I loved this episode of Covert Affairs, heartbreaking as it was. Now in its 3rd season, this feel-good USA spy drama has really started to grow up.
(And no, I’m not referring to how this and other 10PM USA shows are starting to embrace the full parameters of their TV14 rating – I’m kind of annoyed by that, as I’d still like there to be some excellent shows I can enjoy watching with my younger siblings. It’s not bad so far, but I’d really rather not have USA pushing the envelope becoming a regular thing. Sorry, rant over.)
Spoilers below!
The first season of Covert Affairs was more of a guilty pleasure – frothy and fun, with a slightly annoying, slightly two-dimensional protagonist. Plus I wasn’t a big fan of the whole Ben storyline. Auggie was what kept me around, and he’s still the best part of the show. The character, the acting, the dialog – all meshed for Auggie right away while the others took a bit to catch up – and in this season you’re started to see that pan out more and more. Jai’s death and Lena’s recklessness are also adding a darker edge, and there are more unknown factors (instead of characters just keeping secrets from each other, most of the time we viewers are in the dark now, too).
Considering how much of a favorite Auggie is, it made Parker walking out on him especially mean. While it did feel a little out of character for her (though we do hardly know her), having her destroy Auggie like that completely closed the door on her as a likeable person. I felt like it was just as cruel as disappearing on Auggie in the middle of the night. (And now I’m picturing him waking up with her gone, fumbling around, calling her name, finding the ring. Should be a heartrending alternate scene option on the DVD set.) Gorham played Auggie’s emotions perfectly in those final two scenes with Parker.
So why did Parker ditch him anyway? You could see the hesitation in her eyes when they made up at the end of the last episode, but with however much time skipped over between that episode and this, it’s possible there were other signs. Of course Auggie seemed to be oblivious to all the warnings, but who knows how much was due to his physical blindness, and how much due to his emotional. In a sad way, there was sort of a symmetry to the lack of information shared between them. Parker didn’t voice her doubts, therefore hiding them from Auggie just as effectively as he hid his CIA involvement from her.
As much as I like Auggie and Annie together, I can see why she’s starting to fall for Simon. British accent, bad boy with a romantic side, hidden motives (yeah, basically this show’s version of Spike – lol). How much of her trying to prevent the meet was wanting to save the operation, and how much was wanting to save the guy? I’m curious how the final twist will impact the rest of the season, but I’m super glad Annie’s back at the DPD, even if she had to blow a mission and get “fired” by Lena to do so.
At least, amid all the downs of this episode, Annie got the chance to say goodbye to her sister. Their scenes in this episode had an extra emotional punch for me, as I just found out one of my closest friends is moving 5 1/2 hours away. The ice cream scene put the perfect finishing touch on their arc – a callback to early episodes coupled with the ridiculousness of using a spatula to eat.
With Jai and now Danielle gone, I’m wondering if the writers plan to bring in more reoccurring roles (like Lena and Simon), and perhaps add one or two to the regular cast by next season? Who’s a character you’d like to see return? If you could pick any actor you want to guest star or join the show later on this season, who would it be, and what would you have him/her do on the show?
Great recap of this episode…I’ve really liked how the show has “shaken up” Annie’s world this year…and the scenes with Auggie in this episode nearly had me crying. Brilliantly played.