Quantico: The New Hit Show that Tries to be Progressive

Although the new TV show Quantico seems to be breaking down racial stereotypes about terrorists (namely, that they must be dark-skinned) through its main character, a deeper investigation into the more minor characters reveals that the show does in fact perpetuate some harmful stereotypes about race. While the show’s main character, Alex Parrish, breaks down racial stereotypes by pointing out the fact that she is being framed as a terrorist simply because she is dark-skinned, the show’s portrayal of other dark-skinned females, its overall lack of anything other than white males, and the fact that the one black male is a terrorist promote damaging racial stereotypes.

The plotline of the show is that of a typical spy thriller; an FBI agent is framed as a terrorist, and must find the real perpetrator before the FBI finds her. Alex does a fine job of breaking down racial stereotypes. She explains why she is being framed in a video broadcast on the internet to millions of people around the globe. Alex points out that she is an easy target simply because she is dark skinned, and tells her audience that in order to free an innocent person (herself), they must put away their assumptions and be willing to suspect anyone (and everyone) around them as a possible terrorist.

Unfortunately, this is pretty much the extent to which the show defies racial stereotypes. Quantico’s portrayal of its minor black characters somewhat, if not fully, reverses whatever good Alex’s character has created. Aside from the large lack of black male characters in the show, the two dark-skinned male characters on the show are both portrayed as being dangerous and potentially harmful to hundreds of innocent people. One of these characters, an FBI recruit named Brandon, eventually goes crazy and tries to blow up the FBI training facility. It is later revealed that he was told to pretend to set a bomb as a test for the other recruits, but the simple fact that the show chose the one black recruit to play out this part of the story is detrimental to African Americans as a whole. The story behind the other black male is even worse; he is the son of an FBI agent who decided to join a terrorist group, and then planned a school shooting. While he did not succeed in carrying out the shooting, it is still important to note that this portrayal is extremely injurious to the black race.

Quantico makes a valiant effort at breaking down racial stereotypes, but in the end, the combined portrayal of more minor dark-skinned characters undoes any progress that the show had any potential to create.