Recap / Designated Survivor S 3 E 07 Identity Crisis

Identity Crisis

Aaron's shady past where he unknowingly smuggled a Mexican child into the country is out. Kirkman wants to talk to Sasha about the harassment she was subjected to in the previous episode. A Russian plane is in American airspace, but is unresponsive. Hannah figures a local beer manufacturer isn't so local based on him not knowing who the Patriots are. Aaron suggests brining Cyber Command into the Russian situation. Lorraine gives Emily the rest of the day off to care for her mother. Sasha goes to a transgender support group at the president's request. Aaron gives a speech where he talks about his past crimes and the discrimination his father suffered. He comes clean to Isabel about sleeping with Emily. Sasha changes her mind about speaking out about trans rights. Hannah investigates the brewery in the dead of night and is murdered for her troubles.

Tropes

• Blatant Lies: The man Hannah and Eli talk to pretends to be a Patriots fan. Unconvincingly.
• Central Theme: Hypocrisy.
• Character Death: Hannah Wells.
• Character Development: Aaron has gone from being reluctant to own his heritage publically to declaring that he's proud of it.
• Cluster F-Bomb:
  • When the story about Aaron's past transporting Mexican children across the border gets out, everyone working on the campaign gets the news on their phone, so everyone gets in on it through cuts.
    Aaron What the fuck?
    Emily Are you fucking kidding me.
    Lorraine Motherfucker!
  • Seth unleashes one of these when the anchorman on the news says transphobic things about Sasha.
• Continuity Nod: Kirkman brings up several things he managed during his first term, such as a hostage situation and a terrorist crisis.
• Don't Explain the Joke: Hannah says the FBI has a separate budget line for bow. Met with zero laughter, she explains that she means that the FBI like to tie things up neatly in bows. Her boss says that she got it, she just didn't find it funny.
• Hypocrite:
  • Aaron sarcastically points out that illegal immigrants work hard while a lot of legal Americans don't. He puts it less angrily in his speech.
  • Emily thinks Sasha is this, because as a trans woman who happens to be the president's sister-in-law, she has a voice and chooses not to use it.
  • Mars points to the hypocrisy in a pharmaceutical company creating addictive drugs, then creating drugs to treat the addiction.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: Aaron after he gives a speech about immigration.
• Internal Reveal: Aaron tells Isabel that he slept with Emily.
• Right Behind Me: Sasha calls Seth "exhausting, like a Shriner on cocaine" just as Seth walks up behind her.
• Shout-Out:
  • Emily's mother says she won't kill herself yet, not having watched all the Grace and Frankie episodes yet. They are seen watching that show later.
  • The villain makes a joke about Bond villains.
• The Unapologetic: Mars suggests Aaron lose his "unrepentant" thing he's got going, so he can at least sound contrite when giving his speech.
• The Unhug: Emily tries to hug Lorraine in gratitude. Lorraine asks her not to.

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