Madam Secretary (2014–…): Season 1, Episode 18 - The Time Is at Hand - full transcript

- (Laughter)
- ELIZABETH: I do, I-I love this event.

Once a year, we all
get together, let loose

and say what we really think.

It's a triumph of free speech.

Which, at $2,000 a plate, is a bargain.

(laughter)

This is a great opportunity

for us to get to know each other.

Then again, I was in the CIA,

so I already know everything about you.

(laughter)



Chief of Staff Russell
Jackson is here tonight.

You've probably read in the press

he and some of the cabinet members

don't always see eye to eye.

I mean, honestly...

how can we?

Is he smiling? Please
tell me he's smiling.

Ha, ha, ha, ha.

As America's lead diplomat,

I have to interface with
people of different

cultural backgrounds, which is how

I developed the perfect icebreaker.

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

A multinational,
non-denominational person



walks into an uncontroversial
establishment...

(laughter)

Ah. You have heard it.

It's been such... such a pleasure

supporting the Society
for Global Aid tonight.

Please thank them for all of
the incredible work they do.

And thank you, thank you for coming.

Killed it, man. Great job.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

MAN: Madam Sec... Madam Secretary.

ELIZABETH: Yes?

If I could just have a second.

You know who was really funny: Condi.

- Oh.
- She could turn a phrase, huh?

But she's not as funny as you though.

You're as funny as some of the men.

Okay. I have to borrow the secretary

for a second. We'll be right back.

Matt Mahoney.

Z-man!

Hey, was that your stuff up there?

You're a rock star, bro.

God, you sound surprised.

Oh, that's right.

It's probably 'cause you never
put me in the Exit Players.

Even when I begged you senior year.

It's cool, I'm over it.

(both laugh)

Um, Zach, uh, I want to introduce you to

- my, um...
- Colleague.

- And close friend.
- Daisy.

I love your blog.

Oh, thank you.

Yeah, I mean, everybody in our office

reads the Fusillade
Press, so congrats, man.

Well, you got to let me
do a feature on you.

I mean, this thing's gonna be
all over the Internet tomorrow.

We got to get the guy who wrote it, huh?

Um... yeah.

Yeah, no, that's... that-that... Yeah.

Okay. Cool. Cool, yeah, we'll chat.

We'll chat. Awesome.

ELIZABETH: Oh, gosh,
look at that cheesecake.

- I would do anything...
- I saved you cheesecake.

- You did? I love you.
- I did. I put a piece aside.

Secretary McCord, Secretary McCord.

Would you like to
prevent the mass suicide

of U.S. citizens trapped in a cult

- in South America?
- Not right now. Thanks, sir.

- ELIZABETH: Excuse me?
- No, uh, my name is Gary Coomer.

I-I represent families

who've lost loved ones to

the Covenant of John mission
in Bolivia, including...

- Sir, sir...
- um...

my daughter, Christine.

She's 22. She joined
this group last year.

And then they were just
raising money for the mission,

but two months ago,
with-with zero warning,

184 of them flew out, they left,

and this guy's got them
completely cut off.

- Mr. Coomer, is it?
- Yeah.

I'm gonna put you in touch
with a colleague of mine

at the State Department...

No, I've already contacted
the State Department

and my congressman, Larry Ames.

He's the one who sent
me here to find you.

Oh, did he?

- Back away, sir.
- Yeah, he said that

if I showed you this, perhaps
we'd finally get some action.

We got this e-mail two days ago...

all of the families...

and it says here they're
waiting for the final judgment.

And this at the end here,

this is Christine saying good-bye.

They are all gonna kill themselves.

Can... Do you mind if I hold on to this?

No, please, please.

I-I promise you that I
will look into this.

No, don't look into it,
please, just do something.

Okay? Please, before it's too late.

Sir, why don't you come with me?
I'll take your information down.

Great. Thank you.

And let's just walk over
here for one second.

- I promise you.
- All right. Thank you.

- Thank you.
- Thank you. Over here, please.

WOMAN: Go! Go, go, go,

go, go, go, go. Go! Yes!

(shrieking)

(laughter)

Guys, hey! Hey, guys! Guys!

I'm trying to close a deal in Nigeria.

Yeah, just test-driving the chairs.

Look, i-if you want to goof
around, go work for Instagram.

I'm sure they have Foosball
and vintage arcade games.

But if you want to change the world,

one Microloan at a time, cut
the crap, get back to work.

I don't know about you guys, but...

I'm inspired.

(laughs)

- Back to work.
- Mm-hmm.

STEVIE: It's actually the
best job I've ever had.

Impressive, considering it doesn't pay.

How does your boss justify

keeping you there until 10:00 at night?

Um, well, we were closing
a deal in Abuja.

And we are still crazily understaffed.

Well, not that understaffed.

I mean, you know, with the guy.

What guy?

Come on.

You have Irish Lit at noon,

but you're going into the office early

after having worked
past 10:00 last night.

And you're wearing a skirt

and high heels to give
loans to women overseas.

Could you please not
spycraft before 8:00 a.m.?

Come on. What's his name?

Is he at Georgetown, too?

You guys are unbelievable.

(laughs)

Bye.

Good-bye.

And it's not spycraft, by the way.

It's called being a mom.

Is that D.C.'s very own
Tina Fey right here

in our kitchen?

Hilarious. Get breakfast.

- Yes or no?
- Yes, please.

"Secretary McCord tames the crowd

like a developing nation
stockpiling enriched uranium."

It's useless to try and keep
them off the Internet, right?

Utterly, yeah. Okay.

Come on, let's go, you guys.
Go. Bus is pulling out.

Ali, breakfast. You...

Here. You're eating a banana.

- Good-bye.
- Love you.

- Good-bye, good-bye.
- Bye.

Oh, and, Henry, the, um...

You know that religious
group, the Covenant of John?

Uh, yeah, the one that the guy
approached you about last night.

Yeah.

Um, I've got my staff digging
in and around into it,

but could you maybe look into it, too?

See just how doomsday you
think these people are?

Yeah, yeah. Of course, sure.

Oh. Uh, you forgot

your anti-anxiety meds.

No, I didn't forget them.
I don't need them.

- Babe.
- Look, I don't know

what they're gonna do to me,

and I cannot be off my game, Henry.

Yeah, well, if you wind
up in the hospital

with another panic attack,
you'll be way off your game,

so just... thank you... in case.

Yeah.

(sighs)

Okay. (sniffles)

JAY: Reverend Wesley Finch,

fearless leader of the Covenant of John.

Not exactly Jim Jones, is he?

According to his Web site,
Finch believes he is

the seventh messenger,
sent to reveal the mysteries

of the Book of Revelation.

He also taught American history
at Baltimore City College.

I had a sociology professor
that thought he was the messiah.

Now he teaches spin class.

So what's his group doing in Bolivia?

JAY: Waiting for the end of
the world, which, according

to Finch's interpretation
of the Book of Revelation,

is next Thursday.

And when the world
doesn't end on Thursday?

JAY: It won't matter.
They'll already be dead.

NADINE: So the question becomes:

how do we prevent a mass
suicide without interfering

with freedom of religion?

Presumably, Bolivia doesn't want
a bunch of dead U.S. citizens

any more than we do.

Let's ask for military
or police intervention.

If they balk on that, let's
see if they'll let us send in

our own team.

We have a delicate situation with Bolivia.

(sighs) That DEA raid.

NADINE: Drug Enforcement raided

a coca plantation outside
of La Paz last May

without full sign-off.

JAY: Only problem was it
wasn't a coca plantation.

Lives were lost.

Relations since then are
obviously strained.

So because DEA screws up,

we just let these people kill themselves

and their children at the
behest of a lunatic?

Unfortunately, it's not
technically illegal to waste

- your life at the behest of lunatics.
- Enough!

Are we gonna do something
to save these people

or just sit around and
dither about protocol?

- Ma'am...
- Just get me an appointment with

the Bolivian ambassador.

I know you don't want to hear
it, but, uh, that congressman,

Larry Ames...

What, the guy who
ambushed me with the dad?

He's making a lot of noise about it.

And he's angling to chair
the Foreign Relations

Subcommittee on Western
Hemisphere Affairs.

Blake, get me Larry Ames' schedule.

I'll handle this myself.

(breathing deeply)

MAN: Please. The golden age

of the labor union was 40 years ago.

Congressman Ames, mind if I hijack you

- for a minute?
- Elizabeth McCord.

- Y-Yeah, I know who you are.
- I know you do.

'Cause you sent a traumatized
parent to ambush me

at the SGA fund-raiser last night.

Well, I'm glad to hear he got through.

Here's the deal, Larry.

You have a situation with
one of your constituents

outside the U.S. borders,

the State Department is here for you.

- Just pick up the phone.
- Well, I tried that,

and your assistant gave me
15 minutes with you in July.

And I am 100% sure that if you had

explained the situation to him...

Send me down there.

I'll get every one of them
on a plane home tomorrow.

Are you familiar with
the work I did in Haiti

- after the earthquake?
- Congressman...

you wanted this on my
radar; it's on my radar.

Now I need you to stand
down so I can do my job.

Are we clear? Thank you.

MIKE: Why not let the doofus
go down there with cameras?

He can bring Sean Penn while he's at it.

And when the cult
members kill themselves

ahead of schedule because they feel like

- they're being attacked?
- If they're gonna do it anyway...

There's such a thing as too
pragmatic. You know that, right?

It's not a theory I subscribe to.

Ma'am, the Bolivian ambassador is here.

(sighs)

Señora Dominguez,

I was hoping that maybe you'd brought

some of those, um, humintas, was it?

Coffee?

Cream and sugar, right?

Let us dispense with the
niceties, Madam Secretary.

You are looking for Bolivia's assistance

in interfering with the worship

of your own citizens within our borders,

is that right?

I am concerned with
this religious group's

apparent inclination toward
self-destruction, yes.

And yet when your Drug
Enforcement Agency sees fit

to murder the innocent children
of farmers harvesting soya,

it hardly merits a phone call
from your predecessor.

Again, as we've said publicly,

we deeply regret that tragic incident.

Save your apology.

Brown lives are cheaper than white ones.

We see that again and
again in your country.

Preventing the loss of any human life

is surely a cause we can
both agree on today,

isn't it, Madam Ambassador?

What is it you wish to propose?

Let us send in a team.

Two Chinooks, unmarked.

We bring our citizens back,

your government takes full
credit for preventing

a mass suicide.

I've shown the e-mail
to Presidente Lafuente.

It is not enough.

So that's it?

You're just willing to
let these people die?

The people your government
slaughtered did not

choose to die for their
beliefs, Madam Secretary.

If you want our help,

you're going to have to
find something more.

A danger my people
can readily understand.

ELIZABETH: Let's just say
she was a bit underwhelmed.

We need to find something

to convince Bolivia there's a threat.

Find out if... anyone's
growing pot on the compound,

or if any of the kids are sick.

Uh, illegal firearms might work.

Right... that's what ATF used

with the Branch Davidians in Waco.

Because that went so well.

Just find something to get Bolivia

back in our corner, fast.

Thank you, guys.

Good night.

Oh. (chuckles)

Congressman Larry Ames.

Ask the speaker's office

to deny him any travel to Bolivia.

And when the congressman asks why?

I'd like his sage counsel close.

Wow!

Nice dress.

Where's mystery man taking you?

You do realize that
you're eating cold pasta

with your coat on?

Oh. You hear that?

Skillful misdirect.

Yeah, she learned from the best.

Aw.

(doorbell rings)

What are you doing here?

What... I told you I was coming.

No, no. I texted you that I
was gonna meet you there.

Oh. Sorry, my phone died.

Okay, well, you signed in
with security and everything?

Yeah. I had to.

You haven't told your
parents about me, have you?

No. Let's just talk about
it on the way, okay?

Hey.

Hey, Dad.

Uh...

this is Arthur.

Hello, Ar-Arthur?

- Hi.
- Hi.

I know you.

Indeed you do. Madam
Secretary, Arthur Gilroy.

Microloans guy.

Um, w-we should really get going.

You're dating your boss.

No, I-I'm an unpaid intern.

Technically...

he's not... my boss.

Technically, I'm his boss.

Why don't you come in,
Arthur, have a drink?

Uh, well, Stevie's not of
age yet, but you certainly

- look like you are.
- Good one, Dad.

It's-it's fine. Uh, happy to.

(chuckles)

(sighs)

HENRY: Where are you guys going tonight?

Eden. It's the new vegan
place on Logan Circle.

Oh, yeah, so some kale
smothered in kale sauce.

(chuckles) Ha.

So how long have you two been?

Uh, it's about a month.

Yeah, we sort of were
keeping it under the radar

until we knew if it was something.

Uh, well, it turns out it's something.

So, um, microloans, Arthur...
how'd you get into that?

Well, I studied finance in college.

And when was that? College.

- He's 39, Mom.
- I-It's okay, it's okay.

I... Listen, I get it.

You have concerns about
me dating your daughter.

Well, you are twice her age...

And her boss.

I'm s-sitting right here.

No. You know what? They're right.

I would have questions, too.

Uh, o-o...

I'm from Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Uh, I went into finance out of Wharton.

Worked 14 years at Goldman.

Uh, got married.

- Have a daughter, Ruby.
- (groans softly)

She's, uh, eight now.

Uh, condo on the Upper West
Side, house in the Hamptons,

the whole thing.

One day, I'm walking
past the Occupy tents

at Zuccotti Park, and it hits me:

I'm the one percent.

So I got a tent, pitched it,

discovered microloans
are my real passion.

Uh, my wife did not
share my new thinking,

we got divorced three years ago,

and, uh...

(chuckles): Well... here I am.

Indeed, here you are.

Look, there have been times in my life

when I chose not to follow the rules.

And it turns out... those have been

some of the best choices I've ever made.

(inhales sharply)

(sighs)

(Henry sighs)

♪ ♪

- ZACH: All right, one last question.
- MATT: Uh-huh?

ZACH: What life experience
was your best preparation

to become a big-time D.C. speechwriter?

Okay.

Oh. Space camp.

- (laughs): What?!
- I'm serious.

I-I did it the, uh, the summer

- after fifth grade.
- Uh-huh.

It totally inured me

against all hope of respect
or recognition from my peers.

Uh, I wore my uniform to the
first day of sixth grade.

I'm serious.

I still have it, in fact.

It's in my closet.

Don't put that in there.

The point is, when you go that deep...

the bullies can't touch you.

Commitment is your armor.

Bam!

- Bam!
- I love it, dude!

Yeah! Wow.

Hey, I got plenty more

- where that came from.
- Save it.

And watch out, brother, things
could really change for you.

- Really?
- I'm serious.

That clip of M-Sec doing your material

is getting mad play, okay?

You grab this moment,
you could be the next...

somebody cool.

Colbert?

Not Colbert-cool.

But, like, Jason Jones, maybe.

- Okay. Okay.
- Yeah, yeah.

Look, there's a whole
world out there, okay?

Once you decide to step out
from under the shadows.

- Cheers, buddy.
- Thanks, brother.

All right, man.

HENRY: Well, Arthur, you have to admit,

your investments are supporting

the economies of some
pretty objectionable regimes.

It's an interesting ethical
dilemma, actually.

No, not really.

See, that's the beauty of microlending.

We're skipping the government,
and actually changing things

- from within.
- Really?

Um, what time is that reservation?

So you're helping disempowered
women start businesses,

but the system that disempowered
them in the first place,

the men who might steal their profits...

or the loan themselves, for that matter...

the very government who is refusing

their basic human rights,
you're fixing all that, too?

I-I just think that we're
not in the business

of judging other cultures.

So which is it... you're
changing things from within,

or you're not in the business
of judging other cultures?

Down, Dad.

Should we maybe order Chinese?

No, we may not like it,
but democracy is no longer

a prerequisite for a healthy economy.

Look at Singapore. Hell, look at China.

You're confusing democracy
with basic human rights, but...

Do you want to jump in on this?

No, I think you're doing just fine.

No, Arthur's right... we-we
are changing things.

We're helping people improve their lives

by allowing them to
become entrepreneurs.

This from a girl who wanted to join

the Communist Party in high school...

(laughs): a couple of years ago.

Well, I'm open to new ideas.

She's vegan now.

Uh, you know what?

Maybe I should go check
on our reservation.

Yeah.

Well...

...he seems like a very
passionate young man.

Well, man, anyway. (chuckles)

He's definitely got convictions.

(mouthing)

ELIZABETH: Let's face it,

you were gonna go after that guy

- no matter what he said.
- He was so smug,

with that whole "Saul on
the road to Zuccotti Park".

And Stevie parroting all
his half-baked opinions.

Yeah, it was weird.

It's usually she just parrots
your half-baked opinions.

Hey.

She considers them,
because they're... right.

(laughs)

I don't love him, either.

But if we just nod and smile,
he'll be gone in six months.

You promise?

Well, if I'm wrong,

we'll have a cute new
granddaughter named Ruby.

Oh, God, now I'm having a panic attack.

(sighs)

Oops. Sorry.

So, did you see it?

Your old college buddy calling
you a "hot new voice"?

Yes, I saw it.

Now Zach wants me to host Fusillade's

fifth anniversary party.

This could open a whole
new future for me.

I didn't realize you weren't
so happy with your old future.

What? You don't approve?

I just think you need to be more discreet.

What is wrong with me
getting a little attention?

Hot New Voice, my office. Now.

You know this isn't really your office.

Shut up and sit.

Oh, I thought you were
talking to your dog.

Gordon's at day care,

and I would never use
that tone with him.

(sighs)

So I hear you're an
undiscovered comic gem.

Must be very exciting.

I didn't write it.

Let's hear it. Make me laugh.

Come on, let 'er rip.

It's 200 words in a blog.

There's an old Beltway expression:

"Staff ink stinks."

Your job here is to make
one person look good,

and that person is not you.

Hey, I can have a life, dude.

No.

You can't.

Now back to the shadows
to happily toil in obscurity.

Otherwise, we'll find someone
from the teeming horde

to take your place.

Madam Secretary.

Oh, this doesn't look good.

Congressman Ames showed up at
the Covenant of John compound

this morning in Bolivia
demanding the release

of its members.

Wait. Wh-What?

And now they're holding him.

Holding him hostage?

How did Ames even get
out of the country?

I-I left specific instructions...

He found some last-minute
humanitarian group

- to sponsor him.
- Are you kidding me?

Reverend Finch just posted
this on their Web site.

To those who would wish to interfere

with the holy mission of the Covenant

of John in Bolivia, know this:

by attempting to alter
our path in any way...

you will be treated as
enemies of the holy word.

He says they're keeping the congressman

in an undisclosed location
until final judgment.

And if anyone tries to interfere,

they'll take him with them.

They're threatening to
kill a U.S. congressman?

Well, at least now we have something

to convince Bolivia to get involved.

It's too late now... we've
lost the element of surprise.

Tell me they have Sean Penn, too.

NADINE: The congressman
was taken at gunpoint,

so we know they're armed.

I hate to pile on, but
Intel says the group

has been stockpiling potassium cyanide.

It's a highly lethal neurotoxin.

DAISY: It's what they used in Jonestown.

Sorry, uh, Mr. Jackson
would like a word.

Uh, not right now.

NADINE: I could reach out

gently to Ambassador Dominguez.

Now...

C-Can you just call?
Why do you never call?

You mind telling me how some
lunatic-fringe Bible camp

just turned into a flaming pile of crap?

ELIZABETH: Congressman
Ames made an end run

around me, but we're on it.
We're just now figuring...

Yeah, well, don't bother.
We're turning it over to D.O.D.

Can you guys give us a minute, please?

Mike.

Russell,

that compound is on a hair trigger.

Sending in the military is just
gonna push them over the edge.

Which is exactly what
we're trying to avoid.

What we're trying to avoid is
another U.S. government official

getting killed.

JSOC's already done an
assessment on sending a team in.

They say we can avoid up
to 60% of the members

from dying by their own hand.

And what about the congressman?

We're not gonna just let
them take him to paradise.

Not without a fight.

Just give me 24 hours!

Don't have it!

Dalton's back on his heels
'cause of this coup in Iran.

We need to get in front of this.

So either get on board
or get out of the way.

(sighs)

Ma'am.

Not right now.

There's someone here who I
think you'll want to see.

(door opens)

ELIZABETH: Mr. Coomer.

Hi. Hi.

Please sit.

Uh, I heard about Congressman Ames.

Now you see what these
lunatics are capable of.

Well, it definitely got
everyone's attention.

Mr. Coomer...

...we are doing everything we can.

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

Uh... when my wife
couldn't get pregnant,

some f... some fertility
group gave her this.

And I thought it was silly,

but after she was wearing
it for a few weeks,

Chrissie was coming.

So I figured

if it brought her to us once,
it could bring her to us again.

ELIZABETH: How do we avoid another Waco?

Well, this situation has a
lot of the same elements:

fervent believers holed
up in a compound,

uh, an impatient government
dying to storm in...

Then how do we talk them out of it?

Well, it's about their beliefs.
I'm not sure that you can.

So that's it?

I just give up and let the cavalry in?

You know, I saw Finch preach online.

He's not a typical cult leader.

He encourages his followers to
question, and he likes debate.

- He's a scholar.
- He's a kidnapper.

I think he's scared.

A lot of doomsday cult leaders
feel painted into a corner,

like they need to deliver

on all the promises they've been making.

So we need to give him a way out?

I mean, give him something
that he can use to convince

his followers that this
isn't their time to go.

Yeah, possibly. There's nothing
in Revelation about suicide.

That's good. I think the main
thing is to make him feel heard.

You know, in Waco, Koresh was
at an absolute standoff

with the FBI until a couple

of religious scholars got him
talking about his beliefs,

the Bible, and then
that's when he was ready

to come out peacefully.

So scholars almost saved the day

at Waco, huh?

Okay. There's no way of telling how that

- might have turned out.
- Did you reach out to him?

Babe, I am not an expert
on apocalyptic literature.

But you are a world-renowned
biblical scholar.

Just one phone call.

One phone call.

DALTON: So you want me

to hold off on rescuing a U.S. congressman

being held prisoner
by a suicidal cult leader

so your husband can

chat with him on the
phone about Scripture?

Reverend Finch left for Bolivia

because the federal
government wouldn't grant him

the tax-exempt status
of a faith-based group.

So you're blaming the IRS?

He wants legitimacy.

That's what Henry can bring.

I mean, not only is he an
internationally acclaimed

theological scholar,

but he is the husband of
the Secretary of State.

A phone call from him?

And he has consulted for the Pentagon,

he's worked with the NSA.

He'll know how to work with the guy.

ELIZABETH: Congressman Ames
has that group on edge.

You send in a team of Navy SEALs,

you're looking at a success rate of... 40%?

60%. Optimally.

ELIZABETH: But this is
a chance to do better.

You want to project an image of power.

But a debacle

like the one in Waco would
be far more damaging

than a failed phone call.

You've given me an idea, Bess.

I think we need to take
every advantage here.

No half measures.

If we're gonna do this, let's
send Henry down there.

JACKSON: (stammers) You really
think that's necessary?

DALTON: He'll have backup.

If things go south, our
team will move right in.

CAPTAIN: Land outside La Paz at 0500,

meet up with the SEAL
team, then chopper in.

We should be on the ground near
the compound by mid-morning.

I'll give you a minute, Dr. McCord.

How did I let you agree to this?

You know that I've
always wanted to visit

the Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos.

Couldn't we have made it
our next family vacation?

It's the right thing to do.

Do you think you'll
have God on your side?

I got you.

♪ ♪

Commander Parker,

any chance we can discuss my name

for this mission?

PARKER: You have a problem
being the Cardinal today, sir?

HENRY: Why don't we just go with Pope?

Oh, and "Alamo" is the distress code?

Isn't that a little cliché?

Would you tell him to shut
up and get on with it?

Bravo Team is in position.
Snipers are hot.

Sn... Whoa.

We're not gonna risk
another hostage situation.

(chickens clucking)

- Professor McCord?
- Yes.

I'm Christine.

I can take you to see Wesley now.

That's Gary Coomer's daughter.

CHRISTINE: I'm sorry. Just the professor.

HENRY: I cleared this with Reverend Finch.

And he apologizes for his change of heart.

If you'd like to come back another time?

HENRY: It's okay. Stand down.

He can't go in alone. He needs backup.

It's all right. Go ahead.

PARKER: Cardinal flying in solo.

No wire, no visual.

Welcome to our home.

Henry, what the hell did you just do?

He got in.

(chickens clucking)

(congregation singing nearby)

SOLDIER: We've lost
visual on Cardinal, sir.

Can we get some remote
audio or something, please?

HILL: They're working on
a long-range microphone.

(static crackles, feedback drones)

Okay. We have ears.

(garbled radio transmission)

You know, there are lot of
beautiful missions in Bolivia.

Dr. McCord.

This is so cool.

Reverend Finch.

Oh, call me Wesley, please.

You met Jeff?

Uh, yeah, we were just, uh, chatting.

Yes. Uh, thank you for having me.

Are you kidding?

When I read your paper,
I said, "This guy is it.

We got to get him in here."

That part about faith
is like a silent bell?

Oh... uh, "Faith is a bell unrung.

"Its silence is an arc

of possibility."

FINCH: As defined by
loss as it is by hope.

Why do you study God?

I was an altar boy at Our
Lady of Good Counsel.

And one Sunday, Father Joseph asked me

to ring the bells during the mass.

You know, the... the consecration,

the big moment of transubstantiation.

- I'm familiar.
- Yes, right, of course.

Well, the time came and
Father Joseph held up

the host and said,
"Do this in remembrance of me."

And I...

I didn't ring the bells.

A couple weeks earlier,

my best friend Tommy was
playing hockey on the pond.

He went under the ice,
and they couldn't...

He didn't come up.

(clears throat)

Anyway, after mass,

Father Joseph said to me,
"It's okay, Henry.

God goes silent on us all."

A priest

admitting that God went silent on him?

(claps hands)

I was in.

So that settled it?

No, no, no, no. That started it.

(chuckles)

Uh, faith is a quest.

It's not a panacea, but you know that.

Thank you, Christine.

- Have some tea.
- Thank you.

He knows how to win the guy's trust.

He doesn't tell that
story to just anyone.

Looks like it worked.

Am I the only one thinking
he shouldn't drink the tea?

(sighs heavily)

HENRY: Right, but you have to concede

that according to hypostatic union,

asserting Christ's exclusive
divinity would be heresy.

Oh, there's a reason I
stopped going to church.

- Let me ask you something, Wesley.
- He's just getting going.

Why is this,

now, the time of the Fifth Seal for you?

War.

Famine.

Death.

The destruction of the planet.

HENRY: You know what I'm gonna say.

The 21st century did not
invent war or famine or death.

"And I saw when the Lamb
opened one of the seals,

"one of the four beasts
saying, 'Come and see.'

And I saw a white horse: and
he that sat on him had a bow.."

Did someone arrive on a
white horse, Wesley?

"...and a crown was given unto him:

and he went forth conquering,
and to conquer."

Congressman Ames...
did he come in a white car?

FINCH: This isn't about a car, Henry.

I've been chosen.

I don't know why I've been chosen.

My sins are more than
the hairs on my head.

But I have seen what's coming.

What if you're wrong?

The Chalcedonian Creed
said that Jesus was human,

and therefore fallible.

Couldn't you be making mistakes?

And the Nicene Creed said
he was fully divine.

No more debate.

You're a father, Henry.

You know what the world
can do to your children,

how Satan can snuff out their light.

You'd do anything to prevent that.

But here's the thing:
they have to choose it.

There's a new thought about Revelation,

that John was actually writing
about Asia Minor pulling away

from the rest of the
Christian community.

I'm not familiar with that.

You must have had that conflict
here among your followers.

There must have been members who
did not want to come to Bolivia.

Those who came here
are those who believe.

Then open the gate, have
faith in your followers

- the way they have faith in you.
- I'm not holding anyone here by force.

You're holding that congressman.

If there are those among you who
do not hear the bells anymore,

then open that gate.

(clattering, glass shattering)

- What the hell just happened?
- Damn it, we need a visual.

Working on it, sir.

PARKER: Sniper two, eyes on cardinal.

He's almost got him.

PARKER: Cardinal engaged.

Waiting on a clear shot.

Sir, he's not in distress.

He didn't say "Alamo".

Let's see how this plays out.

JEFF: You don't know what you want.

You had us all come out here,

and now you just want
to open up the gate

and let everyone off to damnation?

Jeffrey, we are just talking.

He's turning you.

Let him go.

And you don't even see it.

We need to take this guy out.

It'll cause mayhem.

SNIPER: Still no shot.

Holding for a clear shot.

HENRY: ...can go very badly
for you, but it doesn't have to.

There are people who need to know

that Congressman Ames is safe.

They just need to know where he is.

I told you, that's all he cares about!

HENRY: Listen to me now, Wesley.

It's an unrighteous act...

if you harm that man.

He's got a knife.

SNIPER: Still no clean shot.

Hold on, Henry.

HENRY: It's a mark on
you, an affront to God.

He's the enemy.

Wesley, tell me where he is.

Is he here on the compound?

Is he here?

(silenced gunshot)

Sniper achieved target. Cardinal's good.

No, don't look at him.
Don't look at him.

You need to tell me where
the congressman is.

If you want to save them
all from damnation,

tell me where he is now.

He's just outside the compound

in a bunker, off to the east side.

All right, all right, we've got him.

SNIPER: Bravo moving in
to retrieve secondary target.

They'll get him out, Bess.

Why hasn't he said "Alamo"?

- Any reaction to the sniper shot?
- Nothing that we're picking up.

FINCH: I have to lead them.

HENRY: No, I think you need to pray.

Christine is heading for the tent.

You were chosen by God, then pray, pray.

Pray with me.

Dear Lord.

Dear Lord.

We beseech you.

We beseech you.

In the hour of our darkness.

In the hour of our darkness.

The time is nigh.

No. No.

The time is nigh!

The time is nigh!

Christine, no!

Alamo! Alamo!

Alamo!

The time is nigh! The time is nigh!

The time is nigh! The time is nigh!

The time is nigh!

(clamoring)

You need to stop them.

You're the seventh and final messenger.

PARKER: Proceeding with Alpha-Omega.

Helo standing by for
extraction and transport.

Wesley, you've got to stop them.

It's too late.

You shouldn't have betrayed me, Henry.

(gunfire)

Who's shooting?

SEAL: Under fire,
engaging hostile target.

- Have they evacuated the tent?
- HILL: There's a group taking refuge.

They've barricaded themselves in.

- Did they have the poison with them?
- HILL: We're trying to determine...

Okay.

Go to four.

We've located the congressman.

- He's walking.
- Thank the Lord for small miracles.

Can we please get my
husband out of there?

- What's the status on Henry, damn it?
- Still engaging.

(gunfire)

PARKER: We have the Cardinal.
Target is safe.

He's good.

(sighs)

(clamoring continues)

Hell of a play.

Yes. Right.

Sniper one?

SEAL 2: Squad Commander to JSOC.

We breached the barricade.

It appears to be a mass casualty event.

Estimated 30 dead.

They had the poison.

♪ ♪

37 dead.

Henry, look,

look at how many you brought home.

I was so focused on trying
to get through to Finch

that I ignored his deputy.

I-I should have tried to
connect with him, too.

It was working; Finch was listening.

It's like what you said.

You can't change their beliefs.

(sighs)

You still saved so many more

than they would have without you.

That girl, Christine, that
let you into the compound?

No.

Where is she?

I'm so sorry.

She did it herself?

(groans)

STEVIE: So, you know how I thought

that my Irish poetry
professor was a psychopath?

(both chuckle)

I think she might just be
a frustrated romantic.

She's teaching Irish poetry.

You started on Yeats, yet?

A little, yeah.

I tell you, at the end,

he got into these crazy fantastic

Hindu theosophical beliefs, I mean...

Okay, Dad, the religion
conference is over.

How was that, by the way?

It was, uh... surprisingly eventful.

Hmm.

Damn it.

What?

This isn't non-GMO.

Well, maybe it's cisgenic.

Could be just two plants
grafted together.

Farmers have been
doing that for centuries.

Okay, well, tell that to all of Europe,

because everything
over there is non-GMO.

That's not exactly true.

Uh, wh-where's all this
coming from anyway?

What is that supposed to mean?

It just seems that you've been

a bit under Arthur's thrall.

Really?

I thought you liked his convictions.

Well, I'd like them better

if they weren't automatically
becoming your convictions.

Non-GMO is my conviction.

- Arthur isn't even vegan.
- Oh, well, then...

What is your problem? You've
been totally weird about him.

I don't like it that he's
40 and dating someone

- half his age.
- He's 39.

And he's your boss.

Come on, as if age actually
matters that much.

- I don't like his fuzzy thinking.
- Not everything is about thinking.

Some people actually do stuff.

They don't just sit around

in an ivory tower, coming up
with debates and arguments.

You think that's what I
do, just sit around?

You know what, you don't have
to like Arthur, but I do, a lot.

I might even love him, and you
can't debate me out of that!

Well played, Professor.

No, really.

- It'll be a beautiful wedding, I'm sure.
- Ha, ha.

I-I just can't sit around

and watch her get brain
washed by this guy.

Henry, she's not one of those kids.

Yeah, I know, but I want
her to think for herself.

Well, I think that's
what she's trying to do.

You're a huge force in her life.

Maybe she just needs
to tear you down a little

to make some room for herself.

Not to mention the guy.

Okay, so when she hates
you, it's a crisis,

and when it's my turn,
it's just natural progression.

I know.

It's so weird, that.

(whispers): I'm glad you're back.