S02.E10: Line of Fire

[thewhiteowl]

A forest fire threatens the lives of religious extremists that refuse to evacuate. The First Lady gives testimony to the FBI.

[marinw]

OMG.

I actually really enjoyed this episode. It’s amazing how much better things are when the writers focus on three stories instead of eight or nine.

Another one of Kiefer's wives goes down. Great job, secret service!

The Kiefer howl of manpain did not disappoint, even if it we didn’t hear it. For DS that was remarkably restrained.

It was cagey of Tom not to mention the use of real blood to Cabin Christian. “She didn’t comprise her beliefs” while leaving out the part that Mom’s beliefs may have undergone a shift.

I may be alone here, but I like Lyor.

I knew Damien was wearing a vest.

Edited December 14, 2017 by marinw

[ApplePie]

Thanks for the spoiler!

Spoiler

I was afraid they wouldn't kill Alex off and have some lame departure. Does it sound terrible that I'm so thrilled?

 

I can't wait to watch! Oh and I like Lyor too. 

[janeta]

Hmm, didn’t expect to hear Yaz in this show... and what song was it that Lyor wanted the little kids to sing?

 

So did the woman playing the first lady get another job or something?  Now, the only problem with killing her off that way is that usually a FLOTUS motorcade shuts the streets down in rolling roadblocks; it's also trailed by an ambluance. Didn't notice if they had one on the show.

[UNOSEZ]

Well that was a let down... I wanted some kind of conspiracy or something.. Instead she gets rayna james'd and we get a time jump... I mean i like the show and ima keep watching but yaaaawwwwnnnn.... 

[marina to]

STOP FRIDGING WOMEN! And on a holiday show too. I'm thoroughly disgusted.

[Cherokee2000]

 Add me to the list of people who will not miss the First Lady. However, I did shed a tear for our beloved President Kirkman and for Kiefer. 

[Blue Plastic]

9 minutes ago, janeta said:

Now, the only problem with killing her off that way is that usually a FLOTUS motorcade shuts the streets down in rolling roadblocks; it's also trailed by an ambluance. Didn't notice if they had one on the show.

Yeah, I just assumed that traffic is probably closed when any presidential or presidentially related motorcade is passing through.  I might be wrong but it seemed unrealistic to believe that truck would have a clear path to slam into the motorcade.  Maybe it will be part of a conspiracy story and someone "allowed" the truck through to hit just the right vehicle to kill the FLOTUS because they hope it will derail Kirkman's presidency.  That's all I got.  Otherwise it just seems kind of random and not believable.

That British guy can go anytime now.  What a pain in the butt.  It is getting more and more difficult for me to believe that Hannah is a very good FBI agent.

I was hoping for the religious extremists to get killed by the fire just for being so annoying.

[ApplePie]

Well I thoroughly enjoyed that despite some stuff that didn't quite add up. I'm scratching my head at Hannah not thinking that Damien could be wearing a bullet-proof vest. I think she has looked pretty silly in this story. I guess that's a character flaw of hers.....getting too involved with people.

Also, is there really a religion out there that doesn't believe in using blood transfusions? 

The girls singing were cute and I felt bad that no one wanted to listen to them.

The First Lady didn't really add anything to the show for me and I'm glad she's gone. I agree with what the showrunner said here about her death: http://tvline.com/2017/12/13/designated-survivor-recap-season-2-episode-10-alex-dies-first-lady/ 

Edited December 14, 2017 by ApplePie

[willco]

Boy, they telegraphed that about a mile away ! Anytime a show has a person sitting in a chauffeured limousine and then they pan the camera to the window, all you have to do is count to "2" and Bam ! , they are rammed by a truck. I've seen that so often, I would have been shocked if it didn't happen. Yeah, this has not been a good year for tv wives ! I've always liked the actress, so I'm kind of sorry to see her go, but maybe this will be the nudge the show needs to get back to more exciting stories ? I loved the show last year, this year it's been a bit of a bore.

 

According to Imdb, Natasha M. ( the First lady) asked to be released from the show, she has another series in the works. So at least it was her decision.

[willco]

24 minutes ago, ApplePie said:

Well I thoroughly enjoyed that despite some stuff that didn't quite add up. I'm scratching my head at Hannah not thinking that Damien could be wearing a bullet-proof vest. I think she has looked pretty silly in this story. I guess that's a character flaw of her's, getting too involved with people.

Also, is there really a religion out there that doesn't believe in using blood transfusions? 

The girls singing were cute and I felt bad for them that no one wanted to listen to them.

The First Lady didn't really add anything to the show for me and I'm glad she's gone. I agree with what the showrunner said here about why they felt this was the best option for the show: http://tvline.com/2017/12/13/designated-survivor-recap-season-2-episode-10-alex-dies-first-lady/ 

Re : the religion. I can't say for sure, but I'd bet there is, it seems like, in this world, there's some religious restriction for almost everything. For example, I had an uncle who had some kind of kidney disease, that, according to my mother ( who was a nurse), while it may not have been something they could cure without doing a transplant, it was treatable enough that he could have lived for quite a while and without a lot of issues. Because of his religion, though, he did nothing and died in less than a year ( this was in the 80's and at the time, I didn't know much about it). He and my Aunt were  members of  Christian Science. To this day, I still don't know much about it, but after seeing that, not much surprises me when it comes to beliefs,

[babs1226]

39 minutes ago, ApplePie said:

Also, is there really a religion out there that doesn't believe in using blood transfusions? 

They are Christians,  For that group, it is their interpretation of the bible.  It's real.

[ApplePie]

3 minutes ago, babs1226 said:

They are Christians,  For that group, it is their interpretation of the bible.  It's real.

I'm a Christian myself, I had just never heard of this sort of situation involving blood before. Obviously there is a lot of debate when it comes to medical treatments and religious beliefs, but this one was new to me. 

[Danielg342]

57 minutes ago, ApplePie said:

Also, is there really a religion out there that doesn't believe in using blood transfusions?

The Jehovah's Witnesses are well known for their disdain for blood transfusions. Many of them disdain modern medicine in general out of the belief that "God will take care of me".

[orza]

5 minutes ago, ApplePie said:

I'm a Christian myself, I had just never heard of this sort of situation involving blood before. Obviously there is a lot of debate when it comes to medical treatments and religious beliefs, but this one was new to me. 

Jehovah's Witnesses are opposed to blood transfusions. One occasionally reads in the news of cases in which parents refuse a blood transfusion for their child and some group goes to court on behalf of the child to ask a judge to overrule the parents and order the procedure be done.

[ApplePie]

3 minutes ago, orza said:

Jehovah's Witnesses are opposed to blood transfusions. One occasionally reads in the news of cases in which parents refuse a blood transfusion for their child and some group goes to court on behalf of the child to ask a judge to overrule the parents and order the procedure be done.

I see it's more common than I thought. Sad to think that is happening. 

[Guest]

47 minutes ago, willco said:

Boy, they telegraphed that about a mile away ! Anytime a show has a person sitting in a chauffeured limousine and then they pan the camera to the window, all you have to do is count to "2" and Bam ! , they are rammed by a truck. I've seen that so often, I would have been shocked if it didn't happen. Yeah, this has not been a good year for tv wives ! I've always liked the actress, so I'm kind of sorry to see her go, but maybe this will be the nudge the show needs to get back to more exciting stories ? 

Especially when they’ve just had a big victory and left their husband a sappy message. It was so predictable. 

[Addie1917]

Welcome back, Designated Survivor. 

I’ll admit, I couldn’t stand the First Lady as much as anyone else. But seeing Keifers reaction after their victory? My heart absolutely broke. I’m glad she left by her own choice to work on another show. 

As always, Maggie Q is a beyond phenomal actor no matter what she is doing. The scene between her and chuck was so heartwarming, I really hope they become a thing eventually, they have been setting the stage for it since season one. 

Yes the whole thing with Damian was predictable but then he’s,,, ALIVE? How did he survive that fall?? What is he gonna do now?? 

I guess all these questions will have to be answered after the break. Hurry up February 28th. 

One criticism is: I don’t like how they tend to portray liberals as the livesaving heros and people who are religious as bad. I have never heard of a religion that would not do that. 

[shapeshifter]

This would've been 100 times better if they'd kept the FLOTUS's death out of the spoilers previews.

 

 

2 hours ago, ApplePie said:

I'm scratching my head at Hannah not thinking that Damien could be wearing a bullet-proof vest.

Must be twu wuv.

 

 

11 minutes ago, forumfish said:

However, the religious group in tonight's episode was said to be an offshoot of Christianity

Jehovah's Witnesses do self identify as Christians. 

 

 

ETA: I like to think there will be a DVD with the kids singing both Christmas carols and the song Lyor was teaching them.

Edited December 14, 2017 by shapeshifter

[dwmarch]

1 hour ago, Addie1917 said:

Yes the whole thing with Damian was predictable but then he’s,,, ALIVE? How did he survive that fall?? What is he gonna do now?? 

A bulletproof vest stops the bullet but not the kinetic energy. So Damian got hit in the chest right near his lungs by an object going about 900 miles an hour and it hit him hard enough to spin him around and off the bridge (which is funny because I didn't think Hannah was rocking a Desert Eagle, it looked like a 9mm or a .45 to me but I'm no gun expert). Hitting the water from that high up would also be the shits. And any river anywhere near DC in mid-December is going to be insanely cold. Wet leather is heavy and I am sure that even people with a fetish for it still don't enjoy swimming in it. And of course, in true 24-style this confrontation of the jilted lover takes place where there is no backup within easy reach. After Hannah shoots her prime suspect off a bridge she goes out drinking rather than filling out the infinite paperwork that would accompany such a profound screwup.

Look Designated Survivor, I know having Keifer Sutherland around makes cribbing from 24 irresistable. But steal the good stuff, not the bullshit!

1 hour ago, forumfish said:

JW are the only group I know that refuses blood transfusions. From what I've read, it's based on their interpretation of Old Testament Scripture that prohibits the Hebrew people from ingesting blood by eating or drinking. I doubt there was such a thing as blood transfusions back then, so I guess I can see their point that allowing blood to be put into the body by any means is sinful. Quite a stretch, in my opinion.

I can see it being a hygiene rule before the concept of hygiene really existed. Non-refrigerated blood would spoil quickly and wouldn't be good for much except getting other people sick. So at some point some priest/doctor said "God says this stuff is bad, don't mess with it." But I don't recall any particular prohibition in scripture that specifies exactly what God will do to someone who disobeys this. That was what I would have asked the lady in the first place. Okay, you're going to defy God's will to save your daughter. First and foremost, if God is indeed all powerful, can you defy Him? And second, supposing you do and you have now offended God with your blasphemy (neverminding the fact that one having the ability to offend God means that one has power over God), what exactly is the Almighty going to do to settle the score with you that would be worse than killing your baby?!

[gryphon]

The song that Lyor wanted the girls to sing was Yaz's  "Only You."   And I wish we would have heard it. But I liked the version they played. 

And I'm on the Lyor fanbus as well. 

I am probably one of the few, but I didn't expect the ending. 

Edited December 14, 2017 by gryphon

[marinw]

8 hours ago, ApplePie said:

Oh and I like Lyor too

I liked that actor in Royal Pains and his very brief time on The Expanse

[The Wild Sow]

29 minutes ago, marinw said:

I liked that actor in Royal Pains and his very brief time on The Expanse

Ha, I liked him in  Road Trip!  Yes, I'm old.

[mwell345]

14 hours ago, janeta said:

Now, the only problem with killing her off that way is that usually a FLOTUS motorcade shuts the streets down in rolling roadblocks; it's also trailed by an ambluance. Didn't notice if they had one on the show.

I thought the same thing.  That was a pretty big truck too, going pretty fast.  Not like you don't see the motorcade rolling down the street with lights flashing.  Which makes me wonder if they are planning on making her death a murder tied to some plot. I hope not.  I don't want to spend the next season focusing on who killed her.  And if they put Hannah in charge of the investigation, it could take 2 or 3 seasons to solve.

This is not a spoiler, just speculation on my part, but  I tagged it anyway. - has to do with British Agent.

 

Spoiler

Re:  The British agent - there's a part of me that thinks Computer Guy is setting him up - he could easily clone a phone or alter video.

[Happy Harpy]

That's what they call "knocking the socks off" the audience? Alex dying in a random accident? She wasn't involved in the conspiracy neither did she discover anything that could have cost her her life, there's no potential scandal or repercussion to deal with, no shock wave affecting all the storylines...just, the President is now widowed?

FYI, dear Kiefer since you were the main PR person for this one, this is such a tired cliché that Blue Bloods, of all shows, pulled a similar trick in its season premiere.

I couldn't get myself to watch a single episode this season. Hookstraten is gone and from what I gathered, Aaron is barely there, Emily with Seth (?!) and insufferable, Kiefer still President Carebear, Hannah still in a kind of parallel universe; I just found no incentive. But from the way they hyped it, I expected a huge shake-up, a game-changer on every level, and I kept on reading just in case DS delivered on its promise, for once. 

It didn't. Imo, this show is never going to be anything but anti-climatic. Too bad, they do have a great cast.

[marinw]

I don't blame Natasha McElhone for wanting to leave. Her character was underserved by the writers. I did like that she was able to get out of her legal issues by working with Kendra and useing her own brain. All that to be fridged.

Break out the guitar, Tom! Time for some mopey country western songs. 

Edited December 14, 2017 by marinw

[paigow]

Aaron: This is one of the most dangerous men alive. Get your team together.

Hannah: OK. I will contact Myself and Me...

[oakville]

I found it strange that all the main characters denied that they were religious.

Seth was adopted so he didn't know much about being muslim. Its weird because in the first season, they made a big deal about him being muslim. 

Emily was no longer Catholic after going to a religious school.

Lyor was atheist/agnostic.

Were they trying to show that non religious people had better morals than the evil cult mom?

I think the motorcade was filmed on University Avenue in Toronto. There is no way that a truck would be allowed to crash into the motorcade,

[AAEBoiler]

9 hours ago, willco said:

Boy, they telegraphed that about a mile away !

Yeah, it wasn't very shocking at all. More typical cliches from this show.

 

Speaking of typical cliches ... Superagent Wells meets Agent ShadyBrit on a bridge so the only question is who's going off the bridge. Of course, it's ShadyBrit and, of course, he drags himself out of the water downstream and he's ok. Sigh. Then, Agent Wells simply drowns her sorrows in a drink at the local pub instead of being in meetings because she discharged her weapon in shooting ShadyBrit (without any backup, other agents, etc.). This show is chock full of cliched (is that how you spell it?!?) tv tropes.

[Danielg342]

I didn't see this episode, but, knowing the spoilers, I knew Alex was a goner. I personally hoped she'd be part of The Conspiracy or that she'd simply divorce Tom and take her kids with her.

To know that she was killed in a freak accident, all just to give President Tommy Stu manpain...well, talk about anticlimactic.

Maybe in the 1970s this could have worked, but today? Forget about it.

It's just more "drama for the sake of drama" and it just reaffirms my decision to leave this trainwreck behind.

[marinw]

10 hours ago, Cherokee2000 said:

I did shed a tear for our beloved President Kirkman and for Kiefer. 

As did I. Although I may have also laughed out loud because I am a horrible person.

[Princess Lucky]

2 hours ago, Happy Harpy said:

That's what they call "knocking the socks off" the audience? Alex dying in a random accident? She wasn't involved in the conspiracy neither did she discover anything that could have cost her her life, there's no potential scandal or repercussion to deal with, no shock wave affecting all the storylines...just, the President is now widowed?

FYI, dear Kiefer since you were the main PR person for this one, this is such a tired cliché that Blue Bloods, of all shows, pulled a similar trick in its season premiere.

I couldn't get myself to watch a single episode this season. Hookstraten is gone and from what I gathered, Aaron is barely there, Emily with Seth (?!) and insufferable, Kiefer still President Carebear, Hannah still in a kind of parallel universe; I just found no incentive. But from the way they hyped it, I expected a huge shake-up, a game-changer on every level, and I kept on reading just in case DS delivered on its promise, for once. 

It didn't. Imo, this show is never going to be anything but anti-climatic. Too bad, they do have a great cast.

 

24 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

I didn't see this episode, but, knowing the spoilers, I knew Alex was a goner. I personally hoped she'd be part of The Conspiracy or that she'd simply divorce Tom and take her kids with her.

To know that she was killed in a freak accident, all just to give President Tommy Stu manpain...well, talk about anticlimactic.

Maybe in the 1970s this could have worked, but today? Forget about it.

It's just more "drama for the sake of drama" and it just reaffirms my decision to leave this trainwreck behind.

My thoughts exactly.

I watched this episode (a decision I regret) after not watching all season (a decision I do not regret) out of curiosity for that "big event" that was going to change the fabric of the show, the event that's "never been done before in a drama" and the event which would rival the show's pilot in terms of tragedy, and whatever else Kiefer and the showrunners promised.

That was it? Pass.

Also, my opinion on the British guy is even worse now that I've watched him. He's not even that hot (certainly not hot enough for Maggie Q) and he should have stayed dead.

And is Aaron even still on the show? I'm glad I didn't keep watching just to look at his new hair. It would have been a waste of my time.

I lament this show's wasted potential but dropping it was the right choice.

[Danielg342]

4 minutes ago, Princess Lucky said:

I lament this show's wasted potential but dropping it was the right choice.

Wasted potential indeed. This show is a textbook example of why a show needs planning.

Edited December 14, 2017 by Danielg342

[Sparger Springs]

This show should've been a limited series. Its now a basically cut rate West Wing.

[marinw]

Welcome back to the trenches, @Princess Lucky, however briefly. 

[paigow]

POTUS has manpain...and also phone pain...bruised his Samsung something awful....why was Mike not at the hospital next to Kirkman? Was the baby supposed to be put back in the nursery post-op? Maybe Cardiac ICU instead???

Edited December 14, 2017 by paigow

[janeta]

6 hours ago, gryphon said:

the song that Lyor wanted the girls to sing was Yaz's  "Only You."   And I wish we would have heard it. But I liked the version they played. 

ah yes, thanks.  i knew i recognized it but didn't hear enough of it to click.  (and even hearing it over the car crash didn't click it for me re: the kids.)

[paigow]

Who booked those kids in the first place? Were they supposed to be roaming the halls singing at random?? Was one of them working for Patrick Lloyd?? Is Lyor morphing into School Of Rock Jack Black? Quit his job and take the kids to Coachella?

[StaceyNotStacie]

I knew it was coming, but that ending still got to me. I wonder if it truly was an accident or if we will find out later that it was intentional. 

Based on the previews, I’m not looking forward to the scene with the little girl. 

[snarkylady]

1 hour ago, paigow said:

POTUS has manpain...and also phone pain...bruised his Samsung something awful....why was Mike not at the hospital next to Kirkman? Was the baby supposed to be put back in the nursery post-op? Maybe Cardiac ICU instead???

As the accident played out I had a horrible thought that Mike was with Alex....THAT would have been a tragedy. 

2 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

Wasted potential indeed. This show is a textbook example of why a show needs planning.

I imagine the planning went this way "let's get Kiefer Sutherland".  End of planning

[TimWil]

It shall be revealed posthumously that Alex was EVIL! It has to be!

[snarkylady]

several random thoughts to add:

The theme that Kirkland is the survivor left to pick up the pieces plays out again.  I wouldn't want to be a member of his family, cabinet or friend, too risky.

If they had to bring in an actress from 24 I would have vastly preferred Annie Wersching. 

Hannah deserves to be fired for stupidity and most likely violating a dozen FBI rules and protocol.

If the mother had refused treatment for her daughter not only would the child die but presumably also the people holed up in the cabin in the woods. 

Having children roaming the halls of the White House was bizarre, I guess it was an attempt at humor but it failed from my perspective.

Has Kirkland heard the message Alex left him on his phone?  Wonder if they'll show that and milk it some more.

[chaifan]

4 hours ago, oakville said:

I found it strange that all the main characters denied that they were religious.

Seth was adopted so he didn't know much about being muslim. Its weird because in the first season, they made a big deal about him being muslim. 

 

I think the issue in the first season with Seth is that people assumed/presumed he was muslim, and that is what was causing issues post-terrorism. 

Doesn't Hannah have a clean up team to call?  Wouldn't it cause a bit of an issue if a dead body just washes ashore on the Potomac, and is then identified as a British citizen/gov't employee?  And at that range, she could have simply shot him in the hand/arm shoulder.  Sort of stupid writing.

And my first thought about killing off the first lady was also lazy writing, that the plot line had fizzled spectacularly and they had nowhere to go with her.  But with the comments above that the actress wanted out, I guess there really isn't a choice other than to kill her off.  I do hope they don't turn it into another stupid conspiracy theory.

I liked how this show started, and now it's pretty much a new West Wing.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just that they need to decide a direction and stick with it.

[MerBearHou]

See, I think it would be cool for a new story direction that the First Lady was indeed murdered.  That could be juicy.  And yes, Hannah would handle the entire investigation. ;)

[Driad]

26 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

See, I think it would be cool for a new story direction that the First Lady was indeed murdered.

Although they could have done that with an apparent murder-suicide involving Alex and Druggie Son, complete with a note: "Tom, I lied, you weren't his father."

[DonWNY]

Rampage time! Who'll be the one who gets impaled on a curtain rod?  It's to the point now where, if anyone is seen sitting in a car relaxed and smiling, a sudden  t-bone collision is imminent. Of course he was wearing a vest!!?

[Biggie B]

I'd read weeks ago that the actress who plays the First Lady was leaving the show, so I figured she'd be killed. How else could they get her off the show? It's not like her marriage was rocky and they were on the verge of divorcing. I didn't like her character at all, found her insufferable, so I am thrilled she's gone! However, it stinks that it seriously and negatively affects a character I do like, so that's not so great. And now, what about those awful, awful children? Since the start of this show, I'd hoped they'd be sent off to boarding school (preferably out of the country), but now that their mother has died, the last thing the President will want to do is send them away. UGH! 

I have to admit, I was barely paying attention to this episode. I wanted the baby to die and or its mother, as well as everyone in the cabin. Darwinism! And the refusal of treatment for religious reasons has been done on every medical drama for the past 20 or more years - it's wildly unoriginal and has only two resolutions: either someone dies a tragic, unnecessary death (even more dramatic when it's a child), or, someone caves and consents to the treatment, feeling horribly guilty and confused in their faith. Ho hum. And I would've let the people in the cabin burn without so much as a moment's hesitation. 

The British agent - of course he's still alive! And why the HELL did he not just SAY to Hannah, "Here is the explanation of what's really going on [explanation provided], and I can show you XYZ that will support what I'm telling you!" Don't tell her that you have some magical thing in your pocket that will explain everything - TELL Hannah exactly what you have, and why it's relevant. Why oh why does it always happen that Character A says to Character B, "I can explain everything," yet they never do. JUST SAY IT! USE YOUR WORDS! And even worse - Hannah shoots this guy, seemingly kills him, and then just goes off alone to a bar? I get that she was shaken to the core, but should she not have notified...someone??? Anyone?? Does she even have a boss anymore? Or is she just a contractor? 

At this point, the show needs to change its name. The original premise has long been resolved and dispensed with. The show is just a poor man's version of The West Wing, to which it will never, ever compare. 

Edited December 15, 2017 by Biggie B

[Dowel Jones]

5 hours ago, Biggie B said:

I wanted the baby to die and or its mother, as well as everyone in the cabin.

I'm evil, so I was hoping the Pres. would make a deal with the cabin christians, to wit:  "If you all come down off the mountain, I will offer my wife Alex and her mother as substitutes for you in the cabin.  Maybe even my son.  I wouldn't let anything bad happen to them, right?"

I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have, but a couple of points on the holdouts.  One, if they were on federal property, they are trespassing after they have been ordered to evacuate, and can be forcibly removed if necessary.  Two, if they are on a private inholding within the NF or NP, the county sheriff has the authority to forcibly remove them if necessary.  Public relations be damned.  Three, if evacuation was not going to work at all, it would be a simple matter to burn everything around the cabin for a couple of hundred feet and soak the cabin with foam, and then wrap it in fire protective material.  I was a wildland firefighter before retirement and these things really do work, but they have the negative effect of taking all the melodrama out of tv shows.

So, I guess you're not going to Hawaii then, Hannah?  Unless you take Chuck with you.

[Blue Plastic]

14 hours ago, AAEBoiler said:

Speaking of typical cliches ... Superagent Wells meets Agent ShadyBrit on a bridge so the only question is who's going off the bridge. Of course, it's ShadyBrit and, of course, he drags himself out of the water downstream and he's ok. Sigh. Then, Agent Wells simply drowns her sorrows in a drink at the local pub instead of being in meetings because she discharged her weapon in shooting ShadyBrit (without any backup, other agents, etc.). This show is chock full of cliched (is that how you spell it?!?) tv tropes.

So dumb.  Hannah seems to hate having backup unless it's a British double agent, then she loves it.  So funny that Aaron told her to assemble a team and she promptly goes off by herself but no surprise to anyone who's watched this show for more than a couple of episodes.  Though I did want her to ask "What team?" since the only team she's had for a while now has been herself, Chuck (not a field agent), and a British double agent.  In a basement.  The show used to at least hire some extras with "FBI" emblazoned on their caps, but those all seem to be gone now.  Foerstel doesn't seem to work with her anymore.  Everything Hannah works on is so hush-hush that only she, Chuck, and a foreign agent she barely knows and never vetted are allowed to work on it!

It did occur to me that maybe Chuck has been the double agent all along and has been sabotaging all Hannah's work all this time, BUT that might be interesting so probably not.  The bad guy always has to turn out to be someone we've barely seen.

14 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

I didn't see this episode, but, knowing the spoilers, I knew Alex was a goner. I personally hoped she'd be part of The Conspiracy or that she'd simply divorce Tom and take her kids with her.

I really wanted Alex to turn out to be bad, especially if she was going to be leaving the show anyway.  But that might be interesting, so nope.  I'm still a bit confused as to why Foerstel went rogue and decided to persecute Alex even though she apparently had nothing to do with the Eric Little scandal.  Okay, so he's got political aspirations, but how does prosecuting an innocent woman help?  He's willing to just railroad her and figure the majority of the public will figure she's guilty?

ETA:  Are we supposed to assume that Hannah took care of reporting the supposed "death" offscreen?  Surely even this show wouldn't expect us to believe that an agent can kill someone and there won't be some kind of investigation just as a formality if nothing else?

Edited December 15, 2017 by Blue Plastic

[Izzie234]

17 hours ago, paigow said:

Who booked those kids in the first place? Were they supposed to be roaming the halls singing at random?? Was one of them working for Patrick Lloyd?? Is Lyor morphing into School Of Rock Jack Black? Quit his job and take the kids to Coachella?

Seriously.  The Kirkman White House is usually so touchy feely about how the public is treated, and suddenly everyone is completely rude to these little girls who were evidently invited to come and sing.  I kept waiting for the Prez to notice their plight and invite them into the Oval Office for hot chocolate.