I very rarely watch TV and when I do it is almost never at the moment the show airs. With little man’s bed time falling around the time most of my favorite shows are on I tend to wait until later in the week to watch if I do at all. As new shows kicked off in September Madam Secretary caught my attention. I was a West Wing addict (still am) and I knew this one would be good.
Very early on I purchased the season pass on iTunes purely because I couldn’t keep up with Sunday nights. Between Sunday night football, college basketball and various other events on CBS there was no guarantee what time of the night Madam Secretary would be on. My mom and I catch up on the show as the week goes on and I was thrilled when I heard a second season was in the works.
If you haven’t watched the show…stop reading and go buy it on iTunes and then come back to enjoy the Madam Secretary Season Finale with me.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
The episode starts out with Elizabeth interrogating a good friend and former CIA co-worker, Juliet. As expected she didn’t get many answers, but in turn was blamed for her friend George’s death. On her way back to her office she is informed that a senator is coming to drop by and “she’s busy” wasn’t an answer he would accept.
Elizabeth is served a subpoena to appear before court for the US government’s attempt to overthrow the Iranian government.
We then kick off the final episode of season one of Madam Secretary.
Flashbacks
As the episode continues we learn about Elizabeth’s past with the CIA and a position she is offered as an interrogation officer. On and off throughout the episode we learn how she had to make a choice to take a job in Baghdad for a year or quit her position in the CIA.
Elizabeth and Henry (her husband) argue on and off about the position and ultimately have to make a decision that is best for them and their three children. Ironically this is playing into the same situation we see unfolding as a Senate Investigation commences.
By the end of the episode, we find out that Elizabeth turns down the position with the CIA & her friend Juliet takes the position in her place.
Senate Investigation Committee
Elizabeth considers not evoking executive privileged and The President very quickly urges her to take it and she agrees to take the executive privileges.
As everything is settling Henry is served a subpena to appear before the Senate committee. As it is being explained to Henry and Elizabeth there is concern that Elizabeth shared classified information with Henry in regards to a plane crash in Dubai.
Russel makes it clear to Elizabeth that if she leaked classified information to Henry and it comes out, he and The President will not back her.
As the hearing begins Elizabeth interrupts and chooses to go against The President’s decision of executive privileged and testify. She tells the story of her own investigation and why she chose to share classified information with her husband.
Charges are filed against Elizabeth for violation of the espionage act. In the end Elizabeth is informed that charges are not going to be pressed. Her testimony wound up changing the committees mind but also giving the President a huge bump in the ratings.
Stevie
As Stevie has recently broken up with her boss, she is heading to a dinner at the White House with The President’s son, and recovering drug addict, Harrison. She heads off assuring her parents she won’t do anything that will hurt them in the spotlight.
Harrison makes an attempt to kiss Stevie in the limo afterwards and she informs him that they are just friends, a line she apparently used on him during Prom as well.
Stevie calls up Harrison when everything goes south with Elizabeth’s testimony. We see them in the limo with less clothes on than they had when the conversation started. Did they just set us up for next season’s drama?
The Portrait
In the mean time the Secretary’s staff is trying to come up with a place to hang a portrait of former Secretary of State Vincent Marsh that is being replaced by one of James Madison. With Marsh’s personal life exposed they have “hit a wall” in terms of where to hang the portrait.
The staff, aka Blake, reluctantly turns to Nadine. She gets in contact with Vincent Marsh’s lawyer who informs her that he always thought she could do better after confessing he knew about Marsh’s affair. The portrait is taken care of and the worries are officially ended.
Juliet
Early on in the episode. Russel informs Elizabeth that Juliet is refusing to corporate with the FBI and they are going to seek the death penalty with the process moving as quickly as possible.
By the end of the episode she confessed to being involved in Marsh’s death and told the whole story in exchange for her life. Admitting to studying a similar plane crash in Dubai, they were able to recreate it and kill Vincent Marsh. Their friend George had caught onto the situation very quickly and noticed the similarities between crashes.
Juliet admitted to killing George after finding out that he had alerted Elizabeth to his suspicion of Vincent Marsh’s plane crash not being an accident. She thought his death would look like an accident, but in the end the truth came out.
My Thoughts
I love this show and have loved the insane number of story-lines they have shared all season with us. About 20 minutes into the episode I texted my mom and said:
“I don’t think we’re going to have any answers by the end of this episode”
As the episode ended, I am shocked that they wrapped so much up even within the last 5 minutes! If I didn’t know that a second season was already in the works I would’ve thought they were ending it in case it didn’t get renewed. We couldn’t have asked for a better ending to such a wonderful season. This show was a hit from the day it aired and I’m so excited it is coming back. The questions we have been waiting to have answered since the very start of season one were answered within the last five minutes…. and now we have to wait until September (or so?) for a new episode.
With as jam packed as this season has been with story lines I’m sure I have missed a few, I’m heading back to episode one to see what I’ve missed. One thing I think is for sure, this episode season can be summed up in one quote from Marsh’s lawyer.
“Come on it’s Washington”
Did you watch the season finale? What were your thoughts?