Citadel: Diana, on Prime

Imagine if Thrush won and U.N.C.L.E. lost—or if you are a Get Smart fan, CONTROL lost and KAOS won (but in retrospect, doesn’t “CONTROL” sound more sinister than “KAOS?”). Regardless, Citadel has fallen as viewers of the mothership series fully understand. As far as their deep-cover Italian mole knows, she is the final Citadel survivor in showrunner Gina Gardini’s six-episode Italian spinoff, Citadel: Diana, which premieres tomorrow on Prime Video.

Diana Cavalieri never quits. That is why Gabriele, her Citadel handler, approached her, just as she uncovered evidence of high-level government involvement in the explosion that killed her parents. Of course, that was only part of the story. It was really the Italian branch of Manticore, Citadel’s nemesis, who was pulling the strings. With his guidance, she attracts the attention of Manticore recruiters, pretending to be the good guys to entice her.

Gabriele kept Cavalieri’s cover so deep, only he knew of her existence. Obviously, that was a blessing since Citadel fell. That day was a triumph for Manticore across the world, except in Italy, because the heir apparent was killed during the raid. Now, Edo Zani stands to succeed his father, ruthlessly elegant arms dealer Ettore Zani, if anything is left. Manticore France and Manticore Germany have sanctioned Manticore Italy, punishing Ettore for his unsuccessful power play for control of the European market.

The last Zani heir has ideas about reclaiming their “rightful” position. He also starts noticing Cavalieri, both professionally and personally, which will be useful in her quest for vengeance. However, given the nature of the missions they undertake together, his attention might not be so great for her general day-to-day survival.

The action set pieces of Citadel: Diana lack the bombastic spectacle of the original Citadel anchor series, but the spinoff is considerably more stylish, which probably stands to reason. It is Italian, after all. These spies are catwalk ready, but Cavalieri’s asymmetrical coif is weirdly distracting. It seems like it would require too much maintenance for a field operative.

Regardless, Gardini and series director Arnaldo Catinari make the most of the visually intriguing locations. Through the use of some judicious but eye-popping CGI, the series also creates stunning images of the Duomo di Milano in ruins, which in this world, Manticore Italy cynically destroyed as distraction.

As the title character, Matilda De Angelis carries herself credibly during the action scenes, but she arguably leans into Cavalieri’s angst a little too much. Frankly, her melodramatic friction with Cavalieri’s clueless sister Sara becomes an annoying distraction, but she has decent chemistry with Lorenzo Cervasio’s Edo Zani, who is believably cerebral and neurotic as the supervillain heir with an inferiority complex. However, Filippo Nigro brings the perfect hardboiled Jedi master spirit to shadowy Gabriele. Yet, Maurizio Lombardi probably over-shadows everyone as the suavely sinister Ettore Zani.

To Catinari’s credit, Citadel: Diana maintains its momentum better than the “grand old” just plain Citadel. It offers no resolution, but it ends on a satisfyingly dramatic revelation. The entertainment comes entirely from the ultra-cool surface, rather than some deep emotional heart, but it works on that level. Recommended for fans of chicly dressed international intrigue, Citadel Diana starts streaming Thursday (10/10) on Prime Video.