Former President George Mullen's comfortable retirement is upended after he's asked to lead an investigation into a horrific cyberattack. Mullen's commission investigates a hacking ring. President Mitchell weighs retaliation. A powerful figure has demands for Roger.
The series opens in typical conspiracy thriller fashion. Former President George Mullen is trying to obtain something from his safe while a threat from outside is trying to get in. When the action eventually catches up to that moment, it reveals how the tension comes entirely from Mullen's perspective. He is built up as this almost mythical figure. He represents a politician from a previous era. He garnered massive bipartisan support in getting into the White House and throughout his sole term. He only left following the pain of his son's death. Otherwise, he would have sailed through to victory. Politics has only gotten increasingly nasty since then. His daughter is more than willing to get in the fight. She doesn't believer her father can operate in this environment anymore. The county has been attacked by cyber criminals. Multiple systems stopped working for exactly one minute. Thousands of people were killed. The criminals threatened to do it again. Everyone is afraid. Mullen eases their concerns. He speaks to their fears in a way current politicians cannot. It's an aspirational mentality despite the horrors everyone is suffering. It's important to see Mullen in that visual before actually meeting the current President. She is struggling to keep everything together. Congress allows for the creation of a commission that basically eliminates all civil liabilities and protections. Mullen is the only person trusted to use that power responsibly. Alex doesn't think anyone should have that kind of influence. It doesn't matter what has happened. The country still has a right way of doing things. She can't stop it. This is what's happening. This has been the chosen response. Mullen has to step into the spotlight once more. He just may not be up to the task.
The public has questions about the end of Mullen's term in office. Some already suspect that success in the commission will be used to jumpstart his political career. He's not trying to do that. He wants to step back and allow his wife the time to shine as a federal judge. She is just as worthy of the attention and praise. Their daughter has a righteous cause in the U.S. House of Representatives. She knows how the opposing side conducts themselves. She worries for her father. Everyone proclaims they are wrong to underestimate him. He still has easy access to classified intelligence. He knows the government doesn't know anything about this attack. However, his former contacts have a theory already. It even leads to a phone call where Mullen is possibly given all the answers. That isn't true. It's simply the rantings of a mad man almost. He writes the same phrase over and over again. It clearly offers personal resonance. It creeps into his world whether he is willing to reflect on the past or not. He was incapable of delivering his memoir on time. He couldn't bear the pressure of what occurred. He too believes he resides in another time. Yet he has been called to serve. He accepts the appointment. This has to be done the right way. He promises to deliver answers. He will be nonpartisan. And yet, his reality is being warped. It's not just the ways in which politics has changed. It's actually his perception of who he is interacting with. And so, he is an untrustworthy narrator. That's a crucial piece to observe. His world may not be as it seems. He's still given authority to operate. People trust and respect him. He has so much to lose. He cannot fail. The odds seem stacked against him. That's the starting off point. He may deliver. It may still come at an immense cost.
Mullen has written things down for his entire career. They have always helped with his memory. It isn't a new trick developed to help with declining health. He believes it's impossible to come forward with any concerns now. He has accepted the Zero Day assignment. He needs to maintain an aura of trust. Of course, he's operating in a world where people don't willingly hand that over. He fixates on one commentator in particular: Evan Green. He views him as fanning the flames of everyone's worst impulses. One rant unlocks a memory for Mullen. He tries to recall his conversation with Natan. Everything remains fuzzy. He reassembles the details of his study. He fixates on Bob Ross painting on the television. He manages to put a few words together. And then, he goes out to the press to release that bombshell. He is the one driving this narrative. The nation isn't looking to President Mitchell for leadership. She carries all the burdens and responsibilities of the response. She needs to get things right. Mullen has been given all the powers he needs. It doesn't matter what happens to obtain the crucial information. The country needs to know who to blame. Russia is the easy initial target. It's the quick assumption based on the decades of tension. Roger delivers the information proving their innocence. That turns the suspicion elsewhere. Suddenly, the greatest threat to the country was developed by domestic terrorists. They were the ones who financed this massive operation. All it took was coercing the right disgruntled employee at the NSA. Mullen gets out ahead of the President in sharing this news. He follows his own instincts. She will receive the praise if he's right. Yet Mullen knows how tenuous all of this remains in the immediate aftermath.
In the meantime, families are suffering. Sheila worries for her husband. She wants someone on the commission who will protect him no matter what. Roger has positioned himself as a loyalist. Yet he's also indebted to bad people. The Justice Department tried to make a case against him. It failed. Now, Roger has to work with Carl. They clash. The work must stand united. It serves no one to bring ego into this mission. Mullen is the only one with a perspective that ultimately matters. He stands ready to make all the tough decisions. Of course, Proteus is something he doesn't have time to verify or explain to the team. He goes public with that detail without fully knowing what it is. The CIA director is more than willing to read Mitchell into the details of this program. It's not exactly what Mullen believes. It remains a complicated story. One in which everyone has conflicting agendas. Sheila reaches out to Valerie to ensure her husband remains protected. They too have to drop their contentious past to embark on this new mission. This threat to the country takes priority above all else. That urgency is deeply felt amongst the entire ensemble. They need to get it right. That's the pressure every person faces every day in this line of work. The information is at risk of being politicized. It's important for the commission to have proper oversight by Congress. Yet it's also a convenient tactic to stick Alex right in the middle of that drama. She blames her father for a lot. He sacrificed himself for the country. It came at the expense of so much. She carries that burden. She hasn't developed healthy relationships. This is the position of power she finds herself in. She must use it in order to maintain it moving forward. That's how this world operates. No one has any time to slow down. They must be meticulous. So much has the potential to go wrong and dramatically reshape rights and protections in this country.
