True Lies Season 1 Episode 6 Review: Working Vacation

Working alongside your spouse is never going to be easy sailing — especially if you’re spies. Helen and Harry find out just how hard it is on True Lies Season 1 Episode 6, “Working Vacation.”

These two have a great marriage and wonderful communication skills, but that’s not always helpful for their job. How many times in your life have you had someone come along and move your favorite thing, which ultimately causes it to go missing?

The audience can easily empathize with Harry over Helen moving his lucky knife because the situation is relatable, even if you aren’t in a relationship of any kind.

Check the Relationship at the Door

Helen is starting to prove herself as a very capable spy, but she still fails to separate herself emotionally from the people around her during a mission. This spy retreat “vacation” is the perfect example of that imbalance.

Harry tries to kindly tell his wife that there is a time for her controlling behavior and meddling, but on the job isn’t one of them. Her desire to make “better” decisions for him undermines his ability to be the spy that he’s been for almost two decades. 

In the end they work through it, but ultimately, Helen needs to work on her ability to see that she is a spy in one way and Harry is a spy in another. Their methods aren’t always going to mesh, but using her authority as his wife isn’t welcome on the job because it gets in the way.

It didn’t help that her cover story was that she was simply Harry’s wife. It blurred that line between her two worlds even further and I feel made her believe that she has the place to act the way she did on this mission.

Helen joining the team adds to the story overall, but there is going to be a major learning curve before Harry and the rest of the team find the perfect fit for her.

Should Helen Be On The Team?

True Lies Season 1 Episode 6, “Working Vacation,” brings up the question of where within Omega Sector Helen is best suited. She is a solid spy based on her skills and her experiences. 

However, is being on the same team as her husband really a good idea? 

Other professions ensure that spouses don’t work directly with each other because there is that conflict of interest and a shift in focus. You would think that a spy organization would pay especially close attention to such situations.

Harry isn’t on top of his game because he’s frustrated with his wife and her meddling — she’s always there undermining him. Meanwhile, Helen can’t fully focus because she’s worried about making sure Harry is prepared enough, safe enough, eating right, etc. 

Helen is worried about where her kids are when she’s not worrying about Harry. She should be focused on the mission at hand and nothing else.

Her presence should be an asset to Harry, not a liability.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

In the end, the two do manage to work out their dynamic. However, it’s not before too much infighting and overall frustration. 

Harry and Helen can be a solid spy duo if they can put aside their personal relationship when they are at work. While Harry keeps claiming to be more focused than Helen the fact of the matter is, he isn’t.

Because Helen is there reorganizing his tool kit and modifying his behaviors, Harry is stewing on how much she’s frustrating him. The episode even starts with him going to Gib and asking him to speak to Helen about her behavior.

Maybe Helen just needs a bit more time to realize she is capable of more than just being Harry’s wife. If she takes more time to work out who she is as a spy it’s likely she won’t have enough time to worry about how her husband is doing.

Helen is a classic case of being the new kid and not knowing her exact place yet. Once they have a case that focuses on linguistics more and she has an opportunity to shine I believe these wrinkles will iron out.

Hopefully in the meantime Harry will be there supporting her journey and help her find her footing. Now that he can be assured that she has value during a mission his mindset might change a bit.

Stray Thoughts:

• I missed seeing more of Luther this episode. He’s a fun dynamic against Harry and Maria.
• Maria the hiking guide cracked me up. Definitely the perfect humor offset with the action.
• Gib needs some love. The chemistry is there with the woman who planned everything for this retreat.

 

What did you think of this episode of True Lies? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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True Lies airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on CBS.

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