COVERT AFFAIRS: Season 3 Finale Teases and Rewards

Covert Affairs wraps up its third season tonight with one of its strongest hours yet. The show took a different creative tack this season, and I nearly quit watching it after Jai’s death, but after watching the finale, the payoff was worth the sometimes confusing storyline.

The show moved away from the “villain of the week” procedural format this season, focusing instead on some season-long arcs that put Annie through the wringer emotionally, professionally, and physically. From Jai’s death to Lena’s betrayal to her romance with Simon to issues with Joan to Eyal’s (apparent) betrayal to her relationship with Auggie, Annie has had quite a time of it this year. These storylines didn’t always mesh well for me as the season progressed, but in “Lady Stardust”, the season finale, the threads finally came together so I could see the tapestry the writers have been weaving.

Working “off book” with Eyal to track down Khalid, Annie now finds herself in a hostage negotiation with the alleged terrorist for Eyal’s life. Megan’s death hits Annie pretty hard, and she’s not sure how to proceed.  Her regular call to Auggie for advice – a nice bit of meta – results in him coming to help her, with Joan’s permission. They come up with a nifty plan to get Eyal back alive, which would usually be enough to fill an entire episode, but not this time! We still have an additional mission for Annie, some distrustful dealings between Arthur and Henry Wilcox, a surprising new direction for Annie next season, a farewell, a declassification, and then there’s that talk Auggie has been wanting to have with Annie since Russia.  The result is a satisfying episode on many levels, and a couple of final scenes that ought to keep fans talking until season 4.

Covert Affairs airs its season finale, “Lady Stardust”, tonight at 9/8c on USA Network.