It's Time to Discuss Covert Affairs: Season 3

In reflecting on the awesomeness that was Covert Affairs' third season, there are a few important matters well worthy of analysis and discussion.  Naturally, spoilers will follow...

Annie's Love Life

Sure, we could pretend there are other areas of the show more worthy of serious contemplation, but that would just be a lie, so why bother?

Covert Affairs might be the first show I've ever seen give the leading lady three almost equally viable love interests in one damn season.  I mean, they just about get away with spacing out the romantic incidents and making each relationship different enough to avoid Annie's seeming like a total slut.  Or, you know, Elena Gilbert.

First of all, most obviously, there's Auggie.  He's the clear-cut, go-to love interest who's been there from day one.  She figured out her feelings for him before he'd sussed out his for her, but the emotions were always there. And poor Auggie had to first shed that hateful harlot Parker (seriously, who runs out on a blind guy after breaking up with him?  That was so mean) before he could acknowledge his slow-burning lurve for Annie.

I thought the Annie/Auggie kiss at the end of season 3 was beautiful, well-rendered, and very earned.  And I'm all for this relationship, with one caveat.  More on that to follow shortly.

Secondly, there is Eyal.  This is a strange, ambiguous connection.  Are Eyal and Annie just friends who happen to be strongly attracted to one another?  Is there an actual love thingie going on there at all, or not?  I am guessing not, but that the potential is always there.

It was great to see so much of Eyal this season; he's a wonderfully dynamic character who plays well off of Annie.  The complexities of their friendship and working relationship are certainly interesting enough without even fulfilling the romantic angle as yet.

The problem with our ability to continue accepting and supporting Annie/Auggie is the same reason why the first half of season 3 was so much better than the second: Simon.

I actually question the wisdom of creating such a fascinating and compelling new love interest for Annie during the same season she was fated to finally get together with Auggie.  However, the romance and suspense of the Annie/Simon affair infused the first part of the season with a delightfully mysterious breath of fresh air.  

Sure, it also helped that the showrunners got rid of the too-comfortable live-in sister and killed off Jai, stripping away Annie's sense of security and allowing her to start getting more than a little out of control.  But Simon was the real reason why this was the show's best year.

It's too bad Simon got killed off, but we can always hope he actually survived somehow and will come back to vie for Annie's affections.  

Joan

The second most interesting aspect of Covert Affairs is clearly Joan.  She's the boss and mentor I wish I could have, a tough, yet sensitive and caring type who wears awesome sleeveless dresses basically every single day.  And I loved her face-offs with Lena just as much as I disliked the somewhat degrading sudden pill addiction and bouts of self doubt that plagued Joan in the second half of season 3.

The writers definitely tried some Joan subplots that didn't work - just because Annie acts totally inappropriately at all times, that's no reason for Joan to blame herself and start acting all weak and ineffectual.  I don't buy it.  At the same time, her arguments with Annie were intense and well-played.  And any time Joan and Arthur get a subplot together, it's exciting because they're freaking adorable and Peter Gallagher is so epic.

Looking ahead

While Jai's death proved a great driving force in Annie's psychological complexes, the circumstances as well as the entire character of Henry Wilcox are a bit too vague and sometimes even dull due to their vagueness.  Lena was a terrific villain who might have been removed from the game too soon (if she's really dead).  If Covert wants to use Henry's manipulations as jumping off points for Season 4, they will need to beef up their interest factors.  A bit more clarity would help.  
The more severe the stakes are, the better the episodes, as proven by the Simon and Lena shenanigans.  If Covertcan continue to juggle exhilarating adventure with strong character development and intriguing love triangles / squares, it will surely continue to excel.