S01.E21: Brace For Impact

[thewhiteowl]

Quote

Season finale. Hannah must stop the conspiracy from carrying out a final attack, while the President authorises an all out man hunt for the mastermind behind it all.

[marinw]

Despite my better judgement, Kirkman’s speech really got to me. Maybe because for a moment there Kirkman sounded like he had drunk a lot a patriotic cool-aid and that was kind of scary. Kiefer’s delivery gave me chills.

Hannah continues to be ridiculous, still driving off without backup or so much as a Kevlar vest. And with no physical effects from her confinement. That is Jack Baer levels of invincibility.

I understand every criticism that has been made of this show. But I still kind f love it, and look forward to a new season with yet another show runner.

Edited May 21, 2017 by marinw

[janeta]

So that exterior of where he gave the speech--was that the War College?

Has this been renewed?

[Frozendiva]

Kirkman sounded Presidential in his speech to Congress. I did half expect a bomb to go off by the last paragraph. More of a cliffhanger than looking for the mastermind. Maybe having a bomb launch or something.

Hannah could bring up watching '24' and Jack Bauer for a nice little meta-nod. Kiefer is doing very well with material that could be better.

Don't know if the show has been renewed. It is a nice way to spend an hour.

[Danielg342]

I don't think there's much to say about this one except that it sure felt like ten episodes jammed into one. So much happening at way too fast a pace.

I guess it's good...hopefully next season (and there will be a next season) will be much better organized and better planned. Not sure about the prospects of Patrick Lloyd as the Big Bad and his escape method seems kind of hokey, but I've accepted worse on TV, so I'll see how it goes.

Did think the understated arrest of Whittaker was kind of cool, though.

[TimWil]

Kiefer said at the ABC network upfront on Monday that S2 will include "a midseason event that will knock the socks off our audience." If it isn't the reveal that Alex is EVIL! I'm out. Because this season finale totally sucked donkey balls. Kiefer needs to stop dying his hair and allowing Kirkman to give "inspirational" speeches because he's TERRIBLE at performing them.

Edited May 18, 2017 by TimWil

[memememe76]

I am only watching this show for Nikita and Craig Manning. Oh man, they hugged!!! I liked Jason and the other fbi guy.

I have no interest in anything else on this show.

[Happy Harpy]

Meh.

At least they didn't go for cliché and have a dozen characters' lives in the balance. Yet it's the show that should have gone for a big huge kaboom and definite casualties. Sorry, but chasing for stolen digital information isn't my idea of a thrilling plot.

I liked the scene of Hannah mourning Jason. It was understated, in the best way, and Maggie Q did a great job. The pictures that Jason sent and the mole reveal didn't drag on forever, it's a positive.

The way they got Aaron back at the WH ridiculous, but Adan Canto is one of the rare actors on the show who has real chemistry with K.Sutherland imo. I'd like to see more of the guy who spontaneously laughed with Aaron, and less of Saint Kirkman. 

Of course Abe drank the Power of Love Kool-Aid. Next year Aaron, Emily and Seth will invoke the Power of the Three, right? If they're still on the show, of course.

They announced three new main characters for S2, and generally it means axing original cast members. Given the choices they made this season I'm not too confident. Jason is gone, Hookstraten is gone, but bland ex-president is still around, and the kids are back. Ugh.

If they wait for mid-season to rock the viewers' socks off, they're stupid. Although a veteran, Criminal Minds is a stronger contender in the timeslot than what CBS had this season and CPD usually rebounds in the fall. If I rely on what happened to shows like the V reboot, which was a narrative mess as well, many people will check the season premiere and leave in droves and definitely if it doesn't improve enough. Pack a punch or you'll get Quantico numbers, nu-nu- nu- nu showrunners.

Edited May 18, 2017 by Happy Harpy

[Bobbin]

The scene with the arrest of a too-smug Whitaker seemed to be lifted directly from Madam Secretary. No doubt a coincidence.

Just some observations: Doesn't an unknown intruder alert involving a falsified ID require that no one be unescorted anywhere in the Pentagon? And a lockdown means no one is allowed on or OFF the premises. Finally, if you have an intruder and the computers coincidentally start acting funny, shouldn't you check out, oh, I don't know, maybe the (unguarded??) SERVER ROOM?! And, maybe, SHUT IT ALL DOWN?

Good, patriotic speech. But I would have mentioned that there is a lot of work ahead. Did he imply that all immigration restrictions are now off?

"I've just been called to the Command Center, but don't worry, kids, I promise I'll be back in a minute." Right.

Has the current show runner painted them into a corner with the latest crisis and leaving it to another show runner to figure out how they're going to get out of it? I can't wait to see that.

[buckboard]

If they knew the identity of a terrorist who had gotten into the Pentagon, wouldn't the military issue a Red Alert (or whatever they would call it) and have every person in the building looking for the terrorist?  And if the guy got INTO the grounds, wouldn't they have FBI and military security at the entry/exit points to capture him on his way out?

And while I'm ranting, when Hannah FINALLY called for backup, where the heck were they?  Even the Washington PD didn't seem to have any interest in two cars bashing into each other for 10 blocks or more?

As for the speech, he gave to Congress and the nation, ya think people would be satisfied to hear the truth is that a guy named Patrick Lloyd was the real one behind the bombing, not some Arab terrorists.  And that's it.   Nothing about Homeland Security's involvement or any other aspects.  He goes right into ain't America great mode.  I don't know about the rest of the country, but I'd like to hear a few more details of this giant conspiracy.  
 

[dwmarch]

3 hours ago, Bobbin said:

Just some observations: Doesn't an unknown intruder alert involving a falsified ID require that no one be unescorted anywhere in the Pentagon? And a lockdown means no one is allowed on or OFF the premises. Finally, if you have an intruder and the computers coincidentally start acting funny, shouldn't you check out, oh, I don't know, maybe the (unguarded??) SERVER ROOM?! And, maybe, SHUT IT ALL DOWN?

Furthermore, I am sure that the real Pentagon server room would be one that you do not get into without having to pass an actual gatekeeper who does not just let in Lt. So-and-so without reason. I'd also surmise that the actual Pentagon server room would be staffed and an intruder would be recognized in very short order! I work at a cable company and even if my keycard opened the door to the server room (which I am sure it does not and I am not about to check) in very short order somebody would say "dafuq is that guy doing in there?" even if I had my employee badge and the same blue shirt the techs wear. My cable company does not have better security than the goddamn Pentagon I am sure!

3 hours ago, Happy Harpy said:

I liked the scene of Hannah mourning Jason. It was understated, in the best way, and Maggie Q did a great job. The pictures that Jason sent and the mole reveal didn't drag on forever, it's a positive.

They announced three new main characters for S2, and generally it means axing original cast members. Given the choices they made this season I'm not too confident. Jason is gone, Hookstraten is gone, but bland ex-president is still around, and the kids are back. Ugh.

Hannah remembering her first meeting with Jason brought a tear to my eye. That is a first for this show so congratulations to them for making these characters mean something to me.

Speaking of which, no more Hookstraten? She could be a scheming wench at times but she was our scheming wench! It was weird not seeing her at Kirkman's big speech.

2 hours ago, buckboard said:

And while I'm ranting, when Hannah FINALLY called for backup, where the heck were they?  Even the Washington PD didn't seem to have any interest in two cars bashing into each other for 10 blocks or more?

And all of this taking place just outside the parking lot of the Pentagon too!

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Keifer for POTUS.

Sadly since his dual citizenship is British and Canadian he would not qualify. But if he runs for Prime Minister of Canada, I will certainly vote for him! He's already got the bloodline, being the grandson of Tommy Douglas so who knows?

[marinw]

6 hours ago, RogerDodger said:

Kiefer is one of those actors that I'll watch in almost anything (well, not Touch, even I have my limits).

Or Pompeii!

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, dwmarch said:

. . . Speaking of which, no more Hookstraten? She could be a scheming wench at times but she was our scheming wench! It was weird not seeing her at Kirkman's big speech. . . .

So is she off the show?? So awkward. Even those TV show tie-in paperback novels have more continuity. The show seems to get just enough right to not get canceled, but no more than that.

[marinw]

7 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

Did think the understated arrest of Whittaker was kind of cool, though.

I liked that too. I also liked how the Mole was an ordinary-looking dude who no-one would suspect.

[nutty1]

I still like this show. I know it is totally unrealistic, but I am entertained. I liked Hannah's mourning of Jason. And the ending was good with the president giving the speech. I will be back for season 2.

[oakville]

I liked Hannah breaking out of the university street courthouse & beastly crashing into the American consulate on the other side of University street. It's fun to watch the city I work in pretend to be Washington DC

[Biggie B]

The flashback scene of Hannah and Jason's first meeting was sad. When Jason asked, semi-kiddingly, "Am I going to regret working with you?" or words to that effect, I yelled at the TV, "You sure are gonna regret it! Your son's gonna be kidnapped and killed, your wife will leave you, and you'll be killed as well!" Poor Jason...

So I guess the President is going to let Hannah loose again to go hunt down Lloyd? Maybe this time around, she'll wear more sensible shoes, although those high heels didn't seem to slow her down much.

And I suppose the First Children will move back into the White House now. Ugh!!

I agree that Kirkman's speech was hokey yet decent. but provided absolutely no details. If I were an average citizen sitting at home watching the speech, I'd be screaming for more info! A bunch of domestic nutjobs tried to overthrow the US government?? Ay yi yi!!! Tell me more!! I guess I have to imagine that all the facts will be spelled out for the public in due course. Perhaps the President will grant an exclusive to Abe Leonard.

Glad the show is coming back, as I'm curious enough to see where it goes next. I hope good use is made of Seth, Emily, and Aaron - they are a good team. Let's see if Emily and Aaron rekindle their romance.

[Chinspinner]

Why did they leave the keys in the van? That was convenient. The bomb sequence and the fight sequence felt like shoe-horned action; as usual the two halves of this show (the politics and the investigation) are so tonally different that they fight each other.  

34 minutes ago, Biggie B said:

I agree that Kirkman's speech was hokey yet decent. but provided absolutely no details. If I were an average citizen sitting at home watching the speech, I'd be screaming for more info! A bunch of domestic nutjobs tried to overthrow the US government?? Ay yi yi!!! Tell me more!! I guess I have to imagine that all the facts will be spelled out for the public in due course. Perhaps the President will grant an exclusive to Abe Leonard.

Haha, if I was watching this speech at home, I would be asking if I had missed the first twenty episodes. The worst flag-waving excesses of this show, and the soap-boxing by the show-writers during the political scenes become incredibly tedious, and were summed up in this speech- it might just be that this stuff does not sell outside America, it only results in eye-rolls.

The message also feels incredibly out of date, since the show's enemy, the terrorist movement, as it is described in the show, won the last election, and the politics espoused by the protagonists, lost.  

The cliffhanger left me thinking that if they are all that inept at their jobs, they deserve whatever they get. 

Edited May 18, 2017 by Chinspinner

[Anela]

Her driving the van containing a bomb, into a large body of water, was straight out of another finale last year. I figured that was what she was going to do. 

I also wondered where Virginia Madsen's character was. That guy works for her, doesn't he? (I've forgotten his name. Sorry!) 

[Madding crowd]

I like the show and thought Kirkman's speech was fitting if corny. I hope they can find a way for Virginia Madsen to come back, she was very good i her role. I continue to be bothered by Hannah and her one woman FBI operation. I simply will not believe she would continually try to handle things all by herself; especially since she has been attacked and kidnapped and obviously cannot handle things as a one woman FBI.

The breaking into the Pentagon part was also terribly unrealistic, even for me who doesn't know a thing about military security. Once a breach becomes known, areas of high security such as computerized operations would not be left unguarded. And yes, when places are on lockdown, exits are watched as closely as entrances.

I like Aaron and happy he is back in some capacity to the White House. I have nothing against Emily except she seems too young for her job and I'm not really sure what her job is, so maybe I'm wrong.

[tanyak]

6 hours ago, dwmarch said:

Furthermore, I am sure that the real Pentagon server room would be one that you do not get into without having to pass an actual gatekeeper who does not just let in Lt. So-and-so without reason. I'd also surmise that the actual Pentagon server room would be staffed and an intruder would be recognized in very short order! I work at a cable company and even if my keycard opened the door to the server room (which I am sure it does not and I am not about to check) in very short order somebody would say "dafuq is that guy doing in there?" even if I had my employee badge and the same blue shirt the techs wear. My cable company does not have better security than the goddamn Pentagon I am sure!

Yes! That was so silly. I'm not a security or tech expert AT ALL, but didn't they have the name that was on the badge? I remember Mike asking Chuck "What was the name?" and then they cut to the next scene, which indicated to me that he told him the name. Even if Catalon or whoever got through the front gate before the Pentagon got the warning, couldn't the system be set up to trigger when he attempted to use that card? Or couldn't they have just shut the card down? All the Pentagon security people flying into a tizzy because they couldn't see the monitors made them look like mall cops. 

But I'll be back for season 2. lol 

[Moose135]

9 hours ago, Bobbin said:

Just some observations: Doesn't an unknown intruder alert involving a falsified ID require that no one be unescorted anywhere in the Pentagon? And a lockdown means no one is allowed on or OFF the premises. Finally, if you have an intruder and the computers coincidentally start acting funny, shouldn't you check out, oh, I don't know, maybe the (unguarded??) SERVER ROOM?! And, maybe, SHUT IT ALL DOWN?

I couldn't believe all of that - they put the place on "lock down" yet he could wander around at will, go into a super sensitive computer center and connect to the network without anyone seeing him, then just hop in his car and drive away.  The crap they spread in this show just gets higher and higher.

1 hour ago, Anela said:

Her driving the van containing a bomb, into a large body of water, was straight out of another finale last year. I figured that was what she was going to do. 

I also wondered where Virginia Madsen's character was. That guy works for her, doesn't he? (I've forgotten his name. Sorry!) 

You're talking about Aaron, who had worked for POTUS originally? After she accepted the Secretary of Education position, he told her he was leaving.

On the van ride with the bomb - I've been to DC a bunch of times, and I know the spot where she crashed into the water - that's the Tidal Basin, and it's nearly 2 miles driving distance from the Hoover Building.  Even driving the way she was, it's going to be difficult at best to get there in under 3 minutes.

Abe (he's the reporter, right?) really bothered me when he met POTUS in the Oval Office.  I know, they want to show that he is super cool, unaffected by the trappings of power, but to show up unshaven, tie half undone, just slouching on the couch while talking to the President is just disrespectful.

[misstwpherecool]

Kirkman speech. Blah blah blah blah , typical politician speak

Flashback scene of first meeting only decent one. This was a Maggie Q epi

What will the General do next season, friend or foe is one of the bigger questions.  They'll eventually catch the big bad.

Virgina Madsen/speaker gone. disappointed.

They should've showed Rob Morrow/s reporter guy in the bigtime saying I told you so.

[Danielg342]

2 hours ago, Anela said:

Her driving the van containing a bomb, into a large body of water, was straight out of another finale last year. I figured that was what she was going to do. 

Derek Morgan also did this in Criminal Minds Episode 4.01 "Mayhem", all the way back in 2008.

(Well, it was more of a "drive the van bomb into Central Park, but it was the same idea)

[Mldh598]

As I watched, it seemed like the writers weren't quite sure if they were going to be picked up another season. During the speech at the end, it seemed so "final" to me - wrapping up the loose ends, finishing up. Then I thought maybe there'd be a bomb or another attack - that didn't happen. I thought maybe this was it for the show, but then they threw in the "come to the Command Center" at the end, almost like the writers recently found out they'd get a Season 2 and had to come up with something quick to lead into the new season. It was a bit fast moving, but I do enjoy the show overall. Seth is still my favorite. =)

[Anela]

2 hours ago, Moose135 said:

I couldn't believe all of that - they put the place on "lock down" yet he could wander around at will, go into a super sensitive computer center and connect to the network without anyone seeing him, then just hop in his car and drive away.  The crap they spread in this show just gets higher and higher.

You're talking about Aaron, who had worked for POTUS originally? After she accepted the Secretary of Education position, he told her he was leaving.

On the van ride with the bomb - I've been to DC a bunch of times, and I know the spot where she crashed into the water - that's the Tidal Basin, and it's nearly 2 miles driving distance from the Hoover Building.  Even driving the way she was, it's going to be difficult at best to get there in under 3 minutes.

Abe (he's the reporter, right?) really bothered me when he met POTUS in the Oval Office.  I know, they want to show that he is super cool, unaffected by the trappings of power, but to show up unshaven, tie half undone, just slouching on the couch while talking to the President is just disrespectful.

Yes, Aaron. Thank you. :) I missed a couple of episodes, so I didn't know that he quit the job with her. 

1 hour ago, Danielg342 said:

Derek Morgan also did this in Criminal Minds Episode 4.01 "Mayhem", all the way back in 2008.

(Well, it was more of a "drive the van bomb into Central Park, but it was the same idea)

I don't watch Criminal Minds. :) I figured it had been done before, but I watched Quantico, last year (the show where people's hair seemed to steal scenes every episode), and that was what I was thinking of. 

[Danielg342]

1 minute ago, Anela said:

I don't watch Criminal Minds. :) I figured it had been done before, but I watched Quantico, last year (the show where people's hair seemed to steal scenes every episode), and that was what I was thinking of. 

CM probably wasn't the first either. I figure it's likely been done so many times that it's a trope right now.

[Chinspinner]

55 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

CM probably wasn't the first either. I figure it's likely been done so many times that it's a trope right now.

Pretty much- I've seen the -bomb driven to safe area before timer runs out- on multiple shows. Admittedly, the way it was used in this show was so random, it was just thrown in there and bore no relation to anything (other than some metric telling the writers it was time for an action sequence)... it was just strange. 

Edited May 18, 2017 by Chinspinner

[TheGreenWave]

Anyone else kind of bothered by the fact that the President announces the identity of the U.S. citizen bombing suspect to the world via televised speech?  Wasn't McVeigh arrested before his name was reported in the press?  I don't know - maybe because I was so distracted by the three minutes it took Hannah to get from the Hoover building to the Tidal Basin, or how they suddenly were able to identify all the cells across the country within 24 hours, or the President sharing classified information with Aaron, who is currently unemployed, who then shared it with the general, who was under house arrest, or the Pentagon security ridiculousness (I mean, you can't just make a badge that allows you to access government buildings, they have to actually be programmed on site for that), I'm just being super picky.

[paigow]

FBI Agent 1: You are under arrest for driving the exploding van from under the support beam to an open area...

Hannah: You are under arrest for being dumb...

[willco]

I don't have big expectations for tv shows anymore, so I just enjoy this ( and Quantico AND Blindspot !) while it lasts. I do agree with a lot of the criticism about the server room easy access and I just can't imagine that a Pentagon entry pass can be whipped up with that much ease ! The thing is, though, and network tv is so guilty of this, they pander to the lowest common denominator, it has to be simple because the average American wants it that way. At least, that what my theory is, how many well written, smart shows have been passed over by the majority of the viewing audience ? I'm not saying this to run down the show, I like it a lot, but if it gets too complicated or realistic, I think it hurts the 'mass' appeal. Therefore, you get an unobstructed car chase in busy DC, you get a guy who slips into a highly secure building with ease, and you get a 110 lbs. women besting a muscular ex-soldier. And that's the way it is !

 

BTW, I'll be watching in the fall, I love the show in spite of it's faults !

[secnarf]

I had to laugh at Hannah driving that car out of the parking garage - it's really Toronto city hall, and I have nearly been run over at that ramp a few times. That whole scene was very obviously Toronto, what with Armoury St and even the odometer showing 100 kph.

Also laughed at Hannah channeling Jack Bauer: "Dammit!"

I hope the show finds its footing next season. The plot has become way too convoluted for me to follow.

[marymon]

I was thinking this show is so silly they will have Hannah drive into Lozeno as he leaves the Pentagon and then literally  laughed out loud when Hannah just so happened to drive past Lozeno and run into him.

Hannah  is not so much a good agent but someone with the uncanny abilty to be in the right place at the right time it happen at least 10 times this season.

[piequinn35]

19 hours ago, TimWil said:

Kiefer said at the ABC network upfront on Monday that S2 will include "a midseason event that will knock the socks off our audience." If it isn't the reveal that Alex is EVIL! I'm out. Because this season finale totally sucked donkey balls. Kiefer needs to stop dying his hair and allowing Kirkman to give "inspirational" speeches because he's TERRIBLE at performing them.

This. is why I am watching season 2! LOL

[jhlipton]

20 hours ago, RogerDodger said:

Kiefer is one of those actors that I'll watch in almost anything (well, not Touch, even I have my limits).

 I liked Touch a lot more than this mess (especially season 1).  And David Mazouz has grown into an awesome actor.

19 hours ago, memememe76 said:

I liked Jason and the other fbi guy.

3 hours ago, paigow said:

FBI Agent 1: You are under arrest for driving the exploding van from under the support beam to an open area...

Director of the F**king FBI: Let her go!
Dumb-ass Agents: Sez who?
Director of the F**king FBI:  Not the Director of the F**king FBI, that's for sure!  I'm only your boss, you know!

9 hours ago, Chinspinner said:

Why did they leave the keys in the van? That was convenient. The bomb sequence and the fight sequence felt like shoe-horned action; as usual the two halves of this show (the politics and the investigation) are so tonally different that they fight each other. 

One a cop show.  One's a political show.  Together they fight crime .. and each other.

[Moose135]

6 minutes ago, jhlipton said:

Director of the F**king FBI: Let her go!
Dumb-ass Agents: Sez who?
Director of the F**king FBI:  Not the Director of the F**king FBI, that's for sure!  I'm only your boss, you know!

I was thinking the same thing!

 

6 minutes ago, jhlipton said:

One a cop show.  One's a political show.  Together they fight crime .. and each other.

It's a floor wax and a dessert topping!

[piequinn35]

Sorry guys, Forstell is not the FBI director or acting director, he is assistant director of the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility, that's why the other guys didn't know him.

[preeya]

Kirkman needs Jack Bauer to bring down Patrick Lloyd.

[Bobbin]

4 hours ago, TheGreenWave said:

Anyone else kind of bothered by the fact that the President announces the identity of the U.S. citizen bombing suspect to the world via televised speech?  Wasn't McVeigh arrested before his name was reported in the press?  I don't know - maybe because I was so distracted by the three minutes it took Hannah to get from the Hoover building to the Tidal Basin, or how they suddenly were able to identify all the cells across the country within 24 hours, or the President sharing classified information with Aaron, who is currently unemployed, who then shared it with the general, who was under house arrest, or the Pentagon security ridiculousness (I mean, you can't just make a badge that allows you to access government buildings, they have to actually be programmed on site for that), I'm just being super picky.

I agree with all of the above. For the record, I believe they said that Whitaker rolled on the cell locations. What I am foggy on (not unusual at my age) is, how did the stolen Pentagon data get out? Whitaker's in custody, Lorenzo's dead, and Hannah had the briefcase gear Lorenzo used to hack the servers.

[HoneyBadgerJr]

On 5/17/2017 at 10:59 PM, janeta said:

So that exterior of where he gave the speech--was that the War College?

Has this been renewed?

At the end? No...

[Moose135]

9 minutes ago, Bobbin said:

What I am foggy on (not unusual at my age) is, how did the stolen Pentagon data get out? Whitaker's in custody, Lorenzo's dead, and Hannah had the briefcase gear Lorenzo used to hack the servers.

I don't think Lorenzo copied any data, I assume he installed some sort of back-door software that allows the bad guys to access the computers remotely at a later date.

[Dowel Jones]

15 hours ago, dwmarch said:

I work at a cable company and even if my keycard opened the door to the server room (which I am sure it does not and I am not about to check) in very short order somebody would say "dafuq is that guy doing in there?"

As long as you got there between 1:00 and 5:00, no one would raise any flags. :)

Lozano's car sure looked immaculate after repeatedly crashing up against Hannah's SUV.  Hint to Hannah:  Remember the PIT maneuver they taught you at the FBI Academy?

If I were that homeowner where the fight took place, I would be pissed.  Not at the FBI for the damage, but at the contractor for using such shoddy material. 

Since Abe's sources have been the bad guys, he had better toe the line a bit more with his stories now.

Anyway, it was a fun ride.  I'll be back for part 2.

[ren]

There was some sexual tension between Hannah and Catalan. I'll see myself out.

[MaryPatShelby]

20 hours ago, Bobbin said:

Just some observations: Doesn't an unknown intruder alert involving a falsified ID require that no one be unescorted anywhere in the Pentagon? And a lockdown means no one is allowed on or OFF the premises. Finally, if you have an intruder and the computers coincidentally start acting funny, shouldn't you check out, oh, I don't know, maybe the (unguarded??) SERVER ROOM?! And, maybe, SHUT IT ALL DOWN?

I'll join everyone else who thought this was stupid..so when they told Hannah that the Pentagon was in lockdown, they were basically lying.  Even if Lozano got in, surely in LOCKDOWN he couldn't get out?

11 hours ago, Chinspinner said:

Why did they leave the keys in the van?

This just made me angry.  This group can blow up the capital, mobilize cells across the country, and are super duper high level computer programmers.  But they can't take the keys with them when they leave their kidnap victim in a van with a bomb.

6 hours ago, paigow said:

FBI Agent 1: You are under arrest for driving the exploding van from under the support beam to an open area...

Made zero sense.

In conclusion, I don't know if I'm coming back next season, although I love Kal Penn with all the love I have to give.  But I'm tired of it being the Hannah Wells, Lone Agent Girl show as well as the constant inconsistencies in the storytelling.  We'll see.

[jhlipton]

2 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Lozano's car sure looked immaculate after repeatedly crashing up against Hannah's SUV.  Hint to Hannah:  Remember the PIT maneuver they taught you at the FBI Academy?

Plus when he was trying to push her (seriously?), it should have been like Sancho Panza said "It doesn't matter if the stone hits the pitcher or the pitcher hits the stone -- it's going to be bad for the pitcher."

[queenanne]

4 hours ago, jhlipton said:

One a cop show.  One's a political show.  Together they fight crime .. and each other.

I haven't seen the episode yet, just stopping by to say this gave me my first much-needed LOL of the past 24 hours (unintentional meta-pun there at the last).

[Chinspinner]

A few things this show needs to do in Season 2: -

1) Stop with the one-woman action hero nonsense. Let the FBI act like the FBI; let them plan and carry out operations. This will deal with many of the tonal inconsistencies between the investigation and the politics. 

2) Get rid of the coincidences (character's running into characters, or keys left in vans, or home-made keycards allowing entry into secure buildings) and actually write a plot and arc for the season. 

3) Get rid of the shoe-horned action sequences and random cliffhangers that have no purpose other than to provide two minutes of excitement before an advert break. Instead, actually write a plot and arc for the season. 

4) Get rid of the kids again. 

5) Stop with the soap-boxing and preaching during every political scene. It is irritating and tedious, and makes Jack Bauer sound like a conceited, holier-than-thou prat. Have some realistic exchanges rather than this juvenile, grade school political debate. If you must explore moral dilemmas, give them some depth and some dilemma. 

6) Never again repeat that NATO embarrassment, it was just cringe inducing. 

7) I might have said this a few times, but most importantly; write a plot and arc for the season, ahead of time. Don't just throw tropes at the show like shit at a wall, hoping some of it sticks. 

They are my thoughts. 

Edited May 19, 2017 by Chinspinner

[queenanne]

Another thing I'd recommend is that they should ditch Abe and have a TV anchor personality as a known quantity, with relationships to and with prior characters on the show.  Because then you can shunt some of the boring Basil Exposition chunks over to a "Meet the Press"-type TV show, where we're invested in what the characters are saying onscreen, specifically because of our audience knowledge of and involvement with Fancy Anchorperson.

[waving feather]

7 hours ago, Chinspinner said:

5) Stop with the soap-boxing and preaching during every political scene. It is irritating and tedious, and makes Jack Bauer sound like a conceited, holier-than-thou prat. Have some realistic exchanges rather than this juvenile, grade school political debate. If you must explore moral dilemmas, give them some depth and some dilemma. 

Especially this. I'm not opposed to bad shows, I watch bad shows all the time but for goodness sake, get rid of the holier-than-thou speeches. And make politicians morally grey, which they are in real life! Stop with the black/white nonsense like making the Montana guy a complete asshole and team Kirkman as a bunch of saints.

I think Scandal is better at writing internal political conflict.

It was slightly better when Aaron was around because at least he is a little shady. Without him around, team Kirkman has the most boring group think.

Edited May 19, 2017 by waving feather

[Chinspinner]

2 hours ago, waving feather said:

Especially this. I'm not opposed to bad shows, I watch bad shows all the time but for goodness sake, get rid of the holier-than-thou speeches. And make politicians morally grey, which they are in real life! Stop with the black/white nonsense like making the Montana guy a complete asshole and team Kirkman as a bunch of saints.

I think Scandal is better at writing internal political conflict.

It was slightly better than Aaron was around because at least he is a little shady. Without him around, team Kirkman has the most boring group think.

They got rid of all the interesting characters (the ones that could have created conflict and, as a result, drama), and replaced them with these morally superior dullards. Sorry I am bad with names, but: -

• That general at the beginning (they realised their mistake and bought him back). 
• The guy you mentioned. 
• The woman potential vice president who got downgraded to secretary for education. 
• The governor who was threatening to break away at the start of the series. 
• The male VP with ambiguous motives. 

Almost every antagonist was just dealt with too swiftly and all the interesting drama that might stem from them was removed from the show, and we're just left with the tedious "yes men"- not a recipe for good drama. This is why they started relying on crap like the French vetoing a down-scaling of nuclear arsenals, or a music grant getting cut, for drama... who cares about that (in the context of the show)? 

Edited May 19, 2017 by Chinspinner