The evil Peyton Lane
| “ | She was in this terrible marriage for years, and she finally gets out of it and then I have to watch as she falls for Secretary Moss, who doesn't care for her at all! (Hannah: "She broke up with him.") Yes. And I went to her and I told her that we could finally be together, but she said that she didn't want me. All these years of doing absolutely everything for her; of leading me on, and she was just...just using me! (Damian: "So you shot her?") Yes. She betrayed me. I loved her, but she betrayed me." | „ |
| ~ Peyton revealing her love for Charlotte and confessing to Charlotte's murder |
Peyton Lane (Cariba Heine) is the hidden main villainess from a three-episode arc during Designated Survivor's second season (airdates October 25 and November 1 & 15, 2017).
Introduction[]
Peyton Lane is the longtime aide for Charlotte Thorne, a member of British Parliament and a potential future Prime Minister. She was introduced in episode 2.05, "Suckers," which began with Charlotte shot to death while she was jogging, with Hannah Wells and Damian Bennett being on the case and encountering Peyton, who sent them in the direction of notorious arms dealer Darius Cray. Peyton stated that Charlotte was attempting to take down Darius, which made him a suspect in the murder.
However, in the following episode, "Two Ships," Peyton was abducted by a pair of men who were demanding that Darius be extradited to Malaysia, but she was rescued by Hannah and Damien in the episode's climax. Darius ended up being cleared in Charlotte's murder, though a new suspect came in the form of Darius' wife, Catherine, after she was revealed as the true head of the arms business. Catherine denied killing Charlotte, stating that her focus on Darius allowed Catherine to continue with her crimes undetected.
Heel Turn/Reveal[]
Peyton's heel persona beginning to surface in "Family Ties"
The episode ended with the reveal that Charlotte was engaged in an affair with Cornelius Moss, a former U.S. President and current Secretary of State for President Tom Kirkman, and in the following episode, "Family Ties," Peyton was interrogated by Hannah and Darius regarding the affair. Regarding their suspicions, Peyton stated that Moss couldn't have killed Charlotte due to being a former President, doing so while displaying an ominous demeanor. A further inspection revealed that Charlotte's ring went missing after the murder, and photos of Peyton wearing the same ring ended up revealing the truth: Peyton was Charlotte's killer.
During Peyton's interrogation in the episode's climax, it was also revealed that Peyton was in love with Charlotte, and there was an indication that she had an affair with her married superior. She was jealous over Charlotte's affair with Moss, but when Charlotte ended things with Moss, Peyton professed her love for, only to be turned down. Peyton turned heel out of anger and devised a murderous revenge on the woman she loved, and as part of her plan, the evil Peyton tracked Charlotte while she was jogging and shot her to death, taking Charlotte's ring after the murder. The villainess confessed to the murder after Hannah and Darius showed her the photos, and regarding her motive, Peyton stated that while she loved Charlotte, she felt betrayed by her. Peyton was handcuffed and arrested after her confession.
Trivia[]
- Peyton Lane shares similarities with Lifetime villainesses Laura Stevens (Running for Her Life) and Opal Sinclair (Devious Maids). All of them had married women as the objects of their affection, and resorted to murder when they were rejected by the women they loved. One difference is that Laura (Michelle Nolden, who appeared during the Designated Survivor three-episode arc as the evil Catherine Cray) was unsuccessful in her murder attempt; both Peyton and Opal successfully murdered their crushes/lovers.
Gallery[]
