Zero Day: An alert for a very possible menace
We’re so used to having technology in our daily lives that we can barely imagine the chaos that a global glitch in operational systems could cause. I’m not talking about only that it would be a bummer to not be able to scroll through social media and WhatsApp or to be impossible to go on watching that addicting series on Netflix. I’m talking about aborted communication between airplanes and traffic control towers, or between trains and their central stations. A glitch like this would cause thousands of deaths and generalized chaos. And it’s exactly this that kickstarts the miniseries Zero Day.
When the generalized glitch happens, everybody’s cellphones show an enigmatic message: “this will happen again”. One of the victims is Anne, who was a few moments before in a meeting with George Mullen (Robert De Niro), discussing details about the first draft of his autobiography, as he was once the president of the United States. He is taken from his retirement by the new president, Evelyn Mitchell (Angela Bassett), who invites him to be the head of the commission that will investigate the glitch. His daughter, Alexandra (Lizzy Caplan), currently a congresswoman, thinks that it’s a terrible idea.
A lot of elements from the miniseries are taken from real life. Conspiracy theories are fed by a YouTuber who has his studio in the basement of his house. The tech oligarchy is there in the figure of Monica Kidder, who fears that the investigation can harm her products, including several apps and social networks — people like her are called, in the show, “billionaire sociopaths”. The difference is that the first group to be considered responsible for the attacks, the Reapers, is from the far left, while the modern terrorists are from the far right, such as the Proud Boys.
“Zero Day” is the first time Robert De Niro leads a series, be that on TV or streaming. The Oscar winner also serves as executive producer and is without a doubt a good reason for the public to press “play” on Netflix. Other reasons to watch the miniseries are the currency and importance of the themes and the research made by the team behind the cameras.
The director of all six episodes, Lesli Linka Glatter, brings from her recent job, the miniseries “Love & Death”, the talented Jesse Plemons, who plays Roger, an assistant to George who is like a son for the former president. Lesli and the writers used as research interviews with security experts and the book “Countdown to Zero Day”, by Kim Zetter, and also movies such as “The Manchurian Candidate” (1962) and “The Conversation” (1974).
If one thing remains after we finish the miniseries, it’s that we became too dependent on technology, something that made us more vulnerable. “Zero Day” is a great conversation starter about this vulnerability, and at the same time a cautionary tale. We probably can’t go back to a more analog and less digital world, but we can plan how to fight back when — not if — the Zero Day comes.
