Treason's Oona Chaplin opens up about the show's huge plot twists, what's next for Maddy and a season 2
Christmas TV has taken a sinister turn in the shape of Netflix's Treason, the streamer's new high-stakes spy thriller which delves into the world of MI6.
Brand new as of Boxing Day 2022, Treason is led by Marvel's Charlie Cox (best known for playing Daredevil), who stars as Adam Lawrence - an agent who's been trained and groomed by MI6. He's joined by wife Maddy De Costa, played by Oona Chaplin who sat down with us to share a whole load of in-depth insight into the making of Treason.
At the heart of the series, Maddy and Adam's world becomes (even more) complicated by the arrival of Kara - a Russian spy from Adam's past who throws both his career and relationship with Maddy into flux.
Spoiler alerts are necessary here, as there are some *huge* revelations by the end of the series. Despite being suspected as a double agent, it turns out Adam is in the clear. Instead, the actual double agent - known by code name Dorian - is in fact Adam's MI6 best friend, Patrick. He's killed in the end by Kara, and that's not the only shocker: in a truly dramatic episode five scene, Maddy witnesses Adam being shot dead by her former friend Dede, who now works for the CIA, and she's left looking after her late husband's children when the series ends.
We jumped on a call with Oona Chaplin (aka Maddy herself) to talk about those massive plot twists, as well as the prospect of a happy ending for Maddy and a potential season two.
It’s difficult to know who to trust in Treason. Whose side should we be on?
"I think the interesting thing about it is that there are no sides, everybody's just doing their best by the information they have. And that's the beauty of the show; there aren't 'good guys' and 'bad guys' in it. That's the [part] of the show that I really liked, because it doesn't glorify MI6 as being the 'good guys', it doesn't glorify anyone as being the 'good guys'. It basically paints a very complex picture of what kinds of decisions these people have to make once they're in power."
Do you think the show is realistic in that sense?
"I don't think we'll ever know. But I do think that there's a huge element of blackmail that plays [a part] in the sort of higher echelons of power. Because I think people get their hands dirty, and then as a culture we want to idealise the people that rule over us because we want to feel safe. And so there is a public-face veneer, where leadership can't be seen to be that way that is a little bit off-kilter."
When did you discover Dorian's identity, and were you surprised?
"I don't even think that we had a conversation before the scripts came out. It was basically when they gave us the script. I was surprised because there was a part of me that was actually hoping that it was Adam. I was like, 'Oh, wouldn't it have been another double, triple twist that actually he is the bad guy.'
"It's always interesting when there's a personal relationship that you as a character feel is one thing and then suddenly you get this other colour and you're like, 'Whoa, that is really f***ed up that you did that.'"
When did you find out what happened to Adam? How did you feel?
"There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing about that, because nobody really wanted to get rid of Charlie [Cox]," she laughs.
"That was a chat we had with [creator] Matt Charman and the production team ... They had to warn us before the script came out. They were like, 'Okay, this is a very big one. We've got to let you know, because this might ... Are you sitting down?'"
"I had a chat with Charlie and I said: 'Oh, my God, babe, have you heard?' That one did come as a huge shock to me because I wasn't privy to the previous conversations that they'd been having. So that was a real shock to me, and I'm still not quite over it. I just don't want to ever see Charlie die!"
Maddy’s friendships really change over the series. Could you give us an insight into her relationship with Kara?
"So, [Maddy is just re-eastablishing her trust with Adam] and then at that moment, Kara comes in. And what I love about Maddy is that as soon as Kara comes in, she's like, 'Yeah, but I trust my man. So, OK, you and I are going to work together, let's work together.' And it's very much like, 'I know who I am. I know who my man is. And so you and I can do whatever. You can come, you can go, we can work together, we cannot - either way, we're good.'
"And then they get into some tricky situations like, you know, killing an agent and having to bury him. After Adam dies, I think Maddy recognises that the only person that will ever know all the things they've been through is Kara. She's the only witness of the madness and the crazy situation that she's been through, and it's really important to have a witness when you go through big things like that. Because even years down the line, I can imagine Kara calling Maddy up going, 'I'm in London. Are you around?' And them going out and having a stiff drink and just being like, 'You alright? How you doing? Yeah. Good, great.'"
What about Maddy's relationship with Dede?
"With Dede, it's different because what happened is that she's had that with Dede. She had that crisis, that big moment in the war, having to lean on each other in ways that [are] very extreme, because that's what happens in wartime. Soldiers suddenly have to rely on each other in situations that are life and death. And so they have this very thick bond, and then that bond gets betrayed by Dede.
"That piece of the betrayal is the worst thing because Maddy comes to a point where that trust she has in herself gets put into question, because she trusted Dede, and she didn't see the f***ing game that Dede was playing with her.
"And so, thankfully, she doesn't linger there too much. ... Like, Dede's a frickin' monster. Maddy says that to her: 'you're a monster.' And it's true."
What do you think happens to Maddy and the kids following the series finale?
"I feel like there's a process, there must be a process, right? Some kind of trial or hearing. I imagine that she's probably going on a rampage to clear her husband's name and to find justice. And I would imagine that Ella does not like that, but comes to understand the value of it as she gets a bit older. And then [I'd imagine] Callum is more enthusiastic about defending his dad's name.
"And I would hope that the UK Government would give them a fat compensation for all the trouble they've caused. But I don't know if that's even a thing. If I was Maddy, I would hope for that. But as Oona I'm like, 'I don't know if that's the best use of taxpayers' money,'" she jokes.
What would you like to see happen for Maddy in a potential season 2?
"What I would like for Maddy is for her to have her own little clinic with a perfect meadow, in a lovely little cottage and just have a family life, and for her to be pregnant with Adam's child. That's what I would like to see. And then eventually meet some lovely carpenter who makes chairs and can provide for her in a very calm and uneventful and happy, balanced life for the rest of time. That's what I would like to see for her."
What else can you tell us about a second season?
"I don't know anything about it," she shares, explaining that the show is unfortunately down to be a limited series. So, could there still be a glimmer of hope?
"We certainly haven't discussed it. I don't think that anyone will know until at least it's been out, and then [producers] can see what viewers and what all of you guys think."
Treason is streaming now on Netflix.
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