Quantico – Clue

By: Alex Steele

Last week’s episode finished with Hannah (Eliza Coupe) showing up to Alex’s apartment, admitting that she may or may not believe Alex’s (Priyanka Chopra) out this world theory regarding a second terrorist. This week’s episode doesn’t waste any time. Cutting between both future days and “Quantico” time, this episode covers a lot of ground in forty-two minutes, leaving no storyline out yet still a lot of questions unanswered. This may have been the first episode that I got to the end of the episode not even having an idea as to who the terrorist may be (usually there is at least a few suspects, but this week, none).

Titled Clue, this week’s episode began in Alex’s apartment with the newly formed threesome reviewing what exactly is happening. Who am I kidding? The first few minutes were dedicated to a powerful, non-stop monologue by Hannah pretty much summing up to Alex the situation and asking if her handle on it was correct. The sarcasm and the strength that Coupe delivered this rousing monologue with was captivating – Simon (Tate Ellington) and Alex couldn’t get a word in edge ways. After a breathless few minutes, Hannah finally lets up on the monologue and says she is taking the information to the Director; however, she is stopped by Alex who asks her not to do it. Well then, how are we going to go about it? Working together!

At Quantico this week, Liam (Josh Hopkins) is checking in with the FBI counsellors to see how all the NATs are coping post-shooting last week. The feedback is varied; however, Liam ensures that this week’s assignment will be all he needs to weed out who is coping and who is not. This scene is cut with scenes of the NATs – Caleb (Graham Rogers) and Shelby (Johanna Braddy) are back on, Will (Jay Armstrong Johnson) is hassling Caleb about his undercover operation and the twins (Yasmine Al Massri) are to go in front of the Office of Professional Responsibility following the terrorist attack to assess whether they knew anything about the planning of the attack. What we learn during this montage of scenes includes Shelby using sex to avoid talking about the discovery of her parents being well and truly alive, Raina having gone to see Simon over New Year’s (They’re together?) and Drew (Lenny Platt) is walking around like a hero after saving Liam’s life.

Back to the future, Hannah continues to encourage Alex that going to the director is the best move if they are to beat the terrorist. When Hannah learns that the Senator’s travel plans have changed, her and Alex deduce that whatever is in store is happening today. With as perfect as ever timing, the terrorist calls and Hannah takes it upon herself to threaten the hidden voice. Unsuccessful in scaring said terrorist, Alex and Hannah are given an envelope containing some sort of sim-card looking thing and are instructed to place it under a seat in the town hall where Senator Haas is speaking. As people are entering the town hall, Hannah and Alex are working together to successfully place the package underneath the seat and in a rare moment of open dialogue we get a little bit of back story into Hannah. She opens up about why she and Ryan (Jake McLaughlin) broke up. It seems while undercover, she fell in love with someone and that someone gave her something she knew Ryan never could. We also learn that this person who Hannah fell in love with was a woman. And so the audience now knows what makes Hannah Wyland, Hannah Wyland. Also, why, even now, she is so protective of Ryan; she hurt him, the worst way someone could and doesn’t want to see Alex do the same thing. It is a sweet moment bought to a sudden stop when Ryan confronts Alex as he’s caught her placing the package under the seat.

Meanwhile, back at Quantico, after successfully completing the first round of Crisis Management the NATs are faced with a challenge that sees them involved in a simulated hostage crisis on board an aeroplane. With one team failing after another, the cracks in all the NATs begin to show no more than with Shelby. Not only would the aeroplane environment stress her out, but the bombing and the recent discovery of her parents being alive, it is no wonder that the continued failure knocks her down, time and time again. Back at the town hall, the situation escalates when Simon discovers that the package includes a signal jammer, one that will act to cut off all the power. When this occurs, chaos ensues and gun shots sound. When the power finally comes back on, Hannah is being arrest after accidently discharging her weapon.

Talk about a heartbreaking couple of minutes! After Shelby’s breakdown during the Crisis Management assignment, Alex demands the truth from her fellow NATs. When she eventually learns the truth, she searches her friend out to offer some comfort. Johanna Braddy was the MVP this week. Between her progression from overtly happy avoidance to vulnerable, broke and a little out of whack, the moment Alex sits and listens the floodgates open. Displaying the anguish and pain of Shelby so viscerally, the real questions of “didn’t they love me” broke the hearts of all “Quantico” viewers with that one line. Elsewhere, Will is still not letting up on Caleb’s undercover mission to takedown Systemics, so much so he has inhabited his own undercover role in order to help him. Even with resistance from Caleb, Will ensures him that he has a similar incentive to assist in this mission – his sister died when his father, a Christian scientist, refused to allow doctors to give her a blood transfusion. With this relationship between Caleb and Will growing, their alliance is one to very much look forward. To add to the heartbreak, Miranda (Aunjanue Ellis) resigns from her post as Counsellor at Quantico following her testimony regarding Raina’s stint infiltrating the terrorist group. That is short lived, though, when we discover that Liam offers the new opening to Ryan. Interesting.

Wrapping up the future days storyline, Hannah is suspended after the accidental discharge of her weapon, a punishment quite light compared to the alternatives (e.g. death). She and Alex share one last exchange, no anger or attitude, just understanding and belief. It is belief from Hannah that if anyone is to stop this it’s Alex. Hannah also encourages Alex to keep Ryan out of this as he doesn’t need to be involved. Too bad though because Ryan is mega pissed that whatever Alex is up to that put Hannah in the firing line and that he won’t stop till he works it out – until he gets Alex. The volatile nature of his threat to Alex is so real that our hearts stick in our throat. Trying to figure out the play of the terrorist, Alex and Simon are at a loss once again. Yet they somehow discover that this latest plan was all a smokescreen – that the terrorist has unknowingly left them their first clue. It must be said that Eliza Coupe has been such an instrumental addition to an already stellar cast and with Hannah now off in “suspension land,” the dynamic between her and Priyanka will certainly be missed.

Other key notes:

• The “close” relationship between Drew and Alex continued to grow
• Will’s “faces in a drawer” mystery was solved – he studies behaviour and social cues. I love this kid.
• Caleb’s best friend is stuck in Systemic, hence his undercover mission