Designated Survivor

 

The Capitol has been attacked. Eagle is gone. Sir you are now the President of the United States

ABC unveiled the premier of Designated Survivor last night. Within the context of the series, it was just another night, albeit the night of the President’s State of the Union Address, and Tom Kirkman, a member of President Richmond’s cabinet, drew the short straw, or maybe it goes by ranking, or some other formula to be the designated survivor for the night.

That means that when all the ranking members of the government are in one place, a designated survivor is named, then taken, by the Secret Service to a secret location, just in case the worst thing imaginable happens.

On this particular night, the United States Capitol Building was blown up, with the President, the Vice President, and all the members of Congress losing their lives. Yes, the worst thing imaginable, and this all before the opening credits.

Before the dust has settled, but the opening credits have been shown, we learn that just 15 hours ago, Tom Kirkman, was relieved or fired from his cabinet post and given a foreign posting, as in an ambassadorship which would be based in Montreal. Mind you, this was not the same as being named as the American Ambassador to Canada.

One could only see this as a step-down, a demotion, a kick in the ass, as well as a good riddance and goodbye. And while you absorb that, Kirkman has to give a speech to the American people (it’s just a few hours later) as well as take a tough meeting in the Emergency Situation Room.

The news coming out of the Middle East is that Iran wants to flex its muscles and make a run at the American Navy. Not likely an act of war, but certainly an act of both bravado and defiance. The thinking being that while in a state of disarray, let’s push the Americans buttons and see what the new guy is made of.

Now Kirkman has to deal with people who don’t think he’s Presidential material, as well as a hawkish Joint Chiefs General who wants to immediately unleash the dogs of war. But Kirkman is not quite ready to start WWIII, at least not on that night.

He says that despite the misgivings of the remaining Presidential staff, and that gung-ho General, he’s going to do things his way, and see how or if that works. If my way doesn’t work, then we can try yours.

So the Iranian Ambassador is summoned to the White House. He of course denies that the Iranian Navy is anywhere near the Straits of Hormuz , a strategic choke point between the Persian Gulf and open ocean.

Kirkman tells the Ambassador that he can go back to his embassy, and get in contact with his government, and if the American Navy does not report an Iranian naval retreat within three hours, tomorrow, the headlines on the front page of every newspaper in the world, will not only be the destruction of the American leadership and Capitol Building, but the full destruction of the Iranian Capital as well.

That’s about it for an intro to the series. Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as the emerging President, and just like what we saw in Madam Secretary, he’s got a family.

His wife is played by Natascha McElhone. I kept expecting her to speak with that lovely Irish lilt as she did playing opposite Robert De Niro and Jean Reno in the thriller called Ronin, but it never happened.

The hawk of this tale, General Cochrane is played by Kevin McNally who might remind you of Brian Dennehy as Sheriff Will Teasle from the first Rambo film.