Alex Parrish
| Alex Parrish | |
|---|---|
| Quantico character | |
 Priyanka Chopra portrays Alex Parrish | |
| First appearance | September 27, 2015 |
| Created by | Joshua Safran |
| Portrayed by | Priyanka Chopra |
| Information | |
| Full name | Alexandra Parrish |
| Nickname(s) | Alex |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | FBI agent |
| Family |
Michael Parrish (father) Sita Parrish (mother) |
| Significant other(s) |
Ryan Booth (ex-boyfriend) Liam O'Connor (one-night stand) Drew Perales (romantic interest) |
Alexandra "Alex" Parrish, played by Priyanka Chopra, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television drama/thriller series Quantico on ABC, created by Joshua Safran. Alex is a promising FBI recruit, who becomes a prime suspect following a terrorist attack on Grand Central Terminal.
Character biography
Early life
Alexandra Parrish grew up in San Francisco, the daughter of Michael (Johnathon Schaech) and Sita Parrish (Anna Khaja). Michael was an alcoholic and was physically abusive towards Sita, and as she grew older, Alex as well. While Alex was a preteen, Michael was shot and killed during a violent episode against Sita and witnessed by Alex. The police declined to charge Sita, who they felt was acting in defense of Alex, although unknown to the authorities, it was in fact Alex who pulled the trigger. Sita subsequently sent Alex to live with her family in Mumbai, where she remained for the following decade.
Some time after her return, Alex applied and was accepted to the FBI agent training program. Unknown to the Bureau, Alex had discovered that Michael had been an FBI agent, and applied to the program to find out more about him and his true past. Alex kept her activities a secret from Sita, telling her that she was starting graduate school.
Training (2015)
At Quantico, Alex quickly formed friendships with some of her fellow New Agent Trainees (NATs), particularly her roommate Shelby Wyatt (Johanna Braddy), Nimah & Raina Amin (Yasmine Al Masri), Simon Asher (Tate Ellington), and Caleb Haas (Graham Rogers). She also gained a rival in Natalie Vasquez (Anabelle Acosta), and initiated a sexual relationship with Ryan Booth (Jake McLaughlin), although she was unaware that he was a fellow trainee at the time. Alex and Ryan broke up when she manipulated her supervising training agent, Liam O'Connor (Josh Hopkins), into reinstating Ryan and he was reassigned from Quantico. She subsequently spent New Years Eve with Liam in a failed attempt to get over Ryan and her new knowledge of her father's past.
After the merging of two classes at Quantico, Alex became partnered primarily with Drew Perales (Lenny Platt), who used to play for the Chicago Bears before joining the Bureau. Alex eventually discovered 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, causing friction between Liam and Drew. Later in the events of the past timeline at Quantico, Drew becomes a romantic interest of Alex.
Accused (2016)
About a year after her arrival at Quantico and several months after the successful completion of her training, Alex was living in New York City and was preparing to work the security detail for the upcoming Democratic National Convention. On the morning of the convention, Alex awoke in the ruins of Grand Central Terminal, and discovered it had been destroyed several hours earlier with high-grade explosives. Alex was taken into custody and learned that she was being charged with the terrorist attack on Grand Central. Alex's initial escape was orchestrated by Deputy Director Miranda Shaw (Aunjanue Ellis), her primary instructor at Quantico, who refused to believe that she was guilty.
Alex was able to prove her innocence in the Grand Central bombing with the help of her classmates at Quantico, and discovered that the bomber was former analyst-trainee Elias Harper (Rick Cosnett) – who had planted the bomb while under duress. Having cleared her name, Alex is reinstated as an FBI agent assigned to the New York Field Office in the Operations Section and now strives to uncover the true mastermind behind the bombings, as the 2016 Presidential election looms ever closer.
Reception
The character of Alex has been well received, and Chopra was immediately praised for her portrayal. James Poniewozik of The New York Times described Chopra as "immediately charismatic and commanding."[1]
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 Meredith Grey, Annalise Keating, Emma Swan and Olivia Pope."[2] It also declared Chopra's portrayal of Alex Parrish as the 2015 Sexiest Woman on Television.[3] Chopra has won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Actress In A New TV Series for the role, becoming the first South Asian Actress to win a People's Choice Award.
References
- ↑ "Review: ‘Quantico’ Flips Between Jousting F.B.I. Recruits and a Terrorist Attack". The News York Times. 24 September 2015.
- ↑ "12 Breakout Characters of the Fall 2015 TV Season". BuddyTV. 3 December 2015.
- ↑ "TV's 100 Sexiest Women of 2015". BuddyTV. 3 December 2015.
External links
- Alex Parrish at ABC