'Designated Survivor' Season 2 Spoilers: President Kirkman Deals With a National Crisis While Mourning Wife's Death
The midseason premiere of "Designated Survivor" will see President Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) trying to cope with the recent death of his wife, Alex (Natascha McElhone).
The synopsis for the next episode, titled "Grief," states that the premiere will open with a 10-week time jump since the car accident. President Kirkman will still be reeling from the loss, prompting his senior staff to urge him to seek professional help. As a result, Tom will begin seeing therapist Dr. Adam Louden (Timothy Busfield).
Elsewhere, FBI Special Agent Hannah Wells (Maggie Q) and National Security Advisor Aaron Shore (Adan Canto) will find themselves involved in a trade delegation. The two will head to Cuba for the task, but things will go awry. Tom will have to make an important decision while dealing with a challenging time in his life.
A teaser trailer for the new episode has also been released. It opens with Tom telling his daughter about her mother's death. He is asked by his therapist if he blames anyone for the death of his wife. Tom reveals that a day does not pass by where he does not grieve. But, he is forced to put his personal problems aside when his country needs him. It looks like danger awaits Hannah and Aaron, though it remains to be seen how things will escalate from bad to worse.
The second half of season 2 will also introduce Andrea Frost (Kim Raver), an engineer and entrepreneur. Showrunner Keith Eisner previously previewed a "nice friendship" that will form between Tom and Andrea. Fans should not jump to conclusions, however, since Tom is definitely not ready for a new relationship. Eisner revealed that Andrea is not there to serve as Tom's new love interest.
However, that does not mean that Tom will be closed to romance forever. In time, he will move on and be able to open himself up once again.
"We're just not going to be doing that immediately — nor should we," Eisner said.
"Designated Survivor" season 2 will return on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 10 p.m. EST on ABC.
