'Designated Survivor' Recap: 'Pilot'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

Truth be told, I have always found shows that put the United States in a bit of hot water to be absolutely fascinating. Now before you raise an eyebrow and question why I would enjoy such a morbid concept, hang on a second. It's not seeing America and its people suffer that I enjoy, it's the fact that these types of stories tend to highlight the absolute best in people, offering inspiring stories where Americans rise to the occasion and do incredible and wonderful things.

Those reasons are exactly why the promos for ABC's Designated Survivor caught my eye. The premise alone sounded intriguing, since it revolves around the one member of the President's cabinet who is required to watch the annual State of the Union address from a hidden location as a precautionary measure, so that in the event of a catastrophic attack on the U.S. Government while it is assembled for this speech, continuity can continue, that cabinet member becomes the President and someone is there to lead the country. It's a scary worse case scenario idea that our government actually does have in place and well...the show handles it in stunning and breathtaking fashion since in the first few minutes of the show, that worst case scenario comes to fruition.  

In fact the first half of the show plays out in chaotic fashion, as it should, where we are introduced to Tom Kirkman, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development as he is thrust into the unexpected role of the Presidency and this is where the show reels you in. The disastrous bombing of the Capitol building arrives out of the blue and the audience is instantly reminded of 9/11, where no one knew a thing, chaos reigned supreme and well...all of this elicits fear and unsettles you as you watch, since the images that play out on the screen send chills down your spine, and at this point, this is when the story changed gears and rather than scare the pants off of us for a full hour, it was time for our new President to spring into action and do some good in the world, and it is the humanity displayed here where the show really shines.

There is no bravado to be found within Tom Kirkman. He does not instantly realize that he must be the hero that America needs right now and must stand proudly before the nation and deliver a speech that inspires along with a decisive military strike upon those who would do us harm. No, instead Tom is presented as a man who is terrified of the task before him. His nerves are taking over, he's trying desperately to process what the hell just happened to the country, and do it in responsible and thoughtful fashion so as to not plunge the nation into all out war. If anything, I really appreciated the fact that his defining moment, where we truly get an idea of what this man could become as a leader was a low key meeting with the Iranian Ambassador where he simply cuts through the crap and cuts a deal to ensure peace.

It's what we would expect from a President, to remain calm and keep the peace in a time of crisis and it shows us that Kirkman is indeed a good man with a drive to do the right thing buried within him and that means that once the chaos dies down, Tom will become an outright beacon of hope, a man that inspires the best in us and drives us to do the right thing. But it won't be an easy road that's for sure, since it seems few in the White House have any confidence in the former Housing Secretary. Either way, I have to say that I'm impressed, this was one of the best pilot episodes that I have seen in years and the fact that it was able to unsettle me and suck me in speaks to the work that went into it and well, I'm definitely sold on this series after just one episode. I'm dying to know who was responsible for this awful attack and I'm anxious to see Tom Kirkman grow into one incredible leader and make wonders happen. Until next time.

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