Installed in an isolated cabin to write a book, Muncie Daniels (Colman Domingo), anchor of the CNN news channel, accidentally finds himself witnessing a murder. He himself narrowly escapes the killers but, instead of being considered a victim by the police, he quickly becomes the main suspect. It must be said that the missing man turns out to be a white supremacist influencer and that the troubled past of the African-American journalist does not work in his favor. Convinced that he is the victim of a frame-up, Muncie Daniels embarks on a perilous mission: to carry out his own investigation to find the culprits.
His quest for truth and justice, sometimes reminiscent of that of Harrison Ford in The Fugitive by Andrew Davis (1993), unfolds over eight breathtaking episodes which shed harsh light on the gray areas of Trumpist America. We discover the ramifications of small neo-Nazi groups, at war against the “deep state”, those of anti-fascists organized into ultraviolent militias, but also the manipulations orchestrated by a financial group, between corruption and a disinformation campaign. Actions against which the FBI seems powerless.
Psychological depth of the characters
The most interesting aspect of the series, however, lies neither in this x-ray of a fractured America nor in the efficiency of the production, very quickly establishing an anxiety-provoking climate which we do not always know if it is paranoia. of the hero or the real threats weighing on him. The success of The Madness is due to the psychological depth and complexity of the characters, like the ex-wife of the supremacist who becomes, against all expectations, an ally.
The personal life of Muncie Daniels and his conflicted relationship with fatherhood also bring depth to the series. In conflict with his own father, Muncie sacrificed his children to his professional ambitions. He did not see his daughter, born from a first union, grow up and neglected his teenage son. This redemptive ordeal offers him the opportunity to (re)connect with his children and to repair what can still be repaired.