What I’m Watching: Designated Survivor

Designated Survivor: Season 1, Episode 7 “The Traitor” (C+)

I’ve written a lot recently about what kind of show this series wants to be, and I think I’m getting my answer. I liked the excitement that Tom felt when he was able to successfully execute Emily’s plan to turn a very bad situation with an American CIA informant under arrest in Russia into a three-way trade that would benefit all countries involved. That he turned out to be a converted Russian double agent was a disappointment, especially since that information was so easily and immediately accessible after he didn’t disembark the plane. More problematic and disappointing, however, was the bombshell development at the end of the episode where it was confirmed that Jason’s son wasn’t just lost but was in fact being held hostage by nefarious criminals who have already declared their intention to have Jason give a message to the president when he meets privately with him. Tom has enough to worry about without having to contend with people actually spying on him and manipulating his moves through the deputy director of the FBI and the leverage they have against him. We already know that Tom doesn’t like Jason, so let’s hope that he’s able to sense that something is wrong when they meet. MacLeish being so ominous will probably pan out as a red herring, but for now it’s a disconcerting distraction. This Myers business doesn’t seem to be going away, and Alex now knows what it is that he wants, something that Tom definitely shouldn’t grant him unless he wants to lose all credibility.