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It's a good night to be a State of Affairs fan.
Tonight's episode was the freshman drama's first of the new year and provided a solid hour of entertainment with plenty of growth across the key storylines and characters.
Titled "Bellerophon" - the name of an ancient Greek mythology god, the episode was written by Matthew Lau and directed by P.J. Pesce. The episode focused exclusively on the serial storylines, with an operative from the terror cell är rissãlah breaching White House security and causing a bit of a headache for the CIA team. Charlie, meanwhile, was redeployed as a case officer, and ended up reuniting with Nick Vera, fresh off a container ship, in Yemen.
With President Payton having previously voiced her disgust at Charlie for neglecting to tell her the full story surrounding her recruitment of Omar Fatah, it was up to her to step up and get the job done, resulting in a SEAL team being called back when Charlie convinced Payton to hold back in lieu of bigger fish. In the series premiere, Charlie promised President Payton that she would find out who killed Aaron, and kill them, and Payton reminded her of that promise in no uncertain terms. The hour clocked out with Vera at gunpoint, and in the hands of Sheikh Hakam. How that goes down will be worth watching.
In smaller plot points, Maureen was promoted to Charlie's former position, meaning she is now the one briefing POTUS. CIA director Navaro was feeling the pressure in the wake of the är rissãlah threats and when the teenage operative who made it into the White House killed himself, he was visibly shaken, and went after the wrong guy in relation to the incident. And perhaps most interestingly, Kurt gave Maureen a lift home, but after declining his offer of a drink, Maureen opened the door to a visibly drunk Lucas, and invited him in. Something tells me that won't go down well, given Kurt's previous confrontation with Lucas in an earlier episode.
The episode had a really nice tempo throughout. It was very well directed too, especially with the scenes featuring Charlie and Nick on the run in Yemen. The intimate scenes between the pair were beautifully choreographed as well. Katherine Heigl's performance was very good right throughout, as was Chris McKenna's. I've enjoyed the pair's work together throughout the series, but unfortunately the characters spend more time apart than together.
Next week's episode looks like it will leave the Middle Eastern storylines behind and focus on the rescue of Jack Dawkins, who was kidnapped in Panama a few weeks ago. The promo promises a game-changer, so I'm hoping this storyline, along with the Middle Eastern branches may close together. We'll have to be watching next week to find out.
Thanks a lot for reading. Share your thoughts and theories on tonight's episode in the comments below, and check out State of Affairs' ratings on my website, www.seriesmonitor.com/stateofaffairs.
Jimmy
