Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Outbreak
Tosh Smith
at
.
Updated at
.
On Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 3, the Kirkman White House spends all day putting out fires from every direction.
A pharmaceutical company CEO tried to make profits, while people died from a deadly virus that could spread to the rest of the country.
President Kirkman believed that his usual heartfelt speech would work, but it failed with the corporate crony.
The company sold the drug to the highest bidder and kept more of the drug for themselves rather than giving their entire batch to the government.
I completely understand where the CEO was coming from. In business, you have an obligation to your shareholders.
If you don't maximize profits, they can sue you for breach of fiduciary duty. If you have a patent pending and you give it to the public for free, the patent won't be issued, and you'll lose all the money you put into research.
But, this was a significant public health crisis, and Kirkman had the moral high ground. If the flu virus spread, it could potentially wipe out so many people that the company's other drugs would be useless because there would be no one to buy them anyway.
There are times in our society when we have to act in faith on behalf of the greater good. And, unfortunately this is one of them.
Kirkman
The First Lady's mother has moved into the White House while the FBI continues to deem her home a crime scene. Hannah returned to the house because she says Patrick Lloyd wouldn't just break into a house for the sake of it since he did everything meticulously (except plan an escape from his bunker).
Damian and Hannah breaking into the records building seemed like a setup. Damian had to save Hannah once again, and it cost him his spot next to Hannah. This elated a previously annoyed Chuck, who clearly didn't care for Damian.
Hannah and Chuck's digging led them to an Eric Little. Little is somehow connected to the First Lady's mother, but the team was unable to question him since he was killed before they got there. The document Lloyd left behind was old. What did Little know that got him killed?
Alex: Why do i get the feeling my mom likes you better.
Tom: Because she likes me better.
Discovering that the First Lady's side of the family is involved in something shady was a twist I was not expecting. The evidence is there that the First Lady's father got moved up the heart transplant list because his wife was involved in a defense contract bribe.
The First Lady is always the person who grounds President Kirkman. With all the pressures of the job, she's the one innocent party around. If the President's in-laws are somehow involved in a scandal, that could taint his view of his wife's family.
The Kirkman White House family has a new member in the form of White House counsel Kendra Danes. Danes spend the day trying to negotiate a deal to remove a Confederate statue from a federal courthouse. Her biggest opponent is a supposedly legendary civil rights activist, Reverend Dale.
Reverend Dale doesn't want the statue removed because he wants people to remember the horrors of slavery. The topic was ripped right out of the headlines.
I understand the Reverend's viewpoint.
But, I also understand how people want to take down a statue that was only erected during the Jim Crow era as a reminder of slavery.
Maybe I missed it, but I didn't hear what Danes' actual compromise between the sides was. She kept getting praised for making a deal, but it would have been nice if viewers could see her actually make the deal.
You don’t know what it’s like to walk in my shoes. And i won’t always be around to tell you, but that statue will. It stays.
Reverend Dale
Lyor did provide some help when he turned all sides against him in Danes' statue negotiations. Claiming that every side profits from slavery was a genius move because nothing gets people angry like accusing them of making money on involuntary servitude.
The quirky plot of the week also involved Lyor, as he went to battle against the South American tree frog being kept in the White House.
Lyor views everything in the West Wing through his public-relations glasses. The frog did nothing for Kirkman's image, so Lyor naturally wanted it gone.
All in all, the episode was balanced in terms of action and drama, and I guess the writers are really going ahead with this Seth/Emily romance plot. Even though there haven't been any make-out sessions yet, you can feel that one is coming.
The only interaction Seth had with anyone this week was Emily, and their conversation consisted of talk about blueberry muffins. I will be disappointed with any Seth/Emily relationship drama because it's unnecessary, and will probably only lead to the two agreeing just to be friends.
Lyor: Seth is good.
Emily: Yep.
Lyor: The virus is better.
Emily: Yep.
What did you think of the episode?
- Is Damian gone for good?
- Is the First Lady's family connected to whatever Patrick Lloyd uploaded to the government servers?
- Are Seth and Emily really becoming a thing?
If you want to catch up on any part of the show you missed, you can watch Designated Survivor online via TV Fanatic.
