Pilot

I'm absolutely in awe of this girl. I saw COYOTE UGLY and it was one of my favorite movies, which led me to obtain SLAP HER, SHE'S FRENCH and eventually LOST AND DELIRIOUS, which was a major-big monumental hit with me. I've been collecting the series COVERT AFFAIRS for some time now, and finally completed it last week. Only started watching yesterday: this, the pilot episode.

Imagine, it is something like just more than a decade after COYOTE UGLY and this beautiful girl still looks every bit the dream that she was back then. Let me just tell you, in that smart outfit of hers, black skirt, pristine white shirt, jacket and high heels, she is the classiest young lady one could ever hope to encounter.

Now, I know what you're all thinking, it's just The Raven again going ga-ga over a delicate-featured girl, but besides that, the show is really worth watching. There are only two other reviewers here, and the one is highly opinionated regarding the inferiority of this offering to James Bond action scenes. Hey, stay-at-homers, whatcha expect from TV, a 3D supernova in your living room? What you got here, take it from a South African who hasn't watched TV in years because the local version is (insert nasty word), is a damned good load of thrills and spills with a beautiful heroine, YOU ARE JUST LUCKY. As for the other reviewer making snide comments about Piper and her character, ooh real live dime-a-dozen two- bit hater. Did make valid comments about "blind" Auggie, though.

The harrowing "under fire" hotel scene was spot- on, the car chase sequence was well done (except that her car afterwards should have shown some damage) and that on foot pursuit through the hotel (whatever) kitchen was a winner that made me think of the classic scene in THE PRESIDIO, only, of course, there is the added appeal here of this super-smart girl.

And to those who didn't like the ending: I liked it that she lost her fight. It made it realistic. A slight girl like that, with such small hands, and that tiny frame, against much, much bigger adversary, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT? So, she had to be rescued. She remains the far smarter heroine. And brave to take on a stronger foe. Come on, that super-heroine stuff, that black belt cat-girl, that's not real.

Recommended for all. James Bond is at the theaters, though. But Jane Bond here is quite great.

The story was smart, showed the intelligence and versatility of the protagonist, had a few interesting characters and had a plot that twisted. If you liked Burn Notice, this is up your alley.

The beautiful and talented Kari Matchett was the only excuse I needed to give Covert Affairs a chance. Seriously a show involving a hot female spy is hard to resist.

Annie Walker is portrayed by Piper Perabo and I found her both convincing in her role and quite charming. But she's not just a pretty face as her personality is a mix between the funny girl next door and a femme fatale. There was also something cute and intriguing about her abruptly stopped training. I was also curious about her linguistic skills but they were under exploited. They could have used them to read lips or make the investigation more puzzling but instead they chose the easy way of seduction. I didn't mind but I was hoping for something more subtle and surprising. As for Matchett she's her boss and even if I found her role far too anecdotic I think their relationship has potential. Indeed she wasn't as despicable as I thought she would be and even if her story doesn't seem epic I'm sure the writers have planned something special for her.

The other reason that convinced me to check out the pilot was the visually impaired guy. I thought he would make a great partner and found the idea quite original. And it was well executed because the actor's performance was exquisite and the very first minutes their chemistry was excellent. But don't expect the usual romance and other sexual tension we have already experienced a thousand times. It's a nice and refreshing approach. Moreover the story revealed that her heart is not ready yet to fall in love again. In fact her past was covered at the beginning during an awkward interview with misplaced flashbacks. It seems they over estimated their capacity to be creative. I think a simpler approach would have been more appropriate, like first showing us what happened a few years ago then going straight to her new career. The problem is that their solution made her story less authentic and I couldn't really relate to it. Furthermore these scenes were too short but I have to admit that they were well directed.

It leads us to the production quality because I found it questionable in general. On the beach the lighting was immersive but during the other scenes, that represents 99% of the episode, it was really poor. It jarred with the professional acting and overall realistic universe. At times it was almost like watching a cheap homemade movie. It was really an issue because it should prevent you from believing in it. It got even worse during the action scenes. The shooting was all right but the pursuit on wheels was a mess. If you don't have the budget to pull a 007 then go for mind games and twisted investigations. But the real disaster was the diner scene. I still can't believe how bad it was. The filming actually reminded me of Batman Begins and the whole Christopher Nolan incident. It was short and the idea was to simulate drunkness so let's forget about it. However it should definitely inspire Nolan for his next film ! I also can't help pointing out how annoying some subliminal advertisement was because it instantly pulled me out of the fiction.

Don't get me wrong I still enjoyed it but it was just decent entertainment. Following Annie in her adventures was exciting at times and I also found a gorgeous reporter quite intriguing. However in the end it didn't convince me to stick around. The cliffhanger was unexpected but it wasn't mind blowing. In fact it's quite difficult to impress the audience when it comes to spy fiction because we can't help comparing to James Bond and other masterpieces of the genre. Despite these issues I recommend it for the moments she shared with her partner. And I also never thought I would learn dating tips from a blind guy ! Last but not least let's consider that for once the procedural recipe should be mixed with a heavy format. So it's apparently not your usual episodic show. My advice is just to at least watch its pilot to make up your mind. If you find Annie's journey as refreshing as diving into a pool in the morning then you'll definitely want to learn more about her past and future.