Quantico Boss on That Miranda Twist: She Is "Definitely One of Them"

[WARNING: The following story contains spoilers about Sunday's episode of Quantico. Read at your own risk.]

What are the chances that two of your FBI teachers are terrorists?

That's the predicament Alex (Priyanka Chopra) & Co. find themselves in on Quantico. After Miranda (Aunjanue Ellis) forces hacker Eric Boyer (Derek Klena) into being part of the hostage trade on Sunday's episode, Boyer drops a nudge-nudge-wink-wink on Shelby (Johanna Braddy) to check her email later. There, way back in her 2012 folders, she finds an email from Boyer warning her that Miranda is "one of them."

Too bad Shelby won't be able to get any more deets from Boyer, who didn't hack whatever the terrorists wanted him to hack, and instead takes one of their guns and blows his own brains out. RIP. We hardly knew ye. Raina (Yasmine Al Massri) also suspects something's up after Miranda ignored her code to stop the hostage trade and tells Lydia (Tracy Ifeachor) as such.

Will Raina figure it out? Or will Miranda exact even more damage on NYC than Liam (Josh Hopkins) last year? Creator Josh Safran tells us what's next. Plus: Why is Leigh (Helene Yorke) eavesdropping on Alex and Ryan (Jake McLaughlin) at The Farm?

Quantico boss on that terrorist reveal and our first blast from the past

Is Miranda's cover blown now?
Josh Safran: Well, Shelby's definitely onto her! [Laughs] That story clearly comes to a head in the very next episode. Shelby finds an unlikely ally.

To be clear, Miranda is definitely a terrorist? This isn't a red herring? There's no other diversion she's trying to pull?
Safran: [Laughs] I can't say if there's more to it! I don't know! I think it's very clear right now that Miranda is definitely one of them. ... When [Boyer] says she's one of them, he means one of the terrorists.

Miranda said that Boyer didn't hold up his end of the bargain way back when. What was she referring to?
Safran: It wasn't way back when. You'll find out. [Laughs] You're asking all the right questions! Boyer won't be [in flashbacks], but you will see what the terrorists and Miranda try to accomplish with Boyer out of the picture.

Raina thinks something's fishy is going on with Miranda too and she tells Lydia. Will they put two and two together?
Safran: Raina comes to understand a little more of what's happening very soon. I have to be elliptical because we're getting into a run of episodes where there's a lot of information revealed, so I don't want to reveal it just yet. But all of that will be answered shortly.

Does Miranda suspect that anyone is onto her?
Safran: Nope. Not at all. Everything is going according to plan in her mind. ... She finds an unlikely ally as well.

I had flashbacks to the apartment showdown last year when the terrorists where charging into the building Alex is in.
Safran: Yeah, this is our big action moment for our female John McClane. It's like 20 terrorists to one Alex in one building. Jen Lynch directed the hell out of the next episode. And strangely enough, Episode 5 is the episode where if you haven't watched the show yet, you could start and not be confused.

In the past, I liked the scene when Ryan effectively told Alex they were on a break while on The Farm, or at least keep their distance from each other to concentrate on the task at hand.
Safran: They're still very tied together. They're not on a break break like that. Ryan realized, "We have to put the mission before us," and Alex saw that. She understands. I think they both played that scene so beautifully. He tells that to Alex and she says, "Thank you for telling me." It's one of my favorite moments that Priyanka has ever done out of many favorite moments on the show because it's so real and honest, and it shows what a good relationship they have.

If this had happened last year, they would fought and argued.
Safran: Yes, definitely. They've grown a lot. They can be adults about it. They both recognize what they're on a job and they can't be distracted.

The stress level exercise was a great way to fill in details about the newbies. But do Lydia and Owen (Blair Underwood) know that Ryan's real weakness is Alex and not Liam? Did they purposely identify it as Liam?
Safran: I think that is a different weakness. Ryan is telling Alex that emotionally she is his weakness, but I think that if you're taking a macro view of Ryan as a human who has existed longer than his relationship with Alex, it is what they identified, which is: head down, following orders, but am I following the wrong orders? I think that is probably Ryan's life weakness, but his current weakness is Alex. Maybe he and Alex will be together forever, but the problem he's had since childhood stem from blindly following orders.

They used the data against him.
Safran: Exactly. So there's no ulterior motive of them not identifying Alex [as his weakness].

So Leigh's the eavesdropper. What is she up to?
Safran: You will find out everything you need to know about the whole eavesdropping situation in the next episode. I can tell you that there's not even a twist. It will be wrapped up. It's totally done after [Episode] 5.

Are we to assume she's listening to them at that moment they realize it's her? Is there another bug?
Safran: She is not listening to them at that moment.

I can see her eavesdropping on everyone, not just Alex and Ryan. She seems like that type of person.
Safran: Exactly! I can too! Wait 'til you see this next episode.

Lydia and Owen were on better terms. Was she being honest when she said she no longer wants to do the CIA's work for them? She made that call to Keyes (Henry Czerny).
Safran: Yes, she was being honest. I think in the last episode, she made the determination when she was so mad at her father that she was like, "I'll do whatever you want" [to the CIA]. But I think she starts to feel for her father and starts to see that maybe he does have a valid point of view.

Is she going to vacillate back and forth between or she fully on board with him now?
Safran: I think she believes in her father, but where it takes her will probably surprise both of them with what they find. They are both pursuing who [leaked Owen's name].

Who is the person close to Harry (Russell Tovey) who committed suicide? Was it a former boyfriend?
Safran: That would be his first love. We would learn much more about that. This season is very much more of a character study, so everything you're seeing in this episode and the last episode in the woods - all these details of their lives, we continue to follow these details. These are not just one-off details. They're their personal histories that we're delving into. Every single one of those that you saw in this episode, we return to them and will continue to discuss and dissect.

My coworkers won't be happy, but I love that Harry put on a shirt before bed out of respect for Sebastian (David Lim). That was nice.
Safran: I know, right? They have a really complicated friendship/relationship and I feel like David Lim and Russell Tovey are playing it so well. We just shot a scene of them and it's incredibly moving. ... You did get some shirtlessness in [the episode].

Sebastian had that deadpan line -- "I'm not gay" -- but is he gay or is it more complicated than that?
Safran: That was such a great delivery! He knew what Harry was inching toward. I wouldn't be able to say [if he's gay]. Sebastian would have to answer that question.

What is that talk Owen tells Alex they're going to have very soon?
Safran: I will just say I hope it involves the AIC!

Quantico airs Sundays at 10/9c on ABC.