DVD/TV Series Review: Covert Affairs: Season 5

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the prior season, but no major season five giveaways+++

The final season of Covert Affairs picks up four months after Annie killed Henry Wilcox. She has been living off the grid but comes back into the CIA after threats of a terrorist attack arise. In doing so, she is hiding a respiratory condition that affects her ability to do her job. The show continues to be a blend of procedural, case-of-the-week shows with larger arcs that span throughout the season. This season sees Auggie's hacker ex-girlfriend Natasha brought back for a significant story arc. The show does feature the typical twists and turns and given that it is the final season it does a decent job at tying up the storylines of the various characters. Even though there was a slight possibility of it being picked up for another season by the time the season ended, the writers definitely used the final episode to get the characters in a place where life for them would go on and did not end the season on a major cliffhanger that would never be resolved.

For those who get the DVD set, there are only a couple of extras. There are some deleted scenes and a gag reel. It would have been nice if there were some cast interviews, something like a series retrospective, etc. But, this was just a very bare-bones DVD release.

Overall, the final season did a good job wrapping up the series. It was nice that Oded Fehr was brought back to reprise his role as Mossad agent Eyal Lavin for a couple of episodes. One thing that was definitely missing was finding a way to include Danielle for at least an appearance in the series finale. I am not sure if Anne Dudek's schedule just did not work out, or if she was never in the plans. But, given that the first two seasons focused so much on Annie and Danielle's relationship, it would have been nice to have a cameo appearance from Dudek. Aside from that, I think the writers did a good job wrapping up the show and gave everyone in the ensemble cast good storylines. I do think that the first two seasons of the show were the best, but if you stuck with it after that, the final season is still worth checking out.

DVD/TV Series Review: Covert Affairs: Season 4

 

+++Warning, this contains minor season three spoilers, but no major season four spoilers+++

The fourth season picks up with the aftermath of the kiss between Auggie and Annie that ended season three, with the two of them officially in a relationship that they still have not disclosed to Arthur. That thread does ripple throughout the season, especially toward the end. There are two other major storylines during the season. The first is a scandal involving Arthur, and the second is a wrap-up to the Henry Wilcox storyline that has persisted from season one. Those two story arcs are actually heavily intertwined as Henry (Gregory Itzin) is heavily involved in both. Itzin plays scummy characters very well, as he showed on 24, and he does a great job this season.

The DVD extras are pretty sparse this season. There is an Auggie character featurette, a short reel, deleted scenes, a "Covert Affairs Prequel", and an "action reel". Definitely not as much as what was included in the DVD releases for the earlier seasons.

Overall, the season is good. It does take on a darker tone this year, which helps keep it fresh. I do think that the show misses something by removing the dynamic between Annie and her sister with Anne Dudek having left the show after finding out about Annie's real job. I think that relationship should have expanded as opposed to contracted in the show and would have made for some good side stories. But, it continues to be well written and acted, with Piper Perabo really growing into the role as the series lead.

DVD/TV Series Review: Covert Affairs: Season 3

 

+++Warning, this will contain spoilers from season two and minor spoilers from season three, but no major season three giveaways.+++

Season three of Covert Affairs picks up down the line from the events ending season two. Annie and Danielle are still at odds over Annie's reveal that she is actually a CIA agent. Anne Dudek's role on the show was changed from being a series regular to recurring this season, so she was not around as much, although the writers did a fairly good job tying up Annie and Danielle's story arc. There is another major turnover in the cast that occurs very early in the season that causes a shakeup at the agency, with both Annie and Auggie taking on new duties. 24 alumn Sarah Clarke was added to the cast in a recurring role and Richard Coyle was added in a recurring role as Simon Fischer, a British businessman to whom Annie is assigned, who may also be a Russian spy. Oded Fehr makes several appearances in his recurring role as Mossad agent Eyal Lavin, including having a large role in the season finale. The episodes are again mostly procedural, case-of-the-week episodes, but there are some serial arcs that run throughout the season. Those mostly involve Henry Wilcox. The season ends on a quasi-cliffhanger and sets up what is likely to be a large fourth-season storyline.

The DVD extras are pretty sparse. There are deleted scenes for most of the episodes and then a short called "Sight Unseen" which is a prequel story to the series that shows how Auggie lost his sight. What is there is good, but may not entice everyone to shell out for the physical discs. Overall, the season was good. Yes, it does take a lot of suspension of disbelief and it, like Alias, is likely not all that much like actual CIA work. Of course, things are embellished for dramatic effect, but you have to know that going into it. The acting is very good, and the show does a fairly decent job balancing the ensemble cast. Generally, I would say if you liked the first couple of seasons you will probably like this one. If you did not, this season is not likely to change your mind.

DVD/TV Series Review: Covert Affairs: Season 2

 

The second season of Covert Affairs picks up after the events of the season three finale in which Ben, Annie's ex-boyfriend, revealed himself to be alive, and their return from Sri Lanka. Ben disappears again and the season basically picks up with the mission-of-the-week format. The main themes throughout the season is again Annie trying to balance her personal life and spy life, especially keeping her sister from finding out about the latter, and revealing more about what Henry Wilcox is up to.

This season again sees a good cast of recurring stars and guest stars, including Jamie Alexander (from the first couple of Thor movies, Agents of Sheild, and later Blindspot), Oded Fehr (from the Mummy and Resident Evil movies), Ben Lawson, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Gregory Itzin (probably best known for his role on 24), and Santiago Cabrera (probably best known for his role on the BBC series Merlin).

For those who get the DVD set, the extras include deleted scenes, a featurette about the filming locations, a comic-con intro segment with Piper Perabo, and a gag reel. Not a ton of extras, but what is included is fine.

Overall, the series continues to be mostly well-written and well-acted. Some of the plots are formulaic and predictable and sometimes the show throws a good twist in that keeps it from being as predictable. The main cast all do a good job in their role, with Christopher Gorham, Piper Perabo, and Sendhil Ramamurthy all doing a great job as the spy characters and Anne Dudek doing a great job as Annie's out-of-the-loop sister. The show has a good mix of action and drama with a bit of humor thrown in. So, if you are a fan of the spy action genre, and you liked the first season, this is definitely worth watching.

DVD/TV Series Review: Covert Affairs Season One

 

Covert Affairs was one of the USA Network original series, that included series like Psych, White Collar, Fairly Legal, In Plain Sight, etc. This one is set around a young CIA field agent named Annie Walker (played by Piper Perabo). The easy comparison is to Alias, but it is a much different series than Alias. The only parallels to that series is that Annie has a cover job (in Acquisitions at the Smithsonian) to give her an excuse for keeping odd hours and always traveling and that she has to keep her "real job" a secret from her sister (played by Anne Dudek). Anne teams up with a blind tech officer named Auggie (played by Sendhil Ramamurthy as Jai Wilcox, a rival CIA officer, and Peter Gallagher as the director of the National Clandestine Service, Arthur Campbell. Oded Fehr plays a recurring Mossad operative, Eyal Lavin, and Gregory Itzin as Henry Wilcox the former director of the National Clandestine Service, and father of Jai Wilcox.

The first season is pretty much a mission-of-the-week show that has a larger plot involving Annie's ex-boyfriend that plays out throughout the season, and an overarching arc that crosses over seasons. The show has a good blend of action and drama with a bit of comedy mixed in. It does, like most of these kinds of shows, take some suspension of disbelief as it is definitely not the most realistic show ever.

For those who get the DVD set, the extras include deleted scenes and commentary tracks for selected episodes, a short gag reel, a making-of featurette that is just under fifteen minutes, a set tour with Sendhil Ramamurthy, and a featurette with Gorham discussing how he plays a blind character. So, there is a lot there if you like watching the bonus features.

Overall, the show is good, but not great. It is not as good as shows like Alias or Chuck in the spy genre, nor is it as good as some of the other USA Network originals like Psych and In Plain Sight. That said, it does have its entertaining moments and the cast is very strong. If you are a stickler for authenticity then this is probably not the show for you, but if you are looking for an action-drama that you can enjoy without thinking about it too deeply, this is a good option.