S02.E06: Two Ships

[thewhiteowl]

When  U.S. ship containing secret surveillance equipment becomes stranded in enemy waters the President must negotiate the release of the crew and ship. If captured, the technology aboard would create a massive threat to national security. Meanwhile Emily reconnects with someone from her childhood.

[paigow]

On 10/29/2017 at 0:12 PM, thewhiteowl said:

When  U.S. ship containing secret surveillance equipment becomes stranded in enemy waters...

This happens on every show...even Top Gun...is somebody forgetting to change the oil????

[marinw]

That scene with Emily and her dad in the restaurant was horrible even for this show. 

Is this show written by an AI? This show just picks random plot sand puts them in a blender.

I watch it because it’s still kind of fun and I have low expectations.

Emily and Set kissing did make me happy, so there’s that.

[Blue Plastic]

I'm so tired of this show jumping around from plot to plot.  Nothing is connected.  Everything goes so fast that what's supposed to be exciting just becomes "who cares?" because I don't know any of these characters and therefore don't care about them!  Ugh!

The only thing that remotely interests me right now is the shady First Lady and her shady mother.  At least the FL has been on the show since the beginning so if she or her mother is involved in anything criminal, it will mean something to the overall plot (is there one, though?) instead of just being a throwaway character that pops up in one episode, then gets carted off to jail in the next.

Lately there seems to be a character who gets shoved off in a room somewhere in every episode.  That author who wanted to talk to President Kirkman, then the frog people, now Emily's deadbeat dad.

[Frozendiva]

Kinda dull. Felt sorry for the captain of the sinking ship.

The First Lady and her mother arc seems interesting enough - maybe it ties in to the bombing from last season somehow.

The deadbeat dad just seemed to be another in a long line of losers.

[shapeshifter]

Kal Penn gets my Worst Beard Ever Award—and I say this as someone who came of age in the 60s; almost all of the guys I ever kissed had beards. But not the one who resembled Kal Penn. When Emily kissed Seth, was I the only one thinking that she must be wishing he was Aaron? I mean, even if that stupid beard was neatly trimmed,it would have been better. </end-rant>

What's the name of the actor who went down with the ship?

Edited November 2, 2017 by shapeshifter

[DrScottie]

1 hour ago, Frozendiva said:

Kinda dull. Felt sorry for the captain of the sinking ship.

The First Lady and her mother arc seems interesting enough - maybe it ties in to the bombing from last season somehow.

We knew when they recited the Navy motto that he was going to die. It's too bad really, but it was the way to stop a potential war. Still though, 6 billion and it was taken out by a garbage barge and systems couldn't handle a storm?

As for the First mother-in-law, she hadn't seen him in 30 years, wait, she did see him six months ago and he brought a bottle of Cab. What's next? They had a date the night before he died? 

8 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

What's the name of the actor who went down with the ship?

Gregory Smith. He was on Everwood if that's where you remember him from. 

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, DrScottie said:

As for the First mother-in-law, she hadn't seen him in 30 years, wait, she did see him six months ago and he brought a bottle of Cab

So, technically, it is true that she did not see him for 30 years. Does that legally help her a tiny bit? It would still be obstruction that she hid the recent meeting. But maybe she will turn out to have Alzheimer's.

 

3 hours ago, DrScottie said:

Gregory Smith. He was on Everwood if that's where you remember him from. 

Yes, thanks, and also Rookie Blue, neither of which I watched more than a few episodes of.

[marinw]

The captain going down with the ship is a metaphor for this show.

[marinw]

Kirkman talking to the young officer reminded me of that awesome episode of 24 wherein Jack Bauer coached the sole, traumatized young  survivor of a submarine on how to kill the invader who had killed the rest of the crew.  Those were good times *sigh*

[Guest]

I was not feeling this episode. I thought it was pretty obvious (and cliched) that Emily's dad was using her. Speaking of cliches, the captain that talks about sacrificing himself actually does sacrifice himself.  And he was all about honor and respect, but disregarding orders from the Commander in Chief?  It didn't seem true, so I couldn't get emotionally connected to it.

I am interested in the plot with the First Lady and her mother.  

[notcreative enough]

Wow so you don't see your dad for 23 years and you take him to the white House. Really Emily you didn't think something was up with him wanting to see you now that you have a high profile job. 

I miss Aaron. I know he is still on the show I miss him interacting with Seth and Emily. What happened to their friendship? He is just a wave in the hallway now. Don't even get me started on the E&S kiss. I get the season 1 reset but they didn't need to change everything.

It's like I'm watching two different shows. Keifer and then white house and Maggie with the wife and MIL.

[Biggie B]

I didn't understand why, after rescuing the crew - including the newly-minted captain -, the US ship couldn't have been torpedoed and destroyed to prevent the Kumani government from salvaging the secret technology. What did I miss? Were there other US ships too close to the sinking ship to prevent it from being destroyed? Also, one of the military guys advised the President that even the casualties had been accounted for. Didn't it happen that the actual captain was swept off the ship? If there was a storm raging, how could his body have so easily been recovered? Yes, a nit pick, but it annoyed me. 

From the first second Emily's father was telling her about his failed taxi business, I knew he was just a money grubber.  I thought that she'd find him taking her credit cards or perhaps trying to swipe something of value from the White House (hey, about one of those million dollar vases they seem to have within easy reach?). That whole story line was absurd - surely they could've come up with a better way to finally have Emily and Seth connect romantically. 

I don't even know what to make of the Maggie Q story line. I'm very disappointed that the Secretary of State is now mixed up in this mess. I liked him but I guess he was too good to be on the up and up.

I detest the First Mother in Law. I hope she gets the book thrown at her.

[Dowel Jones]

I think the hapless Captain said that he had put some demolition charges on the VDR, or DVR, or VCR, whatever it was called, and he was waiting for the timer to count down.  Which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.  Was the entire ship going to go up in a huge FX explosion?  If not, find a relatively safe spot on the deck and wait it out, and get out by helicopter.  Jeez.  Also, once it was determined the ship could not be saved, would it not be USN policy to immediately destroy all secret technology?

I liked Kiefer's comment that "I have to make some phone calls."  Touche'.

Is there an FBI still in existence?  Maybe they could help with the ongoing FBI investigation.

[Addie1917]

I actually really enjoyed this episode. It really does suck seeing Emily and Aaron with virtually no connection anymore. It dosen't seem right. Everyone was flipping out over Em and Seth's kiss, and it was weird but I think it was definitely more of a friend kiss, completely different than per say her and Aaron or Hannah and Damian. Still weird though. Bring back Aaron. Also I agree the scene with her dad had horrendous writing.

The whole thing with the MOTFL is interesting. cant wait to see if she's involved with the conspirators.

I cant tell if I like Hannah working on her own or with a partner. I don't dislike Damian, I just don't know if she needs a partner.

Don't make us wait  2 weeks ABC 

[paigow]

1 hour ago, Dowel Jones said:

I think the hapless Captain said that he had put some demolition charges on the VDR, or DVR, or VCR, whatever it was called, and he was waiting for the timer to count down.  Which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.  Was the entire ship going to go up in a huge FX explosion? 

He had engaged the full Scuttle / Auto Destruct protocol but had to be Bruce Willis Armageddon if the system failed....

[atlantaloves]

Okay somebody help me, was that a "good" kiss at the end or just a friendship kiss? Ahhhhhhhhhhh. I love Kal Penn. 

[Driad]

This show is becoming less interesting.  Bring back Kimble Hookstratten!  (They probably won't but I can at least complain.)

[grommit2]

I continue to watch this show because:
1) the story lines are straightforward.
2) you KNOW that the Prez is going to come up with THE solution, no matter what twists the plot takes.
3) the President is good, honest, really smart, well-spoken, knows how to navigate the federal government, and and did I mention he is honest?  We sure could use that now, eh?  SIGH
4) the AMERICANS are the good guys...clearly and unmistakenly, and aside from a few nefarious congress critters, they are all good and honest.  Geez...what a country!
5) the Brits are cooperating with Bond-ish expertise.
6) we have drastically cut the FBI budget, so that now there are only three members (Hanna Wells, the boss, and the computer guy)...and they always get the bad guys.
7) Kal Penn is always good, especially since he co-starred in Harald & Kumar Go to White Castle (a "restaurant" you MUST visit if ever possible), AND he was born in New Jersey (hooray!)

[Dowel Jones]

8) If nothing else is going on, it's always fun to count the number of turns the actors make while walking down the endless corridors.

[MerBearHou]

Gregory Smith -- oh, I loved him on Everwood (I loved that show so much) -- how has he not aged one bit since then??  Powerful story on this episode.  Gregory did a great job.

Why does there even need to be a plot line involving the mother of the First Lady??  I'm counting on there being a big payoff when the story concludes but ugh, I cannot stand it along the way, partially because Bonnie Bedelia is annoying to me.

Edited November 4, 2017 by MerBearHou

[shapeshifter]

11 hours ago, grommit2 said:

I continue to watch this show because:
…
2) you KNOW that the Prez is going to come up with THE solution, no matter what twists the plot takes.
3) the President is good, honest, really smart, well-spoken, knows how to navigate the federal government,
…

^^Yeah, but Show is kind of devolving into a soap opera, isn't it? —perhaps to distract from the lack of resolution to the initial conspiracy. I mean, it would not have surprised me if Emily's dad and FLOTUS's mom had run away together off screen to a place with no extradition treaty—end of that messy little plot arc.

[thuganomics85]

OK, I actually enjoyed parts of this episode, but that is mainly due to a) Moss and the awesomeness of Geoff Pierson (they better not make him a traitor) and b) seeing Gregory Smith as the captain who sacrifices himself.  I'm still bummed that he kind of feel off the map acting-wise after Everwood.  I know he's been doing other things like directing and whatnot and while it isn't necessarily bad that he appears in shows like Rookie Blue or even here, it's just kind of odd that these are the roles he gets, while former Everwood co-stars Emily VanCamp and especially Chris Pratt go on to be huge stars, even though I actually thought Gregory was the best out of the three. 

But we still have to deal with crap like Emily and her father, who has been absent for over twenty years, suddenly comes back into her life to the point she is willing to invite him to the White House (really?), only to find out it was also so he could get Kirkman to endorse his screwdriver (err, not an euphemism?)  Yawn!  And, wow, not only are they still pushing her with Seth, they have Aaron just wave to her from the distance.  Even Lyor had a nicer moment with her at the end.  It's like the show knows if the have Adan Canto and Italia Ricci too close to one another, it will be painfully obvious that their chemistry is way better then the almost nonexistent one she has with Kal Penn.

Hey, the show remembered that Mykelti Williamson played an Admiral last season!  Talk about wasting a talented actor.

So, basically, Alex's mom is just as big of an idiot as Alex herself.  Kendra's really got her work cut out for her here, although I really don't understand why I'm suppose to find Forstell wrong here, considering the evidence they got (OK, fine, it's also because nine times out of ten, I will always back Reed Diamond.)

Hannah's stuff is basically filler, until it is revealed that Moss might be a "traitor."  Again, you better not go there, show!

[Addie1917]

On 11/3/2017 at 3:01 PM, atlantaloves said:

Okay somebody help me, was that a "good" kiss at the end or just a friendship kiss? Ahhhhhhhhhhh. I love Kal Penn. 

It was more of a friends kiss. Not like the Emily Aaron kiss or the Hannah and Damian kiss made up of pure sexual tension. This was more just like Emily needed a man who cared about her in that moment and Seth was it. Hopefully she was just at a low point and now the writers can stop making her like Seth and put her back with who we all know she truly belongs with. I have a feeling it’s all just a distraction and Aaron will come back into her life hopefully by the end of the season 

[DFWGina]

Did anyone hear the phone ring in the "24 CTU" ring style?  My husband and I both noticed it and got a chuckle out of it!

[jhlipton]

Kendra, Kendra, Kendra, if you represent the President, you cannot represent his family.  That is such a huge conflict of interest, especially if MIL was involved in the guy's death.  Stupid, stupid show.

On 11/4/2017 at 8:16 PM, thuganomics85 said:

only to find out it was also so he could get Kirkman to endorse his screwdriver (err, not an euphemism?) 

It was a corkscrew...

[Catronia]

I really enjoyed this episode! I thought the Emily/father plot a little unnecessary, but at least he wasn't some kind of spy, just a user creep with a newfangled corkscrew. Poor Emily :-(  I'm glad Seth and even Lyor were nice to her, but, yeah, I miss Aaron, too.

So glad to see Moss again, and really do not want him to be a traitor or any part of any conspiracy. Finding the First Lady's Mother plot intriguing, but it is indeed a huge conflict of interest for Kendra to represent her. Also, loved Kendra's lipstick shade this episode.

I also liked the plot with the foundering ship. It moved right along, and the young captain's determination to ensure that the key technology and evidence of spying didn't get into enemy hands was very touching. It was also a little refreshing that one of Kirkman's ever-persuasive speeches did not actually work, and the captain went down with the ship.

I want Kimble and her statement jewelry back now!

[TheRabbi]

I stopped watching maybe 3 weeks ago. Decided to pop in here to see if anything interesting was happening or the general opinion has improved....I will now continue on my way.

[Brian Cronin]

I don't even have a problem, in a vaccum, if Seth and Emily became a thing, except that it just doesn't make sense with where they were going with Aaron and Emily. You just don't drop storylines like that. It doesn't make any sense. 

[Miss Dee]

I agree the rapid changes in showrunners has really done a negative number on this show.

Of course, thanks to recent days, I'm now prone to look at all cast/crew/boss shakeups with a jaundiced eye. Is it really for storytelling reasons, or something else?

What saved this episode for me was Gregory Freakin' Smith. My God, he's so good. He was the only reason I could swallow the ending at all.

[femmefan1946]

As for the First mother-in-law, she hadn't seen him in 30 years, wait, she did see him six months ago and he brought a bottle of Cab. What's next? They had a date the night before he died? 

 

I'm going for a long term affair. And she signed the paperwork because ... blackmail.

Bring back Kimble Hookstratten! 

YES!!

I've worked in a Cabinet Minister's Office, and there is some serious tracking of people coming into the building. So how does, Deadbeat Daddy not only get into the White House but get left alone to wander about and learn everyone's deepest personal secrets. I don't think he even had a V badge.

Edited November 14, 2017 by femmefan1946
More opinions

[Moose135]

7 hours ago, femmefan1946 said:

I've worked in a Cabinet Minister's Office, and there is some serious tracking of people coming into the building. So how does, Deadbeat Daddy not only get into the White House but get left alone to wander about and learn everyone's deepest personal secrets.

Don't forget, this is the same White House that let some random staffer run a 24/7 live stream in the West Wing, which was how they discovered Lyor (rhymes with Eeyore) broke the expensive vase in the hallway.  Apparently, security isn't their strong suit.

[jhlipton]

11 hours ago, Moose135 said:

Apparently, security isn't their strong suit.

Not much is, other than long, "from the heart" gasbag speeches.

[nutty1]

I finally watched this episode. I liked it. Maybe I am just bored. I do not like the Mother of FLOTUS, but that is more because I didn't like Bonnie Bedelia in Parenthood. I don't like her any more here.

[femmefan1946]

I rather like the First Mother In Law (FMIL).

She's been treated as if she is some dimwit elderly fragile flower, but when she is given a choice (instead of her daughter and SIL blocking access) she has a mind of her own, which seems reasonable for an independent woman about the age of say, Hilary Clinton, who has been making her own living since the 80s and probably earlier and has a nice middle income lifestyle.

Telling the WH lawyer that she wanted her own representative, is the most sensible reaction to the whole mess. She doesn't need someone who is also answering to the President in a scandal that may peripherally or not involve him.

[shapeshifter]

But it would help if FMIL didn't always look like a deer in the headlights.

[Taryn74]

Ephram Brown! Be still my Everwood-loving heart.

In other news, be straight with me folks -- does this show actually get any better? Hubby and I started watching because the idea of the US having to rebuild the entire government from the ground up after a massive terrorist attack was intriguing, but instead of focusing on that for more than a handful of episodes, it has turned into a SNOOZE FEST of day-to-day White House dealings. If I wanted to see that, I would watch......well, nothing, because I don't.

Help?! Does it get any better or should I just go find some spoilers and call it quits?

[marinw]

3 hours ago, Taryn74 said:

Help?! Does it get any better or should I just go find some spoilers and call it quits?

It gets worse. I only watched this show because I am a Kieferholic.