Splinter Cell: Deathwatch

I absolutely love Splinter Cell.

Pandora Tomorrow and Chaos Theory were some of the first video games that I ever played. And they’re both fantastic!

I recently replayed all of the games during the Covid-19 restrictions of 2020, and I had a total blast! These games hold up incredibly well, and it's a shame that there's nothing else like them getting made today. Hell, the last Splinter Cell game was released over twelve years ago! The gaming industry has changed dramatically since then. So, if Ubisoft didn't know what to do with the franchise back then, they definitely don't know what to do with it now. Which is unfortunate; especially since I'm a longtime fan of the series.

I mean, I've been waiting to see the Splinter Cell movie that was announced back in 2006! And I was extremely disappointed when I heard that Tom Hardy was no longer involved with the development of the project. So, when I heard that Netflix was developing an animated series, I couldn't help but to be excited! Because, while watching a series would be a fundamentally different experience to playing the video games, I was happy to be getting any Splinter Cell content at all! And, at the very least, I was hopeful that this series could reignite interest in the franchise.

Unfortunately, I don't think Splinter Cell: Deathwatch is a very good series.

The story follows legendary operative Sam Fisher as he is pulled out of retirement to help a new Fourth Echelon agent, Zinnia McKenna. McKenna is left stranded after a mission goes wrong, forcing Fisher to assist her in uncovering a global conspiracy involving corporate espionage, disinformation, and a potentially world-altering project linked to his past enemy, Douglas Shetland. 

Now, conceptually, that does sound like a rather interesting premise. But the story just didn't engage me the way that I was hoping it would. Sure, it did feature some fun action and stealth sequences, but I found the slow pacing to be incredibly frustrating, and that did impact my enjoyment of the story being told. Especially since that story didn't really feel like Splinter Cell.

If it weren't for the actual title, Deathwatch would be totally unrecognizable as a Splinter Cell project. Featuring an excessive amount of bloody violence, fowl language, and other general vulgarities, the show feels completely unlike anything else in the Splinter Cell franchise. Nothing about it reminds me of Splinter Cell. Not even the use of familiar characters helped make this series feel more like a proper Splinter Cell project. Sam Fisher doesn't even feel like Sam Fisher.

Sam has always been an older character, but he's also very clever, quipy, and quick witted. But none of these characteristics are present in the show. Most of his time is spent quietly brooding for no reason. And that didn't exactly make for an exciting viewing experience. Especially since his story wasn't a particularly interesting or insightful one.

Now, I should state that I'm not criticizing Schreiber's portrayal of the character. As much as I do love Michael Ironside as Sam Fisher, I think Schreiber was a great choice for this role. It's just unfortunate that he wasn't given a lot to work with here. And I feel the same way about the rest of the cast as well. Everyone is fine, but no one really gets the opportunity to stand out here.

So, for as much as I really wanted to enjoy this series, I can't deny that Splinter Cell Deathwatch left me extremely disappointed. Especially since I'm a Splinter Cell fan! I couldn't be any more of this show's target demographic! But, even though I do love the Splinter Cell franchise, even though I like creator Derek Kolstad's action-heavy style, and even though I don't mind Liev Schreiber's take on Sam Fisher, these elements didn't come together to form one satisfying season of television.

Sure, the last two episodes were admittedly fun and exciting, but they weren't enough to make up for how underwhelming the rest of the season was. The story was a bit dull, the characters weren't that memorable, and even the animation was surprisingly stiff.

In other words: I think this is a bad series. And I definitely wouldn't have watched it if it was called anything other than Splinter Cell. But, since I wasn't a big fan of this season, I'm not sure if I'll be tuning in to watch season two.

And if I really wasn't impressed with this season, then I don't think Splinter Cell: Deathwatch is going to reignite anyone else's passion for the video game franchise. Meaning that, I'll probably be re-playing the old games for a long, long time. But at least they're good.

Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, on the other hand, is not. So it would, unfortunately, not get a recommendation from me.