‘Quantico’ season 2 wishlist: Fewer time jumps, less romance, and a grittier narrative

Through much of its first season “Quantico” was a buzzy ABC drama, one with a commanding performance from Priyanka Chopra, and also one that really used twists as its bread and butter. Was that the right way to go about doing things? We’d say that for the sake of the premiere, the answer may be “yes,” but we also think that the writers relied on them more than they really needed to when you consider that there were a lot of other story elements they could have really used and prioritized.

In our wishlist below, you’re going to see at least few of these suggestions as things that the show can do really bring this show, which has all of the potential in the world, to get to the next level.

1. A more cohesive story – With there being so many jumps between the present and the future, and with many of them not even that connected, the show got messy. If you’re going to continue to use this device, you have to connect the two in a way that makes a little more sense and isn’t some sort of obvious gimmick. Otherwise, just scrap it.

2. A clearer villain – Don’t make viewers wait until the very end of the season to know who’s the Big Bad. “Homeland” didn’t hide Abu Nazir, and the two seasons of it were outstanding.

3. Fewer twists – Sometimes, you can have so many “shockers” that whenever you have one, it’s really not so shocking anymore. The series has to figure out some better ways to implement these so that they don’t become stale.

4. Less romance – Maybe this will be polarizing to ‘shippers out there, but we’d specifically like to see Alex and Shelby go through at least half a season just being awesome at their job rather than dealing with Ryan and Caleb romantic subplots. Romance will mean more down the road if it’s not always a part of their world.

5. Keep the big guest stars – Marcia Cross is a great villain as Claire; we don’t know what the plans are moving forward with Henry Czerny, but we loved that he was in the finale. Find a way to keep him around.

Want to get some other news right now when it comes to “Quantico”? Then head over here, since that is where you can read our full review for Sunday’s big episode! Also, sign up over here to secure some other TV news on all we cover, sent right over to you via our official CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)