The Agency Season 1, Episode 3, “Hawk from a Handsaw,” asks the audience to work hard. After a two-episode premiere that laid the groundwork for low-key spy work, the Paramount+ series with Showtime has stilted conversations and just whispers about character development. Coyote is no longer on the reservation, Martian is having parental issues, and his girlfriend continues to be elusive. It goes against the grain of spy thrillers by giving viewers almost nothing to work with.

In this episode, the drama feels like something that happens to other people. The show’s creators, Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, play a dangerous game of poker with people. The Agency relies on the star power of Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright and Richard Gere to keep people listening. There’s no denying the production quality of the series, but it has to offer more than just great design and a secret storyline. There are at least some glimmers of hope ahead.

The Agency Season 1, Episode 3 is all smoke and mirrors

Emotion is rare during this episode

The Agency Season 1, Episode 3 might just be the most elusive spy thriller ever made. There are so many subplots set up that tracking in the coming weeks will almost certainly prove problematic. Not because some of them are obvious, engaging, or even dynamic, but because they happen so far under the radar. Reading between the lines of the dialogue is a requirement of the audience, who spend their time grasping at straws to try to decipher the meaning of furtive glances. Emotions are practically under house arrest.

The end result is that the entire episode feels devoid of any joy. Sodium light strips do their best to illuminate the interior, while fortified soundproof booths add to the oppression projected by clinical behavior. The ripple effect is tangible, as almost everyone seems to be acting in a straitjacket. Richard Gere’s character Bosko walks around with a frown so serious that the Hollywood legend is almost unrecognizable. Jeffrey Wright carries a weight on his shoulders equal to that of Henry Ogletree. The characters’ desire to keep everything professional sets the tone for Episode 3, making it difficult for the audience to gain an emotional footing.

This stoic approach also undermines the good intentions of a storyline that addresses Ukraine’s unrest. “Hawk From a Handsaw” explores the subject through the eyes of those under fire, in a country still adjusting to war. Unfortunately, so little is said about their situation – even when the audience joins them behind enemy lines – that their plight lacks emotional anchor. However, within these few brief scenes is one of the best parts of the episode. Far from the doldrums of an American embassy weighed down by secrets it is too afraid to share, the series finally finds a little passion.

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Michael Fassbender’s Martian breaks the quintessential spy mold

The agency is James Bond without the glamor

In a crucial scene between Martien and Dr. Sami Zahir where dialogue is sparse, but their emotions are at their peak, a version of Joseph Heller’s iconic novel Catch-22 is visible on the screen. This homage to one of the most satirical films in history gives audiences their first clue that The Agency I might have something else to say. Something precious, because right now, the series is supported by the performance of Michael Fassbender as Martian.

Martien’s motives are open to interpretation, and the fact that he is hiding the truth from everyone raises further questions. Only his relationship with his daughter Poppy hints at humanity. Even though Fassbender appears to operate in a neutral mode on screen, there’s clearly a lot going on beneath the surface. This counters the suave James Bond spy trope, as The Agency systematically removes anything glamorous from Martian’s work. On the other hand, Martian’s girlfriend Sami, an academic visiting London with her own agenda.

Jodie Turner-Smith’s character went relatively unnoticed – a flashback here, an illicit affair in London there, then a few whispered moments between Sami and Martian to increase the mystique. Episode 3 doesn’t do much to burst that bubble or shed any light on his motivations. The public wonders who might be pursuing her and why. While Martian may change the audience’s expectations of spies, there is an equally great frustration that the audience feels unable to understand Sami or what is happening to him. His story is a great example of how The Agency has a hard time keeping people listening, as their patience with such vague plots might eventually wear thin.

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The Agency Season 1, Episode 3 lacks a clear director

The TV show desperately needs to pick up the pace

The Agency seemed destined to be a big hit due to its A-list cast. What Season 1, Episode 3, “Hawk from a Handsaw,” shows is how hard the show’s creators tried to move away from convention. This is not a slick action thriller with slick set pieces. Instead, John-Henry and Jez Butterworth achieved something much more introspective. “Hawk From a Handsaw” is about clandestine meetings, characters with countless agendas and hard-hitting political relevance. This is entertainment with a conscience that has something to say about the world viewers currently live in.

But first the series has to get there. Season 1, Episode 3 struggles with pacing issues and this lack of emotional connection – both when the characters interact with each other and in terms of the connection between the characters and the audience. The inability of viewers to invest in the characters also makes the absence of vital information even harder to swallow. There’s still a lot of potential in the episode, but it also casts doubt on where the series is headed and when it will actually reach its destination.

Executive producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov are no strangers to controversial topics, having previously adapted Catch-22 for television. Neither gets involved in a project lightly. But the series’ stripped-down aesthetic left audiences without a point of reference. The pacing and slow performances, even from Michael Fassbender, make the third installment a tough sell. There’s a solid, thought-provoking series somewhere in here that’s fighting to get out, but audiences might not stick around long enough to see it.

The Agency broadcasts on Fridays Paramount+ with Showtimeand airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. on Showtime.