TV-MA | 6 episodes | Drama, Action, Mystery, Thriller | 2024
If you’re a TV or movie writer, you’d be hard-pressed to come up with a wholly original spy story concept. Virtually everything to come down the pike in the last 75 years originated with either John le Carré, Ian Fleming, or one of their many disciples.
Two recent notable exceptions are the hysterically irreverent FX animated series “Archer” (2009–2023) and the current Apple TV drama “Slow Horses,” in which the protagonist spies are misfits and MI5 rejects.
Loosely based on the just-OK 2023 American series “Citadel,” “Citadel: Diana” (“Diana”) is set in Italy. While it isn’t conceptually original, it looks fantastic and delivers some great characters and plot twists. It’s one of four new and upcoming Amazon Prime “Citadel” spin-off projects. The three others are set in India, Spain, and Mexico.
As with the original series, this one (and the others) are produced by brothers Anthony and Joseph Russo, directors of four Marvel movies, including the franchise’s top-grosser “Avengers: Endgame.” With that kind of track record, it’s easy to understand why Amazon essentially gave the Russos blank checks to finance this franchise, and it shows. Each 45-minute episode is as polished and high-end as any Marvel installment, only smarter, and less clangy, overlong, and undercooked.
The series opens in 2030 Milan as Diana (Matilda De Angelis) shoots an unknown off-screen character and then herself to make it look like she was acting in self-defense (which may or may not be the case). Diana (agent name 308) and her partner work for the Italian branch of Manticore, a covert European operation that appears to be the hybrid of a legitimate intelligence agency and futuristic organized crime.
Italy, France, and Germany
The “ugly stepsister” of the German and French branches of Manticore, the Italian outfit is determined to prove their importance. They aren’t beyond ignoring acknowledged boundaries and directives. Without alerting her partner, Diana goes rogue. She witnesses a clandestine meeting between their French and German Manticore counterparts.The trump card in the Italian camp is Edo Zani (Lorenzo Cervasio), the designer of high-tech weapons. His most recent invention is a tricked-out automatic rifle that can shape-shift into a baton; this will figure prominently in later episodes.
Edo is the youngest son of Ettore (Maurizio Lombardi), the head of Italian Manticore. Edo’s oversized eyeglasses make him a dead ringer for the late former Paramount studio chief Robert Evans. Despite Edo’s clear talent, Ettore treats him like a pawn and isn’t beyond using him to further his own interests.
Back to 2017
The fourth principal character in the show is Gabriele (Filippo Nigro), who is initially presented as Diana’s ominous, mysterious stalker. In reality, Gabriele works for the Citadel, a Manticore rival outfit believed to be vanquished. He approaches Diana in 2017 when she raises security flags while investigating the deaths of her parents in a suspicious plane crash.If you feel you’ve been given too much plot, rest assured, you haven’t. All of the above takes place in the first episode. Show runner Alessandro Fabbri, director Arnaldo Catinari, and their writers do a superb job of “setting up the board” for the rest of the season.
Events taking place in 2017 and 2030 aren’t always made clear, and this provides the ultimate hook. If you watch the first episode and aren’t thoroughly captivated, go no further. Answers to all questions are ultimately provided, but never immediately or in a spoon-fed manner. The Big Picture is never fully revealed until the sixth episode—something I relish. I don’t ever want to know where the story is going, but that’s just a personal preference.
Language Options
I watched three episodes of the show in Italian with English subtitles and the other three in dubbed English and found no discernible difference between the two versions. As a rule, I prefer watching any movie or show in its native tongue with subtitles, mostly because, historically, post-production dubbing was … well, wanting. The sound never matched the movement of the performers’ mouths. Here, it’s done with expert execution. Whatever option you choose will work well.What I admire most about Season 1 “Diana” is that it concludes with more than satisfactory closure, meaning it has an ending, but it could be continued. This is the ultimate compliment for any TV series.
Far too often, too many terrestrial and premium cable shows count on cliffhanger season endings. This is a sign of desperation and weak writing. Making audiences wait until the next season (sometimes taking years) is a cheat. What if the show tanks and there’s no “next season"?
If the proposed long-term story arc of a show is story enough (think: “The Sopranos” and “Breaking Bad”), a sufficient ending to each season isn’t only desired but is also required. “Diana” does this in spades.
For me, if it ends here, fine. It all worked. If it continues, all the better, provided the writing remains of a high caliber. I can see it lasting for four or five seasons without any drop in quality.
