After the major expansion of the cast last week, Quantico has opened the door for some great new character exploration. Let’s take a look at this week’s new episode, titled “Clear.”
The episode opens with Alex, in the future, dealing with the explosives strapped to Natalie. Both women are forced to work together, putting their animosity behind them, as, in the past, the cadets at the academy are forced to do the same now that the two classes have been combined. Before the winter break, Quantico‘s academy lessons tended to play almost perfectly into what was going on post-bombing, and “Clear” is a return, for better or worse, to this format. I’ve tended to like the show’s consistency with its plot structure, though, so I’m more than okay with this return. It also gives us a chance to really start to get to know the new additions to the class at the academy, and it’s pretty clear that they’re going to bring about some huge changes to the academy dynamic. In particular, Drew, Iris, and Will look to be the major players from the new students.
In the post-bombing storyline, this week’s episode sees the return of Eliza Coupe’s Hannah (Ryan’s ex-wife), and the character is just as enjoyable and relevant as ever. I mentioned in my review of last week’s episode that Quantico tends to be at its best when it uses guest stars well, and the use of Marcia Cross last week and Eliza Coupe this week prove that point better than ever. I really hope that the show is able to continue this trend of strong guest and recurring characters.
I’m not going to talk specifics about the stories this week because, while fun and somewhat strong, they’re pretty generic for Quantico. The post-bombing story is easily the stronger of the two because of the raised stakes brought about by the explosives, but the story at the academy, while generic and hitting virtually the same beats as most lessons, is still fun. It’s also bolstered well by the new cadets that get to interact with our main cast. I’m very much looking forward to the ways in which the story will get to progress now that there’s this strong new dynamic in play.
“Clear” was nothing special, but it was still a strong and fun episode of Quantico. It’s definitely more of what I’ve come to expect with the show, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing since it’s still as good as it is. With that said, this half of the season would benefit from shaking up the formula a bit (as some episodes in the first half did), but I have confidence that it will eventually succeed in this area. In the meantime, I’ll be satisfied with the opportunity to have fun with this show each week.
What did you think of this week’s new episode of Quantico? Are you enjoying the new additions to the cast? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
[Photo Credit: ABC/Phillippe Bosse]
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