New Delhi: Priyanka Chopra's high-on-action drama begins in a fast-moving train, with the actress grabbing the audience's attention with her first look itself, dressed in a scarlet cut-out dress and oozing oodles of oomph. Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Nadia Sinh) instantly gets into agent mode, stealing a glance at her target through her rose-tinted glasses, making a statement with her killer smile and sensuous tone. Enter Richard Madden (Mason Kane) and in an instant, things change from being hot and steamy to bloody and intense.
Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden exude 007 vibes as they deliver kicks and punches to the villains, showcasing their lethal combat skills. As much as the audience enjoyed watching Deepika Padukone slaying it in 'Pathaan' with her action avatar, Priyanka Chopra makes an equally lasting impact by giving the villains a tough competition and making them run for their lives. She is here to slay and she is here to stay. Although the first episode is focused more on building Richard Madden's character, Priyanka owns the second episode.
The first two episodes focus mainly on building the character sketch and laying the foundation for all the action and drama that lies ahead as two of the best Citadel agents way back to save the world after having their memories wiped out.
The drama centres on the lives of Nadia and Mason Kane, two of Citadel's top agents who are committed to ensuring everyone's safety and security and who are not beholden to any man or governments. They are viciously attacked by Manticore, a syndicate made up of the richest families in the world and an enemy of Citadel, while on a mission on a train. What happens next is a blast (literally). After having their memories destroyed, Nadia and Mason begin new lives in Oregon and Spain, respectively, without knowing what has happened to them. Eight years later, Manticore obtains Citadel's secret X-case, which contains data on the identities of agents and nuclear codes. This event serves as the basis for bringing back Mason and Nadia to their world of espionage.
Citadel's narrative isn't really its strongest point. You usually have a good idea of what will happen next. For a show marketed as a spy thriller, predictability is a curse, and Citadel suffers as a result. Although the story has many twists and turns, you won't be on the edge of your seat or forced to sit up. The action scenes and the outstanding cinematography, however, make up for the lack of an exciting and suspenseful storyline. The series is given a stylish gloss by the frantic camera movement and constant transitions between blurred and in-focus shots.
Richard Madden charms with his seething anger and lends his own charisma to his character. Stanley Tucci (Bernard Orlick), a senior agent who has gone to all extent to protect Citadel and its agents, steals every frame he is in with his straight-faced, cheeky humour. He keeps on claiming himself to be a 'genius' in terms of brain and the audience can surely vouch for it in terms of his acting. Leslie Manville as Dahlia Archer is another actor who marks her place with her admirable performance as a ruthless and unbending woman, who swears to establish Manticore's supremacy and destroy Citadel at all costs.
While the first two episodes of the much-hyped spy thriller series have failed to strike a chord with the audience, the way its makers intended it to, the onus for the show's success now lies entirely on the upcoming episodes, which will have to be more promising and gripping than its first two episodes in order to bring the audience back every week to watch the new episode.
The first two episodes of 'Citadel' are streaming on Amazon Prime Video, with new episodes slated to stream every Friday.