Is Annie Walker a naive or brilliant CIA agent? Sometimes, I’m not sure. What I do know is that her methods work despite having her own unique way of handling cases and assets. In the “black” world of espionage, Annie can always find the light. When she first came to the agency she was the greenest newb the agency has probably ever seen, but she was able to make it work for her. Her innovative thinking could only take her so far though and a change is coming.
This week, Joan told Annie to use lies to get Grace to turn on her sister, Bebe. While the mission was important and lives were at stake, Annie refused to do it. She didn’t want to destroy the sisterly bond in a family that had already been betrayed by their father. I give Annie enormous credit for standing up to Joan. Annie could have tried to do the mission, but she neither wanted to do it nor felt she could fake it.
In the end, Joan trusted her agent enough to let her choose how to turn the sister into an asset. Annie’s method worked to some extent. She succeeded in getting Grace to talk to her father, but failed when she warned Bebe to get out of town. The “Banana Creme Pie” line was so obviously a warning, but what do you expect from someone honest like Grace. Being sneaky and discreet — probably not.
The fight in the horse barn and nearly getting shot was eye-opening for Annie. And … Annie is getting a gun! Yes, I know she doesn’t actually have one yet, but tonight was the first step to her having her own gun. I don’t see her carrying one all the time (hopefully!), but I do think she will when necessary.
We’ve seen Annie become more independent in her personal life by telling her sister the truth, going on dates, and moving out of her sister’s house. We’ve also seen her embrace her job by creating a safe house, making her own decisions, and now getting specialized gun training. This is a turning point in Annie’s life and only the beginning.
Odds and Ends
Clacked by Carla Day 
on Nov 23, 2011 @ 01:52 EST5EDT
How often was Grace visiting her father? Was it weekly? Obviously one move wouldn’t do it, but a chain of them created a cipher for the Russians to decode. Of course, Grace must have thought her father was the worst chess player ever with his nonsensical strategy.
As I understand it, real intelligence operatives never carry guns unless specifically called to use it for that mission. Most of their routine assignments are boring and carry little danger. The risk of being caught with an illegal weapon when mimicking a civilian far outweighs the benefit of protection against an enemy who may never materialize. The Mossad is different in this show, and may be the same in real life.