Question: When is a secret agent not a secret agent? Answer: When the operative in question is actually a student at the CIA’s training school who has been prematurely promoted to field agent in the Domestic Protection Division on the auspices of triage-relevant linguistic skills but in reality has only been activated to lure another agent out of hiding. See, Annie Walker fell in love with Ben Mercer on a beach in East Asia; she didn’t know who he was, and he didn’t know what she was planning to do with her life. Overnight, Ben disappeared. Why he ran then is probably why he’s on the run now. Regardless, with Annie in the crosshairs—admittedly, her own career choice (and she’s getting pretty damn good at her job)—it remains to be seen whether Ben will step into the light or stay in the shadows. Don’t super-sexy secret agents need love, too?

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Covert Affairs Blog #1: FOLLOW THE LEDDER
by Gary Butler

So much to say about any given episode of Covert Affairs, so little time. Episode five, “In the Light” (which aired on Showcase this past Sunday), involved the interception of an arms shipment of three surface-to-air missiles being smuggled, personally, by one of the world’s most notorious arms dealers. Episode two, “Walter’s Walk,” introduced a teenage genius that decoded a technically unbreakable shortwave code and is now under the literal gun of the spy he outed. Episode four, “South Bound Suarez,” followed Annie in a mad race through the streets of both Caracas and Washington in an attempt to flush out a corrupt Venezuelan politician. These are just the episode summaries, and don’t include the show’s multitude of relationship-driven subplots. Hence the point about “so little time.”

Then again, maybe a little time is enough. Here are some interesting time figures to consider. (And talk about codes!)

“In the Light,” 8 min. 19 sec.

“Walter’s Walk,” 4 min. 32 sec.

“South Bound Suarez,” 4 min. 9 sec.

Led Zeppelin fans, take note: Every episode of Covert Affairs (with the exception of the untitled pilot episode) takes its name from a song in Zep’s discography. Do the episodes take anything else from Led Zeppelin? Could we extrapolate Zeppelin lyrics to understand what’s happening, not to mention what’s about to happen? Let’s look at two of them, below. (Feel free to pipe in your own observations on the comments board. We’d also be keen to hear your suggestions for what Zeppelin song should have been the title for the pilot episode.)

When it comes to “In the Light,” it’s probably easier to ask is if there’s a lyric that doesn’t reflect the events of the episode. There’s a significant amount of discussion as to whether real-world spies can afford to see the world in black and white, and retired CIA operative Henry Wilcox tells Annie that “we're all in the mud, Miss Walker, even if we don't want to admit it.”

More on point, though, the episode’s finale sees Ben resurfacing for the second time to date, to save Annie’s life for a second time—for a second time, unbeknownst to her. Here’s a sampler of relevant Zeppelin lyrics from the source song: “Oh, did you ever believe that I could leave you, standing out in the cold”; “I was and really would be for you, too, honey/As you would for me, oh, I would share your load”; “Everybody needs the light”.

There’s an undeniable obviousness to “Walter’s Walk,” given that the boy genius—Walter—has to go to ground—walk away—in order to protect not himself but his mother. Eh, eh?

Consider, though, the role of the British double agent, James Elliot, who is secretly pursuing a personal vendetta and tells Annie, “When it comes to family, you do whatever you have to do.” Relevant Zeppelin lyrics from the source song: “When you hear the call can you count the cost?/As you stand alone do you wonder how?/Can you step aside, does it matter now?”

COMING SOON, Covert Affairs Blog #2: DON’T GET THE LED OUT

Covert Affairs airs Sundays at 10pm ET/PT on Showcase. Catch up now in our video centre.