Designated Survivor “Party Lines” was written by Jenna Richman and was directed by Mike Listo. This episode featured the fate of the gun Bill – at least through the Senate. This episode also continued to highlight for me how the two storylines in the series are diverging. The investigation storyline continues to be increasingly implausible and of little interest to me.
Tom’s (Kiefer Sutherland) focus in the episode is getting Bill 8180 passed through the Senate. It’s clear that Bowman (Mark Deklin) has set him up. Tom holds a press conference, however, in which he says he supports the bill as an important step. He also declares that patching bad laws in more important than political posturing. Tom admits the language is bad, but vows that the House will be able to work with him to make it better – once it’s past Senate. I like that they are maintaining Tom’s integrity, and I hope the show can keep it up and doesn’t give in to a slow slide to the darkside for political expediency.
Meanwhile Hookstraten (Virginia Madsen) and Aaron (Adan Canto) are watching on tv. Aaron points out that this is a call from Tom for her to get involved. Aaron further points out that Bowman is also gunning for her. She needs to show him he’s not the only alpha-dog in Washington.
We get the usual walk and talk with Tom, Emily (Italia Ricci), and Seth as they discuss the press conference and the day’s agenda, before Seth breaks off and walks with Alex (Natascha McElhone). She will be hosting 12 victims of gun violence. Seth tells her that today is about listening – and that she shouldn’t mention the Bill.
I’ve actually decided that I really like the mature way that Alex accepts instruction on what her role needs to be – she’s not insulted or sulky about it. She tells Seth that this is exactly the type of issue that she wanted to tackle. She’s also a quick study on how to do the job effectively, so when a reporter asks Alex if they’ll talk about the Bill, she replies that today is about people, not politics. She’s there to listen.
We’re introduced to Minority Leader Harris (Kearran Giovanni). Tom wins her support, but wants to know his “red line” – he needs to guarantee no cuts to medicare or social security. Tom promises that they are on the same side, but I have to wonder if he’s going to find out it’s not that easy a promise to make. The two do come to an agreement.
Most of the episode focuses on the deal making at the heart of political life in Washington. Hookstraten meets with Bowman who tells her that he has the majority of Senate and the Second Amendment on his side. She tells him that he’s not helping project a united Republican front. He tells her that she’s the last of the “old guard” and that she should step aside or get on board! Does he have any idea who he’s talking to? I’m happy to see Tom and Hookstraten have the same enemy! And I actually like how the entire series with its emphasis on Independents – like Tom – has blurred those party lines. But of course, the episode title plays out on my clever levels.
Moss (Geoff Pierson) returns from a successful trip to New York to get the Russians to send aide to Naruba. He tells Tom that the American people like him. And as a new entity on the political scene Tom doesn’t owe anyone anything, but then, nobody owes Tom anything either. He also tells him that you don’t always get to choose your battleground and you have to win with what you’ve got.
Everyone gets to work on securing the votes they need. Emily meets with Aaron in a bar, and he offers Hookstraten’s help to get Republican votes. Is it just me, or has Emily turned into a bitch? She nasty to Aaron and full of her own self-importance all of a sudden. It’s clear that the deal is a bid for Hookstraten to be at least considered for Vice President – and I have to admit, I’m kind of ready for that now!
Hookstraten meets with Tom and tells him that she’s willing to publicly support the Bill. Tom doesn’t promise her anything now… but he’ll be grateful down the line. She assures him that’s all she needs and says she’s doing it because she thinks he’s doing the right thing – and doesn’t tell him that it also screws Bowman…
Tom meets with his friend from school, Senator Walter Dunlap (Patrick Galligan). He tells Tom that he can’t vote for the Bill because the language is too broad. As soon as Hookstraten holds a press conference and endorses the Bill, however, Walter calls Tom and tells him he is glad to be on board now that he has political cover.
Meanwhile, Emily meets with Grady (Shawn Roberts) who works for Senator Harrington to find out what it will take to secure his vote. They want $785 million for infrastructure for Colorado! Moss meets with Jim and I loved Pierson in this scene! He basically tells him to vote for the Bill or he’ll come after his seat! I also loved him saying he was asking for himself of the President, but the country. But really, he wasn’t asking!
Tom tries to sway Senator Louis (Allison J Palmer) and even promises her a job in his administration if she loses the next election over the vote. He asks her to just vote her conscience. Which she disappointingly doesn’t do.
Alex promises one of the survivors that she’ll personally visit the Hill on the day of the Bill. She is there with the Minority Leader who is glad to have a “sister in arms” in the Whitehouse. Alex also runs into Bowman and three other senators.
Alex tells Bowman she’s just there to keep a promise to a woman who lost a son to gun violence. When Bowman makes a flippant comment about luck, Alex goes right back at him, saying it’s not luck for people not to die in a theater – or other sites of gun violence. One of the Senators looks very thoughtful as Alex takes her leave, and I knew that this was going to be the turning point they needed!
Seth knows that Alex was on the Hill and talked to Bowman, and he wants Emily to talk to Tom about it – to at least let him know, and Emily shuts him down. It’s another way that Emily is too close to the family to effectively do her job.
One Democratic senator changes his vote because he doesn’t like Tom aligning with the Republican speaker. And when it looks like the Bill isn’t going to pass, Hookstraten is quick to tell Aaron that they will distance themselves from the whole thing. They’ll do their own damage control because she won’t tie herself to a lame duck President.
The Senate vote and everyone watches nervously – except Moss, who delightfully brings pizza! I was completely unsurprised to have Senator Vandenberg (Catherine Fitch) cast the winning vote. I was surprised by the more thoughtful resolution to why – and I thought this was some good writing in this episode. And of course, Moss wants champagne to celebrate!
Tom invites Senator Vandenberg to the Oval Office and she requests that Alex is there. Tom asked what changed her mind, and I fully expected her just to say that Alex had – but it’s so much more complicated than that! Bowman never asked her how she would vote, assuming she would simply vote the way her husband had – after all, she’d taken over the seat after his death. However, she points out that she and her husband didn’t agree on everything. She also took Tom’s admonition to choose the country over politics seriously. And finally, she took heart from Alex standing up to Bowman in and of itself. She tells Tom to “keep doing what you’re doing.”
It was a nice win, but cleverly plotted. It also sets up some interesting dynamics going forward as some of these deals are going to come due…
Meanwhile, the investigation plot… Hannah (Maggie Q) meets with Mike (LaMonica Garrett) to brief him on the schematics of the Hoover Dam, Golden Gate Bridge, and Statue of Liberty. Mike briefs Tom, and they decide to update emergency evacuation procedures. Sadly, this seems to be the extent of Mike’s storyline now.
Hannah and Forstell (Reed Diamond) find a property holding of Browning-Reed in North Dakota that Matheson flew to 4 times. Hannah insists on only taking Atwood (Malik Yoba) as backup. Neither of them seem up to the task. Atwood admits that he thought killing Matheson would give him closure and it didn’t. The end up in an open field, that Forstell easily informs them is the site of an old missile silo. That didn’t come up on the property immediately? Really?
The two finally find the entrance after wandering around the woods a bit more – and spending the night in their car. The find the silo mostly empty – at least there isn’t a huge missile – just enough bombs like those the blew up the Capitol to blow up three more – or, you know, the other three landmarks. Does this mean the country is safe now? Are they done? Can we be done with this plot?
What did you think of the episode? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
