The Whiskey Cavalier pilot was an enjoyable romp, albeit one that hit all of the sexy, globe-trotting spy genre tropes satisfyingly, but without really offering anything special, as of yet.
The premiere started off by introducing us to Scott Foley's FBI agent Will Chase. His scenes were mostly humorous in its own quirky way. The episodes opening, with the heartbroken agent in his apartment crying to 'Total Eclipse of the Heart,' and then, later on, stopping to admire a proposal in the middle of a mission was as hammy as anything, but strangely it worked. There were some thrilling action sequences too, as Will chased his target through the streets of Paris - offering viewers a taste of what to expect in this globetrotting series.
Lauren Cohan, as the fiercely independent and relentless CIA agent Frankie Trowbridge, made her introduction a third into the episode, manipulating Will during a mission in Moscow as they searched for an abducted hacker, Edgar Standish (Tyler James Williams). Her character had more to work with in terms of depth, as we see in one scene in which her trusted cohort Jai Datta (Indian comic Vir Das making his American debut) advises her to stop pushing people away.
Frankie's stoicness and more sarcastic humor meshed well with the over-empathizing ham of Will. However, as fantastic as Cohan and Foley were, more time is needed to develop their chemistry. The two were mostly at odds in the premiere, caught up in a cat and mouse game as they fought over custody of Standish, that of whom made for an entertaining third man.
We also got to meet Susan Sampson (Ana Ortiz) as the very spunky profiler and Will's douchey friend and colleague, Ray (Josh Hopkins) who we find out is going out with his ex, leading to an amusing tussle near the end of the episode. Both Susan and Ray, along with the aforementioned Standish and Datta, did not get that much time in the pilot, though all actors have proven in other roles to have the comedic chops to round out what is an eclectic ensemble.
The ending, when we see the group walking together towards the camera while Will and Frankie simultaneously declare they are the lead, was the perfect way to end this pilot.
It is also worth mentioning the beautiful scenery as the episode took viewers to Germany, Russia and Paris, which, along with the upbeat music - remixing popular songs with a Euro twist - gave Whiskey Cavalier much vibrancy and personality. A solid, thoroughly entertaining start to ABC's new spy thriller.
7.5/10
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