As we wait for the announcement of who will play the next James Bond (thank you for your service, Daniel Craig), Prime Video’s Bait has a buzzy, meta quality to it. Creator and star Riz Ahmed has had this name floating around social media in these last few months from fans who think he would bring an entirely new take on the classic character, and there are moments in this genre-bending series that feel like they heartily serve as Mr. Ahmed’s audition for the iconic tuxedo. Ahmed’s nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series was one of the most welcome surprises of this year’s Emmy nominations, and here’s hoping the mention gets more eyes on this wholly unique series.
“When it’s you, all alone, how do you live with yourself? Do you even know who you are?” is posed to Ahmed’s Shah during an audition to play 007 in the opening moments of Bait‘s first episode, but he calls out, “Line!” and the scene is cut short. How can you inhabit the life and persona of someone if you don’t know your own identity and your perspective first? The director has has enough of Shah’s lack of preparation, and she tells him that the studio didn’t even want to see him for the part–she had to convince them. Disheartened, he leaves through the front door, and the paparazzi snaps photos of him, assuming that Shah is in serious contention for the role even though they don’t know what just transpired. Social media is set ablaze and Shah now has to keep his head above water in order to be the one and only James Bond.
From the outside, Bait doesn’t look like anything else on television, and Ahmed and begin our conversation about the show’s ambitions. With only six episodes all under thirty minutes, it’s shocking that Bait takes on the the industry, racism, public perception and family strife while delivering a comedy at such breakneck speed. Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned the severed pig’s head that Shah can see talking to him–voiced by Sir Patrick Stewart.
Much like Ahmed’s character himself, Bait capitalizes on its characters needs, wants, and desires to drive the action. Halfway through the season, Shah and his ex-girlfriend, Ritu Arya’s Yasmin, share a Richard Linklater-like evening together, and we are amazed yet again at how much this comedy can juggle.
Ahmed reveals that after receiving the blessing from those in charge of Bond’s legacy, he was able to show how Bait isn’t really about landing a role in one of Hollywood’s most enduring franchises. It’s about how we don’t know how much we need to love ourselves in order to become the most confident and assured version of who we want to be. How Shah deals with that–amid creative crises, romantic entanglements, and family obligations–makes Ahmed’s performance all the more impressive.
With so many eyes on him, Shah somehow keeps his feet secure on the tightrope. No disrespect to Mr. Craig, but that’s an aspect to the new James Bond that we are sorely in need of.
Bait is streaming now on Prime Video.
