NBCs new drama, State of Affairs, starring Katherine Heigl, aired on Monday.
CIA agent Charleston Tucker is in a state of despair after watching her fiance, Aaron, get murdered by a terrorist group. As to be expected, she handles it very poorly and lets her emotions cloud her social judgment. She tries to force herself to forget about the tragic and traumatic incident she witnessed by making poor life decisions, which is the first thing that tips her off as a terrible CIA agent.
Rather than being CIA agent material, Tucker seems to be just a government worker with serious emotional issues and a high security clearance. Heigl, having won various awards, including an Emmy and two People’s Choice awards, played Tucker to the best of her abilities such as her acting in Life As We Know It. She had to portray a woman who lost her two best friends and then had raise their child with a man that she hated, she made her performance seem so real. It took watching it a few times before I wouldn’t cry. It wasn’t the fault of her acting that made Tucker seems average, it’s the plot and the script that portray Tucker in a poor manner.
Tucker’s job as a CIA agent is to brief the President on current and/or potential threats to the U.S  and/or American citizens. Her relationship with the President is unique, yet another reason she isn’t a standard or quality CIA agent. President Constance Payton is Aarons mother, so not only does Tucker work for the President, but she was also almost her daughter-in-law. It creates unprofessional chemistry between the two which in reality would most likely be unacceptable.
The visual components  the show had astounding cinematic quality which made up for the lacking condition of the script. The film sets portrayed how I had always imagined the inside of the government operation: full of busy people and lots of technology.
Overall State of Affairs was a good show. It’s as close to the reality of the inner works of the government as a television drama can be. Like most pilot episodes, they are a poor representation to the true potential of the show. It’s hard to judge what the future holds for State of Affairs; I can see it either being a successful show or not lasting more than one season. The best way that State of Affairs aired is to make Tucker, who is the back bone of the show, a more realistic character rather than a regular civilian As long as the script and plot improve with each episode, enticing the viewers to keep needing more State of Affairs will continue. Without the more realistic approach to Tucker’s character, State of Affairs won’t survive. But, if you’re into government TV shows, then give it a try.
By Ashley Tanner