Being the President of the United States of America after a crisis is not easy. But starting a Congress is even more difficult. ABC TV series “Designated Survivor” returned with episode 6 and Tom Kirkman’s main agenda in it was to finally have a Congress. He also wants Congressman Peter MacLeish to be his Vice President.

Here’s what happened in “The Interrogation”:

Shots Fired

Episode 6 kicked off with Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) welcoming the Governors for a Governors Summit at The White House. All seems to be going splendidly – the former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is even giving a touching speech on rebuilding America – until shots are fired. The President and his First Lady are swiftly escorted to a safe place and, needless to say, the Summit becomes a failure.

Turns out that the person who shot at The White House is a recruit of Al-Sakar – the terrorist organization that claimed responsibility for bombing the Capitol.

People Are Scared

While all this drama unfolds in “Designated Survivor,” 300 Syrian refugees land in Florida in order to seek asylum. They want to escape extremists in their country. However, the Governor of Florida is scared after the attack and wants to protect his constituents. He refuses to let them leave the plane.

First Lady and experienced immigration lawyer Alex Kirkman (Natascha Mcelhone) decides to help The White House on this issue. She coaxes the Governor of Florida, rather unsuccessfully, to allow them to enter the state. However, the Governor isn’t budging.

The Governors Don’t Believe In Kirkman

The next day, Kirkman sits down with all his Governors in order to rebuild the Congress. Unfortunately, the Governors, especially after he got Royce (Michael Gaston) arrested, aren’t feeling confident about their new President. The want to ask him some difficult questions in order to get to know him better.

Of course, the President isn’t obligated to subject himself to an inquisition by the Governors. But he concedes. During the interrogation, one Governor asks him why they should believe in him and his Presidency when he was fired from being a HUD Secretary. In fact, why should they stand by him when he was never elected as the President of the people? After all, he became the leader of the nation because of a formality.

Initially, Kirkman has nothing to say because they are right – he wasn’t elected to office. However, his new Chief of Staff Aaron Shore (Adan Canto) reminded him that he is a great President who can change the country. Thanks to Aaron’s encouragement, the President faces his Governors and gives them a touching speech. It convinces them to stand by him.

Majid Nassar Gets Interrogated

Meanwhile, terrorist Majid Nassar (Nicholas Massouh), the leader of Al-Sakar who was captured by a Navy SEAL team, gets interrogated by the FBI. Assistant Director of the bureau, Atwood (Malik Yoba), assures the President that he can get them some information from him if he interrogates him. Tom allows him to question their prisoner.

Atwood learns in “Designated Survivor” that MacLeish (Ashley Zukerman) has been chosen to become the Vice President and he must be vetted for the position. Given that, MacLeish is involved in the terrorist attack since he knew that the bomb was to go off seconds before it did, this is disturbing news to him and FBI Agent Hannah Wells (Maggie Q).

Nassar puts on a tough act at first. But Hannah uses his family as leverage to get information. It isn’t long before he coughs up the name of the person who framed him – someone named Catalan – and he also didn’t know that MacLeish was meant to survive the attack. This is proof enough for the agents that Al-Sakar never orchestrated the Capitol bombing.

Nassar Is Dead

However, whoever blew up the Captiol isn’t going to let Hannah and Atwood find him/her so soon. No sooner had Nassar confirm that he didn’t attack the Captiol than he died. Catalan got to him.

Kirkman Makes A Difficult Decision

Back at The White House, the Governors tell Tom that they will give him his Congress only if he suspends immigration. That means no Indian engineers or Syrian refugees can set foot on American soil. If he does not make this decision, the Governors will refuse to support him, there will be no Congress and Kirkman will have no choice but to step down.

Reluctantly, the President agrees to fulfill their request to suspend immigration temporarily.

However, Alex is not happy with the decision. Still, she understands that her husband had to do it.

Later, Alex and Tom prepare to have dinner with MacLeish and his family in order to get to know them better.

A Potential Scandal Rears Its Ugly Head

Elsewhere, Press Secretary Seth Wright (Kal Penn) fancies a member of the press. But before they go on a date she asks him a question – is Leo (Tanner Buchanan) the President’s son or someone else’s? Remember that Leo isn’t Tom’s son since she conceived him with her former boyfriend who also happens to be in a federal prison right now.

“Designated Survivor” Season 1 airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. EDT on ABC.

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