Tonight on ABC their new conspiracy thriller Designated Survivor airs with an all-new Wednesday, October 12, 2016, episode and we have your Designated Survivor recap below. On tonight’s Designated Survivor episode 4, Alex (Natascha McElhone) feels uneasy about her decision to reach out to Hookstraten for help.
Did you watch last week’s Designated Survivor where President Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) and his staff worked to keep a high-level security breach of the White House a secret just as he’s about to give his first television interview? If you missed the episode we have a full and detailed Designated Survivor recap, right here.
On tonight’s Designated Survivor as per the ABC synopsis, “Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) 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.”
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#DesignatedSurvivor starts with a chase in a city fat away. A man dials a satellite phone and logs onto a website. He types say Nassar location confirmed. Men taze him and take the laptop. At the White House, Kirkman talks to Aaron for an update.
Aaron says Kimble is there and she presses him for an update on Nassar. He says she doesn’t have clearance for all the info. Emily comes in and says Governor Royce is arresting Muslims again and says he’s an illegitimate president. Kirkman doesn’t like it.
Emily says the Muslims are planning a peaceful protest. Emily says we need to do more. Kirkman says let’s send a legal observer and Aaron offers to send someone from AG. Emily says she’ll do it and Kirkman asks if she’s sure. Kirkman says get on a plane.
Nassar found
General Cochrane says they found Nassar. Hannah looks at a report on McLeish going home from the hospital and Hannah tells her boss that the guy lied and wasn’t in his seat when the blast went off. Hannah says his timing was too perfect.
Atwood asks if he made a mistake putting her on this assignment and she says there could be more to this. He asks if she’s doing this from a grudge. Emily tells the guy in charge of the Muslim protest that she’s on her way to observe the protest.
Kirkman gets an update from their undercover operative. He’s the one that was taken at the show’s opening. He gave them a location of a compound on a two country border. Cochrane wants to blast the compound to bits. They tell him the agent has been out of contact.
Collateral damage considered
Kirkman asks if the agent is in the compound and he would die if they bomb it. Kirkman says they shouldn’t kill him. Cochrane pushes for the bombing. Kirkman ponders and pauses. Aaron asks for his orders. Kirkman says they won’t bomb one of their own and says wait til the agent makes contact.
Kirkman pushes on Cochrane and tells him to stand down. Kirkman wants to talk to the local president in the country where Nassar is holed up. Aaron calls Emily and tells her to be careful since things are tense in Michigan. She asks if he’s worried and he denies it.
Emily’s plane lands and a motorcade is there surrounding the plane with armed men and Governor Royce. He steps up and she introduces herself. She says she came to observe the protest and he says get back on the plane. He says he has enough without her there interfering.
Royce plays big man
She says it’s not his decision to make. Royce says the state of Michigan is off limits to Kirkman’s presidency. He walks away. Hannah shows up to McLeish’s house and introduces herself to the wife. She’s allowed inside. His wife shows him the collection of cards that keep coming.
McLeish says he was lucky. Hannah says she’s there to update him on the investigation. She shows him the photos showing that he wasn’t in his seat when the blast went off. He says where was I and Hannah says that’s what she’s asking. His wife speaks up and says she was at home in Oregon.
The wife says she took her eyes off their daughter at the mall and she was gone and says she was texting him and then someone dropped the child off at security. She says that’s when she heard about the building. He asks why she’s asking all of this and if he’s done something wrong.
Trouble in Michigan
Hannah says she’s just trying to find out what happened. Hannah leaves and makes a call to her hacker buddy at the FBI. Ritter calls Alex and tells her Maria Serrano is on the phone and says she’s her lawyer. Maria tells Alex her kids were taken and she’s about to be deported.
There’s heat at the press conference. The acting press secretary – Carter Dunne – is sweating under the attention from the press. Aaron tells Seth to go fix this now. Royce holds a press conference at the airport and claims Kirkman’s presidency is false and says he was elected Governor and will protect his state.
He calls him a fraudulent president. Aaron calls Emily who is on the ground now. Emily updates Kirkman on what happened and says she should come back to DC. Kirkman says he has to deal with this and yells for Wyatt and says he has an idea.
Kirkman makes a bold move
Alex gets a security update and Secret Service assigned to her and she was going to leave but Kirkman calls her out about Federalizing the National Guard. Alex cites the law that would allow him to do it. Alex says declare a state of emergency in Michigan and notify General Hammond.
Alex says forcing a Governor to cede power is a major precedent. Kirkman says it’s a tipping point and he can’t let Royce set up a police state. Hammond is on the line and Kirkman tells him what he wants. He tells him to federalize the Michigan national guard.
Royce continues his bombastic speech and Kirkman tells Emily what he did with the guard. She asks what’s next and he tells her to meet with General Nunos who will give her safe escort to the protest. He thanks her. Aaron tells him the cabinet is waiting.
Algeria vs the US
They have the president of Algeria on the line. The man says Nassar is not in their country. Kirkman disagrees. He says he’s sorry and can’t be of help. Kirkman says notify us if things change. Cochrane says he’s lying and Kirkman agrees.
Aaron says the president may be lied to. Kirkman says they will wait on contact but in 12 hours he’s ready to pull the trigger when the deadline for contact passes. Seth gives Carter some tough advice on dealing with the press. He gives him some examples.
He tells him to tame the press beasts. Royce is on TV when Aaron shows up and finds Kimble waiting. She asks if he recalls that she and Royce are old friends. Aaron says they have it under control. Kimble says Kirkman is flailing. She says the leaked video is the only reason Kirkman is acting at all.
Alex is frustrated
Kimble says Aaron is smart and people might appreciate what an asset he is and Kirkman won’t appreciate him. She calls Kirkman a footnote and Aaron says it’s a pleasure seeing her and dismisses her effectively.
Alex chews out Duncan for the Maria fumble. He says Homeland is taking advantage of the closed courts and arresting people. Alex is angry at all of this and says if she was there, it would not have happened. Duncan says things changed and she couldn’t help it.
Duncan reminds her she’s the First Lady. Emily waits on the plane and Aaron texts to check in. She asks if he’s worried. She hears sirens outside and Humvees pull onto the airfield. Emily texts that the cavalry is there. Royce is stunned.
Mutiny in Michigan
The guard comes out weapons drawn. Kirkman watches as Emily calls. She says she’s going out now. She hands the phone to Nunos. He takes the phone and calls him Mr Kirkman not President and says they refuse the order to federalize. He says their commander in chief is Royce.
He hands Emily back the phone and walks off. Kirkman says this is unbelievable. Kirkman tells Alex about Cochrane and the Michigan debacle. He says he never thought he’d have to decide who lives and who dies. Alex hugs him and reminds him their first night when she wanted to leave.
She says too much is at stake and says trust your instincts. He says if someone left a manual, this would be easier. She says past presidents were just people like him trying to do their best.
Emily plays peacemaker
Kirkman tells Emily to go home because she’s in the middle of the coup. She says Royce is a bully and they need to stand up with him. She suggests offering Royce a sit-down. Kirkman doesn’t want her at risk and she says trust me and I’ll get him to DC. Kirkman agrees.
Seth watches Carter deal with the press. Carter mentions getting rid of Royce and the press goes nuts. Seth groans. Carter walks off the podium and someone jokes the Kirkman White House. Seth takes the podium and says Carter is not feeling well.
He says the top news story is about Islamaphobia gripping the nation and opens it up for questions. Emily gets a call that the permit for the protest has been revoked and the people are at risk for arrest. Emily says bring the protest here to the airport where Royce is.
Trouble in Michigan
Hannah gets McLeish’s phone records. She sees a gap in time that draws her interest. The protestors stand between Royce and the plane. Royce tells them to leave if they have no permit. Aaron and Kirkman watch the chaos on TV. Aaron says it’s going to turn into Selma.
Kirkman says Royce can’t risk this. Emily approaches Royce and asks if this is what he wants and says he won’t be the hero of this story. She says fly with me to DC for a sit down with Kirkman. She says this didn’t work for George Wallace and wont’ work for him. She asks how he wants to be remembered.
Aaron tells him there’s a second mutiny and they go confront Cochrane. Kirkman asks Cochrane why he generated an act of war. Cochrane chews him out and says he did what needed to be done. Kirkman says you’re not president and says he agreed to a timeline.
Kirkman fires the General
Cochrane says sacrifices are worth making and chews him out. Kirkman says that’s a good point and relieves him of his command. He tells him he’s fired. Cochrane storms out. On the plane, Emily talks to Royce and he says she gave him no choice.
Royce says Muslims blew up the Capitol and took down the twin towers. He says she thinks she knows better. Emily says Kirkman is thoughtful and reasonable. Aaron comes to Seth and says he heard about a rising star and says he needs Seth to be press secretary.
Aaron says we need someone like you. Seth asks what that means and Aaron says he’s the son of Muslim immigrants and Seth asks if he wants him to be Kirkman’s pet Muslim. Aaron says take the job and Seth tells him to go away. Aaron says okay and goes.
Hannah cracks under pressure
Alex goes to meet with Kimble who says she can’t change policy that fast. Alex reminds her she’s on the immigration committee. Kimble says call Maria as a witness to her committee and that will give her immunity for now. Kimble says that’s a favor.
Kimble says she hopes that she would return that favor someday. Alex ponders and agrees. Hannah works out and Atwood shows up. She asks for reassignment. She says she checked his story and it all checked out and she wanted him to be guilty.
Hannah tells Atwood that McLeish is just a lucky guy for surviving while Scott didn’t and she has to deal with it. Atwood calls her a pain in the ass but says she’s one of his best agents. She asks to go to Michigan to work on Civil Rights violations. He says sleep on it and if she wants it, she can gave it.
Royce in DC
Kirkman goes to greet Royce and Emily at the airfield. Royce says he and Emily had a nice talk. Kirkman says all Americans are owed protection. Royce goes to interrupt and Kirkman says he conspired with the National Guard and has him arrested for treason.
Royce glares at Emily as he’s led away. Emily is stunned. She had no idea. Emily tells Kirkman he lied to her. Kirkman says Royce broke the law and is going to jail. He tells her he did what he thought was best for the country and this sent a message to every other governor.
He tells her she did a great job and doing the right thing doesn’t always make you feel good. She walks off. Aaron tells Kirkman that the agent’s body was dropped on the steps of the embassy in Algiers. Kirkman comes to see Seth in his office.
Kirkman hires Seth
Kirkman says Aaron told him he turned down the job and Kirkman says that’s a shame. Seth says others are more qualified and he says Carter had good experience too. Kirkman says today’s crisis was racially motivated but tomorrow’s might not be. He says he trusts Seth.
Seth takes the job and Kirkman says tomorrow is going to be a big and busy day. He tells Seth to get some rest. Emily goes to Aaron and asks if the arrest was his idea. He says no but he wishes it was. Emily asks for a drink and says Kirkman is turning into a different person.
Aaron says Kirkman will do things she won’t agree with and says she does a good job. They chat and lightly flirt. Seth takes the podium and greets the press. He says he’s the new Press Secretary and jokes with the Press Corps and says he didn’t want the job but they’re called on to serve.
Intrigue and war
He says none of us is perfect but we do our best and says this house is worthy of our best. We see Alex gets Maria free and her kids back to her. Kirkman walks the halls and looks at a historic portrait on the wall. He says our best has been good enough.
Seth then makes a couple of quick announcements. Hannah lies in bed looking at photos on her phone of Scott then gets a call from an unknown address. A woman says find room 105 and you’ll understand more about McLeish.
Kirkman goes to the war room. He asks if they got a positive ID on the agent’s body. He tells the Admiral in charge to proceed with the attack on Algeria and says prepare us for war.
THE END!
