"Designated Survivor" (2016)

[TickTockMan]

Watching Episode 3....

The story element I find more gratuitous than anything is the son selling drugs. Of course I'm prejudiced, but if they want some domestic issue, it would be a lot more fun to find out he's gay. OTOH, if it's a way to bring a very real issue into the story, either one works.

I actually like the son's story line. You are right it would have been better if he was gay though and dealing with public life.

 

[Kulindahr]

I actually like the son's story line. You are right it would have been better if he was gay though and dealing with public life.

Reading my words quoted, I realized I wasn't clear in my use of "domestic", by which I meant "at home" rather than "in the country". Being gay would satisfy both of those if he was and came out; selling drugs is easier to hush up and get past.

I'm itching to find a way to watch Ep 04 NOW, after that bit at the end of 03 -- what new element did they just throw at us?

 

[Kulindahr]

Ah, the utility of overseas connections: I found a way to watch the latest episode from a site on the other side of an ocean. All caught up now!



So nice to see him sack that general -- and shocking to see him have the governor arrested. I'm not sure he actually has that authority, to do it himself, that is.

And I'm beginning to really dislike the congress[STRIKE]bitch[/STRIKE]woman.

Plus sometimes when there's a good look at the chief of staff, I think I could enjoy having that face between my thighs.

 

[TickTockMan]

Episode 5 was good, but they are adding drama they don't need. I hope it doesn't ruin the show.

 

[Kulindahr]

Episode 5 was good, but they are adding drama they don't need. I hope it doesn't ruin the show.

Yeah, I think the bit with unclear fatherhood is excessive.

The thing with the surviving congresscritter was too obvious, though -- the moment he said "No", I knew he was after the veep slot. But then we know things the president doesn't, so he can't be blamed for falling into it.

 

[TickTockMan]

Great episode tonight. The winter break after next week will be a killer.

 

[Kulindahr]

Great episode tonight. The winter break after next week will be a killer.

The intensity is getting to be enough I'm tempted to stop watching until summer, then watch them all at once.

After this episode, I'm wondering if our Congressman even knew he was supposed to survive -- maybe he was only told afterward? or not even then?

 

[TickTockMan]

The intensity is getting to be enough I'm tempted to stop watching until summer, then watch them all at once.

After this episode, I'm wondering if our Congressman even knew he was supposed to survive -- maybe he was only told afterward? or not even then?

Yeah. Now I'm not even sure the Congressman is even a bad guy or if he is just protecting his family.

 

[Kulindahr]

I just caught up.

Yeah, from his file -- he's a bad guy. Slaughtering villagers....


BTW, from the way the assassin in the last episode jerked his rifle when his shot went off, I think I know who got hit. OTOH, for the sake of the story line they may make it go wider than I suspect.

The finale having the shot taken and us not knowing who got hit was SOOOOO predictable. But it's been fun getting there!

 

[TickTockMan]

Good episode, but I could do without the love crap.

Seems to me she got off her shot before he did, but it may have been the editing. Can't wait until it comes back.

 

[Kulindahr]

Good episode, but I could do without the love crap.

Seems to me she got off her shot before he did, but it may have been the editing. Can't wait until it comes back.

The rifle jumps. I've watched it five times now, and I think it's more of a jump than would come from just firing the rifle -- indeed, a rifle meant to be used for an assassination should be sufficiently well-balanced that it should only have straight-back recoil with no sideways movement. The sideways movement is thus a human reaction, so the question is "To what?" We have to presume this guy is a skilled, even professional shooter, not one to drift at all from proper shooting procedure, and so isn't going to jump from any ordinary event -- he isn't going to flinch from his own shot, which is the only other likely input here. Thus we're left with her shot hitting the window frame as the cause of his twitch/jerk. So in all likelihood he wasn't quite ready to fire, but had almost full pressure on the trigger, and the impact of her shot caused him to jerk and fire at the same time.

Thus the motion of his rifle will put the shot off-target. The tricky part is deciding how much of that motion occurred before the bullet left the barrel. If at the end of the movement we're shown, odds are the bullet hit the wall well above the shoulder of the second man behind the president, not close to anyone. That's the extreme, and the extreme isn't usually the case; generally, the bullet is off by half or less of the motion of the rifle, which in this case would put the bullet in the shoulder of the second man behind the president, or even the first man behind the president.

For the sake of drama, though, producers often have bullets do things that are out of character or even flat-out impossible, and don't pay attention to detail such as which way the footage shows the rifle jerking, so it's possible the writer may have the bullet hitting the First Lady.

You have to watch it slow to catch that he reacts to the bullet hitting the window frame so when his shot goes off his eye is no longer correctly on the scope. The recoil is evident, as is the drift of the alignment upward and to the right.

 

[Sausy]

Very much enjoying this since its return from midseason finale... devastating the lengths those behind the attack on the Capitol from episode 1 will do. Killing Jason's young son even after he essentially threw away his life, reputation and freedom to take the rap fo the terrorist leader's murder so they would let go of his son...now he and Maggie Q's character (Hannah) are on a mission to unmask and defeat these monsters who would take over the country for their own ends and now are discovered to be planning something horrific in several key parts of the country. That all of the conspirators we know about would rather die (at least that nasty woman who was responsible for the death of Jason's son and the Vice President's wife who killed her husband before killing herself)than divulge their motivations show we have some truly dark and evil people controlling things.

The struggle over politics as usual(symbolized by the lying bastard Montana Senator) and trying to do the people's work(epitomized by Pres. Kirkman and his crew)with Republican House Speaker Hookstatten as an intriguing wild card as torn as she is by politics and duty(at least seemingly) is good. It is frustrating to know that egos and agendas will always, it seems, trump always trying to do as best for the public as possible(lol, pardon the pun). But it never is easy... representative democracy in such a large, complex country is going to at times be very messy and unpleasant. But of course the option of authoritariani or totalitarianism is far worse... we can make things better than the way it is, but we'll never make things perfect.

My favorite thing about the show though is sexy Chief of Staff to Kirkman(who resigned and now works a similar role for Speaker Hookstratten)Aaron Shure(Adan Canto). Shallow me but fuck... he's hot. And the humanizing elements we're seeing of him make him even more attractive. Now we know some more about his background... at least half Latino(if he didn't change his last name) from Texas who had an idealistic streak as a youth (and still does to a point, despite running into just how things really work in DC) and a female cousin who idolized him growing up and followed in his footsteps idealistically into public service.

Overall, liking the first season so far and hoping there is a second this fall. Obviously occasionally things are overdramatized and you have to suspend belief every so often, but pretty enjoyable and riveting.

 

[TickTockMan]

Kulindahr what are you thinking of the show now?

 

[Kulindahr]

Kulindahr what are you thinking of the show now?

I'm not thrilled with the political stuff, but my big "WTF?" right now is how our two heroes could just walk in on that old missile base. The moment we learned where it was, I knew what it was going to be, so I was frustrated with them walking around wondering where it was -- after all, what better place to hide some operation than in one of those bases the government auctioned off? At any rate, I have a hard time believing an outfit this organized wouldn't have a permanent presence at their stash.

 

[Kulindahr]

A comment: I'm unimpressed by the way they put a lie into the mouth of the woman at the president's town hall meeting: unlicensed dealers cannot sell a gun without a background check, because there are no unlicensed dealers. And if someone is dealing guns without a license, they're already in violation of federal law, so how is another law going to change anything? A criminal already breaking a federal law isn't likely to give a rip about one more.

 

[TickTockMan]

I'm not thrilled with the political stuff, but my big "WTF?" right now is how our two heroes could just walk in on that old missile base. The moment we learned where it was, I knew what it was going to be, so I was frustrated with them walking around wondering where it was -- after all, what better place to hide some operation than in one of those bases the government auctioned off? At any rate, I have a hard time believing an outfit this organized wouldn't have a permanent presence at their stash.

I was thinking that as well. Also what kind of agents wouldn't think that it is underground. If I can think it I would hope trained agents would think it. Overall I am loving the VP and his wife dying and the others in on it. I hope the show doesn't screw it up.

 

[Sausy]

There has to be some dramatic license, so a little suspension of disbelief is fine. I'm wondering if the old president isn't involved, making himself appear indispensable to President Kirkman now as the new Secretary of State... he seems to have been a moderately conservative Texas Republican but seems just TOO helpful not to be involved.

 

[Kulindahr]

I was thinking that as well. Also what kind of agents wouldn't think that it is underground. If I can think it I would hope trained agents would think it. Overall I am loving the VP and his wife dying and the others in on it. I hope the show doesn't screw it up.

Plus why didn't they look up what it was before they went? With a conspiracy on this scale, it would only be good sense to check satellite imagery, ownership and previous ownership -- the first and last of which should have triggered a note of what it had been.

And that's not just for the FBI; I used to track building permits for a couple of contractors, and the permits were linked to record of ownership, so I could find the last three owners with a simple file request. If the courthouse in a county of a mere 50k had such a system in the mid-80s, for the FBI of today it should be automatic!

 

[Kulindahr]

There has to be some dramatic license, so a little suspension of disbelief is fine. I'm wondering if the old president isn't involved, making himself appear indispensable to President Kirkman now as the new Secretary of State... he seems to have been a moderately conservative Texas Republican but seems just TOO helpful not to be involved.

I think he just misses being part of the action. And I liked that twist because it goes back to when it wasn't surprising if ex-presidents went back to Congress or even practicing law.

BTW, having a former president as SecState ought to have an impact on allies and others he visits!

 

[offthewall14420]

Everyone knows Kirkman did it.