Missions. Gadgets. Gritty realities. Suspenseful thrillers. Life or death. There are hundreds of reasons why we love to watch tales of espionage, where spies are challenged with solving mysteries and going on missions. Facing off against political, scientific, or global dominating antagonists on a mission to put an end to an evil regime or crime. It’s often the action, suspense, and tense situations, the intense emotions and unpredictable outcomes that draw us into the spy genre.
A Psychology Today article by Jenni Ogden Ph. D suggests that sub-genres of spy thrillers such as psychological suspense may “only [be] enjoyable [to us] if there is an intellectual challenge, along with the page-turning suspense, and if there is minimal or preferably no graphic physical violence, and no graphic descriptions of mutilated bodies.” Not to mention the “characterisation and the incredible, intelligent plotting that typifies” dark television dramas such as spy thrillers.
Tales of spies and espionage also have the power to be able to find and “stir up intense emotion”. According to Ogden, stirring up these types of emotions can also lead to “our brains [to] release neurotransmitters like dopamine, and oxytocin when we are intensely emotional (intensely happy as well as scared, or horrified) and these can serve to consolidate memories, and even strengthen bonds between us and others sharing the same experience.”
A prime example of this is the recent adaptation of the classic ‘Alex Rider’ spy novels, written for children and young teenagers, which has been turned into a 12 rated spy thriller series on Amazon prime, designed to be watched by young adults. The plot, characterisation, and atmosphere of the books are still prominent and faithful within the series, but the overall tone of the show takes a darker, more suspenseful, and intense tone that focuses on the gritter reality. It touches less on the gadget flashing comedy and light-hearted action seen in the book series.
On her book site, Rowena Holloway, suggests that the charm of espionage storylines is the fact that the “settings and characters are usually highly relatable” with “desires and fears” that we can understand. This, along with “a complex psychological landscape” in which we gasp in shock, sadness, or fear when we wonder what the hell is going on or at the discovery as the pieces of the puzzle the spy is solving, slowly reveal themselves. It is the thrill of trying to solve the case alongside the spy, the edge of your seat moments as you enjoy the shocks and surprises, the plot twists, and intense emotions that espionage film is known best for.
The Alex Rider series is a great example of a spy story whereby audiences can view the dark gritter reality of his mission. We tend to be drawn to spies that are more relatable, for example, Alex’s experiences with grief after the death of his uncle and feeling the pressure to do it all in life. Audiences can also enjoy a more believable and adult reality of the show’s depiction of spies and espionage, allowing them to experience the shift from intense fear to excitement when viewing the shocking scenes from the comfort of their homes.
These tales of spies and espionage represent a grittier take on the trope of good vs evil with morally grey characters and protagonists who are depicted as real people with real emotions and experiences. Put simply, the thrill of seeing characters we can personally relate to as spies being thrown in at the deep end, and the enjoyable heart-pumping and dark gritty moments that allow us to escape from our own worlds are ultimately what makes the genre so attractive. The intellectual challenges to solve and intense emotions help to explain why we love tales of spies and espionage so much, and if we can relate to the characters and enjoy the experience of constantly being on the edge of our seats, that is what convinces us to immerse ourself in this genre time and time again.
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