Designated Survivor Traitor in the White House

'Designated Survivor's' LaMonica Garrett on Finale Twist, Shooting Show in Trump Era

Actor tells TheWrap why Season 1's final episode was "gratifying" for his character, Mike Ritter

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Secret Service agent Mike Ritter (LaMonica Garrett) finally tracked down the White House traitor during Wednesday's "Designated Survivor" Season 1 finale, but the work is far from done for President Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) and his team.

The ABC political series' episode showed Ritter identifying Jay Whitaker (Richard Waugh) as the mole, and actor Garrett tells TheWrap that he was glad his character redeemed himself by ID'ing the traitor.

"It's gratifying because after last week, he walks right past me," Garrett says of Whitaker. "So in the finale, I finally get my hands on him, and I think it's that moment that the audience will really gravitate towards, and I really loved to work on that scene."

Also Read: Why 'Designated Survivor' is a Perfect Antidote to the Trump Presidency (Commentary)

The "Sons of Anarchy" alum acknowledges that with villain Patrick Lloyd (Terry Serpico) now on the loose, there are "tons of places" where Season 2 can go.

"He's free in the world now, so it's kind of a highest-bidder thing — who will the next enemy be, who is he working for throughout this whole season," Garrett says. "That's where he ends up, and I think that opens up a whole new can of beans."

The actor says that playing Ritter makes himself feel at times like Neo in "The Matrix," as Garrett is constantly discovering unexpected traits and skills that his character possesses.

Also Read: Kal Penn Tweets Racially Insensitive Scripts From Early Days as Actor

"You just learn more about yourself," Garrett says. "It's like, 'Wow, Ritter's a nerd. He's great with a computer. Oh wow, Ritter's a good bowler. He never knew his dad.' Those are fun pieces that get to unveil each episode. [But] I'd like to see more of Ritter away from the White House to see who he is as a person. Some private-life Ritter would be nice to see — along with some ass-kicking Ritter, too. Let him put his hands on somebody!"

Garrett calls it an "eerie coincidence" to be shooting a show about the White House at a time when the Trump administration is so polarizing, with the actor saying that Tom Kirkman's principled president represents "the way that it should be."

And how would Garrett feel if he found himself on Trump's real-life Secret Service detail?

"The Secret Service have been put in awkward positions in reality with Trump's White House, as far as just stretching them thin — networking in New York, they're down in Florida, he has family all over the country, the eastern board," he says, pointing out the high cost required to keep Trump safe. "It's got to be challenging, it's got to be tough. It's unique in every aspect."

21 'Designated Survivor' Characters, Ranked By How Patriotic They Really Are (Photos)

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  In a time when the government seems full of self-serving politicians and mavericks willing to flout laws and ethics rules in the name of their own betterment, ABC has "Designated Survivor." The show is about a cabinet secretary who winds up president. Of course, he's an amazing guy and constantly rising to the occasion — because that's what we love about America. Here's every "Designated Survivor" character ranked on how much they're like Tom Kirkman.

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  21. Patrick Lloyd (Terry Serpico)
  The clandestine former military contractor is the money man behind Pax Americana, the militant, alt-right group trying to take over the government. He talks a lot about "taking America back" and, like the real alt-right, that comes off as code for taking it back from people like progressives, minorities and women. Of course, he's just a greedy jerk who thinks America belongs to him and whoever he decides gets to come along.

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  20. Nestor Lozano (George Tchortov)
  Evil assassin super soldier Catalan, AKA Nestor Lozano, is a veteran who considers himself left behind by his country. He's basically the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Winter Soldier, but if he was brainwashed by alt-right propaganda and Pepe the Frog memes from 4chan. As expected, it was pretty satisfying to see him go down after Hannah Wells kicked the crap out of him.

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  19. Jay Whitaker (Richard Waugh)
  We finally find out who the mole in the White House is close to the end of Season 1 — this traitorous old white guy. He's probably got a lot of private Facebook posts about how Democrats are trying ruin the country with chemtrails.

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  18. Beth MacLeish (Lara Jean Chorostecki)
  Even more evil than her husband is Beth MacLeish, who's obviously the real true believer of the couple. She's willing to kill her husband, and die, for whatever it is these people believe in. That's how much she hates democracy, apparently.

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  17. Peter MacLeish (Ashley Zukerman)
  The Manchurian Candidate vice president was in on the capitol bombing from the start, and was installed to take over the presidency after Lozano assassinated Kirkman. Of all the conspirators, MacLeish at least had some semblance of a conscience — but he still super hates America and wants to pull a coup.

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  16. Gov. John Royce (Michael Gaston)
  In the immediate aftermath of the bombing at the Capitol, Royce basically tried to make Michigan a sovereign nation. He also immediately used his police to target Muslim Americans in his state, making him the kind of fascist who would persecute some Americans to consolidate his own power.

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  15. Harris Cochran (Kevin McNally)
  The former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff couldn't wait to bomb basically whoever was available, until Kirkman fired him. Cochran got a chance to redeem himself a bit in the final moments of the season, but he's still a warmongering jerk who thought the right thing for America was going to war for vengeance, without knowing who to get vengeance on.

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  14. Sen. Jack Bowman (Mark Deklin)
  After Kirkman survived an assassination attempt and started to get the government back up in running, Bowman tried to use the chaos for his own personal gain. Bowman's the kind of gross politician who personifies the Washington D.C. "swamp" that puts politics ahead of the country.

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  13. Charlie Langdon (Peter Outerbridge)
  Manipulated by the bad guys, the former White House chief of staff survives the Capitol bombing but goes into hiding. While it's true he didn't know who to trust, one can't help feeling like Langdon could have done a lot more for the country if he hadn't just bunkered down when he knew a coup was underway.

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  12. Abe Leonard (Rob Morrow)
  Though the bad guys have been feeding him information to try to distract the administration, Abe Leonard's heart is in the right place when it comes to informing the public about their government -- the key to democracy. And he cares enough about the country to respect Kirkman's request to hold back on a story, too. He's also an investigative reporter who briefly works for "Teen Mode," an awesome shoutout to the positive political writing being done at real-world magazine Teen Vogue.

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  11. Jason Atwood (Malik Yoba)
  Dedicated though he was to the FBI, Atwood couldn't put his country ahead of his family. The conspirators used his kidnapped son to force Atwood to help with their cover story blaming the Capitol bombing on terrorists. It nearly torpedoed the investigation, but Atwood redeemed himself by joining Hannah in finding the real conspirators.

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  10. Aaron Shore (Adan Canto)
  For a while there, it seemed like Aaron could be the traitor in the White House, and he was just cutthroat enough that it was hard to dismiss the possibility. But while he might be a guy more worried about his career than most other things, he was still willing to fall on his sword for his president, and for the good of America.

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  9. Rep. Kimball Hookstraten (Virginia Madsen)
  The only remaining member of Congress, the Speaker of the House was the Republican designated survivor. Although at first she seems like a political animal looking to climb the ladder, she also proves repeatedly that she cares about America as much as her career. Not quite as selfless as some, but Hookstraten is a real public servant, at least.

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  8. John Forstell (Reed Diamond)
  The FBI assistant director called in to investigate Hannah Wells, and then Jason Atwood, took a long time to come around to the conspiracy. But when he finally did, he became a dedicated ally who obviously takes his obligation to the president, and the country, very seriously.

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  7. Secret Service Agent Mike Ritter (LaMonica Garrett)
  As Kirkman's most reliable and loyal Secret Service agent, Mike becomes a close confidant and a leader of the investigation into the White House conspiracy. It's clear that Mike is a guy for whom duty, loyalty and country are everything.

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  6. Cornelius Moss (Geoff Pierson)
  President Moss, the guy who sat in the Oval Office before Kirkman's predecessor, shows up to help out the designated survivor with some of the tougher stuff -- seemingly because he wants to help Kirkman and America through a trying time. Moss is like America's Dad -- the one who will share a beer with you while telling you straight.

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  5. Seth Wright (Kal Penn)
  Speechwriter Seth often seems to act as the stand-in for the rest of us — the guy is excited to be in his job, excited to be working for America, and excited to be on Kirkman's staff. "Designated Survivor" starts with a skeptical Seth being inspired by the principled Kirkman, and watching him get excited to help the country is always a good time.

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  4. Emily Rhodes (Italia Ricci)
  It's clear the reason Emily sticks with Kirkman and fights to become his chief of staff is less about her own advancement than how much she believes in him. Especially when Kirkman becomes president, Emily comes off as a person thrilled to go to her job in the White House and save America in the wake of a tragedy.

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  3. Hannah Wells (Maggie Q)
  A tireless FBI agent convinced from the start of a conspiracy in the government, Wells is the Jack Bauer of "Designated Survivor," but with less "enhanced interrogation." Wells is a tireless FBI agent and investigator, but there's more to it: she's serious about protecting America from treasonous jerks.

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  2. Alex Kirkman (Natascha McElhone)
  The sudden First Lady is a successful lawyer on her own, and just as principles as her husband. Despite being pulled into the political world against her will, like Tom, Alex is all moral compass, all the time. She's always ready to do the right thing for the country.

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  1. Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland)
  An independent cabinet appointee with no political aspirations, Kirkman suddenly finds himself president. Principled, compassionate, terrified of the implications of the job but obviously capable, Kirkman is every American ideal rolled up into one guy -- and he'll do anything for his country. He makes everyone who spends any time a better American just with his influence. Of course, that means self-proclaimed "patriots" try to assassinate him.

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The selfless dedication to America is strong in this cast of characters — except for the fake patriots who commit treason all the time

In a time when the government seems full of self-serving politicians and mavericks willing to flout laws and ethics rules in the name of their own betterment, ABC has "Designated Survivor." The show is about a cabinet secretary who winds up president. Of course, he's an amazing guy and constantly rising to the occasion — because that's what we love about America. Here's every "Designated Survivor" character ranked on how much they're like Tom Kirkman.

Designated Survivor Traitor in the White House

Source: https://www.thewrap.com/designated-survivors-lamonica-garrett-on-finales-twist-awkward-reality-facing-trumps-secret-service/