History YMMV / DesignatedSurvivor

* IdiotPlot: In "Misalliance", Jason Atwood makes a significant investment of time and effort bugging [[BigBad Patrick Lloyd]] and tracking him to his home with listening technology to hear all about the plans of TheConspiracy when Lloyd meets with TheMole from the White House. [[spoiler:Atwood completely neglects to bring any backup, and gets [[DroppedABridgeOnHim abruptly shot]] by Catalan in the woods on the property.]]

* AssPull: In "Misalliance", Hookstraten ends up resigning her Speakership ''and'' her seat (and is out of the running for [[NumberTwo Vice-President]]) because of an ethics investigation, and only ''then'' because the committee members care nothing for the truth and [[TheStarscream just want her gone]] with the rest of the "old guard". And why does she make this deal? Over funding for an ''arts program''. It just comes across as a convoluted and thinly-veiled IdiotPlot so that Kirkman has to nominate her for [[spoiler:Secretary of Education]] instead.

* IdiotPlot:
** A twofer in "Misalliance":
*** On one side, Kimble Hookstraten is forced out of her Speakership and even resigns her House seat... to secure ''arts grant funding'' in the face of an ethics investigation that is only a KangarooCourt by legislators who just want an excuse [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness to remove her]] from Congress. Her candidacy for the [[NumberTwo Vice-Presidency]] is sunk as a result, forcing Kirkman to salvage the situation by [[spoiler:nominating her for Secretary of Education]].
*** On the [[TwoLinesNoWaiting other side]], Jason Atwood makes a significant investment of time and effort bugging [[BigBad Patrick Lloyd]] and tracking him to his home with listening technology to hear all about the plans of TheConspiracy when Lloyd meets with TheMole from the White House. [[spoiler:Atwood completely neglects to bring any backup, and gets [[DroppedABridgeOnHim abruptly shot]] by Catalan in the woods on the property.]]

%%** Also, over whether or not the series has too much of a [[WriterOnBoard liberal]] [[AuthorFilibuster viewpoint]] to the political issues and creative directions that the show has taken. While the left-leaning perspective is to be expected to some extent, there's no real reason characters should be concerned with issues like gun control and arts funding when the capital bombing plot has yet to be resolved, or how the wage gap is repeatedly treated as fact. This is mitigated somewhat by the character of Kimble Hookstraten, who is a Republican but is proving to be GoodAllAlong [[spoiler:and is even Kirkman's pick for the new Vice-President after [=MacLeish=]'s death]], in contrast to her more antagonistic and scheming allies like Senator Bowman and Governor Royce; but in the grand scheme of things the Republicans are the adversaries of the nominally partyless but definitely liberal Kirkman's agenda. Oh, and the true villains of the story [[spoiler: are members of a thinly-disguised alt-right extremist terrorist group.]]

* {{Narm}}:

** Kirkman meeting the soldiers who'll be going after Nassar is such a ClicheStorm of building up to someone's tragic death that it's a miracle no one says they're [[{{Retirony}} two weeks from retirement]]. [[spoiler:It's the commander who dies.]]
** Hannah's discovery of the rest of the conspiracy's plans is seriously screwed up by the order they're shown in: [[spoiler:After the destruction of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Hoover Dam, both of which would create huge disasters, it's quite a letdown to have them followed by the Statue of Liberty, whose loss would be a big symbolic blow but not that much of an actual physical problem]]. On the other hand, Kirkman observes in the following episode that [[spoiler:all three sites see a ''lot'' of tourists]], ''and'' Patrick Lloyd later notes that [[spoiler:each site is a RedHerring anyways to distract from the ''real'' target of TheConspiracy]].
** Although the series generally has high production values, the garish, simplistic, and downright ugly lower thirds on the fake news broadcasts immediately make it look like high school morning announcements.
** The fact that the post of Vice-President of the United States in Kirkman's administration is ''still'' apparently vacant after ''most of a year'' since [[spoiler:Peter [=MacLeish=] was shot and killed by his co-conspiratorial wife]] is more than a little ridiculous and stretches WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief. Can the administration not find an acceptably competent politician anywhere (e.g. Hookstraten, Moss, ''anybody'' trustworthy) as a backup in case TheConspiracy tries to assassinate Kirkman yet again? Or they didn't care [[VicePresidentWho in-universe]] or [[ShrugOfGod in the writer's room]]?
*** Finally resolved as of "In The Dark" in Season 2. Kirkman picks Washington, D.C. mayor Ellenor Darby as his nominee for Vice-President after they cooperate to handle a major power outage crisis.

** The post-[[spoiler:[=MacLeish=]]] half of the first season. As opposed to the first ten episodes, where the entirety of the cast is focused on capturing the Capitol bombing terrorists, the second half delegates those duties almost exclusively to Wells and Atwood's storyline. As a result, Kirkman's storyline has shifted to more policy-of-the-week based plots. It also doesn't help that Aaron's resignation basically throws out the ''[[Series/TheWestWing West Wing]]'' character dynamics that, for some, made the initial episodes so interesting.
** At the same time, a common complaint about the early episodes were that they were ''too'' focused on TheConspiracy -- with little hope of much progress, [[SpoiledByTheFormat given the length of the season]] -- and there was not enough exploration of the political realities of getting an entire country's federal government up and running again after such a calamity.
** Also, over whether or not the series has too much of a [[WriterOnBoard liberal]] [[AuthorFilibuster viewpoint]] to the political issues and creative directions that the show has taken. While the left-leaning perspective is to be expected to some extent, there's no real reason characters should be concerned with issues like gun control and arts funding when the capital bombing plot has yet to be resolved, or how the wage gap is repeatedly treated as fact. This is mitigated somewhat by the character of Kimble Hookstraten, who is a Republican but is proving to be GoodAllAlong [[spoiler:and is even Kirkman's pick for the new Vice-President after [=MacLeish=]'s death]], in contrast to her more antagonistic and scheming allies like Senator Bowman and Governor Royce; but in the grand scheme of things the Republicans are the adversaries of the nominally partyless but definitely liberal Kirkman's agenda. Oh, and the true villains of the story [[spoiler: are members of a thinly-disguised alt-right extremist terrorist group.]]

** Kimble Hookstraten is a secondary character, but is quite popular for being a highly [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure level-headed]] [[TokenHeroicOrc Republican]] Speaker, when the show could have just as easily written her as being an outright {{jerkass}} like many of her colleagues in the House, the Senate, and the state-level leadership. It's a shame she [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome won't be returning]] for the second season.

** Kimble Hookstraten is the ''other'' [[TitleDrop designated survivor]], the Republicans' counterpart to Tom Kirkman, who despite her HeelFaceRevolvingDoor tendencies in the early run, turns out to be a ReasonableAuthorityFigure as Speaker and a FriendlyEnemy and WorthyOpponent to Kirkman's administration. After [[TheMole Peter MacLeish]] is outed and [[KarmicDeath killed]], she develops into Kirkman's top pick for the vice-presidency, despite the fact that they both [[FireForgedFriends came from opposite partisan allegiances]]. And what do the writers do with this EnsembleDarkhorse? She gets forced into [[spoiler:resigning as Speaker on a dozen-year-old trumped-up scandal that kicks off an obvious KangarooCourt in Congress, before she is KickedUpstairs to become Secretary of Education instead of the still-vacant vice-presidency]]. And she even falls victim to ChuckCunninghamSyndrome, too, as Creator/VirginiaMadsen is not returning for the second season.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Patrick Lloyd]] is the [[CorruptCorporateExecutive head of a now-disbanded military firm]] who creates [[TheConspiracy the secret Pax Americana movement]] in order to [[RightWingMilitiaFanatic stage a hostile takeover of the US]]. He obtains numerous high-powered explosives, authorizing the use of one of them to blow up the Capitol building during the State of the Union address, killing nearly everyone inside. Lloyd arranged this through his possession of electronic blueprints of the bombing that were created to prevent such an attack, and also has access to other blueprints made intending to set up other possible attacks, including one on the Golden Gate Bridge. His additional crimes include having the terrorist Majid Nassar, who was paid to take the blame for the attack, murdered to [[HeKnowsTooMuch silence him]]; having FBI Director Jason Atwood’s son abducted and threatened to force Jason’s cooperation, later [[spoiler:having the boy [[WouldHurtAChild killed]] when [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he is no longer valuable]]]]; and trying to have HUD Secretary-turned-President Tom Kirkman assassinated in order to put newly sworn-in Vice-President Peter [=MacLeish=] into office on Lloyd’s authority. Lloyd also plans for Abe Leonard, the reporter he and Whitaker manipulated to cause trouble, to be eventually killed; while that doesn't come to pass, at the end of the season, Lloyd escapes capture and gains a large amount of military information from the Pentagon, which enables him to hold the country hostage and to target any other country at his own whim. His final act is to threaten the release of sarin gas and kill thousands of people in Washington, DC.

** The Han Chiu arc is one for the Korean Peninsula, given that Kim Jong-Un has threatened to use nuclear missiles against the US.

** The incident of a US Navy destroyer colliding with a civilian ship "Two Ships" is one for an incident for actual incidents where various military ships have made controversy for colliding with civilian ships.
** The Verona being in custody of Kunami is a reminder of the Pueblo being captured by the North Korean Navy in the Cold War.
** The mistreatment of the Ocheole First Nations is a reminder on how colonialists have negatively affected native populations in the Americas and Africa in the long run. Both Canada and the US have apologized for the actions of their ancestors.

** Less than a week after Kirkman fired his Secretary of State the real life Secretary of State was fired.

* IdiotPlot: A twofer in "Misalliance".
** On one side, Kimble Hookstraten is forced out of her Speakership and even resigns her House seat... to secure ''arts grant funding'' in the face of an ethics investigation that is only a KangarooCourt by legislators who just want an excuse [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness to remove her]] from Congress. Her candidacy for the [[NumberTwo Vice-Presidency]] is sunk as a result, forcing Kirkman to salvage the situation by [[spoiler:nominating her for Secretary of Education]].
** On the [[TwoLinesNoWaiting other side]], Jason Atwood makes a significant investment of time and effort bugging [[BigBad Patrick Lloyd]] and tracking him to his home with listening technology to hear all about the plans of TheConspiracy when Lloyd meets with TheMole from the White House. [[spoiler:Atwood completely neglects to bring any backup, and gets [[DroppedABridgeOnHim abruptly shot]] by Catalan in the woods on the property.]]
** The conspirators kidnap Atwood's son to force him to make a false confession. [[spoiler:Then they kill his son anyway, which means he does not have any reason to stick to his confession and very good reason to tell the truth. This seems to serve no other purpose than to prove how evil they are, which didn't need any reinforcement.]]

* HilariousInHindsight: Fans said [[Series/TwentyFour Jack Bauer]] would be a good President. Then this was announced with Creator/KieferSutherland as President of the United States.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Patrick Lloyd]] is the [[CorruptCorporateExecutive head of a now-disbanded military firm]] who creates [[TheConspiracy the secret Pax Americana movement]] in order to [[RightWingMilitiaFanatic stage a hostile takeover of the US]]. He obtains numerous high-powered explosives, authorizing the use of one of them to blow up the Capitol building during the State of the Union address, killing nearly everyone inside. Lloyd arranged this through his possession of electronic blueprints of the bombing that were created to prevent such an attack, and also has access to other blueprints made intending to set up other possible attacks, including one on the Golden Gate Bridge. His additional crimes include having the terrorist Majid Nassar, who was paid to take the blame for the attack, murdered to [[HeKnowsTooMuch silence him]]; having FBI Director Jason Atwood’s son abducted and threatened to force Jason’s cooperation, later [[spoiler:having the boy [[WouldHurtAChild killed]] when [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he is no longer valuable]]]]; and trying to have HUD Secretary-turned-President Tom Kirkman assassinated in order to put newly sworn-in Vice-President Peter [=MacLeish=] into office on Lloyd’s authority. Lloyd also plans for Abe Leonard, the reporter he and Whitaker manipulated to cause trouble, to be eventually killed; while that doesn't come to pass, at the end of the season, Lloyd escapes capture and gains a large amount of military information from the Pentagon, which enables him to hold the country hostage and to target any other country at his own whim.

** The conspirators kidnap Atwood's son to force him to make a false confession. Then they kill his son anyway, which means he does not have any reason to stick to his confession and very good reason to tell the truth.

** Also, over whether or not the series has too much of a [[WriterOnBoard liberal]] [[AuthorFilibuster viewpoint]] to the political issues and creative directions that the show has taken. While the left-leaning perspective is to be expected to some extent, there's no real reason characters should be concerned with issues like gun control and arts funding when the capital bombing plot has yet to be resolved, or how the wage gap is repeatedly treated as fact. This is mitigated somewhat by the character of Kimble Hookstraten, who is a Republican but is proving to be GoodAllAlong [[spoiler:and is even Kirkman's pick for the new Vice-President after [=MacLeish=]'s death]], in contrast to her more antagonistic and scheming allies like Senator Bowman and Governor Royce; but in the grand scheme of things the Republicans are the adversaries of the nominally partyless but definitely liberal Kirkman's agenda. Oh, and the true villains of the story [[spoilers: are members of a thinly-disguised alt-right extremist terrorist group.]]

** Also, over whether or not the series has too much of a [[WriterOnBoard liberal]] [[AuthorFilibuster viewpoint]] to the political issues and creative directions that the show has taken. While the left-leaning perspective is to be expected to some extent, there's no real reason characters should be concerned with issues like gun control and arts funding when the capital bombing plot has yet to be resolved. This is mitigated somewhat by the character of Kimble Hookstraten, who is a Republican but is proving to be GoodAllAlong [[spoiler:and is even Kirkman's pick for the new Vice-President after [=MacLeish=]'s death]], in contrast to her more antagonistic and scheming allies like Senator Bowman and Governor Royce.

** The fact that the post of Vice-President of the United States in Kirkman's administration is ''still'' apparently vacant after ''most of a year'' since [[spoiler:Peter [=MacLeish=] was shot and killed by his co-conspiratorial wife]] is more than a little ridiculous and stretches WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief. Can the administration not find an acceptably competent politician anywhere (e.g. Hookstraten, Moss, ''anybody'' trustworthy) as a backup in case TheConspiracy tries to assassinate Kirkman yet again? Or TheyJustDidntCare either [[VicePresidentWho in-universe]] or [[ShrugOfGod in the writer's room]]?

* CompleteMonster:
** [[BigBad Patrick Lloyd]] is the [[CorruptCorporateExecutive head of a now-disbanded military firm]] who creates [[TheConspiracy the secret Pax Americana movement]] in order to [[RightWingMilitiaFanatic stage a hostile takeover of the US]]. He obtains numerous high-powered explosives, authorizing the use of one of them to blow up the Capitol building during the State of the Union address, killing nearly everyone inside. Lloyd arranged this through his possession of electronic blueprints of the bombing that were created to prevent such an attack, and also has access to other blueprints made intending to set up other possible attacks, including one on the Golden Gate Bridge. His additional crimes include having the terrorist Majid Nassar, who was paid to take the blame for the attack, murdered to [[HeKnowsTooMuch silence him]]; having FBI Director Jason Atwood’s son abducted and threatened to force Jason’s cooperation, later [[spoiler:having the boy [[WouldHurtAChild killed]] when [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he is no longer valuable]]]]; and trying to have HUD Secretary-turned-President Tom Kirkman assassinated in order to put newly sworn-in Vice-President Peter [=MacLeish=] into office on Lloyd’s authority. Lloyd also plans for Abe Leonard, the reporter he and Whitaker manipulated to cause trouble, to be eventually killed; while that doesn't come to pass, at the end of the season, Lloyd escapes capture and gains a large amount of military information from the Pentagon, which enables him to hold the country hostage and to target any other country at his own whim.
** Lloyd's [[TheDragon primary operative]], [[TheBrute Nestor Lozano]], is the perpetrator of the attempt on Kirkman's life, and also kills [[spoiler:Jason Atwood]], abducts Agent Hannah Wells, and leaves a bomb at the Hoover Building (the headquarters of the FBI) that would have taken the whole thing out if not for Hannah’s interference. Before he is killed by Agent Wells, Lozano is able to break into the Pentagon and steal a large amount of classified information to enable Lloyd to escape and continue to menace the country.

** Kimble Hookstraten is a secondary character, but is quite popular for being a highly [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure level-headed]] and GenreSavvy [[TokenHeroicOrc Republican]] Speaker, when the show could have just as easily written her as being an outright {{jerkass}} like many of her colleagues in the House, the Senate, and the state-level leadership. It's a shame she [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome won't be returning]] for the second season.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Patrick Lloyd]] is the [[CorruptCorporateExecutive head of a now-disbanded military firm]] who creates [[TheConspiracy the secret Pax Americana movement]] in order to [[RightWingMilitiaFanatic stage a hostile takeover of the US]]. He obtains numerous high-powered explosives, authorizing the use of one of them to blow up the Capitol building during the State of the Union address, killing nearly everyone inside. Lloyd arranged this through his possession of electronic blueprints of the bombing that were created to prevent such an attack and also has access to other blueprints made intending to set up other possible attacks, including one on the Golden Gate Bridge. His additional crimes include having the terrorist Majid Nassar, who was paid to take the blame for the attack, murdered to [[HeKnowsTooMuch silence him]]; having FBI Director Jason Atwood’s son abducted and threatened to force Jason’s cooperation, later [[spoiler:having the boy [[WouldHurtAChild killed]] when [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he’s no longer valuable]]]]; and trying to assassinate HUD Secretary-turned-President Tom Kirkman is nearly assassinated in order to put new Vice President Peter [=MacLeish=] into office on Lloyd’s authority. Lloyd's [[TheDragon primary operative]], [[TheBrute Nestor Lozano]], is the perpetrator of that attempt and also kills [[spoiler:Jason Atwood]]; abducts Agent Hannah Wells; and leaves a bomb at the FBI Building that would have taken the whole thing out if not for Hannah’s interference. Lloyd also plans for Abe Leonard, the reporter he manipulated to cause trouble, to be eventually killed. Lozano, before he is killed while Lloyd escapes, is able to break into the Pentagon and steal the nuclear launch codes, which will enable Lloyd to both hold the country hostage and to target any other country at his own whim.