COVERT AFFAIRS Season 4 Brings Major Changes

Covert Affairs returns to USA Network tonight, kicking off its fourth season of espionage, on location action in foreign countries, and one hot new spy couple.

At the end of season 3, Auggie and Annie got honest with each other about their feelings, and that’s where we pick things up when this season begins. An awful lot of sexual tension gets addressed in the first few minutes of the episode, with bonus shirtless Auggie, before we jump headfirst into conspiracies and complications.

This season’s major arc brings the focus back to previous seasons’ events: It’s the anniversary of Jai’s death, and Henry Wilcox intends to uphold his promise to avenge his son. His first attack is on Auggie, or so it seems, but in unraveling the mystery behind a suspicious bank account in Colombia, Annie and Auggie discover a huge secret that leads them right back to the CIA.

Meanwhile, Arther and Joan are attempting to reconnect, but secrets and back room meetings impact them personally and professionally. There’s a bit of paralleling happening with Annie/Auggie and Joan/Arthur that had me appreciating both the new, untried romance and the battle-worn but still standing marriage.

The premiere episode is all very spy vs. spy, setting up an elaborate, interweaving plotline that I think is well-earned as we head into the fourth season. At this point, we know these characters pretty well (or so we think) and are invested in their well-being. Now it’s time to delve deeper, to uncover secrets and see what makes these characters tick. I have a feeling this is going to be an uncomfortable season for several of our characters; it will be interesting to see which couples and which individuals are left standing at the end.

Covert Affairs season 4 premieres tonight at 10/9c on USA Network after an all new Suits.