Campaigning for President is hard work.
Campaigning for President while simultaneously filling the role of the current President is even more daunting.
It requires double duty, yet Kirkman and his team rise to the occasion in more than one instance.
Lorraine is in charge of getting a platform that will push Kirkman, an independent, to the front of the race.
It proves challenging because unlike Moss, her former client, Kirkman isn’t willing to stoop low in order to advance.
He wants to be the guy that America votes for the right reasons, which automatically makes him the right choice in my book.
But optics are everything in a Presidential race.
And in an America where people have openly admitted to not voting because no candidate represents them, their beliefs, or causes that are important to them, it’s harder to convince the public to see that greatness.
It becomes increasingly difficult when Kirkman’s campaign is overshadowed by scandals that arise out of nowhere.
In Designated Survivor Season 3 Episode 2, Kirkman tackles the situation of child brides following an unfortunate meeting with a donor from Saudi Arabia who brings along his 14-year-old wife for a photo op.
Kirkman is disturbed considering the young woman is roughly Penny’s age, and he could never imagine selling his daughter into marriage.
Despite Lorraine’s advice not to speak openly about child marriage, Kirkman decides he cannot just stand by idly.
A representative for Saudi Arabia comes for a sit down with the President and it’s immediately the strongest scene in the episode.
The scene could have been one-sided with Kirkman asserting himself as an American, talking down their archaic beliefs, and taunting America as the better and progressive country.
But instead, the female representative turned the tables and listed off some of America’s flaws: slavery is the foundation, high incarceration rate, and guns.
She also unearthed homegrown issues including laws with grey areas that allow for children to get married pending parental consent.
It’s great when a series can turn the table on its own people and show that sometimes, you have to start with issues in your own backyard.
Related: Designated Survivor – #thesystemisbroken (3×01)
The fact that Kirkman, and his team, weren’t aware of such laws or that it was common practice in many states speaks to the ignorance of the American people. We’re blissfully unaware about what’s happening on our own turf yet quick to point fingers and condemn others.
Despite his outrage, Kirkman was forced to table a law prohibiting marriage before 18 simply because it didn’t suit his campaign.
Emily was initially upset because she knew deep down that it was the right thing to do and something she was passionate about, yet she understood that Kirkman wouldn’t be able to invoke change if he lost the Presidency.
Emily’s heart is in the right place, which is why she’s Kirkman’s moral compass. She’s idealistic, but sometimes that idealism gets in the way.
Lorraine understands that there’s a strategy when it comes to politics. They’re trying to get every single voter possible and bringing up issues that are controversial can turn those voters away.
As she put it, Kirkman trying to push this legislation would get him nothing, but cost him everything.
Sometimes, to win, you have to take the L.
Emily’s choice to move to the campaign has a few pros mainly that she’ll be close enough to Lorraine to keep her in check.
Emily isn’t the only one who doesn’t trust her and for good reason. Lorraine may be advising Kirkman, but it’s still unclear if she’s actually on his team.
It’ll also benefit Emily to be exposed to a different side of the political game.
After being promoted to Campaign Speaker, Emily mentioned that she had to “toughen” up.
Who would have thought that toughen up would mean to expose Moss’ Alzheimer’s gene when the President explicitly said not to?
Even Lorraine didn’t stoop that low.
Kirkman’s strategy of when they go low, we go high is noble — No one wants a President that’s a bully.
Yet, it was important for the public to know about Moss’ condition even if Kirkman didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news or violate any privacy laws.
The second issue that worked against the President came at the expense of his trans-sister-in-law.
And while it wasn’t fair to out Sasha, who chose to live a life outside of the public eye, but helped establish Kirkman’s beliefs.
Republicans tend to swing towards conservative and anti-gay, Democrats are liberal and thus pretty accepting of the LGBTQ community.
Related: Designated Survivor – Run (2×22)
But an independent? Where would he stand?
When Sasha made headline news it was a lose-lose situation for Kirkman.
The public condemned him for hiding his trans family member out of embarrassment without ever considering he was honoring her privacy.
The only way to get the bullying and death threats to stop was for Sasha to make them.
Sasha’s introduction came just as little Penny, who isn’t so little anymore, got her period.
Seeing two men that deal with issues on a national and nuclear level get so bent out of shape over a period was downright hilarious.
It’s a good thing Sasha handled the whole “you’re becoming a woman talk” for Kirkman.
The show is finally acknowledging the impact millennials have on politics.
If a candidate wants to win the popular vote, he has to reach the voters on their terms.
Dontae has taken the Kirkman campaign into the digital age, and it’s refreshing.
When airing Kirkman’s speech about infrastructure on the national channels wasn’t an option, Dontae suggested putting it on the web for free.
Kirkman didn’t just reach more people, he was trending everywhere and as accessible as your best friend.
I think he should win it solely for embracing millennials when other candidates don’t see the value in it.
With the show’s shift to Netflix, Designated Survivor isn’t constrained to as many boundaries.
The F-bombs are flying and for those of us who watched the show since its heyday, it’s slightly jarring, yet it makes things more believable.
I’m betting things at the White House, especially during a campaign trail, are a chaotic cluster eff at all times. Of course, they swear to blow off some steam!
The series has become more inclusive and representative of things like LGBTQ rights, lack of representation for minorities, and Aaron Shore even leads the narrative for the Latinos.
We’d all probably agree that Aaron was sorely underutilized throughout the first two seasons; it’s as if the writers never really knew what to do with him.
But all of that has changed once the series found its new home.
Much like the other characters, Aaron now has a personal life outside of the White House walls with Isabel.
Isabel’s Latino pride is a stark difference from Aaron, who has always tamed down his Latino roots even having changed his last name at some point also.
He always found a conflict between owning his heritage and fitting in in politics, which is something Isabel hasn’t had much of an issue with.
Yes, Isabel challenges Aaron, but it’s not in a good way. Her character is very “I’m right and you’re wrong” and leaves them in constant conflict and disagreements.
Since they are constantly arguing about something, it’s difficult to pick up on any chemistry.
Why be with someone if you don’t accept them for who they are?
Should Aaron own up to his heritage? Quite possibly, but she shouldn’t continuously push him because it’s been successful for her.
Lorraine, on the other hand, is going to push Aaron’s Hispanic heritage in a push for votes.
She also sees the NSA Director’s untapped potential and realizes he can also win over the millennials, the urban, and the 45% of non-voters who felt like they weren’t represented.
Lorraine even says, “if Kirman can get these people, he wins.”
It also helps he’s a looker!
It’s interesting to see a man get objectified instead of a woman for a change.
Much like women do on a daily basis, Aaron is now seeing what it means for someone to measure your worth by appearances and not by how capable you are of doing the job.
Will Aaron take the offer and join Kirkman’s ticket?
Hannah was fired from the FBI, scooped up by the CIA, did her time as an analyst, and then stumbled into a bioterrorism case that’s even left her Dr. Eli Mays scratching his head.
Remember that red cardinal Emily hit with her car while spending time in Florida with her mom? The birds died of a virus that was genetically engineered: smallpox.
Hannah and Eli were exposed at Eli’s friends’ lab, but thankfully got to a cure just in time!
They trace the virus to a hospital that affected plenty of patients and was seemingly brought in by a male nurse who has, you guessed it, dropped off the face of the planet.
A manmade virus created to wipe out the population seems like the kind of situation Hannah would get herself in. It’s just a shame that Chuck isn’t around for this!
It concerns me that Emily was in a state where the bird virus was present. Could this mean she’s in danger?
- Isabel tried hard to fit into the club and she finally found her angle by tackling high drug prices. She stood her own when going after Big Pharma’s outrageous price increases of drugs that easy to produce like insulin simply to turn a profit.
- Mars has been a welcome addition to the team. It’s almost as if he’s an older version of Lyor. His personal storyline deals with a wife who relapsed and blames his need for political gain for the decline of their loveless marriage. Though, it becomes harder to sympathize with him knowing that after he rightfully committed his wife, he went to seek comfort with his side chick!
- Seth is a father. It’s an unexpected storyline, but one that’s been rather enjoyable. Seth donated sperm during his college days to make some money and now, he’s the father of an 18-year-old! Surprise! They drink at bars together, so it seems like the start of a beautiful relationship.
So to sum it all up: Kirkman wants to play fair, but also knows it’s not always in his best interest to pursue any legislature that can divide his voters. Don’t underestimate either Lorraine or Emily. Aaron Shore can be Kirkman’s golden boy if he just gets over the whole “I’m only being considered cause I’m Latino” shpiel. And Seth is a dad!
Thoughts on the two episodes of Designated Survivor?
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