Lately, I’ve been binge-watching “Designated Survivor” (starring Kiefer Sutherland). The premise is that a Cabinet secretary — and one who was about to be fired by the president — is the only person absent from the State of the Union address when an attack kills the entire senior leadership of all three branches of government.
The third season of this show will soon begin airing on Netflix. So, what’s the bottom line?
Well, “Designated Survivor” started as a good show. But as it has progressed, it keeps getting worse. (I’m only about five episodes into the second season, please do not tweet spoilers at me.)
Anyway, let’s start with the positives. Most obvious here is the acting. Sutherland’s character, President Kirkman, comes across as a perpetually stressed but patriotic and resourceful leader. Kirkman’s family and senior staff are also well-acted.
The White House set on “Designated Survivor” is as good if not better than that of NBC’s “The West Wing.” Another tick on the checklist comes in the form of the Secret Service. Unlike HBO’s “Veep,” the show’s production team have invested in extras to accurately present the Secret Service bubble that surrounds a president. The presidential motorcade, though smaller than in reality, is also reasonable.
Finally, “Designated Survivor” offers a positive recognition both of D.C.’s culture of backbiting and of its attraction to those who want to serve. Whatever we think of the views of Kirkman’s staffers, they are decent patriots.
But then, there are the problems. The show is increasingly left-wing in its biases. Kirkman is supposed to be an independent, but his views are just standard Democratic views on nearly everything — gun control, climate change policy, entitlements, and regulation.
And the writers are so confident of the inherent moral perfection of left-wing policies that they imply that lying is an acceptable mechanism for bringing those ideas to fruition. In a season two episode, Kirkman goes to a diner in order to gain positive attention following a minor scandal. As he talks it up with normal Americans, we are supposed to smile and think, “If only all our presidents could be this genuine.” But just two minutes before the diner scene, senior White House staffers are shown arranging to stack the diner with Kirkman supporters. The supposedly positive thing is actually totally fake!
Another problem? National security. In one episode, a U.S. destroyer is deliberately struck by a far weaker enemy nation. Kirkman rescues the crew, but only after telling the nation it can keep the advanced U.S. destroyer. It’s absurd. Although, in an act of saving grace, the destroyer’s commanding officer educates Kirkman to Capt. Lawrence’s famous adage: “Don’t give up the ship.”
In another episode, the French premier (who oddly is prime minister rather than president) and the British prime minister publicly lambaste Kirkman. Again, ludicrously, the German chancellor becomes Kirkman’s best supporter.
Or take the episode in which Russia pays terrorists to hijack a plane in Chicago. Kirkland gets them to release the hostages, but two Americans die. This would be an act of war, demanding the expulsion of all Russian diplomats, major sanctions on the Russian economy, and an aggressive U.S. military posture. But Kirkman simply cries instead.
In another episode, a lawyer tries to prevent the president from defeating a nerve agent attack on the D.C. metro area population. Kirkman then rewards this near-treasonous act by hiring the attorney as White House counsel.
“Designated Survivor” started well. But each increasingly weak episode is making it, and my interest in watching it, weaker. I might just give season 3 a miss.
