Quantico is a new series on ABC, about a rookie class entering the FBI academy at Quantico, and what becomes of them when their world is turned upside down six months later.
We have to start by saying that Quantico was totally not what we were expecting. In all honesty, we were thinking it would be like Criminal Minds, J.A.G., or N.C.I.S. Not that we have anything against a government agency procedural. On a snowy day, it’s a lot of fun to do a Law and Order marathon, hear the classic “thunk, thunk,” and know that everything that was “ripped from the headlines” is going to be wrapped up in a neat bow within the hour. All of this has a place on TV, but this classic formula isn’t what Quantico is about by a long shot.
Quantico is a lot more like The Blacklist meets How to Get Away with Murder with a dash of Homeland mixed in. Within the first five minutes of the show, we are presented with a glimpse of Alex Parrish, a rookie member of a new F.B.I. class, leaving her home under mysterious circumstances, and travelling to the Quantico training center located just outside Washington D.C. Alex isn’t your typical, network TV, All-American recruit. Instead, she’s an Indian-American, with an obvious streak for living on the edge and lying effortlessly.
The next thing you know, rather than us meeting the rest of the recruits (which does happen in due course), we flash forward six months to New York City where there has been an apparent terrorist bombing that has decimated the area around Grand Central Station in New York City. Alex is found at the heart of the bombing, seemingly unhurt, with no idea what happened or how she got there.
The rest of the episode is a flash forward and back, very much in the style of How to Get Away With Murder, as we meet the new recruits on their first two days at Quantico juxtaposed with more information on the terrorist bombing. We are instantly drawn to Alex, played by Priyanka Chopra, and what has happened to her and her colleagues.
Chopra is absolutely riveting. She is well-known in her native India as a singer and Bollywood star, and there is no doubt she is about to become a household name in the U.S. We see her go from a cocky, chip-on-her-shoulder recruit to a rookie who breaks down when her world has quite literally fallen apart around her.
We won’t spoil the facts about the other recruits. You’ll want to see it yourself in all its jaw-dropping goodness. We will say this, though: Nothing and no one is as they seem. You absolutely will not see their backstories coming as only some of their darkest secrets are revealed in the first episode.
So where is all this leading? One of these recruits, we are led to believe, masterminded the terrorist attack and framed one of their colleagues. Quantico is a whodunnit on an epic scale that keeps you thinking about the show for days after running all the suspects through your mind. Do not miss this show. It will easily be added to your “must watch live” list.
Just in case you are a skeptic, and aren’t ready to take our word for it, watch the first eight minutes below. Trust us, you’ll instantly be dying for the rest, which you can get on the ABC site right here without signing in.
Catch the first episode now, and see episode 2 this Sunday at 10:00/9:00 p.m. on ABC.