Author Topic: Designated Survivor (Read 4890 times)

dam skippy · « **on:** September 22, 2016, 12:23:00 PM »

Keifer Sutherland does an amazing job on this show. He plays the typical nice guy getting a chance. It's a great conspiracy story about a great "what if" in regards to the political system crumbling. It's definitely worth a watch if you like House of Cards or The West Wing.

BlackLight · « **Reply #1 on:** September 22, 2016, 12:59:10 PM »

It was a decent pilot. Will check back in on it next week.

CJC · « **Reply #2 on:** September 22, 2016, 03:10:42 PM »

Have to re-watch it as I was working on some deals while it was on, but from what I saw it looked good. It came off realistically, tough to do given the subject matter. From the season preview teaser at the end, it looks like it's going to get REALLY interesting (like when the reporter brings up that he was essentially fired that morning, so is he even a legitimate President?), and the unfolding of what appears to be a domestic conspiracy but that could be a misdirection. Also, the FBI woman's boyfriend will probably turn out to be involved in the bombing, or at least among the dead at the scene.

Keifer's acting in this is basically "Jack Bauer neutered", but he pulls it off. I imagine that he becomes more action-oriented once the situation becomes more clear, which will be fun.

I hope it lasts, I'm intrigued.

One funny note: was talking to two moms last night at my son's Fall Ball practice (fall little league), and they were talking about 24 coming back. I joined in and was talking about looking forward to it, and then it became clear that the one who brought it up thought that this show was the 24 reboot ("it has a different name"). Pretty funny.

EDIT: Forgot about this - at 9:36 PM, during Blackish, ABC showed a graphic for this show that read "In 24 Minutes". Thought that was clever.

dasheight · « **Reply #3 on:** September 22, 2016, 03:46:46 PM »

I am always intrigued by 'what-if' scenarios (I really need to watch Amazon's The Man In The High Castle, which explores an America where the Axis Powers win WWII), and this show grabbed me with the entire idea of wiping out the core of the US government via the State of the Union speech. Apparently, the concept of the 'designated survivor' is a fairly recent one, and it only really got traction after 9/11.

Along with what was already mentioned, you have the aspect of the teenage son being a drug dealer (he deals some ecstasy just before the Secret Service barges into the rave he was at, looking for him), the General immediately dismissing the new President at every turn, and the one little bit where the FBI agent notes that there was no terrorist chatter before or after the attack, which adds a layer of intrigue as it's not the 'usual' baddies like ISIS or Al Queda. And Kiefer was pretty badass to the Iranian ambassador regarding a potential blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The first episode is basically the attack, and it's immediate aftermath. The episode ends with Kiefer starting his speech to the nation. Really interested as to where this goes. Hopefully, ABC gives it a nice long run.

Pebble.2.0 · « **Reply #4 on:** September 23, 2016, 08:22:39 AM »

Pilot was pretty good, not amazing. I thought the acting in the car after the explosion when they tell Kiefer he is the present was cringe-worthy. After that it seemed to pick up, thankfully. Will stick with it!

BlackLight · « **Reply #5 on:** September 29, 2016, 12:40:31 AM »

Nice follow-up tonight.

CJC · « **Reply #6 on:** September 29, 2016, 12:38:55 PM »

Another good episode... not sure how realistic it was that the MI Governor was so dismissive of the President, and I think they need to do something quick about that because the whole "he did something great but it was overshadowed by something else and nobody noticed" gimmick is probably one that's hard to sustain without burning out the audience after a while. Also, a related observation is that it's completely unrealistic that the press is so hostile to the new President only one day after the whole deal goes down.

Still, another enjoyable episode. I think as far as the the terrorist attack goes, it's definitely leading down the road of an inside job, or an attempted coup.

dam skippy · « **Reply #7 on:** September 29, 2016, 11:08:00 PM »

I thought the scene with Kumar was pretty clever. As an Oklahoman, I could see my governor pulling something like that. I like his character trying to overcome the odds. There were a few times I thought he was about to channel Jack Bauer.

DocSavage · « **Reply #8 on:** October 08, 2016, 01:15:38 AM »

Overall liking the show. Enough where the heavy handed stereotyping/strawman's don't bother me much. (Per example, that MI governor Rage touched on is a total "States rights" xenophobic Conservative strawman. Same deal with the Hawkish evil general who wants to bomb first and ask questions later.)

CJC · « **Reply #9 on:** October 10, 2016, 04:30:59 PM »

Quote from: DocSavage on October 08, 2016, 01:15:38 AM

Overall liking the show. Enough where the heavy handed stereotyping/strawman's don't bother me much. (Per example, that MI governor Rage touched on is a total "States rights" xenophobic Conservative strawman. Same deal with the Hawkish evil general who wants to bomb first and ask questions later.)

Exactly, and I've said as much to my wife while we watch it. I thought the Asst Chief of Staff might be along those lines too, but it seems like they're trying to flesh him out and right now we don't fully know where he stands. He's definitely very helpful to the President, but the aforementioned General seems to trust him, so we're left to wonder.

Now, I haven't watched the entire episode from last week yet, so what I just wrote could have changed.

BobbyR · « **Reply #10 on:** October 10, 2016, 04:55:08 PM »

I watched the first 2 and was getting interested but the third episode kind of sent me in the other direction

DocSavage · « **Reply #11 on:** November 16, 2016, 10:42:35 PM »

A few comments during the show:

It's a good thing I'm not president, because I probably would have declared war on the spot and sent every nuke we have towards that smug bastard (Him specifically.

)

On the "prison dad", is it "really" clever to blackmail a man could probably make you vanish wirh a phone call?

DocSavage · « **Reply #12 on:** November 16, 2016, 11:09:21 PM »

And now the FBI's compromised.

You think they ever plan for the odd chance they net a sociopath? Like say, the guy they're threatening goes "Yeah, I got five kids from three different women anyways, so... you'd be doing me a favor.

I also ate his twin brother."

dam skippy · « **Reply #13 on:** November 17, 2016, 08:28:00 AM »

This is the hole that shows up during.shows. Dude leaves his office to find his kid and is suddenly going to perform important job duties while said kid is missing. All the while no one will suspect a thing.

DocSavage · « **Reply #14 on:** December 26, 2016, 06:03:58 PM »

This is late incoming, but the senator thing:

I don't like how the president let him walk away with his tail between his legs. The senator was playing hardball, and backed him into a corner.. if it was me, I'd have brought him in simply to inform him everything's being released, wish him good luck with that, and walk away. There is NO reason to give even an inch to the man..

dam skippy · « **Reply #15 on:** March 09, 2017, 02:58:12 PM »

Now that the winter break was over last night's episode was pretty good. We got a taste of the new VP in charge. His wife seems to be controlling the strings. It's obvious that someone wants the US to fail big time. I was a little disappointed in Super Pres getting up for a paparazzi moment hours after surgery. Next week should be interesting.

Pebble.2.0 · « **Reply #16 on:** March 28, 2017, 03:10:54 PM »

I'm still all in on this

Prime · « **Reply #17 on:** March 28, 2017, 03:24:08 PM »

Quote from: Pebble.2.0 on March 28, 2017, 03:10:54 PM

I'm still all in on this

Me too. Really digging KS in this role.

DocSavage · « **Reply #18 on:** April 19, 2017, 10:05:20 PM »

Last weeks gun thing was a big waste of time.

Seriously, who cares if it passed or failed?

DocSavage · « **Reply #19 on:** April 19, 2017, 10:54:05 PM »

Only a quarter...

She says that like it's insignificant. 25 out of 100 cases coming down to a single vote sounds like a big deal to me... Not like we're talking 1 out of 1,000 or something.

DocSavage · « **Reply #20 on:** May 17, 2017, 10:42:14 PM »

I know it's all about suspension of disbelief and all, but..

You know a woman like that probably wouldn't really be able to beat down a decent sized man, right? Not like that, anyways. With punch's to the face making him recoil/stagger and such..

But tv shows never get that kind of thing right anyways (Jean Claude Van Damme made a career out of schlock..)

dam skippy · « **Reply #21 on:** May 19, 2017, 02:25:13 PM »

I was bothered by 2 things.

They couldn't track down the traitor by camera. Seriously?

Lazano was let out of the Pentagon gate with ease.

I think the show should be called Designated FBI Agent. She's been in the ending scenes for all of the 2nd half of the season.

dam skippy · « **Reply #22 on:** December 15, 2017, 08:12:02 AM »

So, you sign a major character to a limited contract and have to find a creative way for her to exit.

"Hey, let's make the SS look incompetent!!! "

It was a shocker though.

Pebble.2.0 · « **Reply #23 on:** December 18, 2017, 11:50:21 AM »

I tapped out of this, this season felt like it lost its direction.

DocSavage · « **Reply #24 on:** March 09, 2018, 08:20:48 AM »

I don't really like Paulo Costanzo's character.

Didn't like it from day one, it felt forced and unnecessary. Felt less like a role intended for the series, and more like the result of executive meddling, for whatever reason..