By Guest Contributor: Lakshmi Gandhi (@LakshmiGandhi)
Lakshmi’s recaps for “Quantico” episodes 1-7 can be found here and for episode 8 onward here, including her recap of the show’s most recent episode. Her recaps appear on Reappropriate every Monday morning! As with reading any recaps, please be wary of spoilers.
We begin this week’s episode with Alex Parrish clutching the steering wheel of Ryan’s truck as she guides the explosive-filled vehicle through the streets of New York City.
Alex, you’ll remember from last week’s violence-and-cliffhanger-filled episode, was forced by Drew/The Voice to get into the truck and follow his orders to a T.
“I knew you were perfect for this, I knew you’d do what you’re told,” Drew tells Alex at one point, and it’s all very, very creepy. While “Quantico” has consistently touted it’s strong women characters throughout this season, it’s been disheartening to see that the show’s writers never miss a chance to take emotional digs at both Alex and Shelby — the two characters who had to overcome the most during their very difficult childhoods. As we all know, Alex has struggled her whole life to learn how to stop listening to the manipulative men around her, so it must have been extra terrible to hear Drew/The Voice praise her for her docility.
Plus, the opening scene was hard to watch because viewers were forced to adjust to the fact that the previously steadfast and flirty Drew is now the one terrorizing our heroine… or is he? Here’s what else stood out to us this episode:
Wait, Drew isn’t The Voice?!?! Just when we finished mentally railing against Drew for being so awful we ran into yet another plot twist. While it is Drew’s voice we’re hearing on Alex’s all-knowing GPS, it’s not Drew who’s truly behind the words. It turns out that Drew and Simon are being tied up and held prisoner in a desolate apartment building. “Is that my voice?” a distraught Drew asks Simon as they listen to The Voice manipulate Alex. The pair realizes that they have to free themselves in order to help Alex, but that isn’t an easy feat. Because the two are sitting back to back and have both their hands and feet tied together, escape seems impossible. But then Drew came up with a solution that probably made most viewers flinch and look away.
#breakmythumb #Quantico #whoisthetraior
— Quantico WritersRoom (@QuanticoWriters) May 9, 2016
“Break my thumb,” Drew orders Simon. (The rest was pretty gross and probably exactly what you’re imagining.)
Wait — is Drew dead?!?! After breaking Drew’s thumb, Simon does manage to get away from the dusty room that had been serving as their makeshift prison cell. Drew isn’t that lucky. While we don’t exactly see what happens to Drew, we do see a bomb go off and the explosion that follows creates an inferno that seems like it would be impossible to survive.
https://twitter.com/adriannaimbrian/status/729501742220627973
Liam?!?! We have to admit that we’ve always been suspicious of Liam. His interest in Alex has always seemed inappropriate, especially because Alex was particularly vulnerable due to her desperate need to solve the mystery of her father. We also knew from the start that Liam and Alex’s father were part of an FBI mission that ultimately broke the late Mr. Parrish’s spirit and lead to the destruction of his family.
Despite all of this, it was still a shock to see that Liam was ultimately behind the terrorist plot and it was downright horrifying to see Liam attempt to murder Miranda. (Also, if anyone reading wants to talk about the level of violence consistently inflicted on the women of color on this show, let me know. Because I have FEELINGS about this.)
Needless to say, we have questions: Once again, we left this episode buzzing with thoughts and emotions. Do you think Miranda survived the shooting? Will we ever see Drew alive again? Wasn’t it ironic that everyone decided to start believing Alex when it was almost too late? And how happy were you to see Raina and Simon together again?
Lakshmi Gandhi is a journalist and pop culture writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in Metro New York, NBC Asian America and NPR’s Code Switch blog, among other sites. She likes it when readers tweet her @LakshmiGandhi with their thoughts on Asian American issues and romance novels.
Learn more about Reappropriate’s guest contributor program and submit your own writing here.
