Major spoilers for Netflix’s The Night Agent are present in the following story, so read at your own risk.
One of the latest releases on Netflix’s 2023 TV schedule, The Night Agent has become a runaway hit for the streamer. As we speak, the milestone-reaching political thriller is still high on the platform’s trending list, and a second season is already on the way. Much of the show’s success can be credited to its creator and EP, Shawn Ryan, who’s best known for creating The Shield, S.W.A.T. and other notable law enforcement dramas. The veteran producer spins an intriguing yarn with his adaptation of Matthew Quirk’s 2019 novel of the same name – one that included some major character deaths. Interestingly enough, Ryan has now revealed that one demise almost played out differently.
The Night Agent sees the characters of Peter Sutherland and Rose Larkin pursued by various antagonistic forces, as they seek to uncover a far-reaching conspiracy. Vice President Ashley Redfield and Chief of Staff Diane Farr are in on the plan, which involves the assassination of a foreign leader and the U.S. President. To keep Peter and Rose from learning the truth, the White House officials align themselves with a military contractor named Gordon Wick – who sends assassins Dale and Ellen to eliminate the two fugitives.
Dale ultimately closes in on Rose and Peter in Episode 6, “Fathoms,” but the two are able to kill him. Devastated after finding his body, Ellen – who was also Dale’s lover – vows revenge. She’d eventually meet her own fate in the eighth episode when Rose pushes her off a crane. As it turns out though, this wasn’t always the plan. Shawn Ryan revealed to TVLine that Ellen nearly went first:
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.
The two were ruthless (and even went as far as to steal a baby as part of a ruse), but some may have felt a bit sorry for Ellen when she was left to mourn her partner. Unlike Dale, she was eager to step away from their violent life and start a family. It’s for that reason that TVLine’s interviewer opined that it was probably best that he went first. Shawn Ryan and co. also had to consider a number of other deaths – including that of Secret Service agent Erik Monks, who died by Ellen’s hand in Episode 8. On handling this aspect of the show, Ryan said:
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.
The two were ruthless (and even went as far as to steal a baby as part of a ruse), but some may have felt a bit sorry for Ellen when she was left to mourn her partner. Unlike Dale, she was eager to step away from their violent life and start a family. It’s for that reason that TVLine’s interviewer opined that it was probably best that he went first. Shawn Ryan and co. also had to consider a number of other deaths – including that of Secret Service agent Erik Monks, who died by Ellen’s hand in Episode 8. On handling this aspect of the show, Ryan said:
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.
All in all, the super producer was able to avoid any death-related narrative traps while crafting the show. And based on what he’s said about The Night Agent Season 2 so far, he’ll look to do the same moving forward. Those new episodes aren’t set to debut until 2024, so there’s plenty of time to speculate about who might meet a tragic end down the road.
The Night Agent is now available to anyone with a Netflix subscription and, if you’ve already finished it, head on over to CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule for info on other series.