THE SKIPPERS GUIDE TO EYE OF THE STORM

I've devised this handy-dandy little guide that provides a little bit of an idea of what each chapter contains, and which ones you really should be reading. Seems a lot of you like to (understandably) skip around a bit.

Country Boy: This contains some background into Tom Falk's childhood, how he was recruited into the CIA Anti-Cartel, then how he was recruited to CIA Dark Cover. We also get a taste of how Tom did business in the Anti-Cartel. Not really an essential chapter, per say, but it does set the tone for the rest of the series. Optional.

Dark Cover: We're introduced to Dark Cover and to David Marson, Tom's loyal op-tech guy. This episode starts the close relationship Tom and David have as friends. Again, not really an essential chapter. In fact, because of the description of the surroundings I had to do, it might even be a little dull due to the lack of action. Optional.

A Fateful Encounter Parts 1 and 2: CRITICAL CRITICAL CRITICAL! If there are two chapters that you cannot miss in this series, these are it. A Fateful Encounter really explains the motivation for the things Tom does in Project Nadia. In addition to a major Alias character debuting here (which you can probably guess who), a major character from Season 4 also debuts and plants the seeds for things that come later.

Bleed out: Tom's brother dies during 9/11 and Elena successfully turns Mitch into a rat for the Covenant. That's really all you need to know about this episode. Not essential.

Blind: More development between Tom and David. A relatively minor mission in Cuba dealing with Project Helix. We also learn a bit about just what Mitch is feeding to the Covenant. Again, not essential. Project Alloy, the procedure we learned in Project Nadia that Tom is forced to undergo from the Covenant, is first revealed.

Judging Judas: ESSENTIAL! There's a strong belief in Dark Cover that Mitch is a rat. Tom needs proof, so he sends Mitch on a mission and orders him tracked. Strong ending to this one. Also, Tom makes a Freudian slip during a conversation with Mike that his wife was secretly eavesdropping on, leading her to make a drastic move behind Tom's back.

Exit Strategy: ESSENTIAL! The Covenant makes their first attempt at capturing Tom Falk. Also, Kate's private investigator fails in one area in his investigation of Falk, but a shocking reveal is made to Kate in the end.

Torino: CRITICAL! Mitch is informed that the Covenant is going to try again at Falk, but this time, Mitch's cooperation has now come at a high price. Tom catches Kate's private investigator tailing him. Kate reveals something colossal to Tom before he leaves for Torino. And then...the mission that haunts Tom for the rest of his life takes place.

Made Of Mettle: CRITICAL! (On a personal note: This was one of the more challenging, yet more enjoyable episodes to write) Tom undergoes Project Alloy. We learn what happens in his time in Covenant captivity. After breaking free from the facility, we learn that Tom loses more than just his Storm Crew friends after the Torino mission.

Exile: Some interesting things happen here, but this is more of a bridge until the finale and I'm not going to call this one required reading. Tom reunites with Mike and David, the two surviving Storm Crew members. After his debrief, the CIA puts him in indefinite leave so he can rehab instead of honoring Tom's wish of dropping out altogether. Vandenburg comes by to inform Tom of some of the findings of the Project Alloy surgery. Then, Tom gets captured by the Covenant again after knocking himself out on a football goalpost. This time, Tom escapes with his medical file from the Project Alloy surgery and returns to the CIA as an analyst. But, just as Tom is about ready to go on a field mission again to prove that he can still do it, Director Chase shuts down Dark Cover. Instead of joining Mike and David in freelance duty like he wants, Chase tells Tom he's not medically cleared and his only option is to be an analyst at Langley. Tom grudgingly accepts. There. There's that episode in a nutshell.

Now Hiring: CRITICAL! CRITICAL! CRITICAL! This, along with A Fateful Encounter, is the other extremely critical chapter in the story. Jack Bristow pays a visit to Langley, hoping to find a replacement for Eric Weiss, who has taken the gig that he took in Season 5. Chase doesn't seem to think there's anyone available...until Falk comes in with a report that she was expecting. We learn a bit more about Falk's past and why he did things the way he did in the field. He also learns that there is more to that female agent he worked with in A Fateful Encounter than meets the eye, and decides that he's found his purpose in life again after he lost it in the Torino mission.

Hopefully, your attention span has made it to this point. If it has, hopefully you get more enjoyment out of this story now that you know what you should really be reading. In sum:

MOST IMPORTANT CHAPTERS:

A Fateful Encounter Parts 1 and 2 (especially these)

Torino

Made of Mettle

Now Hiring (especially this one)

RECOMMENDED CHAPTERS:

Judging Judas

Exit Strategy