When CIA was first ordered, it was going to be a fall series. Then everything changed behind the scenes, and it led to the show being held for the midseason. So, a 10-episode season was pretty much expected when it was announced.
Well, it turns out that there are more episodes! You can search all you want, but there was no big announcement. CIA Season 1 will now have 12 episodes, but it still may not be enough.
CIA Season 1 Hasn’t Been Consistent
The first episode of CIA got things off in an interesting way. We didn’t just see why Bill and Colin would start to work together, but we also saw why Bill would end up working with the Fusion Cell for the rest of the season. He’s there to figure out who the mole is in the Fusion Cell.
While there have been comments made about this in various episodes, there’s been no search. Other people have done that work for him, and it leads to a bit of a disjointed plot. What’s the point in having him there if he’s not even going to snoop or run the risk of getting caught? That’s the whole point of the drama of the plot, right?
On top of that, other parts of the season haven’t been consistent. After eight episodes, we’ve finally got to meet Kate, Bill’s fiancée. There’s been no real buildup between the characters’ relationships in the Cell. It took until Episode 7 to really see some emotion from Colin outside of the lies that he tells!
Are Two Extra Episodes Enough to Build the Drama?
It’s clear that at Episode 9, CIA will need to step things up on the mole plot. If this is going to be the climax, it’s time to start giving us clues as to who it could be. We’re not getting anything right now, except the most obvious red herring that it’s Colin.
It’s clear that Colin likely knows his girlfriend Sarah is up to something dodgy. He likely knows that there’s a potential mole as well, and the idea of Colin being hurt by Bill’s betrayal is ludicrous.
This entire buildup needs more time. Sure, we’re getting two extra episodes, but I’m not sure this is enough. We should have learned more about Gina and Nikki by this point, especially Gina, who is the likely one to be the mole. We need to understand friendships and relationships to even care about someone being caught out as the mole.
I’m not sure two extra episodes will even allow that. The damage has already been done.
At least, it won’t feel as rushed, though. I just don’t care about most of the characters, though, and that’s not common for a new show. There are usually supporting characters that I connect to and want to see more of, but in this case, nobody outside of Bill and Colin really stand out.
What I don’t understand is why CBS didn’t make a big deal about CIA getting two extra episodes. Why has this been so secretive? It’s not like it’s the real CIA!
CIA airs on Mondays at 10/9c on CBS.
