TV Review: Undercovers - "Not Without My Daughter"

"Article first published as TV Review: Undercovers - "Not Without My Daughter" on Blogcritics.org."

In this week's episode of Undercovers, Agents Samantha (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Steven (Boris Bodjoe) Bloom are assigned to bring in a North Korean physicist called Shin Won and retrieve a device called Delta, which is able to change an object's state of matter.

The episode opens with Lizzy (Mekia Cox) speaking secretly on the phone while browsing her sister's closet in search for the perfect dress to wear in her 90-day sober celebration. Over the phone, Lizzy is clearly worried about the possibility of them (that is, her sister and husband) figuring something out but what is it they are going to figure it out? Last week, we got Agent Shaw talking mysteriously on the phone and this week, it's Lizzy. It may not be a coincidence, and it got me thinking that Lizzy could also be a part of the plot of the Bloom's reactivation. Could it be? What do you think?

While on the mission, Sam gets emotionally attached to Shin Won because he wants to renegotiate the terms of his defection in exchange of his daughter's safety. It is at this moment that Sam realizes that despite the fact that her job is crucial for the world's security, family always comes first.

The Blooms travel to North Korea despite Agent Shaw's disapproval. Once in Pyongyang, Agents Bloom encounter their doppelganger, a French intelligence couple who are also there to save May. You have the right to be suspicious of these two because the French are not there to help May; their main target is getting hold of he Delta device and kill the Blooms.

The mission causes Sam to miss her sister Lizzy's 90-day sober celebration. I truly understand Lizzy's disappointment at the end of the episode and more after Sam promises her to be there in that important day. After all, Lizzy forgives her sister because deep down, it seems to me that Sam has always been there with Lizzy during her alcohol detox.

I was really pleased with last week's episode as it presented an interesting and solid mission and what seemed to be the beginning of the exploration of Agents Bloom's past. This week, the show seems to have taken a step back with an episode that looks a bit off because Leo (Carter MacIntyre), a crucial backup for the couple, isn't on screen and Steven, Sam or Hoyt don't even mention him during the mission. Was this episode to be aired before last week's "Jailbreak"? I'm thinking that's the case! And here I was hoping to discover something new and shocking about the spies. Next week, I guess!

Even though NBC has ordered four more scripts of Undercovers for this season, the show really needs more powerful and good episodes as the one from last week to boost its audience because it's still not as good as it was expected.

So, what did you think of "Not Without My Daughter"? Do you feel that the show needs a big guest star to draw the audience's attention? Share your thoughts!