Quantico 1×01 – Run

Silly, soapy, and ludicrous. But then why did I enjoy it so much?

Quantico definitely feels like Grey’s Anatomy, but set in the world of the FBI instead of a hospital. Throw in a flash-forward mystery and you’ve also got a little bit of How To Get Away With Murder in the mix as well. Basically the show feels like a Shonda Rhimes production even though the mastermind had nothing to do with it.

The best weapon in Quantico’s arsenal is surely its rapid fire pace (a la Scandal – look, another similarity!). The series immediately introduces us to the show’s central mystery, while getting us acquainted with the FBI’s latest gang of young recruits (each of whom has their own set of secrets to deal with). Our lead is Alex,  played by former Miss World and Bollywood superstar Priyanka Chopra. She’s certainly a confident and charismatic presence, and it’s obvious right from the opening moments that she will be more than capable of carrying the show on her shoulders. Although she has yet to display her action skills (the role will definitely require that), I’m almost certain she’ll prove to be a kickass lead for the audience to root for.

However, the pilot is a bit overstuffed. The upcoming terrorist attack is more than enough narrative to drive the show, and yet Quantico still throws in the whole Alex-is-searching-for her-father subplot. Her backstory is predictable, and her dad will undoubtedly end up being some sort of criminal mastermind in an Alias-inspired twist. Why must we needlessly complicate the narrative? Writers, you’ve got more than enough juicy material already!

The rest of the cast is uniformly strong. I loved Johanna Braddy on Unreal, and she’s got a lot of potential here (my money’s on her being the terrorist in our midst). I was also glad to see Josh Hopkins on my screen again after Cougar Town‘s unjust cancellation. He does an okay enough job as Liam, and the show hints that romantic sparks will eventually fly between him and Alex.

Bits & Bombs

– Interesting touch with Shelby carrying around a piece of the plane since her parents died on 9/11. A bit too unrealistic, but intriguing nonetheless.

– The investigative interviews were a pretty clever method for divulging a whole lot of exposition and backstory about our characters. Case in point: Simon is a gay virgin who lived in Palestine even though his parents are VERY Jewish.

– I was sure Eric would be a regular on the show for a long time to come so his brutal suicide was extremely shocking.

– Mind-blowing twist: Nimah has a twin! Yeah it’s extremely unrealistic to think that the two are living in the dorms without anybody noticing but it was definitely jawdropping.

– So Liam takes Miranda’s place as Assistant Director in the future?

– Is Booth dead in the flashforward (in Alex’s apartment)? I sure hope so; the guy has the charisma of a mop.

– Brilliant twist: Assistant Director Miranda saving Alex at the end. I like this woman already. Why was she dating Liam?

– The directing felt choppy in that final chase sequence. Something was just painfully “off” about it.

– Alex’s slow-motion walk in the crowd felt like it was lifted directly from Angelina Jolie’s Salt. Not that it’s a bad thing!

Quotes From Quantico 

Ryan: Ryan Booth. Nice to meet you.
Alex: We had sex in your car six hours ago.

Must-Download Tunes
All This Could Be Yours by Cold War Kids
First by Cold War Kids

Conclusion
Although it feels familiar and the dialogue can be ridiculously cheesy, Quantico still manages to be an absurdly entertaining ride. Here’s hoping the show can maintain that sense of fun and excitement going forward.

Nad Rating
B+