USA network series Bourne franchise and follows events in the Robert Ludlum novels. It focuses on "Operation Treadstone"—a program used to turn ordinary humans into deadly government assassins. This also happens to be the same program that created Jason Bourne before he went rogue
Treadstone follows one main sleeper agent as well as several others from around the globe who become mysteriously activated for deadly missions. Just like Jason Bourne, these agents have had their memories erased. The series is quite similar to the Bourne movies, but it also takes its own different routes in storytelling and structuring. Here's how.
Similar: The Main Characters Were Products Of "Operation Treadstone"
Just like John Randolph Bentley, in Treadstone, Jason Bourne was also a product of "Operation Treadstone." In The Bourne Identity, the CIA is said to have come up with a secret program meant to train assassins who could be used as weapons whenever the agency wanted.
Jason Bourne managed to flee from the program and hence the chase began. In the series, John Randolph Bentley awakens in East Berlin in the 70s and manages to flee. And just like Bourne, he has amnesia because his memory was wiped out. The series also focuses on several other people from different corners of the world who are said to have gone through the program too.
Unique: Several Sleeper Agents
Variety is the spice of a good TV show. While John Randolph Bentley might be the main man, he shares plenty of screen time with several other agents who have been activated from all over the world. It isn't about just one being a pain in the neck or government agents.
There's a piano teacher in North Korea whose husband is a sycophant, a worker at an oil rig in Alaska, an Indian waitress and many more. There's even a cab driver who really didn't go through the program but is aware of it. She was a journalist who got fired after digging into a story about a Soviet missile. One operative jokes that the cab driver is highly qualified because "She's a taxi driver in London," implying that it's a really tough job.
Similar: The Same Old CIA
Just like in the Bourne franchise, the CIA does all the CIA stuff you can think of in Treadstone. The CIA agents also use plenty of CIA statements like "Clear the room!", ''Do you have a visual?" and "We need to contain this."There's simply an overdose of the CIA, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
The CIA is also seen as evil. The agency is using humans as weapons. You can't help but root for the 'weapons.' The CIA bosses never hesitate to kill or issue orders to kill. Unfortunately for them, the Treadstone subjects have really good survival tactics.
Unique: Two Timelines
Unlike the Bourne movies which follow one timeline, Treadstone has two timelines: the 70s and the present. John Randolph Bentley's story is set in the early 70s, whereas the other agents exist in modern times. With thus have an era with sophisticated modern tech and one without.
The series constantly switches between the two eras every few minutes and this saves the viewer from any potential boredom that might arise. There are several things linking the two timelines as well and these are constantly referenced by the characters.
Similar: Characters Linked To "Operation Blackbriar"
In episode 2, agent Matt Edwards confesses to witnessing Jason Bourne expose the CIA's secret program. "I was on the ground in New York when Blackbriar got blown." "Operation Blackbriar" was the CIA's attempt to rebrand Treadstone after Jason Bourne exposed it. Sadly for them, Bourne also exposed Blackbriar. The CIA thus put all their resources into hunting down.
Also in episode 2. Edwards says, "I saw the hunt up close." This means that he was present on the ground when Bourne was being hunted. Clearly, the film and the series are deep into the same universe. While Matt Damon might never make an appearance, we get the feeling that he might be watching somewhere.
Unique: The Program Is Out Of The CIA's Hands
In the Bourne films, the Treadstone project was shut down. However, in the series, the project is alive and out of the CIA's control. The Russians are even in on it. Basically, the CIA created a bigger monster that they couldn't fully contain. One CIA head is even heard saying, "It was bigger than we thought."
Several people who were trained by the Treadstone project get activated but the CIA has no idea who is doing it. All of these sleeper agents were unaware of the skills they had before. This makes them even more relatable to viewers of the series.
Similar: High Action Per Minute Rate
Buster Reeves—the stunt choreographer of the Bourne franchise—is also the stunt choreographer here. That quite explains it. In Treadstone, five minutes don't without fisticuffs, gunshots or a high-speed car chase. The series pumps up the Bourne action and knows how and when to stop just before it becomes excess. Each of the sleeper agents from around the world also has different skills.
SoYun Pak has better Kung Fu skills than you'll find in any popular martial arts movie, Tara Coleman is good with guns, John can ride a bike pretty well and so on. In the Bourne movies, we only had one person fighting off against the bad guys for a limited amount of time but in Treadstone, the action keeps coming, with a slice of variety.
Unique: A Variety Of Villains
Since the program isn't entirely in the CIA's hands, we get a variety of villains. Unlike the Bourne movies which mostly follow Jason Bourne fleeing from the CIA, Treadstone has different kinds of villains. There is a South Korean general, a Russian billionaire, and even former agents.
It's great to see the CIA using their resources to hunt down somebody but it gets boring when they are the only ones doing this. Treadstone distributes power to several villains. Each of them has the ability to cause massive damage at any given time.
Similar: Globetrotting
A movie or TV show about the world of espionage cannot afford to be mean with locations. So, just like in the Bourne movies, the characters in Treadstone are not only from different parts of the world but they also keep moving for one reason or the other.
According to executive producer Ben Smith who also served in a similar capacity in the Bourne movies, there were always three teams filming at the same time in different parts of the world. Whether it's , Russia, North Korea or , Treadstone had no shortage of international flair.
Unique: It Doesn't Pack In Too Many Subplots
The bad thing about the Bourne movies is that they rarely give you room to breathe and digest. Jason Bourne is always on the move and with every minute that es, someone mentions a complex mission or program. It gets confusing. The biggest culprit was the latest movie in the franchise titled Jason Bourne. There was just too much happening. As a result, the reviews were not as good.
Treadstone corrects on Jason Bourne's mistakes. Since there is enough time, subplots aren't rushed. Neither is there an oversupply. The series introduces a few elements and angles at any given time and lets you get used to them. As a result, we have a show that's more than satisfying.