Quantico – Stescalade

By: Alex Steele

Previously, “Quantico” gave us one hell of a reveal when it showed Miranda (Aunjanue Ellis) was involved, somehow, in the terrorist attack when she was seen alerting them to Alex (Priyanka Chopra) being inside. The latest episode, Stescalade, picks up right where we left off by first showing us the state of the hostages. Raina (Yasmine El Massri) and Ryan (Jake McLaughlin) continue to scheme a way out of the situation, but can’t seem to understand their game plan. Raina states how she should be dead. Alex; however, is double checking what information Miranda requires she obtain. Note how cold and calculating Miranda is in this scene, playing the game and manipulating Alex. It’s a cold twist from what we’re used to, but if there’s one person to beat the terrorist it’s Alex Parrish.

The first flashback of the evening shows us Ryan and Nimah and Shelby (Johanna Braddy) and Alex discussing what each of them have learnt about their training buddies. It seems they’ve learned a lot, so much so that they’ve given everyone nicknames – including the operation. Ryan cutely came up with “AIC” as the name for the rogue faction which Alex absolutely adores. Back to the topic, they’ve done homework on each member of the class — Leon (Aaron Diaz) sees everything, Dayana (Pearl Thusi) is the weakest link, Lee Davis (newcomer) is a mother of two from California with quite a few OCD tendencies, Sebastian (David Lim) is a priest and well Harry Doyle (Russell Tovey) is Harry Doyle. They also aren’t sure if Lydia (Tracy Ifeachor) is aware that her father is running such an operation. What do Shelby and Nimah do with this information? They inform Alex and Ryan that between the two of them, they must choose one of their classmates to bug, which candidate they believe is most likely being drafted by Owen (Blair Underwood). How do they plan to do that? Simple. Go to a bar with everyone and get them drunk.

This week’s assignment is based around assessment. Owen starts off by asking Sebastian where the last place he had sex was. Not answering, Harry interrupts and answers for him. Unfortunately, his answer wasn’t what they were looking for either. They wanted to know the details of where it happened, that the key of a successful assessment falls in the details. It is essential that they see everything, which is interesting when Lydia’s phone rings and Owen notices. This assignment also gives Alex and Ryan a chance to work out who to bug – one day, one bug, one shot. Back to present day, Shelby is seen suggesting to Miranda the possibility of the “AIC” being behind the terrorist attack. Through this exchange we learn that the undercover op at “The Farm” was shut down six months before. Interesting. And even more so is the fact Shelby wrote a report, even when she wasn’t really meant to, including an in depth analysis of everyone who could be in the AIC. She admits to having kept a copy and Miranda, still playing both sides, asks to see it. Meanwhile, Alex is doing her to remain in hiding and keep track of the terrorists. When she follows a pair of them close by, she’s able to access a crate of uniforms. Obviously having a plan, she dons the uniform and is officially undercover as she scopes out the situation with the hostages.

In a diner, somewhere fairly secluded, Miranda has called Shelby and Nimah for a meet and it’s not a friendly one. In fact, it’s to give them a stern talking to about their work with Alex and Ryan. She highlights that they’re all business and yet the way good handlers get the job done is by getting personal. She encourages them to get in their heads, manipulate them, because after all they’re the ones that know them best. At The Farm, each trainee completes tasks – Dayana wins at being able to remember specific details after walking through the bar. Meanwhile, Lee smashes the blindfolded challenge. Leon; however, turns out to be claustrophobic after he spends four minutes in a closet which we learn from Dayana is attributed to six months in solitary confinement. Lydia eventually makes contact with Lucas (??), who answers believing it’s his wife. They are talking all things bombings and agency, before she begs him to take her out of the Farm.

The next task the trainees must complete requires them to break into pairs (Ryan and Alex choosing Leon and Dayana as their marks). Unfortunately, Ryan gets picked out by Harry, but Alex is with Leon. Ready to depart, the trainees are in high spirits. That is until bags are thrown over their heads and vans speed up beside them. The present day timeline flashes up as we watch the USB drive holding Shelby’s report cause the computer to fizzle and shut down. What happened there? In the meantime, Raina notices a well known (crazy) look on Ryan’s face. He’s planning on doing something crazy, something involving a fight – a fight that just make involve Harry. Returning to the FBI, Shelby and Miranda get news that they can’t recover anything on the drive or on Miranda’s computer, yet Shelby inform Miranda another copy exists on her own personal laptop. Of course, Miranda instructs her to get it. Flashback to The Farm days and the trainees remove the blindfolds to find themselves in the middle of nowhere.

Sebastian and Dayana don’t see eye to eye while Harry and Ryan immediately get into a heated discussion after Harry interrogates Ryan about his relationship with Alex. Harry has done he research, so much that he actually brings up Will Olsen. From there Ryan gets extremely defensive. Luckily, he spots Dayana and leaves Harry to his own defenses. Elsewhere, Leon is implementing his outdoor survival skills to make a compass. This ability intrigues Alex and is just what she needs when breaking through to the once convict. Leon admits that it was hit father who taught him, not his time know prison. Ryan finally caught up with Dayana and uses the opportunity to start his interrogation, yet she’s a lawyer and she knows very well when someone has a goal. She wants to know what he’s interested in; he does a good job of deflecting when he reads her like a book stating that she has to know some pretty powerful people. She remains stoic and doesn’t flinch, that is until they must walk across a tree to get to the other side of a canyon. Alex is making some headway with Leon, now questioning him about his time in prison and how he landed there. This question; however, gets Leon all kinds of fired up even subtly threatening Alex by making mention that sometimes if one is pushed too far, they may just snap.

In present time, Alex overhears the terrorists talking about her alerting her to the fact that someone is working for the FBI. With a quick flash back and Harry has commandeered Lee’s attempts to return to the Farm by removing all her tags that trace her direction. Surprisingly, these two come to an agreement; maybe even an alliance. Ryan, in the hostage situation, approaches Harry and begins to berate his former classmate. Not wanting to engage initially, Harry and Ryan erupt into a full out fist fight. As it ensues, the terrorists step in, but Ryan gets the upper hand and begins to choke them. But it doesn’t take long before the terrorist whispers his name. It’s Alex. Quickly checking back at The Farm and Lydia is watching closely as none of the trainees have died yet. She also takes this opportunity to vent to her father; she doesn’t understand why she was placed at The Farm when the majority of her work is specialized in the Middle East. In the present day, Alex finds herself captured, but it doesn’t take the highly trained operative much time to overpower the terrorist, who turns out to be the female instructor from the Farm.

The end of the episode is fast-paced, revealing rivalries, alliances, truths and lies. After everyone successfully returns from the woods, four hours later, they are shocked to discover it should have only taken twenty minutes. They failed. Shortly after, Ryan and Alex rendezvous at the safe house to decide once and for all who it will be, she wants Dayanna, he wants Leon. Unfortunately, they can’t agree on either and decide to tell Nimah and Shelby to bug Harry. Working with the advice from Miranda, Nimah pushes Ryan to follow his instincts and highlights how he loses sight of that when Alex is concerned. Meanwhile, Shelby does the same with Alex; questioning her as to why Harry and not Leon – identifying how she has a tendency to fall for the good looking guy. Alex gets defensive and doesn’t sway from her decision; however, Ryan changed his and went with his first instinct, Leon. Leon, who is also supported by Shelby. Back in present time, Alex overpowers her female adversary by forcing her to swallow the lethal suicide pill. The quick cuts continue as Lydia confronts Owen about the real reason he wanted her to work with him. Shockingly, it’s not what she thought and has since discovered he pulled strings to have her stay. They come to blows, Lydia calling him out about being benched and eventually leaving. Weirdly, as soon as she’s outside she makes a call saying, “I’m in, tell me what I do next”. One, who is she talking to? And two, what are they planning?

After their somewhat heated confrontation with Shelby and Nimah, Alex questions where she and Ryan are okay. She’s concerned that the lying is starting. He assures her they are still there. Back at The Farm, Alex finds a photo from Leon on her bed while Ryan successfully places the bug. Well he places it, but it seems as though someone’s already planted one. This means that someone within the AIC has been tipped off. Talking of twists, we welcome back a familiar face in the form of Will (Jay Armstrong Johnson), whose greeted by Harry under the alias of Julian. What is going on? Over in the present day timeline, the entire system at the FBI has been compromised. Not surprisingly, it was at the hands of Miranda. Feeling pretty accomplished Miranda is taken aback when Shelby, triumphantly reveals to having kept a hard copy. Lastly, Raina is deeply shaken and questions where Ryan and Alex have been taken, but when gunshots ring out and a body falls through the window she recognizes the sign. Taped to the body is a piece of paper saying “Two down.” Alex is alive.