Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoilers

[Othello]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

Eh, I won't be sticking with it. I like Christopher Gorham, but I should know by now that USA doesn't make the type of shows that's ever going to interest me.

There's not enough sense of urgency. We know why Jack Bauer works for CTU. Piper (cripes I can't even remember the character's name - never a good sign) joined the CIA because she got dumped by her boyfriend. Meh. Maybe people do join the CIA because of stuff like that (a truly terrifying thought) but a fictional character's motive needs to have more oomph than the stuff that ordinary boring people do in their stupid, scattered, aimless lives.

I thought I'd give this show a couple episodes but honestly I couldn't make it through the premiere. Gave up about at the 1-hour mark.

And what's up with not being able to record the show on my DVR? It just turned up black (so I watched live, which gives me hives ). I've heard USA blocks their signal from DVR recorders, but since I don't care for their style of show anyway, I've never really encountered this before now. Since I'm unlikely to remember to watch a show that my DVR isn't helping me to remember exists, it's doubtful I'd be following it anyway.

Awful lot of product placement here. At least it wasn't too blatant, with the brand names being used in contexts and ways that people would actually use them in.

The Starbucks in the CIA was one of my favorite parts of the episode. Another bad sign when product placement is a highlight of the show.

You do realize that there really is a Starbucks inside of the CIA, and that the staff really do need to go through a CIA level background check in order to get jobs there?

Starbucks was on of the first to be allowed to open a store inside the CIA. If my memory is correct the CIA went for it because a high number of staff were stopping at one which was near Langley and they felt it was a security risk.


It's apparently the single busiest Starbucks location in the US and has been dubbed the "stealth Starbucks" by people who work in Starbucks corporate because it doesn't appear on the companies store locations maps.

That was a great scene in my book and the line about going through the background check was great and oh so spot on. I like that kind of stuff that gives it a more "anchored" feel in the real world. I would hope that Starbucks pays them better for the hassle.

 

[Raxor]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

I Checked it out last night and it was ok. Not a big fan of florence and the machines music so i though it sounded out of place for some reason.

I did warm up to the lead by the end of the episode and thought it wouldnt hold my attention. I think i would be inclined to give it ago (and im easily pleased)

Plus i saw CTB in it which was nice.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

You do realize that there really is a Starbucks inside of the CIA,

Yeah I figured that out, Sherlock.

 

[ConRefit79]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

I liked it for a pilot episode. But I think this kind of show needs multi-episode stories, on top of the ex boy friend arc. Too many bottle shows will get old real fast.

 

[Christopher]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

I'd rather they dropped the ex-boyfriend arc altogether. It holds no interest for me. And I think there's too much dependence on series-mythology arcs these days, sometimes to the detriment of the individual stories. I'd rather just see Annie and Augie have fun adventures.

 

[Kestra]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

I'd rather they dropped the ex-boyfriend arc altogether.

Yeah, but it looks like that's basically the underlying premise of the entire show based on how much time they gave it, so there's no hope of that.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

Oh well the kind of extensive changes I'd want to see on this show wouldn't fit the USA Network mold, so I guess they should keep doing their lightweight soapy boyfriend stuff and I'll go back to my Netflix DVDs.

 

[DarKush]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

Watching the re-air. It's okay. A bit lightweight, I would like more intensity. However, Perabo isn't bad, and is easy on the eyes. Not really a fan of Jake 2.0. He knows a bit too much about everything it seems. It's like he's Matt Murdock or something.

I don't mind the husband-wife tension though I'm not sure where it could lead. Also the boyfriend spy arc isn't a problem for me. Though I can understand why Christopher or others might have a problem with the pilot's final fight scene. I thought it was neat that she actually was bested by a more seasoned, I'm assuming, agent, but still I wish they could've done something different at the end when he was choking her and she had pretty much given up and looked off to the side and saw the mystery dude/ex-boyfriend, who saved the day. I would have liked it better if perhaps the mystery dude could've distracted the evil agent and allowed Perabo to get the kill.

I can also understand the criticism about the lack of urgency. I would rather Perabo's character be a bit more driven, have a better reason, even if a TV-contrived one, to join the CIA. I guess the point is that she isn't supposed to be as driven as Sidney Bristow or Jack Bauer, she's supposed to be more of a wide-eyed innocent, IMO.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

A wide-eyed innocent with an overwhelming need to do something (that drives the plot) could work. It worked great for Luke Skywalker. But Annie doesn't have any intense motivation like that - get off this frakkin' backwater planet, find adventure, fight the Empire who murdered my adoptive parents, restore my legendary father's good name, rescue the princess - he had a grab bag of motivations. Annie doesn't even have one good one, meh.

 

[Christopher]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

I'm happy without her being urgent or driven. One thing I got tired of in Alias was that Jennifer Garner ended up with "urgent" and "driven" being pretty much the only emotions she ever showed (along with "I want to kill you, Arvin Sloane"). It got very tedious. There are plenty of intense shows on the air; I'd rather see something lightweight and fun. After all, this is a USA show, and their dramas often tend toward the lighter side. I wouldn't want this to be in the comedic Monk/Psych vein, but something in the upbeat style of White Collar, that has a dark edge here and there but is mostly a fun, witty caper show, would be fine with me. And that does seem to be what they're going for here.

 

[DarKush]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

I'm more in line with Temis in terms of Perabo not having a motivation. I was wondering if I might have been into it more if the boyfriend had been supposedly murdered, or she thought he was by terrorists, pirates, or something, giving her more of an impetus to join the fight against stuff like that.

 

[Christopher]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

Why does tragedy have to be the only worthwhile motivation? Surely that's a worn-out cliche by now. Why can't it be enough for someone simply to want to try to do some good?

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

Why does tragedy have to be the only worthwhile motivation?

Luke was mainly seeking adventure and a way off his boring planet. And let's not forget his romantic fantasies about that cute girl who turned out to be his sister. He knew he's never meet her if he stayed on Tatooine. Adventure, romance, an exciting, consequential life - all great motives to hang a story on.

He should have been motivated by Owen and Beru's vicious murder but the way it played out, it looked like he forgot them after about five minutes.

Maybe she could be a smart girl with a new job in a high-powered law firm. She has a golden future in front of her - money, power, respect - but something is nagging her at the back of her mind. She realizes that she can't face the prospect of sitting behind a desk for the rest of her life.

Then somehow, she's briefly exposed to the life of excitement and glamor of a CIA agent. That's what she wants. She goes to work for the CIA and pretty soon she's getting donuts and coffee for the staff. How much different is this from the law firm?

But then she gets sent on an assignment where she plays the hooker and gets shot at - she freaks out, but she loves it. (And she should have been shooting back at the guy, too.) She's an adrenaline junkie. So now the audience understands that she has sufficient motivation that she'll stay in a job where she risks her neck, and there's a built-in conflict - is she really the type of person who should have a job like this? Are all CIA agents like that? Is that a healthy motivation for a person? How would the CIA function without such people? Maybe she's in the right job for her, after all.

I was wondering if I might have been into it more if the boyfriend had been supposedly murdered, or she thought he was by terrorists, pirates, or something, giving her more of an impetus to join the fight against stuff like that.

Maybe he's not her boyfriend at all, just a good-looking guy she caught a glimpse of in some exotic, foreign place, doing something that looked dangerous and exciting. Somehow she later found out he was probably a CIA agent. That memory stuck with her back at the law firm. It's just like Luke seeing one glimpse of Leia and deciding that what she represented what what he'd been looking for all along.

She doesn't expect to ever meet the mystery man by working for the CIA, but I'm sure eventually they'll work him into a plot. And you know how things are never how they seem in our fantasy lives...

 

[DarKush]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

Why does tragedy have to be the only worthwhile motivation? Surely that's a worn-out cliche by now. Why can't it be enough for someone simply to want to try to do some good?

Christopher,

Well, that's essentially what we got, or so it appears. Granted, the tragedy angle is a cliche, but I think it's a cliche because it works so well. Its simple, easy for the audience to grasp, and maybe creates a visceral, compelling response that keeps people watching. I think it helps give the character a simple motivation as well.

Just wanting to do good, why not join the Peace Corps or Americorps? Or many other aid organizations out there.

Temis,

I thought the mystery man who saved her life was her ex-boyfriend, based on the flashbacks. And also the ending. It was never spelled out of course, and I don't think the show is that deep for the mystery man and the ex to be different characters.

 

[Christopher]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

Just wanting to do good, why not join the Peace Corps or Americorps? Or many other aid organizations out there.

Why do people join the CIA in real life? I doubt every single agent and analyst in the agency is seeking to avenge some personal tragedy. People go into the CIA because it's a good place to exercise their skills (in Annie's case, her linguistic skills), or because they like the challenge, or because the pay and benefits are good. The Peace Corps isn't even a comparison, because it's a volunteer organization, not a paying career. Everyone's got to make a living.

This is something that tends to be overlooked in all the spy shows driven by glamour and fantasy and excitement. CIA work is not just an adventure, it's a job. One of my favorite spy shows was Scarecrow and Mrs. King, because it deconstructed the James Bond myth and depicted intelligence agents as government employees who sat at desks and filed reports and dealt with paperwork and office politics. I'd be happy to see some of that realism here. It's a job, like any other job. Why is, say, White Collar's Peter Burke an FBI agent? He's not avenging some past tragedy, he's just a smart guy who's good at doing that kind of work. Why is House's Wilson an oncologist? Because he wanted to help people so he went to medical school, and probably because the pay is really good. Not everyone has to have some romanticized, melodramatic reason for choosing their career.

 

[DarKush]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

True, but this is fiction that we are talking about and that tends to be sensationalistic. I doubt very much that Covert Affairs want take dramatic license and probably have already.

I think Peace Corps and Americorps (which does provide a stipend, or did back in the day) were legit examples because you asked about a character being motivated by doing good. Those are two organizations, among many, that do good, the CIA included.

 

[Christopher]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

True, but this is fiction that we are talking about and that tends to be sensationalistic. I doubt very much that Covert Affairs want take dramatic license and probably have already.

Not all fiction is divorced from reality. Not all fictional characters, as my examples indicate, are required to have some melodramatic, angsty, tragic reason for why they chose their jobs.

I think Peace Corps and Americorps (which does provide a stipend, or did back in the day) were legit examples because you asked about a character being motivated by doing good.

No, you're taking that out of context. The question on the table was why a character would choose a certain profession, i.e. an actual job that lets them pay their bills and feed themselves. One reason why someone might choose a government job such as intelligence work is in the belief that it would be an opportunity to serve one's country. But the fundamental question is about choosing a J-O-B. People have to work for a living, whatever their reasons for choosing their professions.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

Watched a re-airing of the premiere tonight. It was okay, but only okay. Very predictable and of course, extremely unrealistic. And what, exactly, was so unique about this assignment, that they had to pull this girl out of training? They needed a reasonably nice looking girl who could speak Russian? Those have to be a dime a dozen in the CIA, without pulling someone out of basic training. Good grief, *I* could speak as much Russian as they showed in this episode! And she wasn't even fluent enough to know (or be capable of looking up!) an Estonian colloquialism, for cryin' out loud! She had to go talk to her old Russian professor for THAT? I could have looked that up, and I only had 2 years of Russian!

But whatever. That bit was decidedly lame.

Further, I disagree that this is 'Burn Notice for Chicks'. In fact, this show probably has more appeal for guys, because it really just boils down to a hot babe playing spy, more than anything else. I mean, it's not like the spy angle is played smartly, like it is in Burn Notice. What I saw was a hot babe getting access to anything she wanted, based almost exclusively on her looks and associated ability to manipulate men. Which is about right for a 'guy show'...but not so impressive to a female audience for which that sort of nonsense gets old quick. Most of us girls, silly us, would prefer to labor under the allusion that being good at our jobs is the thing that will give us access - not our ability to carry off a slinky dress and stiletto heels like a sex kitten. And since there is no indication whatever that Annie possesses anything other than your basic trainee skill set...and good looks......well, you get the idea. More a guy show than a chick show, for sure. This is a show about the kind of woman guys fantasize about, when they visualize a female spy. Probably not so much about what real female spies are like.


Jake 2.0 was okay...although I agree that he knows way too much for his position.

The husband/wife thing was instantly tedious to me, which is unfortunate, because I usually love Peter Gallagher in about anything he does (I watched 4 seasons of The O.C. for this man, 'fer crying out loud! I loved his character on that show!) and tuned in to this show tonight primarily with him as the 'draw' for me. But anyway, getting back to his character here - if you are using agency resources to spy on your husband, it's time to divorce him, whether he is cheating or not. Clearly there is no trust there, cheating or not. So already, I think his wife is an idiot.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

Oh...and one other thing I forgot to mention earlier, although this is about a slightly different topic, but still related to this show.

Is anyone else at all annoyed by Doug Liman's claim in the commercials for this show that he 'created' The Bourne Identity, when in fact he did no such thing? Last I checked, Robert Ludlum created Jason Bourne AND The Bourne Identity. Liman directed the film adaptation of the book and added in some of his own stuff to the existing story...but that is NOT the same thing as 'creating' the character or the mythology attached to him. I realize that Robert Ludlum isn't around to correct him...but if I was an heir to the Ludlum estate, I'd be annoyed. Shoot...I am annoyed anyway. It really pisses me off to see people take credit for someone else's work. Take credit for the screenplay and for parts of the story that were not lifted from the book...but not for 'creating' Jason Bourne and/or The Bourne Identity. Jason Bourne, his backstory, and the central premise of the story is Ludlum. Modernization of the details can be attributed to Liman, but that is not the same as creating a character and story from scratch.

Okay. Rant over. Feel much better now.

 

[Christopher]

Re: Covert Affairs (Piper Perabo, new USA series) - Discussion & Spoil

And what, exactly, was so unique about this assignment, that they had to pull this girl out of training? They needed a reasonably nice looking girl who could speak Russian? Those have to be a dime a dozen in the CIA, without pulling someone out of basic training. Good grief, *I* could speak as much Russian as they showed in this episode! And she wasn't even fluent enough to know (or be capable of looking up!) an Estonian colloquialism, for cryin' out loud! She had to go talk to her old Russian professor for THAT? I could have looked that up, and I only had 2 years of Russian!

But whatever. That bit was decidedly lame.

Actually that was just a cover. As we were shown at the end of the episode, her bosses at the CIA are trying to draw out the mystery man that Annie had a fling with (the guy who saved her life at the climax), and they're using Annie as bait. That's why she was pulled out of basic training.

And Annie did recognize the Estonian colloquialism, at least enough to know it was an anomaly. But this is television; it isn't dramatically interesting to watch a character thinking to herself or looking in books. So you use conversations to dramatize characters' thought processes. In this case, she was seeking his confirmation of what she already suspected. Also, giving Annie an excuse to visit her old professor provided an opportunity to have a scene of him warning her about the perils of CIA work. And they may have plans for him as a recurring character.

Is anyone else at all annoyed by Doug Liman's claim in the commercials for this show that he 'created' The Bourne Identity, when in fact he did no such thing? Last I checked, Robert Ludlum created Jason Bourne AND The Bourne Identity.

I found the video you're referring to on the USA site, and it sounds to me like "created" and "The Bourne Identity" were separate snippets of audio that the promo editors took out of Liman's comments and pieced together. So blame the ad agency for that, not Liman.

And the commercials I've seen on TV credit him correctly as the producer of the Bourne movies, not the creator.