Quantico – Clear

By: Alex Steele

“Quantico” may just be one of the most high-octane, thrilling shows we have on our televisions this season. It ranges from frame jobs, to bomb threats, con-artists to undercover informants this FBI thriller has it all. Last week, we left a desperate Alex (Priyanka Chopra) trying to uncover more about the masked figure currently playing puppeteer, which lead her to an abandoned area she discovers Natalie (Anabelle Acosta) with a live bomb strapped to her body. Talk about stepping it up every week, the writers and entire creative team behind this show don’t leave any stone unturned. They ensure every week a new piece of the puzzle is solved only to drop another lead to draw us in during the closing moments. This week’s episode, titled “Clear”, picked up right where we left off. A distraught Alex has approached Natalie to inspect the device, Natalie, with no recollection of how or when this happened, seems to think she has been drugged and it is Grand Central all over again. The “voice” orders Alex to do exactly as they say – steal classified documents from the FBI and hand them over. If Alex wasn’t a terrorist before, she may definitely be one by the closing of the episode.

This week at Quantico, the NATs are focused on Human Intelligence (assessing the emotional weakness of others, exploiting them, personality types), a psychological part of the job that uncovered some interesting information about the group. The opening sequence of physical drills (burpees, push ups and chin ups) not only excited the personal trainer in me, but gave us a good contrast between the physical and mental aspects of what is required of these NATs at Quantico. Caleb (Graham Rogers) and Shelby (Johanna Braddy) spend the episode attempting to track down Samar (Marjan Neshat), but after receiving a demand for 5 million dollars they hit a road block. After a little resistance from Shelby, Caleb reaches out to good ol’ Dad (could this mark the start of what will eventually turn into the affair) to see if he can pull some high-powered FBI strings to locate Samar. He comes through, identifying that Samar has, in fact, not been kidnapped. She is; however, still conning Shelby. She seriously can’t catch a break. Even with this bad news, she refuses to stop fighting and ensures that she is going take Samar down herself. Meanwhile, Nimah (Yasmine Al Massri) is becoming more and more suspicious of Raina as she is running late for class and lied about where she was over New Years. (Anyone else think she has gone undercover in the ring of terrorists responsible for Charlie’s attack?) Throughout the episode, the two sisters continually butt heads with obvious strain on their relationship. The control freak in Nimah is having a hard time letting her sister go; following her movements and finally discovering what she has been up to.

In future days, Alex returns to work at FBI headquarters where she is greeted by Ryan (Jake McLaughlin) who, unfortunately, informs her that since everything has happened she has been somewhat demoted until further notice. Better yet, her new boss is none other than Ryan’s ex-wife Hannah (Eliza Coupe). Can everyone say “love triangle?” Throughout the course of their multiple exchanges, it is obvious both women have underlying feelings for one Ryan Booth and, in some cases, he is their blind spot. The banter and underhanded attitude both have with the other makes for scintillating drama, but doesn’t overshadow the bigger, darker, more important elements of the show. Following the suspects’ orders, Alex works her magic getting Natalie (with a bomb strapped to her) inside the FBI to retrieve these files. However, the efforts such a task involves may be a challenge. Alex must somehow get Hannah’s fingerprints for clearance and Natalie must somehow take Ryan’s access card. A challenge you say? Not at all, when two of the finest NAT graduates are on the case. To create a diversion, they call in a bomb threat and while everyone is escorted outside, Alex retrieves the files. Before sending them on to subject unknown, both Alex and Natalie inspect what they are handing over – presidential travel details. Um, really? With their humanity kicking in, Natalie implants a worm into the file that will ping a signal as soon as the suspect opens it, thus, giving them a lead to go on.

When we check back in with the NATs at Quantico, the assignment is well and truly underway. After they were all successful in identifying personality types and weaknesses of their fellow classmates, the real test is about to come. They are heading out into the field where they have been tasked with recruiting an informant. This week we see a budding friendship/possible “friends with benefits” thing arise with Drew (Lenny Platt) and Alex as both compete for the “top dog” title. Each of the NATs go in relatively confident, but none more so than these two. and when both play tag team with the same “mark,” the game of cat and mouse just heats up. But little did the NATs know that the people they are attempting to recruit are actually members of the FBI already. Before they could even recruit their marks, they had made them. Checkmate NATs. Back at Quantico, Alex and Drew share a heart-felt exchange. Caleb makes a stand and once and for all walks out on Shelby. Natalie leaves and Iris Chang (Li Jun Li) offers her assistance in helping Shelby track down the Croatian bank to which her “fake sister” channelled all her money.

In the last minutes of the episode, Alex and Natalie seem to have been successful in spoofing the suspect. Having tracked down the signal and the location, they arrive at an abandoned warehouse. They discover a singular computer with the FBI files flashing up on the screen, but no one else in sight. They were too late. And with that, Alex’s phone starts to ring. Walking outside to get a better cell signal, she leaves Natalie to stand guard at the computer and what follows leaves all our hearts broken. As the anonymous caller yells at Alex for not following the rules, an explosion erupts. The computer was a bomb and the suspect set this whole thing up. Is Natalie dead? By the looks of the explosion, we can assume yes, but is it too much to think maybe she survived? Anything is possible in this show, right? Either way, Alex runs. And to where else? Ryan’s apartment.

Priyanka Chopra may have delivered this scene in a way that really allows us to see Alex starting to break. She is well and truly losing it, unable to form coherent sentences and extremely paranoid – even to the point that she asks Ryan to check her in somewhere. He needs to help her. Ryan doesn’t hesitate (it is kind of sad to see him not believing Alex, as his belief may just be what she needs right now), but it isn’t long before she receives a picture message of them in present time – stalker? She runs. As Alex continues to dissolve, I can only predict that her search for allies will become harder and harder. Oh “Quantico,” you’ve got us hook, line and sinker.

Other key plot points:

• The geeky, photographic memory NAT (whose name I cannot for the life of me remember) has everyone’s face at the bottom of his sock drawer. He is crossing out faces as he goes – theories people?
• Drew’s girlfriend was caught in the crossfire of a shootout that occurred the same time Liam was in Chicago
• Natalie was given a leave of absence while at Quantico to fight for custody of her daughter. Was she successful?
• Miranda warned Liam about getting involved with Alex.