Quantico Season 3: What to expect from the blockbuster thriller as it comes back for a full season
"My name is Alex Parrish. Protecting our country had always been my dream, but my life took a very drastic turn."
Smart, leggy and lethal, Alex Parrish is coming back to our television screens this Thursday, April 26, in the third season for the FBI drama 'Quantico'. Now if you're following the show since it started back in 2015, you know that the plot has had a zillion twists and the show keeps you on your toes. You expect one thing and bam! Expectations crushed — in a good way.
As the third season rolls in, it is worth wondering what kind of twists and wild goose chases will the creators of this ABC drama bring. Though we cannot say for certain, of course, let's make an educated guess shall we?
The last season ended on an extremely political note, so I think without a doubt, this season will be dotted with underlying political references here and there. Season two finale featured Alex and her team's long-awaited win over the rogue agents within the Domestic and International Security Agency.
The episode also hinted at the American political scenario post-Trump where more rogue agents were recruited to carry out a supremacist vision with regard to Muslim registry of the fictional President Henry Roarke, played by actor Dennis Boutsikaris. He was the successor to President Clair Haas, played by Marcia Cross, who had come in at the time of crisis but was coerced to resign.
Season two also dabbled a lot on the secret layers of the intelligence bureaus, to add extra depth to the series. Priyanka Chopra, who plays Alex Parrish in the series was as usual, at the wrong place at the wrong time. But Alex being Alex had to intervene.
After the win, it left the characters in some uncomfortable positions as the show ended. Alex had to flee the country after breaking a gazillion laws to take the president down and her on-again-off-again, love interest Ryan Booth played by Jake McLaughlin joins her. It was quite romantic too - he promises to live his life with Alex, recalling the time he met her, all those episodes ago on the plane to Quantico in season 1.
Expect this season to be completely different from what we know. For starters, the whole flashback storytelling will be gone for good. This season will see Alex and the gang go after villains as off-the-book cases progress, risking their all to save the world. About time, I think.
This comes as no surprise after showrunner Josh Safran quit the series, after making the season 2 finale. 'Code Black's' Michael Seitzman has taken over since then and he will, needless to say, bring his own flavor to the plot. Let's hope for a similar magic as 'Code Black', the 2013 drama tackles the uncertainty and rush of an overcrowded emergency room.
A few of the cast members like Aunjanue Ellis, who played assistant director to the bureau Miranda Shaw, Yasmine Al Massri, who played the two opposite twins Nimah and Raina and Pearl, as well as Pearl Thusi, who portrayed Dayana Maphasi on screen, are no longer a part of the drama.
Miranda, who was sent off to a Federal prison after helping out Alex in 'Resistance', will be missed and without the twins, a lot of the storyline would have become much simpler — one face, one person, for starters. But sticking to the 'Quantico' quest of surprises, we have two wild card entries this season with the show bringing back Harry Doyle, the savvy British agent played by Russell Tovey. The other one would be a new character altogether - that of former FBI agent Jocelyn Turner played by the gorgeous Marlee Matlin.
Now that we've touched base in terms of technicality, let's get to the story.
First, let's talk Ryan Booth and Alex's much-awaited getaway — what happened to Ryan? Will the two get back together at some point? Will the agency let them make hot steamy love and pick fruits from gardens in peace forever? Highly doubtful. As a couple, they seemed stronger — after all, their relationship did brave such a massive breach of security in the last season as they both played double agents. The two came out mostly unscathed but were more committed than ever.
This season, expect to see the focus more on Alex's personal story than her love life with Ryan. Seitzman revealed in an interview earlier that Alex is living in the country, enjoying her life of quiet solitude. "We start with Alex three years later, living in Italy. She's not with Ryan. We don't know where Ryan is at this point. We find Alex living with somebody else — a man named Andrea — in the small town of Montepulciano, Italy where she works in a vineyard and she comes home to him in the evening and his daughter Isabella, who's a beautiful seven-year-old girl. They live in the Italian countryside together."
In terms of Alex's romance, there were also moments in the last season that we saw her getting close to FBI supervisor Owen. This season may revisit those tender moments too, perhaps creating another hurdle for Ryan and Alex to cross over romantically.
The trailer suggests a whole lot of new missions, a new team, new villains and new ways to break the old rules — all for saving the day. Since it won't be flashback storytelling, expect a lot of villains. Taking a leaf out of other FBI-based blockbusters, 'Quantico' creators have gone with one big villain and other tiny ones that are scattered throughout the show. This change also means that new viewers will be able to catch up quickly and viewers will be less confused when following the everchanging plotlines. The fact that the story was way too complicated was one of the biggest criticisms this thriller drama has faced so far.
This time, it is Alex's friend Shelby Cooper (Johanna Brady) that needs saving — from an international arms dealer called 'The Widow'. This means, we will see a lot less of Shelby, perhaps only during emotional times in the season, when the gang is reminiscing what a wonderful friend she's always been. Expect to see a lot more of Shelby's character unfold through the eyes of her friends and colleagues.
The new entry is still a mystery - Jocelyn Turner could very well be the one who changes the game or ruin it. She plays a deaf character in the season, whose badassery is unparalleled. She is sure to have extra knowledge about the big villain that the team is chasing, hence her addition to the series. Expect an ego clash between Alex and Jocelyn — we know that Alex usually has a mind of her own. As far as I've sighted Turner in the trailers and sneak peeks, she looks like someone who is full of doubts when it comes to trusting anyone and anything.
It will also be very interesting to watch the portrayal of an agent who deals with a disability. As she is definitely not a sidekick, it will be exciting to see how much of her character evolves through this season. I expect to see her as a workaholic, who is a go-getter and kind of unstoppable. I don't think a lot of her personal life would be revealed this time — because if you think about it, other than the core characters, we don't really know about the personal lives of any from just one season.
Judging from the interviews that the cast and crew have done, it wouldn't be wrong to guess that this season is all about evolving the main characters and the tone of the story. This will definitely be their most stylish season so far (Chopra had posted enough posts on Instagram) and the most intensive. We couldn't be more excited, and let's see if 'Quantico' will recreate its past magic.