Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 7 Review: Family Ties
Jasmine Blu
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Kirkman and his family are getting hit from all angles, and even though they put out a few fires on Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 7, it doesn't appear as if matters will be slowing down.
After all the stress that Kirkman has been under for the past few weeks, it's no wonder he unleashed the dragon on a couple of people in this installment.
It was incredible.
It was evident from the beginning that the Turkish president was there to play games. He had every intention of using whatever he had in his bag of tricks to get what he wanted out of Kirkman, and the moment he went off script nothing would be easy with him from that point forward.
It was loathsome how he waited until he and Kirkman were in the middle of a live press op to start talking about Kirkman harboring an enemy of the Turkish government. It's so aggravating that Kirkman is the only decent politician in existence, and he's perpetually screwed at every conceivable turn.
When President Turan pulled that particular stunt, I wanted Kirkman to write him off right then and there. But, of course, Tom is the guy who tries to compromise and talk things out, so he had to figure out what they could do to get on better ground.
You harbor a criminal, sir. That makes you a criminal.
Turkish President
President Turan wanted Kirkman to turn over a Turkish revolutionary who had since settled down in the USA as a professor, but all he could offer was his word that this man was responsible for a coup.
His word didn't mean very much since he pulled that stunt at the beginning of the hour. Turan's expectation that Kirkman would just hand over someone over only to be killed was ridiculous.
Turan had no proof that the revolutionary was responsible for the coup or that this man was a killer. US Intelligence found nothing on the man either. There was no reason for Kirkman to hand him over.
But the Turkish president already had shown his hand when he kept threatening to end the Turkish/American alliance and kept threatening to go to Russia.
NATO is falling apart, my son is being sued, my mentor is a potential murder suspect, and my mother in law is being grilled by the FBI. I'm sitting here watching the world burn. It's time to pick up a bucket. Set up the interview.
Kirkman
There was no build up to that. He just immediately jumped to the extreme of joining forces with Russia right out of the gate.
Maybe it's because he so clearly came to wreak havoc that the Leo aspect of it came as no surprise at all. The very fact that we haven't seen Leo in 62 years only for him to pop back up was enough to tip us off that his storyline would tie into the rest of it.
Is anyone else annoyed that we got teased about the possibility of Leo's kidnapping or something, and then we ended up with this? Just asking.
There was something off about Leo's girlfriend from the beginning. And not just because she was named Cybill, for heaven's sake. No offense to any Cybill's out there, but the name just screamed "trouble."
She didn't appear all that interested in him despite him being so enamored with her. Then there was the whole thing where she happens to have them walking near that protest, and she stood back when the altercation unfolded.
It was all very suspicious, and so was she. So it was no surprise at all when it turned out that President Turan stooped so low as to arrange for Cybill to cozy up to Leo in addition to getting that pesky protester to initiate and later exaggerate an altercation with Leo.
The best thing that came out of it was Kirkman finally losing his sh*t and going off on Turan. Hands down it was the best scene of the night.
A pissed off Tom Kirkman is a rare treat, but a treat it most certainly is. When he was laying the smackdown on the Turkish president, it gave me chills. I love it when he's angry and super protective.
It was great that we got to see Leo again because he has been M.I.A for a long while. It led to some funny moments, like the exchange between him and Kirkman, and Kirkman and Mike about the Lincoln bedroom. There were, of course, a couple of sweet heart-to-heart moments too.
Now I need to be particularly clear because you and I will never speak again. If you ever try to harm my family I will find you, and not as the President of the United States, but as a man trying to protect his own, and I promise you, that's not how you want to see me.
Kirkman
I just wish there was something more to his storyline. It appeared far more interesting in the promos when it looked like he would be squirreled away somewhere.
The Charlotte resolution was a bit lackluster, too.
Secretary Moss didn't kill Charlotte. They were having an affair though. That's not an inspired revelation to have, but it meant that Moss wasn't a bad guy.
At least Kirkman is allowed to have a halfway decent friendship with someone without being stabbed in the back. I'll take it.
It's quite sad when you think about it though. Moss finally found a woman that he had feelings for after his wife died, and he ends up losing her too. The man fell off the wagon after years of being sober.
Even though he lied to Kirkman and interfered with a murder investigation, I'm glad Tom didn't fire him. Their final scene was very special, and I believe Moss' sincerity. He's not going to betray Tom again.
It turns out Charlotte's assistant killed Charlotte because she was jealous of Charlotte and Cornelius, and she was in love with Charlotte herself. As I said, not exactly inspired and very lackluster.
The Eric Little investigation, on the other hand, continues to be the most interesting. The scene cutting back and forth between Gimble interviewing Kirkman and Forstall interviewing Eva was very well done.
It was an intense few moments as both of them had to mind every little thing that they said, especially Eva. She did not want to nor need to be asked about the timeframe on when she saw Eric Little.
The intensity was particularly heightened in those moments when it wasn't clear where Forstell was going with his questions.
All's well that ended well, so it seemed, but that last question about Eva going on vacations messed up everything without her realizing it.
You're being subpoenaed by John Forstall, for what?
Kirkman
Now, Forstell has subpoenaed Alex! Our beautiful and smart First Lady has concluded that they are being set up. It was the best moment of the hour.
It's an utter mystery as to how Natascha McElhone will exit the series. It has to relate to this case, right? Based on how this Little situation is playing out, Alex may not be leaving under the best circumstances.
So, on the relationship front, things are weird again. Damien and Hannah picked back up from where they left off a few weeks and slept together. That's whatever, I guess, but now Damien may be sticking around and working for the Embassy.
What will that do for the casualness that was how their relationship was set up? Does this mean he'll keep finding ways to work alongside Hannah? Because sometimes it just doesn't work.
I can't even say Seth and Emily took a page out of Hannah and Damien's book because Damien and Hannah at least brought up that they were about to get up close and personal before putting it on hold for an episode.
Seth and Emily didn't even share a scene together. It was like that kiss of theirs didn't even happen.
You know, kind of how Designated Survivor likes to forget that Emily and Aaron really did happen. This whole situation is just odd.
OK Designated Survivor Fanatics, were you content with how Charlotte's murder case was wrapped up? How do you feel about Alex getting subpoenaed? Is the Seth and Emily thing strange to you? Hit the comments below!
We have yet another two-week break before the next installment, so if you need to catch up or need a fix, you can watch Designated Survivor online here at TV Fanatic!
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
