'Designated Survivor' Recap: 'Sting of the Tail'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

If there is one key thing I've always been fascinated about when it comes to villains, it's their motivations. To know exactly what drives a human being to turn their back against humanity and everything they've ever known is downright fascinating and for some time now on Designated Survivor, the true motivations as to why Patrick Lloyd did everything he possibly could to destroy the United States of America as we know it, have remained in the shadows. Sure we know he believes that the country is fundamentally flawed and needs a new direction and focus, but why? What is it about America that truly makes Lloyd's blood boil? Well, at long last, the answers to those questions have finally come to light.

Because last night's episode of the show, 'Sting of the Tail', brought forth that grand reveal by picking up right where it left off last week, with that bone chilling, yet utterly fascinating and surprising moment where we discovered that Lloyd had returned to the country he so despised. I call that moment fascinating and surprising, because many of us were left wondering as to why on earth this man would return to the nation he spurned, especially considering the fact that Hannah Wells and the FBI would be watching and waiting for him the instant he set foot on American soil. So naturally, he was quickly flagged by law enforcement and the hunt was on. But while it seemed at first that Lloyd made a critical error in returning home, it turns out that this was all part of the plan. 

Lloyd wanted to make his presence known, and quickly, so to get the FBI on his trail he did something incredibly bold...he went after the President's family; breaking into the house where Kirkman's mother-in-law resides, putting Hannah on his trail and leading her and Damian to property once owned by Browning-Reed that just so happens to house a bunker that Lloyd can use for cover and once he locks himself within said bunker, he makes his demands known to the President via video. Either provide him with a full pardon at the White House Correspondents Dinner, or see more innocent Americans die by way of a Sarin Nerve Gas attack, putting Tom in quite the tough position; either take out Lloyd in a pre-emptive strike since he finally has him cornered, or try to call his bluff and potentially risk American lives if by chance Patrick indeed has the gas in question. 

---

But while all of this was tense and powerful storytelling, what truly made this episode fascinating and worthwhile to watch, was the epiphany that President Kirkman had when it comes to Patrick Lloyd's motivations for his crimes...his need to feel a sense of family for the first time in his life. After all, Lloyd's father was sent to prison for white collar crimes and died behind bars and there were issues when it came to his own son since a bitter custody battle kept Patrick away from his boy, to the point where they hadn't spoken for a decade and oddly enough, Pax Americana's core values speak to unity and family when it comes to its creepy new vision for the nation and all of this gave Kirkman quite the idea and he promptly asked to speak to Lloyd, face to face. 

It was in this moment, when Patrick answered the call from the President, that we came to learn that Kirkman was one-hundred percent correct in his hypothesis. All of this, the Captiol bombing, the insurrection and the threat to end more innocent lives with nerve gas was motivated by a need to exact revenge against a system that Patrick believed had ignored and failed him. He blamed the system for robbing him of his family and for the first time ever, we saw Patrick Lloyd the man and not the monster and while this was quite the incredible moment, it quickly became clear that Kirkman's pleas to end this peacefully would fall upon deaf ears. Lloyd's anger had consumed him and this standoff ended the only way it could...with Patrick's death when Kirkman ordered a drone strike to obliterate the bunker, putting an end to the man who wanted to end America.  

Yet while that should be completely satisfying, Patrick's final act may make this victory only temporary. Because as it turns out, he was uploading something at the time of his death and while his motivations for revenge against the government may have been tragic and personal, what he created in Pax Americana is far more powerful and twisted since the people who believe his teachings likely gloss over the family message, instead embracing the notions of anarchy, revolution and empowerment, and despite the government's efforts to round up Lloyd's followers, there have to be more out there, and it is likely one of his disciples that will download that partial file, so trouble may still be waiting on the horizon. Either way, what an episode. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, I love the depth that went into this one, and the show deserves some serious credit for wrapping up the Patrick Lloyd storyline in prompt fashion, and while his followers may still be out there, in the here and the now, the story can move in new directions and I cannot wait to see what new challenges President Tom Kirkman will likely overcome. Until next time. 

---