The season 2 premiere picks up right where we left off, with Henry Czerny’s Matthew Keyes asking Alex (Priyanka Chopra) if she wants a job with the CIA. He doesn’t give her a second to waste, and she hastily agrees to do whatever he has planned for her.
Flash forward to the future, and something’s clearly gone wrong. Raina (Yasmine Al Massri) asks Alex if she’s OK. “I’ll be better when it’s over,” Alex says. What happened? While on the phone with Raina, Alex notices multiple white trucks. This is New York City, so there are cars literally everywhere, but Alex has a feeling in her gut that something’s not right.
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Alex’s bad feeling comes on the day of the G20 summit, where the world’s most powerful leaders, including President Todd, are convening to decide if they should put an end to global surveillance. Alex is attending, but just as a civilian.
She finds a private room to meet with Ryan (Jake McLaughlin). He’s made it onto the President’s daily briefing team. Their encounter is awkward and uncomfortable. Something clearly went down with Ralex. “How is she?” Alex asks Ryan, and he quickly tries to change the subject. “Did you bring it?” he asks her in return.
“Sometimes I wish we’d said no. To the mission. To all of this,” she replies. Why is my sweet Ralex suffering like this? Once again, Alex believes there’s something going on in the CIA, and Ryan doesn’t believe her. Ryan clearly doesn’t want to talk about this mission. Alex brings up this mysterious other woman again, and now I need to know everything ASAP. The thing Ryan’s asking Alex for? Yeah, it’s a DIAMOND RING! While Ryan just wants Alex to wait until he gets back, she leaves the ring on the table and goes.
As Alex walks away, she spots someone she knows. She takes a picture of him and calls Shelby (Johanna Brady). “I know we’re not supposed to speak, but I need a favor,” Alex says to Shelby. Alex and Shelby are on bad terms AGAIN?! Is the world ending or what?! Alex wants Shelby to put this guy’s face through a database, because she swears she killed him.
Welcome To The Farm
One year earlier, Alex is working for the CIA, but it’s not what she expected it to be. She’s just sitting behind a desk. Her life changes the second she gets a sticky note with a time on it. An author, photographer, lawyer, pick-pocketer and more also get a similar sticky note.
Alex heads to dinner with Shelby and Ryan. He’s about to head out on a new mission, but he wants to propose before he leaves. Alex has NO IDEA. When Alex walks away to get drinks, Ryan pulls out the ring. While she’s at the bar, she takes another look at the sticky note. She gets a call right at the time the sticky note said she would. The person on the phone tells her to leave the bar now. Yes, right as Ryan’s about to pop the question, Alex bolts.
Alex drives to a military base in the middle of nowhere and meets up with the other people who got sticky notes. The place is called “The Farm,” and it’s the CIA’s only training facility. Oh, and Ryan’s there, too! This is his special mission, and now they’re both pissed at each other for lying, even though that’s what they’re supposed to do.
Alex and Ryan are taken away from the other recruits and continue to scream at each other while Miranda and Matthew watch. Miranda says she had to keep them in the dark for a reason. Alex getting fired from the FBI was planned so no one would expect anything when Alex arrived at The Farm. But apparently, Ryan and Alex getting tapped at the same time was just a coincidence. Sure…
Matthew claims there’s a rogue group within in the CIA. Alex and Ryan’s mission is to stop them. The recruitment is happening on The Farm, and Miranda and Matthew believe the head instructor, Owen (Blair Underwood), has something to do with it. They want Alex and Ryan to get chosen for this rogue group.
They also have to hide their relationship from the other recruits, so they’ll have an easier shot at getting chosen for this group. Alex and Ryan think the whole situation is just nuts. But Matthew reminds them of how much damage one rogue agent can do (i.e. Liam O’Connor). What happens if there’s a group of them?
Show Me A Hero
The recruits go through a variety of tests before they have to take a polygraph. Only this time, they have to lie. Ryan aces the test, while Alex nearly fails. Ryan’s ability to lie so easily really shocks Alex. One of their most shocking tests involves jumping out of an airplane! Yes, really.
Alex and Ryan are still fighting about lying to each other. “I never want you doubting how much I love you,” Ryan says with certainty, before dropping a big hint about his missed proposal.
Lydia, the girl Alex has befriended during training, tells Alex that her harness isn’t working. She doesn’t want to say anything for fear of getting cut. Alex begs her to tell Owen. Lydia jumps out of the airplane, and Alex grabs her at the last minute. With Ryan’s help, Alex pulls Lydia to safety.
When the recruits meet back up with Owen, Alex is certain she’s about to get commended for saving Lydia’s life. Nope. Lydia’s not a recruit, she’s a co-instructor! The plan was to identify who would try to play a hero during a crisis, and Alex, of course, just had to be a hero.
Secrets & Lies
Later, Alex and Ryan have a heart-to-heart about the next six months. They know they’re going to have to lie to each other. They’re very honest about how this CIA training might impact their relationship. They know it has the ability to ruin them.
Ryan pulls out the engagement ring and is about to pop the question, when Alex tells him not to. She doesn’t want him to propose until the mission is complete. They agree that their little safe haven is the one place they’ll always tell each other the truth.
At the end of the day, Alex is introduced to other new recruits. She also learns she’s at the bottom of the leader board. If she’s at the bottom again, she’s out. In a shocking twist, Owen and Lydia aren’t just co-workers — they’re father and daughter!
Heads Will Roll
Back in the present, Alex loses cell signal and sees those white trucks agin. Suddenly, multiple explosions go off simultaneously. Masked mercenaries barge into the G20 summit with guns. They release a gas into the room, which makes everyone pass out.
When everyone wakes up, they’ve been stripped of their guns, and Raina comes up to Ryan. She’s an interpreter and can speak Swahili, the language the mercenaries are speaking. This militant group is called the Citizen’s Liberation Front. Their mission is simple. There are individuals around the world who are persecuted for breeches in global security. Before the day ends, those people have to be pardoned or innocent people will die. If President Todd doesn’t comply, they’ll release a biological weapon. When President Todd stands up to fight back, and the CLF threatens to execute his wife.
Ryan agrees to talk to President Todd to try and get him to comply. President Todd is completely ready to meet their demands, but the First Lady strongly advises against it. Ryan urges the POTUS not to cave in, since the U.S. doesn’t negotiate with terrorists. “Don’t be naive,” President Todd says to Ryan. “We always have. The world just doesn’t know it.”
One of the militants comes up to Ryan and says, “Your effort won’t be forgotten, Ryan. Thank you.” Ryan knows the voice, he just can’t place it. President Todd goes on camera and grants a pardon to one Eric Boyer. There are also other militants in the crowd, dressed like normal people.
Meanwhile, Alex fights one of the militants in heels and kicks his ass. She ends up fighting ANOTHER one and it’s actually Jeremy, one of the guys she met at The Farm! He warns her that she won’t be able to stop what’s about to happen. Before she can ask questions, he jumps out the window.
In the final moments of the episode, the First Lady is pulled up to the stage and DECAPITATED! Have you ever seen something like this on TV? I sure haven’t. I am floored. What a way to start off the season! Quantico is back and on fire in season 2! That twist was off the charts crazy!
HollywoodLifers, what did you think of the Quantico premiere? Let us know!