To recap, The Night Agent season 2 is focused on the Bala crime family’s terrorist attack on the United Nations building in New York City. Peter Sutherland and Night Action work throughout the season to track an information sale to the buyer, entering a web of factions including the Iranian embassy, a broker named Jacob Monroe, and the Bala family. Several new characters, like Noor (Arienne Mandi), are introduced to the narrative and have critical roles to play surrounding the unraveling conspiracy, with Rose fitting in where she can.
Rose Felt Out Of Place In The Night Agent Season 2 (After Being Great In Season 1)
Rose Was Disconnected From The Night Agent Season 2’s Plot
First, it’s worth mentioning that The Night Agent season 1 is based on a book, and Peter and Rose’s roles in the story are drawn directly from the source material. The Night Agent season 2 is fresh material, and it does a decent job of capturing the multi-layered, high-stakes conspiracy aspect of the original novel. However, a major element that’s missing is that Rose is no longer central to the story. She’s important in season 1 because of her relationship with her uncle and aunt, who were directly tied to the central mystery.
Their bond wasn’t just a B-plot; it was tied directly to the story.
From that launch-off point, Peter and Rose are in the first season’s mission together, involved in a situation way over both of their heads, which allows them to form a naturally compelling chemistry and romantic interest. Their bond wasn’t just a B-plot; it was tied directly to the story. In season 2, Rose has almost nothing to do with anything that’s happening, and her involvement feels contrived. She’s there to add emotional stakes to Peter’s story while she flip-flops back and forth every episode in what she wants, ultimately ending the season at a similar place to where she started.
The Night Agent Season 2 Wasted Its Best Rose Replacement In Episode 1
Alice Could Have Been Rose’s Mentor & The Main Night Action Agent Of Season 2
The Night Agent season 2’s opening sequence introduced Alice, a Night Action agent played by Brittany Snow. Despite having decent chemistry with Peter and being an interesting development, she’s killed off almost instantly and is barely used in the season’s flashbacks. Having Alice directly replace Rose might have infringed upon the central romance dynamic of the series, but having her around might have helped Rose develop authentically in multiple ways. One of Rose’s biggest issues is she’s not directly part of Night Action, which raises questions about why she’s involved in top-secret missions.
Keeping Alice around for the season would have provided Rose with a more direct mentor, one whom she’s not emotionally involved with. Alice could have taken the role of Peter’s primary Night Action partner in season 2, allowing Rose to be involved from a more believable angle. Having Alice’s death in the season finale after a season of training and mentorship for Rose would have made both of them ultimately more impactful characters.
How The Night Agent Season 3 Can Save Rose’s Character
Rose Needs To Join Night Action
The Night Agent season 2 ending saw Peter and Rose disconnected once again, but everyone knows they’re going to wind up involved in another mission together for season 3. A compelling way to handle this, rather than Rose being brought directly back on as an additional helper like she was in season 2, could be for Night Action to recruit her directly. Instead of going to Peter, Catherine Weaver could bring Rose on for training and a mission that would be suited to her particular skill set.
With Peter seemingly going undercover to work with Jacob Monroe, having Rose work for Night Action would create an interesting, almost Mr. and Mrs. Smith-like dynamic where they’re both involved but don’t know what the other is doing. Rather than bringing them back together instantly, keeping them separated for a while in The Night Agent season 3, working on alternate angles of the same mission, and unraveling crucial information separately could allow them to join together toward the end of the season more effectively.
