Is there a more complex or riveting story this season than HBO’s The Sympathizer? This limited series is grand in story and confident in execution as we follow a young spy as he re-examines loyalty and his own identity as he recalls his involvement in the Vietnam War. For costume designer Danny Glicker, joining this rich series was a no-brainer as a chance to flex his muscles for characters who are too familiar with hiding themselves.
Glicker was nominated for an Emmy for his bodacious and bold designs of Angelyne, but you won’t find much bubblegum pink in The Sympathizer. He has had opportunities to costume real-life characters who find themselves in the public eye (Milk and Love & Mercy, for example), but the costuming in The Sympathizer is fascinating for how we have to think of how these characters put themselves together in the morning. Is everyone hiding something? Are they projecting an image? Can costume design make us question if we should trust someone?
I couldn’t help but notice that Hoa Xuande’s The Captain wears a lot of blue, but Glicker is a bit mum on every intention behind that color choice. How very apropos for a character who won’t give everything away! When we dive into the costuming of Robert Downey Jr.’s quartet of characters, I realize that Glicker could expand for hours on every choice and backstory. Since all of these men have to look separate from one another, Glicker reveals that he created entirely separate spaces for each character so Downey Jr. could have a clean slate for every person he inhabits. That shows care for character and costume.
Will we know every detail of the costuming for this series? Of course not. The Sympathizer allows for the shadow of mystery to keep us on our toes or so we look over our shoulder to protect ourselves. Glicker’s designs are as rich and complex as the mind of a spy.
The Sympathizer is streaming now on Max.
