Devils

The first season of Devils is a ten-part international thriller set in the cut-throat, morally devoid world of investment banking. The intrigue in the series centres around fictional NYL and the souring relationship between its Head of Trading in London – Massimo Ruggero (Alessandro Borghi) – and American CEO – Dominic Morgan (Patrick Dempsey). Once a fatherly figure to the former, Dominic begins to distance himself from his protégé when Massimo’s fiercest rival – the Italophobic Edward Stuart – falls to his death. From there, the Italian trader becomes the prime suspect in his opponent’s passing, and he becomes determined to discover the truth behind this fatal plunge.  

Those itching to find the answers will be left waiting until the end of the season. Until then, spectators move from one lavish location to another as new plotlines of skulduggery, bribery and backstabbing are interwoven in the main narrative while Massimo searches for answers. The frequent exposure to this glamour becomes wearisome quite early in the series, though. Seeing financiers slickly dressed and affording themselves everything from jets and yachts, to recreational drugs and lap dances does nothing to warm the audience to any of the characters. If anything, watching these through the steel-blue filter inserted in the editing process exposes how vacuous they are.

Their first-class luxury, however, helps add some poignancy to the real-life footage interlaced into the programme, particularly to the torrid social unrest in Greece in 2010. This juxtaposition makes spectators keen to see financiers get their comeuppance. No wonder many root for Sofia Flores (Laia Costa) – the undercover Argentinian journalist determined to bring NYL and its profit-obsessed employees down. While not everyone gets their just desserts, each episode sees at least one investment banker fall by the wayside.

This simple interest in seeing the demise of the most self-centred individuals, though, leaves viewers wanting more. In this way, the scriptwriters of Devils make the series a compelling thriller perfect for binge-watching. While it may not lure onlookers with scenes of stellar acting and smouldering tension, its sensational plot will tempt one to continue watching.

Francis Nash

Devils is released digitally on demand on 17^th February 2021.

Watch the trailer for Devils here: