Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 8 Review: Home
Jasmine Blu
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You can always go home again. That was Kirkman's advice to Harry, and it tied in nicely with a theme that emphasized the importance of family and finding solace or home in others.
Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 8 was refreshing in that it was one of those hours where Kirkman was able to escape the confines of the White House and head into the field.
He's a man of the people and works best when he's among them, so it was a real treat to see him out in the field.
Kirkman was able to take a short, low-key trip to Afghanistan to visit troops and potentially mend fences with at least one of the two dominant warlords in Afghanistan.
It has been a long War on Terror, one that has lasted well over a decade and a half. Kirkman wanted to take a shot at political persuasion and peacemaking in an effort to do something his predecessors were unable to do: end the war and orchestrate peace and a truce.
Kirkman's mission, which was based on the intel Hannah's old Company man, Dean, had gathered was to determine which of the warlord was plotting an attack on America. The person not plotting against the country would be the one that they could join forces with in hopes of freeing innocent Afghanis from the reign of infidels etc.
Kirkman is such a socially conscious person. Yes, most politicians should be socially conscious when part of the job is interacting with figures of various cultures from all over, but Kirkman is genuine when it comes to it.
We've seen many times before that he takes time to learn about other people and understand them, and it's one of his greatest assets, and if you will, weapons. So, it was typical Kirkman to start off his unofficial meeting with Bahri by expressing his respect and knowledge for Afghani culture.
What struck me as odd, however, was that he chose to meet with Bahri first. I had a suspicion that it would come back to bite him in the rear in some way, and it kind of did.
The rivalry between Bahri and Fayad wasn't just a conflict in beliefs and methodology, but it essentially boiled down to a generational beef. Bahri was the young warlord with extreme views and supporters that he gloated about as if he were speaking of his follower count on social media.
Changing hearts and minds one person at a time takes generations, at least it used to, but I have a faster method.
Bahri
He was tech savvy, passionate, and ruthless. He had the youthful arrogance and was clearly the type that believed in doing things his way by any means necessary.
Fayad, of course, was traditional. He was the older man stuck in his ways and true to his culture in all aspects. He had an old-school way of doing things that Bahri viewed as outdated.
That's why it was evident that Kirkman's first mistake was going to Bahri first. He was a cocksure jackass with no regard for tradition, but as a sign of respect, Fayad would have been the first person to go to.
It was an interesting choice, and Fayad even noted as much, insulted by the fact that Kirkman would even consider he and Bahri to be on the same level when in his eyes they weren't.
I hope these meetings help you make the right call because if we get this wrong, we could be responsible for the next 911.
Kirkman
Did any of you have any doubt that Bahri was the one behind bombing the market in Kabul and plotting against America? There was nothing genuine about his conversation with Kirkman because he was too busy trying to give off the air that he was the smartest person in the room.
He had the ego of a man who thought he was getting over on everyone, so it wasn't particularly shocking when we found out that he attempted to set up Fayad, but it still made for an interesting excursion.
The best part of Kirkman's trip was Mike proving once again just how loyal he is to Kirkman. I could not stop laughing when Tom had to convince Mike to let him stay because he knew damn well Mike would put him over his shoulder and hightail it out of there if he had to.
Mike's unwavering loyalty and protectiveness when it comes to Kirkman is by far one of the best aspects of the show, but it was especially fun that we got a chance to see Mike in action. Although should he have left Kirkman to go with Hannah? He isn't the only SSA, but still.
The frostiness between Mike and Hannah was pretty damn tense, but they made a fantastic team in the end; once they finally addressed their issues that is.
Mike is protective of Kirkman, and in his eyes, Hannah is the bearer of bad news whenever she's around. She's a harbinger of doom -- every time she pops into the picture, Kirkman is at risk of needing an attorney.
Mike: Our job is to protect the President.
Hannah: Well, we have different ways of doing that.
Mike: Yeah, I jump in front of a bullet.
Hannah: And I stop that bullet from being fired.
Hannah, of course, reminded him that she's trying to protect Kirkman, too. I'm happy they put their differences aside because more team-ups between the two of them would be awesome.
While the Leader of the Free World is away, the kids back at the White House will play, and little Seth and Lyor found themselves in some serious trouble. What would the guys do without the ladies of the House?
In Seth's case, go to prison or lose his job after becoming a public spectacle. Families have a way of causing trouble, and younger siblings are a pain in the butt.
One measly traffic stop led to a questionable search and Seth practically falling on his sword to protect his baby brother. Seth's brother taking uppers, while inadvisable, wasn't too outlandish for a Med student.
But he had 200 pills. Why?! That's absurd!
Thank God Kendra was able to get the case dismissed; she pulled that one off by the skin of her teeth. But Emily will still have to tell Kirkman the truth, and Tiffany the insufferable journalist will always have that to hang over his head.
Your big brother made a decision to protect you, Michael. The problem is no one may be able to protect him.
Emily
Good grief that woman is the worst.
The strangest part of the entire Seth ordeal was this weird relationship state he and Emily are in. Are they officially dating now? What's going on there? After ignoring their kiss for a full episode, they finally touch upon their relationship again, and it's still undefinable.
Also, I still don't know how to feel about it. How about you guys?
I do know how to feel about Lyor and Julie though. They're such an adorable couple.
It turns out Lyor's vetting wasn't as squeaky clean as expected because he did the Vegas wedding thing with Julie.
Emily: You've been married for six years.
Lyor: Only technically.
Kendra: Marriage is like pregnancy, Lyor. You are or you aren't.
It wouldn't have been a big deal had he not been filing his taxes all wrong for so many years. That was an $800k mistake!
A quick annulment would have been the perfect solution except for the minor issue of both of them being in love with one another. There really is someone for everybody because Lyor had never looked happier than when he was around Julie.
Julie was delightful too, and for some reason, she reminded me the tiniest bit of Gina Torres which makes her OK in my book.
Tiffany: Seth... the President...indisposition seems to be going around.
Lyor: I have no inclination to elaborate on the disposition of our collective indisposition.
Tiffany: That doesn't even make sense.
Lyor: Yes it does, and it went over your head.
Lyor's short stint as Press Secretary was nothing short of hysterical and had the vibe of an SNL Sean Spicer skit.
The most we got on the case with the First Lady is that there is still no connection found between Little and Lloyd, and it has been confirmed that Little opened an account in St. Lucia in Alex's name when she was there with her mom.
Also, Aaron is still criminally underused these days.
Turning it over to you, fanatics. How do you feel about this Seth and Emily business? Do you miss Aaron? Should Hannah and Mike team up more? Hit the comments with your thoughts.
You can watch Designated Survivor online right 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.
