Not all TV shows know exactly where they’re heading and what’s to come many months in advance, but ABC’s “Designated Survivor” definitely did.

Back in May, star of the series, Kiefer Sutherland, teased at the network’s Upfront event that the Season 2 midseason finale, which airs tonight (Dec. 13) at 10 p.m. EST, would be a “midseason event that I believe will knock the socks off of our audience.”

Now that the time has come for fans of the drama to see the intense winter finale unfold, showrunner Keith Eisner is giving a bit more scoop about what exactly fans can expect, which is essentially the unexpected.

“We have been thinking about this [storyline] for a very long time,” Eisner told TVLine. “It’s uncharted territory for a television show.”

The one thing fans can know right off the bat about the 10th episode of the season is that it’s a Christmas episode and all of this heightened drama will be happening with a bit of a holiday theming tucked in because Eisner “felt like one was owed.”

The episode, titled “Line of Fire,” takes place on Christmas Day when President Kirkman (Sutherland) is informed that a group of religious extremists refuse to leave when a forest fire threatens to bury their cabin in flames. He sends Emily (Italia Ricci) and Aaron (Adan Canto) to help with the situation, while Kirkman is forced to act as quickly as possible to save multiple lives. Elsewhere, First Lady Alex (Natascha McElhone) finally gives her testimony to the director of the FBI.

What happens next for the First Lady is going to affect both herself and the president, her husband, leaving them both with a lot of decisions to make.

“Alex been playing a lot of defense, and what you’ll see in the midseason finale is a clash between Kirkman and his wife, about how to handle the Forstell investigation,” Eisner said. “What’s interesting for us is there’s both a personal clash — a husband and wife facing down an issue that can affect the family — and a political clash, which asks, ‘What’s the best way to handle this for the country?'”

One of the big surprises to come from tonight’s episode will be how Alex ends up playing out the situation and the idea that she brings to the FBI director, something Eisner thinks “the audience will be very excited to see.”

Aside from the First Family, there’s still a lot more drama to go down and scenarios to diffuse, including Agent Hannah Wells’ (Maggie Q) storyline about finding out that her lover, MI-6 operative Damian Rennett (Ben Lawson), might not be such a good guy.

“A big shoe dropped, and that was the revelation that Damian may not be who he said he was,” Eisner said.

“Hannah’s very compromised, because she made a mistake that a lot of agents try to avoid but many make, which is she got involved with someone she’s been working with. That has cast her professional behavior under suspicion, creates conflict with [National Security Advisor] Aaron, and sets up a pretty shattering confrontation with Damian — one that’s fueled by feelings of both personal and professional betrayal.”

Watch as it all goes down on the “Designated Survivor” Season 2 winter finale tonight at 10 p.m EST on ABC.

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