S01.E02: The First Day

[secnarf]

14 minutes ago, retired watcher said:

60 -69 is a D. Some consider below 65 an F.

It depends when and where you went to school. Where I grew up, 60-69 was a C range. Schools could set the pass rate wherever you want - so you could 'fail' with a D (50-59), but typically < 50 is a fail.

[Bobbin]

Two things about this show creep me out. One is watching the real evening news with the intact U.S. Capitol building in the background. The other is that I live not far from a plant that makes military helicopters. Every so often four dark helicopters fly over in formation. I know they're on a shakedown flight or being flown to an air base or something, but I can't help thinking something sinister is happening and any minute now an urgent bulletin is going to crawl across my TV screen.

I think the First Daughter is supposed to be younger than the actress, like 6 or 7. The Olsen twins don't grow on trees.

Dearborn is more than just the home of a large Muslim population. It was notoriously very White Bread, and is now increasingly populated by a diverse collection of Middle Eastern ethnic groups. There have been some conflicts as cultures clash. It may have been an easy choice to make Dearborn the foil to further this plot -- but it was an unfortunate one, I think.

[The Wild Sow]

Quote

Oddly enough, they feel 50's/60's-ish to me, which makes me think of Kennedy and political historical dramas. What drives me nuts about the glasses is that they're on and off and on and off - I hate when actors think glasses are a prop and not a functional tool.....<snippage>.....Stop using them to be dramatic and/or make him sound like bad eyesight makes him ineligible for the Presidency. MOST people wear glasses or contacts, ffs. (75%, according to Google) I doubt America is going to collapse because the new President wears glasses.

Yes, very 50's/60's-ish.  They remind me of my Dad's glasses (may he R.I.P. these 38 years now.)

Assuming he needs them, he should wear them.  Hey, I wear mine.  And the reason I don't wear contacts is that the idea of putting things in my eyes makes me sick!

And yes, most people wear glasses.  And all the US presidents have worn them, although many did not wear them in public.  But they all had them & needed them.  (Standard trivia knowledge there.)

[Dowel Jones]

40 minutes ago, Bobbin said:

Every so often four dark helicopters fly over in formation. I know they're on a shakedown flight or being flown to an air base or something,

I work out by our local airport, and one day five Apache gunships flew in, keeping formation, and landed at the airport.  The swivel machine guns were plainly visible below the forward cockpit.  Quite the drama.  A week later I saw them at an airport 70 miles up the road.  Turns out they were returning to Ft. Lewis up in WA., and at least one was breaking down every single day. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the best.

I piped up about the National Guard as soon as Kirkman asked what his legal options were.  I don't know what the long term ramifications of that would be, but, damn, you have to stop rebellion where it starts.  It wasn't that unlikely, either, given some of the public statements politicians have made.  I did like his poker bluff.  I hope it never gets revealed.

What do you bet the phone call to First Twerp was a drug connection?

[blackwing]

I enjoyed this episode.  I liked seeing how unfamiliar Tom was with his new role, and trying to learn as fast as he can.  The way he took charge in the FBI tent and the way he bluffed the Michigan governor was great.

I find the Kal Penn character very boring.  I can't stand his monotone voice and sad sack delivery.   He's obviously Indian but I guess he looks Middle Eastern enough that cops will stop him?

First Son is awful.  And needs a haircut.  I'm sure that phone call he got was regarding drugs.

[Perfect Xero]

5 hours ago, CoyoteBlue said:

Unless she's mentally challenged, she has to understand that Mom standing right in front of her telling her brother not to let her watch the news means "don't immediately turn on the TV to the news the second brother steps away". She acts more like six or seven and seems totally oblivious. Ten is fourth grade. She should at least have her almost-a-big-girl panties on.

I think that a letting a 10 year old hear you tell her brother not to let her watch the news is probably the best way to ensure that she'll turn on the news the first chance she gets.

Edited September 30, 2016 by Perfect Xero

[thuganomics85]

Oh, yeah!  Virginia Madsen as the "Designated Survivor" of Congress is most welcoming news!  Looking forward to more of her character.  I actually hope they avoid the obvious twist of making her a rival (or, worse: an enemy), and have her actually work with Kirkman to help the government get back in shape.  Sure, they can have their disagreements, but I don't want kind of "Mwwah!  It was me all along, Kirkman!" kind of thing, once we find out what really happened!

And then there's Michael Gaston, just being a dick as always.  Brilliant, Governor.  Have your police go after a particular minority group like a bigoted asshole, and then shit all over the President.  I actually was kind of hoping Kirkman would drop the hammer on him, and send the National Guard on his ass.  But I guess bluffing works too.  But Gaston does excel at these roles.  To be fair, he did play a kind of decent guy on BrainDead. 

Spoiler

He got shot in the head for his troubles, of course.

I'm glad Kirkman is working towards trying to establish the cabinet again, because I was wondering how was he going to do that, and who the new players will be.  I'm guessing the Chief of Staff position will be a thing too.  Feels like they are setting up an Aaron vs. Emily thing, with Aaron, from what I can tell, kind of the more experienced of the two, but Emily is closer to Kirkman, and seems to be smart too.  Then again, maybe there will be a twist and it ends up being Seth/Kal Penn, since Kirkman clearly seems to like him.

The family stuff is definitely the worst part.  The son is annoying, but I can't figure out how the Kirkmans thought they could keep all this stuff from their daughter for as long as they could, in this day and age.  Unless someone was watching her any time she used a television or streaming device 24/7, that wasn't happening.

Hope Hannah's stuff picks up soon.  Obviously, I think she'll end up being right in the end.  I'm already side-eying her boss, because I have a feeling that wouldn't just cast Malik Yoba to merely play a boss character.

Is there a bigger asshole then General Cochrane?

I do like that they still find ways to work some lighter moments, like Kirkman's annoyance/bafflement over the two lawyers who couldn't agree on anything, and finding out his code name was "Glasses."

[Kromm]

40 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

I'm glad Kirkman is working towards trying to establish the cabinet again, because I was wondering how was he going to do that

Can't do it legally without at least an appointed Senate.

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I found this to be a mediocre episode.  Still interested, but lacks a certain 'wow' factor that.  The governor refusing the presidents authority was interesting, but a pretty predictable and clichéd story on how he does it and what happens....

I inwardly cheered when the president finally used the ruse of undercover cops being caught in the Michigan governor's Muslim dragnet, and especially that their identies were on a need-to-know basis, and that the governor was not high enough up on the food chain to need to know. But it might have been better in person, although doing over th phone helped to cement that the nazi-esque gov did not warrant face time with the prez.

 

What I find missing from this and nearly every other iteration of a version of 9/11 shown on screen or in a book is how uncommomly nice the average citizen was to every other person in public, strangers especially. Road rage, for example seemed to be a thing of the past. In crowded stores, it became the norm (for a few months, at least) for people to say "after you" with a smile. Instead the focus is on prejudice against Muslims, which did exist too, but it was not the whole picture.

[sjohnson]

Some big verisimilitude issues for me. One is my certainty that FEMA has very elaborate Continuity of Government plans, likely done with far more care and attention than to things like evacuation plans for major cities during huge local catastrophes. Not sure COG is regarded as requiring a Congress. The 9/11 precedent, where as I recall no one felt any great need to warn Congress about Flight 93's course towards D.C., suggests not. Another big one is the unlikelihood of all deputy secretaries being dead, so the cabinet office is empty. Last, perhaps the biggest, is the insolent suggestion that masses of people will freak out over some kid being beaten. We repeatedly have video of people being shot to death, without any significant excitement at all. At the very least, the video should have been a cop shooting the kid in the head as he lay there. Or cops shooting into crowds. Of course there would still be many defenders of the cops, perhaps a majority. Seeing Kirkman sweating bullets over this makes it plain the show is about fantasy prez boldly triumphing. But making up BS problems for him to solve does the character no good, because for me they aren't interesting. 

As to character, the creepy way the daughter was cosseted while the son was dismissed was off putting. The nonsense about the glasses tells me that the writers think glasses aren't macho and that the rabble (that's us, the audience,) look down on a failed human who wears them. Perhaps I do too, but when I'm not wearing my glasses, I can't see who I'm looking down on, so it's not giving me a big thrill. 

Lost interest, didn't finish the episode. 

Done.

[Constantinople]

3 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

I'm glad Kirkman is working towards trying to establish the cabinet again, because I was wondering how was he going to do that

 

2 hours ago, Kromm said:

Can't do it legally without at least an appointed Senate.

Recess appointment.

[Haleth]

2 hours ago, Kromm said:

Can't do it legally without at least an appointed Senate.

I would think under the circumstances he'd be able to appoint a group of advisors to act as a cabinet, to be officially voted on later.  It could take weeks or even months to get the Senate up and running.

Two things I really like.  1) Kirkman is showing a lot of creativity in dealing with the problems.  Even if he feels he's in over his head (hiding in conference rooms to take a breath), he's putting on a show of competence that should win over the staff and eventually the country.  2) Hannah (is that the FBI lady's name?) is not wearing false eyelashes as most women on tv shows do.  Thank you, costumers!

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I inwardly cheered when the president finally used the ruse of undercover cops being caught in the Michigan governor's Muslim dragnet, and especially that their identies were on a need-to-know basis, and that the governor was not high enough up on the food chain to need to know. But it might have been better in person, although doing over th phone helped to cement that the nazi-esque gov did not warrant face time with the prez.

And then he hung up on the governor, mid sentence.  Heh.

I think for their protection the Secret Service should whisk the kids down to the basement.  And leave them there until it's safe or, you know, the show gets cancelled.

[retired watcher]

On 9/29/2016 at 2:31 AM, Minneapple said:

Another solid ep, but MAN the kids are annoying. I sort of get what they're trying to do with the Family Drama Time, but it just brings the show to a screeching halt. 

Well, Michigan tried to become a sovereign nation with the governor apparently forgetting that even though the people running the country died, the Constitution is still there. We all know that Michigan sucks, right? GO BADGERS.

Ahem.

They explained this, didn't they. There were almost 200 calls to make. First, let's remake Congress. 

I call bull that EVERY member of Congress and the Supreme Court would be at the State of the Union. I bet the Supreme Court justices have zero fucks to give about the State of the Union.

If you have ever watched the State of the Union address they are ALL there. It's protocol that everyone appears. The justices even wear their robes. 

[Guest]

I didn't enjoy this episode as much as the first.

The kids are both annoying. And cliches. The troubled teen, the sheltered younger child, etc.

I agree that it would be better for the Congress' DS to be cooperative and not a snake, but I have little faith. I do wonder who the survivor will end up being.

[thewhiteowl]

A reminder: Your personal views about our current political climate do not belong here. What happened or didn't at the last SOTU does not belong here. 

There is a thread for real vs show world for those that are interested. 

Discuss the show here. Thanks. 

[Constantinople]

I tend to doubt the media would be that critical of Glasses the day after the explosion.

[LGGirl]

4 minutes ago, Constantinople said:

I tend to doubt the media would be that critical of Glasses the day after the explosion.

I agree.  The country would be in such kaos that their only concern would be reporting on the recovery at the Capitol, the search for survivors, and who is responsible.   

Also im not buying the profiling of Muslims nonsense.   What do the Muslims in Dearbourn have to do with a bombing in Washington?   If a Muslium faction was involved, I think it's a stretch to assume Muslims in Dearbourn had something to do with it.  Plus no one knows who did it anyways. Just stupid.  

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

The Designated Survivor Has 99 Problems And Michigan

President Kirkman struggles to hold together a country that's running scared.

[Dowel Jones]

9 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Is there a bigger asshole then General Cochrane?

The recently departed General Cogswell (Tyrant) comes to mind.....

 

2 hours ago, LGGirl said:

The country would be in such kaos

No!  Say it ain't so!  Someone call Maxwell Smart!

 

Regarding the rebuilding, the original Cabinet had only four Secretaries:  Attorney General, State, War, and the Treasury.  It might not be so difficult to get an interim government back on its feet. 

[rab01]

Other than the crisis of legitimacy, replacing congress (and its funding authority) seems like the hardest practical piece. The President can recess appoint every cabinet secretary and judge that he needs; the governors can each choose two senators but it looks like we would need to hold elections for the Representatives.   (A brief bit of googling turned up the constitutional clause requiring Representatives to be elected.)  I think practically that just means they have to play shenanigans regarding financing for a few months until spending bills can be passed again but are there other ways  the government would be hamstrung?

What might have been as great a loss to the government as the cabinet secretaries is what appears to be the loss of the first tier of the White House staff as well.  Being without people like the National Security Adviser would really suck in this situation.

As for the First Son, his days as a drug dealer are essentially over (whether he knows it or not) so he's gonna need a new anti-social hobby. What bugs me most about him, however, is that I keep thinking he's Chris from Fear the Walking Dead.

[Duke Silver]

All my POV have been touched upon already, but I just want to stress:  PLEASE, less of the first family, FFS.  Tired of child characters on tv; tired of child actors.  YMMV, yada yada yada.

[GHScorpiosRule]

7 minutes ago, Duke Silver said:

All my POV have been touched upon already, but I just want to stress:  PLEASE, less of the first family, FFS.  Tired of child characters on tv; tired of child actors.  YMMV, yada yada yada.

Well, according to Kiefer Sutherland, this show is "family drama, political drama," and of course "whodunnit." That's what he said when he was on The View this week. So ufortunately, we're stuck with the First Son and Daughter melodraaama.

[Guest]

For me this show is the result of the West Wing and Quantico doing the dance of the beast with two backs.

I think the mystery of who is behind the attack is going to be a huge problem as they go forward because they are telegraphing an internal conspiracy.

There should be plenty of drama if they just played the attack as straight domestic or external terrorism and a person thrust into the Presidency.  They don't need the extra mystery story arc.

Its going to detrimentally play into the other problem with the show.  They need a stronger ensemble of staffers around the President.  Maybe they will flesh them out as they go along but its going to be a problem developing any of them if they keep doing whispered hallway conversations that are vague enough to make viewers think maybe they are in on it.

[Morrigan2575]

I'm loving this show. Tom Kirkman reminds me so much of Jack Ryan it's not even funny. They have the same intellectual personality, very intelligent, mostly mild manored, family man. They bot have a deep moral core, a form belief of what's right and wrong and when push comes to shove they're total BAMF!

Going to have to dig up my Jack Ryan Novels!

[Raja]

19 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I'm loving this show. Tom Kirkman reminds me so much of Jack Ryan it's not even funny. They have the same intellectual personality, very intelligent, mostly mild manored, family man. They bot have a deep moral core, a form belief of what's right and wrong and when push comes to shove they're total BAMF!

Going to have to dig up my Jack Ryan Novels!

The difference is that Jack Ryan had worked his way up the CIA before being named Vice President and was repected by the cops and soldiers that takes away the General Buck Turgidson type out of the mix

[Morrigan2575]

1 minute ago, Raja said:

The difference is that Jack Ryan had worked his way up the CIA before being named Vice President and was repected by the cops and soldiers that takes away the General Buck Turgidson type out of the mix

Tom Kirkman is obviously not Jack Ryan, AFAIK he's not a former Marine, Financial Wiz Kid, Historian or CIA Anlyst  I wasn't talking about the plot or character history. I was saying that, as a character, Tom Kirkman has a very similar disposition to Jack Ryan  (especially in the earlier novels). 

Although, I've never read any of the President Jack Ryan novels, i stopped with Debt of Honor. So I have no idea what President Jack Ryan dealt with after being sworn in.

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, ParadoxLost said:

. . . the beast with two backs . . .

My "quote" feature is not acting correctly, but I just wanted to give you a "shout out" for using Shakespeare!!!!

[KaveDweller]

7 hours ago, LGGirl said:

I agree.  The country would be in such kaos that their only concern would be reporting on the recovery at the Capitol, the search for survivors, and who is responsible.   

Also im not buying the profiling of Muslims nonsense.   What do the Muslims in Dearbourn have to do with a bombing in Washington?   If a Muslium faction was involved, I think it's a stretch to assume Muslims in Dearbourn had something to do with it.  Plus no one knows who did it anyways. Just stupid.  

If something like this happened a lot of people would assume it was Muslims. I think that happens with any terrorist attack. I'm not saying it's right, but I buy that cops in DC would be suspicious of Muslims. But I agree it seems weird to make such a big deal about it in Michigan. 

[OtterMommy]

I took it upon myself to introduce my brother-in-law to this show and re-watched the first episode with him, immediately followed by this episode (which I'll have to re-watch with OtterDaddy later....)

First thing that I caught...it was not said that the glasses are not Presidential, it was that HIS glasses were not Presidential.  Frankly, I think they are kind of cool--but the fictional WH staffers would probably be fine with a different style of glasses.

Overall, I found this to be an entertaining episode.  I like how Virginia Madsen's character was introduced--we still don't quite know what "side" she's on.  As many of you have posted, I hope that she becomes an ally--but a challenging one--to Kirkman.  I would rather the antagonist be...someone else.  In fact, with the exception of General Drunk Pirate, I would hope that Kirkman wins over the main players of the existing WH staff.

As for who is responsible for the attack--I think that it says quite a bit that he was not ready to place blame on the made-up Al Quada offshoot.  I think there are 3 possibilities for the show:

1 - The usual terrorist suspects... And I do hope that it doesn't go here, because it is what everyone expects.

2 - Domestic terrorism....I also hope they don't take this route because I think that the, ahem, IRL situation in the country is not right for that on TV at the moment.

3 - An internal government coup...I'm wary of this one because I think it could be tricky to pull off.  It could work...and work well.  Or, it could be really campy.

My BIL suggested a 4th option...

4 - Australia is behind it all.  'Cuz, you know...

I'm interested to see where this show goes long-term.  Will it stay in sort of a high-energy conflict mode, or will it start going a bit West Wing....or will it become something completely different.

Also, I really wouldn't care--or mind--if we didn't see either kid again....

[racked]

I liked the first episode but this one disappointed. I know it would be impossible to truly capture the chaos that would ensue if an attack of this magnitude happened but this didn't even come close. No one would care what police in Dearborn were doing. No one would care if one kid was murdered when almost the entire federal government were killed the night before. It would be looting and riots and mass panic in far more places, unless the military interceded.  

But Virginia Madsen looks amazing and maybe worth tuning in for. Amazing how much Keipher looks like his father. I'd love you see him with a beard. 

[theredhead77]

3 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

My BIL suggested a 4th option...

4 - Australia is behind it all.  'Cuz, you know...

I love it! But kangaroos aren't that bright.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/hapless-kangaroo-picks-fight-himself-7862074

[hiccup]

I recorded this episode, and I'm only about 20 minutes in, but had to post about one thing.  When Kirkman is walking from the residence to the West Wing, I heard a phone ring, and the ringtone was pretty close to the CTU ringtone on 24.  It made me smile.  

[magicdog]

Quote

I don't see the designated Republican becoming VP--isn't she a different party? 

Early in our republic, the President had the highest number of votes, while the VP had the second highest, regardless of party.  It was a while before Presidential candidates chose a VP to be elected in tandem. 

[Sake614]

@hiccup now I not only have to rematch this episode, but actually pay close attention to background sounds lol!

[Raja]

10 hours ago, racked said:

I liked the first episode but this one disappointed. I know it would be impossible to truly capture the chaos that would ensue if an attack of this magnitude happened but this didn't even come close. No one would care what police in Dearborn were doing. No one would care if one kid was murdered when almost the entire federal government were killed the night before. It would be looting and riots and mass panic in far more places, unless the military interceded.  

 

The problem is that it is the first day of Kirkman's presidency his first act is not going to be to send in the Army to take over a state. Which seems much more real than a state Governor saying FU you are just the HUD Secretary, when most state swearing in cerimonies also pledge to the US Constituition,  while his state police beat a hogtied Middle Eastern Rodney King on camera

[AbsoluteShower]

19 hours ago, rab01 said:

As for the First Son, his days as a drug dealer are essentially over (whether he knows it or not) so he's gonna need a new anti-social hobby. What bugs me most about him, however, is that I keep thinking he's Chris from Fear the Walking Dead.

What bugs me most about him is that I keep thinking he's Young Val Kilmer:

 

On 9/29/2016 at 9:06 PM, Bobbin said:

I live not far from a plant that makes military helicopters. Every so often four dark helicopters fly over in formation. I know they're on a shakedown flight or being flown to an air base or something...

"On their way to a secret FEMA internment camp" is probably what you meant to write...

[paigow]

20 hours ago, rab01 said:

As for the First Son, his days as a drug dealer are essentially over (whether he knows it or not) so he's gonna need a new anti-social hobby.

He will find the secret tunnels that the African terrorists used to infiltrate the White House in 24 and use them as his distribution network....

[Thalia]

Kirkman's bluff of the Michigan Governor seemed pure Jack Bauer/Kiefer Sutherland.  I couldn't help but wonder if the nerd they say he is could have really pulled that off.  OTOH, I haven't been listening to every word, so I don't know yet if Kirkman has secrets, like a Navy Seal past.   But surprisingly I liked this episode more than the first, so that's good. 

[HighQueenEB]

On 9/29/2016 at 7:17 PM, Arcadiasw said:

The room was also big. I don't understand why Leo couldn't turn the TV to some cartoon channel for his sister to watch, keep the remote and go to the other end of the room for his phone call. That said, the Mom should have talked to her daughter on what's going on. 

No 10-year old girl would be watching cartoons - but she would be watching the tween shows that proliferate on both Nickelodeon and Disney Channel.  And given that she has an older brother, chances are, she's been watching those type of shows since she was 5 or 6 when the oldest was watching that fare.

On 9/29/2016 at 6:48 PM, KaveDweller said:

That girl does not act like she's ten. 

Maybe, maybe not.  It could be a function of her being the youngest.  My older niece was very mature for her age for a variety of reasons.  My older nephew isn't quite as mature as his older sister was at the same age (they're 8 years apart in age).  And then there's their younger sister, my youngest niece, who at the age of ten was nowhere near her older siblings' maturity levels (she's 9.5 & 1.5 years younger than her siblings, respectively).  The youngest isn't necessarily coddled but she just hasn't had the same demand on her to be the responsible one, who keeps an eye on the younger ones, that the older ones have had.  I see a lot of similarities in the maturity of my youngest niece and our fictional First Daughter, so I can buy that she's somewhere around 8-9.

On 9/29/2016 at 7:11 PM, CoyoteBlue said:

Maybe it's all the babying her parents do. And what they let her get away with. That whole thing in the beginning when they were negotiating with her about bedtime is the kind of parenting I hate in TV shows. Tell the damn child to get off the phone and go to bed or there will be consequences when they get home. 

Unless she's mentally challenged, she has to understand that Mom standing right in front of her telling her brother not to let her watch the news means "don't immediately turn on the TV to the news the second brother steps away". She acts more like six or seven and seems totally oblivious. Ten is fourth grade. She should at least have her almost-a-big-girl panties on.

On 9/30/2016 at 0:19 AM, Perfect Xero said:

I think that a letting a 10 year old hear you tell her brother not to let her watch the news is probably the best way to ensure that she'll turn on the news the first chance she gets.

Yes, those screenwriting choices definitely lend a hand in our perceptions about the First Daughter character.  It's shorthand to demonstrate that Kiefer's character is an affectionate, caring dad but no kid should be allowed to rule the roost like that.  And I'll leave my thoughts at that.

Ding! Ding! Ding!  Telling any kid "don't do that" or "don't let your sibling do that!" is guaranteed to achieve the very outcome you are trying to avoid.  Again, bad screenwriting, or rather, obvious screenwriting.  Having said all that...  First Daughter has to be at least 8-9, maybe even 10, and I find it hard to believe that she doesn't understand, on a basic level, what's going on.  My older niece was 9.5 when 9/11 happened (her little sister due the week of 9/11 but waited a few more weeks to enter the world), and while she didn't necessarily understand why we had been attacked, she certainly understood what was going on.  I happened to have been laid off from work the week before 9/11, so I was home and because my ex-SIL was heavily pregnant, I drove my niece to school that morning.  Now, we lived, at the time, in California, so we knew what had happened by the time the school bell rang, and it was one of the strangest, eeriest drives I have ever made, and my niece was definitely confused and scared - who wasn't - but she knew it was a horrible tragedy.  I'm not sure how much TV she watched in the hours and days that followed - I'll have to ask her about that sometime.  Yes, you don't want kids under 10-11 watching the wall-to-wall news coverage that would certainly be on every single channel just a day after this kind of an attack, but in this day and age with Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, surely there's something the First Daughter could/would be watching that wasn't TV news.

On 9/29/2016 at 9:06 PM, Bobbin said:

I think the First Daughter is supposed to be younger than the actress, like 6 or 7. The Olsen twins don't grow on trees.

Dearborn is more than just the home of a large Muslim population. It was notoriously very White Bread, and is now increasingly populated by a diverse collection of Middle Eastern ethnic groups. There have been some conflicts as cultures clash. It may have been an easy choice to make Dearborn the foil to further this plot -- but it was an unfortunate one, I think.

Not sure I buy that she's 6 or 7 or even 8, but if you tried to sell me on 9, I could believe it.  What I want to know is how old the First Son is supposed to be.  13? 14?  He doesn't drive yet so no older than 15 but he doesn't even seem mature enough for 15.  I'm thinking 8th grade, maybe, but where did he get the older friends who are taking him to the club then?

I get that Dearborn is home to the largest Muslim-American population but it's certainly not the only one.  The Twin Cities also has a considerable population, and I just am not sure I think that that type of violence and unrest would be limited to Dearborn, MI.  It should have been happening across the country, honestly.

[GHScorpiosRule]

6 minutes ago, HighQueenEB said:

 

What I want to know is how old the First Son is supposed to be.  13? 14?  He doesn't drive yet so no older than 15 but he doesn't even seem mature enough for 15.  I'm thinking 8th grade, maybe, but where did he get the older friends who are taking him to the club then?

 

He's 17. First Lady made a point to let Kitkman know the teen Muslim who was beaten was the same age as their son.  Also, I doubt any club would let a 13 or 14 year old in.

[scarynikki12]

First Son is 17, the same age as the kid who was murdered for being Muslim.  First Lady (still learning all the names) made a point of it. 
I really hope his drug dealing plot gets wrapped up fast because there's just no way he'd be able to continue.  The scandal connected to it would have enough story to last a few episodes if it gets presented as something the anti-Kirkman people (media, politicians, lobbyists, etc) grasp onto to try and oust him from the Oval.

Which reminds me, each of these episodes has made a point of mentioning how Kirkman wasn't elected.  I really hope this leads to someone pointing out that the Cabinet members are not elected, not required to be elected, and are chosen (ostensibly) because they're the best for the job.  Some of these characters may not like that it's not required but it's perfectly legal, and even makes sense for some of the positions, and they need to get over it.  I'd be fine with a subplot exploring the idea of changing the requirements as a result of Kirkman's ascension but that remains to be seen.

[sparrowtime]

 

Well, a teenage Jim Morrison is who the kid reminds me of.

[babs1226]

I am enjoying this show.  I never care when fictional shows don't match reality.  I watch fiction as an alternative to reality.  I never watched 24, but I enjoyed Kiefer's series Touch immensely.  It was cancelled too soon IMO.  I don't think he is using a low voice for gravitas in this show.  That is his voice.  It's possible that he had some throat issue that has affected it.  Years ago he had a much louder voice.

[AbsoluteShower]

On 9/29/2016 at 7:35 AM, TobinAlbers said:

Loved Kirkman finally getting a Jack Bauer-eque 'Damn it!' 

Not to mention a West Wing-esque "Walk with me"

I'm eagerly awaiting the Maggie Q character to say to Kirkman "With respect Mr President that's not the right play!"

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, sparrowtime said:

Well, a teenage Jim Morrison is who the kid reminds me of.

So maybe he'll give up drug dealing for public urination? It would make an interesting plot point if the show is determined to include a strong family eliment, as mentioned above.

Madam Secretary's oldest kid (just starting college and a girl) started out being a self absorbed brat, but then turned into the responsible one. I wish they would do that with the First Kid here, but I don't see any signs yet. But the social upheaval in this show does lend a lot of possibilities for him to see tragedies that could turn him around. 

[HighQueenEB]

3 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

First Son is 17, the same age as the kid who was murdered for being Muslim.  First Lady (still learning all the names) made a point of it. 
I really hope his drug dealing plot gets wrapped up fast because there's just no way he'd be able to continue.  The scandal connected to it would have enough story to last a few episodes if it gets presented as something the anti-Kirkman people (media, politicians, lobbyists, etc) grasp onto to try and oust him from the Oval.

3 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

He's 17. First Lady made a point to let Kitkman know the teen Muslim who was beaten was the same age as their son.  Also, I doubt any club would let a 13 or 14 year old in.

Thanks!  Obviously I didn't recall that line, and I should have.  Though I suppose it also goes to the point that he doesn't act like a 17 year old.  My other issue, and this is most definitely a casting one, is that he doesn't LOOK like the 17 year old son of the people cast as his parents.  Most 17 year old boys have reached the height of their parents and both seem to tower over that kid.

Two words as to whether or not a club would let a 13 or 14 year old in...  Fake ID. 

[Danielg342]

On 30/09/2016 at 0:10 PM, LGGirl said:

Also im not buying the profiling of Muslims nonsense.   What do the Muslims in Dearbourn have to do with a bombing in Washington?   If a Muslium faction was involved, I think it's a stretch to assume Muslims in Dearbourn had something to do with it.  Plus no one knows who did it anyways. Just stupid.  

I could totally buy it. Right now, the country is practically in anarchy and everyone wants answers and there's just simply too many questions. I could totally see more than a few Governors make assumptions of their own and take matters into their own hands- ostensibly to "help" the President but really to show him that he's still got a lot of work to do to regain their trust, if he ever does.

[GHScorpiosRule]

What also rang really false to me was all of the journalists asking demanding of Kirkman, of what he thought about the Muslim teen being beaten by the cops, when it just happened, was happening, as he was standing there, without a phone or a television and speaking to them. How the FUCK could he even answer to something he hadn't even seen or heard about yet? They were all acting like rabid hyenas who smelled fresh meat, except that the meat wasn't there yet. It would be different if the teen had been beaten the day before, or if Kirkman had spoken a day or two after the beating and said nothing.

I get a show not wanting to play it safe, but damn, I wish they would write things more accurately, or that would make sense. It is possible to do that and have a good show at the same time.

[Ina123]

While I appreciate the scene of Kirkman talking with Seth as he heads out the door to home, no one, and I mean no one would be going home for hours or possibly days. This is a "stay here until we figure it out" situation. It's an, "order all the pizza you can find" situation. A real Kirkman would have no time for that scene and once that speechwriter bond was formed, Seth ain't goin' nowhere anyway. I would bet most of the professionals in the White House have extra shirts and underwear for burning the midnight oil. Heck I'm a designer for an engineering company and I have an extra blouse and undies in the bottom of my file drawer for project due date overtime.

[Dowel Jones]

2 hours ago, HighQueenEB said:

Fake ID.

Available at a moment's notice from our favorite deep-plant Russian spies/married couple.  Which brings to mind the fact that every foreign agent in America would be shitting 24k gold bricks right now (that is, if they weren't in the viewing gallery at the Congress) worrying about their immediate condition.