It's always exciting what casting additions for new seasons of hit shows are announced. Before cameras start rolling, you learn about which exciting stars will be joining the cast of your favorite show and who they will be playing. There's so much expectation and anticipation attached to envisioning these characters and stars coming into these established worlds.
The Night Agent fans had that exact experience when news broke that established talents like Amanda Warren (East New York), Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect), and Arienne Mandi (The L Word: Generation Q) among others would be on board for the highly anticipated second season of the breakout smash Netflix original action thriller series.
Unfortunately, after watching The Night Agent season 2, we learn about the unfortunate fate of one of the aforementioned actress' characters very early. To put it bluntly, the show made a terrible mistake by killing off a potential fan-favorite character that had so much chemistry with both Gabriel Basso and his character Peter. But there's a way this wrong can be remedied in season 3.
WARNING: Major The Night Agent season 2 spoilers beyond this point!
The Night Agent season 2 did Brittany Snow dirty
In the opening sequence of The Night Agent season 2, Peter and his Night Action partner Alice are tracking a mark in Bangkok when the operation goes wrong fast. Somehow, their covers are blown and they are being tracked to their extraction location, leading to the sudden and shocking death of Alice. If you're wondering if she's really alive, no... She's dead.
Snow only appears in two episodes of The Night Agent season 2 as Alice: in the opening action sequence of episode 1 and the opening flashback sequence in episode 2. In both of those scenes, it's maddeningly apparent how much chemistry she and Basso have and the potential that was taken away from the season, the characters, and the viewers.
When Snow's casting in season 2 was announced, the scope of her role wasn't immediately known. Sure, we knew that she would play Peter's partner and that she wouldn't be a series regular (maybe that was the giveaway?), but we didn't know how big of a role she would have. But as Peter's partner, the assumption is that she has a rather large role in the season, right?
Maybe it's a case of expectations that were too high, but it's disappointing that The Night Agent landed a star as talented and famous as Brittany Snow and killed her off in episode 1. It's even more disappointing to learn that she was a finalist in the running for the role of Rose prior to season 1, and when she ended up on the show, this was what she got. Not even a full arc!
There's a scene where Peter and Catherine spread Alice's ashes, so she's definitely dead. But this is a television show and anything can happen. There's always a way to bring a character back from the dead. It's as easy as saying the enemies faked her death and held her captive. They're using her for their own agenda, which Peter learns about in season 3. Boom, we're back in business.
However, if that's a little too far fetched, there's always the potential of bringing Brittany Snow back for a spinoff of The Night Agent that follows Alice's backstory and adventures in the field. Obviously, that wouldn't give us any scenes (or a potential romance) with Peter, but it's doing right by Alice and Snow and also expanding The Night Agent universe, which Netflix has to be looking into anyway.
Maybe now that the season's released, we'll learn more about creator Shawn Ryan's intentions behind casting Snow, killing off Alice so early, and whether anything could be in the works for the future. Until we find out, all we have is frustration over the egregious death of a character that could have been one of the best of the show so far.
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