Designated Survivor Review [1×07]: “The Traitor”

Some nonsensically placed plot twists make for the weakest episode of Designated Survivor to date.

Plot twists have long been an integral part of television – and indeed film. Their very nature is intended to surprise, to turn the tables on the viewer by doing something they absolutely don’t expect. This can work on both a minor and a major level, depending on how shocking the twist is and how much it will ultimately affect the series. Designated Survivor employed twists on both ends of the spectrum in “The Traitor”, but they weren’t especially effective.

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In “The Traitor”, U.S. track and field coach Brad Weston (Jeff Teravainen) headed to Russia with his team of athletes, only to be arrested on drug charges, forcing President Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) to try and negotiate for his release. However, he learnt many unexpected things about Weston in the process. Meanwhile, Wells (Maggie Q) sought out more information on the mysterious Catalan through an old CIA contact, and Jason (Malik Yoba) received an unexpected visit from Congressman MacLeish (Ashley Zukerman) before learning that his son has gone missing.

National icon turned spy turned traitor.

An early scene in the hour had Kirkman telling the American public, live on TV, how sports helped the country move on after 9/11 and how Weston’s athletes competing in a world championships in Russia will help them now. It was clear how much he admired Weston, and how much he believed the country should too. Certainly, Designated Survivor did a good job of setting up this man as a national icon and, normally, the reveal that he was not only a CIA spy but a Russian double agent would have been as disheartening to viewers as it was to Kirkman.

“If today’s taught me anything, it’s that you can’t know enough about a person.” – Tom Kirkman

But there was something so frustratingly nonsensical about the complexity of it all, something so unnecessarily dragged out, that it all fell very flat. The idea that Weston was a CIA spy was crazy enough: it was like the show felt that someone with as iconic a status as him being detained on potentially false charges wasn’t an engaging enough story. That notion is saddening; this is a story about the President where all of the espionage and traitorous elements are entirely secondary. Currently, that vision is blurred somewhat, with Designated Survivor’s priorities all wrong.

Furthering Kirkman’s character as President by making it clear – once again – that he’s new to this game isn’t really development, simply a monotonous repeat of everything covered in the previous six episodes. Granted, there is a need to check in with him on that front every so often, but it’s making up the majority of his post-crisis reflection, and that’s a concern.

Another traitor, though a more obvious and inevitable one.

Catalan being an American isn’t a surprise. In fact, it’s the opposite of a surprise. Thanks to Wells’ conspiracy theories earlier in the season, this was an obvious revelation, one that – from a dramatic perspective – absolutely did not warrant the shock weight given to it. (Showing who exactly Catalan was is fair enough in this regard, though it didn’t mean a huge amount other than Wells realising how Nassar (Nicholas Massouh) died.)

Now that this has been established, there’s more that Designated Survivor can do in terms of progressing the arc… starting with causing problems for Jason.

After learning two episodes ago that MacLeish was in on the attack having been in the room built into a bomb shelter, it’s safe to assume he and Catalan are working together. Now, a hostile exchange in his office came just before Jason’s son went missing – kidnapped by someone working with one of the two antagonists. Getting him back will require Jason to meet with the President and follow the instructions he’ll be given from there.

Quite what he’ll be asked to do is yet to be determined. While it’s possible he’ll be told to assassinate Kirkman, it seems too obvious and something that will simply never happen, thanks to the show’s nature. It’s certainly an intriguing set-up, though; there was no specification that he had to stop investigating (though his son’s safety takes precedent) and this is a real indication that they’re on the right tracks.

Paternal issues.

Towards the end of the hour, Kirkman goes to see Leo. He’s confused by his dad’s visit and subsequent staring, to which the President offers this explanation: “I feel like I haven’t seen you or talked to you.” It’s a perfect piece of meta-commentary, given that Tanner Buchanan has been absent since the third episode. That isn’t a bad thing.

Here, Jeffrey Myers (Erik Palladino) made an appearance on-screen having been referenced in episode five, thus continuing to raise the question over who Leo’s father really is. Furthermore, his resurfacing led to a marital argument, Tom angry that Alex (Natascha McElhone) kept this from him, and he has a right to be frustrated, since this is the kind of scandal that could tarnish his already questionable image. Unsurprisingly, he quickly got over it; it would have looked bad on him had he not, since he was the one to decline the paternity test.

Still, Myers needed to be dealt with. His suggestion? An early release on time served, given to him by the President. Putting aside how desperately predictable that request was, it was another difficult decision.

Ultimately, though, all that matters is the conclusion was exactly what it should be: regardless of whose genetics Leo has, Tom Kirkman is his father. How the issue of Myers was resolved went unspecified since the President was aghast at granting him early release – unless we’re to assume that Lisa (Melanie Scrofano) will never run that story thanks to Seth’s (Kal Penn) persuasiveness, which is crazy – but frankly, it probably doesn’t matter. If this is the end of it, the show can only benefit.

Final Verdict: Come on, Designated Survivor. You can do better than this. Hopefully.

This was a problematic episode. For the second week running, the non-Kirkman aspects worked far better than those involving him did. We’re at the point now where I’m concerned that the show doesn’t really know how to develop him as a President without going through a repetitive formula: problem, potential success, ultimate failure, reminder that he’s new to the job. It’s tiresome, and Designated Survivor needs to find something else.

The FBI arc is coming together in a stronger way, though, which is a nice turnaround from where the show was even three episodes ago. Certainly, it’s quickly become the more intriguing side, and the one that fills me with more confidence moving forward.

Questions and comments:

• The sequence where Kirkman was offering the trades to both the Russian and Saudi ambassadors was excellent, with some tight editing and terrific direction from Fred Toye.
• Men don’t own sports, according to Emily (Italia Ricci). That was quite a thin way of including her in the episode, but it worked enough.
• You’d think that if Jason suspects MacLeish of complicity in a terrorist attack that killed a thousand people, he’d at least try and fake some sense of normality when the two met privately.
• Sean Callery went full 24 on the score in the final few minutes, and it felt offputting.

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