Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 14: In the Dark Review

If you would like to read my review of last week’s episode, click here.

Synopsis: President Kirkman enlists the aid of D.C. mayor Ellenor Darby to help curb panic when a blackout threatens to shutdown the government. But, is that the extent of the relationship? (IMDB)

Writer: Bill Chais

Director: Carol Banker

Rating: TV-14

Running Time: 45mins

Airs: Wednesdays at 10pm on CTV (Canada)/ABC (United States)

There’s nothing like a blackout to bring everybody together.

Tom’s last Vice President didn’t exactly go well so it’s understandable that he would be a little hesitant this time around. The episode started with him interviewing a few potential candidates but they weren’t the right choice for him. However, in order to stay ahead of the press, he would have to make a decision that evening. The White House also had pressing business with Japan where they were owed a $600 million bond.

Lyor did not help their cause by criticizing the Japanese finance minister. After the meeting, he and Emily were trapped in an elevator as the power in all of Washington D.C. ran out which became a showcase of the great chemistry between the two. Worried about Rennett, Wells went to check on him at his safe house but he was gone. Last week, we met Tom’s brother Trey who promised to not run away and so far he’s kept his word since he was still there and he’ll be there for the foreseeable future as he was moving to Washington D.C.. As they were having dinner, the power went out.

To coordinate efforts, Tom brought in D.C. mayor Ellenor Darby (Aunjanue Ellis). The outage didn’t exactly help their cause with the Japanese who had no interest in changing the deadline for payment. Violence and rioting was erupting on the streets of D.C. but Tom and Darby were at odds on how to handle the crisis. Darby knew her people and cared about them. She was worried about her involvement would be seen by the members of her community.

Meanwhile, based on their last conversation, Seth thought Emily and him had broken up, however, a gift on her desk proved otherwise. During her absence, he wanted to make it up to her. Concerned, Tom met with the Japanese finance minister himself but Trey had apparently saved the day by speaking with him and vouching for Tom.

Chuck tracked Rennett through traffic cameras, finding him at the Russian embassy. Later, Wells found Rennett shooting a man who he claimed was hired to kill her. Rennett didn’t tell her why he was at the embassy and didn’t know who was responsible for the power outage. Both assassins that were after them were brothers with Rennett’s assassin being hired by the hacker(s) and Well’s assassin being hired by Poreskova for involving herself in their affairs.

Using a part of the hackers’ signature, Chuck believed that he knew how to bring the power back. As a last ditch effort, Tom and Darby went straight to the community to rally them to come together. While they were making a speech to the people, the power came back. While Tom addressed the press, he announced Darby as his choice for Vice President. Recently freed from the elevator, Seth gave Emily a gift consisting of all the things they missed because of work. Trey lied about moving to D.C. because he was fired from job since he actually quit. He wanted to be there for his family.

Finally, Wells confronted Poreskova about the attempt on her life. Rennett had met her earlier to ask her not to have Wells killed. Wells threatened retaliation if there was another attempt on her life.

Overall, this was a good episode that didn’t quite advance the story all that much but it featured a crisis that once again brought everyone together. The elevator scenes between Emily and Lyor were fun to watch and helped lighten things up. The episode gave us Darby who may prove to be a great choice for Vice President as she can definitely hold her own against Tom, however, it would have been nice to see Hookstraten come back in that capacity as they had a similar relationship. The Russia angle is an interesting one but with them and the hackers, it’s sometimes difficult to follow alongside everything else. Though it isn’t clear where the season is going, there’s still a long way to go.

Score: 8/10

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.