Rabbit Hole is an American show about how some privileged few misuse the personal data of the masses. These people do so in the modern tech age even in thriving democracies.
The USA is the playground for this contemporary political drama thriller. However, in a way, it teaches us about the real threats that confront most democracies around the world.
Trailer of the Rabbit Hole (Season 1/2023) series
Synopsis of the Rabbit Hole (Season 1/2023) series
Nothing is what it seems when John Weir (Kiefer Sutherland), a master of deception in the world of corporate espionage. He is framed for murder by powerful forces with the ability to influence and control populations. Thus, John Weir, a private espionage operative, battles over the preservation of democracy in a world constantly at odds.
Spoilers Free Review of the Rabbit Hole (Season 1/2023) series
Apt title
The “Rabbit Hole” (as per the dictionary) is a metaphor for something that transports someone into a wonderfully (or troublingly) surreal state or situation. So, this title is apt for this American mystery thriller with an official introduction that goes like this – “The deeper you go, the deadlier it gets”. This is exactly what happens with the protagonist John Weir (Kiefer Sutherland) in this show, as he goes through a hole and gets stuck in it.
Controlling democracy
This politics and espionage drama is all about the conspiracy to take complete control of the democracy in the United States of America. So, it is about the pursuit of power and taking control of the regime. This fictional story takes inspiration from the contemporary political climate, the modern tech. and social media in this day and age of the 21st century.
These powerful groups of rich and politically powerful people wreck democracy by manipulating the narrative. They mislead the common people in the post-truth era, leading the masses and people down Rabbit holes. They do so by exploiting social media and news media platforms to manipulate them and their behaviours. It is a timely tale about saving modern democratic government setups from the privileged few cabal. In a way, it depicts, how some people can subvert democratic institutions these days. More so, in this modern world of fake news, misinformation, manipulation and surveillance, etc.
Kiefer Sutherland reminds us of his 24 (2001-2014) series
Only John Weir (splendidly played by Kiefer Sutherland) stands in the way of powerful people; as he, his family and new friends try to stop this intriguing political plot. Backed by the interesting script, its ensemble cast along with its lead actor Kiefer Sutherland have done a wonderful job in this good-quality show.
The conclusion
In addition, with so many twists and turns in its storylines, some of these we did not see coming. This thriller has quite a few surprises up its sleeves. And we loved that.
We reiterate that this series is an engaging and fascinating show to watch in this 2023 year.
FM ratings of this 2023 American thriller series
| FM’s rating | 3.75/5 |
| Rotten Tomatoes ratings as of the date | 75% Tomatometer & 86% Audience Score |
| Critics Consensus / Rotten Tomatoes | Although this show tumbles into one twist too many, Kiefer Sutherland remains compelling in his welcome return to the espionage genre. |
Poster of this 2023 American thriller series
Key details about this 2023 American thriller series
| Genre | Drama, Action, Mystery, Thriller |
| Original language | English (USA) |
| Released | March-May 2023 |
| Season | Season (1) One |
| Episodes | Episodes (8) Eight |
| Creators | Glenn Ficarra & John Requa |
| Cast | Kiefer Sutherland (John Weir), Meta Golding (Hailey Winton), Enid Graham (Josephine ‘Jo’ Madi), Rob Yang (Edward Homm), Charles Dance (Dr. Ben Wilson), Jason Butler Harner (Valence), Alexandra Castillo (Olivia ‘Liv’ Bonen), Maia Jae Bastidas (Eliza Wells), etc. |
| Taglines | Read between the headlines. |
| Network | Paramount+ |
Spoilers Alert – episodes & dialogues from this 2023 American series
Peek into its Eight (8) Episodes of the Season (1) One
Summary
Nothing is what it seems when John Weir, master of corporate espionage, finds himself at the centre of a shadowy conspiracy. After uncovering a dangerous plot by powerful forces with the ability to control populations and subvert democracy, Weir is framed for murder and put on the run, trying to figure out who and what is real in a reality turned upside down.
As a man who deals in mistrust and deception, can John Weir trust a team of unlikely allies to outwit an enemy with deep ties to his past and who’s bent on using our data against us? John Weir must navigate a world of surveillance, misinformation and manipulation to uncover the man at the centre of the plot and stop him before it’s too late.
1. Pilot
After what appears to be another successful day on the job, John Weir’s world is blown to pieces.
2. At Any Given Moment
Triggered by the suicide of his friend and framed for the murder of Edward Homm, Weir tries to piece together what went wrong. The mysterious Hailey is sucked further into Weir’s world as he tries to determine what role she played.
3. The Algorithms of Control
Weir’s traumatic history is brought to light, along with the origin of his friendship with Valence.
4. The Person in Your Ear
Armed with the stolen data from Arda, Weir is in a go-mode to unveil the truth behind Valence’s shocking death and enlists Hailey’s help to exploit a member of Crowley’s network. Homm may finally be ready to cooperate and help find Crowley.
5. Tom
Is there a mole? Weir’s team has been infiltrated, and he pulls out all the stops to locate the security breach.
6. The Playbook
Weir’s relationship with Ben falls prey to his paranoia. Weir connects the dots between Senator Evers and Crowley, and his team make a plan to finally reach Crowley by staging a heist.
7. Gilgamesh
Weir receives a message from Valence, which makes him question everything–including his father.
8. Ace in the Hole
Weir is forced to play his final ace when Crowley’s nefarious psyop to win the support of the Shared Data Act and hijack democracy succeeds. But Crowley’s counter puts both Liv and Ben in mortal danger.
How to take control of a country? {dialogues from this show}
The Algorithms of Control
Dr Ben Wilson (Charles Dance) said these words about 5 Chapters while interacting with Vance (Jason Butler Harner) and John Weir (Kiefer Sutherland) in the show.
The following dialogues were spoken in one of the episodes of the series.
Chapter 1 - undermine the people's faith in media so they begin to doubt the very nature of the truth.
Chapter 2 - polarize factions in the society. When people stop seeing the other side as human, then human rights cease to be an obstacle.
Chapter 3 - marginalize the intelligentsia. If people stop listening to the experts, then they become malleable.
Chapter 4 - elect a candidate under the guise of restoring order. Someone smart. Someone charismatic. But someone who can be controlled.
Chapter 5 (the final chapter) - Now the country is yours. The bottom line is, it is happening right now, a lot faster than I thought it would.
The rigid Caste system in India {dialogues from this show}
Once again Dr Ben Wilson (Charles Dance) said these words about the prevalent caste system in India.
We were in India, in Mumbai, once. We were looking out over the slums. And he said, "They should all be put down like rabid dogs." Then he said, "The one thing this country has got right is the caste system."... "People know their place and they are kept there." He will build the county he has always wanted.
In case you wish to learn more about the caste system in India, then read the article about the caste system in India on BBC News.
Focus on its lead actor Kiefer Sutherland
Award-winning actor Kiefer Sutherland is well known for his intense roles as the counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer in the 24 (2001-2010) series. In addition, in the distant past, he has also done a bunch of well-known movies – The Bay Boy (1984), Young Guns (1988), A Time To Kill (1996), Phone Booth (2002), etc.
| Recognition | Walk of Fame – 2008 Winner Star on the Walk of Fame – Television – On December 9, 2008 |
If you like this political drama from the network Paramount+, then do check out the Mayor Of Kingstown series by Paramount+ too.
Featured & Other Images: Rabbit Hole | Paramount+.
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