Alex Parrish
Alex Parrish | |
---|---|
Quantico character | |
First appearance | "Run" |
Last appearance | "Who Are You" |
Created by | Joshua Safran |
Portrayed by | Priyanka Chopra |
In-universe information | |
Full name | Alexandra Parrish |
Nickname | Alex |
Species | Human |
Gender | Female |
Occupation | |
Family |
|
Significant other | Ryan Booth (ex-fiancé) |
Nationality | Indian American |
Alexandra Parrish is a fictional character and the
The focal point of the series, Alex was introduced as a recruit at the
The character has garnered positive reviews from critics and Chopra was immediately praised for portraying her, with James Poniewozik of The New York Times naming her the "strongest human asset" of the show, while other critics have called her "charismatic and commanding". For her performance as Alex, Chopra has won two People's Choice Awards: Favorite Actress in a New TV Series in 2016, making her the first South Asian to win a People's Choice Award, and Favorite Dramatic TV Actress in 2017.
Character storyline
Early life
Alex was born on July 18, 1982. She grew up in Oakland, California, with her parents Michael and Sita. Her father was an alcoholic and physically abusive towards his wife. When Alex was in her pre-teenage years, Michael was killed during a violent episode against Sita. The police declined to press charges, unaware that Alex was responsible for Michael's death. Alex was then sent to live with Sita's family in
Training at Quantico
On her way to Quantico, Alex has sex with a stranger,
After the merging of two different classes at Quantico, Alex is partnered with Drew Perales (Lenny Platt), who used to play for the Chicago Bears before joining the Bureau. Several other NATs are also included as part of the merge, including Iris Chang (Li Jun Li) and Will Olsen (Jay Armstrong Johnson). During her training at Quantico, Alex learns that Liam and Ryan were indirectly responsible for an incident of gang violence that took the life of Drew's girlfriend and led him to join the FBI, a source of tension between Liam and Drew. Later, Drew and Alex become romantically involved. After successfully completing their training at Quantico, Alex and her remaining classmates (Shelby, Raina, Nimah, Caleb, Brandon, and Iris) graduate from the academy with offers to work in field offices across the nation.
Accused
About a year after her arrival at Quantico and several months after the successful completion of her training, Alex is living in
Alex is able to prove her innocence in the Grand Central Terminal bombing case with the help of her classmates at Quantico as well as from the rogue hacking group dubbed "The Unknown". Later, it is revealed that the suspected bomber was former FBI analyst-trainee Elias Harper (Rick Cosnett), who had planted the bomb under the instruction of a terrorist mastermind. Having cleared her name in a congressional hearing, Alex is reinstated as an FBI agent and assigned to the field office in New York City, specifically the operations section, and now strives to uncover the true mastermind behind the bombings as the 2016 Presidential election draws ever closer. Prior to the election day, the terrorist kills Natalie Vasquez and Drew Perales to force Alex into doing his bidding. At the end of the first season, Liam is revealed to be the traitor, with Alex and Ryan killing him in the finale. After the bombings, the ensuing publicity, and Simon Asher's death, Alex is fired from the FBI. Two months after the presidential election, Alex is approached by Matthew Keyes (Henry Czerny), the director of the CIA, who extends an offer for her to join and work for the organization.
Working for the CIA
In the
Hostage crisis
During a hostage crisis at the 2018 G-20 summit in New York, Alex witnesses the execution of the First Lady before disguising herself as a member of the Citizens Liberation Front. She attempts to gain information about the terrorist group that was involved in orchestrating the crisis. Prior to escaping the financial district area, she manages to expose the conspirators within the FBI and CIA that are deeply connected to the Citizens Liberation Front as well as the AIC. The AIC is later revealed to be a rogue intelligence group within the CIA that had the backing of a shadow cabal syndicate to push a certain nefarious agenda.
Re-instated
Two weeks after the end of the hostage crisis, President Claire Haas (Marcia Cross) and CIA director Matthew Keyes put forth a covert joint task force between the FBI and CIA. President Haas mentions that there were eight collaborators within the shadowy cabal group who are secretly involved with the AIC. As a result of Lydia's actions, the collaborators gained access to sensitive U.S. intelligence. This information was vital to their goal of controlling certain areas within the government. As a response, the task force is assigned to uncover the conspiracy and expose the involvement of the collaborators in orchestrating the hostage crisis. Alex is hired to be a member of the task force along with Ryan Booth, Nimah Amin, Shelby Wyatt, and Dayana Mampasi. The leader of the group is Clay Haas (Hunter Parrish), a renowned political advisory strategist. Prior to the formation of the task force, Alex is re-instated as an FBI agent.
The team members are assigned missions to uncover the identities of the collaborators. They fail to achieve their goal after the media reports on the unsanctioned activities of the task force. Following the publicized accounts of the task force in the broadcast media, the Speaker of the House, Henry Roarke (
In the days leading to the Constitutional Convention, Alex and the rest of the task force try to stop Roarke from getting the votes needed to allow the convention to take place. After their initial plan fails, they resort to a final strategy. At the convention in Philadelphia, Alex publicly broadcasts Roarke's recordings with the Federal Security Service and emails the evidence to the ACLU and other rights organizations, before having Miranda fake her death by shooting her at the event. Roarke, not willing to face the press or the police, commits suicide.
Fugitive
Due to Alex committing treason by releasing classified U.S. intelligence to the public at the Constitutional Convention, she is branded as a fugitive of the United States. Sitting together in a car, Owen mentions to Alex that she needs to maintain her cover so as to evade capture from domestic and international law enforcement agencies as a result of being issued an Interpol Red Notice for her arrest. Along with Ryan, she leaves the country on a plane to Thailand.
Joining the FBI blacks ops team
After living in Thailand for sometime, Alex leaves Ryan without notice and heads to Montepulciano, Italy. Presumably, Ryan returns to the United States after Alex's disappearance. For three years, Alex stayed with a vineyard worker named Andrea (Andrea Bosca) and his daughter, Isabella. On a particular night, Alex encountered associates of a mysterious arms dealer known as The Widow, who successfully located her. After disarming the assailants, Alex attempted to escape to Zurich, Switzerland, in order to rendezvous with Ryan. During their conversation, Ryan mentioned that the associates of The Widow kidnapped Shelby Wyatt. Soon afterwards, they chart a plane back to the United States. Moments after their arrival, Alex encounters Owen Hall, who left his position at the CIA for a position at the Bureau as deputy director of the FBI. Soon afterwards, Owen with the help of Alex and Ryan, successfully recruits Harry Doyle and Jocelyn Turner (Marlee Matlin) to the team, in order to rescue Shelby and take down The Widow. After succeeding in saving Shelby, Owen offers Alex an opportunity to join a covert black ops team to help out the United States government and states that she is fully pardoned for her past crimes after the success of their operation in retrieving Shelby.
Pregnancy
After traveling back to the United States, Alex tries to prioritize the welfare of her romantic partner Andrea along with his daughter Isabella, over the course of the third, and final season. During a mission, Shelby has Ryan return her jacket to her duffel bag, but Ryan, unknowingly, opens Alex's duffel and notices a pregnancy text box on the top of her belongings. He goes to Shelby and asks her about the pregnancy test in her bag, but she says that she doesn't have one and didn't know about there being one. They both look at one another when their question is later answered, as Alex walks into the diner car of the train. Later, Shelby confronts Alex about the test, and Alex admits that it is hers, and Shelby realizes that Alex is scared to take it. Alex says that she isn't scared for herself, but for Andrea, for she fears that if the test is positive, she will have to tell him and put Andrea and Isabella into danger all over again.
Sometime later, Alex starts to take a pregnancy test, with the test result later being confirmed as positive. During another mission, Alex attends an AA meeting, to investigate a middleman connected to Garrett King, a persona non-grata to the U.S., who is planning on an assassination attempt of a North Korean defector with good intel that could prove useful for the U.S. government. She later uncovers the fact that David Quintana, her AA sponsor, works under Garrett, and discovers that he received orders to assassinate the defector Jun Ho Park. After some conversation going back and forth between King and Alex, King realizes that Alex is wearing a wire, and tries to kill her. She almost drowns and dies, and is taken to the hospital, and while in the ambulance, Shelby makes note to the doctors and Jocelyn that Alex is about 10 weeks pregnant. She ends up losing the baby, as she had too much water in her lungs, and her and the baby were deprived of oxygen. Later, Alex is consoled by Shelby.
In her most recent mission, Alex tries to locate Andrea and Isabella, who were taken by Conor Devlin (Timothy V. Murphy), an Irish criminal going after Ryan, who killed his son. Isabella was taken by Devlin, who wanted to trade her for Ryan instead. Before the trade happened in Ireland, Andrea and Alex have a conversation about Alex's lies and the fact that she really loves him and Isabella. Andrea says that if she ever had a child of her own, she would understand. They talked about him wanting, and needing to go after Isabella and being there for her. She started to say something, most likely about her past pregnancy, but was cut off by Mike McQuigg (Alan Powell), offering Andrea coffee as a peace offering. She never got to say anything about the pregnancy to Andrea before he was shot and killed by Devlin.
Development
Creation and casting
Joshua Safran had initially envisioned Alex as one of the protagonists of Quantico.[1] When he was writing the character, his personal struggle with not knowing whether one of his family members was a pathological liar or involved with a government agency helped Safran build Alex's perception of her own family. Safran wrote his own experience into Alex's struggle to learn the truth about her father.[1][2] He said "I've always struggled with knowing that I would never know the truth, because there is no real such thing as the truth with regard to somebody who may or may not be telling the truth. That struggle informed the character of Alex."[2]
She walked into the room, and it was like the molecules shifted in that way that superstars have. I was very confused because I didn't know who she was, but we all sat up straighter. We're like this is clearly a movie star; it's like every hair on the back of your neck stands up watching her act. When I went back home I couldn't think about anyone else. It wasn't even like I was thinking Priyanka has to play this, she had actually re-envisioned the character from my eyes.
Chopra saw the deal as an opportunity to represent
Following Chopra's casting, the series underwent a significant change. Safran had initially intended to make the show as an ensemble drama with no obvious lead, but after Chopra's casting, Alex became the main character and the show was re-structured around her.[12][13] The character was initially written to be white, which was also re-written, keeping Chopra in mind. The background of the character was tweaked by making her half-Indian, with an additional backstory of Alex having spent ten years in Mumbai, India.[5][12][14] Apart from changing her ethnicity, Safran completely re-envisioned the character. For example, Alex was initially written as "jaded and brooding" but was re-written as "fun and warm". Earlier, the series was supposed to focus on the character's dark side because Safran had never imagined Alex having a positive side, which changed after Chopra stepped in the role.[14] Safran said, "Priyanka came in and played all of that but as a character who was always in control. And still warm and vibrant because she knew no one was going to get through her walls. From that point on, Alex was the kind of character who can have humor, who can have heart."[14]
Characterization
The series is told from Alex's
Screen Rant wrote of the character: "Rather than beginning the series in a state of potential heroism, Alex begins the series as a potential villain. And yet, Alex is still a hero. Everything that follows is a desperate attempt at survival and at remaining one step ahead of those who are trying to harm her. In fact, Alex's narrative is one in which she is nearly immediately immersed in adventure and thrown headfirst into chaos."[17] The character is also opinionated and outspoken. Chopra said "Alex is someone with a point of a view and she's a woman with an opinion and at the same time she's not afraid of being who she is. The modern woman today is different and Alex is definitely bold and expressive and she identifies herself as a human being of today, not a man or a woman. She's empowered and she's confident."[18]
Alex has been depicted as someone who is not afraid of expressing her sexuality, and as a flawed human being who takes charge of her own life.[18][19] Chopra told Cosmopolitan: "It's empowering in that way, which doesn't say that sexual freedom is what empowerment needs to necessarily be. It's extremely individual to each one of us. As for Alex, she happens to not care."[19] The character treats men as dispensable entities, similar to how men usually treat women. She does not treat men as if they are the most important thing in her life because she is more focused on her work, with men just happen to come and go in her life.[1][19] Chopra explained "I think that's extremely empowering on her end. It may not be something I personally agree with or something I do, but I think different people have different individual choices that they make."[19]
Alex's friendships with her fellow trainees also form the crux of the character as well as the series, especially her friendship with her roommate and best friend Shelby.[20] Johanna Braddy, who plays Shelby, told TV Guide that Shelby's friendship with Alex is a big part of Quantico.[20] Safran talked to Entertainment Weekly that the idea for their friendship came from the similarity between the characters.[21] He said "So for Alex and Shelby, you know, as roommates and as friends, we just really loved the idea of these two people from two different parts of the world, all these things that don't touch upon each other, but they actually at their core are both very driven, successful, smart, and kind humans that find each other."[21] One of the other characters Alex is very close to, other than Shelby, was Simon, who is killed in the finale.[22] Talking about losing a friend and its repercussions on the Season 2, Chopra explained: "She's extremely affected [but] doesn't believe in sharing her emotions or opening up with someone."[22]
As the show progresses, Alex and Ryan's romance evolves into a relationship.[23] When Alex confesses that her only motive to join the academy was to find out the truth about her father and was about to leave, Ryan makes her realize that she is meant to be an agent.[23] Alex's on-again off-again relationship with Ryan has been described by Chopra as star-crossed.[22] She said "Alex and Ryan are star-crossed lovers. You love them and they fight and have this intense passionate bond. But Alex is also a little self-destructive. She's a solitary person and she's not vulnerable enough, whereas Ryan really is. She's a little rough around the edges and whatever's happened in the past, she has trust issues. So that leads to issues in their relationship."[22] Fans have dubbed Alex and Ryan "Ralex". On being asked about the possibility of having to choose between Ryan and saving the world, Chopra said "I'm pretty sure she'd pick saving the world, because she's that kind of person."[22]
Reception
The character of Alex Parrish received positive reviews and Chopra was praised for her portrayal. Describing the character as cool, charismatic, and complex, Sonia Saraiya of
Alex Parrish has been a part of an unconventional hero's journey. She's flipping the typical narrative on its head and re-ordering the steps. In spite of the fact that her journey is not one that perfectly parallels the stereotypical hero's journey, Alex constantly believes in others and fights for justice. She is self-sacrificing and kind, genuinely caring about those around her. She's vulnerable and unapologetic in expressing her emotions.
Screen Rant on the character's analysis.[17]
Rob Lowman of Los Angeles Daily News was impressed with Chopra's performance, calling her "charismatic" and writing, "I was immediately struck by her dynamic screen presence. Chopra is someone worth keeping an eye on."[29] Emily Canal of Forbes called Quantico "One Of The Most Feminist Shows" of the season, praising its female characters and writing, "Quantico not only highlights a handful of diverse women, but gives them more than just love interests to drive the plot. They're forceful, have storylines that propel their narrative and dialog that doesn't shy away from the double standards and hardships women face in reality."[30] She also noted the fact that Alex takes control of her sexuality and decisions, saying, "What was set up as an uncomfortable situation where Booth was in charge, swiveled into a scenario that gave Parish the reins."[30] TheWrap's Tim Grierson wrote, "Chopra has a poise and sexual spark as Alex that suggests a formidable potential FBI agent whose mind and beauty are equally stunning."[31]
In 2015 BuddyTV ranked Alex Parrish number one on the list of "12 Breakout Characters of the Fall 2015 TV Season", writing, "Chopra shines in her starring role. Alex is a heroine to stand alongside ABC's other female leads like
Chopra has also received a number of accolades for her performance. At the
References
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- ^ a b Rick Porter (September 27, 2015). "Where 'Quantico' Goes From Here: Creator Breaks Down the Twisty Premiere". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ Petski, Denise (February 26, 2015). "Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra Joins ABC Drama Pilot 'Quantico'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 1, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (December 17, 2014). "Bollywood Star Priyanka Chopra Inks Talent Deal With ABC". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 19, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Blas, Lorena (October 27, 2015). "India's Priyanka Chopra masters TV's 'Quantico'". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 25, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Sulagna, Misra (September 24, 2015). "Meet Priyanka Chopra, the Bollywood Star Who's More than Ready for Prime Time". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on October 24, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- ^ a b c Upadhyay, Karishma (December 18, 2015). "Priyanka Chopra: Pushing boundaries". Forbes India. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- ^ "This is what team 'Quantico' has to say about Priyanka Chopra". Daily News and Analysis. September 16, 2015. Archived from the original on November 2, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- ^ Cain, Rob (October 1, 2015). "Priyanka Chopra Breaks New Ground For Indian Actors In America". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
- ^ Li, Shirley (September 18, 2015). "Quantico: Priyanka Chopra is TV's next breakout star: Interview". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
- ^ "Priyanka Chopra's First-Ever Acting Audition Was for 'Quantico'". ABC News. September 23, 2016. Archived from the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- ^ a b Nakamura, Reid (September 27, 2015). "Why Priyanka Chopra's 'Quantico' Casting Was a Game Changer for EP Joshua Safran". TheWrap. Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ a b "12 Breakout Characters of the Fall 2015 TV Season". BuddyTV. December 3, 2015. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
- ^ a b c Dowling, Amber (October 6, 2015). "How Priyanka Chopra Surprised the Cast and Creators of 'Quantico'". IndieWire. Archived from the original on December 12, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
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- ^ a b c Stasak, Jennifer (February 2, 2016). "12 Female TV Characters Redefining the Hero's Journey". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on October 29, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ a b "Meet Priyanka Chopra: The Modern Indian Woman". Harper's Bazaar. September 24, 2015. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Gupta, Prachi (September 26, 2015). ""Quantico" Star Priyanka Chopra Talks Feminism and Cultural Identity". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on May 30, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
- ^ a b Eng, Joyce (April 10, 2016). "Quantico's Johanna Braddy on That Shocking Reveal: It Looks "Really Incriminating"". TV Guide. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ a b Li, Shirley (October 16, 2015). "'Quantico' boss Josh Safran boss Josh Safran looks ahead to the 'sexiest episode yet'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Strause, Jackie (September 25, 2016). "ABC's 'Quantico' Makes Bold Statement by Beheading Major Political Figure". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ a b Welsh, Aaron (February 1, 2016). "7 Classic Alex and Ryan Moments from Quantico this Valentine's Day". American Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on December 26, 2016.
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- ^ Alston, Joshua (September 28, 2015). "Quantico is a fun, soapy riff on one of our most sensitive topics". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 3, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- SheKnows Media. Archivedfrom the original on December 4, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ Lowman, Rob (September 27, 2015). "Review: 'Quantico' gets a running start with a stunning Priyanka Chopra". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on December 11, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
- ^ a b Canal, Emily (September 27, 2015). "Why 'Quantico' Might Be One Of The Most Feminist Shows On-Air This Fall". Forbes. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ Grierson, Tim (September 27, 2015). "'Quantico' Review: Priyanka Chopra Scores in Silly Spy Drama". TheWrap. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ "TV's 100 Sexiest Women of 2015". BuddyTV. December 3, 2015. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
- ^ Franich, Darren; Highfill, Samantha (October 16, 2015). "23 Butt-Kicking Women in Movies/TV". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 17, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
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External links
- Alex Parrish at ABC