communities look similar by instead making all white men look similar and highlighting the diversity among Vietnamese characters.

The characters portrayed by the actor are ridiculous but also believable; they do not seem exaggerated, perhaps because they encapsulate the traits of real-life people well.

Apart from that, the show depicts nuanced perspectives, preventing the Orient from being seen as a homogeneous group. The protagonist himself struggles with a divided identity and loyalties. 

The narrative is layered, adding complexity to the stories from the Orient that are portrayed. These stories are not as simplified as those typically found in Western accounts.

The show does not fail to highlight that the work of a spy cannot be morally black and white, even if it is done in the service of their country. 

There are spies who get caught and suffer. Then, there are spies who do not get caught and suffer in silence when they are made to watch their comrades get tortured.

Similarly, the business of war never truly ends. The Occident moves on, but the Orient bears the scars for years to come, regardless of which side they choose. 

Victory comes with its fair share of failures, which is why the ending of the show, particularly a conversation on freedom and independence, is thought-provoking. 

The conversation resonates with the audience long after the show ends. There is no shortage of postcolonial themes explored in the show.

Additionally, the directors strike the right balance between comedy and drama. The dark humor, sometimes conveyed through subtle gestures, does not detract from the intensity of the sequences.

Negatives

One of the biggest shortcomings of the show has to be its failure to get the audience to care about the protagonist or any other character.

The protagonist is consistently present, yet there is no emotional connection between him and the audience. 

Despite knowing his story from his perspective, even if the fact that he is an unreliable narrator is not taken into account, the audience does not sympathize with him.

Additionally, the audience does not fear for him, even when he comes close to being caught, which causes the show to lose the thrill that spy thrillers are known for.

The Captain’s confession is presented as a non-linear narrative. Despite shifting between the past and the present, it never becomes confusing.

However, when the confession concludes and the audience witnesses his present situation in the last episode, it becomes a jumbled mess. The final episode fails to engage the audience fully.

Verdict

The Sympathizer is a drama that has substance and humor. While it may fail to evoke a strong emotional response from the audience, it is still entertaining.

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