Virginia Madsen in Designated Survivor

Designated Survivor is one of those shows where everything that happens in it is highly, highly unlikely – BUT – You go along anyway for the ride. It ran for a total of three Seasons between 2017 and 2019, originally on the ABC Network but finished its run on Netflix.

This one deals with the idea that the US Government is practically wiped out in a Terrorist Attack on the Capitol Building, all but one man – Thomas Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland), the designated survivor who was previously the Secretary for Housing and Urban Development.

The show deals with the immediate fallout from the attack, the other plots against American Democracy and Thomas Kirkmans own ideals about being President means, all while trying his best to be seen as a legitimate President against those that don’t agree he should hold any power at all.

Quite the plateful for one man. But, in another life he was Jack Bauer, so…

I only watched the first Season of this one, not just because it’s the only one in which Virginia Madsen is a recurring character, but because *something* changed after the first season. Not sure what, but I just didn’t enjoy it the same and so I dropped it after a couple of episodes.

Virginia Madsen played a character called Kimble Hookstraten, the Speak of the House. She was the designated survivor of the Republican Party. She outwardly supported Thomas as the President but, well, obviously this is Politics and she had her own agenda.
She ultimately becomes unravelled by her plans and she ends up as the Secretary of Education instead.

Virginia does her part as far as the acting is concerned, it’s the “powerful don’t mess with me”thing we’ve seen her do a few times now. Honestly, while she does the part well I can’t help but think it’s lazy casting to have her do these roles. And, a waste. But still, I guess it’s work.
The show itself. Is it worth watching? Well, like I said, I did enjoy the first season, I pretty much binged it for the most part. But when it came to the second season it just kind of lost its appeal to me. I think it went too far down the political rabbit hole, which isn’t for me. I like my TV to be escapist and not remind me of the, stuff, around me.