When one takes the time to think about it, season two of CHiPs has turned out to be a fascinating course in psychology. Because so many of the Creeps of the Week in year two, and anyone else that we can consider to be the ‘heavy’ for that matter, have helped to bring light to some incredibly complex issues when it comes to mental health, allowing for the audience to gain insight into what causes people to commit crimes or drift toward darker places. But while all of that has been fascinating, it’s clear that the series doesn’t want to lose sight of what made it great in the first place, and we’ve seen the psychology take a bit of a backseat in more recent episodes. But when a show is onto something great, it’s difficult for the Writer’s Room to stay away from ideas that make for engrossing and intelligent storytelling, meaning that once again, psychology returned to the forefront of this series in its next episode, ‘The Matchmakers’.
​
Which quite frankly, had my attention from the get go, since it was clear that this particular tale was going to hone in on something that’s quite taboo on television, even in the modern era; suicide. And I sincerely thought that the care and thoughtfulness that went into exploring, say, PTSD on this series was going to be present for this topic as well. But alas, as it turns out, this examination and this episode ended up being a bit of a disappointment when is all is said and done, for several reasons. The first one being, that this episode really went all out in reinforcing the stigma surrounding mental illness. Sure, there’s been courtesy for vets and others who have suffered loss on this series, but Cora didn’t receive that, and she was someone who was seriously in the midst of a major breakdown, and seeing as to how she tried to take her life on two separate occasions, there should have been more concern from Ponch and Jon.

But instead, they made it clear that she either needed to suck it up or head off to the psych ward, and well, that just didn’t settle well with me. Because her life was falling to pieces, she needed counseling and being told to tough it out was just off putting to say the least, but we will dive into the why in regard to that, later on. Because, the series wasn’t quite done with providing us with some wild, out of place notions since it actually found a way to make Cora’s situation a little more infuriating and ridiculous. For the only solution to her problem, was for her to hook her up with a retiring police officer named Derk. Because his land and his need for someone special would somehow heal her and well, this was the silliest part of this episode. I mean come on, you honestly mean to tell me, the only way for an independent woman to survive a life changing crisis is to find salvation in the arms of a man?

However, while it seems as though I’m about to tear this episode a new one, allow for me to put the brakes on this because, in many ways this episode is the one that I’ve been waiting for. Because when I originally set out to do these Retro Recaps, I was expecting to spend a lot of time examining how well the zeitgeist of the late 70s and early 80s held up in this series after all these years, but so many episodes have steered clear of misogyny and dated notions, making it easy to celebrate the series, until this one came along. Because this one really embodies the ideals of the era since female characters were often written in this manner in film and television back in the day, and mental illness really was the kiss of death socially, back then as well. For if one was in need of mental care, they were labeled as crazy and shunned and well, while both of these issues still persist in modern America, there is at least progress to cite, making these elements truly seem out of place when watching them in 2019.

So, if anything, the best way to describe this episode, is to call it a moment in time, and that’s a shame because this progressive series could have done wonders with this one. But I get the feeling, injecting suicide into the mix, spooked the producers, which in turn motivated the Writer’s Room to do something a little more traditional to satisfy the big wigs. But all hammering aside, it did still have its traditional moments since the whole plot thread involving the Creep of the Week, a P.I. who kidnapped a little girl to solve a custody battle for her rich daddy, was a delight to watch, in the end. Since Ponch and Jon and Derk were able to capture this jerk before he ran off with the little girl, and well, if anything, I guess it is best to just write this one off and move along, in the hopes that the smart scripts make a quick comeback before season two closes out. Until next time.

Over the course of its three-year run, Designated Survivor has accomplished some storytelling wonders. Because I’m hard pressed to think of any other political themed show that is able to switch gears from thriller to drama in such seamless fashion or for that matter, happens to feature a lead character that has been forced to handle insurmountable odds on an almost weekly basis. For Tom Kirkman has faced some incredible crises during his tenure as President of the United States and really, when there is trouble and POTUS is forced to step in and handle the matter, the series is truly at its best since Kirkman is quick on his feet and able to pull of miracles on a moment’s notice and thankfully, that dynamic part of the character was on display once again in the next episode of this magnificent series.
​
Because ‘#scaredsh*tless’ saw the hunt for Momberg get underway, without the help of Hannah Wells and that meant, finding this guy without her resourceful mind was easier said than done. Because Momberg was constantly on the move and in the event he was spotted, he was quick to stay on the move. Which meant that Kirkman had to pool every last resource available to him in hunting this guy down and that meant some incredible teamwork from just about every law enforcement division at his disposal and even then, the going got tough. Because there was no rhyme or reason to Momberg’s path, he was seemingly moving about the countryside, but eventually, it became clear that he was going to try and deploy this virus into the water supply of a major city, and something told Kirkman, it would be one of the bigger cities in Texas, most likely Houston, so that Momberg’s message was made loud and clear.

Which in turn prompted the president to deploy every resource at his disposal into the city of Houston to find this man and that’s when quite the complication arose. Because in order to tighten the net, the administration needed to alert the governor of Texas and Houston’s mayor in order to work with them on this terrifying threat. But politics came into play and the governor catapulted this mess into the public eye by going on television to chastise Kirkman as an incompetent leader, after he called former President Moss for advice of course, and well, thanks to some quick thinking from one of Eli’s virus loving friends, they were able to track Momberg after all and put an end to him and his scheme. But not before he uploaded the recipe for the virus into the cloud and sadly, Eli’s friend lost her life as well for participating in the hunt, making this conclusion bittersweet at best.

Yet, while all of that was thrilling and powerful in its own right, there were thankfully, some storylines present to help break up the intensity and much of that came by way of Lorraine and the campaign. Because Lorraine saw a grand opportunity to make President Moss look bad in regard to the whole opioid mess that Mars brought to her attention and while that seems pretty by the numbers and quite frankly, unremarkable in comparison to that thrilling main plotline, the fact that Emily is starting to suspect that Lorraine has a mole in the Moss campaign, something which was already revealed to the audience, is a bad thing because hey, there’s a lot of legal problems that come about with that. But, while that little plot thread was interesting in its own right, its resolution will have to wait for another time. For in the closing moments of this tale, it was revealed that a member of Moss’ campaign, was involved in commissioning the very virus that scared everyone sh*tless in this tale.

Which means, there are going to be some powerful repercussions to come about from this discovery and while I should be shocked to find out that Moss has a white supremacist in his midst, I’m not, because Moss has surrounded himself with garbage in order to win. But what matters more in this moment, is that once again, the wonder of President Tom Kirkman was on display in this tale and it was just delightful to see him doing his thing and making quick and powerful decisions to save lives, because damnit, he’s good at that and now with this crisis out of the way, it’s back to the campaign and the fallout of this discovery. And well, I simply cannot wait to see what’s coming next, so if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to Netflix to enjoy the next chapter in this resurgent story. Until next time. 

If there’s one particularly antiquated saying that I find still applies in this day and age, especially when it comes to television, it’s that; when it rains it pours. Because when a television series finds its stride and its voice in a particular episode, it tends to just let loose in the weeks to come storytelling wise and for proof, look no further than the current season of Designated Survivor. Because the next episode in this magnificent series, ‘#identity/crisis’, turned out to be quite the powerhouse tale, one that assembled a bevy of stunning and thought-provoking storylines that related to character growth and our world, and it also took the time to remind us that Kirkman really is a true hero through and through, since he was faced with another incredible crisis in this story.
​
For in this particular tale, a stray Russian bomber was veering off course, to the point where it was beginning to flirt with American airspace, and the lack of communication from the plane, and the frosted over windows made it clear that something had happened aboard the craft and if something wasn’t done soon to intervene, there was a chance it could crash land on American soil and potentially release deadly radiation from the nukes it was carrying. Which meant that Tom was faced with quite the conundrum, either shoot the plane down and risk an international incident or get crafty and use a home-grown computer virus to alter the plane’s course and risk exposing this fancy new tool to the Russian Federation. Thankfully, he chose the latter option and it worked like a charm, and it was just nice to see Kirkman back in action in this story, since the character truly shines when complex problems are put in front of him.

But, while that was thrilling and intense in its own right, I made mention of some intriguing storylines that helped some characters grow and all of that was accomplished by Aaron and Sasha’s respective journeys in this tale. For Aaron had quite the problem laid out before him, in that, his immigration indiscretion was finally made public and he could either walk away in shame or stand up and speak to his decision and thankfully he chose the latter and in a rousing speech, explained why his decision was more American than people give him credit. As for Sasha, well she was given the opportunity to speak out regarding that ugly bathroom incident, but chose to stay quiet instead, preferring to keep her privacy above all else. But an opportunity to hear from other transgender individuals changed her mind, because she realized that her path helped to insulate her from some of the everyday issues that others face and that prompted Sasha to join the campaign and speak out for transgender rights, and this really was lovely to see on screen, and why exactly, we will come back to in a moment.

Because I made mention of a stunner in this story, and well, the finale of this tale really was jaw dropping to say the least. Because Hannah and Eli were working on learning more about a brewery that possibly received some of the genetic soup needed to create this super virus, and upon investigating further, Hannah came to realize that something fishy was going on this place, especially after meeting the awkward manager of the facility and that led to a little late-night walkthrough of the place and what she found was terrifying. Because hidden behind the bottles of beer was a craft virus brewery and unfortunately for Hannah, this discovery led to the shocker in question. Because our mysterious villain, a man named Wouter Momberg, knew Hannah was prying into his business and he gassed her with a dose of VX Nerve Gas before revealing his intentions and setting the building ablaze, and just like that…we had to bid farewell to a series original, and one of the toughest intelligence agents out there since Hannah Wells, did not survive this encounter.

Which quite frankly, was about as unexpected a twist as they come, and its one that fundamentally changes the fabric of the series going forward, since Hannah has been a part of this tale since day one and honestly, I don’t know how Kirkman and company find this guy without her help because she was so intelligent and so resourceful. So, for now, it’s best we just look at the uplifting highlights of this story, since it really did offer up some incredible moments, especially the ones involving Sasha. Because the group she sat down with was made up of everyday transgender people, who spoke without a script about their life and their struggles and that’s powerful and brilliant, and I’m so glad the series is finding ways to integrate something so important into the story. But alas, I’m certain that kind of wonder will need to be on hold for just a little bit. Because Momberg is out there, ready to strike and he has to be dealt with ASAP. Until next time.