SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for CIA Season 2, Episode 4.
CIA Season 2, Episode 4, “Black Tie Optional” has all the hallmarks of a good spy story. There’s a swanky event to be infiltrated, cool computer stuff to be done, and even a little bit of romance. The CBS show hits every fun note, but it’s able to do that largely because once again, the casting on the series is top-notch.
Instead of just one great guest star, this episode has a whole lineup of names that TV viewers will recognize. Dawn Olivieri (Yellowstone, House of Lies) plays Meghan, Colin Glass’ mark for the episode. Her annoying ex-husband Evan is portrayed by Owain Yeoman (The Mentalist, Emergence). Meghan’s boss Allen Perry is played by Eric Ladin (Chicago Med, Bosch). And in the office, the group is joined by Geoffrey Arend (Madam Secretary, Body of Proof) as Baxter and Eric Walsh (Veep, Ghosts) as Tom. The whole hour feels like an extended “Hey, it’s that guy from that other show” bit, and the episode is better because of it.
The actual plot isn’t novel but it provides plenty of twists and turns to keep it moving at a decent pace. Allen has been recruited by North Korea to help them get access to a malware program, developed by a graduate student Allen was funding. That program will allow the North Koreans to take over American satellites and generally cause havoc. It’s up to Colin and Bill Goodman to stop the plan, and the university just happens to be hosting a black-tie fundraiser on the same night that the North Koreans want to get into the computer lab. (Stating the obvious: this is not a coincidence.)
All of this allows actors Tom Ellis and Nick Gehlfuss to do a little bit of everything between them. Colin has to romance Meghan, whose feelings about her ex conveniently provide perspective on Colin’s current problem with his ex Toni. The duo also get to go undercover, wield some big guns, get into big fights, and Colin shoots a computer. The resolution of what turns into a massive hostage situation feels rushed, like a quick way to raise the stakes but then it also has to be moved aside so CIA can get back to saving the satellites. And with Baxter present, that means it’s an off week for Natalee Linez as Gina. But the episode certainly isn’t boring.
And after the previous week’s subplots felt like undoing character development, this one provides some forward momentum. CIA Season 2, Episode 4 sees Bill track down his father’s former partner Carl (portrayed by John Bedford Lloyd of Ozark) in his continued quest to uncover the real Bob Goodman. The episode ends with Colin discovering that Bob’s watch has a microdot of information hidden inside, and CIA promptly slams two of its big subplots together. It’s confirmed that before he got on Colin and Bill’s radar, hitman Felix Vincente was a CIA asset, with Bob as his handler.
This confirms the earlier tease that the Vincente storyline would continue throughout CIA Season 2. It also gives the Bob storyline more weight, as it’s no longer just Bill angsting over his dad’s past. Now it’s relevant to whatever happens in the future. It’s still too close thematically to the Toni of it all, but at least there’s more to play with.
What’s particularly interesting about “Black Tie Optional” is that the most compelling scene has nothing to do with that, or any of the action, or even Colin and Bill. It’s the moment between Tom and Nikki Reynard when what was just typical friction between agencies turns personal. Tom cracks under pressure, and subsequently pleads with Nikki to help save his daughter, as the satellite situation would put her life at risk. Walsh and Necar Zadegan are great in that scene, which also gives Tom some appreciated depth beyond just the guy antagonizing Nikki. In fact, Walsh gets some stellar lines as Tom argues on the phone with other government officials, including his informing one official that he will “come over there and feed you your own soul.”
CIA has figured out all the thematic elements of the spy genre, from big rooms full of cool stuff to fun cover stories. But what’s also becoming apparent is how much of an impact the guest stars are making on the quality of the show. Ellis and Gehlfuss are a good, solid team, but much like Law & Order, the guest stars are the ones adding personality to each case. It’s not the plot twists that make the show entertaining—which is different for a spy series. It’s who shows up and how they play off the two leads that creates the magic.
CIA airs Mondays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Photo Credit: Courtesy of CBS.
