Screens/Streaming

Where: Crave
What: Miniseries, 7 episodes, 58 mins
When: Sun., April 14, new episodes weekly
Genre: Historical drama
Rating: NNN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: Based on a powerful, sometimes brutal novel of the same name about a North Vietnamese spy and double agent, The Captain (Hoa Xuande), who comes to America post-Vietnam War to keep an eye on a South Vietnamese general whose entourage he has infiltrated. The novel and the series also flash forward to the Captain’s interment in a Vietnamese “re-education” camp upon his return as well as flashbacks to life during the war.

The miniseries is running in Crave/HBO’s prestigious Sunday night slot, former home of streaming royalty Succession and Game of Thrones, so the streamer has big hopes for The Sympathizer. Unfortunately, it’s not quite in their league; the filmmakers, including Canadian showrunner Don McKeller, have opted to tell the tough tale in an awkwardly quirky manner. From campy soundtrack choices to some over-the-top performances, it feels like self-conscious filmmaking, impressed with its own cleverness. Robert Downey Jr. plays four roles in the series, and the whole exercise just feels like stunt casting _­— “Look what I can do,” the filmmakers seem to scream, often.

The quadruple roles for Downey might have been intended to shake our faith in reality in a series filled with confusing allegiances, but it simply seems contrived and gimmicky and pulls us out of the story. Sandra Oh does a good job as the Captain’s “mature” Stateside girlfriend Sofia Mori, though she feels kind of wasted in the series.

The ’70s art direction is cool and there is plenty of plot to munch on in a decent though not stellar series that pales in comparison to its predecessors in the prestigious time slot.