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Spoilers Designated Survivor

Plus Speaker of the House actually has to govern, or at least look lke they do. VP they can sit around, looking great because no one really looks at them.

Just like Mike Pence, he is probably even crazier than Trump, yet next to man-baby he looks good because no one really knows about him.
 
Finally caught up on this, the series really progressed very, very nicely and stayed pretty intense though I find myself more intrigued by the "political" stuff than the conspiracy stuff. The sad part, for me, is how "realistic" all of the political stuff is in this, it's just depressing. Like the Republican Congressman's game of "chicken" with the gun-control bill and then over trying to control the SCOTUS leading to them going with a "handicapped" SCOTUS like *we* had under Obama for the better part of a year.

(Yes the Constitution doesn't say how many SCOTUS members there needs to be but without an uneven number it's possible for cases to end in a tie, for nothing to change, which hurts us in the long-run.) It was interesting when the Republican Congressman spoke of The Constitution "requiring" the 9 members and I was like, "Uhhh.... no." You'd think this guy would know better being, you know, in government. )

But, gods, the political BS in this show is almost too damn realistic to the point of being depressing. I even said that very thing to my buddy I watch this with, "It's depressing how realistic this is." Shit, that's even allowing for the idea that even under these extreme circumstances Republicans in Congress would let an Independent president choose 8/9ths of a Supreme Court on his own, I honestly believe they'd rather leave the SCOTUS crippled and only allow him to select a couple, preferring the SCOTUS be rebuilt over the course of the next several administrations.

But so much in the government operating here is just too realistic, the "mud slinging" over wanting to discredit someone by misrepresenting events, Congresspersons not wanting to take a position on an issue they agree with because it may harm their future chances of re-election, it's just so.... sad.

The conspiracy stuff is sort of interesting still, but it does seem like they're just trying to find things to do with it, the only thing making it watchable and entertaining is Maggie Q's character who is this series' version of Jack Bauer (though it takes her weeks or months to solve a case and not a single day. ;))

But the show is keeping me watching and entertained and I hope the conspiracy stuff is wrapped up and set aside and future seasons focus more on the political stuff which the show is doing well and, really, given today's political climate it has a lot of material and West Wing-like daises to stand on to make a point.

______

Oh, and when I saw the post above about the Ford remote-start thing I was expecting it to happen in the show in some "natural" way like they used it to create a diversion or something so they could escape. (Start the car, the sentries run towards it, the heroes run in the other direction.)

Nope. It was just showing her starting the car with her phone. Which was kind of dumb, obvious and felt out of place. Just like, "Uhhhh... Okay? She started the car. And...?"

And, I dunno, maybe I'm just not impressed by these things as much as some people may be, but remote-starting of cars is hardly a new or innovative thing even if it's maybe more common and available on cheaper models, but it's hardly a shocking thing to spend a couple seconds in a TV show on. Of course all of this was followed by the Ford logo appearing on the Infotainment screen and beauty shots of the car's insignia and marques as it drove off.
 
The first 10 episodes were clearly stronger IMO than the final 11. Any idea why the show only had 21 instead of the normal 22 episodes? I didn't realise it was the season finale, when I watched the last episode earlier on Netflix. They need to stop switching show runners (3 so far?) and cut some of the cheesy almost day time soap crap. This show needs to grow and mature in season 2 because there is clear potential despite an uneven debut season.
 
The first 10 episodes were clearly stronger IMO than the final 11. Any idea why the show only had 21 instead of the normal 22 episodes? I didn't realise it was the season finale, when I watched the last episode earlier on Netflix. They need to stop switching show runners (3 so far?) and cut some of the cheesy almost day time soap crap. This show needs to grow and mature in season 2 because there is clear potential despite an uneven debut season.

There were supposed to be 22, but there were production delays caused from all the damn show runners. Hopefully in season 2 and beyond they can keep him on and set a plan for the show.

The show is filmed in Vancouver, the writers in LA and the showrunner was in New York at one point. The whole making the show is a mess that ABC really needs to figure out.
 
Damn.. I didn't realize that was the finale either.. Great episode, in my opinion. Can't wait to see where this goes next season..

Kirkman's address to the joint congress seems awfully out of character for him.. for not being a politician, he certainly hit all the right notes and had the body language to back it up.
 
This is a show at war with itself in what it wants to be. On one hand, it wants to be The West Wing in a CliffsNotes, hand-holding way, but then the whole political thriller aspect clashes with it. The President fighting to keep funding alive for a school music program doesn't seem like very high stakes when the next scene is the FBI having a shootout with bad guys who are responsible for blowing up the government. Also, the political thriller aspect is the significantly weaker half, and that's saying something.
 
So I pretty much skipped it after the 1st couple episodes of the season. Did I miss anything? Did they explain the govermentacide? Who was really behind it and why? Who was trying to get Agent Wells?

Have we pretty much worn out the premise of the unlikely President?
 
So, playing some DVR catch-up today, and watched a few more episodes of this, just finished the one that takes place 10 weeks after the First Lady's death.

Not sure how to feel about it, the event seemed really out of place and not fully within the "vibe" of the show; but looking into it it seems the actress wanted out and, well, TV being TV, if someone wants out of a series they're contracted to early...

So, it makes some sense now, but it just seemed very jarring and messes with some of the vibe and heart of Kirkman and the show. The relationship between Kal Penn and the Chief of Staff woman just seemed out of nowhere as well, especially as it was escalated in the "10 Weeks Later," seemed like a lot of development and changed were lost in that time.

Hannah/Maggie Q still kicks ass and makes the show well worth watching but... She shoots the guy (in self defense) and then goes fro a drink and doesn't call it in or anything? Huh?!

The show's change of runners really seems to show as the vibe, tone, and story of things flip around a lot.
 
They have had the same show runner for all of season 2, right? I mean the mess of the show is on him.

Just make the show 24 already and call it a day.
 
All I could think about when they went to the war with the nation of Kunami was that they could easly handle the whole thing by just pressing Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start.
 
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