So what happened to the original presidents family? - Designated Survivor (2016) Discussion

[–] OmarFirestone-1 8 years ago

I don't remember any mention being made of President Richmond having a wife or children. But I agree that the Showrunners missed an opportunity for some poignant optics and/or dialogue by not giving us a scene where the respective family members meet. E.G. An agent opens a bedroom door in the Upstairs Residence for Penny and we see her counterpart, Richmond's presumptive daughter, choking back tears as she gathers up personal items.

I drank WHAT? - Socrates

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[–] annlevtex 8 years ago

If he was married his wife would have been at the SotU, and his children too perhaps if they were older. So that might be the story.

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[–] jonathanrspalding 8 years ago

I agree, the mother would have been killed, but if he had younger children that would have been interesting.

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[–] faeria 8 years ago

We never really (at least to my recollection) are told what happened to the President's family. But usually the wife and children also attend the State of the Union so I believe they are implying that if he did have family, they too died in the blast.

We're not playing Yellow Car.--Martin
You're always playing Yellow Car.--Arthur

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[–] eddieinportland 8 years ago

I do remember when Kennedy was killed. Johnson moved right into the White House just a few days after his death. Jackie Kennedy and the kids were out of the White House a few days after the funeral.

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[–] censorshipsucks06 8 years ago

I have to agree with what some others said. I don't think I've ever seen a SOTU where the First Lady wasn't in attendance. Any young kids might be there too. Even President Obama's kids have been at the SOTU, so I think we are just to take for granted, without having it spelled out to us, that if he had a family - they died with everyone else inside the Capitol.

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[–] Dash99 8 years ago

Find it weird there is no real mention of the original president, his personal life, how his run was going etc. Hopefully as the season goes by we'll learn more.

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[–] Xcalat3 8 years ago

Find it weird there is no real mention of the original president, his personal life, how his run was going etc. Hopefully as the season goes by we'll learn more.

yeah did they even mention his name?

Libera te tu temet ex inferis.
pro ego sum diabolus, pro ego sum nex.

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[–] annlevtex 8 years ago

Richland or Richman, I think.

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[–] OmarFirestone-1 8 years ago

Annievtex wrote:

Any young kids might be there too.

Possibly but I don't remember ever seeing Sasha and Malia on camera at an Obama SOTU. As "Exemplar-in-Chief" the President doesn't want to be responsible for the White House getting a lot of calls from upset parents whose bedtime policy has been undercut by a Photo Op: "Aw Mom ... the President's kids get to stay up late ..."

In either case I think the Showrunners would be leaving money on the table by not writing the (putative) Richmond children into the story. Whether as orphans or "collateral damage", if their death will serve a (yet to be revealed) plot point). One wouldn't even need additional cast to wring drama from their existence. Consider this hypothetical closing scene for #1.3:

Agent Ritter gives Kirkman a hand-written letter. "Sir, the mailroom intercepted this in today's outgoing."

Kirkman takes the paper, obviously hand-written, and begins to read. Homaging Henry Fonda in William Wellman's "Oxbow Incident", the camera angle only shows Sutherland's eyes - his nose and mouth are occluded by Ritter's overcoat. Sutherland only speaks a few words before his voice is replaced by McKenna Grace's (Penny)

Dear Emily,

Thank you for letting me borrow your desk. I read the note Agent Hawkins left on it for me. He said you do homework there every night and almost always get "A"s so I hope it brings me luck too!

He also said President Richmond, was a great man. I'm sorry he had to go away so suddenly. Please tell him my Dad also has big feet but he has lots of shoes so he won't need to wear your father's.

I'll write you again as soon as our things comes back from the North Pole. I heard someone say that everything from our old house was getting "Santa-ized"

Your Friend,
Penny Kirkman

[fade to black]

While an encounter between the "Emily" and Penny would the episode's emotional highpoint, a "Letter to the grave" could be even more poignant - if Sutherland has the acting chops to wordlessly choke back the tears welling in his eyes.

I drank WHAT? - Socrates

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[–] kettrobb 8 years ago

You make a good point even though the family or at least wife would likely have been killed, there could have been a good emotional storyline with having the personal affects of the family being in the White House or packed away. Their staff or pets- anything that reminds the audience that people died. Instead you have a show where blowing up the Capital was only a set up for putting Keifer's character in the White House and the drama of this fish out of water president.

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[–] sakutf 8 years ago

The wife is usually there at the speech, soooo

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