S01.E02: America

[formerlyfreedom]

Alex is on the run and must outsmart Liam and his team to get into her apartment for anything that could help clear her name. Meanwhile, in a flashback to Quantico training, the NATS are tasked with finding a needle in a haystack while looking for potential threats to national security.

 

 

[SeanC]

So Booth has to lie and say Alex did it so that...she can continue investigating the terrorist attack whilst on the run from the FBI who are distracted from the real threat because they're chasing her?  The FBI's finest, ladies and gentlemen.

 

Edit:  I actually do enjoy the show so far, but the main plot is very silly and straining to justify its "lone agent on the run" scenario.

Edited October 5, 2015 by SeanC

[Ms Blue Jay]

Wow, out of context the peroxide blonde guy who is hitting on Simon and the peroxide blonde guy who has been demoted to Analyst look pretty alike.

 

They introduce this girl Natalie in the second episode out of nowhere?  Was she in Episode 1?  And apparently both Natalie and Alex are in love with Booth?

 

What was the significance of Caleb (?) looking at his own (?) Facebook page where he has a picture of Catcher in the Rye?

 

One twin is very attracted to Simon and the other hates him?

 

I really like the opening song this episode.  It is "Ruin" by Cat Power.  Apparently her song "Peace and Love" was used for the end.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[GinevradiBenci]

I'm enjoying this show so far - I don't watch any of the Shonda shows that apparently make up a lot of this show's DNA so I'm not burnt out on the style. But, wow, I need to learn to not expect this show to make much sense. It's all just vague sinister hints and really pretty people. I'm ok with that, at least for now. But it does not make one damn bit of sense.

[redsox7819]

If this show is heading in the Alex is always right direction with everyone else being stupid, I am not sure I will be able to watch. She cannot be right every time. There was to be a mix, she has to be wrong with others being right. It gets old fast and I was sort of there tonight.

Edited October 5, 2015 by redsox7819

[tennisgurl]

I still like this show, its keeping me interested. 

 

I am calling Caleb as the terrorist. This is him being bitter about being a screw up or something.

 

So the twins are part of some kind of program? Spy Twins? ok...

[Cara]

Are both of Alex's parents played by white actors? Don't tell me Alex Parrish is supposed to be a white character. Is this the person playing her mom? http://www.imdb.com/...?ref_=tt_cl_t11

.

She's not white. She's Pakistani. I'm not sure what you're trying to say. Edited October 5, 2015 by Cara

[Senna]

I too hope the fugitive aspect doesn't last much longer.  I'm always disappointed to be pulled away from the training.

 

Simon's showing more holes, and it's nice to see someone (Elias) picking up on them.  Though now I'm sort of wondering if Simon is also undercover.  He's getting so suspicious I feel like he must be innocent (ha).

 

Was there some significance to the profile (Mark something?) Caleb was looking at on his phone?  (It was the Catcher in the Rye book, then a picture of a husky along with a guy's picture.)

 

Also, was there a terrorist plot foiled by the FBI in Chicago in 2014?  I wasn't sure what it was referring to, so I tried to Google and didn't get anything that quite fit (at least from a brief look).  Then later Ryan referred to something being the "same as Chicago" so then I started wondering if it was something that only happened in the show.

[truthaboutluv]

Missed the first ten minutes so will have to re-watch to see if I missed anything important. Good episode and I like how the mystery is moving along and how they're throwing suspicion on all the recruits. I have to say Alex is becoming a little too Mary Sue-ish with the whole being right and coming out on top against all the recruits. And I am also not looking forward to what sounds like her being involved with both Booth and the director guy or whatever his title is. That just seems like unnecessary messiness I'm not interested in. Especially since I think the director guy is incredibly shady and probably has something to do with this whole mess. 

 

So Simon is looking almost too obvious at this point but I definitely don't think he's gay now and as suspected last week, everything about him may be a giant lie, right down to the fake glasses to play up this "gay, awkward, non-threatening person." I'm curious why he's so interested in the twins (well I don't think he knows he's dealing with twins) - if it actually may be a romantic thing because he's only pretending to be gay or if there is something more sinister attached.  And I do think it's interesting that the one twin likes hanging out with him while the other knows it's a bad idea. 

 

I couldn't really tell, again have to re-watch this episode, but guy who's now demoted to analyst training, is he lying about himself as well? Because that was him in the picture with the glasses on the profile he was watching right? But he's not wearing glasses at Quantico and I feel like they showed that for a reason. Also, I couldn't figure out what was going on with the female recruit that Alex so easily overpowered on the roof. Was her skin peeling or something - what was going on there? And clearly she and Alex had some triangle with Booth since Alex asked her why she would shoot someone they both loved. 

 

I found Alex's moving around the city so easily a bit of a stretch. Even if they hadn't released her name to the public, I imagine they would have alerted all local police units and so you'd think they'd be patrolling all over and they'd know to look for someone wearing an FBI uniform. But Alex was walking the street like it was pretty much deserted. 

Edited October 5, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[nutty1]

My husband thought the first episode was too hokey and won't watch anymore. I'm beginning to think he may be right. I enjoy the present parts more than the future parts. I imagine all the loose ends won't be tied up until the final episode of the season, same as How To Get Away With Mirder.

Not sure if I trust Ryan at all.

I don't know who the blonde demoted guy was looking at on his phone.

Seems they all have secrets.

I'll keep watching. Probably more out of curiosity.

[Bort]

So they're all lying about themselves. Caleb's facebook page had the name of Mark Something, Natalie has a fake scar, Shelby has some secret foreign friend who she deleted from her contacts before she got to Quantico, Simon doesn't really need glasses and I'm pretty sure he isn't gay either, we already knew Ryan is already a full agent. Am I missing anybody?

The clues about one of these people means something, the rest are red herrings. It's almost like I'm in a fictional FBI school.

[Sandman]

I wasn't on board last episode with the speculation that Simon might not be gay, but I'm starting to wonder if anything he says can be taken at face value. Is he even Jewish? I still don't get why anyone would pretend to be the first openly gay trainee in FBI history -- to isolate himself?

 

And it looks like Peroxide I isn't really "Caleb Haas" after all. I'm sure we'll find out next week that Peroxide II is actually a middle-aged Chinese woman named Cheepak. (Or an undercover detective from Central City.)

 

ETA: Anybody recognize the language that Agent Shelby was speaking?

Edited October 5, 2015 by Sandman

[GHScorpiosRule]

Tonight was just ridiculous.

 

So Alex, in "all the years of the FBI" is the first recruit to ever, ever, get the test about figuring out which plot was real, correct? Meaning it was all fake? Puhleaze.

 

And now the news anchors are ending their stories with "God Bless America" now? oookay.

 

And what a vague way to describe Alex. Dark hair, dark eyes, and her height. But not her nationality? Right.

 

And the new recruit, who wasn't in the pilot, Natalie, is wearing a fake scar behind her ear...why?

[Autumn]

I am going to guess that Simon is a spy for Israel or another country and that he is not necessarily part of the terrorist plan but has another agenda.

 

Alex is so smart but she apparently never learned anything about disguise.  All she did to alter her appearance was pull up her hoodie.

 

So Alex and Meredith are both in love with Booth AND he has a family to get back to?

[statsgirl]

Didn't they say that Alex is 5'8"?  Priyanka Chopra herself is 5/6".

 

When the woman instructor said to Liam "When you see her, do you see the woman you loved or the traitor who rejected you?" it made me think that Liam had been involved with Alex's mother.

 

But it's all way too complicated for me.  Booth is faking being a recruit to investigate Alex, it seems like Natalie is faking the same,  and everybody is lying about something.  it's overkill.

 

But I"m glad Rick Cosnett joined the show.

So Booth has to lie and say Alex did it so that...she can continue investigating the terrorist attack whilst on the run from the FBI who are distracted from the real threat because they're chasing her?  The FBI's finest, ladies and gentlemen.

This makes zero sense to me.  Why didn't he just say he didn't see who shot him, which would be the truth, instead of confirming it was Alex so that they put out an APB on her?  That's no way to give her more time and space.

[ParadoxLost]

After this one, I doubt I'll make it much longer. They are dropping way too many red herrings and clues, but the show is too cryptic and confused for me to really care. I'm not really engaged enough to make the mystery a hook.

I really don't like that the flashbacks are half demonstration of how Alex learned a skill to evade capture. It bores me.

I got the distinct impression that Agent CarSex may have a wife or girlfriend at home and something potentially romantic developed between Agent Cougar Town and Alex.

[Boundary]

The pilot entertained me well enough but after this episode, I think it's way too soapy for my taste. The plot will go wherever the biggest gasp is, even things that don't make sense. Why would the FBI leave the apartment of their only suspect empty, even for a few minutes? I just know I'm going to continue having issues like this, whilst the writers obviously have more interest in who is hooking up with whom. 

Edited October 5, 2015 by Boundary

[Sandman]

I thought the reference to "the recruit you fell in love with, or the terrorist who betrayed you?" must be a reference to Agent Alex; I hadn't even considered that there might be a connection between Agent Dime Eyes and Sita the Smoking Mum.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Sandman

[SonofaBiscuit]

This is shallow, but the pants that the women have to wear are terrible.  The only one that looks good in them is Alex.

 

Thought it was funny when Rick Cosnett's character looked like he was going to sit next to Simon, but then he turned away.  Simon's face was like What??  I never realized Rick Cosnett is Australian, but I could hear his accent slipping out in this episode.  Still think he's adorable, even if he seems to be trying a bit too hard with Simon.

 

Did someone tell Alex that Ryan was the agent who was shot in her apartment?  Liam specifically said that an agent was bleeding on her floor, and she was like "Someone broke in, someone shot Ryan."  Hmm.  How did she know it was Ryan?  She seemed all surprised to see him on the security camera.

 

Oh no, am I going to have to watch Alex fall in love with Ryan and Liam?  That's too much.  I've become VERY concerned with how the show is making her out to be the bestest agent ever.  She will soon achieve Annie Walker special snowflake status.  I'm already super irritated.

 

When Alex (oh my gosh, I actually typed Annie and had to correct it!) went back to her apartment, 1.) Why weren't there FBI agents stationed all over the place?!  and 2.) Why didn't she grab a practical pair of shoes (like sneakers/tennis shoes, perhaps)?

 

The twins need to try a little harder.  One of them seems to really dig Simon, and the other can't stand him.  Somebody's going to catch on soon if they don't get their act together.  

 

It's really ridiculous that everybody has some secret that makes them seem shady, but I guess we're supposed to suspect everyone at this point. 

 

If Simon is pretending to be gay, it looks like he's going to 

go pretty far with that ruse. I'm pretty sure that one of the Quantico ads on TV shows him kissing Rick Cosnett's character.

Edited October 5, 2015 by SonofaBiscuit

[SeanC]

The twins need to try a little harder.  One of them seems to really dig Simon, and the other can't stand him.  Somebody's going to catch on soon if they don't get their act together.  

Honestly, I would think the risk of detection by any means other than somebody barging into their room is pretty low, seeing as I doubt it would ever occur to most people that the cadet is actually twins pretending to be the same person.  It's too out-there.  More likely she'd just be written off as mercurial.

[Ms Blue Jay]

She's not white. She's Pakistani. I'm not sure what you're trying to say.

 

I asked 3 questions; I didn't really say anything.  Are you saying that Alex Parrish the character is Pakistani?  When did we learn that?

 

Didn't they say that Alex is 5'8"?  Priyanka Chopra herself is 5/6".

 

Maybe the show figures 5'8 is a better height for an FBI agent?  And actors are often required to 'play' taller as they generally look bigger on screen anyway.

 

I got the distinct impression that Agent CarSex may have a wife or girlfriend at home and something potentially romantic developed between Agent Cougar Town and Alex.

 

CarSex was referenced as having a 'family' to go back home too but I'm wondering if that's ambiguous.  Does it mean his immediate family or what.

 

And as for the latter, yeah I think they are doing more than giving the impression; they're flat out saying it.  Alex claims to Natalie to "love" Booth in the present tense and Miranda (?) told Cougar Town he fell in love with Alex too.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[Free]

Edit:  I actually do enjoy the show so far, but the main plot is very silly and straining to justify its "lone agent on the run" scenario.

 

It's because the on the run scenario usually doesn't have a long shelf life, so this show will have to move along with it quickly.

 

So Alex, in "all the years of the FBI" is the first recruit to ever, ever, get the test about figuring out which plot was real, correct? Meaning it was all fake? Puhleaze.

 

I know, I figured it out before she did, it was ridiculous even for this show and it already felt like a set up.

[Cardie]

Anybody recognize the language that Agent Shelby was speaking?

 

It looked like the contact's name was in Arabic script, so I presume she was speaking Arabic.

[formerlyfreedom]

So Alex, in "all the years of the FBI" is the first recruit to ever, ever, get the test about figuring out which plot was real, correct? Meaning it was all fake? Puhleaze.

I know, I figured it out before she did, it was ridiculous even for this show and it already felt like a set up.

 

So they Kobayashi Maru'd her? I'll buy it. Sunday night tv for me 'suspension of all belief' night as it is...

[dgpolo]

 

Did someone tell Alex that Ryan was the agent who was shot in her apartment?  Liam specifically said that an agent was bleeding on her floor, and she was like "Someone broke in, someone shot Ryan."

I believe they did tell her, didn't the agent last week show her a pic/video of her apartment with all the 'evidence' and Agent Booth on the floor?

 

 

So Alex, in "all the years of the FBI" is the first recruit to ever, ever, get the test about figuring out which plot was real, correct?

Not that it changes much, but I thought she said 'in all the years the FBI has been running this scenario (not sure of exact word used). So it could be only a few years they are talking about not however many the FBI has been around.

 

I thought it was amusing when Alex said 'don't you think there is a twist' she sounded like a lot of people in a lot of forums of these kind of shows. As a matter of fact the whole speech there seemed to be a lecture on how to watch this show (and others). We take the evidence the shows give us, plan for a 'twist', don't trust the PtB, and make our intuitive jumps.

 

The only reason I could see Ryan lying is so he could remain close to the action, so he would know what was going on in order to help her, if he's really going to help her.

Edited October 5, 2015 by dgpolo

[Lady Calypso]

I asked 3 questions; I didn't really say anything.  Are you saying that Alex Parrish the character is Pakistani?  When did we learn that?

 

 

Well, I think Alex's mom is not white, like you asked above. Her mom may have been born in Pakistan but grew up in India. So Alex's character could either be half Pakistani or half Indian, depending. But she's definitely not supposed to be white, judging by Priyanka's accent slipping through. 

 

I am absolutely positive that Simon is not gay. Tate Ellington had certain 'awkward' vibes when he was talking to Elias at the 'crime scene'. He was definitely confused and seemed to be shrugging him off too much.

 

The twins are also not doing a good job at pretending to be each other. These two need to sit down and discuss things before switching, so they're not taken aback or acting weird in front of others.

 

I'm so not interested in the Fugitive storyline. I wish we could have just had us get to know the characters instead of being thrown 'btw, one of them's a terrorist' and have us all watching for signs and clues instead of letting us enjoy watching the character unfold.

 

I like Natalie, from the little we saw of her. She may be construed as a bitch, but I like her fiestiness. But I am still intrigued by Shelby the most.

 

I still hate Caleb and think the actor is absolutely terrible. Now remembering him as Danny from Revolution (who I wanted to like), I hate him even more. Please Shelby, do NOT hook up with him or fall in love with him...ah, crap, it's going to happen. Damnit; I really like Shelby too.

 

Why, oh why would Ryan tell the FBI that it was Alex? Unless it's to distract the FBI from whoever else is helping them find the real terrorist, it's not going to help Alex trying to find the real terrorist whatsoever. Sure, he may be able to keep tabs on Alex because the FBI is (if they decide to let him help), but that's gonna slow Alex down and the FBI will have their blinders on, set toward Alex.

 

Did I hear wrong, or in the 'flashfoward' scene, did Miranda say that Liam was in love with a recruit, AKA Alex? 

 

Part of me kinda hopes Ryan is the terrorist, to be honest. That would be hilarious and completely surprising.

[Cara]

I asked 3 questions; I didn't really say anything. Are you saying that Alex Parrish the character is Pakistani? When did we learn that?

You asked about the actress who plays Alex's mother, implying she's white. You posted a link to a page about her. The actress is Pakistani. That's what I was responding to.

[Free]

So they Kobayashi Maru'd her? I'll buy it. Sunday night tv for me 'suspension of all belief' night as it is...

 

Pretty much, I knew they would try to 'test' the recuits as that's usually plays out in these scenarios.

[Lady Calypso]

You know what I would find funny? If Liam and Miranda's fight was all staged so others in the FBI would buy that they're at odds. And what else would be funny? If everyone but Alex is in on the plan to find the real terrorist, because Liam/Miranda have their suspicions about the real one and they want Alex to get that person close so she can confirm it herself. It could happen; I don't know whether anyone else noticed it, or if I'm going crazy, or if Josh Hopkins meant to do it, but Liam seemed to look around to see if people were listening before he started really yelling at Miranda. Just something interesting.

[henripootel]

Boy, there's a shit-ton of stupid on this show.  Alex is such a smooth super agent that she gets tripped up by a barista?  And can't think of any way to explain away her suspicions other than lock her in a closet?

 

Agent Cougartown, worst manhunter ever.  Alex was so close she could have beaned him with her walkie, and she slips away despite the huge crowd of agents looking for her.  Then again, the description Cougartown put out was so generic the agents would have had to detain half the women in the neighborhood.  I was a bit disappointed when he didn't say 'Brunette, dark, highly trained and insanely gorgeous.'

 

Way to go FBI investigative team, totally missing the passageway to the real bomb house that Alex found.  And didn't Alex live there?  She never noticed the terrorist tunnel in the cupboard?

 

Why do they keep saying these agents are all in competition with each other?  This isn't Survivor where they have to vote someone out every week.  If they all pass, they all become agents, right?

[Minneapple]

I have to say Alex is becoming a little too Mary Sue-ish with the whole being right and coming out on top against all the recruits. And I am also not looking forward to what sounds like her being involved with both Booth and the director guy or whatever his title is.

 

Yeah. I hesitate to use "Mary Sue" but we're painfully nearing the line here. Alex figures out that the emails are a code, Alex figures out it's all a setup, Alex is so brilliant and wonderful. And it doesn't help that the others are fawning over her either. And is she going to seriously be in a love triangle with Booth and Liam? OH GOD HELP ME PLEASE. I hope the speculation is correct that Liam was involved with her mother. MAYBE ALEX IS LIAM'S DAUGHTER WHAT A TWIST (OK...please don't do that...it would kind of hurt my soul a little bit).

 

If Priyanka is trying an American accent she needs to try harder. 

 

So far my favorites are the twins and Shelby. Oh, my dear Shelby please don't crush on Caleb. You are too good for him. 

[Netfoot]

How do you track a handy-talkie if the transmit button isn't pressed?  Why do the agents group inside a quarter on the range, yet miss by a barn door in real life?  In what universe will confirming the FBI's suspicion about Alex's guilt help her?  Does Elias not fear being majorly kicked in the bollocks for always being up in Simon's face?  Does Simon not fear being majorly kicked in the bollocks for always being up in Nimah's face?  Do Nimah/Raina take turns eating?  Will Nimah/Raina end up each being only half-trained by the FBI?  Is it considered appropriate behaviour for an FBI agent to immediately nail a suspect he's been assigned to watch?  When running away from an FBI man-hunt, is it sufficient to run fifty feet then hold up in a doorway, poking your head out every 3 seconds so you can be easily spotted?  How many people is Alex sleeping with at Quantico?  How many people is Sealy Booth sleeping with at Quantico?  Didn't someone say that sleeping around was forbidden at Quantico?  

 

Why, with so much stupid on display, an I still enjoying this show?

[GaT]

So this show is The Fugitive without a one armed man? I don't think I'm going to be interested in an entire season of watching Alex, The Wonder Trainee outsmart the entire FBI.

[themadman]

The lead character is supposed to be half-white, half-Indian who spent her teenage years in Mumbai (mentioned in the pilot), hence the mixed accent. Just clearing that up. And sometimes Indians and Pakistani actors play each other's nationalities, just like other actors playing characters of different ethnic origins. 

 

Apart from that, the plot just has too much going on, and it's hard to buy the supersmart Alex being on top of everything. As for the FBI, they seem ridiculously incompetent. How else can there be nobody at Alex's apartment?

[Trini]

So many Secrets! and Plot Twists! because Everyone has Something to Hide!!

I'm not fond of the past and present format. I feel like either one could have been it's own show.
 
Yet, I'm still giving this a couple more episodes, even though the show may be making things too complicated for its own good.
 

Do Nimah/Raina take turns eating? Will Nimah/Raina end up each being only half-trained by the FBI?

 

Does their plan really hinge on one of them being locked up half the time? Seriously, this twin thing is what I'm having the most trouble with in terms of plausibility. But at least they gave us a reason; it's for a special assignment.

[mertensia]

I'm thinking Simon is an ISIS or Taliban member.

Was that part of Simon's glasses that she picked up in the apartment that hers led to?

[Phantomizer]

Tonight was just ridiculous.

 

So Alex, in "all the years of the FBI" is the first recruit to ever, ever, get the test about figuring out which plot was real, correct? Meaning it was all fake? Puhleaze.

 

And now the news anchors are ending their stories with "God Bless America" now? oookay.

 

And what a vague way to describe Alex. Dark hair, dark eyes, and her height. But not her nationality? Right.

 

And the new recruit, who wasn't in the pilot, Natalie, is wearing a fake scar behind her ear...why?

I may be wrong, but I thought I heard Miranda say Alex was the first one in YEARS to figure it out, not the first one ever. Meaning that it was completed before, just very rarely has it happened.

[kikaha]

I like it, even with its plot absurdities and Mary Sue depictions.  Bet the writers are throwing lots of curve balls at us, the viewers.  Just like the FBI did to its trainees this past episode. 

 

They would have thrown the woman running the FBI training in prison, and tossed away the keys, after she helped Alex escape. 

[Bort]

Why do the agents group inside a quarter on the range, yet miss by a barn door in real life?

Moving target is a lot harder to hit.

[mertensia]

Moving target is a lot harder to hit.

Exactly. Add to that: you're shooting at someone you went to the Academy with. Not Ma Barker and the Boys.

[Dream Boy]

Alex has to be good though. How else can they explain her outsmarting the FBI and keep the premise going? I will say that I don't think she's quite in Mary Sue territory yet. She mentions in this episode that her hunches have been wrong and we also see Natalie best her at a couple of different things.

 

I will admit that the premise is far fetched but I'm enjoying it so far. I like my tv shows with some soap. So, I'm in. 

[Kanner]

This show has problems, definitely - everyone has a secret, Alex knows everything, fumbling FBI, etc.  But for some reason I am still enjoying it.  I like the interactions of the recruits.  It moves very fast for me and I like that.

[Guest]

There is a lot to keep up with and a lot that doesn't make sense. My suspension of disbelief is getting quite the workout. But it is enjoyable and keeping my attention, which is the most any of the new shows I've tried have done thus far. So I'm sticking with it for now.

[GHScorpiosRule]

The lead character is supposed to be half-white, half-Indian who spent her teenage years in Mumbai (mentioned in the pilot), hence the mixed accent. Just clearing that up. And sometimes Indians and Pakistani actors play each other's nationalities, just like other actors playing characters of different ethnic origins.

That's what I was going to say--that just because the actress playing Alex's mom is Pakistani, doesn't mean that the character is Pakistani. Plus, Sita is a Hindu name, not a Muslim name.  That happens a lot in Bollywood movies and television programs--actors and actresses playing characters of different faiths. Hindus play Muslims and Christians and vice versa.

 

Okay, so maybe I misheard and Miranda was talking about this program, which hasn't been done since the creation of the FBI. But my point still stands that she is the only to have "mastered" it or figured it out. Why, the only "flaw" Alex has is her need to find out if her father worked for the FBI!

 

And I wouldn't call Natalie fiesty, but bitchy. She was shown to have a chip on her shoulder, toward Alex from the get-go. Whether it was that test where Alex figured out the emails were all code, the fighting sessions, both wanting Ryan, I don't know. But the animosity was there. As for Alex's gut not always being right, to me, she was referring to Ryan himself, meaning things of a personal nature.

 

Caleb was looking at that FB profile of himself. It was Mark Raymond. And it was him, with glasses.

 

I'm just going to have to think of this version of the FBI in an alternate universe. It's the only way I can keep watching. Because based on what I've seen so far, this FBI is the most incompetent agency I've seen, the fact that it wasn't able to figure out or vet out these newest recruits' secrets says it all to me.

Edited October 5, 2015 by GHScorpiosRule

[fauntleroy]

It looked like the contact's name was in Arabic script, so I presume she was speaking Arabic.

 

Several languages use Arabic script including Farsi, Pashto, Dari, Urdu. It looked to me like the name was Michael something? Or Mikhael. Though that is probably wrong - why have a western name in Arabic script - so nobody would be able to read it? On a contact list it would only draw more attention to itself. Could also be gibberish - the second name began with the so-called tāʼ marbūṭah - the o with two dots over it which is typically used at the end of words. But I don't know how it's used on a phone.

 

I listened to Shelby's sentence a few times. Hard to tell, they played music over it and it was just a sentence. Coy clues. However it would take a native English speaking American years to develop that level of skill in a 'strategic' language, which the FBI would surely know about.

 

Accent watch, Alex rolled an R, or rather tried to stop herself from rolling an R Indian-style, once. I don't have any issue with her accent, but it's fun to listen.

 

As for that other agent, Vazquez yea, where did she come from?

Edited October 5, 2015 by fauntleroy

[mertensia]

Guys this FBI isn't nearly as incompetent as The Following's was.

[Netfoot]

And sometimes Indians and Pakistani actors play each other's nationalities, just like other actors playing characters of different ethnic origins.

 

Hardly surprising, seeing as up until 1947, India and Pakistan (and Bangladesh) were all the same country.  So, Indian and Pakistani people are pretty much identical, genetically.

 

Moving target is a lot harder to hit.

 

The FBI practice on moving targets.

[fauntleroy]

Let's see if this works:

 

م ي ك ح ل ا د ب ع   ة ز م ح

 

That was Shelby's phone contact. Not guaranteed error-free, but close. (I had to enter it backwards, because this editor well, anyway.

Edited October 5, 2015 by fauntleroy

[kikaha]

Guys this FBI isn't nearly as incompetent as The Following's was.

Or as CTU was on 24.  There was a sure-fire way for bad guys in custody to escape.  Get taken to CTU headquarters. 

[Chicken Wing]

Granted, we're only two episodes in, but the one thing this show has yet to do is make me care who the real terrorist is. I don't really care about the "answer" to the puzzle. Because when the story keeps twisting and turning on itself and making everyone and everything and everywhere suspicious with their own agendas and possible clues and red herrings and you don't know who or what to trust, and multiply it times ten, you just stop caring about any of it. So, yeah, I oddly don't care about the mystery in a show built around a mystery. They're throwing in way too much too quickly and it's all just nonsense soup. But I'm still in, because everyone is stupidly pretty and I enjoy watching people bumble around in their own plot contrivances.