The Veil Series Premiere Review: Elisabeth Moss Anchors a Taut Thriller

“The Queen of Peak TV” strikes again.

Suffice it to say, The Veil Season 1 Episode 1 and The Veil Season 1 Episode 2 was a tour de force in acting, writing, and dialogue.

Elisabeth Moss’s streak of delivering must-see TV is at an all-time high with this thriller series. There is almost no doing justice to how incredibly crafted this story is.

Even with the bar set to stratospheric, The Veil exceeded expectations by introducing audiences to the presence that is Imogen Salter.

Tomas: Everything will be completed once we get to Berlin and you have been invaluable.Imogen: Thank you, Tomas. I don’t think you’ll feel the same in a moment when Interpol arrives, though.Tomas: What are you talking about? Who are you?Imogen: I’m the person who has recorded and memorized every move you’ve made and every word you’ve said for the last 37 days.

Within minutes of the first episode, her quick wit and undeniable strength are on full display, wrapped in a chic, tailor-made skirt and jacket. Serving up justice with a side of looks.

And while her strength and confidence are undeniable, it’s her irresistible charm that is truly transfixing.

She somehow seamlessly delivers the sweetest smile while cutting deep with her sharp tongue. And sometimes a knife as well.

Oddly enough, the closest comparison that can be made of a similar well-rounded character would be Buffy Summers.

And while that is a very deep callback, the parallels are astoundingly obvious.

Both characters are strong and powerful. Confident and capable. Yet sweet and vulnerable. Sharp and intuitive. And, yes, both have light eyes and blonde hair. Eye roll.

Still, Imogen Salter is not one you want to mess with as she has taken down men twice her size without breaking a sweat or missing a beat.

However, it’s possible she may have met her match and doesn’t even realize it yet.

Right after Miss Salter’s introduction, we meet the enigmatic and endearing Adilah El Idrissi played by Yumna Marwan.

Within minutes of being on the screen, the character is very nearly killed, but after watching the first two episodes in their entirety, it’s hard to imagine a woman with her rough edges and skills being taken down so easily.

Her dark demeanor and narrowed gaze compliment Imogen’s constant smiles and positive attitude in a pairing not dissimilar to Wednesday Addams and Enid Sinclair in Wednesday. It’s a random comparison, sure, but it’s still accurate.

Imogen: I speak French.Adilah: Yes, but your accent is very bad.

The one thing this show has solidified is that nothing is as it seems.

On the one hand, Adilah could very well be a high-ranking ISIS operative, but the instant connection and chemistry between Adilah and Imogen makes you hope that is not the case.

Imogen: How can anyone disapprove of belly dancing?Adilah: How can you care so much about my opinion on belly dancing?

But as well as these two women get along, there is no doubt that a physical fight between them could very easily lead to either’s death.

An ISIS commander and an MI6 agent traveling by bus together to Paris. The whole thing could be Thelma & Louise by the end of it.

Speaking of odd pairings, the show’s two most prominent male characters so far, Malik Amar of French intelligence and Max Peterson of the United States government, could possibly kill each other before Imgogen and Adilah have their first real fight.

Played by two remarkable actors, Dali Benssalah and Josh Charles, both characters work with each other for an unexpectedly comedic dynamic.

They literally fought in an airport in full view of the public within minutes of meeting each other before being separated.

To Malik’s defense, in the few scenes in which Max has been featured, he has utilized that screen time to embody everything about Americans that the rest of the world hates.

He’s pompous, arrogant, and downright rude. But beneath all that, he’s also a nationalist.

The most American American America has ever produced.

Magritte

By comparison, he is the complete opposite of Imogen in almost every way. Where she is charismatic and cunning, he is obnoxious and barrels in like a bull in a china shop.

Well, maybe someone would’ve contacted you guys but we are told by command not to try to reach French intelligence between midday and three because they’ll be at lunch.

Max

However, by the end of “Crossing the Bridge,” it was made clear that neither the DGSE nor the U.S. government believed that Adilah was a threat any longer.

So, the handsome French agent may be in the clear of that headache only to be replaced with another in the form of Imogen’s suspicions.

As the MI6 agent seems to be one step ahead of everyone else, viewers are inclined to believe her instincts regarding Adilah.

Especially if the last scene of a mysterious man retrieving a note from a book Adilah had been reading earlier in the episode is to be taken into account.

Funnily enough, it’s Imogen who seems to be the most mysterious, as flashbacks indicate a colorful and intriguing past.

On more than one occasion, she has mentioned not having a child yet every time a discussion lands on children, it’s as though she goes to a different place for a moment.

A mother should never have to lose her child.

Imogen

Adilah may be the most wanted woman in the world, but something tells me she can’t hold a candle to the secrets surrounding Salter.

Whatever the case may be, the one guarantee is that audiences are in for a wild ride and may very well be begging for more by the end of this limited series.

How long do you think either woman will be able to keep their secrets and agendas hidden from one another?

How will Max react when he inevitably discovers that Imogen is still investigating Adilah?

Drop a comment below and let us know! Be sure to join us again when we recap and review the next episode!

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Joshua Pleming is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. You can follow him on X.