The Summer 7: My Favorite Shows of Summer 2010 by Heather M

Fall arrives this week, so it’s a good time to recap the summer TV season. This summer, I resumed some longstanding favorites and picked up a few newbies. I also divorced a couple of shows – I didn’t go back to Army Wives when they dispatched all the spouses back into action and I decided to skip True Blood because I was burned out after the Maryann takeover last year. I did follow it via recaps and nothing I read made me wish I’d was watching it. So long, TB. In no particular order, these were my DVR/appointment shows for summer 2010:

1. Eureka, Syfy
I’ve covered the fourth season for the blog, and it bears repeating that this was the show’s strongest season since its first. With a time travel bent influencing the action, everybody came back better and happier. The show is coming back to resume season four early next year and then we get season five. You can watch the last few episodes at syfy.com.

2. Haven, Syfy
This quirky noirish drama could have been over-the-top like Happy Town but it instead fell somewhere squarely in the middle of Twin Peaks and Northern Exposure (two shows I loved back in the day), setting a fish-out-of-water tale of FBI agent Audrey Parker in a picturesque town with more than one secret. We don’t know yet whether they’re coming back. I hope so—I like this cast a lot. Syfy Rewind has the episodes posted the day after they air.

3. My Boys, TBS
Just unceremoniously dumped after the conclusion of its fourth season (after being off the air a ridiculous 13 months between seasons), this gem rebounded from the departure of Jim Gaffigan with a new dynamic that brought PJ’s sole gal pal, Stephanie, fully into the fold. The seasons were always too short, and now, the series officially was, too. I have no doubt all of these folks will land other gigs, but I’m highly annoyed at the way they, and the fans, were treated (and that NBC torpedoed Jordana Spiro and Kyle Howard’s second-position jobs on its network because a decision hadn’t been made on My Boys yet). You can catch the last few episodes online.

4. The Gates, ABC
The absolute definition of a guilty pleasure, this delightfully trashy supernatural melodrama mixes sex, intrigue, vampires, werewolves, witches, and succubi, oh my! And it’s been fabulous. I knew a lot of this cast from other work, but several are new to me. Some of the arcs were a little heavy handed and eyerolly, but I actually came to give a damn about the adoptive vampire parents who worried they’d be outed and the whole alpha female dynamic. A big thumbs up to ABC that they have actually aired all of the episodes. It wraps on Sunday with a two-hour finale. You can catch the last five episodes on Hulu. No news on a renewal yet. The other awesome thing? They shot it in a well-to-do enclave in Shreveport, Louisiana of all places. Woo hoo Louisiana revenue!

5. Movies of the week, Lifetime/LMN/Hallmark Channel
Guilty pleasure #2. Once the domain of the "big" networks to keep their lead actors employed during the hiatuses, movies of the week have become the bread and butter of basic cable. Cast with a variety of familiar faces (many of them doubly so to genre and sci-fi fans) like Julie Benz, Emma Caulfield, Leslie Hope, Natasha Henstridge, Gabrielle Anwar, Charisma Carpenter, and Dina Myer, etc., they're usually paint-by-numbers feel-good or gal/guy-in-peril stories. Mostly female-driven, the movies' recognizable leads are backed a host of (often Canadian) HITGs. I dig the MOWs because I usually can six-degrees-of half the folks in them and because the (also mostly) Canadian locations (usually Vancouver/Montreal/Calgary) are a vicarious travelogue. I’m apparently not alone—Lifetime and Lifetime Movie Network debut at least two original movies a month, sometimes one a week, (usually on Saturday or Sunday evenings) and Hallmark Movie Channel usually has at least one new film a month. Once aired, they then get added to the networks’ already robust MOW libraries, where they run year-round, and their DVD library (yes, people pay for them). You can also see the Lifetime flicks online.

6. Covert Affairs, USA
Y’all know how I feel about Chris Gorham. The real surprise in this spy yarn from USA is that Piper Perabo can do light and funny and kickass and serious all at the same time. I haven't seen more than ten minutes of Coyote Ugly, so I only knew her from farce work (Slap Her…She’s French), romcoms (Imagine Me and You/Because I Said So) and a heartbreaking coming of age film (Lost & Delirious). She’s also done her share of accents, so I was pleased to see her rock her mother tongue. The only downside—a ridiculously overlong hiatus until season two, slated for next summer. USA seemed to have gotten with it, shortening the hiatuses of their other shows, so I don’t get the slow drag to a second season for their newest hit, especially when the first season ended the only way it could have (I think). Catch up with the season via the full episodes at USA's website.

7. Warehouse 13, Syfy
An amalgam of funny, sweet, sci-fi, and rat-a-tat-tat line delivery between its Tracey and Hepburn leads made Warehouse 13 a surprising hit for Syfy, and in a lovely bit of karma, a long overdue one for series stars Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelly, and especially Saul Rubinek. McClintock was sort of in Clooney territory with a large collection of unsuccessful pilots and one-season wonders. Until now. What could have been an X-Files rip with male and female federal agents has evolved into a much more familial ensemble venture. The show gives as much weight to its two leads as it does Artie, Claudia (a very smart addition in season two), and a parade of rotating guest stars. They’re finishing season two Tuesday night (after an all-day season two marathon) and will be back for a third season in the spring.

And that’s a wrap on summer. Come see us at TV Goodness, where we’re reviewing the new and returning fall shows, and where I’ll be reviewing Haven until its season concludes in early October. Thanks so much for reading!

Covert Affairs: South Bound Suarez by BJ

Scenes from a man watching a soccer game played by young boys are cut with scenes of Annie playing soccer. The dusty street is a strong counterpoint to the beautifully manicured field. The man approaches another and asks who is winning, only to be told that the government always wins. More men block his escape. A man pulls a gun on him and he nearly escapes before being overtaken and garroted. The instrument used to kill him is his very own necklace, which makes an appearance later in the episode.

After the soccer game is over, a handsome man named Diego flirts with Annie, first in English and then in Spanish. He thinks she works at the Smithsonian and is surprised when Annie asks him to help her connect with his sister Julia.

Julia is the mistress to a man named Victor Ponce. A banker, she has access to funds and has helped to skim many millions of dollars from US oil interests. It is believed that Ponce is attempting to destabilize the region. Annie needs Diego’s help to convince his sister to help them get more information. Diego’s future in America is at high risk, and if he refuses to help, he’ll be sent home permanently.

Annie is to be Diego’s escort. When they arrive in Venezuela, she’ll hand him over to the field agent there. A Smithsonian ID is created for Annie, as well as a fake reason for her to be in Venezuela. She is to procure a letter President James Monroe wrote to Simon Bolivar. The carefully laid plans all unravel when it is revealed that their contact has not been heard from.

Annie is faced with frustrations and dangers on all levels. Julia is very suspicious of Annie’s motives, branding her a cougar and accusing her of distracting her brother. She sees right through Annie’s motives. With Auggie and Joan helping her work out the logistics and providing advice from home, Annie faces the task of convincing Julia to help them.

Even when Julia is faced with the truth of Victor, she is resistant to hearing anything but the best from her boyfriend. She is convinced that Victor will find out what she’s done and even the promise of an American passport and relocation doesn’t sway her. She has responsibilities to her homeland, her family, the neighborhood children. And she is in love with Victor and refuses to be swayed.

Auggie is frustrated by the wait for information and even Joan’s gentle words can’t pull him out of his funk. When Annie gets in touch with Auggie, she explains that there is a sophisticated security system of passwords that changes every minute. Auggie is familiar with the technology. All bank managers have this technology, which means Julia possesses an item just like it.

Annie devises a plan to switch Julia’s and Victor’s security key devices and uses the knowledge from Diego to arrange a get together. Victor is very friendly to Annie and expresses a wish to go with her as she collects the Monroe letter. While Annie and Diego are dining with Julia and Victor, a local operative sees Julia wearing a necklace that their missing operative owned. It is revealed that his body has been found in several pieces.

Has Annie been made? The domestic security folks scramble to determine if Annie’s identity has been compromised, but they agree that she does not fit the physical profile of a foreign operative. Furthermore, their data and intel doesn’t show that she has been made. They have agents surrounding her, and she should be safe at lunch—for the moment.

Annie and Julia split off to go to the power room and Annie questions Julia about her necklace. Julia is surprised by Annie’s determination and claims she has said nothing to compromise Annie’s identity. Annie reminds her of the time of their flight and Julia says that it is Annie’s flight and not hers. She has no intention of leaving.

Victor postures by driving at incredibly high speeds, quizzing her about her relationship with Diego. His conversation is laden with sexual innuendo. Victor offers to let Annie drive and she complies after laughingly sayings he can’t drive. She jams the gears a bit. When she is starting to get up to speed, Victor opens up the glove compartment and pulls out a book on Monroe. He’s had his minions search her car and has discovered her brand new Smithsonian ID as well. With Victor’s encouragement, Annie drives faster and exposes her skills.

It is then that Victor pulls a gun on Annie, ordering her out of the car. He calls his men and tells them where to pick Annie up. With some great hand to hand and driving techniques, she manages to dump him—bruised and bleeding—at the side of the road.

Annie contacts Auggie, who tells her Diego and Julia are at the bank and the CIA has a man just outside. Annie strides into the bank and tells Julia she has to act now. Julia is worried about Victor, but Annie assures her that he is alive. She uses the security info Annie has provided and gets the information up, where the CIA can access it.

Victor and his minions arrive at the bank and Diego watches them advance toward his sister and Annie. Julia and Annie flee out a side door of the bank, tripping the alarm. A CIA operative screeches to a halt beside them, but Julia hesitates for a few moments, torn between her love and the belief that Victor is innocent. Diego makes his way to the front of the bank and the CIA man there.

Annie and Diego have a chat about Julia and his future. He tells Annie that they’ll be relocated tomorrow and that his sister isn’t doing particularly well. Annie and Auggie chat about being field agents. The way Julia looks arouses suspicion in Annie and she and Auggie look up Julia’s bank accounts. They discover that the accounts were partially funded by Victor, who has allowed her to skim off some of the profits to help the neighborhood children.

Julia and Diego settle into the safe house with their agent and Julia takes his cell phone from him when his back is turned. Annie heads for the safe house just as Victor clears US Immigration. She says she is going to get some coffee and waves off the agent’s suggestion that he accompany her. Diego and their agent can’t find her and have searched in and around the buildings.

The CIA tracks Julia to East Potomac Park via taxi records and the agent hops out, gun drawn. Annie and Diego are to wait for him, but Diego jumps out of the car and starts racing to find his sister.

Julia and Victor have a reunion where he assures her he doesn’t blame her. They have a flight in an hour, he tells her, and escorts her to a car. As she spies Diego running toward her, Victor calmly tells her there is no going back, and one of his minions begins garroting her with her own chain. She manages to fight him off long enough for the agent to get some shots into the car. Victor starts driving, aiming for Diego and Annie, who dive out of the way just in time. Julia is found sobbing over Victor’s body, jumps out of the car, and hang on to her brother for dear life.

At the end of the episode, Annie stares at the bracelet her lover gave her and places it on a picture frame.

This was a rather complex episode that suffered by being far too predictable. From the opening moments of meeting Julia, I had her story arc figured out. While the twists and turns were done well, the episode lost significant impact because I knew they were coming

Lana Parrilla plays Julia with aplomb and ease, and I’m reminded of what a talented actress she is. I’d love to see her in a show with some staying power. She managed to convey Julia’s anguish well without overacting, and was the highlight of the episode.

While I appreciated that Annie was doing a foreign op, I found my need for believability stretched a bit. I’d like to know more about why the newcomer is being given such plumb assignments so soon. I don’t feel that has been adequately covered yet.

While this was an interesting episode, "South Bound Suarez" wasn’t a favorite for me.

Covert Affairs: Walter's Walk by BJ

In the second episode of the series, the viewer sees how Annie is settling in to her new position. She’s still haunted by the memory or vision that her boyfriend saved her life on a DC subway platform. And she is still conflicted by her duty to work and to family. When her sister asks her to be listed as guardian to her children, in the tragic case that something happens to their parents, Annie brushes her off. This causes a great deal of guilt on her part and is one of the major themes of the episode, causing a rift between the sisters that is finally healed.

When Annie arrives at work, she discovers that the offices for her division have moved into an updated block of offices. She also meets Jai Wilcox, the handsome interloper to the section. Her section-boss, Joan, is none to happy about this development, and her handler of sorts, Auggie is cold to the division’s newcomer.

Annie is assigned a very uninspiring job this time around. She is to debrief the walk ins, people who approach the CIA directly. This usually consists of an endless stream of conspiracy theorists and eccentric cases, but occasionally—very occasionally—there is a nugget of real information buried here. And Annie is tasked with ferreting out the crazies.

When a single mother brings to attention a transmission from a radio transmitter, Annie suspects this could be more than the average crackpot. And when she meets Walter, a young teen with a penchant for spy novels who is already in college, she becomes more concerned. Walter cracked a code being broadcast from the station and discovered a man removing an envelope from a PO Box. Walter was spotted and is deeply spooked. Annie enlists Auggie’s assistance and Auggie discovers that the intel might be true, that Walter may just have stumbled upon a spy transmission. The safety of mother and son becomes paramount, only getting more critical when the mother calls and says she’s being chased—and then goes off the grid.

It soon becomes apparent that this transmission focuses on the IRA, specifically a former IRA operative named Michael Cahill, who now lives in America. An attack on American soil should seem impossible, but the intel points to an imminent threat.

The CIA partners with British intelligence's MI-6 and Annie begins working with James Elliott, a cynical veteran of intelligence. They enter Walter's apartment and discover that he has a huge cache of high tech equipment. Unfortunately, the tapes are not there. And when they remove a hard drive from the house, they discover it was corrupted. While they are searching the apartment, someone breaks in and Elliot takes care of him. There is no ID or anything identifying about the attacker.

It is discovered that Cahill is coming to DC, probably to fix the mess his man created at Walter's house. The CIA picks him up and itnerrogates him and Cahill isnists that he is innocent.

Annie, meanwhile, discovers where Walter and his mother are hiding and goes to them. Walter hands over his tapes and Annie sets up a connection to Auggie at Langley, so that he can translate the code. While she waits for the tapes to finish, Annie chit chats with Walter’s mother. When she learns that they’d contacted British intelligence the week before, something doesn’t ring true. Annie finds a bug in her phone and knows that Elliot is somehow involved.

Before she can flee with mother and son, Elliot and his men arrive. Annie bests them with ingenuity and hand to hand combat and mother and son are safe. Elliot was a double agent who had set up Cahill. Their plan was to bomb a British bank in DC, and thanks to Walter and Annie, that plan was thwarted.

Elliott offered a nice counterpoint to Annie’s fresh faced enthusiasm. It served to show just how jaded working in intelligence can make a person. The veneer of Elliot was slick and somewhat James Bond, but the reality was a much more bitter pill. The twist of him being a dual agent was predicable, but I felt it was a little premature in the series to go this route.

While the idea of the IRA plotting in the United States is an interesting one, it was a little strange to see in the second episode of the series. It seemed a little forced and would have been better served airing after the show had hit its stride. Jai is an interesting character, flash and style without substance—yet. I’m intrigued to see what he brings to the table.

There was a great scene where Auggie teaches Annie some hand to hand combat techniques. I really enjoy these two together and would love to see more scenes with them alone. Annie can learn a lot from Auggie.

Covert Affairs needs to be careful with Annie. She sometimes strays into the too-perfect range and it strains believability. With such a great cast, I'd like to see the others taking a very active role in the cases in the field.

Second Opinion: Covert Affairs Pilot by BJ

Annie Walker is a brand new CIA agent in training when she’s abruptly pulled from the intensive training course at “the Farm” and brought to headquarters. Her language skills are needed in a case. Annie acquired her knowledge of laguages while traveling the world. It appears that she had a wonderful time and even fell in love with a man named Ben in Sri Lanka, only to have Ben break up with her via a short note. Annie hasn’t been able to get Ben out of her head and the breakup seems to have made no sense to her.

Annie hasn’t even finished training and is as green as anyone can get, but she is thrust into an intelligence gathering exercise with a Russian who has turned himself into CIA custody. Something doesn’t seem right to Annie, but she can’t quite put her finger on it. She gets no time to analyze before a shooter destroys her meeting place and she flees for her life, leaving the information she came for behind.

With a bit of “outside the box” thinking, Annie retrieves the intel and the CIA discovers a plot to kill a visiting foreigner, a Russian author. In a climactic fight scene where Annie is nearly killed, she believes Ben saves her.

While the plot was interesting enough to keep my attention, it focused to introduce the characters. Annie is naive to the workings of the CIA, but possesses a great skill thinking on her feet. Auggie, the blind “tour guide” teaches Annie and the audience the ins and outs of the agency.

As a counterpoint to Annie’s work life, she lives in her sister’s guesthouse and interacts with family who doesn’t have any idea what she does during the day. Her well-meaning sister seems eager to help Annie find a nice guy, but the man she chose for Annie was clearly not a good match.

There were a few times I found myself slightly annoyed at the show. Annie removes a pair of high-heeled shoes from a crime scene and none of the law enforcement officers there think to tell her that she is not allowed to take items from a crime scene. There was a scene where Annie is being interrogated, and the officer immediately guesses she is from the CIA. It seemed a little too easy that other law enforcement agencies just nodded and looked the other way at CIA activities on domestic soil.

Having said that, I was willing and able to suspend belief for the most part. Covert Affairs is not a realistic portrayal of the CIA, and I’m more than willing to accept that most of the time. The cast of characters was lively and interesting. Piper Perabo did a great job bringing forth Annie’s life changes. She especially stood out in the family moments, illustrating the differences in Annie’s life. Christopher Gorham is a standout as Auggie, the character who knows all the good gossip and inner workings of the agency. He and Annie had some very nice chemistry.

A supporting cast featuring Kari Matchett and Peter Gallagher, Emmanuelle Vaugier and Sendhil Ramamurthy has me more than eager to see more. Covert Affairs is great summer escapist fare.

First Watch_Covert Affairs: Pilot by Kara Howland

I think I might lose your respect after what I’m about to say so I’m just going to say it and get it out of the way. I didn’t hate Coyote Ugly. I know a lot of people did but I didn’t. In fact, I’d watch it right now if it came on HBO or Showtime. Since Piper Perabo did that film I’ve been waiting for her to break out and I think she’s finally found her vehicle. And I’ve loved Christopher Gorham since Popular. He pretty much can do no wrong for me. Then you add in Peter Gallagher and Kari Matchett. I don’t know about you but I’m in heaven. And they’ve got Anne Dudek? It’s an embarrassment of riches. Anyone who’s seen Mad Men or House knows what I’m talking about.

I’m going to do a micro recap and then expand from there. Basically, if you didn’t watch the show you should give it a try. I didn’t love it but I did like it. I think some reviewers are calling this Alias-lite but I’ll disagree. There are elements that are similar but I think there is enough that is new and different here to keep me entertained and engaged.

So, Annie fell in love two years ago and it ended badly. After that she vowed to herself to never get burned again. Enter the CIA. She can use her love of languages and travel and her ability to basically become anyone she wants to do her job. A Russian assassin Stas is coming in from the cold but he’s assassinated as Annie gets his intel. Only, it turns out the guy she met with was a patsy. The real assassin wants people think he’s dead so he can take out his real target. Annie stops him before he can but he turns on her. Before he can kill Annie someone – who looks just like her ex – saves her by killing the assassin. She receives a commendation. Her bosses are pleased they’ve drawn her ex out of hiding. It looks like that’s the whole reason Annie’s at the CIA in the first place. Oh, and she has some decent banter with a fellow CIA agent and flirts with an FBI agent who is on her tail. Meanwhile, Annie’s boss Joan uses agency resources to find out if her husband Arthur, also a director at the agency, is cheating on her.

Now here are the details that flesh out our story:

- When we meet Annie Walker she’s talking a polygraph for admittance into the CIA. She’s 28 and speaks 6 languages.

- At an all hands briefing at the Office of the D.C.S. (Director of Clandestine Services) we learn there’s a traitor in their midst. Classified information is being leaked to a reporter.

- Auggie Anderson, former special ops in Iraq who was blinded by an IED, is with tech ops and will be her guide for the day. He tells her 50% of the agency is young – the agents have 5 years or less job experience. No cell phones in the building, polygraphs every year, no dating foreigners. The CIA encourages dating within the agency since they’re all already within the circle of trust.

- Annie will be working for the Domestic Protection Division. Annie’s never heard of it before and that’s exactly the way Joan wants it. Every global threat that makes it into US borders is dealt with here.

- When Stas is killed Annie doesn’t have a chance to retrieve the PDA that was the intel they need. She pretends to be a hooker again and get back in the room. She gets close enough to the PDA for the data transfer. During all this she meets FBI Agent Rasabi. I like him. They have chemistry.

- Joan and Arthur are in marriage counseling.

- Auggie is seriously popular with the ladies. Even though he’s blind he can tell whether or not a woman is hot. He just has to listen to the way other guys talk to her.

- A mystery BMW, which later we later discover belongs to her ex Ben, is following her home from happy hour. She turns it around on her pursuer but getting the upper hand and pursuing him. But her car craps out on her and she loses him.

- Annie’s sister has invited a blind date for Annie to her dinner party. The mustache Ethan is rocking is a bit too much for me and he’s way too eager. He loves him some Zinf and he talks a lot. A LOT.

- Arthur meets with the reporter who is published the leaked information. She tells him she won’t give up her sources.

- Annie goes to Georgetown University to see an old professor. From him she learns that the man they thought with Stas is a patsy. He called her Kiisu, which is Estonian. Someone from Moscow would never use that term. And even though Annie denies it, her professor urges her not to work for the CIA.
- Joan order Annie back to training but Auggie urges her to show some initiative, which is how they end up at the morgue. If the guy she met with was really Stas he would have tattoos from spending ten years in prison. This guy is tattoo free.

- FBI agent Rabasi catches Annie and Auggie at the morgue but she’s able to maintain her cover. Rabasi suspects she’s CIA but can’t prove it. When Rabasi gets a call from his boss’s boss he has to release them. Her chemistry with the FBI agent during the interrogation was hot. I don’t think this is the last we’ve seen of him.

- After looking at the threat matrix, Joan determines that the person Stas is targeting is Petrov, an outspoken Russian journalist. He’s at the Smithsonian right now.

- Annie and Joan arrive in time to prevent the assassination. Annie sees a man there she recognizes – the Spanish businessman who flirted with her in the hotel lobby. That’s Stas. She pursues and they end up in the subway. Stas is about to kill her, when Ben shows up and kills Stas. Annie can’t be sure it’s Ben though, she didn’t get a good look.

- Ben still has the bracelet he bought when he was in Sri Lanka with Annie.

There is a lot of potential here and I can’t wait to see what happens next week. I love Anne Dudek so I’m hoping to see just a bit more of Annie’s home life. The dynamic between Peter Gallaher’s Arthur and Kari Matchett’s Joan is very interesting. I hope they don’t overdo it though. Joan seems like a strong woman with great ambition. I don’t want to see her mired down in suspicion about her husband’s extracurricular activities. Even though it seems like he’s innocent, I wouldn’t take that at face value.

But let’s talk about Annie. I don’t want to see her cut herself off too much. Her relationship with Auggie is fun and I’m looking forward to seeing where that goes – and I don’t mean romantically. Conrad didn’t make much of an impression on me. I didn’t really like their banter but I loved Annie’s scenes with the FBI agent. I thought that was hot. I’m interested to learn more about Ben and why he left Annie so suddenly two years ago and when he’s resurfaced now. It’s clear he cares about Annie but I hope there is something else going on.

What did you think?