Designated Survivor Review: Fallout (Season 2 Episode 16)

On Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 16, “Fallout,” everyone seems to have forgotten about their little hacker problem.

When you have the ambassador of Kunami vehemently denying that his country is behind the bomb, maybe, just maybe, do you consider the possibility that he’s telling the truth?

It’s not like we’re still trying to uncover the identity of a highly skilled hacker who has proven that s/he is capable of hacking the NASA as well as the Russian space station. If you can tamper with a rocket launch, it’s probably super easy to make it look like one country tried to frame another.

Does anyone else think that there’s more to this bomb than meets the eye?

Lyor: Hmm, dying of radiation poisoning interferes with my grand plan.

Emily: Which is?

Lyor: Living to 130.

If this theory pans out, then it will make this bomber threat a lot more interesting. It might be able to bring back some of the intrigue and suspense Designated Survivor had back in Season 1.

It’s not a sure thing, but it could happen if the reveal is done correctly. Of course, this might mean the return of Damian.

One of the upsides of this bomb scare is that he wasn’t around!

Instead, Hannah partners with Sean from Nikita, a guy that, on this show, we know is one of the good ones. It’s so nice not to wonder whether or not he’s going to screw Hannah and the U.S. over.

The fact that Kirkman and company don’t immediately jump to the possibility that the hacker is involved is a little frustrating, but it’s understandable. It doesn’t make them all idiots or anything, but you would hope their conspiracy radar would be on high alert after all the hacks and leaks.

The worse error is Hannah and company not considering the possibility that maybe Joon’s girlfriend has been kidnapped. It’s beyond obvious.

He’s proven that he will do whatever it takes to secure her safety. Does he strike you as a bomber or someone who would jeopardize his and his girlfriend’s deal with the U.S.? No. Put your thinking cap on, Hannah!

Kirkman’s most frustrating decision is bombing Kunami without heeding the advice of his trusted staff and advisors and at least informing Congress. They are there to help you, Kirkman. Listen to them!

The issue is that Kirkman is too close to the subject.

As he mentions, he has already been through the Patrick Lloyd battle, which took forever, and so he feels like this is the time he can do things right. The problem is, he doesn’t.

He is so concerned with getting ahead of things and not sitting idly for months waiting on intelligence that he doesn’t fully think things through.

This is also the issue with Emily — she’s too close to the President.

She is ignoring procedure and breaking laws in order to protect Kirkman. The big problem here is that it’s not as understandable as Kirkman’s decision to strike back.

Emily is coming off as reckless. As Kendra points out, Emily has lost sight of the bigger picture.

She keeps talking about what the President wants to do, and honestly, I’m going to need to see a conversation where she updates him on all of this to believe her.

Once again, it feels like Emily is namedropping him in order to get people to do things her way. Every time Kendra has an objection to something, Emily appears as if she’s scheming a way to get around it and to get Kendra on board.

Kendra should have brought someone else in to help by now.

She should know that she isn’t making any progress with Emily. I stand by my previous comment in my review of Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 15 that Aaron needs to be called in so he can rein Emily in.

Emily doesn’t seem to have learned anything from her decisions during Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 15. She’s continuing down this dangerous path, and unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be any sign of her stopping.

If she’s willing to leak information to the press to get her way, what will she do next? Then, depending on how far she goes, she may not be able to be redeemed in our eyes or Kirkman’s.

On the plus side, Kendra has done a great job of holding her ground. Emily throws a lot of things at Kendra to try to get her way, but Kendra doesn’t budge. Good for her.

Stray Thoughts:

• Wow, so I guess she’s VP now? That was a speedy confirmation.
• I SHOULD HAVE SEEN FORSTELL’S DEATH COMING!!
• Lyor with his optimism is still my favorite.
• Thankfully there isn’t any Emily and Seth relationship drama. I couldn’t have survived another round.

What did you think of this episode of Designated Survivor? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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

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