The Spy Series Review

The Spy is a thrilling spy series that is based on a true story.

The Spy is a 2019 Netflix series about renowned Israeli spy Eli Cohen. Eli Cohen, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, was recruited by the Mossad in the 1950s, and sent into Syria in the guise of being a businessman. Cohen was so good a spy that he managed to infiltrate the Syrian government at the highest levels before being caught and executed.

💡 This post is both a review and a summary of The Spy. That is to say, it may contain spoilers.

The Need for Eyes and Ears in Syria

Israel and Syria were two of the most bitter rivals in the Middle East, as the two neighbors fought one another at their border in the Golan region just by Lake Tiberias. Israelis there, who were farmers and civilians, were constantly being attacked by Syrian forces, prompting the need for Israel to find a way into the Syrian government to gather crucial insights into their military positions.

The Mossad at the time, led by Jacob and his assistant Dan Peleg, played by Noah Emmerich, went out looking for an agent that they could plant in Damascus as there was an urgent need for intervention to prevent more deaths.

Eli with his recruiting officer, Dan Peleg in The Spy Series. Source: Netflix.

Eli Cohen

Eli Cohen, at the time, had moved to Israel after migrating from Egypt. He had a history of helping smuggle people out of Egypt into Israel and had applied to join the Mossad twice, getting rejected both times. As necessity called, Dan came across Eli Cohen's file and set out to see whether he was a good fit for the spy agency. Eli, at the time, was working in a department store, living a simple life with his wife Nadia Cohen.

Is He the Right Fit?

Eli Cohen was brilliant. In fact, too brilliant and too eager to serve that Dan felt that maybe he was not the right fit for the espionage role. More and more people were dying due to attacks by the Syrians, however, and the Israeli Prime Minister demanded that an agent be sent to Damascus as soon as possible. In training that ought to have taken two years, Eli Cohen had been trained and was good enough for the job in just six months.