Designated Survivor

There is no shortage of topics left undiscussed this season. 

The campaigning is something which carries over throughout the season, but it seems each installment wants to take on a couple of issues at a time sometimes in a way that feels like it's checking them off of a checklist. 

For example, Designated Survivor Season 3 Episode 3 was heavily focused on transgender visibility, and Designated Survivor Season 3 Episode 4 most prominently featured Aaron's identity issues and delved into racial politics, colorism, passing, and even Eugenics.

The series took off running with this new forum and flexibility, and they are making use of its nearly full hour. However, it also feels a bit too cluttered.

Related: Designated Survivor Season 3  Episodes 1 & 2 Review: Edgier than Ever! 

Some of the storylines don't have the time to breathe before they're wrapped up and the s...
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A lot happened during this hour.

Was it entertaining? Sure, but the biggest issue is that they threw another three or four plots at us during the last episode before the finale. There was too much happening on Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 21, and there is no time to address any of it adequately. 

We also are unsure of whether or not the series will be picked up for another season which means if they're banking on loose threads, unresolved plot points, and a cliffhanger then fans are going to be livid. You can count me as one of those fans.

"Target" was an installment that finally gave us some more insight into Kendra. Only a teeny bit of insight though. For one, she has been seeing Trey. 

Apparently, the two of them have been getting friendly and eventually fell into bed together. All of this has taken place offscreen, of course. I have commented multiple times on the underuse and misuse of Breckin Meyer. 

He's ...
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The hacker storyline has concluded, and we now know who the real hacker is. Are you surprised? 

Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 20 laid to rest one of the many ongoing arcs it had going on, and it wasn't who the show wanted us to believe it was. 

Did anyone ever believe Andrea was the hacker? 

Andrea was so clearly a misdirect that it was difficult to go along with her being the number one person of interest. On that note, it wasn't surprising that Kirkman and Hannah had put together a plan this entire time. I mentioned in my review for Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 19 that Kirkman firing Hannah was a hoax. 

He was giving her the opportunity to investigate more, and that's what she did. The only surprise in this was that she was looking into Dax and not Andrea. I thought she was still looking into Andrea, and I fully anticipated it to drag on until the end of the season before she realized that Andrea wasn't the hacker...
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Be still my heart, Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 19 was an hour that reminded me why we fell in love with this series in the first place.

It was a shockingly solid hour considering the series has spent the majority of the season coasting along.

While Kirkman being deemed fit by the hour's end was expected, the shocking five minutes at the end were not. 

What I loved about the hearing to determine whether or not Kirkman should be removed from office was that if you separated emotion from it and strictly looked at the facts and those alone, there were reasons that supported the decision and others that did not. 

As mentioned before, Tom's decision to go to war with Kunami was misguided beyond belief. The way he confronted the civilian who killed his wife was enough to give people pause. Tom dragging on replacing the VP and appointing members in various positions didn't bode well for him either. 

Those were all reas...
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Everything is coming back to haunt Kirkman and some of his staff members on Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 18. In a move for which the series deserves kudos, the 25th Amendment was used as a plot point.

Michael J. Fox made his debut as Ethan West. I can already tell I'm going to love and loathe him all at once. 

It's tough when you want to be Kirkman's team, but you also understand those questioning him.  

Tom was back to being that sweet, genuine, kind-hearted man that we know and love best. He wasn't dabbling in that dictator behavior that has been on display for weeks. As a result, the mere thought of anyone coming for him and his presidency was enough to put anyone on edge. 

Therapy Gate was the gift that kept on giving. The press was having a field day with that one because there were apparently seven tapes of therapy notes, and Gamine was strategically dropping them like [insert musical artist of your choice] drops an ...
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The moral and ethical complexities continue, and it made for a great hour. 

That's not to say that Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 17 didn't leave me feeling perturbed, however.

Let's unpack all of that and discuss the exciting leak that the White House will have to deal with next. 

It's fascinating how Kirkman has evolved on the series, and the same can be said for Emily as well. What's interesting is that no matter what was put out there, and who questioned him, Kirkman was consistent with his stance on declaring war. 

He was consistently wrong, but he committed to it. He didn't waver once, and that was shocking. Every time something would pop up that would maybe make him reconsider his actions, he doubled down on the declaration. 

Related: Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 16 Review: Fallout

There is a growing sense of discomfort coming from some of the sta...
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Well now.

The last 20 minutes of Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 16 shook things up, didn't they? An explosion and another tragic death were the least of the hour's shocking moments when you compare them to the character development that has taken place. 

Though I can't resist pointing out that in our real government everyone gets terminated, resigns, or are taken out by some scandal or another, in this fictional world, everyone dies! 

The hour was meant to pick up where Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 15 left off with Kirkman and the gang discovering that a dirty bomb was somewhere out there in the good ole' United States and realizing that there was limited time to find it. 

You know, just your typical Wednesday. 

I'll take this moment to point out that Aaron has somehow become my favorite character. It could be because I'm a sucker for underdogs, and he still is plagued with the least amount of screentime o...
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Tom and Andrea make a fantastic team. 

Kim Raver's guest starring role doesn't cease to disappoint on Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 15, and let's keep our fingers crossed that she will stick around for a while. 

She and Kirkman have a natural chemistry, and she may be able to get through to him in a way that no one else can because she's a widow, too. 

The hour was mostly dedicated to negotiations between two countries with a long-standing feud. East and West Hun Chiu were damn near impossible to work with, and it was nothing short of frustrating.

Both countries had leaders obstinate in their beliefs, and Kim was downright insufferable. 

The man was a dictator through and through, but it was interesting to draw parallels between him and Tom.

Kirkman is not a blood-thirsty dictator who would nuke other countries he disagrees with or kills his own family members who defy him, but it has become abundantly...
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