Designated Survivor (ABC>Netflix) (1 Viewer)

[Stan]

Somehow missed the latest episode. Dish Network shows it was recorded, but nowhere to be found on the DVR.

Checked out ABC.com and after jumping through a lot of hoops, finally was able to link to my Dish account and get to the show. What a pain. But will be watching it later this morning, 3:15 a.m. and I'm wide awake. The Daylight Savings Time thing, even though only an hour, really messes with me.

Started the show, watched a few minutes and wow, I was amazed at the quality. Beautiful picture, crystal clear and obviously HD.

This is one of the few winners I think will survive out of all the new shows. The networks just seem to open the spigot and toss out tons of new shows, very few of them worth watching. This is a keeper and I hope it continues.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

This was my favorite episode since the pilot. Kirkman actually got some public wins, even if they came with a serious cost.

And if you're going to do a story about the American government being beheaded, you should spend some time on the mechanics of putting the pieces back together. In my earlier post, I mentioned the legislative branch being stalled until the next election. I was taking my cue from past stories where the government of the United States had gotten wiped out in a cataclysm. The difference is that in many of those stories, the cataclysm had torn through the entire country -- whether through nuclear war or pandemic flu. In this scenario, the disaster was confined to one building. So while the leadership of the federal government was almost entirely wiped out, the fifty state governments continued on with minimal disruption. And while the provisions of the Constitution for filling vacant seats weren't designed to replace the entire Congress, there's no reason they couldn't be used for that purpose.

While the show streamlined things slightly, they got the procedure right. To fill a vacant Senate seat, the Seventeenth Amendment says:

When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.​

The state legislatures of 46 of the 50 states currently empower the governor to appoint a U.S. Senator until a special election can be held, usually at the next general election. The remaining four states -- Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin -- do not allow their governor to make an appointment; I believe Senate vacancies in those states are handled like vacancies in the House of Representatives. But I can see why the show didn't want to get bogged down in that, and a Senate with 92 Senators is functionally the same as a Senate with 100 Senators.

To fill a vacant House seat, Article I, section 2 of the Constitution says:

When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies.​

All states require special elections to fill any vacant House seats during the first year of a new Congress, but the rules vary for the second year of a Congress, since a general election is right around the corner. However, given the extraordinary nature of these circumstances, 2 U.S. Code § 8 might come into play.

Under extraordinary circumstances -- triggered "when the Speaker of the House of Representatives announces that vacancies in the representation from the States in the House exceed 100" -- special elections must be held within the 49 days following the Speaker's announcement, and the political parties have 10 days after the Speaker's announcement to nominate candidates. There are two exceptions: if the next general election is within 75 days of the announcement, or if the governor of a state had already set a date for the special election outside that 49 day window before the Speaker's announcement.

The tricky thing here is that there is no Speaker to make the announcement. We know that they're in the second year of this Congress since a presidential election was approaching. I don't know whether Hookstraten and MacLeish could meet and vote Hookstraten in as Speaker of the House. Failing that, perhaps the states with the shortest timetables for special elections could send their Representatives to Washington, and then once a quorum can be established to select a new Speaker, the 49-day window could be triggered for the remaining states.

The writers are shamefully using manipulation a bit too freely: what are the odds that the governors would demand the one thing that is closest to the heart of the President's wife giving him an impossible choice?

It does seem a bit convenient, but at the same time I can understand why immigration would be the flashpoint issue under the scenario presented in this show. Terrorist attacks, especially terrorist attacks with a Middle Eastern face attached to them, heighten xenophobia. And the attack on the Capitol was a doozy. Once the attack is revealed as a domestic plot, assuming the revelation doesn't take down the Kirkman administration, Kirkman should have a lot more room to push back against the governor's demands.

I really appreciated that in a case when he was presented with signing onto a policy he didn't agree with, to get something that was essential to the future of the country, he made the pragmatic choice. It's not something you usually see with fictional presidents, but real ones make those bargains all of the time -- and with far less at stake.

I can't summon up much enthusiasm for the delving into the parentage of the President's son either.

I feel the same way. There are certainly plot threads that seem obligatory to maintain ABC's brand, and the parentage issue with the son is certainly one of them.

 

[DaveF]

I feel the same way. There are certainly plot threads that seem obligatory to maintain ABC's brand, and the parentage issue with the son is certainly one of them.

I'm betting the son was actually switched at birth, and the Kirkman's biological son is being raised in prison by the felon his wife had a fling with.

 

[Matt Hough]

OK, the writers need to put on the brakes and do some development of their already established conflicts instead of piling on more.

Four crises in a single 42 minutes of TV: too much.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

OK, the writers need to put on the brakes and do some development of their already established conflicts instead of piling on more.

Four crises in a single 42 minutes of TV: too much.

Agreed. It made sense in the immediate aftermath of the attack on the Capitol, with the nation is chaos. But six weeks out, things should be settling down a little bit.

The subplot about the son's paternity continues to grate.

And it's ludicrous that the FBI would have such essential information for the president to know, and no way to get to it to him. I get that the deputy director couldn't spill the beans with MacLeish in the room, but there's no reason he couldn't conveyed to the chief of staff or the special advisor that the FBI has grave concerns about MacLeish.

And after playing things so carefully in the oval office, the deputy director's veiled threats to MacLeish later in the episode seemed beyond stupid; why tip off the conspirators when you can, to quote our real life president-elect, "delay, delay, delay."

But despite those concerns, I continue to enjoy the show.

 

[Stan]

Agreed. It made sense in the immediate aftermath of the attack on the Capitol, with the nation is chaos. But six weeks out, things should be settling down a little bit.

The subplot about the son's paternity continues to grate.

And it's ludicrous that the FBI would have such essential information for the president to know, and no way to get to it to him. I get that the deputy director couldn't spill the beans with MacLeish in the room, but there's no reason he couldn't conveyed to the chief of staff or the special advisor that the FBI has grave concerns about MacLeish.

And after playing things so carefully in the oval office, the deputy director's veiled threats to MacLeish later in the episode seemed beyond stupid; why tip off the conspirators when you can, to quote our real life president-elect, "delay, delay, delay."

But despite those concerns, I continue to enjoy the show.

I like the son's paternity subplot. For once a teen who actually loves his father, not the usual "I'm pissed at the world" attitude.

The MacLeish-Deputy Director thing is driving me crazy. Just get on with it. It's like this gigantic teaser of who will win, when will it happen, but let's drag it out. All the Deputy Director has to do is request a "private" meeting with POTUS, do it subtly enough that MacLeish doesn't catch on and drop a few hints for POTUS, who is already nervous, but about the wrong guy.

I have a feeling nothing will happen and MacLeish will end up VP, just to keep the drama going.

 

[Nelson Au]

At least Kirkman had learned his lesson and decided to wait until the FBI finishes vetting MacLeish. And I hope Hannah is able to finally speak out to Kirkman's administration.

 

[Matt Hough]

Some of the machinations to prevent people from doing their jobs are wearing pretty thin.

Otherwise, good episode.

 

[GlennF]

Yes, things are getting a little too wacko. The Deputy Director's son is kidnapped, but we see nothing of his wife. (Oh no, he tells Welles, he's home safe and sound.)The whole election thing was kind of...stupid. So, the President voted so everyone now else thinks it is safe. If there is one polling station that would have been checked and cleaned within an inch of its life, it would be his. I do like the Virginia Madsen character. She is anti-president, but also anti v.p, so she continues to be an interesting thread.

All in all, I still like it, but it is getting, for lack of a better word, "stupider" and is in danger of "jumping the shark" already, but it has enough pluses that I will stick with it a while longer.

 

[ScottH]

Yeah this is a really dumb, poorly written show. Somehow I'm still drawn to it but I do find myself losing interest with each episode.

So why couldn't the Deputy Director guy tell Kirkman exactly what happened and then come up with a plan to continue to go through the motions as if he confessed to the crime? That whole story line was weak.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Yeah, I'm done with this series! I can suspend my thoughts in shows like The Blacklist, but this type of show needs to written more intelligently and with some realism.

 

[ScottH]

Yeah, I'm done with this series! I can suspend my thoughts in shows like The Blacklist, but this type of show needs to written more intelligently and with some realism.

Funny you compare it to The Blacklist because I don't think that show is any different in the writing/realism department.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Funny you compare it to The Blacklist because I don't think that show is any different in the writing/realism department.

That's my point! I can go along with the fantasy writing on The Blacklist or another show like Lethal Weapon. However, I expected a more serious approach with this show because it highlights our political system and process dealing with a very significant crisis.

 

[ScottH]

That's my point! I can go along with the fantasy writing on The Blacklist or another show like Lethal Weapon. However, I expected a more serious approach with this show because it highlights our political system and process dealing with a very significant crisis.

Ah, gotcha. Yeah, I've said from the beginning with this show (I think even on this thread) that I think it would have been more interesting as a "fish out of water" story with a president with a good heart who is in over his head. But Kirkman comes off as someone far too seasoned and somewhat comfortable in his role as prez. Kirkman should be more like President Logan was on '24'.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

"Army Wives" grad Jeff Melvoin replacing Jon Harmon Feldman as "Designated Survivor" showrunner

I'm actually optimistic about this change, since the show's subsequent episodes haven't lived up to its pilot. The big problem is that it's so overstuffed with things happening.

And the fact that Maggie Q's FBI agent wouldn't tip her hand that anything is wrong while seated across from the president's chief of staff is frankly infuriating.

 

[Matt Hough]

Yes, the show is running out of chances with me. I'll continue along for a few more weeks of new episodes (whenever they end up airing), but it's got to get better and more intelligent or I'll have to drop it.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I think that cliffhanger ending is going to alienate a lot of viewers, and leaving us hanging on that note until March is going to mean a lot of the audience doesn't come back. It's obvious that Kirkman won't die since Kiefer Sutherland is the star of the show, which only makes such an obvious ploy -- akin to the cliffhanger of Negan's victim on "The Walking Dead" -- feel even more cynical and artificial.

I really wish this show had landed on a different network instead of ABC. ABC has a very successful formula that happens to be all wrong for this show: each episode crammed full of plot developments, romantic and/or sexual developments between professional colleagues that are completely at odds with the personal conduct that people at that high level would be required to adhere to; a shocking conspiracy that results in a sniper's bullet targeted for the president and a Manchurian Candidate vice president who is overwhelmingly confirmed despite reasons to pause. The last one is particularly galling, since it required a lot of artificial maneuvering on behalf of the writers so that nobody aware of the conspiracy could actually tell the president about it.

I'm going to stick with the show in the hopes that the new showrunner gets it back on track. But when a premise's credibility is compromised to this extent, it's hard to come back from. This show should have been "The West Wing" meets Tom Clancy's Executive Orders. Instead, the show went Shondaland.

 

[Matt Hough]

I agree completely with your assessment, Adam, and after such a long hiatus, I may not be around for the second half of the season, particularly if some other midseason shows begin to attract my time and attention. As much potential as this show had at the beginning, it has gone in all the wrong directions to make it appointment viewing for me.

 

[NeilO]

March? After that cliffhanger? That is painful.

 

[NeilO]

And the fact that Maggie Q's FBI agent wouldn't tip her hand that anything is wrong while seated across from the president's chief of staff is frankly infuriating.

At least the fall finale told us why she was warned not to tell the chief of staff anything, as it revealed he seems to have been in on the conspiracy.