Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Zero Day season 1.Jesse Plemons plays Roger Carlson in Jesse Plemons' best movies and shows, however, and his character in Zero Day subverted all the expectations that trend set up.

Plemons' character, Roger Carlson, is one of the best in the entire ending of Zero Day, which was unexpected for Jesse Plemons.

Jesse Plemons Has Become Known For His Antagonist Roles

Some Of Plemons' Best-Known Roles Are Creepy Villains

The main reason Jesse Plemons' role in Zero Day is so surprising is because Roger is so different from the characters Plemons is known for playing. Ever since he played white supremacist and child killer Todd Alquist in Breaking Bad season 5, Plemons has earned a reputation for playing creepy villain characters. Since then, Plemons has played villains in everything from Civil War to Killers of the Flower Moon and Black Mirror. Whenever a show or movie needs an antagonist to unsettle audiences, Jesse Plemons seems to be the go-to actor.

What Happens To Roger Carlson In Zero Day

Roger Was Murdered By Lyndon's Men After Refusing To Betray Mullen

Roger Carlson (Jesse Plemons) being drowned to death in a bathtub in Zero Day season 1, episode 4

In spite of Jesse Plemons' history of playing villains, Roger Carlson was one of the biggest heroes in Zero Day. Roger was being manipulated and blackmailed by Robert Lyndon throughout the show, and he coerced Roger to betray Mullen and the Zero Day commission. However, Roger finally stopped listening to Lyndon when it mattered most, and he even gave Mullen the key to cracking the AM radio codes that solved the conspiracy behind Zero Day's attack. For his heroics, Roger Carlson was drowned in a bathtub by some of Lyndon's men, and his death was staged to look like a drug overdose.

Jesse Plemons Should Do More Of These Roles Going Forward

Plemons Is Great At Giving Roger Complexity & Playing A Flawed But Likable Character

Roger Carlson (Jesse Plemons) looks flummoxed in Zero Day

Zero Day and Roger Carlson were a surprising change of pace for Jesse Plemons, and they confirmed one thing: Plemons is so much more than a villainous character actor. Roger was an engaging and interesting character throughout his time in Zero Day, and it was largely because of Plemons' acting. Plemons is just as skilled at playing a flawed but still likable character as he is at playing deeply unnerving antagonists. If there's one takeaway from Roger Carlson in Zero Day, it's that Jesse Plemons should continue to play more heroic characters in the future.

Zero Day official poster

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Zero Day
Release Date
2025 - 2025-00-00
Network
Netflix
Writers
Dee Johnson

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Creator(s)
Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim, Michael Schmidt