Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for The Regime.

The Big Picture

• Agnes is more than a servant in The Regime; she protects her son from Elena's manipulation and holds powerful cards.
• Andrea Riseborough steals scenes with minimalist acting, emphasizing Agnes's understated power.
• The mysterious texts Agnes receives test her loyalty and adds depth to her character as the series moves toward its final episodes.

HBO's new drama The Regime is full of talented actors playing a wide range of character types. Kate Winslet is deliciously dictatorial as Elena Vernham, the leader of an unraveling authoritarian regime located in an unnamed Central European country. She brings an undeniable flair to the Chancellor attempting to replace her late father as the iron-fisted ruler of a simple and poor populace. Matthias Schoenaerts is ominous as the Chancellor's unstable, brawny right-hand man Corporal Zubak, a man who has designs on working his way into Vernham's life to possibly lay the groundwork for a revolution from those suffering under the current regime. But the show's best character is also its most reserved and understated: Andrea Riseborough's Agnes. The palace manager shrinks away from confrontation and appears to be a pushover who is only doing what she is told, but ultimately, could be holding powerful cards in a political game at the highest levels of a shaky regime.

Agnes Is Much More Than a Servant in 'The Regime'

Agnes is much more than the palace manager who is tasked with running a tight ship while also catering to the whims of the Chancellor. Her role as a servant is also complicated by the fact that Agnes is the biological mother of Oskar (Louie Mynett), whom Vernham publicly acknowledges as her own son. While Agnes's job description is to serve Vernham and make sure that everything is to her liking, her real raison d'être is to serve as Oskar's protector, given that the boy suffers from seizures.

Agnes loves Oskar more than anything in the world, and when Vernham decides to politicize his medical treatment in order to keep Agnes under her thumb, it crushes her. But she allows for it because she knows that, despite the manipulation, keeping her position as manager is the best way to stay close to Oskar and ensure that he doesn't suffer as a result of Vernham's absentee mothering. She also realizes that the alternative to working as Vernham's right hand is either ex-communication, where she would be separated from her son and powerless to oversee his well-being, or possibly something worse, as Vernham is extremely erratic and prone to cruel and unusual behavior.

Andrea Riseborough Is Stealing Scenes in 'The Regime'

Riseborough is an Oscar-nominated actor who has dazzled in many roles, so the fact that she is quietly stealing scenes from a cast full of talented performers isn't a surprise. The way she is doing it, however, is a masterclass in "less is more" minimalism. Riseborough's screentime is limited compared to Winslet and Schoenaerts, but she makes the most of the handful of scenes she gets in each episode. Agnes's diminutive and petite stature is only accentuated when she shares the screen with the taller and curvier Vernham. Winslet playing Vernham as a boisterous and over-the-top dictator allows Riseborough to shrink away from her and fully embrace a smaller space, both physically and emotionally in the background. Her plain and drab double-breasted, high-collared, almost militaristic uniform is also intended to emphasize that her station is far below Vernham's, Nicholas' (Guillaume Gallienne), and even Zubak's. But Agnes thrives on keeping her head down and controlling what she can control without arousing suspicion.

In Episode 3, "The Heroes' Banquet," we witness Agnes secretly trying to obtain medication for Oskar's condition, only to be thwarted. When Oskar has a seizure brought on by flashing lights, Vernham determines that it is in Oskar's best interest to resume taking his medication, rather than being subjected to Zubak's unorthodox herbal treatments. She also declares that it will be better if Oskar stays in her care so she can oversee his progress. Agnes goes from joyful relief to distress and repulsion at the idea of entrusting Oskar's health to the flighty and ill-equipped Vernham. Riseborough's artful change in expression, while subdued in comparison to Vernham's more overblown emotion, is a scene-stealer on its own. In Episode 4, "Midnight Feast," Vernham suffers from debilitating, age-related heat flashes that demand even more of Agnes' devotion. After a particularly disastrous speech, Vernham succumbs to the condition and has to sit before passing out. With such a fuss being made over Vernham and people rushing to make her more comfortable, it is Agnes' awkward fanning from behind that proves the most memorable takeaway from this sequence.

'The Regime's Latest Episode Adds More Layers to Agnes' Character

Above all, The Regime indicates that Agnes' primary concern is Oskar's health. When she starts receiving a series of mysterious texts on her cell phone in Episode 4, it adds another level of interest to an already dynamically understated character. The messages she's receiving will no doubt test her loyalty, given that the anonymous sender is offering a way out for her and Oskar in exchange for information on the crumbling authoritarian regime.

Agnes was already one of the more intriguing players in The Regime, but now showrunner Will Tracy has infused a more dramatic element that will add an extra dimension to Riseborough's brilliant turn as the show heads into its final two episodes. As one of the rare morally good characters on the show, it will be interesting to see just how big of a risk Agnes takes to establish a better life for herself and Oskar. Whatever she decides, it is a pleasure to watch this understated character develop even more and leverage the power she has into a potentially series-changing decision.

The Regime is available to stream on Max in the U.S.

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