“Quantico” series premiere starts off with a bang – literally

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Photo courtesy of www.ew.com

“Quantico” series premiere sets high expectations for episodes to come

Ankit Agrawal, Team Leader

Deception, secrets, and a need to succeed – all a part of the enthralling story behind ABC’s new fall show “Quantico.” The show debuted its series premiere on Sept 27, and with eight minutes of the premiere available on ABC’s website before the premiere date, viewers already had a short glimpse into the exciting, mystery-filled episode before its start, leaving them with questions that could only be answered by watching the rest of the episode.

The story of “Quantico” revolves around a woman named Alex Parrish (Priyanka Chopra), and her adventures in two side-by-side stories (similar to the format of ABC’s other show “How to Get Away with Murder”). In one story, she’s an FBI-trainee, studying and training to become a better FBI agent in the field with colleagues such as Nimah Anwar (Yasmine Elmasri), Simon Asher (Tate Ellington), Shelby Wyatt (Johanna Braddy), and Ryan Booth (Jake McLaughlin), all of whom come from different backgrounds in various locations throughout the US. However, in the second story, which takes place nine months later, she’s found in the middle of a bombing in New York City, and is arrested as the bomber of the terrorist attack after being framed. Alex later escapes, and she, along with the the help of the people she’s met, must uncover the identity of the true bomber while evading recapture by the FBI.

Having Priyanka Chopra, a globally-known Indian superstar and actress in award-winning Indian films, star as the lead of “Quantico” has helped break racial barriers. As an Indian lead on an American television show, Chopra is becoming more commonly known in the US. Moreover, her songs such as “In my City” in 2012 and “Exotic” in 2013 have helped her gain popularity, while “Quantico” is continuing to do so as she brilliantly plays the clever, mysterious, and dynamic role of Alex Parrish.

However, while Alex is the main character of the plot, every person on Quantico is important, and this is clearly evident throughout the pilot. Each FBI trainee contains their own secrets, and adds to the layers of confusion and intrigue in the show. The pilot episode already reveals some of these mysteries by forcing the trainees to “study-up” on their colleagues and find a missing piece of information in their case files, which they later reveal through a polygraph test. As viewers reach the end of the episode, secrets, such as the death of Wyatt’s parents and Anwar’s “hidden” family, come to light and make viewers question who to trust, and what others may be keeping in the dark. Furthermore, the pilot was much more action-filled than expected, with a suicide and shocking revelations being made by the second that forced viewers to stay on their toes.

Of all the characters who arrived on Sunday night’s premiere, Ryan Booth stirred up much suspicion during the pilot. During the episode, Ryan and Alex, after meeting for the first time, begin to like each other, which is evident through a scene in Ryan’s car and subtle actions throughout the pilot. However, at the very end of the episode, it all seems to be a lie, with Ryan conversing with one of the FBI trainers about how he must do all of this to keep an eye on her. This leads viewers to question his true intentions, and try and understand what it all means.

The series premiere has definitely given viewers some answers, but has left them with many more questions as well. The episode ended with viewers forced to speculate as to how everything in the future came to be, and what will happen next. Overall, the premiere has set the show on a good foot, with viewers looking forward to future episodes in the intriguing, heart-racing story of “Quantico.”