Covert Affairs

First season - 60% - The new addition to the spy series family is unique in at least one way. It almost never happened to me that the pilot episode was also the best. The first episode brought a beautiful main protagonist, bridges to the past, a charismatic boss, or a very likable partner, all complemented by fast-paced action and captivating atmosphere, only for each subsequent episode to disappoint and eventually come to the inevitable realization that the potential of Covert Affairs may not be as great as it originally seemed. Annie and Auggie work great together, but when I am more interested in Ben Mercer than in the routine episodic plots, not everything works as it should. When it seems like the series will sink into mediocrity, a breathtaking finale comes with a good dose of action, which was also starting to be forgotten, but I remained skeptical about looking forward to the second season. The concept occasionally faltered even in the course of eleven episodes, and the need for a saving idea was almost urgent. Second season - 50% - Faced with a successful finale, the rating rises above average, but the uniformity radiates from the entire series too much. Auggie is still by far the best and even Jai's storyline does not lead to empty speeches, but the absence of something tangible in Annie's relationships (given the various tough guys in her close vicinity) is already somewhat impossible. Danielle is also a target for dismissal, as every line she says drives me crazy, and the plots built around her make me wonder why the scripts don't fully dive into the spy environment and continue to attempt a family atmosphere. Either way, the cards are now unexpectedly very clear. But if the creators don't dare to do something more sophisticated with them, the affairs will fall into unpleasant evaluative levels. Third season - 80% - The last lifeline successfully landed in the right creative hands, and thanks to that, the CIA team delivered an literally incredible performance. The well-utilized missions of the first two seasons are forgotten due to the perfect side characters played by Sarah Clarke and Richard Coyle, and above all - finally, there is a long story full of breathtaking twists and painfully open endings. Those ten episodes were such an exciting experience that I was honestly sorry that most viewers didn't have a chance to push through it due to the difficult start. The second main story arc with Eyal, Khalid, and the Mossad games may have slowed down in pace, but because "emotions" are no longer a foreign word for agents, I will be looking forward to the next spy tactics with a smile for the first time. Fourth season - 70% - The obvious attempt to repeat the concept from the previous season is pleasing, but this time the success escapes the creators somewhat ironically. The first ten episodes keep the tension, motivate, raise many question marks, and satisfactorily answer them - only for the second part to be just a necessary wrap-up as it was last year. What surprises the most is that the espionage aspect works much better than the relational one. Especially towards the end, the tension between Annie and Auggie feels as if it were only included in the script out of obligation to loyal fans. As a result, the sniffing nuisance Calder becomes an unexpectedly functioning piece of the puzzle, with his bulldog nature that he won't give up even for a golden Wilcox. So I will gladly take another look at the CIA in the summer, but the feeling that Corman and Ord should slowly start thinking about the ending with all the pomp and circumstance just won't let go of me. Fifth season - 50% - Instead of a pleasant swan song, an unnecessarily bitter finish. What could become worse also did become worse, so Annie and Auggie face each other as strangers, Arthur remains on the sidelines, and Calder, instead of his proven anger, this time sadly looks at a promiscuous girl. The greater luck is (again) the bet on a complete newcomer. This is Ryan McQuaid with the charismatic face of Nic Bishop. This blond tough guy confidently came and stole all the good moments for himself. Without him, the search for another anonymous villain, to whom stretching it over the entire season significantly harms, would be unworthy suffering, so the fifth year managed to bring at least a tired average - even without a single pleasantly surprising idea. In the end, I am actually glad it got canceled because after this misstep, I probably wouldn't return for a potential sixth season despite all the principles regarding the completion of series. The creative duo Matt Corman and Chris Ord confidently proclaimed that they still had many ideas, but even considering the feeling of closure from the last ten minutes, they probably didn't believe it themselves. Got it. (03/04/2011) (less) (more)