A personal tragedy reopens old wounds for the Mullen family. Speaker Dreyer pushes for a change in leadership. Sheila testifies before Congress. A new threat creates further unrest across the nation. As he narrows in on the culprit, Mullen is faced with an agonizing decision.
It's not fantastical to imagine members of Congress having ties to extremist terrorist organizations or tech titans. However, this escalation largely amounts to shocking twists at the expense of character. That's unfortunate. It details the ways in which so many of the systems have been corrupted. Everything needs to burn down to be reborn. As such, Mullen is the last honest man trying his best to save the ideals that formed the nation. He's actively pursuing every lead. Following Roger's funeral, he acknowledges that the government still doesn't know who committed the Zero Day attack. He got distracted. He was personally targeted. That happened online. He believes it happened in person too. People expect his resignation. Social media algorithms fuel that conversation. Those on the outside are whipping their followers into a frenzy over reports of what's happening within the commission. The information is accurate to an extent. People were concerned about Mullen's judgment. When Sheila is called to testify, she stands firm in her support. Everyone is right to be outraged over Mullen's use of torture. That was futile. Evan didn't know anything. It's still hypocritical of those on Capital Hill to call for Mullen's termination after giving him these powers. They wanted to dictate the terms of who could wield it. Mullen didn't play along with their demands. And now, everyone scrambles to force him out. Meanwhile, Mullen achieves a breakthrough. When Roger operated in the truth, he held the key to uncovering the actual criminal scheme. Those are the results Mitchell needs to regain confidence in the man she tasked to head up the commission. Decisive action must be taken to secure Mullen's position. He achieves that.
It all culminates in a shootout between the Zero Day commission and Monica Kidder's private security. The technology used in the attack was developed by her company. Mullen laid a trap for one of her co-conspirators. He fell right in. His identity was exposed. He was tied back to her quickly. All of this is certain. Mullen doesn't need to hesitate at all. Kidder doesn't have the ability to blackmail Mullen and Valerie with what she knows. She is set up to take the fall. No one knows who shot first. It ensures a dramatic showdown. One where Kidder receives all the blame. Mullen isn't given the opportunity to question her and figure out her motivation. Instead, she is killed in her holding cell. It's clearly a cover-up. Tthe footage was altered. That suggests the commission's integrity has been compromised. That was enough for Lyndon to stay away. No one knows where he is. Kidder was offered up to provide an easy resolution. The truth is more complicated than that. It appears to include Alex and Dreyer. They too communicate on analog radios. It's an incriminating visual. It extends the breadth of who is involved in this massive crime. People who sworn an oath to protect and defend the Constitution have betrayed that power. It's a vast conspiracy. That has always been the case. The show is fundamentally about power. It holds a light up to the power structures of the nation. This is an extreme case of what could happen. It's not as far-fetched as one might imagine. Even admitting that showcases how acceptable some wild plot twists can now be. That's scary. It doesn't make for consistent viewing. Mullen remains central to everything. Too much feels like a connection to a former era that doesn't exactly belong with the fast-paced nature both of politics and the structural demands of narrative storytelling.
Overwhelmingly, this show favored plot over character. The only figure who saw a significant journey was Mullen. Information was withheld from both him and the audience that would have led to the conclusion faster. That's part of the practical realities of this work. It requires humans. Mistakes are made. Yet that's ultimately all they are meant to be viewed as. Mullen ordered the torturing of Evan Green. That was a mistake that requires no greater accountability for him. He was given the legal authority to do it. That's the end of the conversation. Some people were outraged momentarily. Yet the co-conspirators within Congress wanted to use these expansive powers themselves to dramatically remake the country. That's why Speaker Dreyer was trying to get Mullen out of the job as soon as the appointment was made. President Mitchell and CIA Director Lasch suspected people from within the government were responsible from the start. Mitchell chose not to share her fears while Mullen conveniently couldn't remember the first conversation he had with Lasch. He was present but absentminded. The show offers no clarity over whether there was some nefarious attack on his mental state. He finds a device in the bird feeder that could be responsible. No conclusive answers are delivered. The Zero Day commission figured out how the malware got onto multiple different systems and coordinated the attack. Yet the government can't explain the piece of evidence Mullen finds that could explain his symptoms. Instead, his lingering connection to "Who Killed Bambi?" is used as a way to connect to the agony over losing his son. That reminder in the spur of the moment allows him to share the full truth with the public. He stands firm in that decision even though that leaves him all alone. That's the tragedy of this piece. He sought out this power and responsibility. These are the consequences for making the choices no one else could.
Mitchell and Dreyer had separate reasons to cover-up the involvement of people in Congress. Dreyer promises to get everyone to retire at the end of their current terms. He sets in motion that plan. Mullen should be comforted knowing these influential people will be out of power soon. That isn't good enough. Mitchell acknowledges the mistakes and promises to learn from them. She desires a second term. She's still a political animal worried about her future. She wants to do the right thing. That isn't necessarily the truth. It's whatever story is ultimately told. Everyone accepted that Mullen left the presidency because his son died. They didn't have to reckon with a more complicated story. What they had was enough. Mullen protected people who didn't deserve the pain of being involved in a career-ending scandal. He still maintains that mentality. That led to Lily growing up not knowing anything about her father. It takes this tragedy for honest conversations to occur. The attack was meant to reveal the country's vulnerabilities. With that out in the open, people in power would be more willing to actually get stuff done. Dreyer wanted more power than that. He set up the commission to ensure he would be the one to wield it. He was furious after Mullen's appointment. More lives were lost as a result. Another attack occurred. Because the commission understood Kidder's system, they could get the country back online shortly. It wasn't immediate. The government delivered. Mullen is thankful for the service of his team. He still has the ultimate choice to make. Alex gives him the freedom to do so. She takes accountability. She can't deflect and point the finger at the failings elsewhere. She took part in this action. This is the last act of Mullen's career. This is his final statement. He doesn't need to explain more in a memoir. He leaves behind a chaotic world. He's willing to see it as it is and do the hard work within the boundaries of the law and democracy. Too many are willing to give that up. They fail. It's not for a lack of trying. Mullen is at peace. That isn't exactly comforting either. He delivers unity. That's what everyone claims to want. They just have to be willing to listen to every aspect of the message and not lose slight once the dust settles.
