Covert Affairs is my favorite new show of the summer

USA’s got a hit on its hands with the new spa drama Covert Affairs. Two episodes in, and we’re seeing a well crafted, tight drama that doesn’t steal too much from its predecessor … other than the whole “fresh off the Farm (See what I did there?) female CIA agent ready to take on the world” bit. Piper Perabo, Chris Gorham, and Kari Matchett stand out in what is a great cast top to bottom. Considering the talent behind the camera is just as stacked, the show has the potential to quickly get out from Alias’ long shadow … Just no centuries old prophets, mmmmkay?

I love the way that they’ve introduced Annie’s backstory. We know that her relationship with Ben Mercer is important, and the impact of its ending is what drove her to the CIA. It is a little too much of a coincidence, if we’re to believe that there was nothing else that sent her into the welcoming arms of the DPD. His connection to the Company, whatever it is, certainly makes for an interesting story (one that turns a show like this from a “good procedural” to a “great drama”), it is just a shame it is based on such a big coincidence.

As much as I hated Mohinder Suresh on Heroes, I’m really trying to hold out judgment on Sendhil Ramamurthy‘s Jai Wilcox just yet. I think he’s more interesting than the Conrad character he’s replacing from the pilot, but it is tough to get past it. I’m just waiting for him to suck the life out of every scene he’s in, but, so far, he’s seems to have mutated into a marginally interesting character. He is smarmy, but somehow he manages to be good smarmy.

I don’t want to let good television get in the way of accurate television, but I’m disappointed that there hasn’t even been mention of the fact that the CIA’s mandate doesn’t allow for domestic operations. To an extent, plots like debriefing the Walk-Ins make sense, but the operation in the pilot would be blatantly against the law. At the least they could have thrown in a line about the (fictitious) Domestic Protection Division having different operating parameters.

I also can’t imagine that field agents regularly handle Walk-Ins. Would kind of defeat the purpose being undercover, no? I’m sure there are more than enough qualified desk agents to handle those debriefs.

Maybe being a fan of the subject matter makes me a more finicky fan, but the nit-picks aren’t ruining the fun for me. Covert Affairs has me locked in.

Notes & Quotes

• Did I completely miss in all of the build up to last week’s premiere that Defying Gravity’s James Parriott is an Executive Producer?
• Former Battlestar Galactica standout director Felix Alcala helmed this week’s episode after John Hoynes/Otter himself Tim Matheson did the first.
• The cute little “Oh we’re finally moving into our new Ops Center” is really code for “Now that we got picked up after that great pilot, we can actually afford a better set….”
• “[after shooting Annie’s attacker] Nothing of interest in the kitchen by the way.” – James Elliott
• I have a great friend named James Elliott, who is assuredly not a IRA spy.
• I’m digging the chemistry between Annie and Auggie, especially that it isn’t overtly sexual … at least not yet.
• Between Kona‘s irritation last week that the chase scene through Washington, D.C. was obviously not filmed on location, and mine about the sky diving training not being anywhere near Camp Perry (I could have literally “seen my house from there” … at least my old house), I’m not loving the Vancouver locations for the show thus far.

Clacked by Ivey West
on Jul 21, 2010 @ 09:00 EST5EDT