Designated Survivor Review [1×06]: “The Interrogation”

An ill-timed hour of Designated Survivor makes for a bad President Kirkman story, but there is progress elsewhere.

Two main threads formed this week’s Designated Survivor. That isn’t a surprise. What is a surprise is how the pair of stories switched roles: the one we’ve come to expect to be good was poor, while the one we’ve come to expect to feel distant and weak was the highlight of the hour.

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In “The Interrogation”, President Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) agrees to a trial-of-sorts as he seeks the approval of the governors who will make up his new Cabinet after they attempt to question his legitimacy. After an attack on the White House, Kirkman is forced to make a tough choice to secure what he wants. Meanwhile, Wells (Maggie Q) and Atwood (Malik Yoba) look to further their investigation into the Capitol bombing by interrogating Majid Nassar (Nicholas Massouh).

It’s all too real and all too sad.

It’s tough – and less than ideal – to review television entirely in a vacuum, but this episode, in particular, is virtually impossible to separate from real-world context. There’s a case to be made that ABC should have held the show for a week after a gruelling election night, but in this particular campaign, “The Interrogation” would have been difficult to stomach regardless of when it aired. Perhaps that’s the point: the idea that Designated Survivor is trying to provide social commentary is admirable and a step in the right direction, but I fear that isn’t necessarily the case and, even if it is, the timing diminishes any potential enjoyment of the hour.

Governor Nichols’ (Christine Estabrook) suggestion that Kirkman should prevent the Syrian refugees – along with any and all immigrants – from entering the country, is both topical and hard-hitting. Indeed, it’s an indication of absolute fear of an entire group of people as a result of a few misguided individuals. Governor Rivera (David Norona) notes attacks in Paris, Brussels and Nice, plus the Capitol bombing, as examples of why people have a right to be suspicious. Certainly, we’ve learnt over the past year or so that this suspicion is evident in reality, and given its premise, Designated Survivor would be remiss not to address it.

“I’m not angry with the President. I am disappointed with my husband.” – Alex Kirkman

But that “The Interrogation” showed Kirkman giving in, caving when handed an impossible decision, is a sad step. While it does set the show up for a reversal and for Kirkman to eventually realise that this was a mistake, the very idea that he would even contemplate this shutout, let alone go along with it, is inherently depressing. Alex (Natascha McElhone) did, at least, ground the discussion, reminding him that standing up for the refugees was standing up for an American principle, which was much appreciated. And in fairness to Kirkman, he didn’t take this decision lightly; it’s just disappointing that he was put in the position to have to make it.

The trial of Tom Kirkman.

That ultimatum was delivered only after the governors decided they needed to know more about their new leader, and whether or not he deserved to be their leader. As Aaron (Adan Canto) noted, no commander-in-chief since Lincoln had faced questions over his legitimacy, but Kirkman’s desperation to secure the support of the governors outranked all logical reasoning as to why this was a terrible idea.

On the surface, “The Interrogation” would seem to refer to that of Nassar (more on that below); in fact, Designated Survivor played it cleverly with its double meaning. The sequence with cuts between Wells and Atwood walking to question Nassar as Kirkman walked to his trial was well constructed, adding appropriate weight to each but with a particular boost to Kirkman’s story.

Fundamentally, the entire thing was dumb. Nichols taking control of the meeting continues the show’s inability to establish a consistent character in Kirkman, a deeply concerning flaw after six episodes, but even the very idea of him having to answer questions is frustrating. The positive to be taken here is that, all being well, this puts to rest any doubts once and for all; the worry is that it will not, especially given that none of his three biggest doubters and/or problems – General Cochrane (Kevin R. McNally), Congresswoman Hookstraten (Virginia Madsen), and Governor Royce (Michael Gaston) – were in the room.

The notion that he doesn’t necessarily deserve to be President is one that has plagued the series since it began, and his initial admittance of that was both baffling and a lacklustre attempt to fill a little more screentime and provide some inspiration. Aaron’s implicit suggestion that Kirkman has warmed to being the country’s leader – one worthy of following – was a nice touch, but it seemed like more like the show’s near-clockwork effort to give the President a motivational boost with each passing hour rather than a narrative development. Furthermore, Kirkman’s speech, while a good indication of how much he cares about the country, did little to enlighten anyone on why he’s qualified for the job, yet plot convenience would see the governors agree regardless.

If Designated Survivor can avoid circling back to illegitimacy claims, this may end up being worth it. But for now, it’s simply a mishandled storyline with potential for competent resolution.

Threats work best.

Arguably, the strongest aspect of “The Interrogation” was Wells and Atwood questioning Majid Nassar on his involvement in the Capitol attack. Though making those responsible for the attack be a part of the government, or some other conspiracy-related perpetrators, is a mistake waiting to happen, their continued descent into dangerous yet more informed territory is compelling, at least.

After rejecting the idea of enhanced interrogation, Wells and Atwood were given 24 hours to extract information from Nassar. The pair discovered, after explaining what will happen to his other family should he refuse to cooperate, that Al-Sakar was not behind the attack but a man named Catalan was. In typical fashion, Atwood’s agency search on the name came up short.

By the end, Nassar was dead, and though the show’s clarification on the details was non-existent, it’s safe to assume that Catalan had him killed. We can see from the Capitol itself that this individual is dangerous, but his reach seems further than one might have expected, and both Wells and Atwood may find themselves in trouble very soon. Still, her way of extracting the information made for some gripping scenes, and Maggie Q did a great job exercising her power over Nassar.

Final Verdict: Oddly, Designated Survivor’s competency shifted focus.

Across its opening five episodes, Designated Survivor has been a much better show when it focused solely on Tom Kirkman, and weaker when it elected to explore the B- and C-plots that felt detached from the rest of the series. While that detachment still exists – Emily’s (Italia Ricci) request to Atwood that the FBI vet Congressman MacLeish (Ashley Zuckerman) was a step in the right direction – it was strange for the interrogation of Nassar to be the strongest element of the hour.

What’s good, however, is that after Kirkman’s trial, things are likely to get back on track on his side of the story. While we’re still quite a way from Designated Survivor achieving what it wants to achieve, there are at least positive signs available that suggest the writers do have an idea on how best to handle their characters, even if it isn’t consistently done yet – both across episodes and within them.

Questions and comments:

• Attempting to make Mike (LaMonica Garrett) seem like more of a character by shooting him on the night he had off to go bowling with his brother is a very last-ditch move. It did not pay off.
• Likewise, the show’s effort to enhance Alex’s character by having her desperate to help the refugees fell flat. It doesn’t help that Natascha McElhone is not at all good in this episode.
• Had the “Previously on” not reminded me, I might’ve forgotten that Leo (Tanner Buchanan) may not be the President’s son. That was bad enough initially, but with the show going in the inevitable direction – reporter Lisa Jordan (Melanie Scrofano) has a source claiming as much – I can only see it getting worse.
• Equally, there will only be problems caused by Seth (Kal Penn) getting involved with Lisa.
• The continued story with Wells and Atwood suspicious of MacLeish as he is on the path to becoming Vice President remains uncomfortable and frustrating.

‘Designated Survivor’ airs Wednesdays at 10pm on ABC.