You’ve said that season 2 will also revolve around a central crisis. What can you tell me now about that?
What I can say is that we’re very interested in looking at how the CIA does things compared to the FBI. The FBI teaches honest and trust and finding the truth and protection, and the CIA teaches deception and lying and twisting information to get what you want, what you need. We’re definitely interested in juxtaposing those two things and seeing how both sides work separately, and how they work when they’re forced to work together.
Where did the idea to pursue the CIA come from?
One of the things I liked very much about season 1 is that you really do learn how people become FBI agents. We heightened certain things, of course, but for the most part, those cases, those studies are true. You cycle through all those different fields, and talk about all those different areas, so I was very interested in doing a season of learning how other government agencies teach their agents. Plus, I had some unresolved issues to deal with regarding how we look at American governmental agencies. I felt like we had just scratched the surface. There’s more to look at as far as how we protect our country’s borders.
So is it safe to say that Alex makes the choice to join the CiA?
The key to that is in the title of the episode, which is usually the last word spoken in every episode. This time, curiously, it’s not, and yet it is. So.
What I can say is that we’re very interested in looking at how the CIA does things compared to the FBI. The FBI teaches honest and trust and finding the truth and protection, and the CIA teaches deception and lying and twisting information to get what you want, what you need. We’re definitely interested in juxtaposing those two things and seeing how both sides work separately, and how they work when they’re forced to work together.
Where did the idea to pursue the CIA come from?
One of the things I liked very much about season 1 is that you really do learn how people become FBI agents. We heightened certain things, of course, but for the most part, those cases, those studies are true. You cycle through all those different fields, and talk about all those different areas, so I was very interested in doing a season of learning how other government agencies teach their agents. Plus, I had some unresolved issues to deal with regarding how we look at American governmental agencies. I felt like we had just scratched the surface. There’s more to look at as far as how we protect our country’s borders.
So is it safe to say that Alex makes the choice to join the CiA?
The key to that is in the title of the episode, which is usually the last word spoken in every episode. This time, curiously, it’s not, and yet it is. So.
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TVLINE | You held off on telling Josh Hopkins that Liam was the ultimate culprit until about three-quarters of the way through the season. How did the rest of the cast react when they found out?
[Laughs] They were really excited it wasn’t them… Josh and Jake [McLaughlin] and Graham [Rogers] are always f—king with each other, so once I told him, all he really cared about was how we could f—k with Graham before we announced it… Everyone was relieved. I will say that Tate [Ellington] knew he wasn’t the terrorist way back. I told him way back in the year, because I knew all the emotional stuff he was going to have to do, so I wanted him to know that he wasn’t the terrorist. Priyanka [Chopra] always knew it wasn’t her. I told Yasmine [Al Massri] and Johanna [Braddy] earlier than others because they had to do certain things that I wanted them to be aware of. I stepped it out. I think the last people to know were Jake, Graham, Josh and Aunjanue [Ellis].
TVLINE | Simon’s storyline this season felt as though it were always building to this final scene. Did you have his heroic death in mind right from the beginning?
Simon slipped the noose a lot throughout the year. Tate is one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with and one of my favorite people I’ve ever met in my entire life. So losing him from the show was really difficult for everybody. It still is. We still talk about it: We know it was the right thing, but it still feels terrible because you’re losing such a good part of your family. But it felt like there was no other way. In fact, we had many other people in that car, but we kept coming back to Simon because that was the only person that felt right. His was a tragic arc leading to redemption no matter what, whether it lasted one year or five years. That would always be where he would end up. Then we just couldn’t shake the fact that it had to be him in that car.
[Laughs] They were really excited it wasn’t them… Josh and Jake [McLaughlin] and Graham [Rogers] are always f—king with each other, so once I told him, all he really cared about was how we could f—k with Graham before we announced it… Everyone was relieved. I will say that Tate [Ellington] knew he wasn’t the terrorist way back. I told him way back in the year, because I knew all the emotional stuff he was going to have to do, so I wanted him to know that he wasn’t the terrorist. Priyanka [Chopra] always knew it wasn’t her. I told Yasmine [Al Massri] and Johanna [Braddy] earlier than others because they had to do certain things that I wanted them to be aware of. I stepped it out. I think the last people to know were Jake, Graham, Josh and Aunjanue [Ellis].
TVLINE | Simon’s storyline this season felt as though it were always building to this final scene. Did you have his heroic death in mind right from the beginning?
Simon slipped the noose a lot throughout the year. Tate is one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with and one of my favorite people I’ve ever met in my entire life. So losing him from the show was really difficult for everybody. It still is. We still talk about it: We know it was the right thing, but it still feels terrible because you’re losing such a good part of your family. But it felt like there was no other way. In fact, we had many other people in that car, but we kept coming back to Simon because that was the only person that felt right. His was a tragic arc leading to redemption no matter what, whether it lasted one year or five years. That would always be where he would end up. Then we just couldn’t shake the fact that it had to be him in that car.
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