Killer Flu, Racist Statues, and Kirkman the Frog

Season two of ABC’s Designated Survivor continues to grow more and more intense. Episode three, “Outbreak,” deals with an outbreak of a killer flu, taking
Down Confederate statues, and the President (Keizebeing honored by having a frog named after him. Influenza A has already taken lives by the time the White House is alerted. President Kirkman’s old colleague from academia, Dr. Tammy Bruner (Alicia Coppola) has been put in charge of helping to find a cure. Lives are on the line as social issues arise when two parishes, one white and one black both need the drug.

Related | Designated Survivor Recap - “Outbreak”

These social issues continue as Kendra (Zoe McLellan) tries to solve a dispute over whether to take down or move a confederate statute. One that is solves only when she gives both sides a common enemy… Lyor (Pablo Costanzo). Already on the rampage, Lyor is upset after finding out the president is having a frog named after him. Certainly not dignified enough.

Agent Wells continues to be Agent Wells (Maggie Q). She finds medical files at the home of the first lady’s mother (Bonnie Bedelia). Files that she believes Lloyd planted there and may implicate Eva in a plan to get her husband’s name raised on the top of the transplant list. Social issues, mother in law problems, and a frog, it was a busy episode.

Our amazing roundtable has a lot to say.

Ryan Bartholomee (@RyanBartholomee) – The Supper Hero and a CPA who thinks he is funny.

Melissa (@atomicginge) – Writer, Fangirl and TV Junkie.

Anita Elizabeth (@anitaelizar) – Student, instructor, baseball fan and discusser.

What did you think about the Outbreak response by President Kirkman? By Dr. Tammy Bruner? Would you have tested that drug on yourself?

Ryan: thought Kirkman responded as the President should – concerned for the American people and doing everything in his power to save lives. Dr. Tammy Bruner really went the extra mile in testing the drug on herself. You could tell she wanted to be a good soldier and save lives more than anything. I appreciate how neither of them could sleep while people were suffering and in harm’s way. That is what leadership looks like: being obsessed with doing the right thing for the American people. In Dr. Bruner’s position, I certainly would have considered testing the drug on myself. However, since I have a family that counts on me, I would have had such a grim time making that decision.

Melissa: I thought the entire situation was handled brilliantly by President Kirkman. I love it when people think they can overthrow and undermine him because he always hits back, reminding them and the American people that he is a leader they can trust and ultimately gains more respect.
Dr. Tammy Bruner was an interesting character. I’m not sure if it was just me, but I certainly got the impression that she and Tom had been together - romantically speaking - in the past, before he met his wife of course.
I would test the drug on myself for sure. 100% without question.

Anita: I would not have tested that drug on myself. I would have tried to find another way to test the vaccine before making it available to the public. I was surprised that Tom responded fairly quick in handling the outbreak but not without people dying in the process. As Dr. Bruner said, it would have taken months for the CDC to develop a vaccine.

It seems like the first lady’s mother, Eva, was up to some shady business, but one that saved her husband’s life. Were her actions justified even though she misused her position as a government secretary?

Ryan: Eva appears to have done the wrong thing for the right reason. It doesn’t change the fact that it was wrong. However, given her motivations, her actions are understandable. What lengths would any of us go to for our family? You always hope there is a way to do what is right and still do what is best for your family. There should and will be consequences for Eva. If nothing else, it will hurt Eva’s reputation and tarnish the Kirkman legacy. If only she knew a President who could pardon her…

Melissa: Yeah, something’s off about Eva and this whole coverup thing. Even if her heart was in the right place, and people do crazy things for the ones they love and all that, her actions ultimately cost someone else their life. It’s difficult because I know that I’d do anything for someone I love, and I would’ve probably done the same if in her position. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Anita: Yes, I’m on to something here! I feel that she did use her position so her husband could get a transplant sooner. Lloyd found this out and is using it to try to expose Tom for it from the supposed dead (part of me doesn’t believe that he’s dead) but yet indirectly it has nothing to do with him. I’m questioning as to whether or not Alex knows anything about this too. It’s not justifiable but at the same time I understand that she must have been feeling desperate to do anything to see that her husband got his transplant and she likely figured that by using her office she could try to help him yet there are others who have been waiting for months for a transplant but who knows? Maybe he was waiting for quite a while already himself. Eric Little would have been able to provide some information on how that happened but (spoiler) Hannah found herself at a dead end.

Agent Maggie Wells kept digging this episode, but lost her new partner. Sorry to see oxford guy (Damien) leave? What was going on between him and Chuck?

Ryan: I am sorry to see M16 Agent Damian Rennett leave. He has proven that he has Agent Hannah Wells’ back. How did he know that door was rigged with explosives? I chalk up Damian’s and Chuck’s awkward interactions to personality and cultural differences (1%) and trying to be impressive in front of Agent Wells (99%).

Melissa: I’m glad Damien left, simple as that. I completely understood where Chuck was coming from. He’s been there with Hannah, right from the very beginning. He’s been there and believed in her when she had no one and nothing left. It’s understandable for him to be skeptical and slightly bitter of Damien. If I were Chuck, I’d feel as though I were being sort of ‘replaced’, if that’s the right word to use? Damien is trained to be out in the field, out in the action, whereas Chuck’s strength lies behind the computer screen, but is no less effective than if he were out in the field. However, I’d be a little jealous too. But very glad to see Damien go.

Anita: It was sad to see Damien leave, he and Hannah had great chemistry as colleagues! I think that Chuck was envying that Damien and maybe to him he thought that he was being pushed aside. If Damien was kept there longer, I would have liked to see more exploration into the dynamic between Chuck and Damien. But then again, I don’t recall Chuck speaking up about how he felt about Damien.

What do you think of the President’s “frog.” Not presidential enough?

Ryan: I try to be open-minded and not “leap” to conclusions, but this is hard. I appreciate the humor in Lyor’s sarcastic response to the idea of naming this frog after the President. However, if Kirkman is happy with it, everyone else should get happy with it, too.

Melissa: I love the frog. I especially love the fact that it’s a female because I feel like even if Kirkman knew it was the female species, he wouldn’t care. He’s an advocate for women, children, people of colour etc. I think he’d embrace it wholeheartedly. He’s a genuine and kind soul. I think the frog is awesome. It’s underestimated, it’s small, but it’s mighty with that call. Perfect fit for the President if you ask me.

Anita: The frog is cute and it provided an airy diversion from the other 2 plots going on at the same time.

This episode touched on a popular social justice issue. Confederate statues. What do you think of Rev. Dale’s point of view? Do you think Kendra Danes handled it properly?

Ryan: It was surprising to me, but I appreciated how Rev. Dale’s perspective was one of not wanting to sugarcoat or “whitewash” history so that we don’t repeat our previous mistakes as a country. Seeing the respect that Mike Ritter had for Rev. Dale would make me want to defer to the Reverend’s perspective and continue to be “more interested in where we’re headed.” Kendra Danes was in a tough situation where both sides were passionate about their position. Giving both sides a common enemy – Lyor Boone – was a brilliant tactical move to move past a stalemate. Moving the statue to a less prominent position seems like a reasonable compromise that leaves everyone a little dissatisfied with the outcome. That seems like a pretty good place for a catch-22 situation.

Melissa: I agree with Rev. Dale that the monument acts as a reminder. I think Kendra Daynes handled it expertly. Everyone hates Lyor and that’s ultimately what brought them all together to a compromise, by simply disagreeing with Boone. It does seem though - nowadays most prominently - that that tactic of having a common figure who stands for everything a rather large majority of people disagree with, is the only way to make things happen politically.

Anita: I don’t think that it completely helped for Kendra to bring in Lyor because he only caused them to become agitated than they already were. Reverend Dale made a good point about removing the statues would be like sanitizing history. Even though it’s an aspect of history that some find to be disconcerting, the history behind the person needs to be acknowledged in order to move forward with or without compromise.

Do pharmaceutical companies have a responsibility to the American people or to their stakeholders? Why?

Ryan: Both because doing the right thing is ultimately what is best for the stakeholders. We as consumers have more power than we often realize. Reputation does matter, and it does carry a price tag. Keep in mind that pharmaceutical companies spend more on marketing than R&D (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/11/big-pharmaceutical-companies-are-spending-far-more-on-marketing-than-research/?utm_term=.0fe07f64fa8f). When a pharmaceutical company acts as a hero instead of a greedy villain, the positive publicity should have far-reaching effects. Ultimately, Kirkman pointed out that what was best for the American people was also best for all the stakeholders – including shareholders.

Melissa: I can see it from both sides. The rival pharmaceutical companies would’ve figured out how to make the drug, therefore leaving Carlton Mackey’s company in jeopardy. It’s a business, his life’s work, his income. But you’d think in times of crisis, they’d put the numbers aside, put the money aside and help out for the greater good, no matter the cost?

Anita: Their responsibility is to the American people. If something goes wrong with a drug and people die from it or develop side effects, then the company will have to answer for it and should be held accountable. Mackie was clearly trying to hide something and Tom called him out on why he wouldn’t have over the rest of vaccines.

It seems that an Emily and Seth romance is coming. Do you “ship” it?

Ryan: Absolutely! They have great onscreen chemistry. They seem to make each other better, which is a great start for any relationship. I know that in their positions, keeping everything professional in the workplace would be of the utmost importance. I suspect they would both be up to that challenge. I can imagine having a significant other who fully understands the challenges of your job would be extremely comforting and potentially annoying all at the same time.

Melissa: I’m not sure how I feel about it. I love Emily, she’s my favourite. Seth is adorable. But their friendship is so great. It’s so rare to see a female/male friendship on TV that isn’t sexualised or romanticised. I’d be a little disheartened if they were to get together. But both character’s deserve the best. All I know is that I DO NOT trust Aaron. I didn’t in season 1 and I still don’t. As long as Emily doesn’t end up with Aaron, I’m good.

Anita: I don’t feel a romance coming between Emily and Seth. I thought last season that Aaron and Emily were going somewhere romantically but professionally that didn’t seem to be possible. I was hoping to see this season that they’d try to date and see where it went. The season is still young, but we shall see about that, I may be wrong though.

Kirkman at his Presidential Best

In ”Outbreak” we see President Kirkman at his Presidential best. Strong, compassionate, insightful, and smart. The social issues he had to deal with needed someone compassionate enough to deal with complex racial problems, while taking the CEO of a parmicutail company to court took strength and a more aggressive response. He is becoming the president the country needs and can depend on to make sound decisions quickly. All of this while maintaining enough humility not to be concerned when someone names a frog after him.

Even bigger challenges lie ahead for our president as the season progresses. It will be interesting to see what happens as these challenges become more and more personal. Agent Well’s discovery about the president’s mother-in-law looms, and it may become a huge scandal. It’s enough to make us nervous, but also excited to see what comes next.