According to Aristotle, forgive me, evil does not exist. Understand well, it's not that it doesn't exist, but rather that it has neither autonomy nor a life of its own. While good is a transcendental attribute of being, evil is simply a lack. More precisely, it is the absence of good. It sounds somewhat abstruse, but, upon closer examination, it seems sensible. "Day Zero," the series currently making waves on Netflix, whose main advocate and attraction is President George Mullen portrayed by Robert De Niro (New York, 1943), deals with this. Not so much about Aristotle, although a bit, but about how complicated it can be to do good.
In the series co-written by Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim, Michael Schmidt, and Lesli Linka Glatter, there are those who, in their quest to do good, end up causing the greatest harm. And that, truth be told, is very wrong. And there are those who, after much consideration, decide to do evil, seemingly aware that a convenient lesser evil can bring deep satisfaction to many. In other words, the consequences, in the end, are good, so good that they closely resemble good itself. Complicated? After all, nobody said that life, and especially now with Elon Musk at the helm, was a simple matter.
"Comparing two of my recent characters," begins the reflection of Robert De Niro himself accompanied by Eric Newman on the other side of Zoom, "I see that they are very different, but something unites them." The two-time Oscar-winning actor, a myth of few words (but a myth nonetheless), refers to William Hale - the despotic, arrogant, and criminal character in Martin Scorsese's film "The Killers of the Moon" - and the aforementioned George Mullen. The former is, as you may recall, essentially bad, a villain who only acts driven by his unlimited selfishness as a usurping capitalist, caring only for himself and disregarding others' lives or anything other than himself. The latter is just the opposite, essentially moral, a patriot in a non-offensive sense, and, as Machado would say, good in the best sense of the word good. This explanation serves to frame the reasoning. And he continues: "From an actor's point of view, absolute evil is always much more gratifying, interesting to explore. However, doing good poses much more complicated dilemmas to resolve. Like my character in the series, one can choose to always do good, tell the truth, and do so no matter how difficult it may be. But one would be a fool and, therefore, act wrongly if they did not weigh the consequences of their actions. How many times, in trying to do good, do we end up harming many more people than if we acted in the opposite direction? In other words, understanding pure evil is more difficult, but doing good is more complicated than it seems." Pause. "I don't know if I have managed to explain myself." Let's say yes, although we are already in the second paragraph and still not exactly sure what we are talking about.
What we are talking about is a day, the one announced in the title, where a blackout resulting from a massive cyberattack plunges the entire United States into the deepest darkness. Even more than what is reported on the news every day. The lights go out, and with them, everything else. Planes fly blind until they crash, security systems collapse, banks lose their customers' data, and the financial system, all of it, witnesses something akin to a Roman bacchanal involving subprimes, cryptocurrencies, and artificial intelligences. All very crazy. But also very tragic. Just at that moment, the president of the world's leading power (portrayed by Angela Bassett as if she were Kamala) has the idea to assign De Niro's character the investigation of what happened. The latter is a former president busy writing his memoirs, taking walks, and swimming in his pool, distinguished by the honor of having been the last of the American presidents capable of mediating between Republicans and Democrats. We are facing the last sensible man before the polarization that swept everything away. In other words, Mullen is the last good man, the last capable of doing good without a shadow of malice, the last of all lasts. However, not everything can be perfect; he has mental problems. Or so it seems.
The protagonist of "Mean Streets," "Taxi Driver," "The Godfather," "Raging Bull," "Goodfellas," and a thousand more masterpieces recounts that the reason that led him to decide to debut on television was simple: "I liked the idea, I met with Newman, and it was clear to me. I didn't hesitate at all." The fact that he did not hesitate meant that neither did the aforementioned Angela Bassett, Jesse Plemons, Matthew Modine, Bill Camp... Without De Niro, nothing would exist.
By his side, Newman, a screenwriter among other series like "Narcos," agrees. And clarifies: "However, I would like to clarify that we never intended to make a clear and evident political statement in the series. Our intention was to create a narrative that would work as a compelling thriller to keep people entertained for six episodes. Nothing more. Trying to label individual characters with partisan tags simply does not work. If you identify any of the characters and look for a real-life counterpart, you eliminate all complexity, and everything becomes a pamphlet," he says.
And yet, regardless of what one of its creators says, it is inevitable to draw parallels. There are too many, and they all fit. The protagonist's supposed dementia is too reminiscent of the lapses of Joe Biden that cost him the candidacy. And the question arises: what if it was provoked? Is it possible to imagine a chemical weapon that literally destroys neurons? But perhaps that's being too paranoid.
On the other hand, the growing power of the technological caste also finds its reflection in a kind of guru (this time as a woman) who, due to influence, power, and eccentricity, too closely resembles Elon Musk to be a mere coincidence. And more questions arise: does it make sense for a democratic society to delegate control of its institutions to the top five of the Forbes list? Of course, there are no shortage of influencers (or whatever they are) spreading rumors; televangelists who are themselves a hoax, and hoaxes that are nothing more than hoaxes. In other words, everything fits. However, the president in his infinite, albeit very confusing, goodness does not allow any possible reply. It's typical of messiahs. Or perhaps not, but in a negative sense?
-The character you portray, by being intelligent, calm, and precise in his statements, seems the exact opposite of Donald Trump, whom you have bitterly criticized on more than one occasion. What has happened?
-What has happened to lead to Trump? "I ask myself that question every day, constantly."
-Is democracy in danger?
-Democracy is and has always been in danger... Right now, our real world is terrifying.
Newman agrees again. Not regarding the silences, but the rest. "Of course, democracy is always in danger, and it is a mistake to believe that it does not need protection. But this is not a new idea that we have come up with. What is really important and somewhat novel is how our relationship with the truth has changed. What we once considered objective, as unquestionable truths, is no longer the case. And that is very concerning because we have never experienced anything like this before. That is the challenge faced by the characters in the series and the challenge of our society right now. And this is regardless of the party we talk about. It affects us all, and neither Republicans nor Democrats have a monopoly on honesty. But I believe, in any case, that there is hope. It is still possible to do the right thing." Pause. De Niro speaks again. "I don't understand how, no matter how bad things are, one would give up hope."
-Without intending to spoil anything, your character not only has to weigh whether doing good could bring worse consequences for everyone than doing wrong, in general, but he must also consider how it personally affects him. At one point, if he does not lie, he ruins his daughter's life. You recently became a father again not long ago. How far would you be willing to go to protect your children's lives?
-I cannot give a general answer. It is a question that affects each person in a very particular way. You see people in a war, for example, in Ukraine, or in Gaza, and it is impossible to speak for them. Seeing your children die as is happening there is completely unimaginable to me. And yet, it is a daily reality for many people in those places. They do everything they can in a situation of complete helplessness. It is a terrible, terrible nightmare.
And the question, indeed remains intact. What seems clear is that morality, after all, is fine until it is not. Do we act wrongly out of ignorance, as Socrates maintained, or do we act wrongly just because; because, even knowing that we are on the wrong path, we decide that the performance or the ultimate good is greater (this latter is more of Aristotle from before)? The moral calculation, and therefore, considering an action good or bad perhaps depends on everything else, on the context. And that is the center and the knot of Day Zero, the series that made De Niro debut on TV at 81 years old.