By Ketki Chauhan ’16

Liam O’Connor (Josh Hopkins), an FBI agent demoted to work as an instructor at the academy, does not lie when he tells his newest FBI recruits to trust their gut as opposed to just blindly following orders. In just the second episode of ABC’s newest television series “Quantico,” the characters on the show and the viewers alike are told by O’Connor to be wary of who they trust and what they believe.

“Quantico” provides some fresh air from the new dramas and crime-packed action series out today. The new series focuses on a set of FBI recruits at a training academy in Quantico, Virginia. Simultaneously, however, the producers continue with the show’s second major plot: the nation has just been attacked and Alex Parrish (Priyanka Chopra), who has been a recruit for just a few months, is the prime suspect. The FBI agents are convinced one of the trainees is the mastermind for the terror and whoever he/she may be has had this attack planned for months, maybe even years.

Each episode consists of a task the trainees are expected to complete. In the meantime, the trainees use these experiences to better get to know one another despite a traumatic start to the training with the death of one of their own. Every episode discloses another piece to the puzzle of who is behind the terror attack and also reveals a new piece of information about one of the recruits.

As the viewers, we begin to trust each of the seven main recruits even as we are exposed to their dark secrets. However, as time goes on, the mask each of them wears to protect their past wears off, leaving us to suspect them of being the mastermind of the attack, assuming Parrish is honest and was truly drugged before being found helpless at the scene of the attack.

Whether or not Parrish is successful in her search for the real culprit is reason in itself to watch the series. She is likable from the start with her calculative mind that impresses both O’Connor and fellow mentor Miranda Shaw (Aunjanue Ellis) and her friendly but snappy nature that easily warms the heart of her fellow recruits. Chopra does a spectacular job in her American television debut. Previously, she has starred in major Bollywood films, the Hindi film industry centralized in India, and is considered one of the most versatile Bollywood actresses of her generation.

At times, the flashbacks to the training academy has it come across as a high school drama. With a love triangle and characters like Nathalie Velasquez (Anabelle Acosta), who appears to exist solely to be the foil to Parrish, the show becomes slightly immature. This is more obvious when compared to the flash-forward scenes where every minute counts; Parrish is on the run from the FBI and with O’Connor releasing her name to all news stations, she has limited time to find the answers she (and the viewers) have for all of their questions.

The series is captivating and keeps one’s interest from the time it begins until the final credits. It premiered September 27 and has had two mind-boggling episodes following it. As the format is similar to another ABC show (“How To Get Away With Murder”), it is possible for the show to conjoin the two plots as the viewers get closer and closer to the day the attack happened. Till then, “Quantico” is certainly one of ABC’s stronger and more interesting shows as the viewer experiences being a recruit and solving the same cases as the characters on screen. Behind a strong leading woman and a captivating plot, “Quantico” may just have what it takes to succeed.