Tune In Or Tune Out: ‘Allegiance’ Is Sincere But Lacks Introspection
It’s obvious from the pilot that CBC’s newest procedural, Allegiance, was produced with passion and is unabashedly outspoken about policing and the root causes of systematic violence. The series follows Sabrina Sohal (Supinder Wraich), a rookie police officer who grapples with the flawed reality of the judicial system while attempting to exonerate her father. With the help of her guiding light, Officer Vince Brambilla (Enrico Colantoni), she navigates through life-threatening situations and racial discrimination, and struggles with her identity as both a cop and a person of color. Laced with commentary about the divided political culture of Canada, the series often blurs the lines between sincere activism and being needlessly preachy. Allegiance is a product of our times, desperately clinging onto hope in a world outlined by hate and discontent. While its messaging gets incredibly overbearing, Allegiance reveals itself as an honest procedural desperate to showcase the harm caused by our current political climate.
Meet Sabrina Sohal
It’s graduation day at the Surrey Police Academy and we’re greeted by pristine white gloves, lighthearted chit chat, and Sabrina, an altruistic and hopeful new rookie desperate to make a change in her community. Her brother, Ishaan Sohal (Adolyn H. Dar) is cold and upset, convinced that Sabrina has joined the enemy and betrayed her community. The siblings represent opposing sides of the political spectrum: Sabrina believes in justice, while Ishaan knows there’s no such thing. As she explores the inner workings of the criminal justice system, Sabrina loses her sense of hope, slowly becoming disillusioned with her idealistic fantasy of life as an officer. Wraich portrays this downward spiral with incredible subtlety as she realizes that policing is a selfish, morally gray profession. She cries as she apprehends women of color desperate for money, drug users forced into addiction, and mental health victims lost without sufficient healthcare. These instances further emphasize the judicial system as a morally bankrupt solution that fails to tackle the root causes of crime.
While Sabrina’s arc keeps the show grounded as a heartfelt letter for police reform, Ishaan’s side plot is both hilariously cartoonish and ridiculously overwhelming. After the arrest of their father, Ajeet Sohal (Stephen Lobo), Ishaan begins investigating online forums where he finds enclaves of white supremacists looking to expel all foreigners and reclaim Canada. Allegiance is the opposite of subtle, but this reads as incredibly disingenuous given the series’ attempt at truthful commentary. In lieu of narrative depth, we’re given caricatures that paint bigotry as overt and excessive when in reality, it hides itself in plain sight — indirect, but ever present.
It’s difficult to find a procedural that’s so outspoken about the failures of the profession it represents, but Allegiance excels at underlining the harsh reality of systemic violence and how it manifests in low-income communities. The series packs a surprising amount of depth into each character despite its 25-minute runtime. Characters have their own motives, belief systems, and play off each other in seamlessly realistic ways as they capture the angst and fatigue of society. Allegiance stands out in a sea of procedurals, expertly presenting its characters as bitter yet optimistic while perfectly capturing the social unrest of the modern era.
Tune In Or Tune Out
Allegiance is completely void of color. Its skies are gray, the saturation dimmed to extreme lows, but this is emblematic of the tone and thematic focus of the narrative. Shots are lined up nicely and the series’ dynamic camera presents the city of Surrey as its own character: gritty with a shimmer of light piercing through its dull skies. Despite its multifaceted characters, Allegiance often showboats its messaging in a pompous, tonally deaf manner. The series’ portrayal of racism is hyper-exaggerated through over dramatic caricatures and frankly, it doesn’t understand the ways bigotry manifests. With a series so focused on social issues, it’s jarring that the series’ primary side plot unironically focuses on a white supremacist group looking to overthrow the government. There are plenty of overt racist remarks made towards Sabrina, but it feels like the series needed to check it off its social agenda. It’s unengaging and comes off as incredibly disingenuous when compared to its portrayal of police brutality, systemic oppression, and social reform.
Allegiance should have been left in the writer’s room a little longer. Creator Anar Ali clearly cares about his community and the issues facing Canadian society, but the series gets lost in its politics and ultimately presents a show that is honest but self-indulgent. With a little restraint, the series was on track to be one of the most daring procedurals currently airing. However, it lazily depicts the current political climate as a direct result of individual intolerance rather than a collective hostility towards the institutions we fund. Housing, policing, medical needs, food scarcity, and representation within our government has driven us towards a constant state of resentment that needs a culprit; Allegiance addresses some of these and passively brushes others off. The series has its moments, but it loses itself, presenting a procedural that’s entertaining but feels like sitting through a lecture.
Who Will Like It?
Fans of procedurals will find Allegiance to be full of meaning, depth, and earnestness if one can look past its constant preaching. Characters are unique with their own moral compass, which guides the show through interesting avenues. The series is laced with heavy social critique that isn’t always presented in the most meaningful way. Allegiance shines in a sea of copy-and-paste procedurals but fails to summarize its talking points in subtle and entertaining ways. It’s bleak and oftentimes desolate, but it presents a light that burns through the muddied skies of contemporary society. Allegiance can be watched on the CBC Network.