Drama
The Night Agent
As far as spy thrillers go, The Night Agent is par for the course. But as far as family viewing goes, it might be better to blacklist this one.
Reggie Dinkins had a bad start, growing up in a rough Brooklyn neighborhood. And it was professional football that gave him a way out.
Reggie was really good at the game. In fact, the only way he’d ever get kicked off a team is if he did something that would force the NFL to ban him for life. Something like accidentally admit to gambling on the outcome of his own football games during a live TV broadcast.
Yeah, that’s why no one’s seen Reggie on a football field since 2005. And while his ex-wife, Monica, has been kind enough to manage his money to make sure he could continue living his extravagant lifestyle, Reggie longs for people to look up to him again.
That’s why Reggie has hired documentary filmmaker Arthur Tobin to make a movie about him.
Arthur desperately needs this doc to work out: He hasn’t been hired on for an actual job since having a nervous breakdown while directing a Marvel movie. But Reggie isn’t helping the situation by insisting the whole thing be a puff piece rather than an honest feature.
And so Arthur commands his camera crew to film everything—the good, the bad and the ugly—theorizing that, eventually, they’ll stumble upon something that just may lift both of their names out of the mire.
I have to imagine that The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins is intentionally named after The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, a 1970s British sitcom, since the two names are simply too similar. But as far as I can tell, that’s about as far as the similarities go.
This mockumentary sports comedy stars Tracy Morgan and Daniel Radcliffe as two men hoping to improve their social standing through the making of an amazing documentary. Whether or not audiences will find their endeavor as endearing will be the true test, however.
The biggest issue audiences may have with the show will be its sexual humor and mild language, which includes the occasional misuse of God’s name. And while most sensual jokes are largely verbal references, their presence still tarnishes Reggie’s reputation.
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins asks whether Arthur and Reggie deserve a second chance from the world, but the show needs to worry more about getting its own first chance with audiences.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
As Reggie makes demands about turning the documentary into a puff piece, Arthur struggles to find a way to make his own vision work.
Women wear outfits that expose ample cleavage. When Monica warns Reggie that the documentary will only result in Reggie revealing his rear to the world, Reggie says the world should be grateful for it. Reggie states that he took Latin in college in the hope it would help him meet “Dominican chicks.” Arthur references the “Center for Documentary, Anime and Pornography.”
There’s a reference to gas medication. Reggie’s son mentions his teammate’s unfortunate name: Osama Epstein.
We hear two uses of “a–.” Otherwise, “d–n,” “h—,” “crap” and “pr–k” are all used once. God’s name is used in vain twice.
Reggie attempts to discern why his fiancée, Brina, is upset with him. Meanwhile, Arthur tries to get Monica to open up about her past for the documentary.
Reggie recounts historical figures he thinks were Black, including Jesus, Cleopatra and George Washington. Someone yells at Reggie for taking Brina “to that filthy church” before getting cut off.
Trying to discover why Brina is mad, Reggie notes that he hasn’t “liked any full-chested women’s posts on Instagram.” Women wear outfits that bare cleavage. A plaque states that someone lost his virginity on a seesaw. Reggie tells Brina that he’s upset she’s been dressing modestly, saying that “it leaves so much to the imagination, and you know I don’t got a good imagination.” Monica admits to giving a man her bra. Someone warns Monica not to burst into his room, saying he might be naked. In a closet full of memories and documents related to Reggie, one box reads “Carmelo’s conception” (Reggie’s son).
Reggie vomits into his football helmet. He comments that he was named TIME magazine’s man of the year—but with the clarification that it isn’t a good thing, since it’s “like when they gave it to Hitler.”
We hear a couple uses of “a–,” “b–ch” and “d–n.” There’s one use of “h—.” God’s name is used in vain three times.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
As far as spy thrillers go, The Night Agent is par for the course. But as far as family viewing goes, it might be better to blacklist this one.
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