Sunday night on Madam Secretary Season 1 Episode 4, the battle lines were drawn and the tension growing more palpable on the freshman CBS drama.
Most of all, and most intriguingly of all, Madam Secretary Season 1 Episode 4 began to peel back the layers of this fictionalized version of the White House.
Four days of negotiations later, Elizabeth lets her guard down a little after the issue between Japan and China is resolved, but she’s also not pleased at Russell.
To Elizabeth, her team’s work was much more than "fine."
The dynamic between Russell and Elizabeth is multifaceted and complex, though. It’s not that he’s heartless, he’s just more willing to make sacrifices.
As for her recent victory, it proves to be short lived.
A Chinese student, Fu Xinpei, will not get back on a plane to China. As Fu pleads for political asylum, the sought-after treaty is once again in the balance.
Will the U.S. sacrifice Xinpei for its sake?
Meanwhile, George’s death continued to hang over our heroine as Elizabeth privately admitted that she hasn’t been able to grieve for her fallen colleague.
Nadine also had an affair with former U.S. Secretary of State Marsh, it turns out, in a side plot clearly devised to show off her human side in this all-business world.
Prior to this, and even after this week, we don’t know that much about Marsh aside from the fact that George thought his death was not an accident.
Can George’s view really be trusted, though?
President Dalton and his Chief of Staff were both powerful adversaries for Marsh, who planned to run against them. Where this is headed we don’t yet know.
The McCords’ marriage is also touched upon, and it remains remarkably strong in spite of the weight on her shoulders. Will Henry always stay so supportive?
Stevie and Allison have an interesting dynamic as well. If you watch Madam Secretary online, it’s this blend of personal and professional that truly excels.
What did you think of this week? Discuss!