State of Affairs - Here and Now - Review: "A Pretty Darn Good Hour"

In last night's penultimate episode, State of Affairs lifted o a level that would have cemented its place on NBC's schedule had it maintained it throughout the season.

Titled "Here and Now", the episode was written by Sarah Kucserka and Veronica West and expertly directed by Ben Bray. It was a very nicely crafted roller coaster throughout the hour, with the relationship between Charlie and Nick developed in a very unique way.

The hour kicked off with a flashback - which was unexpected, but set the scene nicely for what was to come. The scene depicted events three years ago, in a remote, but beautiful part of Afghanistan, where Charlie and Nick were posted. In subsequent flashbacks we learned that Nick had been looking the other way as the residents grew poppies destined for drug production, but Nick had also been looking the other way in regard to the terrorist related activities Ar Rissalah were undertaking. His morals were questionable and you could see his actions weighing on Charlie's mind in the present day scenes throughout the episode. Despite this, the chemistry between the pair has been beautiful and majestic in a weird sort of way, and this was on show right throughout the episode.

For the past few weeks, Nick has been holed up in the Philippines as he searched for the elusive Sheikh Hakam. In last week's episode we saw the man for the first time in person, but he wasn't present last night. Back on home soil, President Constance Payton had several tough choices to make as she commandeered the operation to eliminate the Ar Rissalah operatives Nick had infiltrated. With a severe storm closing in, Jack Dawkins was ordered to stand down after Charlie and the CIA convinced President Payton that the storm made a SEAL team deployment too risky.

An air strike was next on the list of options, but as the Ar Rissalah operatives slipped into old Japanese World War Two tunnels, Nick was the only one who could provide a location for the bombs to hit. Charlie was understandably devastated as it meant Nick wouldn't make it out alive, but she didn't give up, pressing Maureen and Dawkins to come up with a way to warn Nick. That, however, would never eventuate.

Nick and Charlie had to share their time in the spotlight though. Having been fired from the CIA not long ago, I always had my suspicions about Kurt and what he would do next. His prompt employment at Victor Gantry's Krieg Group had me thinking revenge was on the way, but quite the opposite happened last night. It turns out Kurt was suspicious of Omar Fatah all along and decided to break into the wounded CIA director Navaro's file room where he found proof that it was Fatah who was in charge of Ar Rissalah - not Sheikh Hakam as previously thought, and had been telling porkies to the CIA and Kurt's Krieg Group all along.

Also garnering a share of the hour was the small arc that's been playing out since Senator Green's death a few weeks back. Senator Burke has made it his mission to investigate the illegal acts carried out by the CIA, and he came across that photo - the one showing Nick and Charlie with Fatah taken years prior. The photo was finally made public (you could say it was inevitable) and Charlie and President Payton along with her Chief of Staff David Patrick going into damage control mode. Nothing much came of it though, so maybe this will be rounded out next week.

But it's the death of Nick Vera that will leave the largest mark on me in this episode - not so much because he died, but because of the beautiful way it was depicted. In the background, the backing track titled "In the Middle of This Nowhere" by Hammock, couldn't have fit the moment any better. In the final moments of Nick's life - we hear Charlie in voice-over reading a letter she left him in Afghanistan when she came to the conclusion that what Nick was doing was wrong, but that she loved him, and she always would. The second before the bombs hit, Charlie turned away, and President Payton briefly comforted her. "You said this would make killers out of both of us. You were right," Charlie said, reflecting on the words she uttered in the series premiere. In voice-over to Nick, Charlie said "I'm sorry Nick. I love you. I always will."


Katherine Heigl delivered a very strong performance in this hour but that scene was her best of the night. Chris McKenna also went out on a high, which was great to see. Alfre Woodard also came to the party in her scenes. Director Ben Bray composed some great camera angles to complement the performances.

In all, this was a pretty darn good hour. It was of a high standard, and it brought out the best in the lead cast. In next week's season (series?) finale, things look set to get intense as Charlie quits the CIA to finish what Nick started.

Thanks for reading! What were your thoughts on this episode of State of Affairs? Do tell me in the comments below. You can check out next week's finale promo here, and press release here. State of Affairs is also on my TV ratings website, www.seriesmonitor.com/stateofaffairs.

State of Affairs' season finale, "Deadcheck" airs Monday, February 16, 10|9c, on NBC.