Designated Survivor – The Ninth Seat

By: Patience Kapfer

We begin this week’s episode with a trip to what appears to be extremely hostile territory. Abe Leonard (Rob Morrow) is brought in with his head covered to meet with the terrorist leaders of Al-Sakar. He is bound and determined to find out if Nestor Lozano (George Tchortov) was linked to Al-Sakar and if Al-Sakar was responsible for the Capitol bombing. In an impressive turn of events we learn that Lozano paid Al-Sakar to take responsibility for the Capitol bombing, but the terrorist groups wasn’t actually the perpetrator!

After a tense debate on the gun bill, it looks as though Speaker Hookstraten (Virginia Madsen) has followed through and convinced her fellow Republicans to pass the bill. However Emily (Italia Ricci) warns President Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) early in the episode that they should consider what to do concerning the vice presidency, as Hookstraten is probably expecting a quid pro quo. Kirkman tells Emily that he made it clear with Hookstraten when she offered to help him that he made no promises. President Kirkman assures her that he wishes to focus his sole attention on appointing Supreme Court Justices. We are introduced to Kirkman’s friend Julia (Linda Purl) who helps the president narrow down a list of potential justices. In order to appoint the judges, the president needs confirmation from a committee from the Senate and then full confirmation at a Senate hearing. So far, the committee has agreed upon four progressive justices to accommodate the Democrats and four conservative justices to satisfy the Republicans, but the ninth judge has to be a true impartial independent.

President Kirkman presents all nine potential justices to the Senate committee hoping for confirmation of each of his choices. The Democratic leader agrees with his choices, particularly with the chief justice that should provide an impartial voice. However, the Republicans [specifically Bowman (Mark Deklin)] accuses Kirkman’s choice for Chief Justice of having clear liberal bias. Bowman insists that since the Senate has a Republican majority that they need to start with a list of five justices that are acceptable to them and move forward from there, clearly giving the Republicans an unfair advantage. Bowman then attempts to leverage his bargain with the president under the pretense that five justices acceptable to the Republicans will give the president a quick confirmation-which is what Kirkman would prefer. The Democrats threaten that if they proceed down that road they will filibuster. Again we see true anger from the president when Bowman insists upon playing extreme party politics and being a blatant obstructionist. It is important to appoint a court to adjudicate the country otherwise they are a broken government. Another member of the Senate asks if it would be possible for the president to put forth another name for the ninth seat, and begrudgingly Kirkman agrees.

After Bowman refuses another independent judge, President Kirkman and Emily ask Julia to be the ninth justice. Julia tells Kirkman that she can’t be his ninth judge because she has early onset dementia; she also tells him that she wants to see what they are doing through, but it can’t be with her on the bench. We can feel the president’s disappointment and sadness over this news, since she was a close mentor while working in academia. Julia is able to develop an alternative solution: only appoint eight justices. She informs the Senators that the Constitution doesn’t specify the number of justices, but instead Congress determines the number. The Senators finally agree with Kirkman’s decision on justices, with Bowman telling the president that he can “wait him out.” Upon Julia’s exit, she tells Kirkman to remember her as she is and again we see the true President Kirkman and remember that he is truly human and cares deeply.

Seth (Kal Penn) is met with an unexpected visitor in his office, when Abe Leonard shows up to inform Seth that Al-Sakar was not responsible for bombing the Capitol. Leonard tells Seth that he has a day to get back to him before he releases the story and makes the White House look like they were totally played. Seth warns Emily that Leonard is running with that story, despite Emily’s protests that they have a vast array of agencies saying that the terrorist group did carry out the attack. After an unexpected meeting with Leonard in Hookstraten’s office, Aaron (Adan Canto) attempts to contact Hannah (Maggie Q), but since she is out of town, Director Forstell (Reed Diamond) meets him on the Mall, to tell him what Abe Leonard said. Forstell takes this new information straight to President Kirkman to try to figure out what to do about the situation. The president decides that they should allow Leonard to do what he wants instead of arresting a reporter and appearing to be shutting down the press.

Leonard is told that his article is not enough and he needs more facts and sources, but he can’t use his sources since they are literally terrorists. He needs more if he is going to challenge the White House’s narrative. Leonard is sent a mysterious link with pictures and video footage from the assassination attempt. He finds Hannah in the back of the crowd and is therefore able to place her at the swearing in ceremony. Later, Leonard notices a man following him after he leaves a shop and he confronts Seth about having him followed. Leonard finds a cell phone on the hood of his car and receives a mysterious phone call from someone that also wants to know about Nestor Lozano.

Agent Hannah Wells and Jason Atwood (Malik Yoba) are still on the hunt to figure out who is hiding explosives in the old missile silo. They venture into the nearest town to figure out if anyone can tell them who tends to visit that land or if they know what the land is used for. While in town, Hannah and Atwood are approached by a man who makes a comment about the weather, but after Atwood replies the man appears to withdraw and insists he is there for camping. Atwood makes note that they definitely failed that test and now it is unlikely they will be able to thoroughly infiltrate the group they are looking for. While walking past the man’s car, Hannah notices a book on the dashboard titled “Pax Americana.” They enter a restaurant to try their luck with obtaining information from the bartender. The bartender calls the out of state people the “true believers” and says that they get together on a private property three to four times a year and stick together. He says no one really knows what those people do, but it seems like they camp and he says that you can see the glow of their bonfires. The bartender also notes that he hears trucks and helicopters going through at night sometimes and attributes it to the military.

Hannah plays the part of a lost tourist well and manages to steal one of the group’s books while asking a man at a gas station where the local campground is. The book is a manifesto; it’s an entirely new constitutional order. Repeated over and over in the book is “No Victory Without Sacrifice.” Hannah and Atwood make the drive to the location the group meets, but they are met with guns and obvious hostility. They are told this is private land and they need to turn around.  That night, our favorite secret agents go into the woods to watch the mysterious group. While they watch, a helicopter arrives and lands amidst the bonfires. Who steps off the chopper? None other than Nestor Lozano himself.