Treadstone: The Cicada Protocol
October 15, 2019 8:43 PM - Season 1, Episode 1 - Subscribe
From the world of Jason Bourne, agents across the globe are "awakening" to resume deadly missions. (USA Network, US broadcast)
Variety - "“Treadstone,” which begins in East Berlin in 1973 and zooms ahead to multiple locations in the present day, is, we’re told in its credits, “based on an organization from the Bourne series of novels by Robert Ludlum.” The description seems apt, in its clunky way. The Treadstone organization, which trains people to be supersoldiers and to keep their tactical knowledge subconsciously buried, is an element of Jason Bourne’s story now surgically cut off from the context and narrative richness of a good novel or film. And “Treadstone” feels, too, based on an organization and not a novel or film in its rigorous movement between plotlines, something that comes to feel less like narrative balance and more like mandated check-ins on a show that hasn’t yet decided what it wants to be about."
TV Fanatic recap
Treadstone on Rotten Tomatoes
Variety - "“Treadstone,” which begins in East Berlin in 1973 and zooms ahead to multiple locations in the present day, is, we’re told in its credits, “based on an organization from the Bourne series of novels by Robert Ludlum.” The description seems apt, in its clunky way. The Treadstone organization, which trains people to be supersoldiers and to keep their tactical knowledge subconsciously buried, is an element of Jason Bourne’s story now surgically cut off from the context and narrative richness of a good novel or film. And “Treadstone” feels, too, based on an organization and not a novel or film in its rigorous movement between plotlines, something that comes to feel less like narrative balance and more like mandated check-ins on a show that hasn’t yet decided what it wants to be about."
TV Fanatic recap
Treadstone on Rotten Tomatoes
Is that the concept behind Jason Bourne? They manchurian candidate him to be a action movie man and I guess they trigger him but he's like "nooo?"
posted by GoblinHoney at 8:17 AM on October 16, 2019
posted by GoblinHoney at 8:17 AM on October 16, 2019
Have you not seen any of the Bourne movies, or was that more of a rhetorical question? In the original Bourne movie he starts as an amnesiac with action-movie-man abilities who has to figure out who he is/why people are trying to kill him, and there does turn out to have been a “nooo” moment crisis of conscience that triggered events, but he’s not a sleeper agent in the way that the present-day ‘cicadas’ in this episode are, though there was brainwashing involved in turning him into a super-soldier/assassin same as what was happening with the 1970s character in this episode.
posted by oh yeah! at 9:13 AM on October 16, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by oh yeah! at 9:13 AM on October 16, 2019 [3 favorites]
I've seen random chunks of random movies from the franchise, but never got any plot other than him killing people. Not a big action fan except for some fantastic exceptions, too much bombastic violence and loud noises and I can't focus. Thank you for enlightening me, it was a real question!
posted by GoblinHoney at 9:21 AM on October 16, 2019
posted by GoblinHoney at 9:21 AM on October 16, 2019
Came to this super late, after falling in love with Sense8 and looking for something to come down on (so thanks for posting this oh yeah!!).
It's pretty good. Cancelled due to not-stellar viewership.
The production quality is efficient and ends up better than a lot of similar shows, dialogue is reasonable, the acting makes it work, the combat is proficient, and as a thriller the pacing and reveal is snappy enough without being dumb.
Lots of strong women, strong mature women too, and their strength doesn't solely rely on combat badassery - and in the case where it does, it challenges suspension of belief.
Was very impressed with Gabrielle Scharnitzky and Tracy Ifeachor. Nice to see Michelle Forbes in something again.
Very loosely based on the Bourne movies (which were very loosely based on the original Ludlum books which don't involve super soldiers and ends up with a couple of old farts playing cat and mouse with each other).
The conceit is that the program that spawns the sleeper super-soldiers that chases Bourne is more widespread than in the movies, involving similar program used by various governments - who have their turns playing with their toys.
Sometimes the conditioning goes screwy and the agents wig out, in other cases they mostly work until strong willed individuals figure out that their minds have been messed with and are unhappy about that.
With 4+ major factions and 3+ different time periods it gets confusing, as are jumping around in time without clearer cues like using clothing more effectively (and isn't helped by that the three male leads look rather like each other). It might have also have suffered from the kiss of death in N. Am. of having a fair amount of subtitles.
posted by porpoise at 7:40 PM on March 2
It's pretty good. Cancelled due to not-stellar viewership.
The production quality is efficient and ends up better than a lot of similar shows, dialogue is reasonable, the acting makes it work, the combat is proficient, and as a thriller the pacing and reveal is snappy enough without being dumb.
Lots of strong women, strong mature women too, and their strength doesn't solely rely on combat badassery - and in the case where it does, it challenges suspension of belief.
Was very impressed with Gabrielle Scharnitzky and Tracy Ifeachor. Nice to see Michelle Forbes in something again.
Very loosely based on the Bourne movies (which were very loosely based on the original Ludlum books which don't involve super soldiers and ends up with a couple of old farts playing cat and mouse with each other).
The conceit is that the program that spawns the sleeper super-soldiers that chases Bourne is more widespread than in the movies, involving similar program used by various governments - who have their turns playing with their toys.
Sometimes the conditioning goes screwy and the agents wig out, in other cases they mostly work until strong willed individuals figure out that their minds have been messed with and are unhappy about that.
With 4+ major factions and 3+ different time periods it gets confusing, as are jumping around in time without clearer cues like using clothing more effectively (and isn't helped by that the three male leads look rather like each other). It might have also have suffered from the kiss of death in N. Am. of having a fair amount of subtitles.
posted by porpoise at 7:40 PM on March 2
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posted by oh yeah! at 8:52 PM on October 15, 2019