Covert Affairs (TV Series) The Outsiders (2011) User Reviews

Very disappointing episode

[pirsq-opinion · 22 July 2011]

This episode felt like it was written by someone who really didn't know the characters. Why would Reva Kline have to go on a 'covert mission'; she had already been promoted. And if it was a requirement, why send her to a country where she does not know the language?

The dialog was wooden and supposedly "surprise" moments were easily seen coming. Annie and Riva are supposedly on the run with the secret police in hot pursuit. Yet they pause by a stream, visible for several miles having an intense and quite audible conversation. Riva might not know better but Annie would have.

Scene after scene such as the above, where the character simply did things that he or she would have known not to do made the show close to unwatchable.

Had this been the first episode ever seen ... there wouldn't be a second. Hopefully this just felt like an "off" moment in this season.

The scenery of supposedly Poland/Belarus was beautiful.

Season's low point

[xbatgirl-30029 · 3/10 · 14 April 2022]

Completely agree with the other reviewer that it makes absolutely NO SENSE for Reva to be in the field on this mission. She is completely unqualified in every way. Also, yuck, she's back. The excuse for her being there is: technology! Then she pulls out a fake rock, presses a button, hey presto, job done. It's so lame. It just screams lazy writers who didn't want create a proper new character to accompany Annie.

Then add in some very awkward dialogue full of unnecessary exposition. Actually, that has been a big problem this season in general. I wondered why not have Annie on the mission alone. But mainly it seems like Reva's entire presence was to give an excuse for someone to be narrating and explaining the experience to the audience. For example when captured, Reva completely unnecessarily tells Annie what their cover story and strategy will be. Like Annie needs to hear this, especially from someone with no experience. Or when she worries if the food their captors give them might be poisoned, it gives Annie an excuse to explain why their captors what to keep them alive. After they way too easily escape, there's non-stop explanation about how far they've gone and why go in direction or the other. Absolutely none of that is needed. Then she promptly falls down and sprains her ankle, like a million useless female characters before her. Very lazy writing all around.

As is often the case when one plot point is terrible, other problems really stick out more than usual, like when Jai shows up in Belarus impossibly fast. Then he's stuck in the woods with their broken down helicopter, yet he somehow has heard rumors "throughout the countryside" about Annie. How exactly did he get this info? This episode is all telling and no showing.

The only highlight was Peter Stomare, who is much too talented for this mess. He bring true menace and physicality to his part. Complete changes the energy of his scenes from toothless amateur hour to real danger. At least he does that with what little screen time he was given. He was pretty much wasted while Reva's presence and the Danielle passport drama was completely unnecessary. Total waste of time. This script needed a complete rewrite. Unfortunately, I see this is the first of seven episodes we're getting from this writer. I hope she improves. Worst episode yet.