Mikes Film Talk

This penultimate episode of the first season of ‘Quantico’ is titled ‘Closure.’ After running through about every combination possible of suspects it seems that Liam may be “The Voice” at least in the final moments of of the episode it certainly looks like O’Connor (Josh Hopkins) is the culprit. However, despite shooting Miranda twice, and apparently going for a final “kill-shot” there is still room for doubt. 

Why?

Well, for starters the entire show dances around the old “Omaha” bombing that Parrish’s father and Liam worked on undercover. In the storyline, the terrorist cell that the two men infiltrated “needed a nudge.” Providing blueprints gave the cell the motivation needed all too well and hundreds died.

The two men’s lives were changed after this incident and it could be that Liam wants to set things right, just as he says, and is not the terrorist after all.

Despite the “reveal” at the end, Simon (Tate Ellington) has now jumped back up into spot of suspect.  Sure he and Drew (who was not directing Alex across the city with a nuke in Ryan’s truck) were tied together. But…Asher got out and he does have the most checkered past of any of the players in this series. 

This was a real “WTF” episode. All the “suspects” that Miranda has locked up are released and the the bureau initially  believe that Drew Perales (Lenny Platt) is “The Voice.”  However, listening to the man on the other end of that phone, the speech pattern is clearly that of O’Connor. 

Perales dies when Booth and his team knock the door in, setting off the bomb attached to it. Simon gets out of the window, just in the nick of time,  and later, while following up a hunch, Miranda is shot by Liam.

In the flashback sequences O’Connor and Booth (Jake McLaughlin) go their separate ways. This happens at  Quantico after  Ryan accuses his boss of being a serial screw-up and making other people pay.  This and other  evidence does point to Liam this week. 

The man is an alcoholic and one who specializes in getting other hurt by his actions.  But is he really the terrorist?

Sure he has the bomb (and it is activated) and he did shoot Miranda (Aunjanue Ellis). When she asks Liam why, however, he responds “To make things right.” 

What things? Is he running his own undercover mission to catch the terrorist or does the buck finally stop with O’Connor.

Caleb’s mother Claire (Marcia Cross) manages to get things moving and does an “about-face” on Alex (Priyanka Chopra) publicly declaring the agent a hero.  

We learn more about the Shelby Wyatt (Johanna Braddy) fallout with Caleb and Alex as well as the beginning of the affair with Claire’s husband.  By the end of the episode, Quantico sees the body count go up by one.

While we never see Drew’s body, it is pretty much assumed the explosion must have killed him, like Vasquez earlier.  Miranda may well be the next victim of “The Voice” but to be honest, her wounds are in that left shoulder, up high and not quite lethal…yet.

As Liam leans over Miranda, seemingly about to pump another bullet into his former lover, one question remains. Where the heck is Iris Chang (Li Jun Li)? After the buildup of Iris and Caleb, where he helps her get her security clearance, why is she missing? Did she die in the explosion, or, is she in league with Liam?

She could, taking into consideration the problem with the clearance,  be partnered up with Liam or even Simon…

On a sidenote, mad props to Chopra who not only has a face that could launch a thousand ships but also has chops for days. Her scene towards the end of the episode was brilliant.

‘Quantico’ has been an interesting ride thus far. Once it stopped focusing on all the pretty people and their romantic flings things got complex and a bit addictive. The series first season ends next Monday on ABC. Tune in and see if Liam really is the “big bad” of the show.