Paul Mescal may not want to become uber famous post Gladiator 2, but his star is already on the rise at breakneck speed. He had his breakthrough bang in the middle of the pandemic with Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter, and now a cosy crime thriller starring Mescal is storming the Netflix charts.
In the ever-expanding world of crime thrillers, The Deceived has emerged as a gripping sensation, finding itself nestled comfortably at the sixth spot on Netflix’s top ten series list in the UK. The first season of the 2020 series has been on the list for two consecutive weeks.
The Deceived is directed by Chloë Thomas and written by Lisa McGee and Tobias Beer, the creative minds behind the hit show Derry Girls. The four-episode mini-series also features Louisa Harland, our beloved Orla McCool from Derry Girls, who the Normal People and Aftersun star Mescal join.
Set against the backdrop of a seductive affair, The Deceived revolves around Ophelia Marsh (Emily Reid), a student who becomes romantically entangled with her charismatic but married lecturer, Dr. Michael Callaghan (Emmett J. Scanlan).
The plot thickens when Callaghan’s wife, the glamorous novelist Róisín, dies in mysterious circumstances, and Ophelia begins to unravel the secrets hidden within the walls of their Irish mansion. Mescal takes on the role of Sean, a builder and volunteer fireman in the fictional town of Knockdara, which is named after Knockdara Park in Derry, where McGee grew up.
Mescal is as magnetic as ever, but of course, this is one of his early supporting roles. So The Deceived is best enjoyed for what it is: a cosy murder mystery that is far removed from the humour of McGee’s Derry Girls. After all, the enduring appeal of well-crafted crime thrillers will always remain intact in the world of entertainment.
You can watch The Deceived on Netflix and catch the trailer here:
