Designated Survivor (TV Series)

Grief (2018)

Kal Penn: Seth Wright

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Quotes 

• Seth Wright : So, I'm still getting questions about the First Lady's memorial.

  Emily Rhodes : Like what?

  Seth Wright : Why doesn't the First Lady have a memorial?

  Emily Rhodes : Well, you can't have a memorial before you have a headstone.

  Seth Wright : Other question is why she doesn't have a headstone.

• Emily Rhodes : Seth, it's only been ten weeks.

  Lyor Boone : [joining them]  Hey, you know what else has happened in the past ten weeks? Absolutely nothing.

  Emily Rhodes : Lyor...

  Lyor Boone : He came right back to work after the First Lady's death, and now he's President Hamlet.

  Seth Wright : He's right, Em. I mean, the military spending bill is stuck on the president's desk, judicial nominations are piling up, and he's put the brakes on every major policy initiative.

  Aaron Shore : [joining them, as well]  Including foreign ones. Canceled trips to Beijing, Jerusalem. Bailed on the IMF meeting.

  Seth Wright : This is turning into the ghost presidency.

  Emily Rhodes : Okay, you all need to relax. The man just lost his wife, the mother of his children. It takes a while to recover from that.

  Lyor Boone : Understood, but the world keeps moving. And the White House is getting left behind.

  Emily Rhodes : Not today. It's the Cuban intiative. It'll jump-start us.

  Lyor Boone : Good, 'cause we're flatlining.

• Emily Rhodes : Hey. Talking points for the Cuba trip. The president's been getting a lot of criticism for giving Ortega oxygen.

  Seth Wright : Okay, so we make the trip about the Cuban people.

  Emily Rhodes : Yearning for freedom.

  Seth Wright : Reaching out to an America that they hope reaches back.

  Emily Rhodes : You might have a future in this.

• Seth Wright : Hey, uh, Turks and Caicos.

  Emily Rhodes : I haven't looked at the brochure yet.

  Seth Wright : Okay, deposit on the villa's due at midnight.

  Emily Rhodes : Come here.

  [leading him into an empty room] 

  Emily Rhodes : I don't know if I can swing this right now.

  Seth Wright : Oh, come on, we've been talking about taking a trip for months.

  Emily Rhodes : I know.

  Seth Wright : And no offense, but the last time you went on vacation, it involved a horse and buggy.

  Emily Rhodes : [insulted]  Oh!

  Seth Wright : I'm just saying you deserve a break. We both do. Plus, I'm even more charming on vacation. You're not gonna be able to handle it.

• Emily Rhodes : When Corwin asked you if the Blackhawk meant the president wasn't battle-tested, you said "No, because it wasn't a battle."

  Seth Wright : Which was accurate.

  Emily Rhodes : But a bit flip. The Chronicle's coverage of the administration has been unfriendly. We need to court them a bit more.

  Seth Wright : Okay.

  Emily Rhodes : And when Devereaux asked if the president was accepting counsel from the Secretary of Defense...

  Seth Wright : I said that the way president makes decisions...

  Emily Rhodes : Was not a matter for public debate, which, yes, is true, but it's so combative, Seth.

  Seth Wright : Emily, I was taking fire in there.

  Emily Rhodes : That doesn't mean you can fire back.

  Seth Wright : My options are limited. I'm defending an administration that hasn't taken decisive action on anything in the last ten weeks.

  Emily Rhodes : You can't defend us if you're taking the bait.

  Seth Wright : Okay. Less flip. Don't take the bait. Don't fire back. Duly noted.

• Seth Wright : So, Turks and Caicos.

  Emily Rhodes : I don't think it's a good idea.

  Seth Wright : I figured you didn't. That's why you have problems with my press briefing. That's why you're trying to give me notes on things you never note. And you're trying to tell me that something's wrong without actually telling me.

• Emily Rhodes : What are we doing here, Seth?

  Seth Wright : We're dating.

  Emily Rhodes : I know, and it used to be two days a week. And then the First Lady died, and it became five days a week.

  Seth Wright : So if it's too fast too soon...

  Emily Rhodes : No, I... I like it. I just don't know what it is.

  Seth Wright : All right, your use of indefinite pronouns isn't really helping here.

  Emily Rhodes : It's like we flipped a switch. And I am not a switch flipper.

  Seth Wright : Okay. If you're saying that things are moving too fast and you want to roll it back to once a week, that's fine. I mean, that day will be the best day of my week.

  Emily Rhodes : Seth.

  Seth Wright : But if you're trying to tell me that you're not sure about it, about us, then I need you to just say that.

  Emily Rhodes : I'm saying I don't know.

  Seth Wright : Well, I do. And when you do, give me a call.