"Previously on "Designated Survivor"..." "I am so glad to have you back." "I'm not coming back." "I'll try and do the job as well as you did." "Do better." "Tell me everything you know about that woman." "and we'll make her pay." "It's not gonna bring my son back." "Claudine Poyet." "That's her." "I hereby authorize you to use whatever means necessary to find the people involved in this conspiracy and bring them to justice." "Are you still up for this?" "I haven't even gotten started yet." "Kirkman:" "Thank you." "Thank you." "take your seats." "Good morning." "All:" "Good morning. we've experienced an extraordinary amount of tragedy together." "I'd like to ask you to join me in opening a new chapter in our history. when a president rolls out his policy initiatives for the next four years. to reset the clock." "I would like my first hundred days to begin now." "I will be announcing a broad agenda" "issues that matter deeply to me..." "How's he doing?" "Such as civil rights..." "Twitter thinks he's crushing it." "and debt reduction." "we have a lot of work to do." "I will be relying upon the leadership of both houses" "but I will also be relying" "which is why I'll be holding a town‐hall meeting this week at the college of William and Mary" "as together we reset the clock... and work to build a better America." "Thank you." "I'm expecting that you have some questions." "Please." "you mentioned you want to start a new chapter. on the back burner?" "Absolutely not ‐‐ National security... like... the President and the First Lady?" "Responsibility to promote the general welfare..." "Yes." "Every day." "Dictates." "That is all we're doing here." "We're getting back to governing." "We have a responsibility to meet the needs of all Americans." "♪♪ uh... how long were you planning to stay?" "are you trying to get rid of me?" "What?" "just the opposite." "I was thinking of getting you a better futon." "it's fine." "I'll probably only stay a couple days." "I just needed to be somewhere you know?" "Right." "So you said you ran Claudine Poyet's photo through facial recognition?" "I thought Langdon's cellphone photo nothing ‐‐ the woman's a ghost." "Ghosts are visions of the dead." "and she has a name." "well... you gave me more than just the hint of a sliver of a clue to work with." "I wouldn't want to spoil you." "What about the timeline of her relationship with Langdon ‐‐ retracing their steps?" "twice." "what about fingerprints?" "that would be great if we had them." "Can you pull fingerprints off a photo?" "The wine glass." "The resolution isn't exactly ready for prime time." "just see what you can do." "Amazing." "Here all week." "Run it through the IAFIS database." "Get me everything you can on her. but I think it's worth repeating." "It's not that we don't care about hot‐button issues." "It's just that we can't afford to get bogged down by controversy when Americans are worried about feeding their families or the price of chemotherapy." "I've got the staff director from the Senate Energy Committee." "He wants to know where the President stands on fuel cells." "tell him the President loved fuel cells so he'd like to stick to wind and solar." "we still think it's worth revisiting raising the minimum social security age. that's radioactive." "the White House Chief of Staff." "Katie." "Social security will absolutely be addressed." "It just can't happen in the first hundred days." "though." "Thank you." "Add social security to things we will address on day 101." "It kills me to run triage on issues that are actually affecting people's lives. and we're not gonna get it by being divisive right out of the gate." "please?" "if ‐‐ if we waste the goodwill the President doesn't stand a chance in Hell okay?" "Kirkman:" "Wow." "No pressure there." "keep your seats." "Don't let me interrupt." "how's it going here?" "you hit it out of the park." "R. P. S ‐‐ real people." "People are excited to contribute to your new agenda." "Good." "The more public support we can build for you the better." "we can use it to pressure Congress into supporting your agenda." "Otherwise..." "We don't have a chance in Hell." "Yeah." "I'm sorry. and I get to change my mind." "Franklin Delano Roosevelt passed 76 bills in his first hundred days." "If we can accomplish half of that ‐‐ a third ‐‐ our government will be the phoenix rising from the ashes." "Keep it up." "Thank you all." "♪♪" "Aaron Shore." "♪♪" "Alex:" "We can't pretend that anything is as it was before the Capitol was attacked." "The very fact that I'm standing here before you as First Lady should be proof enough of that." "But there are certain things that haven't changed. there are still two different standards for work‐life balance." "And don't even get me started on the gender pay gap." "But it is my hope that as we can lead this country out of the ashes of tragedy and into a more enlightened future for all of us." "Thank you so much. if you don't mind." "certainly." ""Do you miss practicing law?" "yes. but no complaints." "Public service is very much ingrained in both Tom and myself." "Next question ‐‐." "Considering our country recently witnessed two separate acts of gun violence ‐‐ the death and the assassination attempt on your husband ‐‐ what are your views regarding gun policy in America?" "Oh!" "this was something that deeply concerned me long before Tom and I ended up in the White House." "When something as simple as a mandatory background check I‐I have to wonder how we got here." "How do we tell our children that we are doing everything to keep them out of danger? but I do know that we need to deal with guns differently in this country." "Thank you so much." "Jason." "The woman who killed Luke." "I don't want to talk about it." "I know who she is." "South Korea ‐‐ Army brat." "Her father took a Pentagon post in the early '90s." "All we know is that he was charged with influence‐peddling. but he was dishonorably discharged." "Her life tail‐spinned after that. but she pops up in various places throughout the country." "Five years ago... erases any trace of her existence." "It's like she never was." "We know who she is." "What's next?" "We know more than who she is." "We know where she is." "Chuck found an address." "off the grid." "But I need backup." "You with me?" "When something as simple as a mandatory background check" "then I have to wonder how we got here." "Reporter:" "That was First Lady Alex Kirkman earlier this morning." "with us at the Hart Senate Office Building." "Senator." "Pleasure." "what do you make of the First Lady's comments?" "I find it curious that on the same day the President" "the First Lady starts beating the drum for gun control." "Who's making policy here?" "Hmm?" "The President or the First Lady?" "Emily." "Hey." "I have a minor flag." "Are you talking about the First Lady?" "You heard?" "I'm not sure it's so minor." "Nation he's gonna take..." "Mr. President." "I don't know if he's the kind of president..." "What do we know about Jack Bowman?" "He's the former Governor of Montana." "He resigned after the Capitol bombing so his successor could appoint him to the Senate." "Ambitious." "Highly ‐‐ His appointment to the Senate moved up his national timetable by an election cycle or two." "Where does he stand on gun control?" "sir." "Damn it!" "I wanted to stay off of these third‐rail issues." "And you're gonna have to if you want to keep your first hundred days alive. make a national impression at your expense." "How do we stop him?" "You have to talk to the First Lady." "Hey." "You all right?" "Tom." "I am so sorry." "I so did not mean to step on your announcement." "It was an honest mistake." "it wasn't even a mistake." "you know I agree with you." "w‐what's the problem?" "Is it the timing?" "perception ‐‐." "Gun control is one of the most polarizing issues in the nation." "I just didn't want to start out of the gate with it." "What are Seth and Emily saying?" "They think the best solution is for you to publicly walk back your comments." "What does that mean?" "you mean apologize?" "No." "You just need to make it clear that you were speaking and not on behalf of the administration." "You mean take a back seat." "I wouldn't put it like that." "I know." "Any stupid distraction like this right now could sideline your whole agenda." "how do I... walk it back?" "You have nothing to be nervous about." "you ‐‐." "You're graduating from Penn with honors." "You interned at the White House last summer." "And I have a recommendation from my brilliant cousin." "we'll see how much that's worth." "Congresswoman Yoshida." "I like that new title." "haven't we?" "indeed we have." "So I heard about your resignation." "What happened?" "believe me." "this is my cousin Nadia Espinosa." "ma'am." "Impressive CV for someone your age." "Come on in." "Oh... and if I get you will you tell me the real reason you left?" "Maybe." "I‐I'll think about it." "Okay." "♪♪" "Your girl is a classic sociopath." "Can't wait to get her into an interrogation room... see what makes her tick." "What the hell is wrong with you?" "!" "huh?" "!" "Jason!" "Who sent you?" "!" "Hey!" "Who do you work for?" "!" "Who sent you?" "!" "He's just a reckless driver." "Let him go!" "you son of a bitch!" "What was that?" "I shouldn't have ‐‐ I shouldn't have done that." "I overreacted." "But I'm fine." "you're not." "not a loose cannon." "I just thought..." "God." "I'm good." "I want to believe you." "I do." "But I can't take this chance right now." "the both of us." "I said I'm fine." "I'm ready." "Get in the car." "I'm taking you home." "What?" "get in the car." "I'll walk." "Ja‐‐" "♪♪" "Reschedule that meeting." "Aaron?" "Madam Speaker." "What are you doing here?" "My cousin has an interview with the Congresswoman." "I didn't realize that politics was a family business." "it's not." "Can't be easy to be on the sidelines today." "The President's in very capable hands." "Listen ‐‐ I hope I didn't have anything to do with what happened ‐‐ leaking that story to Abe Leonard." "ma'am." "but thank you. but I've always respected you." "You'll land on your feet. let me know ‐‐ I mean that." "ma'am." "So how'd it go?" "Good ‐‐ I think." "Yeah?" "Was that Speaker Hookstraten?" "♪♪" "♪♪" "♪♪" "it's me." "The place is completely cleared out." "I need you to look into the building records." "Find out who owns the property and any transaction history." "Hit me back when you've got something." "♪♪ this is actually totally standard political procedure." "pretending to eat crow on national television while the rest of the nation's eating their breakfast?" "Think of it this way." "You could be doing late night." "How's it going?" "I'll go see how close they are." "Okay." "You look great." "I look like a mannequin." "you don't." "You look beautiful. submissive‐wife role." "No one's asking you to." "Really?" "All I ask is that you acknowledge that the comments were yours and not that of the administration." "That's it." "They're ready." "Thank you." "and I'm gonna do this." "Thank you." "you're juggling a lot as first lady ‐‐ role model." "How do you keep it all together?" "Um." "uh... an adjustment with a steep learning curve." "I managed to get in hot water for a comment I made at a luncheon." "Senator Jack Bowman of Montana accused you of soft‐pedaling gun control on behalf of the President." "Is that what you were doing?" "I gave a brief speech." "I was not expecting any questions." "um..." "I simply spoke my mind." "So there was nothing premeditated?" "not at all. not as a First Lady." "But I have discovered that when you are married uh... you don't really get to make that distinction." "So tackling gun reform is not something that you want to take on as First Lady." "I plan on leaving the politics to the new politician in my family." "And I know that both Tom and I are very excited about his agenda for the first hundred days." "right?" "It's working." "Come on." "It's only been a day." "You'll hear back from them any minute now." "I know." "I just really want it." "are you ever gonna talk about it?" "About what?" "Why you left the White House? but my mom said you were thinking about moving I made it about as far as I can make it in this town." "It was a really good run." "Now it's ‐‐." "It's time to try something new." "Can I just say one thing?" "Now you're asking?" "no one thought it was possible to get out of our town. and you came home for a visit." "And the only thing you could talk about was moving to D. C. To work in the mailroom of some senator that nobody had ever heard of." "Yeah." "I'll never forget that you told me that it didn't matter that we came from nothing." "shut up." "You were gonna prove that even we can make a difference." "That's why you came to D. C." "That's why I'm here." "Because of you." "that address you went to has been completely vacant for the past five years." "So it's a dead end." "Not necessarily." "Someone's still paying the property tax." "Who?" "Browning Reed." "Browning Reed?" "The private defense company?" "I thought they went out of business." "but it hasn't stopped them 000 a year for an empty building." "Chuck. and if they own any other properties in D. C." "I'm on it." "Do you smell that?" "there was a‐a gas leak in the building earlier." "A guy from D. C. United Gas checked it out and said it was okay." "Chuck." "D.C. United doesn't check gas leaks." "The fire department does." "Out!" "Now!" "♪♪" "You okay?" "I can't hear anything." "It'll come back." "Just breathe." "Hey." "We're okay." "right?" "Right." "Right." "Listen ‐‐ they think we're dead." "So maybe we have the edge on them for once." "that doesn't make me feel better." "The only connection we have is Browning Reed." "Did we find out if they own any other properties?" "Thank God for the Cloud." "They own six properties in North Dakota." "very ‐‐" "D. C." "Guess that's where I'm headed next." "my name is Carol." "I'm from Philadelphia." "and I'm on a fixed income." "I can't afford to live in my neighborhood anymore." "How are you going to help people like me from getting pushed out of our homes?" "thank you for asking the question." "You're absolutely right." "Recent studies have shown that housing prices especially in our major cities." "sir." "Can I stop you there? but if you don't start talking to me like a person we're never gonna get through this." "Okay." "You're falling into professor mode again." "Carol from Philadelphia doesn't give a damn about academic surveys." "She cares that she has to take two buses to find an affordable grocery store." "too. because it shows that with specific zoning laws local grocers can ‐‐." "but I just fell asleep. but tonight is about listening to people's concerns." "Focus on relating." "I don't feel comfortable with that." "The town hall isn't about me." "it is." "Okay." "You want me to show that I have a grasp but not sound too professorial." "Yes..." "and personalize every answer." "And personalize every answer ‐‐ Anything else? we can get to policy building." "Okay." "This next question falls under the category of "expect the unexpected. pornography addiction has become a big problem in my community. and how will you help with this problem?" "You want me to personalize this one?" "♪♪" "President Kirkman begins his town hall in just a few minutes." "What can we expect?" "it's his first public appearance and the idea is to showcase the more personal side of Tom Kirkman." "And I'm eager to see if he can pull it off." "Thank you." "Mr. President." "and I wanted to ask what was it like becoming a president overnight?" "That's a very difficult question for me to answer. many of whom I knew." "Some I had talked to just that afternoon." "But if I'm gonna be completely honest... it was the scariest moment of my life. and that's what I did." "And I'm committed to doing the best job possible." "we were all so worried about you after you were shot." "I'm surprised and elated to see you out and around so quickly." "How are you feeling?" "Thank you." "Thank you all." "Thank you very much." "I'm feeling much better." "It only hurts when I breathe." "grateful." "my name is Amy. what do I tell my children?" "Are we ever gonna be safe again?" "Amy. what are the names of your children?" "Lily and Sara." "Lily and Sara." "too." "But I think you have to be honest with Lily and Sara and acknowledge what's happened." "And tell them that we're gonna get through this... together." "we'll be better and stronger for it." "I was a factory worker for 27 years before the plant closed down last year." "and I don't think" "I have it in me to start a new career." "How you gonna bring back jobs like mine to Virginia?" "What kind of factory did you work in?" "I was an assembly‐line foreman for a small‐appliance manufacturer." "My father and grandfather were both factory workers." "I remember when I was a boy that..." "I'm not here to speak about me." "I'm here to speak about you." "sir. the answer is nothing." "It's gone for good. they were lying to you." "And I won't do that." "the reason why jobs like yours have disappeared isn't just because of cheaper labor in some other country." "it's technology." "Technology allows one person to do what used to take 10." "but it's not for you..." "or your family." "Melissa asked me" "and I told her it was the scariest moment of my life." "sir ‐‐ the fear of not knowing if you can provide for your family." "Not since the Industrial Revolution has our economy gone through such a dynamic transformation." "We need solutions." "So here's what we're gonna do." "We're gonna create a public‐works program that's gonna deal with the failing infrastructure issues and anyone who has lost a manual‐labor manufacturing job in the last four years because of this changing economy ‐‐" "their names will go to the top of the list for these new jobs." "But I also want to create programs at every public college and university across the country so unemployed workers can become educated in these new and emerging technologies." "And I want you to know that I believe and that's what we're going to do." "♪♪" "please." "Mr. President." "Sandra. and I have a question." "Julie." "My ex‐boyfriend was... he was able to buy a handgun from a private seller." "He broke into our house... and he shot and killed my little girl." "I'm so sorry." "my everything." "And the man..." "who took her from me was a monster who somehow still got his hands on a gun because unlicensed gun dealers don't have to run background checks." "I'm here because I have to be strong for my other two daughters." "But I struggle every day to find a reason to keep going." "Mr. President what will you do to prevent something like this from happening again?" "your story breaks my heart." "I can't even imagine what you're going through." "but that should not be an excuse for avoiding the issue." "that should be the opposite." "that's because he means it." "But I want to be absolutely clear." "I believe that the American people have every right to buy and own guns by virtue of the second amendment." "I would also like to take a moment to quash the myth that somehow gun control is equal to the Federal Government coming into your home and taking your weapons away." "Nobody is advocating for that." "We need to be doing everything we can" "people on terrorist watch lists." "come on." "We need to be using common sense." "It's as simple as that." "And I hate the fact that there is nothing I can say or do right now but I can make her one promise ‐‐ that I will do everything in my power to make sure that not one more American family" "has to experience her grief." "♪♪" "Thank you." "Yes." "Woman:" "Aaron Shore is here to see you." "Send him in." "Madam Speaker." "Aaron." "Thank you for seeing me." "Please." "Thanks." "what can I do for you?" "I wanted to take you up on your offer." "right?" "I am." "Why?" "I was wondering if you could make an introduction." "You want to work for Buchanan and Associates?" "I've ‐‐ I've always thought they're some of the strongest lobbyists in town. their non‐profits." "Why do you want to be a lobbyist?" "when you leave a high White House position let's say your options are somewhat limited." "You didn't leave under a cloud. but there's no hint of scandal... is there?" "No." "then." "Wouldn't you rather be on the inside?" "but lobbying seems like a pretty good temp job." "the money wouldn't hurt." "That's the problem. it's hard to go back." "Yeah." "Washington needs you on the inside." "You're too talented to leave. um... can you think of any other alternatives?" "Yeah." "Work for me." "come on in." "That's it." "Come on in." "Please take a seat." "I want to thank you all for being here today. but I want you to know that I am still trying to determine my own priorities." "I would be grateful for." "There seem to be a few political pundits out there that think that I am working at a distinct disadvantage because I am registered as an Independent." "I can't tell you how strongly I disagree with that. we can create a bi‐partisan platform I can help facilitate that. common sense." "Now I'm not as naive as some of you would like to believe." "And I'm not trying to minimize or over‐simplify the incredible challenges that we will face." "I would like us to move toward the true spirit of partnership." "I'll go first." "Senator Bowman..." "you and I have very different opinions on gun safety. that I will work tirelessly with you until we reach a consensus ‐‐ maybe even be proud of." "you can rely on me to act in the best interests of the country." "sir." "Hookstraten:" "We had an amicable first meeting. and so do we." "the President made it clear last night and again today that gun control's an important issue to him." "I will be re‐introducing Bill 8180 which strengthens federal background checks." "I'd like to put it before the Senate for debate." "Do you believe this guy?" "While it's one thing to talk about an issue..." "Son of a bitch." "it's another to throw your political support..." "We can't introduce our own bill now." "and we look like we're competing against Congress instead of working with them." "He hasn't even left the White House grounds." "Already he's hijacking our agenda." "it comes at a price." "please." "ma'am." "do we have anyone who can propose amendments?" "Because this bill has loopholes you could fly a plane through." "we're just trying to figure out how to handle this development with Bowman." "I just read the bill." "I can see why it didn't get out of committee. you'll be branded a hypocrite who used the town hall for political purposes when you're really soft on guns." "you're opening yourself up to all sorts of criticism because of its flawed wording." "Son of a bitch is trying to back us into a corner." "Get ready for a fight." "♪♪" "How long you been following me?" "Since the explosion." "You okay?" "Yeah." "I'm ready now." "Let's go." "Browning Reed owns this place?" "According to what Chuck found out." "♪♪" "Let her go." "Let her go!" "Put your hands behind your head." "Put your hands behind your head!" "Jason Atwood." "It's been a while." "Jason." "put your gun down." "Go get the car." "I'll bring her out front." "Jason!" "Let the real cop take it from here." "Shut the hell up." "Don't let her manipulate you again." "okay?" "Do it." "Do it!" "Atwood!" "We need her alive!" "Aah!" "Let's take her in." "Hey!" "♪♪" "Thank you." "Aaron." "Hey." "what are you doing here?" "I'm meeting with Gary over at "Leg" Affairs." "It'll hit playbook tomorrow." "I'm the new Chief Strategist for the Speaker of the House." "You're working for Kimble Hookstraten?" "it seems a little outside the box." "A little? and you're a card‐carrying Democrat." "I'm looking to redefine the playing field. you know?" "Hmm." "I have a meeting with State." "I guess I'll be seeing you." "I guess so." "Good." "Thank you." "Surprise!" "Daddy!" "I didn't know you were coming." "That's why they call it a surprise." "Is that from Zeno's?" "Pepperoni and a veggie." "Awesome." "Wait up." "This really is such a nice surprise." "Hi." "They needed to see you." "No more than I needed to see all of you." "Long day." "I know ‐‐ I saw Bowman on TV." "Perfect example of why I never wanted to get into politics." "And yet here we are." "Yeah." "Fighting the good fight." "We'll see." "You better not have eaten it all." "♪♪" "my God." "♪♪"