Covert Affairs Season 5 'Embassy Row' - Is McQuaid Good or Bad?

In Covert Affairs season 5, episode 6 "Embassy Row" of Covert Affairs, Annie is invited by Kravec to a party at the Russian Embassy in Paris and accepts. While at the party, she bumps into Ryan McQuaid who explains that he is there to buy Russian helicopters for the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency). How ironic is it that McQuaid happens to show up at the same places as Annie while she is on a mission?

Later, Kravec takes Annie into a quiet area in the Embassy. They both have a drink and then Kravec subdues Annie by choking her and trying to make her drink poison. Annie is able to counterattack and get away. As she makes her way through the hallway, she sees McQuaid and faints before him. This is where I start to wonder whether McQuaid is really good or bad for the millionth time.

After the commercial break, we see Kravec pulling Annie out of the trunk of his car at night. McQuaid drives down the street, gets out of his van, and shoots at Kravec. Hmm...what happened after Annie fainted? Why didn't McQuaid just carry her off somewhere safe instead of letting Kravec abduct her?

A chase scene starts once Annie pries herself away from Kravec. McQuaid runs after them. At the end of the chase, Kravec puts Annie's head in water and tries to drown her, but McQuaid shoots him (without killing him). Annie questions McQuaid about why he didn't save her sooner since she remembered seeing him at the Embassy before passing out. He stated that his reason for that is because Kravec was getting back up and he couldn't just carry Annie away in time without arousing suspicion from the partygoers. Seriously?

If I were McQuaid I would have knocked out Kravec and tied him up in that room. I would then take Annie in there and close the doors and wait until she wakes up so she can interrogate Kravec. Then again, I guess one of Kravec's goons would probably come looking for him, so being in that room wouldn't be good. Due to this possibility, I can see why McQuaid would let Kravec take Annie and then follow them so that he can take care of the situation outside. Still, he should have arrived much sooner when Kravec was taking Annie out of the car trunk so that they wouldn't need to deal with a chase scene and Annie almost drowning.

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'Graceland' Season 2 'Faith 7' Finale: Will Sid Markham Get Arrested?

Sid Markham has outsmarted Mike Warren by provoking him into a physical fight at the FBI building in order to get close enough to place a tracker in Mike's suit pocket. This allowed Sid to find the location of Graceland and once he sneaked inside the household, he took back his tracker so that no one would know he was even there. Before leaving, he stole a handgun and looked at some group photos, one of which showed Mike and Briggs together with the rest of the Graceland gang.

In the previous episode "Echoes," Briggs got into a car with Sid and his team to drive to Mexico to meet with Carlos Solano. With a car full of enemies and no backup in sight, it seems impossible for Briggs to escape once Sid reveals Briggs' allegiance to Mike Warren. I would imagine that Briggs can come up with a story to explain that he is no longer loyal to Mike and that he now disrespects him. That may or may not be enough for Sid to not harm or kill Briggs.

This finale features a lot more villains than the season 1 finale. Because of that, I don't predict that all the bad guys will be taken down in season 2. There just doesn't seem like there is enough time to pull it off while sustaining the quality of the show. The Gracelanders need to deal with the Solano cartel, Sid and his friends, and Amber and her friends. Unless this episode features many FBI tactical teams helping out team Graceland, then maybe it can be done.

I wonder if Sid or his second in command will make it to a potential season 3. They may get arrested, but it wouldn't surprise me if the writers have him escape in the future. The Solano cartel may be done as villains as they've been part of the talk since season 1. With them gone, maybe Graceland can move on to just corrupt law enforcement. Who knows? Sid could be linked to more criminals and corrupt officers. It could be revealed that the case is much bigger than just the LAPD Gang Task Force and the Solanos.

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‘Graceland’ Season 2 'Faith 7' Finale: How Will it End? (Spoilers)

In Graceland season 2, episode 12 “Echoes” (last episode before the finale), the good guys seemed to have gotten really close to the end of the season-long case and are just a few steps away from taking down the Solano cartel and the corrupt LAPD Gang Task Force. Unfortunately, their efforts might not lead to a happy ending now that Briggs’ cover is blown, Charlie is kidnapped, and Lucia stole Sid Markham’s briefcase. Mike, Jakes, and Paige are in the clear, so I imagine they will come to the rescue. Below are the three major problems and my predictions on what will happen in the finale.


Problem 1
When Mike Warren stubbornly fought Sid on Federal property, not only did he ruin his reputation, he also unknowingly allowed Sid to slip a tracker into his pocket. Later in the episode, Sid infiltrates Graceland and scopes the place out with no one at home. He steals a handgun and sees a picture of the whole team before leaving. This clue implies to him that Briggs and Mike are on the same side.

Prediction:
- Perhaps the Graceland team has special security in the household and are notified when suspicious individuals sneak in. Briggs probably knows Sid invaded Graceland and has a story in mind just in case Sid questions him about his allegiance to Mike. His story could be that he is old friends with Mike, but is no longer loyal to him. - Maybe one of the Gracelanders went into a secret hiding spot when they realized an intruder was in the house. They can then notify the rest of the team about Sid.


Problem 2
Charlie should have been more careful of her surroundings when she was on her way to meet Amber to avoid getting kidnapped. Mike, Jakes, or Paige should have followed her. In fact, Jakes was on the lookout for Mike earlier in the season and followed him to Sulla’s sex trafficking warehouse just in case Mike needed backup.

Prediction:
- I would think that Mike, Jakes, or Paige would be saving Charlie since the others are tied up with their own issues to help. However, the small preview of the season 2 finale showed Briggs rescuing Charlie. I have no clue how he is able to do this if he is busy dealing with Sid on the way to Mexico, but it looks like Briggs and Charlie will be fine.


Problem 3
The briefcase of money that Carlos Solano will be giving to Sid Markham, his business partner, is stolen by Lucia. Johnny is shocked by this and obviously needs to find a way to get it back to Carlos or else the Graceland team cannot connect Sid to Solano and justify arresting them. The briefcase contains the marked bills that Jakes put in. The finale preview showed Johnny and Lucia with their heads against each other as if the end was near. There was a person behind them and it looked like the couple would be punished. Another clip showed a gun pointed at Johnny.

Prediction:
- Again, I would say that Mike, Jakes, or Paige will be saving Johnny. Since Briggs is on his way to Mexico, he might be able to help out as well, but he’d have to deal with Sid and his gang first.


Graceland Season 2 Finale 'Faith 7' Preview


How will the season end?
I would like for all of the villains to be put behind bars by the end of the finale, but something tells me that won’t happen. Maybe Sid Markham or Carlos Solano are able to escape and seek revenge in season 3 (if renewed). If not, maybe they all get put in jail, but one villain is shown to have a trick up their sleeves to get out in the future. That would also be revisited in the next season.

As for the good guys, I believe team Graceland makes it out okay except for Charlie and Mike who will be severely injured as shown in the finale preview. I also wonder if they will relocate Graceland since Sid knows its current location. He is definitely not going to keep quiet and will more than likely use it as leverage. Then again, he might not make it out of this season. Let’s hope the Gracelanders bring justice and end this case once and for all.

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