Ben’s back, but it’s not as bad as you think.
Last week, when Ben’s return was plastered all over the preview, I was not amused. I wasn’t a huge Ben fan last season, and even less of a fan of how his presence on the show usually turned Action Girl Annie into a lovesick emo-girl. The fact that their tryst was what inspired Annie to join the CIA always rubbed me the wrong way. I mean, that’s some serious rebound action, Annie.
I disliked Ben’s entire everything so much that I actually quit watching the show last season. I’m starting to regret that decision, but the good news is that this week’s episode was so promising on the Ben-front that I might suck it up and give the first season another shot.
It took a good thirty minutes for me to stop hissing at the TV every time Ben’s scruffy, chiseled, man-mug came across my screen, and my change of heart has very little to do with Ben and everything to do with Annie.
This week, Annie is off to Mexico to do reconnaissance on a hostage situation. The captors claim to be an eco-group, trying to do right by Mother Nature by holding a roomful of oil executives hostage. Unfortunately for them, one of those execs is an undercover CIA operative and that operative happens to be BFFs with Annie’s stern-is-the-new-friendly boss, Joan.
God, they are so screwed.
Annie and Joan board the plane for Mexico and lo-and-behold, there’s Mysterious Boyfriend Ben. He’ll be joining them undercover as the cameraman on their fake news team. Joan pretty much rolls her eyes and throws up a little at the sight and Annie is momentarily shocked, but quick to bring out the snark when Ben tries to be all I-am-a-suave-and-sexy-spy.
Yeah. You go girl.
Joan and Annie repeatedly remind Ben that this is an observational mission only and that there will be no “cowboy” antics coming from him. The cowboy lines are repeated so often that the question isn’t “will he/won’t he” but when.
Annie deduces that the eco-terrorist group isn’t doing it for the polar bears. In fact, the whole environmentally friendly hostage situation is a front for the group’s real motives, which are of a purely financial nature. They have no intention of letting the hostages go, and this information-gathering mission turns into a rescue pretty quickly.
Cue the cowboy antics.
It was nice to see Joan get some real spy action. So much of her screen time is spent glowering behind a desk.
Despite the apprehension Annie shows Ben throughout the majority of the episode, they have a lot of fun chemistry in the latter half of the hour. They definitely make a fun spy team. With that said, I was pleased by the ending, with Annie leaving Ben standing at the airport, a little conflicted, but steadfast in her determination not to manipulated by the pretty man speaking the pretty words. Ben observes that she’s “different” and he couldn’t be more right.
Some stats and info about How to Covert Affairs, “Welcome to the Occupation”
TV SHOW – Covert Affairs
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 2, Episode 8
AIRED ON – July 26th, 2011
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – USA/Peacock
GENRE – Drama, Crime Dramas, Action Shows, Spy Shows
CREATED BY – Matt Corman, Chris Ord
CAST – Piper Perabo, Christpher Gorham, Kari Matchett, Pete Gallagher
This review originally appeared on TV Geek Army.