Covert Affairs
2010
Original language: English
- action & adventure
- drama
The story
A young CIA operative, Annie Walker, is mysteriously summoned to headquarters for duty as a field operative. While Annie believes she's been promoted for her exceptional linguistic skills, there may be something or someone from her past that her CIA bosses are really after. Auggie Anderson is a CIA military intelligence agent who was blinded while on assignment and is Annie's guide in this world of bureaucracy, excitement and intrigue.
What it’s like
Glossy, sun-warmed USA Network polish: bright daylight in Washington offices, cool blue-grey interiors, and hotel rooms and embassy receptions lit in amber and warm lamplight, with travel shots of Morocco, Vienna and Prague sliding past in wide establishing frames. The camera is mostly steady and clean, with quick cuts for chase and tradecraft sequences and occasional tight close-ups on faces during quiet exchanges, and the digital image sits smooth and crisp with no grain. The score leans on bright, pulsing synth and light strings under the action, dropping to a hum of ambient room tone in the quieter scenes. Its vibe is brisk, breezy spy fun, the sort of watch that suits a lazy weekend afternoon, a light evening after work, or a long-haul flight where the episodes move along easily. Pacing is brisk and episodic, with each hour built around a mission and a set of office politics. The emotional register stays upbeat and warm, and the central arc follows a sharp, capable young woman learning to trust herself while she juggles a double life and a mentor who is wary of her. Intensity is moderate: gunfire, fistfights and car chases appear regularly, with little gore and some tension, and the romance is mild. It suits viewers who want escapist espionage with glamour and banter, not grit or dread.
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