What's it about?
With the identities of every CIA agent at stake, Steven, Samantha, Leo and Hoyt are in a race against time.
Review
After two weeks of looking for a voice and a pace (and a few other things too) finally 'Undercovers' has taken its first steps towards being on the path to potential greatness... okay so we're not there yet but at long bloody last we've got an episode which I enjoyed watching and could quite happily go back and watch again!
'Devices' takes the show in a far more successfully spy-tastic direction which echoes spy series gone by and shows the potential of what's to come. Throw your copy of 'Mr & Mrs Smith' out the window and unpack the 'Alias' DVDs because we've got the foundations for a much more exciting show.
The writing in this episode is a lot more sharp although (yes it's time for a grumble) there is a complete 180 degree shift on last week when Steven was the most technically un-savvy spy in the game. This week he's a gadet-o-holic and knows his stuff, but fair play to the writers because it worked and it helped make these characters far more believable in their dual lives.
The relationship between Steven and Samantha is finding some real solid ground to work with, all promotional materials which alluded to the flawed marriage which is miraculously healed by rejoining the spy game missed out on the fact that these two work well together and care for each other and that this can provide some compelling TV.
Instead of focussing on separating the two 'Devices' asks them to play off each others strengths and learn more of what it is to work as a team, this in turn allows the writers to explore the concern that a character can have for a loved one when they are placed in danger. It's nothing new, it's just the human experience, but to see if properly acted out in this show brings much more heart and much more depth to the action.
Credit where credit is due: both
The opening teaser of this episode certainly worked to visualise that this show can take steps towards a darker, more serious tone and for those watching this would most definitely have served to whet the appetite for things to come.
There was some very solid writing in this episode and I hope that this was not just a one off and that from here on in we can only expect far more development of this kind. There are some very interesting aspects to this universe which need the proper amount of time to be developed and explored.
There are still some aspects of this episode which feel contrived, the miraculous appearance of Leo springs to mind. Is this guy always going to appear in the right place at the right time? But for all I know there could be an underlying plot twisty reason for this which could come in to play at a later date.
In this ratings obsessed spoilery world it is all to easy to forget that this show has only been on the air for three weeks. As an audience we seem to expect excellence from the outset and in some cases this is far too much to ask.
We should take a step back in time and remember that in days gone by shows were given time to develop and find their feet before they were cancelled and left to gather dust on a shelf. This is by no means a perfect show but it is also not worth giving up on just yet.
Don't give up hope Abrams fans, it's starting to get good!
Next week...
Steven and Samantha travel to Ireland and then England in their endeaver to find a very important CIA hard drive, which has gone missing.
Overall
Story 3.5
Character 3.0
Spyness 4.0
Overall 3.5
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