Original subtitles

My name is Tom Kirkman.

Last night, I was sworn in as President of the United States.

Previously on Designated Survivor...

Yesterday, I was asked to resign.

Now I'm trying to put the entire U.S. government back together.

This is Congresswoman Kimble Hookstraten.

Last night's other designated survivor.

We know who blew up the Capitol.

I gave the President the most relevant intel.

Or you gave him what the group who did this wanted you to.

You need to convince your new boss that Al-Sakar is behind the bombing.

Until he's certain, he will not name anyone.

We found one! We got a survivor over here!

- Hey, he's alive! - Come on!

Can you move your arms or legs?

You'll be all right. Hang on. We're getting to you.

All right, everybody, back up!

- We gotta get him out. - Got that side.

Give him room. Give him room!

Okay, let's get him on the stretcher.

- Ready? One, two, three, lift. - Got him?

Okay, careful. Watch his head.

Watch out.

All right, set him down here. Set him down here, guys.

All right, let's put him down. All right.

Slowly, slowly.

The nation is captivated by Congressman Peter MacLeish,

found alive in the Capitol ruins,

making him the only survivor thus far of the unspeakable act

that has claimed more than 1,000 lives, including the President, Vice President,

and nearly all of Congress.

At 35 years old, MacLeish, a popular third-term legislator

and decorated war hero,

is one of the nation's youngest congressmen.

Congressman MacLeish is under doctor's care at the...

Sorry. Train's still down.

Unbelievable, right? He's like a human silver lining.

Yeah, it's amazing somebody could survive that.

Maybe there will be others.

Good morning, everyone.

- Good morning, sir. - Morning.

Please, sit.

Thank you for coming in so early.

We've got a big day, so let's just get started.

Seth, how's it coming with the eulogy for President Richmond's funeral?

Good, you'll have a draft soon.

I understand it's a private ceremony, but it's gonna be televised

and the entire country could use some hope.

I'd like to mention Congressman MacLeish.

Definitely, sir. I also have President Richmond's son, Tyler,

coming in to share some memories, make the speech a little more personal.

Good idea.

Let him know I'll join. I'd like to meet him.

- Yes, sir. - Where are we at with Al-Sakar?

Any updates from the Joint Chiefs?

NSC is seeking that additional proof you asked for,

that they're responsible for the bombing.

Sir, they're briefing me hourly.

And good news from Michigan.

Governor Royce is behaving. There's been no new reports

of Muslims being harassed, but I'll monitor it.

Good. What else?

Surviving deputies of Treasury and the Fed, they need a meeting.

I'll reach out to them as soon we're finished here.

And don't forget, you have the Elizabeth Vargas interview at noon.

We'll go over the talking points right before.

Aaron, Emily, I want your list for the Cabinet...

What's happening?

Oh. Wait!

...just went dark.

This is the White House. There aren't supposed to be any blackouts.

Unless, and I really hate to say this,

- but what if it's... - A second attack.

- Guys, what the hell's going on? - Looks like a power surge.

Backup generator should kick on any minute.

Network's down.

Yeah, I got nothing.

White House line is dead.

This isn't good.

What is that?

On the grid... That's no power surge.

Looks like a real-time intrusion into the White House network.

I'm on with Fort Meade. NSA thinks it's just a sniffer,

some kid poking around our electrical grid.

NSA's wrong. This is no sniffer.

Agent Ritter, that's the Oval Office.

Cut the link.

I'm trying. It won't work.

Section 2 is still completely dark.

- What is going on?! - What's happening?

My computer's out.

Yeah, mine's out, too. Sir?

Nothing.

Mr. President, I need you to step away from your computer.

Mike, what's going on?

The White House has just been hacked.

EOP Security is calling it a one-time malicious cyber intrusion.

Against what's supposed to be the most secure network on Earth?

The public is gonna consider this another attack.

That's why the public can't find out. There's too much chaos as it is.

- This can't get out. - We have no idea what they were after,

or if our files were compromised.

Not yet, sir.

NSA's still completing their scans of all the White House computers.

Any idea who might have done this?

Could be the Russians. Could be the North Koreans.

Or the people that bombed the Capitol building.

Yes, sir.

We're following every lead.

Okay, thank you, Mike.

Keep me updated.

Yes, sir.

Look, given what's just happened, we may want to cancel

the Elizabeth Vargas interview.

No, that'll raise too many questions.

We'll bring the crew through the east entrance

- so they don't get wind of the hack. - I agree, has to be business as usual.

You and I will meet with Congresswoman Hookstraten

and go over the Cabinet choices as scheduled.

Okay, good.

Now if I could appoint the rest of the government legally without a vote.

That would certainly help lighten your load.

Yeah, so would choosing your Chief of Staff.

We're done here.

Thank you.

Do you think there are others?

36 hours...

You never know, but...

It's not looking good.

How did MacLeish survive?

Those blasts... they threw glass half a mile.

There's 4,000 tons of debris out there.

Sometimes things just defy logic, right?

Common sense.

Or science.

But those are the same things that give us hope...

when the world is going to hell.

That's why they call him the Miracle on the Potomac.

Has anyone talked to him?

No, he's in Bethesda, 24-hour care.

He's also the sole surviving witness to the murder of 1,000 people.

Don't you think we need to get there and speak to him, see if he saw anything?

We need all hands on deck right here.

You already have over 50 agents out there

sifting through rubble and monitoring chatter.

We don't need...

I'm just saying that we need to get a statement sooner or later.

Don't make a mess I have to clean up.

So, the President's computer is the only one that's been compromised?

Yeah. Just can't tell if there have been any data spills.

Usually, a frequency analysis should pinpoint any infected modalities.

That's weird.

What?

A PAL file, foreign format.

President Kirkman take any trips overseas lately?

You know, red line's been running since yesterday.

I'm just saying, if you want to be Chief of Staff,

you might think about leaving a little earlier.

Not that it's any of your business,

but my boyfriend asked me to marry him this morning,

and it's kind of rude to walk out in the middle of a proposal.

And you've been going out, what?

10 months. Why?

It's classic post-disaster acceleration.

Look, traumatic events tend to make people reevaluate their lives.

You know, babies, marriage, divorce.

It happened after 9/11.

You're lucky, actually.

Actually, I haven't decided yet.

I get it. You want me to say yes

so that I'll be distracted and you'll get Chief of Staff.

Wow, Aaron. Impressive.

What are you talking about? Hey!

Love in Washington doesn't happen every day, Emily.

You're lucky, actually.

Ma'am.

Congresswoman Hookstraten, sorry to keep you waiting.

So, why don't we get started, ma'am?

We put together a list of potential Cabinet choices.

Since you're effectively Congress...

These will probably be the fastest confirmations in history.

A question.

Did President Kirkman get a Best Buy gift card for Christmas,

or is the White House having some sort of security issue?

What do you mean?

I saw the IT staff removing every computer from the West Wing.

It's just some technical issues. It's not a problem.

Ms. Rhodes, Mr. Shore, could you come with me, please?

- What? Now? - Yes, sir.

It's important.

Congresswoman, will you excuse us, please?

Perhaps it's about that problem you're not having.

- You wanted to see us? - Yes.

The NSA and Homeland Security just finished their analysis on the hack.

All of our data, files, codes, everything's intact.

What, so you're saying they didn't take anything?

No, they left something behind.

I am Majid Nassar.

At your Capitol building, my Al-Sakar Martyrs Brigade

annihilated your government

so you, too, can experience

the same terror and death that you have visited upon our lands.

Righteousness is our guide, and we are many.

God is great. God is great.

God is great.

Mr. President.

You asked for more proof.

There it is.

We have our enemy.

And we are absolutely certain this is Majid Nassar?

Yes, sir. NCTC confirms dialect is a match.

Facial analysts, behavioral psychologists,

leadership profilers, they all concur.

What is it, sir?

Al Jazeera was always good enough for Bin Laden

to release information statements.

Why would Nassar go to all the trouble

to hack the most secure network in the world

just to deliver this video to me? It...

It doesn't feel right.

I believe he did it, sir, to show us he can.

He's taunting us.

Mr. President, I do think it's important

to take note that Al-Sakar has taken credit for attacks

committed by others in the past,

the Moroccan nightclub bombing, 2013.

I remember. They claimed responsibility for the bombing,

but eventually Israeli Intelligence proved that it was Al-Shabaab.

Okay, any other reasons to believe that Al-Sakar

was not behind the attack?

Anyone, please?

Come on. Anybody?

Mr. President, Jason Atwood,

Deputy Director, FBI.

We met at the Capitol site. You have another theory?

Not me, one of my agents.

She believes that the evidence was manipulated

to point toward Al-Sakar

so we wouldn't consider any other suspects.

What evidence?

The unexploded ordinance.

She thinks that it was not a mistake,

and it was left there on purpose to be found.

And you believe this?

I'm not sure, but I do believe in her.

Sir...

what are your orders?

Until we can confirm that Nassar actually did what he says,

no one outside these walls sees that video, understood?

In the meantime,

track the son of a bitch down.

Whatever cave, cavern or hole he's hiding in,

I want you to find me Majid Nassar.

...and we are many.

God is great. God is great.

God is great.

Thank you for showing this to me, sir.

I knew you had questions earlier about what was happening in the West Wing,

and since you represent Congress,

I think it's important to bring you in

on everything that involves national security.

- Thank you. - I hope you understand

that we cannot show this to the public yet,

not until we can prove that every statement in the video is true.

Otherwise, we run the risk of a national call to arms.

Would that be such a terrible thing?

I mean, with all due respect, sir,

we need an enemy, and soon.

It's the only thing that will pull us all together after this terrible attack.

Kimble, we need the right enemy.

We need to be absolutely certain who did this before we strike.

And personally, I...

I have a difficult time accepting

that the only way to bring the country together is through war.

You have a lot of difficult decisions ahead of you, sir.

Speaking for Congress, I want to assure you

that you have my complete support no matter what you decide.

Thank you.

And I would never want your job.

Well, that makes two of us.

Good luck with Elizabeth Vargas, not that you need it.

You're a natural, sir.

Congressman MacLeish, Special Agent Hannah Wells, FBI.

FBI...

How are you?

Alive, so... lucky... mostly.

This may be too soon, but, um...

I came here because I was wondering if you could tell me

anything about that night, anything you can remember,

something that looked out of place or didn't add up.

I have no idea.

I was sitting in my seat...

watching the President speak, and then...

everything went black.

I lost...

friends, colleagues...

All of them.

The only thing that doesn't add up is...

why me?

Why'd I survive?

Whatever you find out...

please, you let me know.

Tyler?

I'm sorry we're late.

Tom Kirkman.

The President. I know.

Words could never describe how sorry I am for your incredible loss.

Hi, I'm Seth Wright.

I was a junior speech writer under your father.

- I'm sorry about your parents. - Thank you.

Seth is working on my eulogy

for your father's service later today.

We were hoping you might have something personal to share.

Uh... yeah.

Um, my dad was...

He was a great man...

I had tremendous respect for him.

As a president, but, um, you know, to me, he was just...

Dad.

I mean, he had the hardest job in the world, you know, um,

things coming at him from everyone and everywhere,

but...

You know, still, he was always there for me, um...

And now...

I have some very big shoes to fill.

Yeah, we both do.

Why are we unpacking Leo's stuff?

Because this is our new home and I want it to feel like home.

And Leo will never do it.

Hey, it's me. I got to make this quick. I've got my interview waiting.

About dinner tonight,

how about the four of us, family dinner, 6:30?

Yeah. But where's this coming from?

I need to have a reason to want to have dinner with my family?

Okay, I'll see you then.

I love you. Bye.

Mommy?

What are these?

Oh, those are just headache pills, sweetie.

I guess Leo gets a lot of headaches.

Okay, let's go.

So, you'll tape today to air tonight.

This interview is a get. Every network wanted it,

but we hope Elizabeth Vargas is a friend of the court.

What if she brings up the blackout?

She won't, sir. The story's been contained.

This is all about the country getting to know you.

You want to be in command, but approachable.

Smart, but... relatable.

What about sincere?

Yeah, you could...

Sincere could work. You can go with sincere if you want.

I'll go with sincere.

It is astonishing that Congressman MacLeish survived.

It's incredibly encouraging to have good news

in these heartbreaking times.

And difficult times, certainly, to lead,

given the challenge from the governor of Michigan,

the near riot in the Capitol.

Well, thankfully, those crises were averted.

But I have to say, the American people have this unique ability

to be at their best when times are at their worst,

and I'm counting on them as much to get through this

as they're counting on me.

Your previous position in the Cabinet

as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development...

It's not a natural stepping stone to go from that position

straight into the Oval Office.

No. No, it's not.

And, to be honest, I have never had any aspirations for the presidency.

Ever.

When I came to Washington, I came to help people.

- Home stretch. - Mr. President, I have one last question,

and this is something we have just unearthed. I wanted to give you

a chance to address it. We have sources

telling us, and I'd like your comment on this, please...

Where is this going?

Somewhere I don't like.

That President Richmond fired you

from his Cabinet on the day of the attack in the Capitol.

Mr. President...

Were you fired?

And... and if you were,

can you understand why some may say you have no business being...

the President of the United States?

Mr. President, were you fired?

Sir? Please?

I'm sorry. Can you excuse me for one second?

- Of course. - Thank you.

I have no idea how they got a hold of that information.

Maybe from the hack?

No, NSA said our files weren't compromised.

This is on the record. I have to answer.

You have to tell the truth.

Are you kidding me?

Aaron, it's already out there. Besides, he wasn't fired.

That's perception. Nobody's gonna see it that way.

Sir, you admit to this,

you bring down your presidency before it even begins.

Deny it and you start your presidency off with a lie.

I'll take it from here.

I'm sorry for the interruption.

Do you mind asking the question again?

Of course.

Mr. President,

were you fired by President Richmond on the day of the attack?

No, I was offered another assignment,

an ambassadorship, which I had not accepted yet.

Did you request this transfer?

No, I did not.

So, is it safe to say

President Richmond no longer wanted you to serve in his Cabinet?

That would be correct.

...our mothers and their fathers

and their...

Show me that front angle of MacLeish again.

Uh, what are you looking for?

An explanation for why 1,000 people are dead, Chuck.

And their fathers and their...

There.

Go back.

To where it cuts out.

Freeze.

- Look. - The time code. So?

The Capitol blew up at 10:08:04, right?

Mm-hmm.

So why did the feed cut out 34 seconds before the Capitol exploded?

Right, Kline's been looking into that.

Working theory is someone tampered with the on-site control panel,

you know, where the feed was broadcast from.

But it's hard for him to prove it because the panel exploded...

Right. Okay. All right. Rewind. Rewind.

Wait. Freeze.

Zoom in.

Who's the woman with the camera?

- I don't know. - Check the seating chart.

And then I want you to download the contents of her cloud.

I wanna see every photo she took that night.

Maybe she got something during those missing 34 seconds.

You want me to hack a dead woman's phone without an Order to Compel?

It'll take too long.

Not gonna make these people any deader.

Chuck, the greatest act of terrorism since 9/11

was just perpetrated on our soil, and I need to know what happened.

And if we don't play dirty, we don't stand a chance.

Do it.

It's not there.

MDMA, right?

Mom.

At least that's what the Internet says.

It's not what you think...

Oh, really? Because I think my teenage son is dealing drugs.

Possession with intent to distribute.

And that is a felony.

Penny found it.

Do you know what would have happened to her

if she'd taken even one of those?

What... I mean, she's 8. It's not like she's stupid.

And what's your excuse?!

Ma'am, the motorcade for President Richmond's funeral is waiting.

Of course.

We are not done.

You seem distracted. You all right?

Yeah, it's just Leo.

It can wait.

Mr. President,

here are the changes we made to your remarks.

Go ahead. I'll catch up.

I'm sorry, sir. The printers are still down in the West Wing.

- Okay, good. - Is that your eulogy?

Tyler, yeah. I just made some last-minute changes.

Well, don't bother. You won't be needing it.

I'm sorry. Excuse me?

I saw a clip of your interview online.

My father fired you.

I won't let you use his funeral as some sort of PR stunt

to make you look presidential when he thought you were anything but.

- Tyler, please, you don't under... - You know what?

Just save it for your next interview.

- Ty... - He can't do that. You are the President.

No, he lost his father.

We will respect his wishes.

Come on.

Tyler saw the interview. He doesn't want me to do the eulogy.

My father loved his job.

And more than anything, he loved the people he worked with.

He was always grateful to have allies across the aisle.

I know he'd be pleased to have one of those friends here today

to say a few words.

What'd he just say?

Must be a mistake. No one else is slated to speak.

This person is someone my father spoke about

with great admiration and respect,

and someone we are blessed to have represent us

during such uncertain times.

Congresswoman Kimble Hookstraten.

Hookstraten?

Still think it was a good idea to tell the truth at the interview?

This isn't good.

No.

This is what you get for being honest in D.C.

Opportunism.

And when he rose from those pine thickets of Louisiana

to the heights of power on the Potomac...

my friend...

Robert Richmond...

never imagined that he'd be struck down by the enemies of liberty.

And I am reminded now...

more than ever before...

that a country of the people, by the people and for...

She's good, I'll give her that.

She's so political she doesn't even seem political.

May God bless you...

and God bless the United States of America.

Ma'am, I just got a call from Leo's security detail.

Your son had them take him to 88 Hartford Drive.

- Okay, thanks, Mike. - Mr. President.

Galvanizing speech, Congresswoman.

Is something wrong, sir?

No, not at all, Kimble.

Republicans, Democrats, Independents... We're all Americans today.

Isn't that what you said?

Ever since that Elizabeth Vargas video came out,

social media's been going crazy.

The designated survivor or designated deceiver?

Hashtag BogusPOTUS. That one's trending.

Listen to this from The Washington Post...

"The Congresswoman's speech was inspiring."

Given that and the fact that Kirkman was fired,

is it possible the country's being led

"by the wrong designated survivor?"

Wow. It's smaller than I remember.

I'll be a second, Mike.

Hey.

I don't know.

You don't know what?

Why I did it.

I mean, that's why you're here, right, for... for an explanation?

I mean, I wanted attention, or I was acting out...

Well, is that why?

No, no! No.

I told you, I...

- You don't know. - I don't know.

I know... I know I screwed up,

but sometimes people just... just do stuff.

There's not always a reason.

No, I... I think there are reasons.

I think the reason you came home today

is the same reason that your dad and I want to have a family dinner tonight,

to hold on to who we were before the Capitol blew up.

Leo...

The White House did not cause our problems.

We brought them with us.

What about Dad?

Did you tell him?

Not yet.

He'll be so upset.

Dinner, 6:30, um...

We'll deal with it then.

Here.

Tyler, it's Tom Kirkman. Please call me back. Thank you.

...Congressman MacLeish to address the media.

Bad time, sir?

No, come on in.

I think Tyler Richmond is dodging my calls.

I'm sorry about what happened.

You wrote a beautiful eulogy. I'm sorry he didn't get to hear it.

Thank you, sir.

There is one thing.

After the funeral, I ran into a couple of former staffers

who were closer with the former President.

They told me that Tyler and his father

had a falling out two years ago.

They hadn't spoken to each other since, not a word.

Wow...

He didn't make it sound like that.

I guess all any son wants is to feel like he's loved by his father.

Maybe it's just easier to lie to the world than it is to be honest with yourself.

Yeah.

We have breaking news now from Washington, D.C.

We've just received a video obtained from a high-level White House source.

The video shows Majid Nassar,

the leader of the Algerian-based Al-Sakar...

- Someone leaked it. - Who? Cochrane?

No, it's not his style.

Wyatt, can you get me Congresswoman Hookstraten?

Now!

Forgive me, sir, but I did not leak that video.

- I'm wondering why you think I did. - Because you said to my face

that we needed an enemy. Well, now we've got one,

and we both know you're not above undermining me.

Still holding my speech against me?

Sorry, it's still a little fresh,

and I can't help but notice a pattern starting to develop.

Mr. President, I was honest with you then, and I'll be honest with you now.

I did not release that video.

But whoever did...

was actually doing you a tremendous favor.

- How on Earth is that possible? - Just wait.

In an hour or two, the conversation won't be about

whether you were fired or if I gave a great speech.

It'll be about the vicious and ruthless enemy we're facing

and how we should all rally around our leader, Tom Kirkman.

Even if we can't prove that they're the group that actually attacked us!

I'm sorry, but that's out of your hands now, sir.

You might not be ready for it, but you are now truly

our Commander-in-Chief.

That'll be all.

Kimble.

Sir?

Earlier, you said that you didn't want this job.

Was that the truth?

Yes.

For now.

For now?

What about three years?

Well, with the primaries, more like two and a half.

But who's counting?

Told you I was honest.

You wanted to see me?

Did you really think I wouldn't find out

that you asked a data tech to ignore the Fourth Amendment?

Jason, our government's gone. It can't be business as usual, can it?

It can't be the Wild West, either.

I've got agents from every task force working 24/7.

If you break the law...

you jeopardize all the work they've put in.

You're right.

I know.

Whatever you want to do, I understand.

Have a seat.

The lab updated the list of confirmed dead.

One of those names is Senator Scott Wheeler.

I'm sorry.

You knew?

Come on, I work for the largest

information-gathering organization in the free world.

What would that say about me if I didn't?

We met a year ago.

He wasn't happy.

You know the story.

He and his wife were splitting, or...

or that's what I wanted to believe.

This job is not easy.

We all need someone to... care if we make it home at night.

So... forgive yourself for that.

I'm sorry. I went too far.

No.

You made a bad call.

But from now on,

I want only good ones.

Can you do that?

Yeah.

We're tracking a shift among major news outlets.

They're now focusing almost exclusively on Al-Sakar's confession.

Social media's showing the same trend.

Yeah, it seems like we're back online.

Guys, this is what I call a win-win.

Excuse me. I'm sorry to interrupt.

Please, sit.

- Aaron, can I see you for a moment? - Yes, sir.

All right, guys. Keep me posted.

Sir, the media's moving in the right direction now.

Now that video, it changed the entire narrative.

I know it was you.

Sir?

I know you were the one who released the video.

Sir, you were on the ropes.

The country was nervous. The press was circling.

Aaron, please.

Nobody is talking about the wrong designated survivor anymore.

They're rallying against a common enemy,

and soon they'll unite behind their Commander-in-Chief.

I don't know if we've even got the right target yet.

I'm not ready to declare war.

All due respect, sir, that's a decision you can only make

if you remain President,

and it didn't look likely six hours ago.

What you did wasn't just duplicitous...

or cynical.

It was directly insubordinate.

Sir, perhaps you've noticed you're surrounded by people

who would love to see you fail.

I want to help you succeed.

Sir, I want to help you thrive.

What I did was a bold move.

I admit it.

And I believe it was the best one.

If you can't see it that way...

Here's my letter of resignation.

You can accept it at any time if you so choose.

- Mr. President, Tyler Richmond. - Thank you.

Why am I here?

Please, have a seat.

I feel I owe you an apology...

because I agreed to have you brought over to the West Wing earlier today

to tell stories about your father

for the eulogy that I was supposed to deliver.

It was insensitive, and I am sorry.

But I remembered...

that I actually have a story for you.

Oh, like the time my dad fired you?

No. No.

This was when your father took almost an hour out of a Cabinet meeting

to tell us all about your spring recital

at Williams last year.

No, I think... I think you're mistaken.

Bartók, Violin Concerto No. 2, I think.

Yeah, but my... my father wasn't there.

- He had a Cabinet... - He was...

in the back of the room.

I think I would know.

He had one Secret Service detail. He was wearing a baseball cap.

He didn't want to take the focus off of you.

- No, that's just not... - He went on and on about your craft,

your diligence, your work ethic, your talent, and...

He was so proud.

It was nice.

And at the end, he gave everyone a program.

I asked my assistant Wyatt

to go to my old office and bring it here for me.

He was...

He was there?

Tyler, I think he was always there.

I'm sorry he couldn't tell you himself.

Um...

Would you, um... mind if I...

That would be my honor.

It's why I asked you here.

Um...

Thank you...

Mr. President.

My pleasure.

Yeah, Chuck, what is it?

Hey, I've been looking at the feed from the State of the Union.

You gotta get over here.

I'm on my way.

You wanted to see me?

Emily!

Please, have a seat.

Telling the truth earlier today might not have been

the most savvy thing to do...

But it felt right.

It's who I am. It's the kind of President I need to be.

I feel the same way.

I've been thinking about my Chief of Staff.

Have you?

And I guess I should just come right out with it.

I have decided to go with Aaron.

I'm sorry?

I know you have misgivings about Aaron. Hell, so do I.

But I need someone political,

someone who can think differently than I do.

- I can be that! - Emily...

I need you...

to be you.

- Right. - I need you to know

that I cannot do this without you.

You have been by my side since I began in public service.

It's always been you and me off to fight the good fight.

But this...

This is beyond anything anyone could have expected.

And the truth is, I'm scared.

I'm scared I'm going to fail...

fail our nation at this crucial time.

I would like to appoint you as my Special Adviser.

It's not a consolation.

You would have full access.

Please.

I would be honored.

For the record, I'm not here to smile and nod.

If I disagree with Aaron, I'm gonna say it.

I would expect nothing less.

Thank you...

Mr. President.

Family dinner.

Damn it.

It suits you...

The office.

Congratulations, really.

No hard feelings?

I'm sure I can hunt down a couple glasses.

I should get home.

Hey, so I get a job, you get a fiancé.

You're probably the real winner here.

I said no.

Post-disaster acceleration isn't the right reason to get married.

I... I didn't mean that.

No, you were right.

At least I won't be late to work again.

I didn't mean that, either.

But, Aaron, just don't get too comfortable,

because Chiefs of Staff get replaced all the time.

Night.

Hi, Daddy.

Hey!

Come here.

Hey!

What are you doing up so late?

Hmm?

We waited up for you.

Hey.

Where's Leo?

I said he could stay over at a friend's house tonight.

Oh...

On a school night?

Was that the thing you didn't want to tell me earlier?

- Yeah. - Oh.

Actually, um, I...

I changed my mind.

Hey.

Family dinner, right?

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

First you get me in trouble, now you want to help me?

Truth is, I never liked Orders to Compel,

and I think you're kind of badass.

What do you got?

Okay, so I hacked the woman's cloud, and you were right.

She took two photos between the time the feed cut

- and the time of the explosion. - The missing 34 seconds?

- Yeah. - Show me.

And Congressman MacLeish in his seat...

- Chuck, I've seen this. - Wait for it.

This photo was taken six seconds later.

I can't tell you what happened that night, how they did it, why.

But I can tell you MacLeish survived...

Because he wasn't there.

Aaron Shore.

Aaron, it's me.

Mr. President.

You forced my hand today by releasing that tape.

You put in motion a timetable

that will test the patience of the American people.

So, your first job as my Chief of Staff

is to make sure that Al-Sakar is found, and fast...

or you may find my patience being tested.

- Are we clear? - Yes, sir.

- Good night, Mr. President. - Good night.

He's an interesting guy, your boss.

I have what you asked for.

Anything good?

Depends whose side you're on.