History Series / TheSpy

* AllJewsAreAshkenazi: Discussed. Eli and his family are from Egypt (his father was born in Syria), and Nadia's are from Iraq, what are now called ''Mizrahi'' Jews. Eli says that the Israeli Ashkenazim just think of people like him and Nadia [[{{Irony}} as Arabs]].

* AllJewsAreAshkenazi: Discussed. Eli and his family are from Egypt (his father really was born in Syria), and Nadia's are from Iraq, what are now called ''Mizrahi'' Jews. Eli says that the Israeli Ashkenazim just think of people like him and Nadia [[{{Irony}} as Arabs]].

* {{Nepotism}}: Ma'azi receives special privileges because his uncle is a powerful Syrian general who is also the commander in chief of the army.

** Ma'azi, said spoiled nephew of the syrian commander in chief, is introduced when he drunkenly hands his loaded service pistol to a bartender and demands that the CelebrityResemblance man point it at him and pose like Creator/JeanPaulBelmondo. In another scene, he points his gun at Cohen and threatens him, but it turns out that he's [[JustJokingJustification only joking]]. Eli/Thaabeth lambastes him for pointing a weapon at him in his own home.

* ManipulativeBastard: As a successful spy, Cohen takes this UpToEleven, including -- among other things -- gaining access to a highly restricted military zone in the Golan Heights and then donating eucalyptus trees for shade there for the heat-stricken soldiers. The trees were used to let the IDF identify the hidden fortifications and played a major part in helping Israel remove the Syrian artillery threat to the border civilians after the Six-Day War in 1967.

* AllJewsAreAshkenazi: Discussed. Eli and his family are from Egypt, and Nadia's are from Iraq, what are now called ''Mizrahi'' Jews. Eli says that the Ashkenazim just think of people like him and Nadia [[{{Irony}} as Arabs]].

* ItsPronouncedTropay: Justified and obvious if you watch more than a minute of the series, but the Hebrew pronunciation of Eli's name is eh-LEE, not EE-lie.

* BadassMustache: In line with Arab culture, Eli grows one for his cover while training for the Syrian mission, even when Nadia says she dislikes it.

** As seen above, a Syrian colonel invites Cohen to open fire on Israeli citizens and won't accept Cohen's several attempts to beg off. Only after Cohen has reluctantly aimed at a target and put his fingers on the trigger does the colonel claim he was "just joking," and tells Cohen to step away. It's ultimately ambiguous as to whether this was really a joke, if the colonel was trying to see whether Cohen [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten would actually do it]] or if the general just changed his mind about provoking an international incident.

* {{Nepotism}}: Ma'azi receives special privileges because his uncle is a powerful Syrian general who is also the commander in chief.

** Ma'azi, said spoiled nephew of a powerful general, is introduced when he drunkenly hands his loaded service pistol to a bartender and demands that the CelebrityResemblance man point it at him and pose like Creator/JeanPaulBelmondo. In another scene, he points his gun at Cohen and threatens him, but it turns out that he's [[JustJokingJustification only joking]]. Eli/Thaabeth lambastes him for pointing a weapon at him in his own home.
** In another dramatic scene, a Syrian general invites Cohen to shoot at Israeli civilians with a machine gun. After instructing Cohen to aim at a target and put his fingers on the trigger, he tells him he was "just joking".

* AllJewsAreAshkenazi: Subverted. Eli and his family are from Egypt and Nadia's are from Iraq, what are now called ''Mizrahi'' Jews. Played straight, however, with Nadia's employer Tova and her husband. Eli then lampshades the Israeli ethnic class/caste system at the beginning and says the Azhkenazim just think of people like him and Nadia [[{{Irony}} as Arabs]].

* IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten: A Syrian general invites Cohen to open fire on a group of Israeli civilians with a machinegun. Cohen is forced to either go along with it or break his cover as a Zionist-hating Syrian zealot. At the last second, the general tells him he was [[JustJokingJustification just joking]].

** As seen above, a Syrian general invites Cohen to open fire on Israeli citizens and won't accept Cohen's several attempts to beg off. Only after Cohen has reluctantly aimed at a target and put his fingers on the trigger does the general claim he was "just joking," and tells Cohen to step away. It's ultimately ambiguous as to whether this was really a joke, if the general was trying to see whether Cohen [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten would actually do it]] or if the general just changed his mind about provoking an international incident.

* {{Nepotism}}: Ma'azi receives special privileges because his uncle is a powerful Syrian general.

In 1960, Eliyahu Cohen is an Egyptian-born Israeli who works a menial job but yearns to be of service to his nation. When Mossad spymaster Dan Peleg begins looking for a new agent to send on an urgent deep-cover mission to Syria by way of Argentina, Cohen jumps at the chance. In spite of Peleg's lingering guilt over similar spies who have died under his watch, Peleg recruits him, and Cohen departs for Argentina with his loving wife none the wiser of his real mission. Cohen proves a natural at espionage, and soon charms his way into the highest ranks of the Syrian power structure. But the deeper he goes, Cohen finds himself ever torn between his desire to achieve greatness and his yearning to return to his true identity.

* ConfessToALesserCrime: Apparently Eli admitting to having "extremely graphic pornography" in his suitcase was enough to get the Syrian border patrol to quit looking through his things.

** Ma'azi, said spoiled nephew of a powerful general, is introduced when he drunkenly hands his loaded service pistol to a bartender and demands that the man point it at him and pose like a famous movie star. In another scene, he points his gun at Cohen and threatens him, but it turns out that he's [[JustJokingJustification only joking]]. Eli/Thaabeth lambastes him for pointing a weapon at him in his own home.

* AllJewsAreAshkenazi: Subverted; Eli and his family are from Egypt and Nadia's are from Iraq; what are now called ''Mizrahi'' Jews. Played straight, however, with Nadia's employer Tova and her husband. Eli then lampshades the Israeli ethnic class/caste system at the beginning and says the Azhkenazim just think of people like him and Nadia [[{{Irony}} as Arabs]].

* BittersweetEnding: Cohen is [[spoiler:caught and executed, leaving his wife a widow and his children fatherless. Both his family and Israel have spent decades trying to get his remains returned, to no avail. However, the work he did made a real impact in ensuring the survival of his country]].

** The morning after a drunken Ma'azi meets Cohen and passes out on his couch, he wakes him up at gunpoint and gets him to the point of being "white as a ghost", before using this. Cohen is then seemingly furious, lambastes Ma'azi, and gets him to humbly beg forgiveness -- before using this in turn. They laugh about it and it cements their friendship.

* AllJewsAreAshkenazi: Subverted; Eli and his family are from Egypt and Nadia's are from Iraq, what are now called ''Mizrahi'' Jews. Played straight, however, with Nadia's employer Tova and her husband. Eli then lampshades the Israeli ethnic class/caste system at the beginning and says the Azhkenazim just think of people like him and Nadia [[{{Irony}} as Arabs]].

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Cohen is caught and executed, leaving his wife a widow and his children fatherless. His family has spent decades trying to get his remains returned, to no avail. However, the work he did made a real impact in ensuring the survival of his country]].

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: The real-life Cohen had as many as 17 beautiful mistresses, but in the series, he's such a CelibateHero out of respect to his wife that it causes problems for his cover identity.

* JustJokingJustification: As seen above, a Syrian general invites Cohen to open fire on Israeli citizens and won't accept Cohen's several attempts to beg off. Only after Cohen has reluctantly aimed at a target and put his fingers on the trigger does the general claim he was "just joking," and tells Cohen to step away. It's ultimately ambiguous as to whether this was really a joke, if the general was trying to see whether Cohen [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten would actually do it]] or if the general just changed his mind about provoking an international incident.

** The spoiled idiot nephew of a powerful general is introduced when he drunkenly hands his loaded service pistol to a bartender and demands that the man point it at him and pose like a famous movie star. In another scene, he points his gun at the protagonist and threatens him, but it turns out that he's only joking. The protagonist lambastes him for pointing a weapon at him in his own home.
** In another dramatic scene, a Syrian general invites Cohen to shoot at Israeli civilians with a machine gun. After instructing Cohen to aim at a target and put his fingers on the trigger, he tells him he was "[[JustJokingJustification just joking]]."

** Eli has to become Thaabet to work effectively and survive, but the blurring of his selves and the toll it takes on him emotionally and psychologically is crystal clear. Sacha Baron Cohen has said words to the effect that where he himself is sometimes in-character for up to twelve hours, Eli was in-character non-stop for ''five years'', and he considers him the world's greatest actor.

** Eli, full stop -- it's what the series is about. Justified as he had to become Thaabet to work effectively and survive, but the blurring of his selves and the toll it takes on him emotionally and psychologically is crystal clear. Sacha Baron Cohen has said words to the effect that where he himself is sometimes in-character for up to twelve hours, Eli was in-character non-stop for ''five years'', and he considers him the world's greatest actor.

Eli Cohen works a menial job but yearns to be of service to his nation. When Mossad spymaster Dan Peleg begins looking for a new agent to send on a deep-cover mission to Syria by way of Argentina, Cohen jumps at the chance. In spite of Peleg's lingering guilt over similar spies who have died under his watch, Peleg recruits him, and Cohen departs for Argentina with his loving wife none the wiser of his real mission. Cohen proves a natural at espionage, and soon charms his way into the highest ranks of the Syrian power structure. But the deeper he goes, Cohen finds himself ever torn between his desire to achieve greatness and his yearning to return to his true identity.

* DisappearedDad: A justified version. Cohen is a spy and so he can't be with his family, which includes his daughters, as much as he would love to.

* IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten: A Syrian general invites Cohen to open fire on a group of Israeli civilians with a machinegun. Cohen is forced to either go along with it or break his cover as a Zionist-hating Syrian zealot. [[spoiler:It was ultimately just a prank by the general]].
* JustJokingJustification: A Syrian general invites Cohen to open fire on Israeli citizens and won't accept Cohen's several attempts to beg off. Only after Cohen has reluctantly aimed at a target and put his fingers on the trigger does the general claim he was "just joking," and tells Cohen to step away. It's ultimately ambiguous as to whether this was really a joke, if the general was trying to see whether Cohen [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten would actually do it]] or if the general just changed his mind about provoking an international incident.

* TranslationConvention: All spoken foreign languages, with the exception of a few snippets of religious utterances, are rendered as accented English. Given that the series takes place in Israel, Argentina and Syria, it's sometimes not clear what language people are supposed to be speaking. Text is usually left untranslated, but a few key snippets transform into English translations on camera.

* MyGreatestFailure: Peleg has never gotten over allowing an extremely talented field agent get assigned to deep cover because he knew the man was too eager to please and would take excessive risks. The agent was almost immediately captured and killed. He doesn't want the same thing to happen to Cohen.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Cohen is caught and executed, leaving his wife a widow and his children fatherless. His family have spent decades trying to get his remains returned, to no avail. However, the work he did made a real impact in ensuring the survival of his country]].

* TheDanza: (Sacha Baron) Cohen as Cohen.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Given that it's TheSixties in the Middle East, being gay is out of the question. When Cohen seems to register that Ma'azi has a sexual interest in him, he turns him away in disgust without even acknowledging the matter. Later, Cohen is advised to get a girlfriend so his cover identity isn't thought to be "funny in that way."

* JustJokingJustification: A Syrian general invites Cohen to open fire on Israeli citizens and won't accept Cohen's several attempts to beg off. Only after Cohen has reluctantly aimed at a target and put his finders on the trigger does the general claim he was "just joking," and tells Cohen to step away. It's ultimately ambiguous as to whether this was really a joke, if the general was trying to see whether Cohen [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten would actually do it]] or if the general just changed his mind about provoking an international incident.

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: While Cohen is a spy with good goals he's also shown to be homophobic as he brusquely turns away Ma'azi's supposed interest.

* ComfortFood: Bread and butter for both Cohen and his wife, reminding them of their time together. When Cohen feels his true identity slipping away, he raids his fancy kitchen for some simple bread and butter to remind himself of who he is. When Dan Peleg cooks breakfast for Cohen's wife and starts eating bread and butter at their table, she tells him to leave

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Given that it's TheSixties in the Middle East, being gay is out of the question. When Cohen seems to register that Ma'avi has a sexual interest in him, he turns him away in disgust without even acknowledging the matter. Later, Cohen is advised to get a girlfriend so his cover identity isn't thought to be "funny in that way."