Contributor: John Keegan
Written by Matt Corman and Chris Ord
Directed by Renny Harlin
Coming into this season finale, I was convinced that the writers were setting up Eyal for the ultimate sacrifice play. Perhaps I should have known better. Annie may be learning that she can’t save everyone, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to let that logic apply to one of her leading men!
It’s fairly clear to me that this episode was all about putting Eyal into the narrative position that Jai was meant to occupy. In the first season, Jai was clearly designed to be a potential love interest, someone to interfere with the more casual but deep chemistry between Annie and Auggie. That didn’t work in the end, because once the insane amount of chemistry between Annie and Auggie became apparent, the Annie/Jai dynamic just couldn’t compare. And once Jai put his father behind bars, his lingering usefulness to the show was over.
Eyal, on the other hand, has good chemistry with Annie. His natural cocky arrogance has been moderated to the point where he’s gone from insufferable to charming, and he represents a very different type of temptation for Annie. But more importantly, he’s someone she can trust as much as Auggie at the moment, and that means that they make a ridiculously strong trio in the field. (And I’m sure the slash fiction contingent hasn’t overlooked the Auggie/Eyal dynamic, either!)
The writers take a big step by having Annie and Auggie make their move, because it could easily make a mess of a good thing. At the same time, characters can only dance around each other and artificial barriers for so long. Other shows have demonstrated how a romantic relationship can still work (“Chuck” comes to mind), so hopefully Eyal won’t become a third wheel in the traditional sense. I would love it if Auggie and Eyal settled into the idea that they both love Annie, and that working together for her is better than vying for her affections.
There’s also the not-so-small matter of what Henry Wilcox gave Annie in that folder, and why she was so intent on taking the mission once she saw the contents. Clearly the implication is that it has personal consequences for Annie or someone close to her, but even so, it could be anything. Could this be connected to Eyal’s past history in some way? Or is it some kind of follow-up to the hints that Henry gave Arthur about the deeper meaning of what happened with Ansari? I love the idea of taking some of these longer story arcs and tying them together.
As unrealistic as it might have been in some aspects, there’s no denying that Annie’s resolution to the Khalid problem was a solid piece of spycraft. It’s all too common for intelligence agents to deal with problems with firepower and explosions, but this solution was a lot more elegant. Setting too enemies against each other is a nice, clean way to get things done, if one can manage to stay out of the line of fire in the process. Annie demonstrated that she’s learned a thing or two over the past few years.
The third season had its rough moments, but on the whole, it’s been a marked improvement. Certainly the final arc, coming on the heels of Annie’s assassination of Lena, has been some of the strongest material of the series to date. Every season has been a step up, so there is a lot of reason to look forward to the fourth season!
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 3/4
Final Score: 9/10
