In this episode of Quantico, “Closure,” Alex is once again the subject of a manhunt as her friends and foes try to track her down before the bomb goes off. One week before graduation, Shelby’s mother reaches out, Raina has second thoughts and Alex learns the truth about her father.
Alex is again on the run. This time, she’s in Ryan’s truck with a nasty bomb riding shotgun. Drew has the truck’s GPS wired to his tablet, so if Alex deviates off course, BOOM! As she navigates NYC traffic pretty speedily, Alex tries to engage Drew in a heart-to-heart convo, but even though he didn’t graduate from the Academy, Drew recognizes that Alex is pulling something straight out of the classroom — trying to establish a connection in a crisis situation.
Quantico Recap: Who is The Voice? >>>
Bombs Away
It also turns out that Drew is still a little bitter — make that a lot bitter — about her getting him booted from Quantico, so her charms are lost on him anyway. She warns him that everybody — Ryan, Miranda and Nimah — saw everything and are probably tracking her as they speak. Drew says he’s counting on it.
Back at the field office, Ryan and Nimah figure out what Alex was uploading onto Ryan’s computer — the schematics for a nuclear bomb. Miranda gets footage from CCTV in the parking garage that gives a clear shot of the bomb in Ryan’s truck. Miranda starts shouting out instructions, which is mainly a whole lot of acronyms (FEMA, WMD, NYPD, etc.). She also orders that Ryan be put into holding with Caleb. He swears he’s being framed, a common occurrence on Quantico, but since the bomb was in his truck and the plans were on his computer, Miranda has to bench the golden boy until she figures things out.
One Week Until Graduation
Liam gives Alex back her father’s ID. He tells her how proud her father would be that she’s at the top of her class. He also apologizes for all of his earlier shady behavior and lets her know he’d be honored to work with her in the field one day.
The trainees receive their field assignments, except for Iris, who can’t go anywhere until she gets that pesky security clearance. She questions why they would bother to graduate her, and I tend to agree. In fact, I wonder why they let her in at all.
Shelby is very upset, leading Iris to ask if she’d been assigned to Tampa, but Shelby isn’t looking at her assignment. She’s gotten a letter from her parents saying they’re sorry they haven’t been in touch. Shelby pounds on Caleb’s door and tells him if he keeps forging letters from her parents, she’ll report him. But Caleb swears to Iris that this correspondence isn’t his handiwork.
Shelby is also still in cahoots with Clayton Haas to take down her parents, and he warns her that once she goes down this path, there’s no turning back.
The former Southern belle also confides in Alex about her parents and how the gruesome twosome were just looking for a handout. She also tells her friend how Caleb was the one writing the letters.
Coombs informs the twins that they are going to work in 24 hours. They have a window of opportunity to infiltrate a terrorist cell. No graduation ceremony for these two.
50 Shades of Gray
This episode’s lesson is about what happens in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. Agents who worked cases give the class a firsthand account of how traumatic these attacks can be. Also on hand is Senator Haas.
Alex asks Liam if she can work the Omaha case, but he tells her that no trainee can work a case that they have a personal connection to.
The trainees get access to the FBI’s Forensic Science Research and Training Center, the premier crime lab in the US. They’ve all been given key cards to evidence libraries pertaining to their particular cases.
Shelby gets a call from her mother who is just frantic to see her daughter. She’s far enough away to be safe but close enough to wish she was closer (Canada). Shelby’s mother says she’s made a horrible mistake and asks if there’s any way Shelby could come to her. Shelby questions if her parents would come out of hiding if she could get them an immunity deal. Her mother says they would, so Shelby now has a way to lure her parents in.
Shelby also happens to be working the Omaha case, and she finds something she thinks will interest Alex — journals kept by her father while he was working undercover. He gave one to his handler every week. The two swap evidence cards.
It just so happens that Alex’s dad’s handler is hanging around that day. She admits to him that she knows she’s not supposed to work the case, but one of her friends pointed out the logbooks. Alex calls to his attention that one book is missing. He writes it off as some kind of clerical error.
In spite of being in the middle of the busiest crime lab in the world, Alex is able to do some covert snooping. She goes back to the handler and accuses him of lying to her. She thinks she has a right to know what happened, so they scamper off to a secluded hallway. He explains that sometimes undercover agents have to give the bad guys a push to get them to act, and you have to hope you catch them before anything bad happens. Apparently, that was the case in Omaha, with Liam and Alex’s dad, and we know how that turned out. The handler burned the logbook to cover everybody’s asses.
Iris goes to Caleb and tells him that Shelby just stole the Department of Justice file her team is supposed to be working with: statutes, transcripts and redacted immunity agreements. Iris warns Caleb that Shelby is going to get caught.
Caleb and Iris, aka “Spy-ris,” confront Alex and ask if she gave Shelby her key card for the 9/11 evidence. Alex says yes, and they tell her that Shelby used it to steal a witness immunity agreement. Iris thinks Shelby is using it to set up her parents. Alex points out that that would be entrapment, and if EAD finds out, Shelby’s career is finished.
Alex confronts Shelby, and she admits that she’s setting up her parents. Alex gets that Shelby wants her parents to pay for what they did, but breaking the law is not the way to do it. Shelby sees it as bringing to justice two people who have been defrauding the government for years. That is her job.
Alex says that she’s obligated to report Shelby, who tells her that sometimes the world is gray. Alex argues that there’s a difference between vengeance and justice. Shelby throws Alex out of her room and warns her to stay out of her way.
Alex goes to Ryan for advice but is interrupted by Liam. He got an e-mail from one of her classmates accusing her of taking evidence from the Omaha case file. Alex questions if that classmate was Shelby, but before Liam can answer, Alex narcs Shelby out.
Caleb manages to track down Shelby’s mom. He warns her that the deal is a fake and questions why she came back at all. She says that after they saw Shelby, all those maternal feelings came flooding back. She seems genuine, stating that she regretted everything the minute she left. Caleb says if that’s true, she should turn herself in; it’s the only way she’ll have a genuine relationship with Shelby. He warns her that she’s got minutes before HRT busts through the door.
Quantico Recap: What is the Terrorist’s Endgame? >>>
You Can’t Handle the Truth
Ryan demands to know from Liam what happened in Omaha. He tells him that he and Alex’s father had infiltrated a militia group. After six months of just talk, Michael and Liam were told to expedite things by giving them the blueprints to the federal building in Omaha. The agents were in over their heads, and before they knew what happened, it was too late. Ryan says that he thought Chicago was a mistake, but it was a pattern. Liam finds the shortcuts, and other people pay the price. He decides not to accompany Liam to DC.
Shelby returns and tells Alex that her mother was gone. She resents Alex’s interference and tells her she regrets ever meeting her.
Raina is having second thoughts. Unlike her sister, she’s just not as committed to the cause. Ryan encourages her to find an anchor, someone to keep her grounded. Raina calls Simon, who tells her it isn’t too late to back out. Simon assures Raina that she can do good without being an FBI agent. The two are spotted by Nimah.
Raina tells her sister that Kouri is a monster and they’re supposed to live with him, echo his beliefs and even pray with them. Nimah tells Raina that life is full of hard choices. Raina can’t do this for her sister; she has to want to do it herself. Either way, Nimah will figure it out and support Raina’s decision.
Iris gets her clearance thanks to Caleb and his mom. Shelby makes plans with Clayton to continue to pursue her parents after graduation, and the twins’ assignment gets pushed back a week.
The Search for Alex
Shelby tries to call Alex, who answers her phone but doesn’t say anything. Shelby can hear everything going on between Drew and Alex in the truck. Shelby tracks down Claire Haas. As the former mistress of the Senator’s husband, Claire’s minions aren’t eager to arrange a meet and greet, especially with the election just a day away. Shelby warns them that if they don’t let her talk to Claire, there might not be an election.
Claire storms into the field office and tells Miranda that Alex is no terrorist; she’s under Drew’s control. Shelby plays Miranda a recording she made of Alex and Drew. When are these people going to learn that Alex is never guilty?
Claire demands that Caleb be released. She insists that he and Shelby could be the key to stopping the madness before it’s too late. While she’s at it, Miranda lets Raina and Ryan go as well.
Miranda has eyes in the sky following 11 blue trucks, but none of the plates match Ryan’s. Claire points out that the terrorists must have replaced them. Miranda is running checks, but they have to be sure they approach the right truck because if it’s not, Drew could find out and get spooked. Claire agrees that they have to be discreet or chaos will ensue. Unfortunately, somebody leaked the garage footage to the media, so the word is out that there’s a nuclear bomb floating around NYC.
Nimah suggests to Miranda that Drew could be using a landline. Caleb wants to use DITU to match the sounds they hear to narrow down their location. Miranda reinstates them for the day. This sets Ryan off. Caleb is still in withdrawals, and Raina hasn’t been in the Bureau for months. Miranda points out that this is her investigation and then puts him in charge while she supposedly heads off to a briefing.
Caleb may be a junkie, but he’s still got mad skills. He narrows down Drew’s possible location and finds a rental under the name of Alicia Landon, Drew’s ex-fiancee.
Fun and Games
Cut to an abandoned apartment with a laptop. Also in the room are Drew and Simon. They are tethered together, and neither man knows how they got there. So while it’s Drew talking to Alex, it isn’t actually Drew. Simon notices that the door is rigged to blow if it opens.
Alex has finally come to a stop. It appears as if she’s surrounded. The person posing as Drew tells her she needs to fight her impulse to run and let what happens happen. Alex has to stay put, and it will all be over soon. But Alex isn’t who they are after. They are making their way to the apartment.
Drew and Simon get loose, and Simon climbs out a window, hoping to get to Alex. Drew stays behind and tries to warn her using the computer.
The team of agents, led by Ryan, kicks down the door to the apartment, triggering a huge explosion. I think it’s safe to say Drew is dead. Ryan is fine except some ringing in the ears. He grabs a phone and calls Alex just as the truck is swarmed by agents. Ryan tells her there was an explosion, and Drew is dead. Alex is frantically trying to get the agents to not open any doors when she spots Simon trying to come through a barricade.
There’s a flashback to Simon sitting in his car. Nimah gets in and tells him that Raina isn’t coming. She’s choosing their mission, to fight a world that looks at every Muslim with hate and suspicion. Raina may care about him, but Simon isn’t ready for her. Nimah says Simon is asking her sister to choose between her heart and her faith, which is a losing proposition. He thinks Nimah will say anything to get what she wants, but Nimah points out that Raina is exercising her own free will.
Simon tells Alex to get out of the truck. The WMD team has swept the vehicle, and the bomb isn’t hardwired to anything; it’s all just theatrics. She questions if he’s wrong, and she’s hysterical. He reminds her about that day in the hotel room, and he would never let her make the same mistake he did. She claims it was her mistake, and she won’t let anyone else get hurt. Simon finally convinces her to get out.
The Terrorist’s True Identity is Revealed
Back at the office, everyone questions the terrorist’s endgame. Alex receives high praise from Claire. But their relief is short-lived. The bomb, which was very real, goes missing. The team realizes that only the high-ranking official would have known where it was taken, and in the New York office, that would be Miranda — who has also gone missing.
Miranda is following up on her own suspicions, and she comes face to face with the mastermind, Liam. He shoots her once, and it looks like he’s about to finish the job, but first, Miranda asks for his motive. Liam says, “To make things right.”
Quantico airs Sundays at 10pm on ABC.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
