In the event of a catastrophic event in which the members of the United States are unable to continue governance over the country, a lone member of the President’s cabinet, known as the Designated survivor, is chosen in order to ensure a successful constitution of the Government.
The Designated Survivor is kept in a secure, undisclosed location separate from the rest of the Government.
Designated Survivor (2016) features Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Richmond.
On the night of the State of the Union, all members of the Government and Cabinet attend the United States capitol building, except for Tom Kirkman, the appointed designated survivor.
Kirkman and his wife Alex (Natascha McElhone) watch on from an undisclosed secure location as President Richmond delivers his state of the union address. It’s a relatively normal night for Kirkman. All members of the United States Government are aware of the designated survivor, so having to serve as it doesn’t come as a surprise. As President Richmond concludes his speech, the TV goes static. The room is then rushed by a number of secret service agents.
Kirkman opens a window to reveal a cloud of smoke around the Capitol building. The entire United States Government, including the President and Vice President have been killed. From that moment on, Kirkman is the President of the United States.
The three season drama features moments of tragedy, triumph, hope and adversary.
Each season feels like you are watching a different chapter, which keeps you hooked wondering what comes next.
The first season is without a doubt the best in my mind. It includes everything you need in a show, tragedy, conflict, triumph, conspiracies.
In the first season, Tom has to come to terms with the reality of his new job. Keep in mind, early in the first episode we learn that President Richmond fired Kirkman prior to his speech. So for him to become president is a big change. It’s not easy to be a democratically elected president, never mind only becoming president because both the President and Vice President died.
Along with the President and Vice President, the entire United States cabinet and senate has been killed. Kirkman is tasked with building the government from the ground up.
Kirkman takes over a government in chaos that he has to lead through one of the darkest times in the country's history.
Throughout the first season, Tom questions whether his role as President and if he is fit for the job.
“What the hell am I doing here? I’m not the guy for this.” - President Tom Kirkman
President Kirkman’s legitimacy as a president is questioned many times throughout the show, both by him and other characters.
During a meeting with the Governors, Kirkman’s ability to lead the country due to his predecessor’s wish that Kirkman no longer serves in his cabinet.
President Kirkman has to deal with political pressure to find the group responsible for the attack, along with a rogue governor and rising international tensions.
There is no shortage of adversity faced by President Kirkman during his presidency.
One of Tom's major adversaries in the first season comes from his own government. General Harris Cochrane is the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.
Following the events of the attack, Cochrane is eager to display the might of the United States to any potential enemies of the United States.
Towards the end of the first episode, Aaron Shore (Adan Canto) the White House Deputy Chief of Staff and General Cochrane (Michael Gaston) discuss a plan to overthrow the sitting president, much to the disagreement of Shore who suggests it would be an act of treason.
“We have a housing and urban development secretary running the free world. You call it treason, I call it my civic responsibility.” - General Cochrane
In the start of episode two, Kirkman addresses the American people. In his first speech to the nation since becoming president, Kirkman attempts to reassure Americans that the country won’t back down.
“My fellow Americans tonight our way of life came under attack. This act of cowardice was meant to cripple our nation. But as before America will show the world that we will not bow down to fear, we will fight back, that we will persevere.” - President Tom Kirkman
The message of unity, perseverance and strength during times of hardship becomes a recurring theme in the show. With an additional season, I would have loved to see this theme continue to develop in a fourth season.
While the decision to end the show at season three could have been due to the tragic passing of Adan Canto, which if that is the case, would have been the right choice. I, as a fan of the show, would have loved to see a fourth season in which we get to see the first 365 days of President Kirkman's first official term. It would have been much different than the first three seasons because as an elected president, Kirkman would have a clean slate and an ability to rule without the title of an “unelected” president hanging over his head.
A number of thing’s worked well in the first three seasons that left me wanting more. There’s a lot of meat to keep you hooked. Not only is the main story line around the Government recovering from a massive attack, but there’s also a number of side stories that keep the story fresh.
My favorite side story is the theory, presented by FBI agent Hannah Wells (Maggie Q). The Theory, most prevalent in season one suggests that the lone survivor of the attack is tied to the people responsible. Congressman Peter Macleish (Ashley Zuckerman) is suspected of being part of the terrorist group that took down the Capitol after he was the only survivor out of a thousand people.
In addition to the numerous engaging story lines, the show also had really good character development.
To me, the show needed a fourth season to further explore these story lines. In the first season we saw a lot of development from the main characters, but there was definitely more we could have seen.
As with any good show, good character progression is something that is key in keeping the audience hooked. Designated Survivor has plenty of good character development through its three seasons.
Seth Wright (Kal Penn) begins as a simple speech writer under President Richmond. Following the attack, Wright voices his skepticism about the new President to an unknown voice in the bathroom, who turns out to be President Kirkman. Wright later becomes a close advisor to President Kirkman, and eventually is promoted to White House press secretary.
My favourite scene comes at the end of episode two, when Wright the White House press secretary, is at a Vigil for the people who died in the attack. While in the crowd, Wright makes eye contact with a police officer who starts to approach him. Earlier in the episode, Wright had been profiled by two police officers because of his Muslim background.
Instead of being questioned, the police officer asks Wright if he lost anyone, to which he responds “I lost everyone” a woman then uses her candle to light his candle.
This scene gave me chills, even in a time of tragedy and adversity, people can still show compassion and respect to one another, no matter their differences.
Similar to Seth Wright, Emily Rhodes (Italia Ricci) receives a promotion shortly after the Capitol attack. She first began as Tom Kirkman’s Chief of Staff back when he was still the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, but she was later promoted to the position of the President’s special advisor. Rhodes is loyal to the President in all circumstances, which makes her such an important character throughout the show.
Like Rhodes, Aaron Shore (Adan Canto) shows his unwavering loyalty to the president during the show. Shore started off as the White House Deputy Chief of Staff, but was later promoted to White House Chief of Staff. For much of the show, Shore essentially serves as President Kirkman’s right hand man.
Shore personally is one of my favorite characters because of his straight to business, no nonsense attitude. In numerous scenes we get a look at this no nonsense attitude. All the way back to the very first episode, we see Shore take control of the situation in the bunker following the attack in order to assist an overwhelmed President Kirkman.
As seasons two and three went on, the show was just starting to take shape. Kirkman was starting to get used to the office of the president, and we even went on to see him campaigning for reelection. Kirkman ends up winning the election, but the shows end there. If I was a director with complete control over the show, I would have opted to renew the season for a fourth and final season.
I would have liked to see how President Kirkman would have done with a new presidency, and how he would have helped the country recover after the devastating attack that rocked the country. With a new season, we could explore the start of Kirkman’s presidency and the path to him picking a new cabinet and senate.
In times of tragedy, countries tend to unite, so I wish we had the chance to see what Kirkman did post-election with a new Government, and how he continued to lead the country through a tough time.
The perfect ending would have been after seeing the President’s first 365 days in office and how the country has recovered from the terrorist attack, the President resigns to a role of secretary of capitol defense (a new role designed to ensure the safety of the capitol) a sort of full circle moment.
Throughout the show Kirkman becomes better accustomed to the office of the President and the powers that come with it. President Kirkman shows his authority in the first season when he fires General Cochrane for disobeying a direct order.
Most notably the President authorizes a mission to capture the leader of the terrorist group that attacked the Capitol.
In the first three seasons we learn a lot about Kirkman, he’s a respectable, stand up family man who always believes in defending what is right. By the time we get to the end of season three, we know so much about him it almost feels like he is someone we know personally.
In the later seasons, Kirkman also deals with his own personal struggles and tragedies. While attending the inauguration of his vice president, Kirkman is shot in an assassination attempt. The President survives and continues to lead the country, showing his strong resolve and dedication to the office he inherited.
On the way home from an important event, first lady Alex Kirkman's secret service car is t-boned by a truck, resulting in her death. This is one of the most emotional scenes in the entire show. Alex Kirkman is a very selfless character, so it makes her death even more heartbreaking. As a immigration lawyer, she advocates for immigrants in the country numerous times in the show, leading up to her death.
In the end, both of President Kirkman’s interaction with these events showcases his semblance at the “Designated Survivor” in the show. He is meant to be the one that survives all along, no matter what attacks come his way. I still think his presidency was short lived, but hey, maybe one day he will win a second term (or fourth season) I’d certainly vote for him.
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