# The Manchurian ★★★★☆ _a one-shot from [[The Horizon Experiment]]_ %% quick recap below %% > [!tldr] Recap > a Chinese James Bond running covert missions in America %% Enter notes below this line %% I think going into this series of pilots, I expected The Manchurian to be the one I was the least interested in. The pitch of a Chinese [[James Bond]] feels like it paints the wrong picture. I went into this expecting a sort-of-campy womanizing super spy—this time swapping one world superpower for another. Instead, this story offers an alternative perspective on how a spy agency can work in contrast to what we're used to seeing in stories like [[James Bond|007]] or [[Mission Impossible]]. I think the biggest issue I've had, and this applies to all of the Horizon Experiment one-shots so far, is that everything feels rushed. I wish they all had the opportunity to properly pace themselves when introducing characters and their motivation.