Designated Survivor

Previously on "Designated Survivor"...

I think the White House Counsel's office

has been vacant for far too long.

I would be honored to work for you, sir.

A silent alarm was tripped

at a private residence in Rockville.

Who lives there?

The First Lady's mother.

It sounded like the place was being torn apart.

And I want a detailed report

of everything that Lloyd touched, got it?

My family?

He's coming after my family?

The FBI conducted a drone strike.

I can now confirm

that Patrick Lloyd has been neutralized.

They found Lloyd's computer.

He was uploading something to the cloud

when the bomb hit.

Do you know what it was?

_

Yes, I told him.

But you know men and their boats.

I'll call you back, Jess.

What's wrong, honey?

My mom.

Ma'am?

Hey, Mom, is something wrong with the coffee?

Yes. I didn't make it.

Come on.

I told you... You can use the kitchen any time.

Someone else's kitchen.

Someone else's coffee.

Eva, it's only been a weekend.

It's gonna take you some time to get settled.

Besides, the White House has 132 rooms,

so if you're not happy with the one you're in...

You're so sweet.

And a wonderful host. I just...

want to go home.

Mom, your house is still an active crime scene.

Your son's bedroom is an active crime scene.

My house is just a place some lunatic broke into,

and he's dead.

And I'm not.

I promise you,

I give you my word we'll get you home as soon as possible.

Until then, know you have the run of the place.

And I appreciate it.

Why do I get the feeling that my mom likes you better?

Because she likes me better.

Yeah?

I'll be right there.

- Mr. President. - Okay, what do we got?

32 cases in the past 24 hours in South Carroll Parish.

That's 12 fatalities.

- Which means thousands are infected. - So, what's the CDC saying?

- Is this as bad as Liberia? - Worse.

It's Influenza "A," likely avian origin.

Highly contagious.

Short incubation period facilitates the spread.

Could this be the superbug you've been worried about?

Well, I might have an answer for that

if the CDC had some money for infectious-disease research.

Just like when we were teaching at Columbia.

Always trying to squeeze blood from a stone.

But that was for faculty pensions.

This is about lives.

Show me.

This flu appears to be an H7N9 subtype.

Like the Yangtze Delta flu.

And no one here has immunity.

How fast will it spread?

Our simulation says the H7N9 will appear

in surrounding states in 36 hours.

In 72 hours...

that's what it will look like.

Oh, my God.

We have a shot at containment

because the area is so isolated.

They didn't even have state roads in some parts

until the '70s.

The FAA shut down all airports in a 200-mile radius.

Same for NHTSA and highways.

And I told Governor LaSalle that we're at his disposal.

Okay, good. Aaron, I'm gonna want you to be the liaison

between World Health Organization and the UN.

We also need to notify the Canadian and Mexican authorities.

HHS has activated the Strategic National Stockpile

of vaccines and antivirals,

so hopefully one of them will match this flu strain.

Emily, bring Seth up to speed.

As soon as word leaks out,

panic's gonna spread like wildfire.

- Let's get on it. - Yes, sir.

100 years ago,

the Spanish flu wiped out 5% of the world's population.

How bad is this?

I'll give you a call when I have boots on the ground.

All right.

Tammy.

Be careful.

Yes, sir.

So I just got off the phone

with an infectious-disease specialist at the CDC.

This bug is a rapidly mutating pathogen

that accelerates its host's lytic cycle.

English?

Uh, it makes your cells explode.

Maybe don't tell the press that.

Yep.

Hey, um, did you leave me a blueberry muffin?

I did.

That was really nice.

Yeah, I picked out all the blueberries,

so don't make it a big deal.

Well, I won't now.

Oh, uh, that zoologist from the National Museum

wants to come by...

The guy who's naming the animal after the president.

He wants a photo op.

Bringing an alien species into the White House

while we're fighting a possible pandemic

that originated with animals is...

a great idea.

Hey, I just work here.

Hey, new girl. You getting up to speed?

Trying. It's a little, uh...

Intimidating?

That's the word.

Just remember it's another office building.

Whose halls were walked by Lincoln, FDR, and Kennedy.

You'll get used to it.

- Really? - No.

We're starting you slow, though.

Right. The Emmitt Akin statue.

Yes, a simple Confederate monument

located on federal property.

Some want to keep it. Some don't.

Well, a federal statue means federal issue.

This is really important to the president.

I thought you were starting me slow.

It is slow.

How dare you?! That is racist!

I've been telling you for an hour, it is not racist!

People, can we just...?

No!

We were making progress here.

Look, Emmitt Akin was the Mayor of Chattanooga.

He's an historic figure to many Tennesseans.

That is the Southern Legacy Foundation's whole point.

He was also a slave holder

who fought to preserve an oppressive institution.

The erection of his statue post-Reconstruction

is seen by many as a monument to Jim Crow.

The statue's smack dab

in front of the old federal courthouse.

It's an official endorsement of racism.

So we've agreed on a middle ground...

To find a less-trafficked area for the statue

that still honors Tennessee history

while respecting the sensibilities of those

who find it a reminder of a painful past.

The only party we haven't heard from is Reverend Dale.

I have spent my life leading protests.

But this issue has caused me great consternation.

The statue is an emblem

of a dark period in American history.

It enshrines racism.

So it is easy to view it as a symbol of injustice.

But I see it as a reminder,

and our past must not be... whitewashed.

The statue must not be moved.

- There you go. - He doesn't want it touched, either!

- Thank you! - Have you lost your mind?!

- It makes no sense. - Nope.

Lloyd's on the run for six months,

and the last thing he does

before he holes himself up in a bunker

is trash the First Lady's mother's house?

Why?

Because he wanted to show your president

that he could get to his family?

Or... and, uh, just spit balling here

because he was a psychopath.

Personally, I'm much more interested

in what he was trying to upload.

Look, Lloyd sent that file

across three continents four times

before I located it in a cloud account

on an Australian server.

It's so corrupted that I need to write a program

just to render it.

Yeah. No problem.

Glad you're on it.

Yeah.

So, you must miss London, huh?

Always.

How long you here for?

Well, that depends on Hannah.