1Pilot
US President Richmond will be making his next State of the Union address later today. In his Cabinet is Tom Kirkman, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, which is on the lowest rung of Cabinet positions. Non-elected Tom, who was appointed from an academic career, and the President often do not see eye to eye, the latter who is losing political respect for the former. As such, the President has not included any initiatives raised by Tom in the address, and has informed Tom through his Chief of Staff Charlie Langdon that he will soon be demoted to a position based in Montreal (which is framed as a promotion) or fired if he does not accept the demotion. Further, Tom has been assigned the designated survivor for the address, meaning that he will be housed in a secret secured bunker while the rest of the Cabinet joins the President at the Capitol for the address. Things for all involved changes drastically when the Capitol is bombed during the address - the perpetrators initially ...
2The First Day
It's the day after the bomb blast at the Capitol. The American populace has not been comforted by Tom's initial address, their feeling more about the messenger than the message which Tom realizes. Perhaps the largest microcosm of that feeling is happening in Michigan, where Governor John Royce has basically dismissed Tom's presidency, he doing what he feels he needs to to protect his citizens, his actions legal or not. In his own way, Seth gets a personal taste of Royce's feelings. In the oval office however, those in the know know that Tom still has to make important decisions, they all clamoring for his attention in ensuring that their area of interest and their views make it to the top of his priority list. Tom has to learn who he can or cannot trust for advice, especially when it comes to areas which he has no expertise, most specifically in a legal sense. Information that has made its way to Tom is that Cochrane's view is that they are 75% certain of who the perpetrators are and ...
3The Confession
President Kirkman and his staff work to keep a high-level security breach of the White House a secret just as he's about to give his first television interview. Meanwhile, the FBI continues to investigate the Capitol bombing, and Agent Hannah Wells starts to develop her own theories about who was really behind the attack.
4The Enemy
Kirkman learns who is behind the attack and needs to grapple not only with the prospect of war, but brewing domestic troubles as well. Kirkman taps Emily to monitor the domestic situation, while Alex may be in for more than she bargains for when she seeks out help from Hookstraten.
5The Mission
Tom has issued the order to conduct air strikes on Algeria to capture or kill Majid Nassar. The mission is aborted at the last second when they learn that Nassar has escaped - he warned by the Algerians - and has gone into hiding in the basement of a hospital, where he can use civilians, including children, as unsuspecting shields. Chernow tells Tom that the only way to achieve the end goal of capturing Nassar while avoiding civilian casualties is to have boots on the ground in the form of a Navy Seal team. Tom orders the mission despite his hesitation, especially in that boots on the ground has a greater likelihood of American military causalities. Tom gets a political reaction when he eventually informs Congress, namely Hookstraten and MacLeish. Partly because of that reaction, Tom, in thinking about the politics of his job, begins to map out the possible players in major political posts when those times come. Meanwhile, Wells had put to bed the idea that MacLeish's survival was not...
6The Interrogation
The political future of the country seems to be getting back on track as Tom is able to convene the state Governors - minus imprisoned Royce - Tom hosting a state dinner for them at the White House before the meetings. The meetings are largely for the Governors to approve the new Senate, and start the process for House elections. Also on getting the country back on track, Governor Rivera of Florida has accepted three hundred Syrian refugees, who will be landing on the incoming flight tomorrow in Miami. Beyond the issue of Royce which he is certain will be raised by some either formally or informally, there seems to be good will from the Governors toward Tom, especially as Majid Nassar is in custody. However, something happens at the dinner which changes the tone for the upcoming meetings. That change leads to Tom requesting Alex to take charge of a specific immediate issue, the outcome of which may add some friction into their marriage. Meanwhile, Jason is informed that he is to start...
7The Traitor
Tom's photo op with world class US track coach and former track star Brad Weston before he and the US team heads off to Russia for a prestigious track meet is followed by a series of bad news for Tom from his key staff. First, he learns from Aaron that Majid Nassar was murdered by an unknown perpetrator while in custody, this news which will remain out of the media until Tom gets some concrete answers as to what happened. Second, he finds from Emily that Weston, upon touching down in Moscow, was arrested for possession of performance enhancing drugs, specifically human growth hormones (HGH), found in his luggage, an offense in Russia punishable by life imprisonment. And third, he is told by Seth that a reporter has a source, a lawyer representing a convicted criminal, stating that the convict is Leo's biological father, with the reporter waiting for confirmation from Seth as to the story's validity. Aaron and Emily urge the President to get a good news story out in the media ...
8The Results
On the eve of the country voting to elect a new House of Representatives, an unexpected development...
9The Blueprint
When classified government documents are leaked online, President Kirkman searches for the party responsible only to find that they have taken refuge inside a foreign embassy and are beyond even his reach. Meanwhile, Agent Hannah Wells races furiously to gather evidence of MacLeish's involvement in the conspiracy before he can be confirmed as the country's next Vice President.
10The Oath
President Kirkman fears there could be a traitor in the White House when he discovers shocking information connected to the Capitol Bombing...
11Warriors
The nation reels from the aftermath of the shooting; Emily struggles with the knowledge there may be a traitor in the White House; Wells wrestles with her decision to reveal what she knows about the conspiracy.
12The End of the Beginning
Hannah is able to convey what she knows about Vice-President MacLeish to Tom, including that he was in on the Capitol bombing, which in turn was not orchestrated by Al Sicar. However, the legal advice that Hannah receives, the advice received on Tom's directive, from a trusted source is that they do not have enough evidence to convict MacLeish if they were to bring him in now, despite they all knowing that he is guilty. As such, Hannah, who still has to be seen as being in custody by the conspirators to hide that the authorities are getting closer to discovering the truth behind MacLeish, is tasked with finding the conclusive evidence, the strongest being something to come directly out of his mouth. Hannah believes the two strongest leads are the mysterious woman who is known to be involved in the kidnapping of a still missing Luke Atwood, and the rest of the team MacLeish led in the military. With the information that Tom now has in hand, he feels the need to return to the White ...
13Backfire
An investigative journalist shocks the White House when he reveals classified information during a press briefing; Hannah discovers a connection between MacLeish and the conspiracy.
14Commander-in-Chief
Turmoil in an African country forces President Kirkman to rely on an unlikely ally for help, as Hannah's...
15One Hundred Days
As President Kirkman releases an agenda to reset his presidency, Alex makes a controversial public statement that threatens to derail it...
16Party Lines
Ambitious Republican Senator Jack Bowman, who has his ultimate eye on the White House, has pushed Tom into a corner in needing to back a poorly worded but what Tom considers a minor yet important gun control bill whose primary purpose is to expand background checks for anyone trying to purchase a firearm. Tom hopes that if the bill passes in the Senate, it will become a bipartisan issue in the House, where the legislators can craft a more succinct bill that can be passed into law. That poor wording may become a sticking point even for the Democratic minority in the Senate, but Tom and his team need to meet with Senate Minority Leader Diana Harris to see where they stand with the Democrats. Even if they are able to get the Senate Democrats on side - with or without conditions - Tom and his team will need the support of at least five Senate Republicans for the bill to pass, any hint of something being anti-Second Amendment in general which is a core fight among Republicans. Despite she ...
17The Ninth Seat
As President Kirkman struggles to put together a new Supreme Court, FBI Agent Hannah Wells goes undercover...
18Lazarus
As President Kirkman considers candidates for Vice President, Kimble Hookstraten finds herself embroiled in scandal...
19Misalliance
As the White House gears up for President Kirkman's first international summit, Kimble Hookstraten faces...
20Bombshell
Tom, Cornelius and Seth are on their way to Toronto for the NATO summit, where much of the discussion is planned to revolve around nuclear deescalation. Cornelius warns Tom that despite the French having brought up the issue unofficially, they may have a different stance on the matter in public unless all the ducks are in a row. Beyond Seth's first experience on Air Force One not being quite what he expected, all three men find that the NATO summit doesn't proceed the way they expected, each of the three who deal with slightly different issues, all circling back to a story that hits the media in the early hours of the gathering. Meanwhile, John and Mike continue to work on finding Hannah and discovering who the mole in the White House is. With the latter issue, Mike calls in Chuck, who he hopes will be able to do some computer forensics to find out who deleted the files. Based on what he sees of what has happened thus far, Chuck thinks he has a way to set a trap for the mole. Hannah ...
21Brace for Impact
Tom is facing more than usual negative public scrutiny with Abe Leonard's story on the White House knowing that Al-Sakar was not responsible for the Capitol bombing, with the White House - Tom, Seth or anyone else - not elaborating i.e. if they know who did. Jack tries to capitalize on this scrutiny for his own political gain. They further learn that Abe is planning on running a follow-up story, he asking for White House confirmation or denial. As such, Tom has decide how best to handle Abe, while the investigation continues. Tom, Mike, John and Hannah believe at this stage, their best plan of attack is to apprehend Patrick Lloyd and discover all the connections to Browning Reed. They however do admit that they are no closer to discovering who the White House mole is. Tom tries to find out who from among Richmond's administration would have had a high enough security clearance to have a say into who would have appointed him designated survivor for that day. The survivor who may be ...
1One Year In
Now, one year into office, Kirkman is a Commander-in-chief determined to rebuild the capitol and capture the terrorists behind the catastrophic attack on the United States. When Ukrainian nationalists hijack a Russian Air flight, the president is faced with a hostage situation in which his diplomatic skills are put to the test.
2Sting of the Tail
Chuck is able to identify on surveillance footage that Patrick Lloyd has returned to Washington, DC. The team is easily able to track him without ever seeing his face. Having tracked him for several months now, Hannah and Damian realize that he has either truly eluded them or is leading them into a trap of some sorts. Lloyd's reemergence is at a bad time for Tom who, with Alex and Alex's mother Eva, is going into the annual correspondents dinner, which is supposed to be light-hearted. That light-hearted tone is not helped by Seth being the speech writer, he who has to insert a few jokes, in the process realizing that he has a different sense of humor than the average Joe or Jane. In the Lloyd matter, Tom has to balance the need for national security against his vow to the public to be transparent in the matter. He does however understand that he is not a one-person show as government and has to keep Congress and a Homeland Security Senate Subcommittee abreast of what's happening. When...
3Outbreak
The activities at the White House this day include Kendra's first major assignment of mediation between affected stakeholders of what to do about a statue of a Confederate war general in Tennessee, he who is now deemed a racist - keeping the statue at its current prominent location which has an unexpected supporter - and the unveiling of a creature biologically named after Tom. Lyor finds the choice of creature offensive to his boss while Seth has to figure out a way to spin it positively to the public. These issues take a back seat when a public health crisis occurs, with a deadly avian flu outbreak in South Carroll Parish, Louisiana. First reports are that there is a forty percent fatality rate of those infected. Dr. Tammy Bruner with the CDC believes the outbreak will spread throughout the country in the matter of days if not contained despite the relatively isolated nature of South Carroll Parish. Dr. Bruner heads to the front line to deal with the outbreak. Although she reports ...
4Equilibrium
Trade negotiations between the US and Mexico are going badly, with no one on either side happy with what the other has put forward, and certain negotiators on both sides taking hard lines. This standoff has led to American truckers placing roadblocks at the US-Mexico border crossings, not allowing specifically Mexican truckers to cross into the United States with their goods. A Mexican trucker by the name of Jose Menez runs one of those border crossings, in the process being shot dead by the gunfire by border officials and civilians on both sides of the border. It is eventually determined that he was killed by an American bullet. Tom and those in the White House have now not only to deal with the trade impasse but the fact that a Mexican citizen was killed on American soil by an American bullet. Tom has to decide how far to go to deal with the issue, including if he should exploit the grief and suffering of Menez's wife, an undocumented Mexican long having lived in the States. ...
5Suckers
When a senator appears on the national news and misrepresents a private conversation with the president...
6Two Ships
When a U.S. Navy ship containing secret surveillance becomes stranded in enemy waters, President Kirkman must negotiate the crew and ship's release...
7Family Ties
Tom is being hit on multiple sides, with Lyor, Emily, Seth and Aaron trying to mitigate the problem by trying to push whichever they deem the least harmful item to Tom and the administration to the top of the news cycle. Leading into a NATO summit in DC, they learn that Turkish president Fatih Turan, who Tom does not much like, wants to raise significantly the leases on strategic air fields in Turkey, they believing to build up a war chest for an upcoming election. If Tom doesn't agree, Turan may hand the leases over to the Russians which would give them the upper hand in the Middle East. At a joint press conference with Tom and Turan where the prepared scripts are exchanges of diplomatic niceties regarding the items to be discussed at the summit, Turan blindsides Tom by going off script, accusing Tom of harboring who Turan sees as his primary political opponent, Nuresh Sahin, who he wants extradited back to Turkey to face charges of treason for an unsuccessful coup. Tom, who has seen...
8Home
While on a secret mission to Afghanistan, President Kirkman meets with two infamous warlords and must...
9Three-Letter Day
After sorting through thousands of letters all requesting something of president, the White House staff are assigned three...
10Line of Fire
It's Christmas Day and President Kirkman is alerted to a group of religious extremists who refuse to evacuate when a forest fire threatens to engulf their cabin. Deploying Emily and Aaron to help diffuse the situation, Kirkman must act quickly to save multiple lives at stake. Meanwhile, the First Lady finally gives her testimony to the FBI director, while what happens next changes the lives of the Kirkman family forever.
11Grief
It's been ten weeks since Alex was killed in a tragic traffic accident. Since, Tom has been a ghost of a president, he not having made any significant decisions which is crippling the country. Although his senior staff realizes it, Tom himself doesn't, and as such they have recommended that he go into therapy with Dr. Adam Louden. The outcome of that therapy will be tested concerning a trade mission to Cuba organized between US Senator Sanchez and Cuban President Ortega. Beyond a bipartisan group of senators and congresspeople, the mission includes key business people hoping to do business in Cuba, with Aaron and Hannah, the latter on probation due to the point blank shooting of Damian Rennett, providing White House staff services. That mission turns into a crisis when the American trade representatives, including Aaron and Hannah, are taken hostage by a rebel group opposed to Ortega and his dealings with the Americans. The situation is already difficult enough due to the tenuous nature of the relationship between the US and Cuba without Tom's hesitancy, his world view now to keep as many people safe which in the long run may actually jeopardize more lives. Something that Hannah secretly learns as a hostage may be key if she can only get that information back to the White House. Meanwhile, Lyor has gone through yet another assistant, the next candidate, Tricia Sims, who he dismisses before she even really begins, which may be a mistake on his part. And Emily and Seth's personal relationship seems to be stalled, at least on Emily's side.
12The Final Frontier
Damian, coming in from the cold, is being interrogated by Hannah and Aaron regarding his status as a double agent working for the Russians. Because of what happens external to the interrogation, Hannah and Aaron have no other option but to believe his assertion that he has information and can assist in following up on leads on an issue with which Tom and those in the war room are currently dealing. A software malfunction - what ends up being a computer hack - with the Soyuz space capsule at the International Space Station (ISS) has led to a depletion of potable water at the ISS, they needing to get over the malfunction even to get a capsule to the ISS to deliver fresh water. The astronauts at the ISS are in imminent danger if the situation cannot be overcome. While Hannah and Damian work on the issue of the hack which does involve the Russians peripherally, Tom calls in a consultant from the business community, that act which has unintended consequences in the White House in Lyor's previous dealings with her. On the diplomatic front, the Russians cooperating with whatever the White House decides may not be easy, despite there being two Russian astronauts at the ISS, those difficulties due to national security issues. This diplomacy may have some negative fallout with which Tom may not fully comprehend in his continued grief. Meanwhile, Tom also has to deal with some issues concerning Penny, who, unlike her general sensitive nature, has lately been getting into fights at school. While knowing that the fights have something to do with Alex's death, Tom just telling Penny not to get into the fights may not deal with the core issue on which Penny's principal may be able to shed some light.
13Original Sin
The leaked surveillance footage of Tom's visit to the prison to confront Evan Beeman is causing him and the White House PR problems, Tom who refuses to address the "unpresidential nature" of the footage publicly. Hannah and Aaron are following up on the leak, they figuring that it may be connected to the ISS hack, meaning that they still need Damian's assistance, he who purports not to know anything about the prison footage hack. As Hannah and Aaron follow up on leads regarding that issue, Lyor believes that another emerging issue may overtake the prison footage on the news cycle. A group on a White House tour stage a sit-in, they being members of the Ocheole Nation, a non-recognized native tribe based in the Florida panhandle. Their leader, Lacy Cousins, wants to meet with Tom. Their issue, which is not federal jurisdiction, is that they are being displaced in the next phase of a land development, this not the first time it has happened. The initial phase was contracted to Tom's architectural firm eighteen years ago, the displacement of the Ocheole at that time of which Tom was not aware when he signed the contract. With each displacement, the Ocheole become more dispersed as a people to the point of near extinction. Tom has to find a way to make this right, which may require bringing in his old right hand man at the firm, Billy Winton, and the developer, Alton Prast. The negotiation is not as clear cut as he would like. Through the process, Lyor gets sidetracked by something he sees with one of the Ocheole at the sit-in. Meanwhile, the initial meeting of the trustees of Alex's foundation post her death are meeting at the White House, all the trustees hand picked by her. One of those trustees is Trey Kirkman, Tom's younger brother from who he is virtually estranged, despite Alex having kept him in Leo and Penny's lives. Trey's actions at the meeting may bring to a head the issues that exist between the brothers.
14In the Dark
A power outage, caused by the latest computer hack, has left the entire Washington DC area in the dark, the generator at the White House which can provide power for eight hours. While Chuck deals with the hacks themselves including this one and trying to work to figure out a technological solution to overcome it, the power outage has caused major problems. With his ankle bracelet not functioning, Damian is able to escape from the safe house. With what surveillance is still operational, Hannah goes on his trail and finds something about his goings-on that hit her a little more personally. Emily and Lyor are MIA after a meeting with Japanese Finance Minister Omono to rubber stamp a deferment of payment on a Japanese loan of $600 million due at midnight. However, without information from the missing pair, Omono has denied the request. The power outage has made electronic transfer of the moneys before the deadline near impossible. With Emily missing, Aaron is doing double duty being officially Acting Chief of Staff. The outage delays interviews Tom would have had with potential vice-presidential candidates, Tom who has to be careful in his choice of nominee following the issue with Peter MacLeish's treason as VP. Tom, who would gladly go without a VP until the next election especially as he has not yet had a satisfactory interview with any of the choices Emily and Lyor have brought before him, has a deadline to beat a damning article to be published on the vetting process. And without power at city hall, Tom offers the White House to DC Mayor Eleanor Darby as a command center to deal with issues concerning the outage. In the process, Tom and Mayor Darby, who have generally had a cordial enough professional relationship, butt heads in how to deal with the looting and what looks to be the imminent rioting. On a good news/bad news item, Tom at least has Trey, with who he has reconciled and who has just moved to DC after being fired from his New York job, to be his personal support especially for Penny. With Emily missing, Seth learns that despite what he thought was their official break-up, that Emily has bought him something for their six month anniversary. He not only has to buy a reciprocal gift, but has to figure out what it is and how to get it within the circumstances of the work commitments and the power outage. And in reality, Emily and Lyor are stuck in a darkened, powerless elevator. In their confinement, they may either bond as human beings in learning more about the other - something difficult for Lyor - or kill each other in their differences.
15Summit
The rogue dictatorship regime of East Hun Chiu, led by Chairman Kim, fires a missile as a test over the west backed West Hun Chiu - led by President Han - the two countries who are already at official war, a demilitarized zone separating the two countries. East Hun Chiu's actions are just before Tom is to host a summit at Camp David between the two countries to start the negotiations to peace, Tom who has to advance the summit due to Chairman Kim's provocative action. Tom knows that the key to peace is each country feeling safe from the other, which may require military styled steps to achieve. As such, Tom calls in a new friend for a favor in advancing the talks. But when the talks look like they may be derailed by an issue external to the talks themselves, Tom has to decide if he should/could call in the assistance of Cornelius, who may still be smarting after being fired by Tom, especially as a former President himself. Adding to the complicated situation is that the US administration learns Kim's son, Joon Kim, wants to defect to the west in feeling his father's paranoia which has already led to him killing anyone he felt disloyal to his regime. Tom can't let Chairman Kim know what's happening with Joon, Tom who feels Joon would be an asset to inform them if Chairman Kim is working on a nuclear program, which he has long denied. Joon has his own demands before cooperating, namely to get his girlfriend, Jung-Min, out as well, as once the Chairman learns of Joon's defection, Joon fears Jung-Min would not be safe. The problem is that Jung-Min is ensconced behind the fortress that is the East Hun Chiu consulate. Meanwhile, Lyor runs into an old colleague, Greg Bowen, at the summit, he who is officially part of the East Hun Chiu delegation, the two men who detest each other. What is obvious to Seth but to which Lyor seems totally oblivious is that the two men are alike in their idiosyncrasies. By the end of the summit, Seth will learn just how much alike the two men really are. And for insurance purposes, Kendra is asking both Seth and Emily to sign official disclosures as to their relationship in light of the White House's non-fraternization policy, the disclosure to prevent issues such as Seth, Emily's official subordinate, from ever claiming anything like sexual harassment. This process places their relationship into a different light, especially for Emily. She is dealing with this issue as she also has been tasked with finding the mole in the administration who has been leaking sensitive information to the media.
16Fallout
Following the Camp David summit with Chairman Kim and his entourage still in the US, Tom and his staff learn that there is a dirty bomb on American soil, the evidence pointing to Kim and the East Hun Chiu regime the ones behind the bomb. Although Kim denies the direct accusation, Tom is able to keep Kim in the US on the guise of his own safety of not knowing where the bomb is, keeping him in the hope that his operatives will not detonate it in fear of what would happen to Kim in the hands of the Americans. While the White House staff follows the leads of how any of the radioactive materials could have made their way into the US, Hannah and Detective Blakey, who still have Joon in protective custody, hope to pry him for information into further activities of his father related to the matter. When the bomb is discovered to be somewhere in the metropolitan DC area, Tom, the senior members of the executive branch and his senior staff have to go into lock-down into the bunker. Tom, however, believes it still better not to make a public announcement of a bomb until they know the exact location in fear of mass panic. As such, Seth has to run interference especially with the media, which may not be that easy seeing as to the tenacity of reporter Simon Day, who had previously been made privy to other government secrets. As the White House goes into lock-down, Hannah and Blakey believe the origination of the bomb is not quite what it appears on the surface, albeit it still originating with East Hun Chiu. This event marks the first direct contact between Forstell and Tom since the First Lady's death, Forstell who believes his relationship with his Commander-in-Chief boss strained because of the events with the First Lady. And Emily wants Kendra to to begin the proceedings to appoint a special prosecutor to deal with President Moss and what could be considered his treasonous activities. This item could place a wedge between Emily and Kendra, the latter who needs the process to follow the letter of the law.
17Overkill
Tom has ordered missile strikes on Kunami in retaliation for the dirty bomb the Kunami government detonated in the Washington DC metro station, and against Lyor's advice Tom has no qualms about calling it a declaration of war. The strikes will continue until the Emir of Kunami unconditionally surrenders, which includes an admission that he was behind the bombing. Those diplomatic discussions with the Emir are being handled through the Kunami Ambassador to the US, the discussions which seem to be stalled. Through the process, Tom has to decide what the end goal is, namely if the abdication of the Emir is sufficient to stop the missile strikes. The US receives intelligence as to a means to contact Amal Hamzi, the Kunami opposition leader who has been in hiding, his ascension to power which would end the conflict. Being in hiding, he is incommunicado via modern technological means. As such, Hannah, acting on behalf of the President to make an official offer of support, accompanied by a Navy SEAL team, need go clandestinely into Kunami territory to find Hamzi, they needing to trust that their Kunami handlers are indeed leading them to Hamzi. Tricia is unaware that her brother, Sgt. Royce Sims, is part of the Kunami mission, she turning to Mike as former special ops for some reassurance that not hearing from Royce of late means nothing. Meanwhile, Damian and Chuck continue to work on finding out the source of the hacks. While they do make some progress, Chuck does not take too kindly to sitting side-by-side with someone who tried to kill Hannah and who will be provided immunity if his efforts do indeed find the source of the hacks.
18Kirkman Agonistes
The latest issue in the continuing series of computer hacks has Dr. Louden's private recordings outlining Tom's therapy sessions made public, those therapy sessions which were not known to the public let alone the salacious nature of what snippets have been released thus far, which portray Tom as being possibly unstable mentally. With Dr. Louden admitting that there are about seven hours of recordings, Tom knows the leaks of the recordings will only continue and probably get worse in terms of what is divulged. To deal with the recordings, the White House staff want to portray Tom as the victim and that the recordings were meant to be for Dr. Louden's own use within the context of the private sessions. Dr. Louden, in turn, has to decide how much he will state publicly in the sanctity of taking the Hippocratic oath which is meant to protect patients, such as Tom. The staff also needs to find Tom's political supporters to bolster the administration under these trying circumstances. They may not only find that those supporters are hard to come by, but that the recordings will have a negative impact on the day-to-day dealings the White House has with government as well as non-government officials. In the process, Tom finds that he will have a fight for his political life. Under the circumstances, one staffer contemplates falling on the proverbial sword for some past misjudgment, which if it comes to light, would further damage Tom's credibility. The staff in general also advises Tom to cancel all public appearances, including at the National Science Fair which he was supposed to co-judge with Dr. Frost at the White House. Meanwhile, Aaron, Hannah, Damian and Chuck continue to investigate the source of the hacks. Because senior staff comprises the majority of the people who knew about the therapy sessions, they the ones who advised him to go into therapy, they move to the top of the suspect list as being behind the hacks. All the team knows is that the hacker goes by the handle "Gamine", an anagram for Enigma in reference to Dr. Alan Turing. Damian turns to an old source for some intel, this move which if known may further place Damian's credibility in jeopardy.
19Capacity
The secret 25th Amendment proceedings are underway, with Ethan West only officially calling four witnesses: Dr. Louden, Aaron, Emily and Tom himself, although he is free is call whomever else he wants as the proceedings progress. Despite Kendra's assurances that they will win, Tom knows that his chances of ending the day as President are slim at best, especially as it is incumbent on them to prove that he deserves to keep the job. As things go from bad to worse, other testimony may have other repercussions on Tom's presidency regardless of the outcome. Some of the senior staff also muse about the "what if"s as they too may be out of jobs by day's end. Meanwhile, Tom still has to finalize the budget by the end of the day, failure to do so which will cause the government to shut down. Getting wind of the 25th Amendment proceedings, the majority Senate leaders decide to play hardball in requesting some last minute changes to the budget to which Tom had not previously agreed. Tom has to decide within this matter what he wants his legacy as president to be in either caving in to the demands or holding strong forcing the shutdown. And Hannah is certain that Dr. Frost is behind the hacks despite not having that conclusive piece of evidence. The evidence that Hannah does have is not enough to convince either Aaron or more importantly Tom, whose directive to Hannah is to find that conclusive evidence. Hannah has to decide what to do under the circumstances, as friends have died in service at the hands of the hacker, as there is the national security aspect making stopping the hacker of some urgency, and as Dr. Frost herself ends up having some connection to the 25th Amendment proceedings.
20Bad Reception
The US is in sensitive unofficial talks with the government of Bhultan regarding Bhultan's want to extract oil from an ecologically sensitive neighboring island which requires bipartisan approval and which the US will not grant. As leverage, Bhultan is holding an American citizen, Matthew Jennings, for some minor graffiti he did in Bhultan, he possibly sentenced to a lengthy and harsh prison term. While the US administration will not negotiate Matthew's release using the oil development as a bargaining chip, a diplomatic incident occurs at the White House which only inflames the situation, with the Bhultanese government blaming the American's for the incident. Matthew's life is at risk because of it. Mike and Chuck are tasked with trying to find out who was the cause of the incident at the White House and how to diffuse the issue with the Bhultanese government based on whatever their findings. Tom also learns that Matthew has new pro bono counsel whose sole mission is to free Matthew at any cost which may work against US policy on the matter. Meanwhile, Steven Flannery, Kendra's former boss and a mentor, is approached by Emily on Kendra's advice to fill a judge vacancy on the DC appellate court. In vetting Flannery, White House staff finds one "blip" in his history. In White House staff investigating that blip to see if it will affect his nomination, Kendra, based on that discovery, reviews her friend's nomination and their own history in a more critical light. And despite being fired, Hannah, in her loyalty to the President, continues to try and find conclusive evidence that Dr. Frost is the behind the series of hacks. In the process, she calls in help from a friend of Tom's and a White House staffer, the latter whose career could be on the line if it is discovered that he used White House resources to assist Hannah.
21Target
Tom, Emily and Aaron have managed to achieve bipartisan support for the ambitious defense plan and associated budget. But by the time it comes ready to approve the budget, both the Senate majority and minority leader renege on that support all having to do with both parties trying to woo Tom in being their presidential nominee in the next election sixteen months away, the likelihood of an incumbent winning being higher, and Tom turning both of them down, he preferring to remain an Independent if he does decide to seek reelection. The team has to decide how Tom should handle the situation as if both the Republicans and Democrats will continue to play hardball with him unless he sides with one of them, he will be a lame duck president for the remainder of his term with the likelihood that he won't see a second term even if he wants one. In the process, they learn that one side does have a fallback candidate which would also make Tom's run for a second term more difficult. Another problem that Tom is facing is that President Moss, despite not being the hacker, is making waves about Tom's inexperience making him a poor Commander in Chief. Tom is still angry about what he sees as Cornelius' disloyalty in leaking classified information to the press to further his own agenda. Tom, on feedback from Lyor and Emily, thinks he has a way to deal with Moss using an independent third party. Meanwhile, Kendra takes some time for herself to go on an unexpected date, the first in quite a while, but one that has larger repercussions within the White House. This aspect of her life coincides with a break-in at her apartment. With some information that comes to light, the investigators and Kendra believe the break-in was targeted and has something to do with one of her old cases. The investigation has the possibility to lead to tragic consequences on multiple levels. And Hannah has handed in her badge and gun so that she can go after Valeria Poreskova without placing a black mark on the White House. She will find that not having the backing of her usual supports in an official capacity may be problematic as she discovers that Valeria has her own game plan already in place to combat Hannah's moves.
22Run
As President Kirkman continues to deal with the turmoil surrounding the hacker and Congressional investigation, a natural disaster threatens the lives of two White House staffers. Meanwhile, Kirkman's closest allies are surprised when the president makes an announcement no one saw coming.