Elisabeth Moss doesn't do "easy" roles. We know this. From the frantic survivalism of The Handmaid’s Tale to the gaslighting nightmare of The Invisible Man, she excels at being stressed out. But The Veil, the FX on Hulu miniseries created by Steven Knight, asks her to do something entirely different. It’s a spy thriller, sure. But it’s also a weird, claustrophobic road trip across Europe and the Middle East that doesn't care if you like its protagonist or not.
Honestly, the show got a bit of a lukewarm reception when it first dropped. Critics were 50/50. Some people found the pacing "glacial." Others thought the accent work was distracting. But if you actually sit through all six episodes, you realize the show isn't trying to be James Bond or even Jason Bourne. It’s trying to be a psychological character study disguised as a global terror plot. It’s messy. It’s gritty. It’s actually pretty great if you know what you’re looking at.
What Most People Miss About The Veil
Most spy shows are about the "mission." You have a bomb, a timer, and a hero who needs to cut the red wire. In The Veil, the mission is almost secondary to the bizarre, high-stakes relationship between Imogen Salter (Moss) and Adilah El Idrissi (Yumna Marwan).
Imogen is a veteran MI6 agent with a specialty in "becoming" other people. She’s a chameleon, but one with a deeply fractured psyche. Adilah is a woman found in a refugee camp on the Turkish-Syrian border who might—or might not—be a high-ranking ISIS commander known as the "Djinn of Al-Raqqa."
The tension doesn't come from gunfights. It comes from the fact that they are both liars.
"In this world, the truth is just another weapon you use when you've run out of ammunition." — Steven Knight (Series Creator)
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Knight, who also gave us Peaky Blinders, loves a protagonist who is haunted by their own history. Imogen isn't just trying to save the world; she’s trying to prove she exists outside of her covers. The show leans heavily into the "Double Agent" trope but twists it. Instead of wondering who is working for whom, you’re wondering if either of these women actually knows who they are anymore.
The Problem With the "Slow Burn" Narrative
People complain about the pace. It’s a valid critique if you’re expecting 24. The show lingers on small moments. A cigarette shared in the cold. A look in a rearview mirror. A tense dinner in a safe house.
The first two episodes are basically a cat-and-mouse game in the snowy mountains of Turkey. It feels isolated. It feels lonely. That’s the point. The show is trying to simulate the actual psychological toll of deep-cover work. It’s not glamorous. It’s mostly just sitting in a car with someone you’re pretty sure wants to kill you, trying to figure out if their story about a daughter in Paris is a lie or a desperate truth.
Why the Casting Works (and Why It Doesn't for Some)
Yumna Marwan is the breakout star here. Period.
While Moss is doing her usual high-intensity, twitchy brilliance, Marwan provides a stillness that is terrifying. She plays Adilah with such ambiguity that even by episode four, you’re still swapping sides. Is she a victim of circumstance? A mother trying to get home? Or is she a cold-blooded operative who has orchestrated this entire "capture" to get into the heart of Western intelligence?
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Some viewers found Moss’s English accent a bit much. She’s an American playing a Brit playing various other identities. It’s a lot of layers. But if you look at it as a character who is performing an identity, the slight artificiality of the accent actually starts to make sense. Imogen is a woman who has forgotten her original voice.
The Real-World Stakes: Geopolitics and MI6
The show doesn't shy away from the messy reality of international intelligence. We see the friction between the DGSE (French intelligence), MI6, and the CIA. Specifically, the character of Malik (played by Dali Benssalah) and Max (Josh Charles) represent the clash of egos that often prevents actual work from getting done.
- The French (DGSE): Focused on local stability and specific threats in Paris.
- The Americans (CIA): Represented by Max, who is arrogant, well-funded, and frequently wrong.
- The British (MI6): Caught in the middle, playing both sides to keep their relevance.
This isn't just "spy talk." It reflects real-world tensions in intelligence sharing that occurred during the height of the Syrian conflict. The "Veil" refers not just to the garment, but to the layers of deception that every nation uses to protect its own interests, often at the cost of the actual mission.
Does the Ending Deliver?
Without spoiling the finale, The Veil concludes in a way that feels earned. It doesn't give you a neat little bow. It doesn't solve the problem of global terrorism. Instead, it focuses on the personal fallout for Imogen and Adilah.
The stakes are massive—a potential biological attack on a global scale—but the show keeps the camera tight on the faces of these two women. It’s a claustrophobic ending for a claustrophobic show. It forces you to realize that in the world of espionage, there are no "winners," only survivors who have lost a little more of themselves.
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Why You Should Give It a Second Chance
If you dropped off after episode two, go back. The middle stretch of the season moves into Paris and London, and the scope widens significantly. The "slow burn" eventually catches fire.
The show explores themes of motherhood, identity, and the moral rot that comes with lying for a living. It’s a "prestige" thriller. It’s not meant to be consumed while you’re scrolling on your phone. You have to watch the eyes. You have to listen to what isn't being said.
Actionable Steps for the Modern Viewer
If you’re planning to dive into The Veil, or if you've finished it and want to understand the genre better, here’s how to approach it:
- Watch for the "Tell": Pay attention to Imogen’s habits when she’s "on." The show subtly indicates when she is losing herself in a role versus when she is in control.
- Compare with The Bureau: If you like the French intelligence aspects of the show, watch Le Bureau des Légendes (The Bureau). It’s widely considered the most realistic spy show ever made and provides great context for how the DGSE operates.
- Research the Turkish-Syrian Border: The early episodes take place in a very specific geopolitical "gray zone." Understanding the complexity of the refugee crisis in that region adds a lot of weight to Adilah’s backstory.
- Don't Google Spoilers: The "is she or isn't she" mystery regarding the Djinn is the engine of the show. Let it play out naturally.
The Veil isn't perfect. It’s ambitious, sometimes to a fault. But in a landscape of cookie-cutter procedurals, it’s a show that actually has something to say about the cost of secrets. It’s about the masks we wear, the lies we tell to protect ourselves, and the terrifying moment when the veil finally drops and we have to face who we’ve become.
Check out the series on Hulu or Disney+ (depending on your region). It’s a six-hour commitment that pays off if you’re willing to sit with the discomfort of not knowing the truth. Just don't expect a happy ending. This is Steven Knight, after all. Nobody gets out clean.
Next Steps for Your Watchlist:
After finishing the series, look into the real-world history of the "Cambridge Five" or the memoirs of former MI6 officers like Kim Philby. It provides a chilling backdrop to the themes of betrayal that Imogen Salter grapples with throughout the show. Alternatively, if the French setting of the later episodes intrigued you, look into the history of the DGSE and their rivalry with British intelligence during the Cold War; the echoes of those old grudges are all over the subtext of this series.