Showrunner Nicholas Wootton tells EW the game plan for the NBC thriller’s upcoming episodes.
WARNING: Spoilers below for the premiere episode ofThe Endgame.
Elena Federova (Morena Baccarin) has arrived!
Morena Baccarin as Elena Federova.Eric Liebowitz/NBC
What remains unclear is exactlywhyshe’s doing all of this, and where Val fits in.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Elena spends the entire pilot in one room.
Can you talk about Morena Baccarin’s captivating performance as the criminal mastermind?
Eric Liebowitz/NBC
NICHOLAS WOOTTON:It’s an interesting trick and it really relies enormously on Morena.
The episode is about Elena and Val, but it’s orchestrated by Elena.
Morena has this magnetism where you want to know more, and that was the plan.
It relied on her, her outfit, her look and all of this stuff to build curiosity.
You want to know who this person is.
We’ll do flashbacks going forward and we do see her in the world in flashbacks significantly going.
Then at a certain point she will be out in the world.
Val is determined to take Elena down, but also has a complex standing within the FBI.
How does that pose a problem for her at work?
She’s going to be shown a lot of flaws to the system she’s loyal to.
She’ll be exploring the gray areas as the series goes on.
He gives her certain latitude and that is going to cause friction with the assistant director going forward.
Anthony and Val have a conversation about her growing up around cops and criminals.
What can you share about how muchThe Endgamewill dive into Val’s background?
That is absolutely a big part of the show.
Showing you who Val is and why she has the belief system she does.
It’s all tied in.
That’s going to be revealed.
What is the format ofThe Endgame?
It’s a mix.
For the first couple episodes there will be a takedown-of-the-week because it gives us structure.
In the pilot we see the Attorney General, Homeland Secretary and the head of the FBI.
What’s next for them?
Owen is a very significant part of this story.
You’ll see a lot of him going forward.
Elena knows [Sergey] is alive.
So yeah, both of them are definitely a big part of it.
Elena mentions Val will join a partnership.
What can you tease about what she wants from Agent Turner?
What inspired the twist in Elena’s origin story and how does it impact what comes next?
If you think you’re looking at one thing then there’s some sleight of hand.
That twist is sort of the show in microcosm.
What’s next for her bank heists?
Each bank has a significance that will be revealed.
I hope we do, I’m not quite sure yet.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
The Endgameairs Mondays at 10pm ET on NBC.
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