Designated Survivor (ABC)

They would say that!

 

I assumed that the designated survivor was only made aware of this a few hours ahead of the actual event. Therefore, it would be nearly impossible to plan. For here to be in on the plan, the determination of the "designated survivor" would have to be corrupt as well.

 

Realistically, replacing the personnel killed if such a massacre occurred wouldn't be as difficult as portrayed in the show. A new cabinet could be formed almost immediately. Every department that comprises the cabinet (except the VP office) has an assistant or deputy secretary who could easily and immediately be named as an acting cabinet member - without a loss of expertise. As for the armed forces, the joint chiefs of staff all have a command structure and the next-in-line should be able to step up immediately. Members of Congress would probably take longer to replace. I'm presuming the rules to replace deceased Senators and House of Representatives Congress members vary from state to state. Many if not most could be replaced immediately by the appointment of the Governors of the individual states. The Supreme Court Justices would probably take longer as they must be affirmed by Congress. But the federal court system would still in tact in the interval. I'm guessing that heads of organizations like the NSA, CIA and FBI do not attend The State of The Union Address, but even if they did and they were killed - their deputies could step in immediately, again without a loss of expertise. The infra-structure of the federal government and the armed forces would still be in tact and operating.

 

Yes, that would be an important part of the plan. If it's possible for a cohort of attackers to plant a large explosive device in such a ultra-high security arena, then it wouldn't be much of a stretch that they could game the designated survivor, to finagle the aftermath.

 

episode 3 was OK, but, as i suspected, the son got way too much airtime. i fear the 2 kids will figure way to prominently in the future. it would be better to keep adult and political and sh**can the whole family storyline.

 

Pal format! Ha!

 

If this show doesn't last, I'd like to see it rebooted as a comedy starring Kramer.

 

Agree. The family moments with the whole 'what teenage kids get up to' subplot are nothing but an unwelcome distraction. The scenes don't feel like they belong.

There were other horrible moments, chiefly to do with the FBI agent - sweet christmas! she's horrible, but so is the dialog she's saddled with. That scene with the NSA(?) guy where she's telling him to break the rules and unlock that damn cloud, was so cringeworthy, it made me groan.

And we're already seeing many people with many agendas (whether real or implied) that I fear that it will turn into mess of moles, double agents, naked ambition and double crosses over time. Will the 'good' special advisor who missed out on the chief of staff position (bad call), turn out to be a traitor? Dam, dam, daaaaam!

 

This show is decent and all, but I'm just waiting for that moment when Kirkman reveals himself as former CTU agent Jack Bauer.

In all honesty, the show is probably a B- for me right now, and it's really reminding me how much better premium channel shows are over network shows.

 

But at least we know that survivor of the explosion wasn't there at a crucial moment...

I think the General Buck Turgidson character would make a good villain.

 

It really takes me back, to when we watched 24, and groaned or hooted at every plot hole and absurdity. Good times

 

Did you play who's the mole drinking game?

 

Good grade, I'd go with B-. It's watchable which is more then I can say about 80% of the new network shows.

 

My guess is that the son's drug dealing will be used to extort the President or used against him in some way in future episodes.

The one realistic thing I think that they got right for 2016 is how even in a national crisis almost no one is above pettiness, partisan politics or self-serving personal agendas - very zeitgeist for this era.

 

So true!

 

Another decent episode.

 

I pause every single time the show mentions the attack on the Capitol is the "worst act of terrorism since 9/11."

I think over a thousand dead people including the President, Vice-President, 533 members of Congress, and the Supreme Court might well give 9/11 a run for the title of worst, but perhaps the show doesn't wish to run the risk of offending 9/11 victims with fiction.

I'm sticking with it for now, but if the family subplots run riot or if the major plot lines prove as obvious as they threaten at the moment, I might not make it far... The pilot was fun.

Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

 

The other survivor's ability to get very far away from the explosion is a bigger stretch than anything Jack and Chloe did on 24. Like many tourists, I've visited the Capitol and it's a mess. I can only imaginie the snails pace that people would move during the State of the Union speech.

 

Kids always screw up these shows. I really get annoyed with shows where there are big events going on, but so and so's kid or kids are always getting into trouble. Can't we just watch adults deal with a blown up Capitol Building?

I'm an episode behind, but after the second one, i'm probably out. It hit all the predictable points, and that last sequence to the maudlin music had my eyes rolling. Hearing that the kids become a bigger part in the next episode has me thinking there are just too many other good options to mess with this any further.

 

So I don't want to read this thread much at all -- to avoid spoilers -- but I've been letting all the episodes of this series stack up on our DVR, until I can get around to watching them (maybe in November). Haven't even seen the first episode yet (nor any).

One question, has it been pretty good so far? Worth my time?

 

So far, it's ok

 

I think it's pretty good. At least it's different from just about everything else. I think you'll know after an episode or two if it's something you want to spend your time on.

 

Well, if you liked 24, you'll like this. It has many of the same flaws that 24 had, but it's also enjoyable enough so far. You're basically watching for Kiefer Sutherland in the same way that some people continue to watch The Blacklist for James Spader (though I gave up on that show some time ago when the stupid got too much).

So far there aren't too many characters doing stupid things for plot reasons (except maybe the FBI boss who often refuses to even consider lines of investigation out of hand because he just 'knows' that so-and-so couldn't be involved).

Anyway, so far it's pretty watchable and there have been some interesting twists and turns, especially in ep4.

 

Of course they would! What would you expect them to say, "Of course, Mr President, we've got all that information right here! You'll never believe it!"

Seriously though, since the concept of the show appealed to me, I binged the first four episodes last night. Not bad, I s'pose, although IMO Tom Clancy handled this kind of scenario better in his Executive Orders novel. In fact, that's how I described the show to my wife, not wholly inaccurate, I don't think: "If you threw Executive Orders and Madam Secretary in a blender, you'd get Designated Survivor." Not as sleazy as House Of Cards (the sleaziness is part of HOC's brilliance!)

I'll stick with it, see where it goes. At least in the latest episode Sutherland's character finally strapped on a pair o' balls and started kicking some butts around. My prediction: his Chief Of Staff and the GOP survivor are in cahoots to try and undermine his Presidency, which likely won't end well for either of them.

 

I'm enjoying the show so far. The opener was fairly straightforward, just setting up the story, maybe a bit bland because of that, but interesting nevertheless. Since then the show has become more involving as a result of the introduction of characters, increasing conflicts, and the development of Sutherland's role. It has potential to be a pretty good series, but I also wonder if it might end up turning into a revolving political soap opera with a stagnant plot line. Time will tell I suppose.