Who is to blame?
ABC has cracked the code on the addicting series formula. Its newest drama Quantico might not be part of Shonda Rhimes’ TGIT lineup, but it sure fits well besides the likes of Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder.
Quantico is basically Homeland-lite, borrowing the high-stakes government drama from Scandal and snagging the flash-forward, whodunnit nature of HTGAWM. While that’s a derivative formula, it also works; you can feel your interest being manipulated in the pilot, but you’re also intrigued to know who’s behind the terrorist attack that the series centers on.
We want to hear it.
Priyanka Chopra, a popular Bollywood star and former Miss World having her American breakout here, leads the show as Alex Parrish, a talented FBI recruit who finds herself caught up in a terrorist conspiracy. Quantico’s first season is telling dual storylines: one where new FBI recruits arrive at the Quantico training facility, and another, set nine months later, where an unknown terrorist embedded in those trainees has set off a massive attack against the United States.
The FBI thinks Alex is behind it, but she can’t remember enough to understand why she is seemingly being framed for the bombing. It’s made very clear on numerous occasions throughout the pilot that the secret to the attack is hidden in Alex’s memories from her six months of training — hey, that’s what flashbacks are for, right?
Like HTGAWM, the dual timelines promise to inform one another – and the audience – until there’s (hopefully) a resolution at the end of the season. It’s a familiar, and sometimes lazy, storytelling device, but for now it works to Quantico’s benefit. The future storyline keeps the crisis in full focus, while the past one allows viewers to feel like detectives trying to figure out the answers before the show does. Add in a very attractive cast and fun, pulpy storylines (it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that creator Joshua Safran previously worked on Gossip Girl and Smash) and Quantico will surely find itself an audience.
Priyanka Chopra in Quantico.
It’s the flashback storyline that is the most interesting in the pilot. While the fates of most of Alex’s other wannabe agents are unknown after the attack, their secrets are all still being introduced as they get to know one another in Quantico. The trainees the series wants viewers to keep an eye on are Jake McLaughlin as Ryan Booth (aka Alex’s love interest), Johanna Braddy as Shelby Wyatt, Yasmine Al Massri as Nimah Anwar, Tate Ellington as Simon Asher and Graham Rogers as Caleb Haas. The pilot does a great job of delving into the mysteries of their personalities and keeping you wanting more; even though each character gives away one big secret, it’s clear there’s a lot more lurking beneath the surface.
That’s the same illusion Quantico gives off. If the series really has as strong a backbone as it has a premise, this could be the must-see show of the fall season. But it’s also easy to see through its addictive concept, and there’s so much tossed into the premiere episode that it all could escalate so quickly that it’s hard to remain engaged. For now, the audience is left wondering who is actually the terrorist, and if Alex is really as innocent as she claims she is. Let’s hope Quantico remains as interesting and addictive as its pilot promises so viewers care find out.
Quantico has a addictive premise, a cool mystery, an attractive cast and an interesting storytelling framework. It also is clearly following in the successful footsteps of Homeland, How To Get Away With Murder and Scandal. Though its pilot is fun and has a lot of promise, only time will tell whether the rest of the series can live up to the premiere’s potential.
