After a string of red herrings all season long, but most definitely in the past three episodes, the traitor is revealed.  Not surprisingly, it came down to McQuaid, Caitlyn, and Hayley, and Caitlyn quickly became the top candidate.  I just knew there had to be a reason she was slinking around since the very beginning!  We also had confirmation that the only person who can remain intact after a night with Annie Walker is Auggie Anderson, because even McQuaid couldn’t avoid taking several bullets the next day!

 

The overall consequence of Annie’s work with McQuaid and the prevented bombing in this episode is an uncertain future for Annie’s career and an even deeper rift with Auggie.  Oh, and Aleksandre Belenko now takes the stage as the most likely mastermind of the Chicago bombing and everything thereafter, and he essentially gets away without a hitch.

 

With the whole question of who was working with Belenko now answered, the writers don’t have to play so coy with the Calder/Sydney relationship.  That doesn’t mean it’s not a point of contention between Calder and Joan, of course, but Sydney’s connections to the Russian embassy will no doubt factor into the rest of the season’s hunt for evidence against Belenko.

 

One strong positive of this season is how it follows up on the personal costs on the agents, not unlike the previous season’s arc finally gave Arthur a solid storyline and a purpose for existing.  This season, the character relationships are more chaotic than ever, and it’s great to see the writers commit to the notion that Annie’s not even close to the same person she was before the resolution of the Wilcox saga.  There’s really no telling what she will do to put Belenko to justice, and that means a return to the CIA isn’t as obvious an outcome as it may seem.

That said, with Arthur working with McQuaid Security and Annie having a budding relationship with McQuaid herself, it’s almost unnecessary for her to return to the DPD.  Team Annie has spread out into new arenas.  The complex relationship between CIA and defense contractors is worth mining for storytelling, and it feels like a natural evolution for Annie to live, in many respects, in both worlds.

 

I’m still concerned about the future for Covert Affairs, but the show remains one of the summer’s best assets, and hopefully USA Network will continue to see it from that perspective.