Are you looking for your next fall TV show obsession? Interested in mind games, deception, and competition for the sake of saving the world? Looking for how cultures clash when placed in high-pressured situations?
Well ABC's Quantico is just the show you're looking for.
Starring Priyanka Chopra, mostly known for her work in Bollywood, as protagonist Alex Parrish, the series takes place in two time frames. The first of these in the past, where Parrish navigates life at Quantico, the "training camp" for FBI recruits.
Immediately upon her entrance to Quantico, she meets Ryan Booth (Jake McLaughlin), an ex-Marine with whom she has a somewhat shaky relationship with, despite his portrayal as Parrish's love interest. She also meets Shelby Wyatt (Johanna Braddy), her first roommate there and the daughter of wealthy 9/11 victims. Part of the show's plot follows Wyatt and her love-hate relationship with Caleb Haas (Graham Rogers), an agent turned analyst turned agent again whose family has a history of serving in the FBI.
Also there is Natalie Vasquez (Anabelle Acosta), Parrish's rival at the academy, who seems to have a personal goal to match or better Parrish in each of their tasks, including gaining Booth's affections. Simon Asher (Tate Ellington) portrays a Jewish agent who is secretly deep in cover. Raina and Nima Amin (Yasmine Al Masri) are identical twins who enter the agency disguised as one person, in an FBI attempt to send the two on strategic missions together.
At the head of the FBI are Miranda Shaw (Aunjanue Ellis), the director of Quantico's training program, and Liam O'Connor (Josh Hopkins), a seasoned FBI agent demoted to work at the academy, and also the show's primary antagonist.
Each of the agents has their own, personal reasons for joining the FBI, and the recruits battle to show director Shaw that they have what it takes to join the nation's most elite law enforcement organization. Everyone works together to piece together puzzles that tell the tale of crimes and potential terrorist threats, but at the same time make their mark to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Friendships, romances, and enemies are formed, and secrets are revealed as the personalities of each of the recruits are revealed as the series progresses.
These crime-solving skills, as well as the mettle of these characters are eventually put to the test, as the second time frame of the series reveals itself: the aftermath of a terrorist bombing on New York's Grand Central Station. Considered by the FBI to be the largest terrorist attack since 9/11, the agents search desperately to determine who is the culprit behind this event before he/she strikes again.
With Parrish awakening from a state of unconsciousness at the site of the bombing, she is immediately taken into custody by the FBI for questioning, who eventually conclude that she is the one responsible for the attacks and arrest her. After a hijacking of Parrish's police transport vehicle by Director Shaw - who's convinced that Alex is innocent - Parrish escapes police custody and races against the clock to prove her innocence.
While the constant switching between time frames can be confusing at first, it becomes clear which points the story are at at specific moments very shortly into the series. That being said, the switching between time serves the purpose of showing Alex's experiences at Quantico, including the people she meets and the skills she puts on display while at the academy. It also is used to explain the background for Alex's suspicion and why she is able to use such clever thinking in her attempts to discover the true culprit behind the attacks.
What makes this show most effective in my opinion, however, is the way in which new details are developed throughout the episodes. There is never enough information to indict any character, but there is always new information revealed in every episode to place a new character under the microscope. It provides that plot twist that makes a crime-solving show great - just when you've been convinced that one person is responsible for the attack, something just as incriminating surfaces to suggest that someone else did it.
If you're looking for a show to watch this fall, I'd definitely suggest trying ABC's Quantico. It's the perfect combination between a drama and a thriller that leaves viewers on the edge of their seats, waiting for what happens in the following episode. After watching the most recent episode, my friend actually found herself heartbroken that she would have to wait two weeks for the next one, a sentiment that I definitely echo.
