Designated Survivor (TV Series)

Two Ships (2017)

Italia Ricci: Emily Rhodes

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Quotes 

• Emily Rhodes : He didn't want me. He wanted the White House.

  Seth Wright : I know.

  Emily Rhodes : You know, at least if he had asked for a kidney, I could have convinced myself that I was family; his daughter, someone he had to turn to. But after twenty-three years, you know what I meant to him?

  [her voice breaking] 

  Emily Rhodes : A corkscrew.

  Seth Wright : Listen, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once, and you need to take it on board, internalize it, remember it. You're the greatest thing since sliced bread. And if this guy doesn't see that, then he doesn't like bread. And when I say "bread", it's a metaphor, because you're not remotely bread-like, except insofar as bread is great. Fundamentally great, like water. Or air. Or you.

• Tom Kirkman : Anything from the Kunami ambassador?

  Emily Rhodes : He put out a statement accusing us of a hostile incursion into their territorial waters.

  Tom Kirkman : For what, running into a hundred thousand tons of their trash?

  Emily Rhodes : He says that was divine providence. He's consulting with the emir.

  Tom Kirkman : Casualties?

  Admiral Chernow : Sixteen dead. Dozens injured, sir. Well, the Verona's incapacitated. We'll have to tow her out. But we will need Kunami's cooperation.

  Aaron Shore : Well, we may need a show of force to get that. We're talking about a renegade regime that's been under military and economic sanctions for over a decade.

  Tom Kirkman : Where is our closest fleet?

  Admiral Chernow : Well, the best case, the Fifth is eight hours out. Kunami we can handle, but they're not the only problem, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : Right. Other hostile nations in the Middle East are watching. Son of a bitch. This can go global quickly.

  Admiral Chernow : The problem is the Verona is loaded with technology we have to keep out of Kunami's hands.

  Tom Kirkman : First and foremost, we've got 300 Americans stranded in hostile waters, many of them injured. We need to bring 'em home. Admiral, deploy the Fifth.

• Emily Rhodes : Tell the press pool that the president regrets the loss of life, and we're reaching out to Kunami to secure the immediate release of her crew.

  Seth Wright : Okay. They're still gonna wanna know what a U.S. destroyer was doing in Kunami waters.

  Emily Rhodes : Well, there's a phenomenon called rain, sometimes accompanied by an atmospheric disturbance called wind.

  Seth Wright : You really want me to feed that to the hyenas?

  Emily Rhodes : No. Tell them that the president regrets the loss of life.

  Seth Wright : You said that.

  Emily Rhodes : Well, the regret is profound. And we're reaching out to Kunami to se...

  Seth Wright : You said that, too.

  Emily Rhodes : My lack of sleep is profound.

  Seth Wright : Try coffee.

  Emily Rhodes : I don't drink coffee anymore.

  Seth Wright : Start.

• Tom Kirkman : Admiral, what's the update?

  Admiral Chernow : That's Kunami's fleet. Five ships and counting.

  Tom Kirkman : Tell me about the formation.

  Admiral Chernow : It's a classic blockade. Our ships won't be able to get anywhere near the Verona without running it.

  Emily Rhodes : And risking a war.

  Aaron Shore : It doesn't make sense that the emirate would want to do that.

  Tom Kirkman : What they want is to make us sweat. Our ship is at the mercy of a regime that is desperate to prove its own legitimacy to its people. And we have a crew that expects us to rescue them when apparently there's no easy way to do that. Admiral, contact Captain Griffin. We need to let him know that we haven't abandoned him.

• Emily Rhodes : Hey, Seth. How'd your press conference go?

  Seth Wright : Um, Al-Jazeera aksed me what a U.S. destroyer was doing in Kunami waters.

  Emily Rhodes : And what'd you say?

  Seth Wright : I said trying to get its engines started.

  Emily Rhodes : How very literal of you. Oh, I dropped off the Charlotte Thorn presser notes on your desk.

  Seth Wright : You dropped those off last night.

  Emily Rhodes : Really? Oh. Well, now you have two copies.

  Seth Wright : You want to tell me what's going on? 'Cause I find the whole "Absent-Minded Professor" thing charming, but the big guy won't.

• Emily Rhodes : I'm supposed to have lunch with my dad.

  Seth Wright : Okay. You've never mentioned him.

  Emily Rhodes : That's because I haven't seen him in twenty-three years. Not since he walked out on us.

  Seth Wright : Oh, sorry. I didn't know.

  Emily Rhodes : He got in touch a few weeks ago. He's in town all week for some convention, and I've been putting him off. But he leaves tonight.

  Seth Wright : So what are you gonna do?

  Emily Rhodes : Well, part of me would like to see him so I can plunge a knife into his heart.

  Seth Wright : Yeah, maybe not that.

  Emily Rhodes : The other part thinks that if I let him go, then I'll be closing a door on him forever. But that choice is out of my hands.

  Seth Wright : Why?

  Emily Rhodes : Because 300 of our sailors are trapped in enemy waters, Charlotte Thorn's killer is still on the loose, and the world is, you know, on fire.

  Seth Wright : The world is always on fire. Em, I would never tell you what to do, but don't let this place be an excuse. The flames will still be here when you get back.

• Dave Rhodes : I don't remember you being this quiet, Emily.

  Emily Rhodes : Didn't want to interrupt you while you were telling your life story. It's missing one thing, though. Me.

  Dave Rhodes : Emily, I am so sorry.

  Emily Rhodes : I don't need your apology. My mother does.

  Dave Rhodes : It's not what you think.

  Emily Rhodes : Really? Because I think you were too busy skiing and getting a tan to be a dad.

• Dave Rhodes : I left because your mother and I weren't in love.

  Emily Rhodes : So that's why I never heard from you; because you didn't love my mother.

  Dave Rhodes : I-I-I'm not here to make excuses. All I can tell you is that I knew if your mother wasn't in my life, then I couldn't be in yours.

  Emily Rhodes : You're right. That's... that's not an excuse. That's worse. That is cowardly and pathetic.

  Dave Rhodes : Emily.

  Emily Rhodes : Do you know what it's like to be a little girl with a birthday? And you run home from school praying that this is the year your dad sends you a card.

  [her voice breaking] 

  Emily Rhodes : And you get home and check the mail, and no. It's not the year. And there never was a year.

• Tom Kirkman : Admiral, I need you to tell me: was the Verona engaged in espionage?

  Admiral Chernow : In addition to its advanced weaponry, the Verona has a state of the art surveillance system, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : What were we monitoring?

  Admiral Chernow : Kunami's compliance with the sanctions.

  Tom Kirkman : Admiral, is there anything on the Verona that would confirm the emirate's allegations?

  Admiral Chernow : Unfortunately, sir, there is. The ship's Voyage Data Recorder tracks its movements to the second. Now, if the emirate coordinates the Verona's geo-locations with the weather, they can prove we were in their waters before the monsoon hit.

  Emily Rhodes : And our plausible deniability goes out the window.

• Tom Kirkman : Admiral, honestly, how far out is the Fifth Fleet?

  Admiral Chernow : Three hours. The choppy water's slowing the fleet down. We can have a strike package there in minutes.

  Emily Rhodes : Sir, there's an optics difference between using force to rescue a ship on a peaceable mission and one that was spying.

  Tom Kirkman : Right now, I don't care about the optics. I care about the crew.

  Aaron Shore : Well, sir, I have to advise you if we start launching missiles at their ships, the Verona's a sitting duck.

  Emily Rhodes : And the clock is ticking. We don't want force to be our primary option. We need to keep moving on the diplomatic front.

  Tom Kirkman : You're right. I want both of you to reach out to the Foreign Relations Committee. See how much room we've got to maneuver.

  Emily Rhodes , Aaron Shore : Yes, sir.

• Senator Ray Damone : You can't be serious.

  Aaron Shore : We're not talking about the elimination of sanctions, Senator. We're talking about loosening them.

  Emily Rhodes : Our proposal allows only for a civilian-enrichment program.

  Aaron Shore : And a strict monitoring regime would be in place.

  Senator Cowling : A regime whose success will depend on Hassan's agreement to abide by the very norms he's shown nothing but contempt for.

  Senator Ray Damone : But you're asking us to believe he's turned over a new leaf.

  Tom Kirkman : [entering]  No, Senator. We're asking you to help us bring the Verona home; 300 of our sailors, many of them wounded, none of whom deserve to be abandoned.

• Aaron Shore : Mr. President, Senator Cowling just got back to me. Congress won't allow loosening the sanctions. She's urging the administration to find a diplomatic solution.

  Tom Kirkman : It doesn't help us now, but she's right. We need to find another way.

  Lyor Boone : Sir, if I were advising the emir, I'd say he's playing it perfectly; castigating America for violating his country's sovereignty.

  Emily Rhodes : Knowing that we can't use force without looking like we've wildly overreacted to a problem they think we've created.

  Tom Kirkman : We didn't create a monsoon out at sea.

  Lyor Boone : He's got wiggle room, sir. We don't. This crisis is tailor-made to enhance his prestige.

  Tom Kirkman : Admiral, do we have enough data to re-create the Verona's collision?

  Admiral Chernow : Yes, sir. We'll get right on it.

• Lyor Boone : So, she doesn't get it from you.

  Dave Rhodes : No, I can't say I've ever had kombucha.

  Lyor Boone : Try storing vinegar in a locker for a decade. Then add bleach and urine.

  Emily Rhodes : [bumping into them]  Thank you, Lyor. You can go earn your taxpayer money now.

• Emily Rhodes : Sorry I keep abandoning you.

  Dave Rhodes : Don't be. I love meeting your friends. They think the world of you.

  Co-Worker Two : [passing by]  Hey, Mr. Rhodes.

  Dave Rhodes : Heya, Matt.

  Emily Rhodes : Who's Matt?

  Dave Rhodes : Oh, he works in the word processing pool. I think he's got a little something going with Dana.

  Emily Rhodes : Who's Dana?

  Dave Rhodes : She works with Hank in personnel.

  Emily Rhodes : [blankly]  Oh.

  [her phone buzzes] 

  Emily Rhodes : I'm so sorry. I will come find you.

  Dave Rhodes : I'll be the guy beaming with pride.

• Aaron Shore : You're watching a re-creation of the collision, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : Based on what?

  Admiral Chernow : Enhanced satellite imagery and data from the ship's AIS. The Verona was traveling 160 degrees southeast at roughly fifteen knots. The barge was heading northeast at twelve knots, four points off the port quarter.

  Emily Rhodes : If everyone held course, it would've been a near-miss.

  Admiral Chernow : The barge suddenly veered to four points off the starboard bow and increased its speed to eighteen knots.

  Tom Kirkman : That proves that the barge ran into our ship on purpose.

  Admiral Chernow : Well, given the barge's sudden change in speed and direction, that would be my conclusion, Mr. President.

  Aaron Shore : Ambassador Salini's on his way to discuss sanctions.

  Tom Kirkman : We'll be discussing something else.

• Ambassador Darzi : This proves nothing.

  Tom Kirkman : It proves that your garbage barge deliberately rammed our ship.

  Ambassador Darzi : No. It was dark. Bad weather. Maybe the barge's radar malfunctioned, like the Verona's. Maybe it was tacking to avoid a wave.

  Tom Kirkman : Or maybe the captain was acting at the behest of your government.

  Ambassador Darzi : Here is the one thing that we know for sure. Your ship was in our waters, violating our sovereignty.

  Emily Rhodes : Sir, we've been over this.

  Ambassador Darzi : Yes, we have. And I was summoned to discuss sanctions.

  Tom Kirkman : The sanctions remain.

  Ambassador Darzi : You have turned my country into a pariah. The people don't have enough for food.

  Tom Kirkman : Because the emir insists on spending your nation's capital on weapons.

  Ambassador Darzi : How we dispense our treasury is our choice. So is how we deal with American aggression. If you violate our sovereignty again, we will consider it a declaration of war.

• Aaron Shore : Kunami can't afford to go to war with us, sir.

  Lyor Boone : Which is why they'll drag in other countries. You know, we fire on them, they fire on our client states; Israel, Turkey.

  Tom Kirkman : Pulling in Syria and Iran, forcing us to negotiate.

  Emily Rhodes : And the Verona and its crew will be lost.

• Dave Rhodes : There really used to be a pool in the White House?

  Emily Rhodes : Yep. President Nixon covered it in 1970, turned it into a briefing room.

  Dave Rhodes : His first mistake.

  Emily Rhodes : Oh, but not his last.

• Dave Rhodes : Hey, you think there's a chance I might meet your boss?

  Emily Rhodes : Today might be tough, but maybe we can swing by for a second.

  Dave Rhodes : Think I could get a picture?

  Emily Rhodes : Sure.

  Dave Rhodes : Good, 'cause I want to show you something.

  [taking something out of his jacket pocket] 

  Dave Rhodes : It's called the BottleMaven. Just press a button, out pops the cork.

  Emily Rhodes : A corkscrew.

  Dave Rhodes : The last word in corkscrews. And it would mean the world to my investor group if I could get a picture of the President with it.

  Emily Rhodes : The President doesn't endorse products.

  Dave Rhodes : No problem. Uh, he could hold the bottle. I'll hold the BottleMaven.

• Dave Rhodes : Emily, I wanted to reach out to you a thousand times. But I didn't know what to say.

  Emily Rhodes : How about goodbye?

  [he stands to leave; he pauses and pulls a newspaper article out of his wallet and places it on the table] 

  Dave Rhodes : I carried this around for twenty years, about a little girl from Akron who won a really big spelling bee. I kept it because of the picture. But, well, now that I've finally seen you again... I don't need it anymore.

  Emily Rhodes : [emotionally]  Dad, wait.