Round Two: Undercovers

Undercovers: Season 1, Episode 2 “Instructions” (B+)

At this point, this is the only pilot of the fall that has lived up to the promise of its premiere in its second installment. Longevity-wise, I'm also feeling that this show could do well, though I wouldn't mind seeing some additional spies since the Leo Nash “I made sex to your wife” bit can only last so long. I was pleasantly surprised to see a still dry but far funnier Carlton Shaw crack a few quips to which Steven and Samantha both responded hilariously, and I'm enjoying their interactions much more than I had expected I would based on last week. The gentle bickering between Steven and Samantha works marvelously, and the reading instructions subplot in this episode was great. The show also seems to have a special dedication to its episodic threads, as evidenced by the start of the episode focusing on the doctor being kidnapped rather than starting with the Blooms in the midst of their everyday lives. That's definitely an asset, since it will help strengthen the validity and depth of the various missions our undercover spies go on. Bill continues to prove himself utterly clueless and equally entertaining, and he, Leo, Samantha, and Steve make for quite a fun team. I also enjoyed the flirtation between Leo and Lizzy, as well as Samantha's swift reaction condemning any possibility of it moving forward at all. It doesn't seem like Lizzy will ever really come close to finding out what her sister and her brother-in-law have really gotten themselves into (though of course it's only episode two, so who knows), but I think the show is strengthened by that, following a distinctly normal and ordinary plot in addition to the spy-related drama. Also, I love the scoring on this show.