Contributor: John Keegan
Written by Zak Schwartz
Directed by Stephen Kay
Well, here it is: the episode that addresses whether or not the writers really knew what they were doing this season, or stumbling along with barely a clue. The episode that would either show that Annie was being led by her superiors towards a larger goal, or if the competencies gained in the second season have been deeply undermined.
It all comes down to a shot to the chest.
Has there ever been a more perfect metaphor? Of course, it seems pretty obvious that Annie isn’t dead. It’s a pretty good bet that she’s wearing a vest. I’m not even sure that Simon is dead. Any CIA agent worth the name would know better than to go for a kill in the chest when a headshot is not only possible, but nearly a certainty.
The audience is clearly meant to assume that Lena is the one behind Jai’s death, and that she is betraying everyone. That would be rather disappointing. Instead, given that Lena told Annie that she was doing everything that she would have done in the same circumstances, I suspect that Lena is just extending the game. And what better way that to have it appear that Annie is going rogue, based on falsified incriminating evidence? Perhaps even evidence that she was Jai’s killer!
What disappoints is that if Lena is the one pushing the boundaries, effectively repeating the kind of actions that led to her rift with Joan in the past, then how would this explain Arthur’s behavior up to this point? The one saving grace for his character this season has been the impression that Annie’s reassignment was all about employing different tactics to get to the bottom of Jai’s death.
Arthur could still be lying to everyone, but that’s looking far less likely in light of this episode. Which, again, suggests that Lena is the one stepping outside of the box. Which would still work, in terms of Annie being pushed into a psychological state for her superior’s endgame, but it definitely leaves a crack in the season arc’s foundation.
Not surprisingly, Annie’s relationship with Simon also leaves a crack in her rapport with Auggie. If Annie is being set up (and I think she is), then I suspect Auggie would still be on her side. Which is still effectively where I saw them going with the season arc before this episode. The only difference is, it’s not as clean an effort as it could or should have been, if Arthur was really in the dark.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Score: 7/10