The Day Of The Jackal Has Completely Changed My Opinion About Eddie Redmayne’s Villain For Season 2
Eddie Redmayne is no hero in The Day of the Jackal, but he deserves to come out on top in future seasons of the show. With the first season of The Day of the Jackal firmly in the rear-view, it’s worth looking back at the incredible spy series that reimagined the classic 1973 film, The Day of the Jackal.
Redmayne stars as a master of disguise who makes a living as an elite mercenary for hire. Evidently, his morals are on shaky ground. However, the series showcases a great deal of the story through his perspective.
Also starring in the show is Lashana Lynch, who plays the MI6 operative, Bianca Pullman. From the start, it appears as though the lines are clearly drawn between good and evil, but the series digs deeper into each character and ultimately, I think it’s Redmayne’s Jackal who has the moral high ground.
Eddie Redmayne Plays The Antagonistic Jackal In The Day Of The Jackal
The Jackal (Eddie Redmayne) kills Rasmus in The Day of the Jackal Season 1 Ep 7
Image via Peacock
The Jackal is a mysterious character whose life is slowly revealed throughout season 1 of The Day of the Jackal. Formerly working as a soldier in the British Special Forces, Alex Duggan eventually betrayed his team before moving on to life as a mercenary using the codename Jackal.
As a for-hire killer, Jackal appears to value lives only as much as the person willing to pay the highest price. And the result is that this exceptionally talented sniper and highly trained former soldier has turned into one of the most wanted individuals for several different government agencies around the world.
The Jackal is a threat, and while his skills are highly sought after by crooks and thugs, teams like MI6 are desperate to uncover his identity, and put a stop to his work before he can cause an international incident.
The Day Of The Jackal Blurs The Lines On Morality
The Day of the Jackal Season 1 Ep 10
Image via Peacock
And yet, the Jackal becomes a morally ambiguous character amidst a sea of morally questionable figures. As much as MI6 is supposed to be keeping the world safe from dangerous threats, and they take on the role of defending the Jackal’s target throughout season 1, MI6 has been coerced by a group of powerful billionaires.
These are the same billionaires who hired the Jackal in the first place, and have been actively working against MI6 to ensure their assassin doesn’t miss his mark. And after the Jackal completes the job, the billionaires turn on him, sending others to kill him so they can avoid paying his fee.
Meanwhile, Bianca Pullman shows an iron will and dedication to her mission, though this comes at the expense of her family. Bianca’s marriage breaks down over the course of season 1, and her daughter is devastated to see her mother break one promise after another about spending time together.
In contrast, the Jackal appears to have been living a very happy life with his wife and new baby, spending some time away on his missions, but ensuring he puts in the work with his family as well.
Of course, this breaks down too, due to the Jackal’s double life, but the point is that no one is truly in the clear in The Day of the Jackal.
The Jackal Realized Early On That Power Corrupts
Image via Peacock
However, going back even further, the Jackal’s initial betrayal of his Special Forces team while on a mission all came about due to his seeing the cruelty and corruption within their organization. These soldiers served and followed orders, but occasionally, the people they were told to kill were innocent.
Instead of falling back and leaving the civilians alone, they slaughtered dozens of people, men, women and children, before covering up their massacre with a drone strike to get rid of the evidence. Clearly, the Jackal took issue with this, and realized as a soldier, he wasn’t in control of where he aimed his gun.
So, Alex Duggan left his name and his life behind him, and moved on to becoming an assassin. With his highly refined skills, he found it to be lucrative work, but he also appears to show some discretion in how he chooses targets.
As the Jackal, he is not a hero. However, the people he is opposing are also corrupt. These individuals tote themselves as being secure and righteous, but in truth, they are far from the good guys. Even those who want to do good in the organization blur the lines between what they can and can’t do.
This point is driven home by Bianca’s blatant abuse of a young woman to manipulate her father and get information that will bring her closer to catching the Jackal. Not only did she take the girl in, but when she died in her care, she withheld the information strategically to manipulate her family.
On the other hand, the Jackal lied to his wife. Beyond that, he has even had affairs while working, though not necessarily romantic in nature. But despite all of that, I think the Jackal deserves to win in future seasons of The Day of the Jackal, unless the supposed good guys get their act together.
