The Night Agent: How Rose Larkin challenges the 'spy's love interest' stereotype in the Netflix political thriller

The Night Agent is one of the newest political thriller shows. It touches upon themes of conspiracy, trust, but mainly power struggles.

Peter Sutherland is the guy in the show. He’s an FBI agent assigned to a secret program called Night Action. However, his job is limited to answering calls on an emergency helpline from the basement of the White House.

But no hero stays on the sidelines when trouble strikes. One night, he receives a call from a woman named Rose Larkin, who is in danger as intruders break into her home. Soon after, we learn that her uncle and aunt are murdered by those intruders. And this is when the show actually begins.

The show has a lot going on. But one thing that stands out is the strong presence of women in authoritative positions. They are portrayed as masterminds behind complex national strategies. Also, not to mention their involvement in intense action sequences.

In this article, we'll discuss how women in The Night Agent navigate authority.

Disclaimer: The article reflects the writer's opinion. Readers' discretion is advised.

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The Night Agent: Rose Larkin challenges the 'spy's love interest' stereotype

Luciane Buchanan steps into the shoes of Rose Larkin in The Night Agent. She is a young tech who deals with cybersecurity. She is one of the major characters in the Netflix show.

In the show, we see her reuniting with her uncle and aunt, who are undercover agents themselves. Rose had been unaware of this information until after their death. When intruders break into their home, the couple is brutally murdered and Rose manages to escape with help from Peter Sutherland on the Night Action helpline.

With this begins her life as a fugitive as she overhears a sensitive conversation between her uncle and aunt, moments before they are killed. She is unable to trust anyone after that and so she sticks to FBI agent Peter Sutherland, her savior.

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Rose Larkin in The Night Agent is not the typical damsel in distress

Unlike the typical damsel in distress, Rose is resourceful, intelligent, and actively contributes to bringing the truth to light. And that's something her uncle and aunt died trying to do.

Though she finds herself in the middle of a dangerous political conspiracy, she shows immense courage and doesn't hold back from doing whatever she can to bring justice.

On top of that, her knowledge of cybersecurity and quick thinking make her a vital player in the story, rather than just a sidekick or love interest. Throughout the series, she evolves from a frightened civilian to a bold female character.

At times, she showed more courage and determination than Peter, the FBI agent. In one of the scenes of The Night Agent, we see her motivating and uplifting Peter's broken spirit. She even nurses him without showing a hint of weakness at the sight of blood from the gunshot wound.

Additionally, despite being a civilian, she uses her intelligence to outsmart the villains. She was also daring enough to push Ellen off the tower when the assassin tried to shoot Peter. This also meant she finally had her revenge on at least one of her uncle and aunt's murderers.

In another of the scenes, they visit Jim Wilson, the Baltimore Sun's reporter, who is also Peter's godfather. There we see Jim telling her to take care of his godson as Peter and Rose get into their car. This is another indicator that, although Peter Sutherland was technically protecting her, she was capable of protecting him too.

So, her character in The Night Agent challenges the stereotype of a spy's love interest by being more than just a romantic subplot. She ultimately becomes a driving force in the story.

Also read: Who is the mole in The Night Agent? Revealing the mystery

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