After an in medias res moment that is later revealed to be a very cheap fake-out (seriously, folks, it’s okay to not start your big streaming series with an in medias res scene), “Zero Day” cuts to the chase by unleashing a devastating cyberattack in its first few minutes. The attack only lasts a minute, and yet, that’s enough time to sew total chaos and result in thousands of deaths due to the complete failure of technology. The attack also comes with an ominous message sent to seemingly every phone in America: “THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN.” Desperate for answers, U.S. President Evelyn Mitchell (Angela Bassett, making the most of an underwritten part) decides to assemble a commission to investigate the attack. Picked to lead this commission is former President George Mullen (De Niro), who we’re told is one of the last American presidents to enjoy bipartisan support from the American public. Mullen only served one term, deciding to not run for re-election in the wake of a family tragedy. But while his time in office was short, he remains popular, and is seen as the perfect choice to get to investigate the attack.
Mullen is apprehensive: with help from Congress, the commission has been granted the power to do almost anything, essentially shredding the Constitution in the name of getting to the truth. Mullen’s wife, former First Lady Sheila Mullen (Joan Allen), tells him that he could be walking into a political trap by agreeing to lead the commission, while Mullen’s daughter, Congresswoman Alexandra Mullen (Lizzy Caplan) flat-out tells him not to take the job. Mullen, however, decides that he’s the best man for the gig because he’s a man of integrity and can steer things in the right direction … or so he thinks. Of course, almost immediately, the former President begins embracing dictator-like tendencies. Before the series has ended, Mullen will instruct those working under him to round-up seemingly innocent citizens and in one instance, engage in full-blown torture. Time and time again, Mullen tries to justify his actions in the name of doing what’s right for the country, but the show makes it blatantly clear that this is a man giving in to amoral darkness. At the same time, “Zero Day” also seems to want to let Mullen off the hook by suggesting he’s not in his right mind, either due to illness or some other nefarious explanation. In the midst of all this, the aftermath of the first attack and the looming threat of more attacks to come effectively tears the country apart, with the real chance of societal collapse looming.
De Niro is mostly reserved in the part of Mullen, although he seems to really thrive in the moments where the ex-POTUS becomes thuggish and violent. To make the character more interesting, there’s a running bit that has Mullen seemingly tormented by both a tragedy in his past and also the very real threat that he might be suffering from some kind of neurological impairment. This is highlighted by having Mullen constantly hear the Sex Pistols song “Who Killed Bambi?” in his head, and if I’m being brutally honest, I must admit that I wish the showrunners had picked a less annoying tune to play over and over and over again. By the 150th time the absolutely awful song played over the soundtrack, I was ready to turn the show off or at least hit the mute button.
De Niro is backed up by a big, familiar cast — in addition to Bassett, Allen, and Caplan, the series also features Jesse Plemons as Roger, Mullen’s right-hand man who is up to some shady stuff, Dan Stevens as Evan Green, a loudmouth pundit who seems to be an amalgamation of Alex Jones and countless other divisive, slimeball media personalities who realized they could make a fortune spouting conspiracy theories and unfiltered hatred, Matthew Modine as the sinister Speaker of the House, Gaby Hoffmann as an Elon Musk-like tech giant, Connie Britton as Mullen’s former Chief of Staff, and the always welcome Bill Camp as the director of the CIA. All of these performers are talented and do fine work here, but Stevens, who specializes in playing freaky little weirdos, makes the biggest impression, probably because his character gets to go so big and over-the-top as he riles up his fanbase.
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