In The Veil, Elisabeth Moss portrays Imogen Salter, an English operative collaborating with the French government to thwart a potential terrorist strike by building rapport with a woman (Yumna Marwan as Adilah) who may or may not have ties to ISIS. The dynamic between them resembles a journey, but instead of a romantic entanglement, they engage in psychological maneuvers to decipher each other's intentions.
The wonderful supporting cast includes Josh Charles as Max and Dali Benssalah as Malik, alongside Haluk Bilginer, Alec Secareanu, Thibault de Montalembert, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, James Purefoy, Joana Ribeiro, Phill Langhorne, Dan Wyllie, and Aron von Andrian.
Imogen's liaison at the Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) is Malik, with whom she shares a complex history, adding a layer of uncertainty to the entire mission. The planned terrorist attack, its target, the motives of both Imogen and the suspected terrorist Adilah, as well as the geopolitical context, remain shrouded in ambiguity.
This lack of clarity drives the tension in the premiere. We witness Imogen's adeptness at infiltrating a refugee camp on the Syrian/Turkish border and orchestrating the escape of the world's most wanted woman, Adilah. Moreover, Imogen's immediate deviation from orders once they flee the camp raises suspicions about her true intentions.
What are Imogen's motives regarding Adilah? Does she indeed transport her to Istanbul instead of the French camp in Edip Koyu to gain her confidence, as she asserts, or does she harbor ulterior motives? If the latter scenario is true, are these motives intertwined with Imogen's hinted-at backstory, glimpsed in brief and enigmatic flashbacks throughout the initial two episodes?
It's almost reminicient of Killing Eve in a way, two women playing cat and mouse and it's not always clear who has an advantage or who is setting a trap for the other.
Adilah's claim that she's merely an ordinary woman who made regrettable choices is juxtaposed with the suspicion that she might be Sabaine Al Kubaisi, known as the Djinn of Al Raqqa, an ISIS commander and a globally sought-after figure, as perceived by the GDSE. Adilah asserts that this confusion stems from her efforts to intervene in the recurring abuse of women in Al Raqqa, Syria, where her objections were misconstrued as commands. However, certainty eludes anyone regarding her true identity and intentions.
A facet of Adilah's past involves her being the mother of a young girl whom she was compelled to leave in Paris when she was transported to Syria. This assertion is validated by an American operative, Max Peterson, who arranges for the temporary abduction of the girl to conduct a DNA comparison with Adilah. It's established that Adilah is indeed the girl's mother. However, this revelation doesn't definitively rule out the possibility of her involvement in terrorist activities.
As the authorities lean towards the notion that Adilah may not be the Djinn of Al Raqqa, Imogen becomes increasingly convinced of the opposite. Thus, the fundamental conflict arises: who holds the truth, who errs, and who is who? At this juncture, definitive answers remain elusive. However, if the initial two episodes of The Veil serve as any indication, the journey to uncover the truth promises to be an intriguing one.
