Covert Affairs: The Complete Series Blu Ray Review (Universal)

Covert Affairs is a 2010 spy television series co-written/executive produced/created by Matt Corman (Daredevil: Born Again, The Enemy Within, The Brave, Deck the Halls, and Containment) and Chris Ord (Daredevil: Born Again, The Enemy Within, The Brave, Containment, and Deck the Halls). It was directed by Renny Harlin (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, The Strangers franchise, Deep Blue Sea, Mindhunters, and The Long Kiss Goodnight), Stephen Kay (Get Carter, Sons of Anarchy, Mayor of Kingstown, The Last Time I Committed Suicide, The Shield, and The Hunt for the BTK Killer), Félix Enríquez Alcalá (Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Fire Down Below, House, ER, Las Vegas, Suits, and Third Watch), Allan Kroeker (Chuck, Bones, and The Twilight Zone), Christopher Gorham (We Love You, Sally Carmichael!), Tim Matheson (Lucifer, Suits, The West Wing, Las Vegas, and Burn Notice), and others. It was executive produced by Doug Liman (Suits, Bourne franchise, Edge of Tomorrow, Cry Wolf, Swingers, and Go). Annie Walker (played by: Piper Perabo from Coyote Ugly, Yellowstone, The Prestige, Looper, and Angel Has Fallen) is a brilliant CIA operative plus linguist with girl-next-door charm, the instincts of a born spy, and a hunger for adventure. She is plucked straight from training at the Farm and assigned to the Agency’s Domestic Protection Division ran by Joan Campbell (played by: Kari Matchett from Cube²: Hypercube, The Hunting Party, 24, and Supergirl) who reports to her husband C.I.A. director Arthur Campbell (played by: Peter Gallagher from American Beauty, The O.C., Mr. Deeds, House on Haunted Hill, and The Hudsucker Proxy). They tackle high-stakes cases at home and around the globe. Guided by Auggie Anderson (played by: Christopher Gorham from Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, The Death of Superman, and Harper’s Island) is a skilled and blind handler who becomes her mentor and closest ally, Annie navigates dangerous missions while keeping her covert life hidden from family and friends!!!! I completely slept on Covert Affairs when it originally aired on the USA network. They had a quality lineup that included another spy series Burn Notice. It has some very talented directors behind the camera for this which includes Renny Harlin, Stephen Kay, Félix Enríquez Alcalá, and Tim Matheson. Lead actress Piper Perabo is the main reason to check out Covert Affairs. She’s top notch as the rookie operative Annie Walker. Her cover is that she works at the Smithsonian. She has to keep her job a secret from friends and family which sometimes clashes with her other world. She’s still learning as she goes into these dangerous missions. She’s tougher than she looks and she’s always underestimated so it works to her advantage. For someone that’s extremely intelligent when lives matter, she has the absolutely the worst taste in partners over and over. Regardless, Annie Walker is always loyal to her work and associates, she’s the one that you want on your team. Lead actor Christopher Gorham is great as the reliable handler Auggie Anderson. He served his country and unfortunately he lost his vision for it. It still hasn’t slowed him down, he just can’t be an operative anymore so he stays behind the scenes helping others. He’s the reason why these deadly situations are able to be achieved. He gets invested too personally at times and it causes some serious problems. These two have amazing chemistry together. Their collaboration is what really drives Covert Affairs. They go through so much during the entire run. They flirted with the idea of them as a couple but they completely fumbled it and it went back to their friendship after all of that progression. Kari Matchett is the feisty Joan Campbell. She’s the one that runs her elite division. She doesn’t hold back and she always challenges her agents to their best abilities. Her husband Arthur Campbell is the director of the C.I.A so it sometimes interfers with their own personal life. Veteran actor Peter Gallagher is the unpredictable man with all of the power and he knows everything that goes down. He has a past that comes back to haunt him but he tries to make it all right but it just makes his existence more complicated. The rest of the supporting cast includes Hill Harper (He Got Game), Anne Dudek (House), Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes), Dylan Taylor (Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City), Gregory Itzin (24), Nic Bishop (Legends of Tomorrow), Oded Fehr (The Mummy franchise), Sarah Clarke (24), Amy Jo Johnson (Power Rangers franchise), Michael Therriault (Chucky), Richard Coyle (Pusher), Emmanuelle Vaugier (Two and a Half Men), Rossif Sutherland (Possessor), Kenny Johnson (The Shield), Agnes Bruckner (Murder by Numbers), Marton Csokas (xXx), Jaimie Alexander (Thor franchise), Erick Avari (Mr. Deeds), David O’Hara (The Departed), Lauren Holly (Dumb and Dumber), Peter Stormare (Fargo), Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange franchise), Bruce Davison (X-Men franchise), Nestor Serrano (Lethal Weapon 2), Max Martini (The Unit), Anna Camp (Scream 7), Benito Martinez (The Shield), Julianne Nicholson (Boardwalk Empire), Anna Chlumsky (My Girl franchise), and many others. Each season has their own unique arc. Covert Affairs had a nice build up each time to their main storylines. It really switched it up for the last two which kept it fresh. The development of Annie Walker really shines for both of those. She’s more than street smart, she actually gets better at combat and defending herself. She goes from a rookie to one of the best around. It has plenty of action, tension, suspense, drama, romance, comedy, and danger. This television series is full of surprises and twists that keeps it’s viewers on their toes. The unpredictable nature of it all adds to the adrenaline fueled atmosphere. It had some interesting and unexpected villains. Covert Affairs is one of the best spy TV shows ever made and it’s still kinda underrated after all of this time which is crazy. The replay value is very strong here. Hopefully this set gives it another life, STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Universal Pictures! These 1080p (1.78:1) transfers on all 75 episodes look much better than expected. It feels more cinematic than small screen. It has stylish cinematography, sharp production design, beautiful locations, and all of the spy action looks great in this. It has a few different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English: Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks on this 19 disc set. The audio is excellent for Covert Affairs. It’s loaded with violence, chaos, thrills, and action. All of the dialogue is crisp, the mind games are elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. Season One has an “Audio Commentary” for the pilot with Piper Perabo, Christopher Gorham, Doug Liman, Matt Corman, and Chris Ord. It has an “Audio Commentary” for Communication Breakdown” with Piper Perabo, Christopher Gorham, Doug Liman, Dave Bartis, Matt Corman, and Chris Ord. It has an “Audio Commentary” for When The Levee Breaks with Piper Perabo, Christopher Gorham, Doug Liman, Dave Bartis, Matt Corman, and Chris Ord. It has almost 19 minutes of 27 “Deleted Scenes”. It has a little over 2 minutes of “Gag Reels”. It has the almost 14 minute “Welcome to the Farm”. It has the little over 4 minute “Blind Insight”. It has almost 14 minute”Set Tour”. It has the under a minute “Celebrate the ADA”. Season Two has a little over 11 minutes of 13 “Deleted Scenes”. It has the little over 2 minute “Gag Reel”. It has the almost 3 minute “Piper Perabo Comic-Con Intro”. It has the almost 17 minute “Covert Affairs on Location”. Season Three has a little over a minute of 6 “Deleted Scenes”. It has the almost 20 minute “Sights Unseen: A Covert Affairs Prequel” that’s broken down into 5 different segments. Season 4 has a little over 11 minutes of 15 “Deleted Scenes”. It has the little over 3 minute “Gag Reel”. It has the almost 5 minute “Action Reel”. It has the little over 22 minute “Sights Unseen: Auggie Undercover: A Covert Affairs Prequel” that’s broken down into 6 segments. Season Five has a little over 4 minutes of 6 “Deleted Scenes”. It has an almost 6 minute “Gag Reel”. It comes in a high quality slipbox with each season getting their own case with their own unique artwork. It’s available everywhere right now including Moviezyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!