Despite evidence to the contrary, it looks like this season is less about a covert operation to uncover the sins of McQuaid Securities and more about self-inflicted wounds.  I know I’m guilty of reading into this show way too much, but I wonder if the writers are just remarkably good at setting up red herrings.  Either that, or they have no idea that they are suggesting more substantial plot threads than they intend, but I’d rather stay positive in my assessments.

 

Annie may not be dealing with her heart condition at the moment, but that doesn’t mean that previous choices aren’t coming back to haunt her.  Her sexy times with Ivan in the previous episode worked perfectly fine; he’s still very interested.  Unfortunately, he’s also observant, so it didn’t escape him that Annie drugged him not so long ago, and apparently he likes to mix rough sex with interrogation.  I have a feeling Annie and McQuaid are going to wish they had killed Ivan before all is said and done.

 

McQuaid is looking more and more like a guy running a sincere operation, but perhaps one that has been infiltrated by one of The Postman’s operatives.  The most obvious suspect would be Caitlyn, especially given how she is trying to twist Arthur around her supple little finger with that slinky office wardrobe.  After all, the most devastating traitors are the ones closest to the top, the folks that are most trusted to help run things independently.

 

Meanwhile, Auggie’s personal life is immediately causing issues.  Natasha’s presence is problematic enough; now she’s pushing for Auggie to break things off with Hayley.  Setting aside the questionable decision to piss off a Power Ranger, the timing is about as bad as it gets, given that Hayley’s investigations are driving her towards Team Annie in a big way.  So personal entanglements and related issues are only going to get more and more troublesome.

 

Which puts a spotlight on the rest of the gang, because the complications are gaining momentum.  So much for my theory that Joan and Arthur were running an operation on McQuaid; Arthur’s deceptions about the excursion to the Middle East blow up in his face.  It’s a distraction that Joan doesn’t need, especially given that Calder completely ignored her advice and doubled down on his relationship with Stephanie, who has already made it clear that it’s just business for her.  That’s going to get ugly.  (And Calder could have easily taken Option #2 during that elevator ride!)

 

This season of Covert Affairs seems to be dedicated to moving on from the Henry Wilcox years by living up to the suggestion of its title, but I’m still a bit concerned about the show’s future.  The ratings have dropped significantly, and with the show in its fifth season, that’s not a good situation to be in.  USA Network is also aggressively exploring new properties now that Burn Notice and Psych have run their course, so fans of Covert Affairs may want to savor the fifth season while it lasts.