The Kirkman administration goes to war Michigan! TheWest WingStuff The press is getting antsy. Why hasnt the U.S. bombed anything yet? Credit: ABC/Sven Frenzel The journalists want to know. Bad idea, though: Carter is pretty bad at press secretary-ing. Sensing all this, speechwriter Kal Penn/Seth Wright gives Carter some tips. Mainly, he just tells Carter to stop sucking. At first, it works. But then he messes up by violating the first rule of being press secretary: being honest....

Apparently, someone in the Algerian government tipped him off before the attack. See, Kirkman, this is what you get when you try the sensible diplomatic route. This initial setback leads Kirkman to second-guess himself throughout the entire episode. Credit: ABC/Sven Frenzel She also reminds him hes constitutionally obligated to consult with Congress before going to war. Kirkman:Thank you for your continued vigilance. The commander says its 50/50, but hes confident theyll get the job done....

Lets spend some time there…and maybe never come back. The Governors Ball Tonights episode opens with President Kirkman looking mighty sharp in a tuxedo. As it turns out, hes pretty good at parties! Credit: ABC/Ben Mark Holzberg The governors all seem to like him, or at least his booze. Its going so well, he decides to make a speech to the room. As we know, whenever people make speeches on this show, terrible things happen....

Kirkman deals with bad Russians and worse Americans Hey, look things are happening! Well, sort of… Were getting closer to figuring out if MacLeish is good or bad (probably bad! Credit: ABC/Ben Mark Holzberg ), who blew up the Capitol (probably someone on the inside! ), and who Leos real dad is (probably a scumbag!). Plus, theres a good old-fashionedDesignated Survivor-ian twist at the end. Lets get to it, starting with this weeks Russian plot....

Until Maury shows up with the envelope, lets break it all down. And man, does that lead to quite the explosion. Explosion of thought, not of the Capitol, because…you know…thats already been done. Credit: ABC/Sven Frenzel President Kirkman kind of apologizes, but hes getting good at using the whole Im president now excuse. They immediately think it has something to do with Nassars death, but theyhaveto stop that logic. Clearly its not holding much water....

The White House battles a whistleblower TonightsDesignated Survivorhas a little bit of everything. Lets start with a whistleblowing federal employee whose actions might lead us to the truth behind the Capitol bombing. The next morning, the White House is in a panic over the security breach. Credit: ABC/John Medland So, what does the whistleblower have on Kirkman? A years-old memo Emily sent insulting some old senator who likes to grope women....

Still, could he be the right man for the moment? The first six episodes have seen Kirkman move from overwhelmed to dialed-in. Kiefer Sutherland is commanding as a different kind of action hero from24s tortured, torturing Jack Bauer. Credit: Ben Mark Holzberg/ABC The conspiracy grabbed me fully with the discovery of a secret bomb shelter in the Capitol. Im a sucker for secret bomb shelters. Kirkman, a registered independent, represents a wish-fulfillment fantasy....

President Kirkman, more or less. Shore, as he often does, offers up a full-throated defense of Kirkman, which pleases POTUS greatly. Seth runs to the president with the story. Credit: Ben Mark Holzberg/ABC Let me talk to him one on one. Kirkman wants to know: Might Aaron have any clues as to who the culprit might be? Aaron says he’ll look into his records for hints. Afterhis chat with Aaron, Kirkman brings in Leonard to ask him not to publish his article....

President Kirkman made it a year in office and has yet another problem to solve. And weve gone international! And by home, he meanshishome. Credit: Ben Mark Holzberg/ABC She begins rummaging around the apartment and finds a USB drive (that she can plug into her phone? what phone is that??). Turns out Patricks been a bad dude in England as well. They find a hidden security camera, which reveals footage of Lloyd killing the guy running this node....

ABC is strategizing how best to boost the ratings of Kiefer Sutherlands freshman thrillerDesignated Survivor. Its true the DVR playback numbers for the show tell a much better story. Season to date,Designated Survivors average cracks the top-10 list of broadcast entertainment shows. Credit: ABC/Ben Mark Holzberg At the end of the day, though, people are invested in the stories and in the characters. But I think only time will tell....

There are no deaths or assassination attempts or explosions, just a bunch of political machinations. But first things first: President Kirkman is finally out of the hospital! Its good to see him out of a gown and back in the White House. Credit: ABC/Ben Mark Holzberg Agent Wells confesses she hadnt considered Beth MacLeish becoming a factor. The official party line is that Beth shot her husband in a domestic dispute....

the newspaper Abe Leonard works for. Al-Sakar Not Behind Capitol Bombing blares the A1 headline. Kirkman and his staff suddenly have a lot of splaining to do. Credit: Ben Mark Holzberg/ABC They immediately shift into crisis mode in a bid to contain the fallout. Kirkman himself addresses the subject at the full NATO meeting. !, and WHAT!! Its terrible television, but it does catch the attention of one Patrick Lloyd....

What kind of leader is he? Why was he even put in this position? And how will he handle what comes next? Credit: ABC/Ben Mark Holzberg All those questions and more are answered in tonights plot-heavy, action-light episode. But first, lets begin where the last episode left off. THE LANGDON AFFAIR The episode picks up with Aaron and Charles Langdon meeting in the dead of night. I thought you were dead, Aaron says....