What I’m Watching: Undercovers

Undercovers: Season 1, Episode 9 “A Night to Forget” (C+)

Before this show went ahead and got cancelled, I was enthusiastic about it. I liked it! But now it seems that the negativity expressed by so many others and clearly felt by NBC towards the series has had an effect on me. It may also be that this is a subpar episode which uses a device that can sometimes work – memory loss – and doesn’t do a terribly good job of executing it. Leo’s a character who hasn’t quite lived up to his potential, mostly because he only seems to show up if the Blooms have nothing else going on. This is the kind of episode that springs from nothing – the Blooms would have just had a boring day at the office/in the kitchen if not for his call – and their regular missions wouldn’t even have involved Leo. What did work was having Leo and Hoyt partnered up at first, resulting in Leo forcing Hoyt to come with him or face being knocked unconscious. I’m not sure how I feel about the fact that both Steven and Shaw were so immediately recognized by these major international figures, but I suppose I’ll let it go because it enables the other characters, namely Samantha, to look surprised and follow up with plenty of questions, which is entertaining. I’d still like to see a little more substance back at the restaurant since Lizzy really isn’t doing much now, save being humorously assisted by Shaw for a few minutes. I know that’s an unfair question to be asking of a show with a limited life left, but hopefully the next two installments, slated for the new episode desert of December 22nd and December 29th, will prove enjoyable considering there’s nothing else on during that week.