The Writings of John Ryan Sullivan

Due to a recent snow storm I have found myself, for the first time in four years, running each morning on my treadmill. Since moving to Long Island I have been enjoying the milder winters, the lack of snow and ice, and the reality of running outdoors year round.

It turns out a foot of snow, poorly plowed roads and neighbors who think shoveling snow into the street is a form of protest means outdoor exercise is not possible. I am, again, astounded by human beings. The plows aren’t intentionally blocking people’s driveways…that’s just how plows work.

I digress. I am writing today because due to my time back on the treadmill I have found myself watching treadmill appropriate television shows and movies. Typically I watch things I have seen before as my focus is split and I want something engaging and entertaining where I can look at my feet every so often. At night I tend to watch more artistic, esoteric or slower-paced things and give them my full attention.

Which is how I came to watch Marvel’s Secret Invasion in the mornings and Netflix’s Zero Day at night. Which at first, struck me as an odd pairing but the moreI watched the more I came to realize these shows are quite similar.

(Ahead are spoilers for both shows)

As the name implies Secret Invasion is focused on a group of Skrulls (shape-shifting aliens) who have secretly infiltrated governments, the media and other things, in order to provoke military conflicts and sow discord. The purpose being to hasten the end of humanity on earth so that Skrulls can stop hiding in plain sight and have a place to live.

Our hero is Nick Fury, former head of S.H.I.E.L.D., current resident of a space station that is part of S.A.B.E.R. and played by Samuel L. Jackson. Fury returns to Earth after getting wind of an attack and a possible conspiracy threatening the safety of mankind.

Zero Day is the story of a cyber attack on America that leads to a commission with extraordinary powers (it is not constrained by most laws that govern the country) being formed to find those responsible for the attack.

Heading the commission is a beloved former president known for his integrity and appeal to Democrats and Republicans alike. Former president Mullen is played by Robert De Niro and is, largely inscrutable.

Secret Invasion has the paranoia and panache of a spy thriller coupled with the incredulity and paranoia of a sci-fi bodysnatchers film. It is an interesting blend of these genres and at the center is a character everyone reminds of us, continually, who is a bit older and less formidable than we saw him last.

Zero Day is a gritty, reality-based thriller with a mentally unstable main character. Which when you discover the show is directed by Leslie Linka Glatter (who was a director and producer on the show Homeland) makes a lot of sense. In the first episode we discover Mullen is experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations and angry outbursts due to the confusion they create.

While the question of whether Fury is up to the task of tackling shape-shifting aliens on his own is asked, several times, the explanation offered for him handling things alone is a bit thin (“It’s my mess.” “What if the Skrulls get control of an avenger?” “We can’t rely on super people for all our problems.”). The problem, which keeps being raised but is never properly addressed with the Marvel shows, is why do we have regular people trying to handle superhero problems?

Mullen’s mental stability and the reason for his episodes is noted, questioned and tested. As we progress in the story theories are formed, solutions proposed and tests administered. Somewhere in the middle the matter seems to be sorted only for it to re-emerge at the end. When it does Mullen, who is not certain of the source gives us the less than comforting question – “does it matter?” and the show carries on as though it does not.

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What I enjoy about Secret Invasion, which is think is a good television show, is getting to spend so much time with Samuel L. Jackson. Should he be handling this matter on his own? Probably not. Would it have been more enjoyable if we didn’t have everyone and their mother questioning whether he is capable of solving the issue? Yes, it certainly would have.

That being said it’s a treat to watch him take what was essentially a cameo in multiple films and get to flesh out this enigmatic character. While we know and love Mr. Jackson for his explosive monologues and larger-than-life characters, it is always a treat to see him play the subtleties and nuances of a character because he is an extremely talented actor (and if you’d like to see more him doing this in a television show may I suggest – The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey).

When I first watched Secret Invasion I inwardly called it a ‘talking show’ because the moments that stood out in my memory were dialog scenes. Fury and Talos on the train leaving Russia in particular. Watching this again it is surprising to see how many large, action pieces there are in the show. I would argue that Secret Invasion is as balanced as most of the Marvel films in terms of having dialog-heavy scenes and large set pieces.

Zero Day, while having some similarities to Homeland differs in there is no globe-trotting. Most of the story takes place in three locations, Mullen’s home in upstate New York, the commission’s office in Manhattan and various locations in Washington, DC. There is a great deal of travel between these three locations, in particular by Mullen’s daughter, who is a member of congress.

She appears to sleep and spend a great deal of time in her Manhattan apartment, traveling daily to and from Washington, DC (which confuses me in a practical way but also in a plot-centric way). Although her character is important to the story being told, Alexandra Mullen, is not necessarily a central character.

Which is similar to the big reveal of Secret Invasion, which is that not only is Fury married but his wife is a Skrull. So much of their story is about the distance between them as he disappeared in The Blip and she did not. Apparently after un-blipping he went to his space station and did not spend much time with the love of his life (who no one else knows about so perhaps it more of a keeping a secret thing than I need to go to outer space to have some time alone thing).

Which is another similarity between these men as De Niro’s character, Mullen, has a lovely and devoted wife (played by Joan Allen) that he keeps his hallucinations from. They have something like a partnership, both personally and professionally and it is made clear throughout that he values her advice.

Which is why, when we get to the conclusion of Zero Day, after chasing numerous leads and theories as to who carried out the attack – when Mullen chooses to not take his wife’s advice we are not shocked but still upset. It turns out (MAJOR SPOILER HERE) that members of the US government were in fact responsible for the Zero Day attack.

AND IT TURNS OUT – that former president Mullen’s daughter, a congressperson who has been assigned to the oversight committee for the Zero Day commission, is part of the group who formulated and carried out the plot.

I’ve gone back and forth here because it was fun to do so but obviously these are different shows. The premise of one is that shape-shifting aliens can be anywhere and that the bad ones are doing bad things utilizing this ability. Zero Day is concerned with finding the terrorists and bringing them to justice.

Yet at the center are two, somewhat similar characters who find themselves attempting tasks they may not be capable of completing. Both have complicated family situations, unshakable moral codes and questionable pasts.

Fury has a group of aliens upset with him as he promised to find them a new planet to inhabit. Mullen has a sullen daughter and a former chief-of-staff he fathered a child out of wedlock with. I suppose what I am getting at here is that even though the world is in peril the men have interpersonal issues that need to be resolved.

With Secret Invasion the conclusion is finding some way to stop the bad people from doing the bad things. It is, arguably, the weakest point of the show. For this Fury relies on the daughter of his buddy Talos, whose name is G’iah, who has purposefully become one of two “super Skrulls”. Watching the show I think this story works and I think we can all agree we love Emilia Clarke. It’s just we went from ‘normal guy solves problem’ to ‘two super beings have a big fight’ in the same show (after enduring many conversations as to why the normal guy won’t enlist the help of his super buddies).

The conclusion of Zero Day is about the moral quandary Mullen finds himself in. Those closest to him offer advice about revealing some (but not all) of the truth. His wife wants him to spare their daughter as they have already lived through the death of a child. The president asks him to not name names in order to protect the country and help her claim a second term.

While the ending of Zero Day is thematically more rewarding than Secret Invasion it is, ultimately, a lesser ending. Mullen stays true to himself and to the truth, naming names – including his daughter. But many of the other threads that run through the show – is there a secret government weapon capable of inducing the symptoms he’s been experiencing and if so who is using it? What exactly is going on with the bird feeder and the device he found in it? Are Mullen and his wife able to move past this? What happened to his buddy from Mossad who gave him crucial information that Mullen could never recall? Are never answered.

Whereas yes, the bad Skrulls are stopped and yes, the people they body-snatched are found and released. But more importantly, the central relationship that takes you by surprise, Fury and his wife, is the note the show ends on.

Maybe I’m a romantic or, perhaps, interpersonal stories trump all with me. Whatever the case I watch things with people because I want to get invested and care about the people. So if you make a show and the conclusion offers little about the people I spent six episodes with and what comes next it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I think Zero Day is a good show. I think, like Homeland, with just a little nudge it could have been a much better show. The same goes for Secret Invasion. We get a taste that G’iah will be working MI5 and potentially ensuring that the remaining Skrulls are okay. But it’s a bit vague and given how many other shows and movies have come out since and none have touched on this it’s possible that all of this will be forgotten (or not shown onscreen).

If there is anything I have learned from watching these shows together and then writing about them it’s this – false flag operations are really popular in television shows (Hiya Diplomat!).

Oh and that we live at a time where Samuel L. Jackson and Robert De Niro are the leads of television shows. It’s incredible.