Zero Day Finale Recap: Up in Flames

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The conclusion to our month-long hunt for the criminals responsible for the horrific massacre has fallen flat: The surprising reveal that Dreyer and Alex were involved in the conspiracy, which was such a creative twist in the last episode, was disappointingly mishandled. Zero Day had shown potential in deepening George’s character beyond his “Last Good President” image by hinting at a dark side, but from the opening moments of episode six, it’s clear that he will be portrayed as a hero instead. This change undercuts the impact of earlier events and even justifies his use of extreme interrogation methods as a means to an end, a step towards righteousness.

Although Alex realizes that Kidder’s arrest and death under mysterious circumstances won’t be the end for George in the eyes of his father, Dreyer seems certain that he will stop probing the matter. In a state of urgency, Alex storms into Dreyer’s office filled with conspirators and pleads with them to admit their wrongdoings, which appears unreasonable. She confronts Dreyer, saying, “You said one minute of a system shock, but a few months with the right people in power and the country will be back on track by Christmas.” This is our first insight into the objective of Zero Day – an astonishing endeavor to bring together both political parties. Indeed, what?

The conclusion falls short for several reasons, and one of them is that it flattens every character into their least intriguing forms. When it was unveiled that Alex was a conspirator, I thought the show might explore the idea that a penchant for darkness could be inherited in the Mullen family line — perhaps Alex was implicating her father as a latent fascist to gain his position. However, this wasn’t the case: Instead, she came to the realization that she couldn’t stop Dreyer’s schemes on her own and went to confess at her parents’ home. Before she could do so, however, another attack occurred. Although it wasn’t as devastating as Zero Day, it was longer in duration.

In a stretch of darkness, George and Sheila along with their Secret Service team found themselves confined within their car, surrounded by an enraged mob gathering at the iron gates of their home. Anticipating potential backlash, George ordered his team to abstain from using tear gas. As the crowd surged past security and invaded the vehicle itself, overpowering the Secret Service agents. In a swift move, George managed to reach the car door before protesters could lay hands on him or Sheila. The tense moments as they waited for the situation to de-escalate were undoubtedly the most frightening of the series. When another car detonated in their driveway, the crowd quickly dispersed. From the flames emerged Jeremy Lasch, a beacon of hope for George, like a knight in shining armor.

It’s clear at this stage that Jeremy only shows up when there’s something crucial to understand, so here’s what we gather: The CIA and President Mitchell were aware from the beginning that senior government officials were implicated in Zero Day. They required someone detached from the situation, like George, to lead the investigation and uncover the identities of those involved.

In the first episode, when George met Jeremy in the secretive, soundproof room at Langley, Jeremy gave George the lowdown, but George was either too distressed or affected by PTSD, age, or Proteus symptoms to fully grasp what he was told. As Jeremy filled George in, CIA officials provided him with additional time. By tuning into 1140 AM radio frequency, they broadcasted a message that George had passed away.

Sheila encounters Lily briefly at Valerie’s house while they both wait for the electricity to restore, and things feel uncomfortable between them. Instead of going to Valerie’s, George heads directly to Alex’s apartment, where she struggles to articulate her reasoning behind joining the conspiracy. Frequently, she falls back on saying that the country has become too complex for ordinary people to understand. Dreyer and Kidder persuaded her that the only method to unite Americans was by revealing a weakness, causing widespread fear, and then having the commission step in to rescue the situation, demonstrating that the institutions they had grown skeptical of could still recover. However, their solution for healing the nation’s lack of reason was… absolute power?! The plan ran into trouble when Mitchell gave George, rather than Dreyer, control of the commission. As she discusses it with Alex, she recognizes how flawed and foolish the idea initially was. She ends up panting heavily, eventually pleading, “Dad, please.

Dreyer might have sought control of the country with the intention of declaring himself the Emperor of America, which seems more realistic (and more frightening) than the portrayal of George Mullen and his supposed ability to unite both political sides.

To be honest, I’m not fretting about jail time because I understand that if George decides to reveal our part in this, it would inevitably lead to Alex’s arrest as well. So, I propose we keep things status quo – lay the blame on Lyndon and Kidder, make George a hero, and commit to resigning from our positions once our terms expire. This isn’t just my idea; Sheila and President Mitchell support it too.

In this scenario, Sheila’s decision to step down from reelection is deeply personal for her because she dreads the possibility of losing another child. Mitchell visits her house to discuss this matter. She has always been aware that George’s choice not to run wasn’t solely about Nick’s death or his relationship with Valerie, but rather, it was more about protecting Lily from unwanted attention and potential harm. In this context, Mitchell expresses that sometimes the truth is crucial, but not always the most significant factor. He hints that the nation could hardly endure another crisis, especially when everyone’s fears about the government seem to be materializing at this critical juncture, just before George’s reelection campaign. This revelation, he believes, would inflict irreparable damage. George listens attentively and thoughtfully to all of Mitchell’s arguments, then continues with his daily routines – swimming, jogging, working on his memoir – as if contemplating the points raised. He also notices an unidentified electronic device in the bird feeder.

Besides stopping by, Alex doesn’t interact with George; instead, we observe her conversing tearfully with Sheila. The day before George is set to reveal the commission’s conclusions in a combined meeting, Valerie drops off the report at Dreyer’s office. Dreyer appears pleased and arrogant; when he learns that Alex has vanished, he dismisses it casually, implying she doesn’t want her father to lie on her behalf. A clear signal: You can guess what will transpire next.

George appears to have a change of heart during his hearing. Instead of sticking to the script, he decides to reveal unexpected information about the malware case. He admits that the malware was actually developed not by the National Security Agency but by a rogue element within their ranks, led by someone known as “Kidder” and “Lyndon”. This revelation catches everyone off guard, including his colleagues Sheila and Mitchell who are watching from afar. George’s decision to expose this information could have serious consequences for the agency, but it seems he feels compelled to speak the truth despite potential repercussions.

In George’s hands, Alex has left a letter that suggests they should face tough realities instead of avoiding them, and she intends to do just that by surrendering herself to justice. The crowd cries out, “Traitor!” as George accuses Richard Dreyer of leading the conspiracy. This revelation adds another crucial piece to the puzzle. By Alex choosing to surrender voluntarily, the show resolves George’s predicament without cost: He won’t have to betray her, but he can still tell the truth. George avoids compromising himself or his image. He manages to speak the truth and be seen as a hero; doing what is difficult and what is right. The aftermath for him becomes simpler. Now he has handed over the cleanup task to Mitchell, and he will retreat to his elegant Hudson estate, where he won’t complete his memoir because he burned the pages in the library fire, but where he will continue to watch over the river with a contentment as self-satisfied as Dreyer’s when he thought everything was going his way.

As a film enthusiast, let me express my disappointment regarding the enigmatic character of Proteus in this series. Valerie retrieves an unknown electronic device from the bird feeder for analysis, yet the findings are ambiguous – could it be Proteus or simply a fallen wire? The implications of George’s symptoms are perplexing as well; they might stem from Proteus’ targeted attack, but then again, they could be due to stress, aging, and exhaustion.

Among all the puzzling twists in this show, this one is particularly aggravating. With its blend of a cyberattack and a potent neurological weapon, Proteus presented an intriguing narrative that would have captivated visionaries like Alan J. Pakula or Sydney Pollack. Imagine how enthralling it could have been under the direction of Steven Soderbergh! The potential for depth and complexity is immense; unfortunately, the storyline fades away like sand in the hourglass – a real pity that Zero Day fails to capitalize on such a promising premise.

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2025-02-21 23:56