Designated Survivor Review: The Final Frontier (Season 2 Episode 12)

On Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 12, “The Final Frontier,” Damian’s back, and it’s nowhere near thrilling or intriguing. He’s just sort of there, and we have to suffer through it.

Sorry but the “can we trust Damian?” debate got old forever ago, and all this hour does is prolong the discussion. It would have been more entertaining to focus a bit more on the interrogation, maybe having Aaron being the only one in the room with Damian.

Hannah and Damian being “partners” again is okay. The revelation that Damian is working with the Russians falls flat because we’ve lost interest in him.

Damian: I’m going to put this gun down, and we’re going to talk.

Hannah: You put that gun down, and I’m going to pick it up and shoot you.

No one cares why he did what he did. We’re not interested in his motives; there’s no suspense behind uncovering them. It’s not as if learning the truth would save dozens of lives or reveal who blew up the Capitol or some equally as intriguing conspiracy.

There’s nothing to gain here.

The Icarus name drop earns a groan. Seriously, we’re not done with that yet? I may be in the minority here, but I don’t think any of us were sitting there still trying to figure out why Damian sabotaged part of the investigation.

Do we ever learn what he wanted to trade for his spaceship hack information? No, wait, it doesn’t matter because I don’t care. Let’s just move on.

Thank goodness Alex’s death doesn’t turn Penny into an unbearable child.

There are a lot of ways Designated Survivor could have played this because everyone grieves differently. On an entertainment scale, Penny turning into a brat who gets into fights would not have been fun to watch.

Having her want to protect people — and still get into fights — is a much more enjoyable option. We still get to see Penny act out a bit in her grief, and her relationship with Kirkman is strained slightly, but there’s not this sense of dread or annoyance every time she appears on the screen.

This is such a small detail, but it is really bothersome: Why doesn’t the principal mention in the letter that Penny only got into fights because she was standing up for someone who is being bullied?

Way to bury the lede, ma’am!

The dinner scene between Kirkman and Penny at the end is precious. It adds to the emotional impact of Alex’s death, and you can’t help but smile yet also tear up when Penny talks about her mom’s hair smelling like sunshine.

This is a great way to handle the aftermath of Alex’s death. We’re already getting drama on the politics side of things from Kirkman’s reaction, and the firing of Secretary Moss is only adding on to that.

Through Moss’ and Kirkman’s fight, we see a different effect of Alex’s death on Kirkman, and it’s not a teary emotional one. This is why we need scenes with Penny and Leo; they make Alex’s death really hit home for us, emotionally.

Moss reminds us that someone who is grieving isn’t necessarily at the top of their game and that has huge consequences, especially if that person happens to be the President of the United States.

Now, we don’t see the ten weeks after Alex’s death, but I’m inclined to believe that Moss is telling the truth about Kirkman and his reactions.

But he definitely should not have gone behind Kirkman’s back and made deals or concessions. It could have been handled better, for sure. However, Kirkman’s grief has negatively impacted his performance as president. Do you agree?

What did you think of this episode of Designated Survivor? Did you love Lyor’s obsession over his shameful defeat at space camp? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Designated Survivor airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on ABC.

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