The 5 Best Moments from Designated Survivor: “The Enemy”

We’ve all known that one teacher from school whom none of the kids respected, the guy everyone thought was a pushover and had no real authority. Such is the case for Tom Kirkman as the unelected President of the United States. Nobody seems to actually think he’s got what it takes to lead a country. Governors, generals and White House personnel have all conveyed a strong lack of respect and acknowledgement of Tom’s authority as the Commander-In-Chief. At this point, we’ve seen what Tom is capable of doing in times of crisis, but everyone still thinks he’s a weak misfit in the role of the leader of the free world—and Tom has finally gotten sick and tired of it all. In “The Enemy,” Tom fights back hard and emerges victorious—even if there are still plenty of problems to solve and enemies to overcome. Here are the five best moments from “The Enemy.”

1. Tom Has to Decide Whether or Not to Attack Algeria
Tom is told that they’ve found the terrorist responsible for the attack and have a location of his compound in Algeria. They’re ready to attack and kill, however, an American operative of theirs is possibly in the compound. Tom doesn’t like the idea of killing an American soldier in the process, while General Cochrane tries to convince him it’s one person, opposed to the thousands this terrorist has recently murdered. Tom tells them he wants time to decide, and by the end of the episode gives the go ahead to attack, which very well may lead to war with Algeria.

2. Hannah Investigates Surviving Congressman
Hannah visits the recently discovered survivor of the explosion, Congressman McLeish, at his home with his wife. She brings to their attention the absence of McLeish in the video footage right before the explosion. McLeish’s wife reveals that she had been worried about their daughter and had sent him a bunch of texts, so he’d gotten up to step outside when the explosion occurred. Convenient story? Possibly, but Hannah checks their phone records and sees that they back up the story. End of case… or is it? There’s no way the show would introduce McLeish’s character in such a way, and then not have him play some sort of hand in the explosion.

3. Tom Federalizes the Michigan National Guard… And It Fails
In an effort to stop Royce from once again abusing Muslims and taking control of the state of Michigan into his own hands, Tom federalizes the state’s National Guard. When they arrive, however, the general reveals to Tom that they see Royce as their true Commander-In-Chief. There’s probably nothing more frustrating that being the president, and realizing that no one cares. Tom is supposed to be the most powerful man in the world, and yet here are these school bullies trying take advantage of him. In the end, he does get justice. Royce is brought to DC to have a talk with POTUS. But Tom has no intentions of talking and immediately places Royce under arrest for treason.

4. Seth Becomes Press Secretary
The new press secretary sucks. He’s a kid with thin skin and he knows how to talk around journalists. Seth sees this and tries to help give him some pointers, which is basically about how to avoid questions and sound smart while doing it. The kid fails though, and what does he do? Literally walks off stage. Seth jumps up to the podium to continue answering questions, and he shines. It’s like he was born for this role—he comes off so natural and in control. And it’s so impressive that he’s offered the job of being the new press secretary, which he eventually accepts.

5. Tom Fires General Cochrane
It’s been no secret that General Cochrane never really liked Tom. From the very first hour Tom was sworn in as president, Cochrane has passive aggressively belittled him and his position as president. When Tom finds out that Cochrane disobeyed his orders and was planning to go through with the attack, he fires him. Cochrane seemingly forgot that Tom is actually the president and thus has full authority to do things like that. Another victory for Tom! Tom has been through so much crap with various characters that it’s about time he showed his opponents his strength and boldness as president. And he’s going to need to keep it up, because there are still plenty of people in Washington set on seeing him fail.