Dead Man's Switch
It can only get better (or possibly worse) 2025 Edition
I don't know about you, but however old I get and despite not being in school or university for over 20 years I still think of September as the beginning of the year.
So yesterday, which was the last day of work for me and my colleagues until January, felt like the end of term. Chocolates, bubbly and an exhale.
One of the things I used to do at the end of any term was stock up on books and videos (the actual tapes. I'm old) at the library.
So I thought I'd give you some end of term recommendations to watch over the Christmas and New Year break.
The Recruit is an original series led by Noah Centineo who plays hyperactive, trouble prone newbie lawyer Owen Hendrick, who is recruited to work for the CIA. As the series unfolds it gives the impression that CIA lawyers have the toughest jobs in the agency. They are the ones tasked with tidying up both the legal and illegal actions of their spies (and torture robots.)
They navigate a minefield of secrets, rivalries, hierarchies and foreign black sites until the delineation between legal and illegal is pretty fuzzy.
The episode titles in The Recruit are all acronyms. Something it turns out the CIA are known for using internally.
The series starts with I.N.A.S.I.A.L. (I'm Not a Spy, I'm a Lawyer). Next, T.S.L.A.Y.P. (That Sounds Like A You Problem). And my favourite said by Owen's boss when interrogating his underlings, N.L.T.S.Y.P. (Never Let Them See You Pucker). I.e if your fuck up, fix it quickly and don't let anyone know about it. And these lawyers can't help but fuck up, because the reality of the secrets world is it's impossible not to.
As the lowest man on the totem pole Owen is designated to deal with the grey mail - written letters by people who threaten to release government secrets. The letters range from the kookiest conspiracy theorists to the vindictive post break up chancers.
'Hendricks actually unearths one that reads like a legitimately serious letter from a female prisoner in Phoenix, Arizona. She wants to be released or she’s threatening to give up the black ops intel she knows. [...] Which thrusts the green lawyer into the field with essentially no help, hostile people trying to hurt him at every location, and everyone being one step ahead of him. His only ally – and that’s really questionable – is that prisoner, Max Meladze (Laura Haddock). She sees Henricks as a malleable asset through which she can demand, and threaten blackmail, for her release. '
The second season takes Owen to South Korea. Where once again the CIA have fucked up and are being blackmailed into doing something which they should do willingly anyway.
내 소셜 미디어 계정을 또 해킹해서는 안 됐어. 어쨌든 이제 끝났어.
Here the antagonist, NIS (South Korea's National Intelligence Service) operative Jang Kyun Kim employs a tactic (or trope) known as a Dead Man's switch.
Now if you are interested in spy stories you will have come across this trope in either books, TV or films before. For the uninitiated, a Dead Man's Switch is a backup plan in case of untimely death or incapacitation, used as a threat to protect the protagonist/antagonist. If that person dies or fails to issue some form of communication within a set period of time, the plan goes into action automatically, making it in the interests of the threatening party to not harm that person.
I myself as an erstwhile investigative journalist have a Dead Man's Switch. Every journalist and spy probably should. After all we are two sides of the same coin with bosses who couldn't care less.
If it isn't obvious, I love a good spy film/TV series, and The Recruit scratches a few itches. For one, there are some really terrible, skilled, and violent women in it. I support women's rights and wrongs.
Lebanon has always been somewhere that I hope to visit and in episode 3, Hendricks and his colleague Lester travel to Beirut, for a mission.
As they ride in a local taxi, Lester shares with Hendricks his love for Beirut and all that the city has to offer.
According to Lester, Beirut is the perfect place for skiing in the morning and swimming in the Mediterranean Sea during lunch, with the added bonus of experiencing the delicious and historic Lebanese food.
Lester also highlights the city’s vibrant nightlife, noting that people from all over the world flock to Beirut to experience its party scene. He quotes the phrase, “nobody does live and let live like the Lebanese” which speaks to the resilience and generosity of the Lebanese people. In fact, Lester comments that the average Lebanese person would give you the shirt off their back.
Also The Recruit has the most diverse cast for a series that isn't about racism that Netflix has ever commissioned.
Here are a few other spy story recommendations for your Christmas viewing:
Films
- Three Days of the Condor (1975)
- Enemy of the State (1998)
TV Series
- The Game (2014)
- Black Doves (2024)
- The Bureau (2015)
- Homeland, Season 4 (2015)
Enjoy!
Here are my most read articles of 2025:
Merry Christmas, Peace on Earth, Goodwill to some Men and have a Happy and Fulfilling New Year!