The CW’s Supernatural season 13 episode 14 welcomed back Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver), found Jack using his powers for good in the Apocalypse World, and most importantly had Castiel back in full-on warrior angel mode. Cas revealed to the Winchester brothers that it will take the grace of an archangel, a fruit from the Tree of Life, the Seal of Solomon, and the blood of a most holy man to defeat Lucifer and Michael. The quest is on!
Up next, season 13 episode 15 titled “A Most Holy Man.” Amanda Tapping directed from a script by Robert Singer and Andrew Dabb. Supernatural season 13 episode 15 will air March 8, 2018.
The season 13 cast includes Jensen Ackles as Dean, Jared Padalecki as Sam, Misha Collins as Castiel, Mark Pellegrino as Lucifer, Alexander Calvert as Jack, and Samantha Smith as Mary Winchester.
The “A Most Holy Man” Plot: DIVINE INTERVENTION – Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) are close to collecting everything they need to open a rift into the apocalyptic world and possibly rescuing Mary (guest star Samantha Smith) and Jack (Alexander Calvert). The one missing ingredient leads the Winchesters to a black market for religious relics where everything is not always as it seems.
The Season 13 Plot: The exciting journey of the Winchester brothers continues as Supernatural enters its thirteenth season. Sam and Dean have encountered every kind of supernatural threat, facing down monsters, demons, and gods. Saving people, hunting things, and keeping the world safe. In the show’s twelfth season, the Winchesters were reunited with their long-dead mother, and joined forces with the British arm of the Men of Letters. But things turned from bad to worse, with the return of Lucifer and the surprising revelation that the Devil is expecting a child. Now, Sam and Dean find themselves facing a creature of almost unimaginable power… one that could save the world… or destroy it.
The first full trailer’s arrived for the comedy movie, Book Club. The film comes from producer Bill Holderman who’s making his feature film directorial debut with the comedy which follows four friends who choose Fifty Shades of Grey as their book club selection. The choice turns out to be a life-changing decision as they explore new romantic relationships and reinvigorate existing ones.
The cast is led by Oscar winner Diane Keaton (Annie Hall), two-time Oscar winner Jane Fonda (Coming Home, Klute), Oscar nominee Candice Bergen (Starting Over), and Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen (Melvin and Howard). Craig T. Nelson (Grace and Frankie), Andy Garcia (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again), Don Johnson (Brawl in Cell Block 99), Richard Dreyfuss (Shots Fired), Ed Begley Jr (Future Man), Tommy Dewey (The Mindy Project) and Alicia Silverstone (The Killing of a Sacred Deer) co-star.
An interesting side note, Don Johnson’s daughter, Dakota Johnson, starred as Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades film trilogy.
Director Holderman co-wrote the film with actress Erin Simms (Long Gone Day). Holderman and Simms also serve as producers along with Andrew Duncan and Alex Saks. Alan C. Blomquist and B. Ted Deiker are the executive producers.
Paramount Pictures will release Book Club in theaters on May 18, 2018.
The Plot: Diane (Diane Keaton) is recently widowed after 40 years of marriage. Vivian (Jane Fonda) enjoys her men with no strings attached. Sharon (Candice Bergen) is still working through a decades-old divorce. Carol’s (Mary Steenburgen) marriage is in a slump after 35 years.
Four lifelong friends’ lives are turned upside down to hilarious ends when their book club tackles the infamous Fifty Shades of Grey. From discovering new romance to rekindling old flames, they inspire each other to make their next chapter the best chapter.
Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen, and Candice Bergen star in Paramount Pictures’ ‘Book Club.’
Open Road Films has unveiled the first video clip from Midnight Sun, a romantic drama from Finding Carter director Scott Speer. The one-minute clip features Bella Thorne (“Katie”) playing the guitar on a street corner while Patrick Schwarzenegger (“Charlie”) encourages her, filming her performance as a crowd gathers to hear her sing.
In addition to Bella Thorne (Famous in Love, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) and Patrick Schwarzenegger (The Long Road Home, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse), the Midnight Sun cast includes Quinn Shephard (Person of Interest, Almost There), Ken Tremblett (When Calls the Heart, The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story), Jenn Griffin (Pretty Little Dead Girl), Suleka Mathew (Men in Trees, The Dead Zone), Nicholas Coombe (Imaginary Mary, Cinema Town), and Rob Riggle (Angie Tribeca, Modern Family).
First-time feature film screenwriter Eric Kirsten wrote the script based on Taiyô no uta by Kenji Bando. David Boies, James McGough, Aln Ou, and Hiroki Shirota served as executive producers.
Midnight Sun opens in theaters on March 23, 2018.
The Plot:Midnight Sun is a romantic tearjerker about 17-year-old Katie Price (Bella Thorne), sheltered at home since childhood with a rare genetic condition, a life-threatening sensitivity to sunlight. Having only her father Jack (Rob Riggle) for company, Katie’s world opens up after dark when she ventures outside to play her guitar.
One night, her dreams come true when she’s noticed and asked out by her longtime crush Charlie (Patrick Schwarzenegger), whom she’s secretly watched from her bedroom window for years. As they embark on nightly summer excursions, Katie’s risk to sunlight grows and she’s presented with the gut-wrenching dilemma of whether she can live a normal life with her newfound soul mate.
Patrick Schwarzenegger and Bella Thorne star in ‘Midnight Sun’ (Photo Credit: Open Road Films)
The Vanishing of Sidney Hall squanders an interesting premise and wastes the talents of Logan Lerman, Michelle Monaghan, and Kyle Chandler. Told in nonlinear form with flashbacks and flash-forwards differentiated by the style of Lerman’s hair, this R-rated mystery never fully commits to any particular approach to laying out the life story of the titular character.
The Vanishing of Sidney Hall charts the life of a talented high school loner who, thanks in large part to a compassionate teacher, takes his talent for storytelling from the level of sexual fantasy essays to a bestselling, life-altering novel. The novel has an incredible Catcher in the Rye-level impact on its readers, yet Sidney (Lerman) seems incapable of feeling happy or fulfilled. Not even a potential Pulitzer Prize can brighten his dour disposition.
Sidney has a whole nest of inner demons to battle and he attempts to face down each one during the film’s three timelines. The film ricochets between scenes of Sidney in high school, Sidney as a successful novelist in his 20s, and a slightly older and more cynical vagabond Sidney who looks a lot like a younger, disheveled Joaquin Phoenix.
The film, written and directed by Shawn Christensen, leaves so many threads dangling that even at a two-hour running time it feels incomplete and rushed. Supporting characters pop in and out, with many putting in appearances that are not only unnecessary but also confusing. The large ensemble is, for the most part, given little to do. Only Logan Lerman and Elle Fanning’s characters have any depth to them, and even those make nonsensical transformations that are best described as contrived plot devices.
Christensen gathered together a terrific cast, but then gave them a script with no meat on its bones. There’s simply nothing there for the supporting players to latch onto. Kyle Chandler appears as part of the older Sidney timeline and, without disclosing any spoilers, the justification for his character’s involvement in the story is one of the film’s most ridiculous assertions.
The performances are fine, for the most part. Elle Fanning is great as the fresh-faced neighbor who wins Sidney’s heart. However, once her character ages into her 20s, Fanning seems less comfortable crawling into the character’s skin. Lerman also seems more at home as the high school student and budding writer who finds inspiration in his fellow students. Lerman’s in his mid-twenties, yet the teen version of Sidney is the portion of his performance that’s the most engaging.
The Vanishing of Sidney Hall requires the audience to feel for the title character but doesn’t provide any reason to truly care about this person once he becomes a bestselling novelist. The one-dimensional characters who surround Sidney as he faces his demons also fail to engage the audience, leaving us with no one to really root for once the heart of the story is revealed.
GRADE: C-
MPAA Rating: R (for language and some sexual references)
Running Time: 119 minutes
Release Date: March 2, 2018 (Limited)
Directed By: Shawn Christensen
Written By: Shawn Christensen and Jason Dolan
Logan Lerman stars in ‘The Vanishing of Sidney Hall’ (Photo Credit: A24 Films)
Zach Woods, Kumail Nanjiani, Martin Starr, and Thomas Middleditch star in ‘Silicon Valley’ season 5 (Photo: Ali Paige Goldstein / HBO)
HBO’s fifth season of the Emmy Award-winning half-hour comedy series Silicon Valley will premiere on Sunday, March 25, 2018 at 10pm ET/PT and will consist of eight episodes. Created by Mike Judge, John Altschuler, and Dave Krinsky, the critically acclaimed comedy picked up 10 Emmy nominations for season four, bringing its total overall to 33 nominations.
The new season will be the first without series regular TJ Miller as Erlich Bachman. Returning cast members include Thomas Middleditch (The Morning After) as Richard Hendricks, Zach Woods (The Office) as Donald ‘Jared’ Dunn, Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick) as Dinesh Chugtai, Martin Starr (Spider-Man: Homecoming) as Bertram Gilfoyle, Josh Brener (Welcome to Happiness) as Nelson ‘Big Head’ Bighetti, Amanda Crew (The Age of Adaline) as Monica Hall, Matt Ross (American Horror Story) as Gavin Belson, Suzanne Cryer (The Fosters) as Laurie Bream, and Jimmy O. Yang (El Camino Christmas) as Jian Yang.
The Season 5 Plot: The future is now. Pied Piper finally has enough funding for proper offices and new employees, and to bring its peer-to-peer internet to the world – but leveling up introduces a whole new class of obstacles. While Richard struggles to lead a larger team and play with the big dogs, the rest of the team adjusts to new staff, new digs and new anxieties. Meanwhile, Hooli rival Gavin Belson has returned to power, but finds the threat of Pied Piper, and its boldness, hard to shake.
The Pied Piper guys are closer to real fame and fortune than ever before, as their new decentralized internet “PiperNet” approaches its debut. But more money brings more problems. As Richard struggles with the responsibilities of being the CEO of a rapidly growing company, along with pressures from investors Monica and Laurie, Dinesh and Gilfoyle adjust to a new team, Jared works his hardest to hold everything together, Big Head continues to stumble his way into good fortune and Jian-Yang proves there’s nothing he won’t do to make some fast cash. Meanwhile, at Hooli, reinstated CEO Gavin’s desire to stay relevant threatens to consume him as he seeks to destroy the competition.
Silicon Valley Season 5 Episode Preview:
Episode #39 (season 5, episode 1): “Grow Fast or Die Slow”
Debut: SUNDAY, MARCH 25 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
Now that Pied Piper has ample funding and new offices, the pressure to get things right stymies Richard (Thomas Middleditch) and forces him to grow the company in a way he hadn’t planned. A picky Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani) and Gilfoyle (Martin Starr) question their ability to make good decisions. After returning to Hooli, Gavin (Matt Ross) worries about becoming antiquated.
Written by Ron Weiner; directed by Mike Judge.
Episode #40 (season 5, episode 2): “Reorientation”
Debut: SUNDAY, APRIL 1 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)
Panicked by suddenly leading a much larger team, Richard (Thomas Middleditch) finds himself managing a number of small conflicts in his efforts to unite his new employees. Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani) celebrates a new purchase that Gilfoyle (Martin Starr) looks to spoil. Jian-Yang (Jimmy O. Yang) goes to court. Gavin (Matt Ross) meets pushback over his signature and what it says about him.
Written by Carson Mell; directed by Mike Judge.
Episode #41 (season 5, episode 3): “Chief Operating Officer”
Debut: SUNDAY, APRIL 8 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)
Encouraged by Jared (Zach Woods) to strike up a friendship with Dana (Dan Mintz), a like-minded CEO, Richard (Thomas Middleditch) instead finds himself charmed by Dana’s COO (Ben Koldyke), who challenges his loyalty to Gilfoyle (Martin Starr). Facing limited housing options thanks to his impulse purchase, Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani) searches for a new roommate.
Written by Carrie Kemper; directed by Jamie Babbit.
AMC’s set to premiere the thriller The Terror on Monday, March 26, 2018 at 9pm ET/PT. The series is based on the bestselling novel by Dan Simmons and explores the true events surrounding the British Royal Navy’s exploration of the Northwest Passage. The 10 episode drama, which is set in 1847 and was shot in Budapest, has David Kajganich (True Story, A Bigger Splash) and Soo Hugh (The Whispers, The Killing) as showrunners and executive producers.
Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Alexandra Milchan, Scott Lambert, Guymon Casady, and author Dan Simmons are also involved as executive producers.
The Terror stars Jared Harris (The Crown, Mad Men), Tobias Menzies (Outlander, Game of Thrones), Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones), Paul Ready (Cuffs), Adam Nagaitis (Suffragette), Nive Nielsen (The New World), Ian Hart (Neverland), and Trystan Gravelle (Mr. Selfridge).
The Plot: Inspired by a true story, The Terror centers on the British Royal Navy’s perilous voyage into unchartered territory as the crew attempts to discover the Northwest Passage. Faced with treacherous conditions, limited resources, dwindling hope and fear of the unknown, the crew is pushed to the brink of extinction. Frozen, isolated and stuck at the end of the earth, The Terror highlights all that can go wrong when a group of men, desperate to survive, struggle not only with the elements, but with each other.
Character Descriptions:
Captain Francis Crozier (Played by Jared Harris) – Captain of the HMS Terror and second in command of the expedition, Francis Crozier is a peerless sailor, but also an Irishman who has reached his glass ceiling in Her Majesty’s Royal Navy. He’s had to accept his second-class status without internalizing it even as he sees his accomplishments again and again go unrecognized and his expert advice unheeded. When disaster strikes the expedition and he finally has a chance to prove himself, will he be able to face down his many demons and rise to the challenge of saving his men?
Sir John Franklin (Played by Ciarán Hinds) – Captain of HMS Erebus and commander of the expedition, Sir John Franklin is an experienced leader with a blemished record in the Royal Navy, a man “everyone likes, but no one respects.” He saw men die under his leadership on a previous polar expedition, and, nearing the end of his uneven career, would like to retire in full glory as the man who finally discovered the Northwest Passage. But despite his best efforts, his ambition puts his men in horrible danger and he must try to undo the damage caused by his Victorian hubris.
Captain James Fitzjames (Played by Tobias Menzies) – Second in command of Erebus and third in command of the expedition, James Fitzjames is a rising star in the British Royal Navy. He has secured John Franklin’s confidence in spite of his never having sailed in the polar regions before, and develops an enmity toward Crozier. Fitzjames perceives Crozier as a joyless alcoholic bore, but he secretly knows that Crozier sees through his self-aggrandizing bluster. And Crozier is not wrong: When the expedition finds itself in desperate straits, the confident mask Fitzjames presents to the world begins to slip, revealing a man with crippling secrets.
Doctor Henry Goodsir (Played by Paul Ready) – The most junior of the expedition’s four doctors, Henry Goodsir is a gentle, moral soul who joins the Discovery Service to explore the natural world of the Arctic. But his open-minded intellect and empathetic nature make him the first to realize something supernatural is also in play, and he sets about trying to understand the forces working to destroy the men even while he redoubles his efforts to try to connect with this vast and uncanny landscape and its indigenous people.
Ciarán Hinds as John Franklin and Tobias Menzies as James Fitzjames in ‘The Terror’ (Photo Credit: AMC)Tobias Menzies as James Fitzjames (Photo Credit: Aidan Monaghan/AMC)Adam Nagaitis as Cornelius Hickey (Photo Credit: Aidan Monaghan/AMC)Paul Ready as Dr. Henry Goodsir and Alfie Kingsnorth as David Young in ‘The Terror’ (Photo Credit: Aidan Monaghan/AMC)Ciarán Hinds as John Franklin (Photo Credit: AMC)Tobias Menzies as James Fitzjames (Photo Credit: AMC)Nive Nielsen as Lady Silence (Photo Credit: Aidan Monaghan/AMC)
Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures has released a new trailer for the dramatic film Chappaquiddick, based on controversial true events. The trailer lays out the plot – Ted Kennedy caused a car accident which resulted in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne on Chappaquiddick Island on Friday, July 18, 1969 – and shows the film will delve into the events leading up to the accident as well as the subsequent investigation.
The cast is led by Jason Clarke (All I See is You, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) as Ted Kennedy and Kate Mara (Megan Leavey, House of Cards) as Mary Jo Kopechne. Ed Helms (The Office, The Hangover films) plays Joe Gargan, Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show) plays Paul Markham, Clancy Brown (Stronger, Tangled: The Series) is Robert McNamara, Taylor Nichols (The Last Tycoon, Possessions) is Ted Sorensen, Olivia Thirlby (Welcome to Happiness, The Wedding Ringer) is one of the boiler room girls, and Bruce Dern (Our Souls at Night, The Hateful Eight) plays Joe Kennedy.
John Curran (Tracks, The Painted Veil) directed from a screenplay by Taylor Allen and Andrew Logan. Chappaquiddick will open in theaters on April 6, 2018.
The Plot: In the suspense drama, Chappaquiddick, the scandal and mysterious events surrounding the tragic drowning of a young woman, as Ted Kennedy drove his car off the infamous bridge, are revealed in the new movie starring Jason Clarke as Ted Kennedy and Kate Mara as Mary Jo Kopechne. Not only did this event take the life of an aspiring political strategist and Kennedy insider, but it ultimately changed the course of presidential history forever.
Through true accounts, documented in the inquest from the investigation in 1969, director John Curran and writers Andrew Logan and Taylor Allen, intimately expose the broad reach of political power, the influence of America’s most celebrated family; and the vulnerability of Ted Kennedy, the youngest son, in the shadow of his family legacy.
Jason Clarke and Kate Mara star in ‘Chappaquiddick.’ (Photo Credit: Claire Folger)
Reba McEntire hosts the 2018 Academy of Country Music Awards (Photo Courtesy of ACM)
Chris Stapleton tops the list of the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards nominees, earning eight nominations in categories including Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Single Record of the Year. Thomas Rhett follows with six nominations, picking up nods in the Album of the Year, Vocal Event of the Year, and Male Vocalists of the Year categories.
Other Country artists earning multiple Academy of Country Music Awards nominations include Keith Urban, Shane McAnally, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Sam Hunt, Little Big Town, Midland, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill.
In addition to announcing the nominees, the Academy of Country Music revealed 16-time ACM Award winner Reba McEntire is returning as host. McEntire has hosted Country music’s star-studded event 14 times in the past, most recently in 2012.
This year’s awards show will take place on Sunday, April 15th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards will be broadcast live on CBS beginning at 8pm ET (tape delayed on the West Coast).
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
• Jason Aldean
• Garth Brooks
• Luke Bryan
• Chris Stapleton
• Keith Urban
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
• Kelsea Ballerini
• Miranda Lambert
• Reba McEntire
• Maren Morris
• Carrie Underwood
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
• Jason Aldean
• Thomas Rhett
• Chris Stapleton
• Keith Urban
• Chris Young
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
• Brothers Osborne
• Dan + Shay
• Florida Georgia Line
• LOCASH
• Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
• Lady Antebellum
• LANCO
• Little Big Town
• Midland
• Old Dominion
NEW FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
• Lauren Alaina
• Danielle Bradbery
• Carly Pearce
• RaeLynn
NEW MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
• Kane Brown
• Luke Combs
• Devin Dawson
• Russell Dickerson
• Brett Young
NEW VOCAL DUO OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
• High Valley
• LANCO
• LOCASH
• Midland
• Runaway June
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
• Breaker – Little Big Town
• California Sunrise – Jon Pardi
• From A Room: Vol. 1 – Chris Stapleton
• Happy Endings – Old Dominion
• Life Changes – Thomas Rhett
SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR
• “Better Man” – Little Big Town
• “Body Like A Back Road” – Sam Hunt
• “Broken Halos” – Chris Stapleton
• “Drinkin’ Problem” – Midland
• “I’ll Name The Dogs” – Blake Shelton
SONG OF THE YEAR
• “Body Like a Back Road” – Sam Hunt
• “Female” – Keith Urban
• “Tin Man” – Miranda Lambert
• “Whiskey And You” – Chris Stapleton
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
• “Black” – Dierks Bentley
• “It Ain’t My Fault” – Brothers Osborne
• “Legends” – Kelsea Ballerini
• “Marry Me” – Thomas Rhett
• “We Should Be Friends” – Miranda Lambert
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
• Rhett Akins
• Ashley Gorley
• Hillary Lindsey
• Shane McAnally
• Josh Osborne
VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
• “Craving You” – Thomas Rhett Featuring Maren Morris
• “Dear Hate” – Maren Morris featuring Vince Gill
• “Funny (How Time Slips Away)” – Glen Campbell And Willie Nelson
• “The Fighter” – Keith Urban featuring Carrie Underwood
• “What Ifs” – Kane Brown Featuring Lauren Alaina
Roxanne McKee, Daniel MacPherson, Trevor Eve, and Warren Brown in ‘Strike Back’ season 5 (Photo by Liam Daniel/CINEMAX)
Cinemax’s action thriller Strike Back continues its fifth season with five new episodes airing in March 2018. The 10-episode fifth season kicked off on February 2, 2018 and stars Warren Brown (Luther, The Dark Knight Rises), Daniel MacPherson (The Shannara Chronicles), Roxanne McKee (Crossfire, Game of Thrones), and Alin Sumarwata (Burning Man). Andy Harries, Sharon Hughff, Jack Lothian and MJ Bassett serve as executive producers, with Nuala O’Leary producing.
The Season 5 Plot: When fanatical terrorist Omair Idrisi escapes from Syrian authorities with plans to launch an unprecedented attack that could change the face of modern warfare, the ensuing manhunt can only be entrusted to counterterrorism’s best and brightest. Enter Section 20 — the elite, multinational, covert special ops team tasked with tracking down Idrisi and his British co-conspirator wife, Jane Lowry.
Their action-packed manhunt will take the unit across North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, from glitterati soirees to underworld cage fights, as they uncover and attempt to dismantle a vast global web of interconnected criminal and terrorist activity.
The Season 5 Characters:
Lance Corporal Gracie Novin (Alin Sumarwata) is a crack shot and ready-for-anything gearhead who is looking to make the step up. Genuine and honest to the point of bluntness, she’s the heart and soul of the team.
Sergeant Samuel Wyatt (Daniel MacPherson) is a barroom philosopher who works best alone. Having been burned in the past, Wyatt has no intention of being dragged into a team situation. But what he wants and what he gets are rarely the same thing.
Captain Natalie Reynolds (Roxanne McKee) comes from a military family, and excels at psychological profiling and identifying weaknesses in others, although she may be blind to her own faults.
Sergeant Thomas “Mac” McAllister (Warren Brown) is a man of his word, physically capable and driven by a desire to avenge the team he’s lost. He’s easygoing, affable and utterly deadly.
Strike Back March 2018 Episodes:
Episode #45 (season 5, episode 5)
Debut date: FRIDAY, MARCH 2 (10:00-10:50 p.m. ET/PT)
With Dr. Markov (Daniel Cerqueira) under Lowry’s (Katherine Kelly) control, Section 20 attempts to intervene before the lethal Novichok cocktail is completed. Novin (Alin Sumarwata) infiltrates the mansion of Borisovich (Peter Firth), a Belarusian drug lord, in order to gain important intel.
Written by Jack Lothian; directed by MJ Basset.
Episode #46 (season 5, episode 6)
Debut date: FRIDAY, MARCH 9 (10:00-10:50 p.m.)
Lowry (Katherine Kelly) recruits Maya (Rhianne Barreto), a young jihadi, to test out the Novichok, and the team races to stop her before the gas is released on unsuspecting civilians. Yuri (Urs Rechn), a brutal hitman working for Borisovich (Peter Firth), is tasked with eliminating the members of Section 20. Dr. Markov (Daniel Cerqueira) faces a dilemma, while Lowry has a revelation.
Written by Jack Lothian; directed by Debs Paterson.
Episode #47 (season 5, episode 7)
Debut date: FRIDAY, MARCH 16 (10:00-10:50 p.m.)
In order to keep pace with Lowry (Katherine Kelly), Section 20 looks to track down ex-CIA contractor Rachel Sheridan (Dervla Kirwan), with Wyatt (Daniel MacPherson) looking to win the confidence of her estranged daughter, Lila (Sai Bennett). Meanwhile, Jensen’s (Phil Dunster) desire to get closer to Novin (Alin Sumarwata) brings him into the field – and closer to danger.
Written by Jack Lothian and Simon Allen; directed by Bill Eagles.
Episode #48 (season 5, episode 8)
Debut date: FRIDAY, MARCH 23 (10:00-10:50 p.m.)
Mac (Warren Brown) and Wyatt (Daniel MacPherson) close in on a “black site” harboring a terrorist of interest to Lowry (Katherine Kelly) – as well as Col. Parker (Corey Johnson). Back at work under Donovan’s (Nina Sosanya) watchful eye, Jensen (Phil Dunster) looks to crack a code involving Project Tenebrae.
Written by Jack Lothian and Simon Allen; directed by Bill Eagles.
Episode #49 (season 5, episode 9)
Debut date: FRIDAY, MARCH 30 (10:00-10:50 p.m.)
The team races to deliver a package to Donovan (Nina Sosanya), but a familiar adversary causes them problems along the way. A startling revelation changes the game, forcing Reynolds (Roxanne McKee) to make a difficult choice. A cornered Novin (Alin Sumarwata) gets a reprieve from unexpected sources.
Written by Jack Lothian; directed by MJ Basset.
Tanner Buchanan, Mckenna Grace, Kiefer Sutherland, Italia Ricci, Kal Penn and Adan Canto in ‘Designated Survivor’ season 2 episode 11 (ABC/Ben Mark Holzberg)
“What the hell just happened?” asks a surprised Emily (Italia Ricci) “He made the tough decision but the right one. I think the President is back,” replies Boone (Paulo Costanzo) after President Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) orders military troops to move in against a Cuba militia in season two episode 11 of ABC’s political thriller series, Designated Survivor.
As the series returns from its winter break, it’s been 10 weeks since the horrible and shocking death of Kirkman’s wife by a distracted driver. The President is in required therapy and not really getting along with his doctor Adam Louden (Timothy Busfield) who tells the President that either they finish their session today or he can get a new therapist after Kirkman tries to cut the session short.
The President’s staff is concerned for him because he hasn’t really gotten much done since the funeral and keeps putting off making decisions about political trips and policies. Emily and Seth (Kal Penn) take a private moment to talk about getting away for a mini-vaca together as a couple. Emily questions if it’s really the right time and Seth assures her it is because she needs the break – they both do.
Meanwhile, Agent Hannah Wells (Maggie Q) meets with Aaron (Adan Canto) and finds herself on restricted assignment after the investigation into her shooting Rennett (Ben Lawson). His body was never found and there’s no proof he was in on the conspiracy. However, they did discover Wells and Rennett were sleeping together. She and Aaron are to accompany a congressman, as well as a few other important people, down to Cuba to meet with its president.
Later in Cuba, Wells and Aaron are on the bus with the congressman and the others headed to the Cuban president’s residence when they’re stopped by a Cuban revolutionary militia and kidnapped. Taken to a guarded shack in the jungle, the militia finds Aaron’s White House ID card and force him to make a video demanding the U.S. pay a ransom in order to the captives back alive.
After watching the video, Kirkman reaches out to the Cuban president for assistance. It quickly becomes clear the Cuban president won’t be very helpful and doesn’t want to risk his own people and agenda for American lives. Kirkman tells his staff he wants game plans and options drawn up right away. The first recommendation is a ground assault by the military which Kirkman is hesitant to sign off on fearing casualties among the hostages. The next idea is a recon mission using a single Black Hawk helicopter to survey the area and find out what they are truly dealing with. Kirkman greenlights the mission.
In another part of the White House, a new young and eager woman named Tricia Simms is applying to be Boone’s assistant. Wanting to get rid of her, Boone sends her on the wild goose chase of tracking down and bringing to him the blueprints to the White House.
In the war room, Kirkman and his people are watching the Black Hawk down moving into the area where the hostages are believed to be when they lose communication with the aircraft. A little later in a presser, Seth relays to the media that the helicopter was able to get back to the aircraft carrier it launched from.
Kirkman is sitting in his office and keeps listening to the last message he got from his wife just minutes before she died. She left a message telling him she beat the investigation and loves him. In a heartbreaking flashback scene, Kirkman wakes up his young daughter, Penny (Mckenna Grace), and tells her that her mother was hurt so bad in an accident that she can never come home. Penny begins crying and asking why, but Kirkman just holds her close to him and tries to comfort her.
Kirkman tells his son, Leo (Tanner Buchanan), about the deadly accident and hugs the devastated young man. His son says she hated it here in D.C. and he should never have brought them here. Flash-forward to Louden telling Kirkman that he has been there for his children’s grief but is avoiding dealing with his own.
Back in Cuba, Wells asks to use the bathroom and while she’s in the little room, she manages to open up part of the floorboards (it’s an old wood shack) and sneak out the bottom. She moves slowly and sees one of the American hostages, a wealthy businessman named Cross, talking to the boss of the militia and coming across as friendly. She makes a break for it and takes out two guards but doesn’t get too far before a large group of militia recaptures her. They bring her back and sit her next to Aaron. She tells Aaron what she saw Cross doing and believes he’s in on them being taken as hostages. She points out someone on the inside had to leak the bus route for them to be taken.
Kirkman, not wanting to lose anyone else close to him, decides to pay the ransom which his staff briefly tries to talk him out of with no luck. The President is in the war room getting ready to give the order to wire the ransom when he has a flashback of making plans for his wife’s funeral and hearing Louden say in their session that his unresolved grief can affect his decision making. Kirkman calls off the wire transfer and tells his general to send in a ground assault. If after the first military strike the Cuban militia doesn’t surrender, he’s to send in the Marines. President Kirkman is back!
The militia leader realizes the money hasn’t been transferred so he sets up a video chat with Kirkman, demanding he pay or he’ll kill the hostages, starting with Agent Wells. Wells looks right at the camera and makes the sign of the cross as the American businessman Cross shouts he’ll pay the ransom. The feed goes dead. Emily, who was watching, tells Kirkman that Wells was sending them a message by crossing herself because she’s not Catholic. They realize she was pointing out Cross and Kirkman orders a fast investigation into him.
After some quick digging, it’s discovered that Cross, the militia boss, and the President of Cuba are all in on it. They’re trying to secure finances and bring in more American muscle to keep them in power over the people of Cuba. With this new information, Kirkman’s able to call out the President of Cuba after getting Cross to confess to everything. Kirkman tells the Cuban leader he’ll leave his fate for the people of Cuba to decide after releasing all the information to the press.
Seth catches up with Emily, who has been short with him all day, and asks if she’s into their seeing each other or not. If not, he needs to know now. She says she doesn’t know and he ends the relationship telling her to call him if she ever figures it out.
Kirkman visits with Louden to finish their session and admits he hasn’t been dealing with his grief. Kirkman confesses he keeps listening to the last message she left him. Louden tells Kirkman he has to deal with his grief otherwise he’s just treading water. “You know what happens to someone who treads water for too long, don’t you?” asks Louden. “They drown,” answers Kirkman.
Kirkman visits the reckless driver who killed his wife in prison. Kirkman informs him that he’s going to do everything he can to make sure he always remembers what he took from him and from his children – his wife, their mother, and his best friend.
The last scene shows Wells entering her dark apartment and realizing someone’s in there with her, holding a gun on her. The intruder is Rennett and he says, “We have to talk.”
Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 11 Review:
Emotional, engaging, but a bit rushed, season two episode 11 titled “Grief” brings the political thriller/drama back from its midseason break in the style and feel of its first season with Kirkman dealing with an international hostage crisis that hits close to home while still reeling from losing his true love…his wife. The stand-out performance once again goes to Kiefer Sutherland for his raw and powerful performance as Kirkland, a grieving husband trying his best to put on a strong, solid face for his staff and the country while inside struggling not to give in and mourn the loss of his wife. The scene in which he tells his children they’ve lost their mother forever is filled with heartbreaking emotion as he holds back the tears and stays strong for them.
With Kirkman just beginning to recover from his tragic loss and Michael J. Fox set to guest star in a four-part storyline, it seems Designated Survivor just might be getting back to the political thriller style and storyline that made its first season so compelling. Here’s hoping that’s the case.
