Warning! SPOILERS about The Night Agent season 1 ahead.The Night Agent season 1 was made better by the unusual partnership at the center of the story, which the Netflix political thriller’s ending made impossible for The Night Agent season 2 were it to happen. Like many other fast-paced political thrillers, The Night Agent pulled many shocking twists and turns with its multiple traitors and surprising reveals. However, despite having a low-ranking FBI agent as the thriller TV show’s protagonist Peter, it also had a civilian that was just as much involved in the action in the character of Rose. Their partnership made The Night Agent stand out because of how often they both helped each other out.
Peter’s job as a low-ranking FBI officer who answered to both the Chief of Staff and the FBI deputy director put him in a unique position, especially considering his father’s past as a traitorous FBI agent. However, The Night Agent season 1 ending with Peter being promoted to night agent greatly changes his role, not only because he wouldn’t appear as the rogue agent defending himself from his superiors, but also because his job would entail very different things and stricter rules. Given how showrunner Shawn Ryan confirmed each The Night Agent season to “tell its own, mostly self-enclosed, a beginning, middle and end story,” what made season 1 special will unlikely be replicated in The Night Agent season 2.
Peter's Promotion Means He'll Have Less Leeway To Do Things His Way
While Peter’s promotion to night agent means a potential The Night Agent season 2 will see him in the field doing what he’s best at, it also means that Peter will have much less room to improvise, given he will have to follow orders more meticulously. The Night Agent season 1 saw Peter’s priorities shift toward doing whatever he could to unmask the real culprits and uncover the truth, even if he would have otherwise followed orders to a fault. Instead, becoming an actual night agent would make Peter not only an agent with an objective, but also someone actively representing the hero of the story rather than someone falsely accused.
Peter's stricter rules also mean The Night Agent season 2 can't incorporate Rose’s active involvement in the story. While Rose could still be Peter’s romantic interest, her tech background made her indispensable for the discovery of the truth behind the DC metro bombing and the impending terrorist attacks in The Night Agent season 1. Without Rose’s proactive approach to solving the mystery, Peter would have stopped at protecting her, as that was what was asked of him. Their unusual partnership brought the best out of each other, but Peter’s new role as night agent could never include the support of a civilian like their rogue investigation did.
The Night Agent S2 Makes Peter A More Conventional Spy
The Night Agent season 1 proved a perfect origin story, as it introduced Peter as the protagonist, establishing his strong values and his fixation over the truth behind the treason accusations against his father, while also depicting the path that brought him legitimacy. Having obtained the night agent position in The Night Agent season 1 finale nevertheless means that whatever his mission is in a potential The Night Agent season 2, Peter’s role will be much different, making him more conventionally a spy instead of a low-level operative hungry for the truth. This would essentially change Peter’s duties and the nature of The Night Agent as season 1 established it.