Warning: The article contains spoilers for The Night Agent season 1.The Night Agent showrunner Shawn Ryan reveals there was a lot of debate about how to pull off the shocking deaths in the Netflix series. A political thriller, based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Quirk, focuses on a low-level FBI agent named Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) and how his life changes after he accepts a call that plunges him into a paranoid conspiracy that reaches the White House. That formula has led to a lot of success, including a quick renewal for The Night Agent season 2.

In an interview with TVLine, Ryan revealed there was a fair bit of debate on how to order the deaths. Ryan, who also created the hit Netflix series, said there were conversations about who should die first between Ellen (Eve Harlow) and Dale (Phoenix Raei). The showrunner mentions that there were mixed feelings about killing off Erik (D.B. Woodside). Read his quote below:

"Oh, man…. There was a lot of debate about who should go first, Dale or Ellen, and we actually wrote some pages where it was Ellen who’s dying at the end of [Episode] 6 and Dale survives, but ultimately we came back to that. It was always a question of, “What’s the better story for Peter and Rose?” So, there was some debate about that.

Yeah. Ultimately that’s where we landed, but it was a question.

I would say that there were a lot of mixed feelings about killing Erik at the end of Episode 8 — like, “Does he have to die?” And so we talked about that. We also talked about, “Does Diane Farr live or die when she gets shot in Episode 10?” We had certain things from the book that we wanted to hold to. Like, Hawkins’ death is a great twist in the book, and we preserved that for the end of Episode 2."

Why The Villians In Night Agent Work So Well

The Night Agent got off to a strong start, gaining positive reviews for a type of show that is often enjoyable but rarely results in glowing recommendations. Part of what helped the show stand out is that it wasn't only focused on Peter, his mission, paranoia, and conflicted loyalties. Ryan spends time building up Ellen and Dale, the story's villains, giving them a sense of interiority and something to strive for. This is a narrative luxury typically provided to protagonists.

The Night Agent makes changes, but it's notable in how it makes a conscious effort to humanize the antagonist couple. Ellen may be an immensely skilled hired gun, but she just as much wants to settle down with the person she loves. Dale may be ruthless when it comes to his job, but he has a soft spot for Ellen. This is a break from other political thrillers, which is very traditional in which characters it chooses to humanize. That makes their deaths matter just that little bit more.

The Night Agent is also unique, as Ryan mentions in the same interview because it doesn't feature big stars. Hong Chau, who plays Diane, is far more well-known now due to her Oscar nomination for The Whale and her scene-stealing performance in The Menu, but that wasn't the case when she was cast. Though both Harlow and Raei are familiar TV presences, they were able to disappear into their respective roles. With the show becoming a significant hit for Netflix, it'll be interesting to see whether any big names fill the void of the characters that had to die in season 1.

Source: TVLine