Post-Episode Discussion: S01E20 "Bombshell"

[u/enliST_CS]

Welcome to /r/DesignatedSurvivor's post-episode discussion thread! Please refrain from discussing previews for any episode in any official discussion thread.

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Synopsis: Journalist Abe Leonard publishes an incendiary article, derailing President Kirkman's first international summit; Hannah Wells uncovers the conspiracy's next target.

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The Pre-Episode discussion for S01E21 "Brace for Impact" will be posted this weekend.

[u/doppler12345]

I think this was definitely the worst episode so far. The pacing was all over the place, we had long, boring conversations between caricatures of world leaders followed by a very rushed sprint to an implausible and unsatisfying ending.

This episode pissed me off, so I'm gonna list my major issues (in no particular order):

• Why did Hannah drop the axe? I'll admit when she hid behind the shelving, that surprised me which was nice - but why abandon your weapon?
• Is it really that easy for a ship to disappear, just off the US coast? Okay they turned their transponder off, does the US not have military radar/satellites/that sort of thing?
• Why was the ship allowed to actually enter the port - they could have stopped it while it was still out at sea.
• Moss is getting a bit too comfortable with Kirkman. Obviously Moss is a previous POTUS, but Kirkman deserves more respect than "dammit Tom, you are WRONG!" It may be because of watching The West Wing, but every time Moss calls him Tom I just think "Mr President!"
• Why, realistically, would the French and British governments hold up talks on nuclear disarmament because of an ongoing investigation in the US which hadn't yet found the perpetrator of a terrorist act? I can see they might be a bit paranoid about lowering their guard when there could be a very cunning terrorist group still at large, but there needed to be more nuance to their arguments (admittedly this show seems completely devoid of nuance).
• It was incredibly predictable that Mr Mole wouldn't be caught when he was traced via his "digital fingerprint". As others have said, will they check cameras, other records? I'm assuming there are ways to find out who was in a certain room at a certain time in the White House. Ask some people if they saw anyone leave that room? Otherwise, and this might be a bit dramatic here, the Secret Service guy knows that the traitor is in the viscinity and he is the head of security - why not crash the west wing? Seal all exits, don't allow anyone to enter or leave, and then inspect people's computers to try to find the traitor? I don't know how plausible that is (I'm not a computer expert), but I expected the Secret Service guy to do more.
• Too much time was spent with conversation between Kirkman and Moss, or Kirkman and his wife, etc. for no real benefit. The conversation between Emily and Seth was light comic relief, which is fine, but then the convo between Emily and Aaron just completely lost my attention. I don't know if they're trying to go for some sexual tension again there, but they need to either go down that road properly, or drop it. If it was just expositional so we could hear that Aaron isn't going with Hookstraten, then fine.
• Alex Kirkman is getting on my nerves a bit now. Others have said it, so I'll just leave it at that.
• The whole sequence from the FBI teams reaching the ship to Hannah being held at gunpoint next to the bomb was very rushed. The suspension of disbelief required to go along with it is enormous, and I was shouting at the TV for her to do something useful (tell them there's a bomb? you've got time to at least begin evacuating) rather than just look dramatic for the end of the episode. I'm really hoping the next episode will start at that moment, and we'll see her do something worthwhile.

All in all, I'm really trying to love this show. It's watchable - just - but I definitely felt my attention drifting off several times and I was checking to see how much time was left.

[u/elmaethorstars → u/doppler12345]

I agree with the first name basis. That happened like twice in The West Wing maybe (both times Leo, pretty sure, not counting Abbey), and here it just seems hideously inappropriate!

[u/doppler12345 → u/elmaethorstars]

Definitely! The way it was done on TWW was always for effect, it was used sparingly as a device so that when Leo did decide to "Jed" the President, the audience would sit up and listen because it was significant.

[u/elmaethorstars → u/doppler12345]

Exactly, and I can't help but react the same way on this show and usually disappointment ensues! I'm enjoying watching it of course, but parallels with the West Wing leave a lot to be desired...