What I’m Watching: Covert Affairs

Covert Affairs: Season 4, Episode 2 “Dig for Fire” (B-)

I was less enamored with this hour than I was with last week’s, and I suspect that this will be the latest USA show that I’ll say goodbye to, sometime in the near future. I haven’t lost interest completely, but this show is taking some rather major turns that aren’t entirely valid or certifiable. Arthur coming to talk to Annie about what’s really going on doesn’t make too much sense given that they never had as close of a relationship as she did with Joan, and to deceive his wife but trust her protégé isn’t terribly logical. Arthur has worked much more directly with Auggie in the past, and he’s hardly in a position to judge Auggie for being protective of the woman he cares about who he also happens to work with in a professional setting. If Joan was smart enough to discern that Arthur’s affair was fake, I imagine it would have shown up on the polygraph she took even if Arthur didn’t read her in until after she had already taken it. Seth so outwardly courting Joan after Arthur’s affair was made public felt wildly inappropriate, and telling her about her potential promotion to Arthur’s post – a ridiculous idea in itself – made his presence seem a bit more legitimate. But setting him up as a big bad guy who ultimately fell off a bridge after turning into the Terminator was far-fetched. There’s something intriguing about Annie getting in with Henry while spying for Arthur, but I’m not sure it’s a solid long-term plan for the show’s storyline.