Designated Survivor

Previously on Designated Survivor...

Sir, you don't really think Aaron's a traitor, do you?

No, I don't. But until I can prove that definitively,

I have to keep my guard up and so do you.

What happened last night?

We had the shooter contained, but MacLeish gave the order anyway.

- What order? - Shoot to kill.

And that's for your ears only.

- We need your help. - You want to help me?

Find my son!

- It's Joyner. He wants to see you. - Why?

The FBI came to see him again today.

The guy just needs some reassurance. I can give it to him.

But if it doesn't work, the problem has to be eliminated.

- Someone's gonna find out. - Yes, you lied.

- I lied to Congress. - That's it. Go.

FBI! Freeze! Put your hands on your head.

I'm the Vice President of the United States.

No!

From ABC7 News,

this is a breaking news alert.

Good morning from ABC7.

We have breaking news from Arlington National Cemetery.

The U.S. Army and FBI are investigating

a deadly shooting that occurred last night.

The Washington Post is reporting that two victims are involved.

Emily Rhodes.

Aaron Shore.

Someone's gonna have to explain to me

how the Vice President of the United States of America

was murdered in front of a team of federal agents!

We didn't pick the meeting place, sir. MacLeish did.

We had to take cover where we could.

And MacLeish's security detail was instructed

to give him plenty of buffer so he'd feel secure.

We would've taken him down if it weren't for Beth MacLeish.

I'm sorry. I missed it.

Beth MacLeish was the joker in the deck. I didn't think she could be involved.

Do we know how she got away from her Secret Service detail?

She said she was going to read to her children. That was her routine.

By the time they figured out she was missing, it was too late.

Mr. President, there are only a few scenarios at play here,

Beth MacLeish was involved.

She knew we were there to arrest her husband,

and she murdered him before we could interrogate him.

What kind of fanatics are we dealing with here?

Sir, it's only a matter of time before the press pieces together

their own version of what happened tonight.

It's imperative we keep as many details out of the public realm

to protect the integrity of our investigation.

I understand.

So what do we tell the American people?

- Hey. - Hey.

- Damn it, no cufflinks. - Use paper clips.

- What? - I'm serious.

- Any idea who got shot? - Not a clue.

I know.

It's shocking, but we need to move past this.

Does anyone need to take a moment?

Okay, good. Because we're in a race against the clock.

The country is gonna wake up to the news

that their Vice President was murdered by his wife,

- who then killed herself. - Do we know why she did it?

No, not really.

Right now, the working theory is problems in the marriage.

A domestic dispute? I don't believe it.

Unfortunately, it's the only explanation investigators are willing to give

until they know more. I will make the announcement.

Sir, facing the press with only preliminary theories

is like dropping blood in the water.

And the timing alone is gonna raise questions.

Somebody just tried to kill you,

and now the Vice President gets murdered by his wife?

Yeah, the press will be all over you for more details.

- Let me make a statement. - No, this news,

the country needs to hear from their president.

Sir, I have to point out that Speaker Hookstraten's now

next in line to the presidency.

Right.

I'll talk to Kimble at the appropriate time.

For now, bring her up to speed with what we know.

These next few days are going to be crucial.

I need you to hold yourselves together, project strength.

The American people deserve nothing less.

- Let's get to work. - Yes, sir.

This is surreal...

MacLeish, Beth.

What about their kids? I mean, what about those poor girls?

I know. I feel awful about the children.

You know what happened, don't you?

But you can't tell me, can you?

No. Not yet. Hopefully soon.

- Dad! - Little pea!

Hey, watch out. Mind your dad.

You okay?

Yeah. I'm all right. What do you got there?

I can't draw a horse. Will you help me?

Of course. But I've got some work to do.

I'll help you in a minute.

- Promise? - Pinky swear.

Come on. Let's get you some breakfast.

Hey!

Aren't you forgetting something?

- I love you. - I love you, too.

No, that's not actually what I said.

I would just refer you back to my original statement, okay?

Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you...

Please, take your seats.

I wish I were here to simply talk to you about my returning to the White House

and expressing my gratitude to the medical staff

at the George Washington University Hospital

and to the American people for their incredible support.

But unfortunately, I have a more somber and serious obligation.

There has been a great deal of speculation

surrounding the police activity at Arlington National Cemetery

from last night until this morning.

I am here to tell you that tragically, at 10:38 p.m.,

Vice President Peter MacLeish

was shot and killed by his wife, Beth MacLeish.

She then turned the gun upon herself and committed suicide.

The Vice President was visiting the gravesite of a soldier

who was under his command in Afghanistan.

Why he was there last night specifically,

how often he visited the cemetery,

and what led to this fatal outcome is still unknown.

I would like to say, I know that the American people

will join me in sending their hopes and prayers

to the MacLeish family during this time of sorrow.

Thank you very much.

All right, folks, that's all we have for now, okay?

The President's obviously not taking any questions.

Look, I'm gonna be updating you every hour as we have new developments.

Yvette...

I'm so sorry.

Thank you.

One second.

I don't know what to say.

Thank you for coming.

He was such an amazing boy, Jason.

And they took him from us.

Hey.

What's the press saying about the shooting?

What aren't they saying?

Speculation's everywhere, but Seth has it handled.

How's the staff holding up?

They're shocked, but pulling through.

One thing that helps is seeing you on your feet again.

- Welcome back, Mr. President. - Thank you, Hayden.

See?

We should discuss the rest of your day's agenda.

- I thought we canceled everything. - We can't have a bunker mentality.

The world's still spinning.

You're absolutely right. What do you got?

Well, CEOs are arriving as we speak

to discuss reducing carbon dioxide emissions later today.

You're also set to meet with Senators Choi and Ganesh

- regarding criminal justice reform. - Okay. What else?

Jacklyn Ramsey just turned us down for Interior,

said she's happy at the NRDC.

How many people do we have to approach

to get someone to even take a meeting?

Well, we saw this during the elections.

People just don't want to be in Washington right now.

Any good news?

Actually, Gary Dwyer's still set to come in tomorrow

to meet with Aaron about resuming his post as Secretary of State.

- Wow. - Mm-hmm.

Dwyer.

That'll go a long way to shoring up confidence.

Yes, it would. But about their meeting, sir.

I was wondering, in light of recent events,

if you thought I should sit down with Dwyer instead of Aaron.

Emily, I understand your concern,

but until I find a reason to make a change, it's business as usual.

Understood.

The MacLeishes leave behind two daughters, Lexi and Blake,

who will be staying with their maternal grandparents.

We ask that you would respect their privacy in their time of grieving.

The President will address the nation further

when he has more information available, okay?

That's all I have for now, unless you have questions about something.

Mr. Press Secretary!

Mr. Press Secretary!!

Mr. Leonard. A pleasure to have you back at the White House.

I hope that's the first lie you told this morning.

May I ask who you're with?

Teen Mode.

Come on, Abe. I need to know who your credentials are with.

Teen Mode.

They actually do real stories on real issues,

unlike these lemmings.

All right, Abe.

You have a question?

Yeah, it's about Nestor Lozano,

President Kirkman's would-be assassin.

Sure, the FBI released a statement on Lozano last night.

Which told us virtually nothing.

Now, I have it on good authority that Vice President MacLeish

personally took over the manhunt for Lozano