London: Finally, ‘Quantico’ was aired on American television on Sunday night and Priyanka Chopra confidently captured the screen by unleashing the FBI trainee Alex Parrish. Thanks to the massive publicity by ABC, the plot revealed its half ‘Homeland’ and half ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ formula, as was pitched by the creator Joshua Safran, well known for his earlier shows such as ‘Smash’ and ‘Gossip Girl’.
The suspenseful elements are as intact as Pee Cee’s garish American accent, which comes across as the highlight of ‘Quantico’, one of the most anticipated shows of fall season.
The first episode ‘Run’ opened with Alex lying in the rubbles, post-terrorist attack at the Grand Central Station in New York. Despite the sleek action and engaging course of events, the pilot episode holds no surprise when the viewers learn that Alex is found to be a prime suspect. The actress had already made the revelation umpteen times in the interviews she gave to several chat-shows and international magazines.
The buzz around former Miss World Priyanka Chopra is severe; she is referred to as the “most lovable Indian actor, with more than 40 movies to her credit in a short span,” in every promotional article and chat show. Keeping in view the excitement among the Indian Diaspora in the US and UK, it has become mandatory for Priyanka to prove her mettle.
Since Priyanka is the biggest draw in ‘Quantico’, she is all set to make Brand Chopra more emphatic, internationally. Alex is a smart, sexy and intelligent recruit who refuses to look macho and gives no whiff of being a tomboy. In each frame, Priyanka doesn’t lose her grip on femininity and charms her fans with her pouts. Her effort to look perfect as Alex is so strong that it shows. So typical of Priyanka, who has never believed in being understated in any of her Bollywood movies.
As a fugitive from the law, Alex gets into several critical situations that would keep the audience on the edge, but the first episode has just given a glimpse of what’s in store. The story moves back and forth in flashback with the handsome former military officer Ryan Booth, played by Jake McLauglin. The same guy who meets up with Alex in the flight and followed by steamy sex in the car, Ryan challenges Alex at various levels, during the 20-week training course in the ‘Quantico’ academy.
The incidents, pace of events and the subplots related to supporting characters are so articulately woven in the main story, that the show instantly hooks you.
The final seven FBI recruits have their own mysterious life story that runs in the background. Different beliefs and religious backdrop would add to the diversity. Shelby Wyatt played by Johanna Braddy is an orphan Southern belle; Eric Packer is a Mormon with a troubled past and Simon Asher is the gay recruit. Nimah Amin, played by Yasmine Al Masri, is an observant Muslim who automatically becomes the prime suspect initially.
For those who have been a fan of ‘How To Get Away With Murder’ and ‘Scandal’, ‘Quantico’ is just the right show. For the sticklers of ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents’, the puffery around ‘Quantico’, might be mindless.
The focus of ‘Quantico’ continues to be on Chopra, who as fugitive will continue to dig out details of each of her former classmates, to find out the real terrorist. The audience will have the entire season to keep guessing whodunit, as the needle of suspicion would point at all the seven recruits.
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