Tear Jerker / Designated Survivor

Season 1

Pilot

• When Kirkman is taking the oath of office, Aaron is taking pictures with his phone because they don't have a photographer. Even after a devastating tragedy, someone needs to document the event, and just like the presidency falling to Kirkman, the job has to go to whoever is left to do it. Older viewers may flash on White House press secretary Malcolm Kilduff using Air Force One's dictaphone to record Lyndon Johnson's swearing in after the murder of Jack Kennedy.

The First Day

• The ending is an absolute example of this. Kirkman calls Danny Fayed's family and offers his condolences for their loss while he looks on at a news report on the television calling his Capitol visit earlier that day a disaster, which brings him to the verge of tears. He later goes to the Capitol and thanks the first responders and firefighters while incognito. Meanwhile, Seth goes to the memorial of those lost in the Capitol bombing and notices a Capitol Police Officer staring at him. While he glances and nods back, the officer approaches him. Just when Seth thinks the officer is about to racially profile him like he was earlier that morning, he asks Seth, "You lose someone?" With a somber look, Seth responds that he "lost everyone," as another person hands both him and the officer a flame to light a candle. Oh, also, this entire sequence is set to "Save You" by Turin Brakes. All in all, it makes for a truly touching moment.

The End of the Beginning

• Jason Atwood, who confessed to a crime he didn't commit to keep his son safe, finds that son's corpse.
  • Compounded towards the end of the episode where we see both Jason and his wife privately mourning their loss, all while a picture of their son is displayed prominently on the table.
• Emily telling Seth about how she's losing faith in the people she thought she can count on and in the ability of anyone to make a positive difference.
• Hannah's Big "NO!" as MacLeish's wife kills first MacLeish, then herself is devastating, because she is unable to do anything to prevent the two of them from escaping justice for their crimes.
• Also, the MacLeishes once mentioned that they have a child — regardless of their own crimes, their child now has to grow up as an orphan.
  • Furthermore, that child has to grow up with the haunting fact that their biological parents were involved with a conspiracy that is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people.
  • Two daughters according to Seth when he tells the press about it.
  • It’s at the very least saddening that the girls are now going to have to live for the rest of their lives with the fact that their parents were high ranking members of a major conspiracy which killed off the majority of the **U.S. Federal Government**. The Mc Leish name is now smeared and very likely shunned by the post-Capitol bombing society and the girls would also very likely be harassed by angry citizens.

One Hundred Days

• The woman at Kirkman's town hall whose daughter was murdered by her ex-boyfriend after he got out of prison, due to the country's lax gun control laws.

The Ninth Seat

• Kirkman offers his mentor law school professor the ninth spot on the Supreme Court. She turns him down as she's suffering early onset dementia. Kirkman is rocked to realize the woman who inspired his career doesn't have long. As she leaves, she simply says "remember me like this."

Bombshell

• Catalan giving Agent Wells Jason Atwood's wedding ring while she is stuck in confinement aboard the conspirators' freighter, just to get back at her for Peter MacLeish's death. And then Lozano promptly knocks her out and leaves her to awaken in a van full of explosives.

Season 2

Equilibrium

• Alex is annoyed that Hannah seems to have found evidence of Alex's mother accepting a bribe to pass over secrets of her boss to get money for her husband's heart surgery. Alex talks to her mother, noting she's embarrassed to even bring this up. To her shock, her mother admits it's true, assuming Alex already knew. She defends it on how she got the money to save her husband while Alex is rocked to realize her mother committed a federal crime.

Two Ships

• Kirkman tries to convince Lieutenant Griffin to come home to his family, but he can't do it.
• Emily is devastated to learn that her father just wanted to reenter her life because of her job.

Three-Letter Day

• Kirkman learned that the soldier's widow wanted to investigate why her husband didn't have a Medal of Honor. He learns that the soldier had an affair with the commander's wife and if he has the medal given to the widow, she'll learn about it sooner or later. Kirkman decides to tell the widow and her son that he can't do it because of a lack of witnesses and evidence, which is partially true.

Line of Fire

• The sheer agony of Kirkman receiving the phone call of Alex's death.

Grief

• The flashback of Kirkman having to tell his daughter about her mother's death, as he has to just hold her while she cries uncontrollably. Meanwhile, Leo just reacts in tears and anger with Kirkman noting "I watched his youth vanish in just a second."