State of Affairs - Ar Rissalah - Advance Preview: "Lifting To Another Level"

NBC's State of Affairs has really stepped things up in the last fortnight, and the fifth episode of the freshman drama lifts things to another level.

Titled "Ar Rissalah", the episode was written by Devon Greggory and directed by Bill Eagles. President Constance Payton, played by Alfre Woodard, takes a well timed step up in the episode as she prepares for the impending controversy over the upcoming report into the ambush in Kabul. We also learn some interesting bits of information surrounding her past, which helps a few pieces of the puzzle drop into place.

With Nick Vera abducted in last Monday's episode, it's fair to say that that Vera is taking up the largest amount of brainpower in Charlie Tucker's mind, but interestingly, this episode doesn't focus too heavily on this at all. The object of the most interest to her CIA team, however, is an American journalist and his cameraman who were abducted by Omar Fatah, only for things to not turn out the way everyone planned. The creative team have done a really solid job with this though, because it adds even more depth to the main storyline while retaining a procedural feel.

Alongside President Payton's movement, Chief of Staff David Patrick flexes his muscles in two fantastic scenes with a TV network owner with ties to the abducted journalist, and he threatens Charlie's future with the CIA. We see further flashbacks on board Midnight City, and Kurt hasn't given up on a chance with Maureen.

That's all I'll tease for now, but be assured there is a lot more to come, and plenty to like about this episode of State of Affairs. This series is showing consistency and improvement with each week, and the storyline is being developed at a very nice pace. Be sure to tune in Monday night, December 15, 10|9c, on NBC. Check out the episode press release and promo, and don't forget to share your thoughts and theories, and ask any questions, in the comments section below. You can keep tabs on State of Affairs' ratings on my TV ratings website, www.seriesmonitor.com/stateofaffairs

Thanks for reading!

Jimmy.

About the Author - Jimmy Ryan

Jimmy Ryan lives in New Zealand, and works in the IT industry. He is an avid follower of drama television and has a keen interest for television ratings and statistics. Some of his favorite shows right now are Person of Interest, Scandal, House of Cards, Orphan Black, The Blacklist, The 100, How To Get Away With Murder, Elementary and Castle. You can visit his television ratings website, www.seriesmonitor.com or follow him on Twitter, @SeriesMonitor.

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