Madam Secretary (2014–…): Season 1, Episode 20 - The Necessary Art - full transcript
A Russian nuclear submarine disappears in American waters, putting Elizabeth in a tricky situation.
(singing russian hip-hop)
(speaking russian)
(singing stops immediately)
Elizabeth: Passport? Check.
Wait.
Oh. Okay, check.
Lecture notes. What?
Oh, uh, yeah. Got it. Okay. Check.
What about that big, ugly parka
That I bought you that's so warm?
Uh... Yes. You gonna take it?
Got it. Russia...
Listen, I want you to take this cell phone
Instead of your regular one.
What? Why? Better calling plan or...?
It's a more secure line.
You know, there's nothing covert about this visit.
I'm just lecturing about fundamentalism
To a bunch of colonels named boris.
First of all, it's not just a lecture.
These military-to-military exchanges
Help keep the peace. It's a big deal.
I feel special again. Thanks.
You think just anyone
Gets invited to these things,
Especially at the personal behest
Of foreign minister gorev? Guess he forgot
That I once refused to give his daughter an "a."
Ha. Do the world a favor:
Don't remind him of that.
Now, that is a secure line
So that we can, you know,
Talk without any borises listening in.
Just in case you have trouble staying warm
On those long winter nights.
Arthur (laughing): I was not sleeping.
(laughing): Yes, you were. I was meditating.
You were not; you were snoring in the middle of...
I was not. Yes.
Was I? Yes.
But you find that incredibly sexy though, right?
Snoring.
Come on, it's not an old thing.
It was a, it was a boring movie.
No. Come on, I'm so with it.
I'm so... Look, come on.
Look at my phone.
Look at all the applications
(laughing): Life hacks. (phone dings)
Whoa.
What?
Let me see.
Oh, my god, where'd you get that?
I have an alert app that dings me
Every time your name or photo shows up on the internet.
What? Well, no, I have it for everyone in the office.
I have to make sure they're not making the wrong kind of news. Oh.
Wait, how did this get here?
Well, who posted it?
Alison!
Alison, it's her account.
God, I'm gonna kill her.
And that-that's... That's, that's harrison, right?
Yeah. (whispering): The, uh, president's son?
Yeah.
Sort of breaks your heart to see him
Before all the bad choices.
Alison: I don't see what the big deal is. He's the president's son, ali!
That kind of makes it a big deal.
Plus, he really needs privacy right now.
What does that mean? Don't worry about what it means.
Wait, are you freaking out because there actually
No, no, look, I already told you we dated for, like, three weeks
When I was your age, okay?
We are just friends.
But it is really important to me
That he feels like I am someone that he can trust.
Please be more mysterious.
Look, I don't want him looking at this
And thinking that I'm going around telling people
That I'm "one half of starrison."
And according to this, not the cute half.
Henry: Girls, I'm leaving.
Come say do svidan'ya.
(sighs)
Let's go say do svidan'ya.
(elevator bell dings)
Nadine tells me I have a very full schedule today.
Uh, yes, we're starting with the russian war games
Off the alaskan coast.
A flotilla of some 50 different vessels and aircraft.
They're technically within their rights.
The maneuvers and test firings are taking place
On international waters and outside american airspace.
Still insultingly close to our northern borders.
But we were expecting something like this, right?
After the nato thing?
Nadine: Yes, it's believed to be a response
To our announced deployment of the nato rapid response
Strike force in latvia.
Daisy: Which was our response to russia's meddling
In its neighbor's affairs.
Moldova being the most recent example.
White house expects us to send
A démarche, ma'am, a diplomatic cable in protest.
The nato force in latvia was the right call.
I'm just annoyed that ostrov is so determined
To refight the cold war,
Instead of fixing his crappy economy.
Don't, uh, put that in the protest thingy.
Yes.
Matt: Speaking of the cold war, ma'am?
There's a ceremony today
For ezra lyle helsinger,
The department's oldest foreign service office.
He's retiring today, after 60 years of service.
Wow, 60 years.
Good for him.
I'm sorry, ma'am?
You're needed in the situation room.
Jackson: Elizabeth.
Blake couldn't give me any details.
That's because it's need to know.
Okay, what do I need to know?
Russian war games have gotten heated.
One of their subs split
From the fleet and has crossed into us coastal waters.
That's aggressive, but not unprecedented.
Sure, russians like
To test our defenses, just like we test theirs,
But we were tracking the sub, and it vanished.
That is unprecedented.
So they've perfected some kind of cloaking technology.
And the sub's nuclear armed, I'm guessing?
And now it's somewhere off the alaska shoreline,
Intentions unknown.
Could be posturing, could be about starting world war iii.
We're told he's at a remote location.
He can't be reached.
So he's vanished, as well.
Heck of a week for henry to go to russia.
Can't disagree with you there.
Thank you.
Professor mccord, you are most welcome.
Thank you, minister gorev.
You must call me anton.
Even after I wouldn't give your daughter an "a" last semester?
I overreached in asking.
An "incomplete" was generous.
Well, good.
I'm glad we cleared the air on that.
Indeed, that is the purpose of these wonderful meetings
Between our militaries.
To keep the air clear.
Especially in a time of such...
Unfortunate misunderstandings.
Thank you very much.
It's an honor to be here.
I'm gonna speak with you today
About a subject that is of great importance
To our two countries and our common civilization,
And that is the roots of the two notions
Of righteous religious warfare or struggle.
Namely, jihad in classical islam,
And in both eastern and western christianity,
The concept of crusade.
Gorev: Professor mccord, my I introduce the president
Of the russian federation
And our supreme commander-in-chief,
Pavel ostrov.
Professor mccord,
It is an honor to meet you.
(stammers)
It's also my honor, uh, mr. President,
And a bit of a surprise.
I like to come to this place on occasion for a visit.
For the beautiful country,
The recreation and for the game.
I'm told you enjoy blood sports.
If, by that, you mean hunting,
Then, yes, my father took me sometimes.
Deer, duck, an occasional squirrel.
Then you must come hunt with me.
No refusing.
My pleasure is to show
The goodness of russian life
To such eminent, distinguished guest.
With such a beautiful,
Eminent wife.
Admiral hill: Mr. President, we've been in contact.
They deny that sub is even there.
Still claiming their right to refute reality.
What do we know about the sub itself?
We think it's the yalta, sir; it's a new sub
Out of vladivostok with an experimental stealth technology
More advanced than ours.
Apparently.
It's powered by a fission reactor,
Carrying six bulava-type cruise missiles,
Each with 150-kiloton warhead
And a range of about 60 miles.
But again, what is most disturbing about it...
Besides the fact that it could be
On its way to flatten anchorage...
(sonar pinging) ...Is how they have just proven
That they can evade all forms of detection by sonar,
Magnetic anomaly
Or satellite array.
A true stealth weapon.
They can hit us before we even know they're there.
Ostrov's been bankrupting his economy,
Trying to get back to military parity with the west.
Now he may have it. Dalton: Well, they've got the drop on us.
The question is what do they want?
Is ostrov just making us sweat,
Or is this more than posturing?
Sir...
If ostrov isn't talking to us,
I may know somebody who will.
Nadine...
You clear my schedule for the rest of the day?
All of it, ma'am?
And, nadine, quietly, okay?
Get gorev on svtc, please.
Yes, ma'am.
Is everything okay, ma'am?
Yeah, it's fine.
I just need to clear my schedule.
Oh, it's definitely a loose nuke.
We're all dead.
Good news is there's a bunker in the basement.
Okay, that's enough doomsday.
You heard the secretary.
Let's clear her schedule.
Quietly.
Okay.
She's fun.
Nadine: I heard that.
Don't try and evade the issue,
And don't try telling me the this sub isn't there, anton.
It's just the tow of us now.
Yes, two friends talking openly and honestly,
But then friends also don't put powerful weapons
On each other's borders.
(chuckles) I'm listening.
I thought it might come to this.
So, say one of our subs did lose its direction
And come too close to your alaska
With its bears and salmon.
You're about to put nato troops on the latvian border,
Just a few hundred miles from moscow.
Which is less friendly?
So what can we do about that?
Cancel the nato deployment,
And perhaps the captain
Will find his map again,
Come back home.
Honest enough for you?
Perfectly.
You also know I'm being honest
When I tell you that bullying and threats
Will not alter the resolve of the United States
And your president needs to pick up the phone.
I will tell him myself when I see him.
He can't have gone far.
What are you talking about?
Didn't you know?
President ostrov has invited your husband henry
To go hunting with him.
They're in the woods, hunting grouse.
One of president ostrov's favorite pastimes.
It's quite an honor for your husband.
Is that what it is?
I'm certain they're having a wonderful time.
All I can say is,
They better be.
Until later, madam secretary.
(phone ringing)
Oh. Sorry.
Hunt requires quiet, professor.
We are not having very much luck today.
Maybe the camera crew had something to do with it.
I don't understand.
With this gun, I always have very good luck.
Oh, it's beautiful.
My grandfather's.
He kept it with him in the great patriotic war,
Your world war ii, during the blockade leningrad.
The siege of leningrad?
You know it? Yes, of course.
Through entire blockade, my grandfather kept it
Cocked and loaded by the front door,
So, if the germans ever break through,
If they come to the house for my aunts and my grandmother,
He has something to shoot the enemy with.
And if necessary...
His family, and then himself.
May I ask, sir,
Why you're telling me all this?
Our people are never
Frightened, professor, and we outlast our enemy.
So, tell your wife and your president,
We don't back down.
I will convey your message, mr. President.
But to be honest, I have no idea what you're talking about.
Don't worry. They will.
(bird squawks)
(wings fluttering)
(gunshot)
Elizabeth: He did what?
Henry: Yeah. My left ear is still ringing.
But at least now I know what that was all about.
He was using me for propaganda.
Let's just hope
That's all you are. Henry: You really think
He'd take me hostage? Elizabeth: I don't know.
Clearly, he coordinated the sub incursion with your visit.
It's just optics.
Lecturing the secretary of state's husband
While his sub is sneaking around alaska?
The message is:
Don't let nato troops go into latvia.
Well, now that we've heard it, why don't you come home?
No, if I cut and run now,
He'll just know that we're scared.
I think I should act like everything is fine.
They've invited me to tour an orthodox monastery
Of st. George.
I think I should go.
Besides, it's a significant historical site,
Crucial to the spread of christianity during mongol rule.
I am finding your dorkiness
Oddly reassuring right now.
We need you in there.
Henry, I gotta go.
Be safe, okay?
I will. Okay.
Henry all right?
As long as the only actual shots being fired are
At a bunch of defenseless birds, yeah,
I think we're all right.
Mr. President, this is ostrov grandstanding.
Clearly, the man likes to put on a show.
Dalton: What are you proposing, darren?
Darren: Well, if he wants to grandstand,
Hide-and-seek with the sub,
Not to mention whatever he's trying to do with
The secretary's husband, we should put on a show right back.
Not only mobilize the strike force to latvia,
But deploy the sixth fleet's flagship to the black sea.
Turkey will allow it, but it's posturing.
It's us doing exactly
What ostrov is doing, only bigger and louder.
Surest sign of strength is to show you are able to use it.
But are we willing to use it, sir?
I think we just got a signal through your husband, bess.
All this russian president truly understands or respects
Is force.
Give the order to move the fleet.
Yes, sir.
We've managed to clear the secretary's schedule,
But one item's proving a little tricky.
And that is?
Ezra helsinger's retirement ceremony. Oh.
She's expected to give a speech, or at least make an appearance.
I mean, he's a living legend in the department.
Everyone's gonna be there, including press.
Yeah. M sec doesn't show, there'll be rumors.
I'll let the secretary know. Keep it on for now.
Speaking of rumors,
I'm hearing the pentagon's parking lot is hopping.
You know, people coming in instead of going home?
Never a good sign. Yup, we're all about to be
Fragged by a fiery ball of death.
It was nice to know you.
Daisy, something you should see.
You know the secretary's so protective of the family?
"let them say what they will about me,
So long as they leave the kids out of it"?
Mm-hmm.
The kids are not out of it.
Well, the secretary's not gonna love this.
But just looks like your typical internet rumors.
Daisy, you have a phone call.
It's the secretary's daughter.
Or not.
Admiral hill: She's at the mouth of glacier bay.
Resting on a seabed in a hundred meters of water.
Darren: Well within the 12-mile limit.
And a clear violation of our territorial sovereignty.
Aerial recon found it when it detected
A burst of very low-frequency transmission.
They're fairly certain
They were attempting to communicate
With their command vessel.
Since then, nothing.
No distress signal,
No response to our radio transmissions
Or hydrophone.
And ostrov still isn't picking up his phone.
What's his game, bess?
Trying to back us out of latvia...
I thought.
But to be honest, at this moment, sir,
Is there an optic cable buried along that coast?
It's land-linked to our anti-missile
So, it could be a spy mission trying to tap that cable.
Yes, and it also has six nuclear cruise missiles
Capable of destroying juneau 55 miles down that channel!
It could awaiting orders!
If they wanted to nuke us, they have icbm's
That could obliterate new york in 20 minutes.
Why park a sub off of alaska?
And then the sub would disappear down the coast, to seattle,
L.A.
How long before we can physically engage?
You mean threaten it, sir?
Capture it and report it?
I mean destroy it.
Admiral hill: Sir,
Our closest surface vessel
Is the navy minesweeper kirkland.
It can be at the site within 90 minutes.
Tell the russians they have two hours.
Two hours for that sub to be gone.
Or we take it out ourselves.
By whatever means necessary.
Which the russians will view as an act of war.
And this isn't?
Can't say we didn't warn them.
Elizabeth: Sorry I'm late.
So we're gonna pay tribute to mr. Helsinger
Just like nothing's wrong.
Yes, ma'am.
Is anything wrong?
Uh, nothing we're talking about.
Ma'am, uh, your speech doesn't need to be formal.
Just a few unrehearsed, off the cuff remarks.
And here they are.
Great.
Six decades of service in germany,
Eastern europe and the middle east,
A crewman for a vanderbilt yacht
And a writer for time and the paris review.
Ezra...
You truly are a witness to and a creator of what
Your first boss, henry luce, called "the american century."
Thank you.
Enjoy your life.
And have some cake. (laughs)
(indistinct chatter)
Yeah, sure, sure, of course.
Oh, please, don't get up, ezra.
I'm very sorry.
I was supposed to bring you your gift.
But we're a little disorganized today.
Well, there's no need to apologize, ma'am.
In threat of war with the russians?
That's apt to frazzle a person.
And on the very day that
The last of the cold warriors
Shuffles off to buffalo, too.
How's that for irony?
Has someone been telling you things?
I have seen this movie before, madam secretary.
The russian navy holding war games
In the bering sea.
I, uh, I happened to see
A little item on the dod...
Daily rundown this morning.
We are sending
A naval flagship into the black sea.
Ostrov is posturing on russian tv.
And with your husband, no less.
He's a handsome fella, by the way.
You've cleared your calendar.
Except for those events where your absence would be noticed.
You really do know how to read the signs.
Now, tell that to the dmv.
They took my damn license!
(chuckles)
You still work for me.
For the next several hours anyway, right?
Um... Yeah.
Till 5:00.
So, there's this invisible submarine--
A super weapon--
It's just sitting there,
Letting us look at it.
Right! I was wondering about that, too.
I mean, why turn off the stealth technology?
Well, back in my day,
We only tried to read the russians' intentions.
Their mentality.
To look at the chess player
As well as the pieces on the board.
(sighs) well, that's sort of tough since ostrov
Won't even admit there's a game.
(wry chuckle) not even talking.
But see? That in itself tells us something.
I mean, he's a bully and a poser, right?
Well, uh, the question is...
Why isn't he bragging?
Throwing this in our face?
Right...
Right... Why-why not tell the russian public--
Or the whole world,
For that matter, that he snuck
Advanced technology in right under our noses?
Beat us at our own game.
In our backyard.
And you're right, you know,
It isn't like ostrov to hold back.
Unless there's something he didn't count on.
Something went wrong.
That sub isn't doing what it's supposed to.
And again...
Ostrov would never admit that, would he?
Kind of makes you wish it was him sitting here now,
Instead of me, doesn't it?
So you could ask him.
You do know there's no smoking in here, right?
Mm-hmm, oh, yeah, yeah. I, uh...
Ordinance against smoking in this building
Since 1997, I think, I...
I miss the war.
♪
You know, I, too, have great respect for st. Nicholas.
Stop filming.
What are you doing here, henry?
Your tour of the church is over.
I mean, st. George is great.
The warrior saint.
The victor.
But st. Nick represents compassion.
He's the one you turn to when times are tough.
Of course, we've trivialized him in the west,
Made him into the precursor of our modern-day santa claus.
Thought that maybe we would light a candle together.
I don't think so.
I'm in no need of miracles.
You may be.
Not me.
So, we clear?
No more pictures.
Nothing personal.
No posting where others can see.
And...? Absolutely nothing involving the first family
Thank you. Okay, then, leave it to me.
I'll see what I can do to keep major news outlets
From picking up the story.
Without telling mom?
Yeah, no.
Daisy: It'll all be fine.
Besides, the best defense is the truth.
And since you and harrison aren't actually an item...
I mean, you'd tell me if you were, right?
'cause, honestly, he is kind of cute.
(chuckles)
I mean, I'd understand.
No, I have a boyfriend, okay?
Oh! Oh, yeah? Who's that?
Oh, it's just, uh, this guy that I work with.
Another intern from the microloan program?
Uh...
Wait, what's with the face?
What, are you, like, dating your boss or something?
Oh, my god.
Wait, are you dating arthur gilroy?
Yeah.
Look, I know it sounds... Stevie, no.
Forget harrison, now we have a problem.
No, mom and dad are fine with it. Sort of.
They may be fine as parents,
But from a press perspective,
Looking at damage control--
Stevie, there are three words
That can never go together in this town,
And that is "boss," "intern" and "sex."
You've got to end it. Now.
What?! Why?
What do you think will happen
And it will, now that you're in the spotlight.
I will deal with it. The microloan program was
Already on the chopping block.
And don't you think there are people
Who would love to get back at your mother?
And they'd happily throw arthur gilroy
Onto the fire to do that.
You really think that's what will happen?
I know it will.
This is st. Nicholas we're talking about?
As in kris kringle?
Henry: He means something more in orthodox tradition.
He's the one you turn to in cases of calamity,
When things have turned against you.
It's just an observation,
But he seemed like a different person,
Like he was afraid, even.
Afraid of what?
I don't know,
But I've been around enough true believers
To know when they're really praying, and ostrov was.
The guy that took me hunting this afternoon
Was confident, secure,
Like everything was going his way.
Could something have happened to change that?
Yeah, as a matter of fact, something did.
Look, henry, I gotta take this to the president.
If ostrov is scared,
It may be because he's lost control of that sub.
You think he could overreact?
That, or we will.
(dog barks)
For the yalta to leave our waters isn't up yet.
We've got the russians' response.
Two of their kirov-class battle cruisers
And three sister attack subs are on a direct course
To glacier bay.
Carrier strike group 11 out of everett
Is on its way to intercept.
The kirklandstationed directly over it,
About to commence dropping depth charges.
Wh-why?
Standard naval etiquette.
You don't surrender, we force you to surface.
Deck officer: This is the kirkland.
We are directly above the target.
We are about to drop depth charges.
Three, two, one...
(shouting in russian)
Deck officer: Standing by.
There's something happening.
Fish in the water.
Target has launched a torpedo.
Initiating counter...
(explosion thundering)
We are hit.
Repeat, kirkland has been hit.
Sir, we've lost communication with the kirkland.
Carrier strike group has re-established contact
With the kirkland. Damage assessment?
Injuries. So far, no fatalities.
We have a visual from a medi-chopper.
Ship is still under power, headed for port.
Man (over speaker): Norad reports a squadron
Of russian mig-35s just performed a flyover.
Saw the kirkland take the hit.
Damn it.
Becker: Mr. President, I've got northcom
And the commander of the u.S. Pacific fleet
Requesting immediate authority to engage.
We just got a communiqué from the russians.
Their vessel was defending itself,
And any further attack will be met
With quote, "overwhelming retaliatory force."
Without getting into specifics.
Call their bluff, sir.
They're entirely in the wrong.
They're guilty of an act of war.
Well, all due respect,
We don't know who's guilty of what.
I'm just saying, mr. President,
Before we declare war, let's determine
Exactly who we're going to war with.
What if that sub hasn't moved
Because it's incapable of moving?
What if something went wrong?
That sub isn't doing what it's supposed to.
The captain and crew could be operating without orders,
Off the chain of command of the kremlin and his president.
What does it matter? We respond to actions,
Mr. President, not intentions.
We do not let an attack on american lives go unanswered!
And we don't go to war over a mistake!
Outside.
We should believe that ostrov lost control of the yalta
And he saw ostrov ask santa for a wish?
Actually, the secretary's husband has shown
He can be a pretty effective operative
On occasion, as well as a religious scholar.
Well, what if I trust your analysis?
That he's operating in the blind,
Like we all are here.
Then we don't push him to the brink.
Not until we know more.
Every second we wait lets those battleships get closer.
Or lets the sub fire another missile--
Or six of them, all of them nukes.
And if we hit it with one of ours,
We risk sending a radioactive tsunami down the channel...
That'll make fukushima a fond memory-- I get it, bess.
So what do you propose?
We have to take one last chance,
And try and talk to that submarine.
Directly and without moscow knowing.
There has to be a way.
Admiral hill: That's the unmanned submersible.
If the russian crew gets a visual,
They'll know it's harmless, incapable of attack.
We're tapping on their hull.
We're using the retractable arm to tap out a message.
(electronic beeping)
Morse code.
Old school, but it works.
Hill: We're asking them to state their name, mission,
Allow us on board.
(morse code beeping)
That's them answering.
(morse code beeping)
There's activity.
One of her torpedo tubes is opening, flooding...
She's gonna fire.
No, it's her distress buoy.
They're asking for help.
Stephanie!
Are you and harrison dalton dating?
Is he a good kisser?
Reporter: Are you and harrison dalton dating?
Hey, you okay?
Yeah, I'm not used to being ambushed.
Yeah, you have a lot of pings.
You're getting some serious unwanted attention.
Yeah, they were outside my house.
It's crazy. All right, don't worry about it.
You and harrison are just filling bandwidth
Between kardashians.
(chuckles) it's gonna blow over soon.
None of this matters.
Listen to me-- what matters is our work.
The microloans program-- that's what matters.
Yeah, about that.
Hey, you're not quitting, are you?
Oh, you're quitting this.
Us.
Both, I'm quitting...
I'm quitting both.
Once they figure out
That I'm not dating harrison,
They're going to figure out who I am dating.
So what?
You really want to throw away
Your whole career on some intern?
Listen to me, I know I've harped on this a lot,
But I-I have been around, okay?
Just let me... Let me worry about that.
Look, okay, you know what?
You're too old.
You're too old, and it's not gonna work.
(scoffs)
Is that what you need to hear?
Uh, okay.
Well, it's been really nice working with you...
Listen to me-- do you really want to lose
What means so much to you?
Please, just take a few days, and think about the job, not me.
The job.
Okay.
I have to go.
See you around, kid.
(wry laugh)
See you around, old man.
(speaking russian)
Translator: He's the executive officer
Of the russian submarine, the yalta.
They're transmitting from the bridge.
They have an antenna attached to their distress buoy.
They suffered a malfunction when the new technology failed.
There was a fire in the control room, they couldn't contain it.
A loss of oxygen...
(speaking russian)
"42 crew members have already died."
That's two-thirds of their crew.
"the captain broke radio silence to report it.
"we received instructions:
"do not signal for help.
"do not allow the americans to board.
"if you can't restore power, then destroy the sub
And all evidence of new deflector technology."
Anything to keep us from getting our hands on it.
Ask why they fired the torpedo.
(translator speaking russian)
(speaking russian)
"the captain panicked..."
(executive officer speaking russian)
Translator: He thought they were being attacked.
(executive officer speaking russian)
"the captain's no longer in command of the vessel."
Nice way of saying they mutinied.
(executive officer speaks russian, gasps)
"we only have two hours of oxygen left.
"we're asking for your help.
Please help us."
(speaking russian)
"please...
Help us."
Becker: Mr. President, the russian battle cruiser
Has just reached our line of quarantine.
Darren: We tell the russians we're going down
To get those men out, they will refuse.
To send out a missile of their own,
And destroy it themselves
Before we'll get a chance to touch it.
Dalton: So, no good options.
Ostrov will never admit failure,
Concede that one of his crews mutinied.
Not in public.
There may be a way to resolve this.
A deal that even he can live with.
But we're gonna need to go through back channels.
And we happen to have one.
We do.
Ostrov: It's an interesting offer.
President dalton will confirm it's real.
You can call him directly.
I'm sure it's genuine,
But I wonder if there are alternatives.
The alternative is a return
To the days of the cold war, sir.
There was a time when our two countries,
Our two grandfathers,
Fought on the same side.
Mine survived a siege, too: Bastogne.
The battle of the bulge.
At the end of the war, he exchanged cigarettes
With russian soldiers, on the elbe river.
Traveling here, I thought of him.
He would've been happy.
He knew, firsthand, what our countries
Could accomplish when they work together for the common good.
I wear this in honor of mine.
St. Nicholas.
My grandfather's name-saint.
Nikolai is an old family name.
He, too, may have been happy to see us... Here...
In peace.
Perhaps this is what he sacrificed so much for.
I will call your president.
News anchor (on tv): ...After an accidental, nighttime collision
Between the russian nuclear-powered submarine
And the u.S. Minesweeper kirkland,
The disabled sub then drifted
Into american territorial waters.
U.S. Naval personnel boarded it, in an attempted rescue.
Tragically, they found no survivors.
Crew members will be buried at sea
And the hulk of the sub will be returned
To its home port of vladivostok.
(broadcast continues) those poor guys.
What a way to go.
I'm just glad that things didn't escalate with russia.
(turns off tv)
Look who I brought.
Jay: Mr. Helsinger.
We thought you'd left.
Your tour of duty ended yesterday.
Well, I figured one more day wouldn't matter.
Also, they told me I still had to pick up my gift.
Oh, yes...
The secretary wanted to give that to you personally.
If you don't mind, it'll just be a few more minutes.
I'll wait.
Getting used to that, waiting.
Ezra: Oh, yeah.
Interesting how all that turned out, isn't it?
But defense is handling it; we had nothing to do with it.
Still, it is very interesting.
And it is a story. (wry chuckle)
Kind of makes you wonder what really happened.
Dalton: These are all of them?
All 20 survivors of the yalta.
Being given a top-secret and strictly classified welcome
Aboard the uss teddy roosevelt.
The russians will be announcing
That their remains have been buried at sea,
So we'll leave it to them to make sure the story holds up.
As you said, they are good at refuting reality.
Ostrov accepted the deal?
Jackson: Yes, sir.
And identities, here in the United States.
The price for letting us rescue them.
Elizabeth: In fairness, sir, we did get a chance
And take a good look at the new stealth technology
Before giving it back.
Won't get sent home and shot for mutiny.
But they will never see their families again,
Not even to let them know that they're alive.
Any contact puts their loved ones in danger.
Dalton: All so that ostrov could save face.
Hell of a thing.
Jackson: Sir, the nato forces
Are still deploying to latvia and the...
Yalta situation didn't spiral out of control.
We won this round.
Yeah.
The world did not blow up on our watch.
For at least another day or two.
Ezra: Probably my first day on the job.
I could not believe I was meeting the old man.
Whoa! Is that john foster dulles?
The architect of permanent peace in europe.
Who stood up to soviet aggression.
Elizabeth: That picture was taken the day that president eisenhower
And secretary dulles signed the treaty
Bringing germany into nato.
Ezra: He always said that "the ability to get to the verge
"without getting into the war...
Is the..." "...The necessary art."
Would you guys give us a minute?
Congratulations, sir.
Thank you. A pleasure.
Mine.
Never even asked you where you were going.
Oh, um... Prague.
Budapest, berlin.
You ever think you'd live to see the day?
When the wall came down,
Open borders, free elections?
(wry chuckle) sometimes we wondered
If we'd live to see the next five minutes.
(both chuckle)
But, somehow, we understood
That, uh, if we just kept talking...
In the end, the soviets didn't want to push that button.
Any more than we did.
There was a, um...
A rationality to it,
Crazy as it seems.
Mutually assured destruction.
Yeah, but your new enemies today...
They have no such qualms.
They want to push that button...
And there's no holding them back.
That's a bit grim, isn't it?
(wry chuckle)
(sighing): I don't know.
Makes me feel naive for being hopeful.
Oh, you'll be fine.
I've seen a lot of them come and go.
I think you're the one for the job.
Ezra...
Madam secretary?
You and I should keep talking.
Well, for what it's worth,
Ali feels terrible about "starrison."
I know she does. It's okay.
And I'm sorry about... "starthur."
Let's not go crazy with the names.
I think that you did a very adult thing.
But I know it was hard, and I'm so sorry that you're hurting.
Come here.
Thanks. Sweetie.
Well, at least dad will be overjoyed.
But he'll hide it well,
Which is all you can ask for.
Mm-hmm.
This is nice, by the way.
You going to an event tonight?
I am. The mccord family dinner.
Soon as dad gets back.
Oh...
Yeah, I don't, I don't know if I'm up for that.
Well, get up for it.
We're celebrating.
Why?
(sighs) because we can.
Because we're here.
Jason: Dad's home!
We found a place with awesome vegan options.
I did.
(quiet laugh)
That's nice.
Listen, I just want you to know
That even when it's hard,
And no matter how much it hurts right now,
It is not the end of the world, okay?
Henry: Where are they?
There they are-- hey! Hey, you...
(gentle laugh)
I missed you guys.
What do you think?
Oh, I think it's awful.
Yeah. Hi.
Hi. Oh, mom texted me.
I'm so sorry, honey.
Nice try, dad.
Jason: Hey... Come on, let's get some food, please.
Let's go. Wait, wait, let me just get my shoes.
Alison: Dad, can I wear the hat? Henry: No.
Captioning sponsored by cbs
(speaking russian)
(singing stops immediately)
Elizabeth: Passport? Check.
Wait.
Oh. Okay, check.
Lecture notes. What?
Oh, uh, yeah. Got it. Okay. Check.
What about that big, ugly parka
That I bought you that's so warm?
Uh... Yes. You gonna take it?
Got it. Russia...
Listen, I want you to take this cell phone
Instead of your regular one.
What? Why? Better calling plan or...?
It's a more secure line.
You know, there's nothing covert about this visit.
I'm just lecturing about fundamentalism
To a bunch of colonels named boris.
First of all, it's not just a lecture.
These military-to-military exchanges
Help keep the peace. It's a big deal.
I feel special again. Thanks.
You think just anyone
Gets invited to these things,
Especially at the personal behest
Of foreign minister gorev? Guess he forgot
That I once refused to give his daughter an "a."
Ha. Do the world a favor:
Don't remind him of that.
Now, that is a secure line
So that we can, you know,
Talk without any borises listening in.
Just in case you have trouble staying warm
On those long winter nights.
Arthur (laughing): I was not sleeping.
(laughing): Yes, you were. I was meditating.
You were not; you were snoring in the middle of...
I was not. Yes.
Was I? Yes.
But you find that incredibly sexy though, right?
Snoring.
Come on, it's not an old thing.
It was a, it was a boring movie.
No. Come on, I'm so with it.
I'm so... Look, come on.
Look at my phone.
Look at all the applications
(laughing): Life hacks. (phone dings)
Whoa.
What?
Let me see.
Oh, my god, where'd you get that?
I have an alert app that dings me
Every time your name or photo shows up on the internet.
What? Well, no, I have it for everyone in the office.
I have to make sure they're not making the wrong kind of news. Oh.
Wait, how did this get here?
Well, who posted it?
Alison!
Alison, it's her account.
God, I'm gonna kill her.
And that-that's... That's, that's harrison, right?
Yeah. (whispering): The, uh, president's son?
Yeah.
Sort of breaks your heart to see him
Before all the bad choices.
Alison: I don't see what the big deal is. He's the president's son, ali!
That kind of makes it a big deal.
Plus, he really needs privacy right now.
What does that mean? Don't worry about what it means.
Wait, are you freaking out because there actually
No, no, look, I already told you we dated for, like, three weeks
When I was your age, okay?
We are just friends.
But it is really important to me
That he feels like I am someone that he can trust.
Please be more mysterious.
Look, I don't want him looking at this
And thinking that I'm going around telling people
That I'm "one half of starrison."
And according to this, not the cute half.
Henry: Girls, I'm leaving.
Come say do svidan'ya.
(sighs)
Let's go say do svidan'ya.
(elevator bell dings)
Nadine tells me I have a very full schedule today.
Uh, yes, we're starting with the russian war games
Off the alaskan coast.
A flotilla of some 50 different vessels and aircraft.
They're technically within their rights.
The maneuvers and test firings are taking place
On international waters and outside american airspace.
Still insultingly close to our northern borders.
But we were expecting something like this, right?
After the nato thing?
Nadine: Yes, it's believed to be a response
To our announced deployment of the nato rapid response
Strike force in latvia.
Daisy: Which was our response to russia's meddling
In its neighbor's affairs.
Moldova being the most recent example.
White house expects us to send
A démarche, ma'am, a diplomatic cable in protest.
The nato force in latvia was the right call.
I'm just annoyed that ostrov is so determined
To refight the cold war,
Instead of fixing his crappy economy.
Don't, uh, put that in the protest thingy.
Yes.
Matt: Speaking of the cold war, ma'am?
There's a ceremony today
For ezra lyle helsinger,
The department's oldest foreign service office.
He's retiring today, after 60 years of service.
Wow, 60 years.
Good for him.
I'm sorry, ma'am?
You're needed in the situation room.
Jackson: Elizabeth.
Blake couldn't give me any details.
That's because it's need to know.
Okay, what do I need to know?
Russian war games have gotten heated.
One of their subs split
From the fleet and has crossed into us coastal waters.
That's aggressive, but not unprecedented.
Sure, russians like
To test our defenses, just like we test theirs,
But we were tracking the sub, and it vanished.
That is unprecedented.
So they've perfected some kind of cloaking technology.
And the sub's nuclear armed, I'm guessing?
And now it's somewhere off the alaska shoreline,
Intentions unknown.
Could be posturing, could be about starting world war iii.
We're told he's at a remote location.
He can't be reached.
So he's vanished, as well.
Heck of a week for henry to go to russia.
Can't disagree with you there.
Thank you.
Professor mccord, you are most welcome.
Thank you, minister gorev.
You must call me anton.
Even after I wouldn't give your daughter an "a" last semester?
I overreached in asking.
An "incomplete" was generous.
Well, good.
I'm glad we cleared the air on that.
Indeed, that is the purpose of these wonderful meetings
Between our militaries.
To keep the air clear.
Especially in a time of such...
Unfortunate misunderstandings.
Thank you very much.
It's an honor to be here.
I'm gonna speak with you today
About a subject that is of great importance
To our two countries and our common civilization,
And that is the roots of the two notions
Of righteous religious warfare or struggle.
Namely, jihad in classical islam,
And in both eastern and western christianity,
The concept of crusade.
Gorev: Professor mccord, my I introduce the president
Of the russian federation
And our supreme commander-in-chief,
Pavel ostrov.
Professor mccord,
It is an honor to meet you.
(stammers)
It's also my honor, uh, mr. President,
And a bit of a surprise.
I like to come to this place on occasion for a visit.
For the beautiful country,
The recreation and for the game.
I'm told you enjoy blood sports.
If, by that, you mean hunting,
Then, yes, my father took me sometimes.
Deer, duck, an occasional squirrel.
Then you must come hunt with me.
No refusing.
My pleasure is to show
The goodness of russian life
To such eminent, distinguished guest.
With such a beautiful,
Eminent wife.
Admiral hill: Mr. President, we've been in contact.
They deny that sub is even there.
Still claiming their right to refute reality.
What do we know about the sub itself?
We think it's the yalta, sir; it's a new sub
Out of vladivostok with an experimental stealth technology
More advanced than ours.
Apparently.
It's powered by a fission reactor,
Carrying six bulava-type cruise missiles,
Each with 150-kiloton warhead
And a range of about 60 miles.
But again, what is most disturbing about it...
Besides the fact that it could be
On its way to flatten anchorage...
(sonar pinging) ...Is how they have just proven
That they can evade all forms of detection by sonar,
Magnetic anomaly
Or satellite array.
A true stealth weapon.
They can hit us before we even know they're there.
Ostrov's been bankrupting his economy,
Trying to get back to military parity with the west.
Now he may have it. Dalton: Well, they've got the drop on us.
The question is what do they want?
Is ostrov just making us sweat,
Or is this more than posturing?
Sir...
If ostrov isn't talking to us,
I may know somebody who will.
Nadine...
You clear my schedule for the rest of the day?
All of it, ma'am?
And, nadine, quietly, okay?
Get gorev on svtc, please.
Yes, ma'am.
Is everything okay, ma'am?
Yeah, it's fine.
I just need to clear my schedule.
Oh, it's definitely a loose nuke.
We're all dead.
Good news is there's a bunker in the basement.
Okay, that's enough doomsday.
You heard the secretary.
Let's clear her schedule.
Quietly.
Okay.
She's fun.
Nadine: I heard that.
Don't try and evade the issue,
And don't try telling me the this sub isn't there, anton.
It's just the tow of us now.
Yes, two friends talking openly and honestly,
But then friends also don't put powerful weapons
On each other's borders.
(chuckles) I'm listening.
I thought it might come to this.
So, say one of our subs did lose its direction
And come too close to your alaska
With its bears and salmon.
You're about to put nato troops on the latvian border,
Just a few hundred miles from moscow.
Which is less friendly?
So what can we do about that?
Cancel the nato deployment,
And perhaps the captain
Will find his map again,
Come back home.
Honest enough for you?
Perfectly.
You also know I'm being honest
When I tell you that bullying and threats
Will not alter the resolve of the United States
And your president needs to pick up the phone.
I will tell him myself when I see him.
He can't have gone far.
What are you talking about?
Didn't you know?
President ostrov has invited your husband henry
To go hunting with him.
They're in the woods, hunting grouse.
One of president ostrov's favorite pastimes.
It's quite an honor for your husband.
Is that what it is?
I'm certain they're having a wonderful time.
All I can say is,
They better be.
Until later, madam secretary.
(phone ringing)
Oh. Sorry.
Hunt requires quiet, professor.
We are not having very much luck today.
Maybe the camera crew had something to do with it.
I don't understand.
With this gun, I always have very good luck.
Oh, it's beautiful.
My grandfather's.
He kept it with him in the great patriotic war,
Your world war ii, during the blockade leningrad.
The siege of leningrad?
You know it? Yes, of course.
Through entire blockade, my grandfather kept it
Cocked and loaded by the front door,
So, if the germans ever break through,
If they come to the house for my aunts and my grandmother,
He has something to shoot the enemy with.
And if necessary...
His family, and then himself.
May I ask, sir,
Why you're telling me all this?
Our people are never
Frightened, professor, and we outlast our enemy.
So, tell your wife and your president,
We don't back down.
I will convey your message, mr. President.
But to be honest, I have no idea what you're talking about.
Don't worry. They will.
(bird squawks)
(wings fluttering)
(gunshot)
Elizabeth: He did what?
Henry: Yeah. My left ear is still ringing.
But at least now I know what that was all about.
He was using me for propaganda.
Let's just hope
That's all you are. Henry: You really think
He'd take me hostage? Elizabeth: I don't know.
Clearly, he coordinated the sub incursion with your visit.
It's just optics.
Lecturing the secretary of state's husband
While his sub is sneaking around alaska?
The message is:
Don't let nato troops go into latvia.
Well, now that we've heard it, why don't you come home?
No, if I cut and run now,
He'll just know that we're scared.
I think I should act like everything is fine.
They've invited me to tour an orthodox monastery
Of st. George.
I think I should go.
Besides, it's a significant historical site,
Crucial to the spread of christianity during mongol rule.
I am finding your dorkiness
Oddly reassuring right now.
We need you in there.
Henry, I gotta go.
Be safe, okay?
I will. Okay.
Henry all right?
As long as the only actual shots being fired are
At a bunch of defenseless birds, yeah,
I think we're all right.
Mr. President, this is ostrov grandstanding.
Clearly, the man likes to put on a show.
Dalton: What are you proposing, darren?
Darren: Well, if he wants to grandstand,
Hide-and-seek with the sub,
Not to mention whatever he's trying to do with
The secretary's husband, we should put on a show right back.
Not only mobilize the strike force to latvia,
But deploy the sixth fleet's flagship to the black sea.
Turkey will allow it, but it's posturing.
It's us doing exactly
What ostrov is doing, only bigger and louder.
Surest sign of strength is to show you are able to use it.
But are we willing to use it, sir?
I think we just got a signal through your husband, bess.
All this russian president truly understands or respects
Is force.
Give the order to move the fleet.
Yes, sir.
We've managed to clear the secretary's schedule,
But one item's proving a little tricky.
And that is?
Ezra helsinger's retirement ceremony. Oh.
She's expected to give a speech, or at least make an appearance.
I mean, he's a living legend in the department.
Everyone's gonna be there, including press.
Yeah. M sec doesn't show, there'll be rumors.
I'll let the secretary know. Keep it on for now.
Speaking of rumors,
I'm hearing the pentagon's parking lot is hopping.
You know, people coming in instead of going home?
Never a good sign. Yup, we're all about to be
Fragged by a fiery ball of death.
It was nice to know you.
Daisy, something you should see.
You know the secretary's so protective of the family?
"let them say what they will about me,
So long as they leave the kids out of it"?
Mm-hmm.
The kids are not out of it.
Well, the secretary's not gonna love this.
But just looks like your typical internet rumors.
Daisy, you have a phone call.
It's the secretary's daughter.
Or not.
Admiral hill: She's at the mouth of glacier bay.
Resting on a seabed in a hundred meters of water.
Darren: Well within the 12-mile limit.
And a clear violation of our territorial sovereignty.
Aerial recon found it when it detected
A burst of very low-frequency transmission.
They're fairly certain
They were attempting to communicate
With their command vessel.
Since then, nothing.
No distress signal,
No response to our radio transmissions
Or hydrophone.
And ostrov still isn't picking up his phone.
What's his game, bess?
Trying to back us out of latvia...
I thought.
But to be honest, at this moment, sir,
Is there an optic cable buried along that coast?
It's land-linked to our anti-missile
So, it could be a spy mission trying to tap that cable.
Yes, and it also has six nuclear cruise missiles
Capable of destroying juneau 55 miles down that channel!
It could awaiting orders!
If they wanted to nuke us, they have icbm's
That could obliterate new york in 20 minutes.
Why park a sub off of alaska?
And then the sub would disappear down the coast, to seattle,
L.A.
How long before we can physically engage?
You mean threaten it, sir?
Capture it and report it?
I mean destroy it.
Admiral hill: Sir,
Our closest surface vessel
Is the navy minesweeper kirkland.
It can be at the site within 90 minutes.
Tell the russians they have two hours.
Two hours for that sub to be gone.
Or we take it out ourselves.
By whatever means necessary.
Which the russians will view as an act of war.
And this isn't?
Can't say we didn't warn them.
Elizabeth: Sorry I'm late.
So we're gonna pay tribute to mr. Helsinger
Just like nothing's wrong.
Yes, ma'am.
Is anything wrong?
Uh, nothing we're talking about.
Ma'am, uh, your speech doesn't need to be formal.
Just a few unrehearsed, off the cuff remarks.
And here they are.
Great.
Six decades of service in germany,
Eastern europe and the middle east,
A crewman for a vanderbilt yacht
And a writer for time and the paris review.
Ezra...
You truly are a witness to and a creator of what
Your first boss, henry luce, called "the american century."
Thank you.
Enjoy your life.
And have some cake. (laughs)
(indistinct chatter)
Yeah, sure, sure, of course.
Oh, please, don't get up, ezra.
I'm very sorry.
I was supposed to bring you your gift.
But we're a little disorganized today.
Well, there's no need to apologize, ma'am.
In threat of war with the russians?
That's apt to frazzle a person.
And on the very day that
The last of the cold warriors
Shuffles off to buffalo, too.
How's that for irony?
Has someone been telling you things?
I have seen this movie before, madam secretary.
The russian navy holding war games
In the bering sea.
I, uh, I happened to see
A little item on the dod...
Daily rundown this morning.
We are sending
A naval flagship into the black sea.
Ostrov is posturing on russian tv.
And with your husband, no less.
He's a handsome fella, by the way.
You've cleared your calendar.
Except for those events where your absence would be noticed.
You really do know how to read the signs.
Now, tell that to the dmv.
They took my damn license!
(chuckles)
You still work for me.
For the next several hours anyway, right?
Um... Yeah.
Till 5:00.
So, there's this invisible submarine--
A super weapon--
It's just sitting there,
Letting us look at it.
Right! I was wondering about that, too.
I mean, why turn off the stealth technology?
Well, back in my day,
We only tried to read the russians' intentions.
Their mentality.
To look at the chess player
As well as the pieces on the board.
(sighs) well, that's sort of tough since ostrov
Won't even admit there's a game.
(wry chuckle) not even talking.
But see? That in itself tells us something.
I mean, he's a bully and a poser, right?
Well, uh, the question is...
Why isn't he bragging?
Throwing this in our face?
Right...
Right... Why-why not tell the russian public--
Or the whole world,
For that matter, that he snuck
Advanced technology in right under our noses?
Beat us at our own game.
In our backyard.
And you're right, you know,
It isn't like ostrov to hold back.
Unless there's something he didn't count on.
Something went wrong.
That sub isn't doing what it's supposed to.
And again...
Ostrov would never admit that, would he?
Kind of makes you wish it was him sitting here now,
Instead of me, doesn't it?
So you could ask him.
You do know there's no smoking in here, right?
Mm-hmm, oh, yeah, yeah. I, uh...
Ordinance against smoking in this building
Since 1997, I think, I...
I miss the war.
♪
You know, I, too, have great respect for st. Nicholas.
Stop filming.
What are you doing here, henry?
Your tour of the church is over.
I mean, st. George is great.
The warrior saint.
The victor.
But st. Nick represents compassion.
He's the one you turn to when times are tough.
Of course, we've trivialized him in the west,
Made him into the precursor of our modern-day santa claus.
Thought that maybe we would light a candle together.
I don't think so.
I'm in no need of miracles.
You may be.
Not me.
So, we clear?
No more pictures.
Nothing personal.
No posting where others can see.
And...? Absolutely nothing involving the first family
Thank you. Okay, then, leave it to me.
I'll see what I can do to keep major news outlets
From picking up the story.
Without telling mom?
Yeah, no.
Daisy: It'll all be fine.
Besides, the best defense is the truth.
And since you and harrison aren't actually an item...
I mean, you'd tell me if you were, right?
'cause, honestly, he is kind of cute.
(chuckles)
I mean, I'd understand.
No, I have a boyfriend, okay?
Oh! Oh, yeah? Who's that?
Oh, it's just, uh, this guy that I work with.
Another intern from the microloan program?
Uh...
Wait, what's with the face?
What, are you, like, dating your boss or something?
Oh, my god.
Wait, are you dating arthur gilroy?
Yeah.
Look, I know it sounds... Stevie, no.
Forget harrison, now we have a problem.
No, mom and dad are fine with it. Sort of.
They may be fine as parents,
But from a press perspective,
Looking at damage control--
Stevie, there are three words
That can never go together in this town,
And that is "boss," "intern" and "sex."
You've got to end it. Now.
What?! Why?
What do you think will happen
And it will, now that you're in the spotlight.
I will deal with it. The microloan program was
Already on the chopping block.
And don't you think there are people
Who would love to get back at your mother?
And they'd happily throw arthur gilroy
Onto the fire to do that.
You really think that's what will happen?
I know it will.
This is st. Nicholas we're talking about?
As in kris kringle?
Henry: He means something more in orthodox tradition.
He's the one you turn to in cases of calamity,
When things have turned against you.
It's just an observation,
But he seemed like a different person,
Like he was afraid, even.
Afraid of what?
I don't know,
But I've been around enough true believers
To know when they're really praying, and ostrov was.
The guy that took me hunting this afternoon
Was confident, secure,
Like everything was going his way.
Could something have happened to change that?
Yeah, as a matter of fact, something did.
Look, henry, I gotta take this to the president.
If ostrov is scared,
It may be because he's lost control of that sub.
You think he could overreact?
That, or we will.
(dog barks)
For the yalta to leave our waters isn't up yet.
We've got the russians' response.
Two of their kirov-class battle cruisers
And three sister attack subs are on a direct course
To glacier bay.
Carrier strike group 11 out of everett
Is on its way to intercept.
The kirklandstationed directly over it,
About to commence dropping depth charges.
Wh-why?
Standard naval etiquette.
You don't surrender, we force you to surface.
Deck officer: This is the kirkland.
We are directly above the target.
We are about to drop depth charges.
Three, two, one...
(shouting in russian)
Deck officer: Standing by.
There's something happening.
Fish in the water.
Target has launched a torpedo.
Initiating counter...
(explosion thundering)
We are hit.
Repeat, kirkland has been hit.
Sir, we've lost communication with the kirkland.
Carrier strike group has re-established contact
With the kirkland. Damage assessment?
Injuries. So far, no fatalities.
We have a visual from a medi-chopper.
Ship is still under power, headed for port.
Man (over speaker): Norad reports a squadron
Of russian mig-35s just performed a flyover.
Saw the kirkland take the hit.
Damn it.
Becker: Mr. President, I've got northcom
And the commander of the u.S. Pacific fleet
Requesting immediate authority to engage.
We just got a communiqué from the russians.
Their vessel was defending itself,
And any further attack will be met
With quote, "overwhelming retaliatory force."
Without getting into specifics.
Call their bluff, sir.
They're entirely in the wrong.
They're guilty of an act of war.
Well, all due respect,
We don't know who's guilty of what.
I'm just saying, mr. President,
Before we declare war, let's determine
Exactly who we're going to war with.
What if that sub hasn't moved
Because it's incapable of moving?
What if something went wrong?
That sub isn't doing what it's supposed to.
The captain and crew could be operating without orders,
Off the chain of command of the kremlin and his president.
What does it matter? We respond to actions,
Mr. President, not intentions.
We do not let an attack on american lives go unanswered!
And we don't go to war over a mistake!
Outside.
We should believe that ostrov lost control of the yalta
And he saw ostrov ask santa for a wish?
Actually, the secretary's husband has shown
He can be a pretty effective operative
On occasion, as well as a religious scholar.
Well, what if I trust your analysis?
That he's operating in the blind,
Like we all are here.
Then we don't push him to the brink.
Not until we know more.
Every second we wait lets those battleships get closer.
Or lets the sub fire another missile--
Or six of them, all of them nukes.
And if we hit it with one of ours,
We risk sending a radioactive tsunami down the channel...
That'll make fukushima a fond memory-- I get it, bess.
So what do you propose?
We have to take one last chance,
And try and talk to that submarine.
Directly and without moscow knowing.
There has to be a way.
Admiral hill: That's the unmanned submersible.
If the russian crew gets a visual,
They'll know it's harmless, incapable of attack.
We're tapping on their hull.
We're using the retractable arm to tap out a message.
(electronic beeping)
Morse code.
Old school, but it works.
Hill: We're asking them to state their name, mission,
Allow us on board.
(morse code beeping)
That's them answering.
(morse code beeping)
There's activity.
One of her torpedo tubes is opening, flooding...
She's gonna fire.
No, it's her distress buoy.
They're asking for help.
Stephanie!
Are you and harrison dalton dating?
Is he a good kisser?
Reporter: Are you and harrison dalton dating?
Hey, you okay?
Yeah, I'm not used to being ambushed.
Yeah, you have a lot of pings.
You're getting some serious unwanted attention.
Yeah, they were outside my house.
It's crazy. All right, don't worry about it.
You and harrison are just filling bandwidth
Between kardashians.
(chuckles) it's gonna blow over soon.
None of this matters.
Listen to me-- what matters is our work.
The microloans program-- that's what matters.
Yeah, about that.
Hey, you're not quitting, are you?
Oh, you're quitting this.
Us.
Both, I'm quitting...
I'm quitting both.
Once they figure out
That I'm not dating harrison,
They're going to figure out who I am dating.
So what?
You really want to throw away
Your whole career on some intern?
Listen to me, I know I've harped on this a lot,
But I-I have been around, okay?
Just let me... Let me worry about that.
Look, okay, you know what?
You're too old.
You're too old, and it's not gonna work.
(scoffs)
Is that what you need to hear?
Uh, okay.
Well, it's been really nice working with you...
Listen to me-- do you really want to lose
What means so much to you?
Please, just take a few days, and think about the job, not me.
The job.
Okay.
I have to go.
See you around, kid.
(wry laugh)
See you around, old man.
(speaking russian)
Translator: He's the executive officer
Of the russian submarine, the yalta.
They're transmitting from the bridge.
They have an antenna attached to their distress buoy.
They suffered a malfunction when the new technology failed.
There was a fire in the control room, they couldn't contain it.
A loss of oxygen...
(speaking russian)
"42 crew members have already died."
That's two-thirds of their crew.
"the captain broke radio silence to report it.
"we received instructions:
"do not signal for help.
"do not allow the americans to board.
"if you can't restore power, then destroy the sub
And all evidence of new deflector technology."
Anything to keep us from getting our hands on it.
Ask why they fired the torpedo.
(translator speaking russian)
(speaking russian)
"the captain panicked..."
(executive officer speaking russian)
Translator: He thought they were being attacked.
(executive officer speaking russian)
"the captain's no longer in command of the vessel."
Nice way of saying they mutinied.
(executive officer speaks russian, gasps)
"we only have two hours of oxygen left.
"we're asking for your help.
Please help us."
(speaking russian)
"please...
Help us."
Becker: Mr. President, the russian battle cruiser
Has just reached our line of quarantine.
Darren: We tell the russians we're going down
To get those men out, they will refuse.
To send out a missile of their own,
And destroy it themselves
Before we'll get a chance to touch it.
Dalton: So, no good options.
Ostrov will never admit failure,
Concede that one of his crews mutinied.
Not in public.
There may be a way to resolve this.
A deal that even he can live with.
But we're gonna need to go through back channels.
And we happen to have one.
We do.
Ostrov: It's an interesting offer.
President dalton will confirm it's real.
You can call him directly.
I'm sure it's genuine,
But I wonder if there are alternatives.
The alternative is a return
To the days of the cold war, sir.
There was a time when our two countries,
Our two grandfathers,
Fought on the same side.
Mine survived a siege, too: Bastogne.
The battle of the bulge.
At the end of the war, he exchanged cigarettes
With russian soldiers, on the elbe river.
Traveling here, I thought of him.
He would've been happy.
He knew, firsthand, what our countries
Could accomplish when they work together for the common good.
I wear this in honor of mine.
St. Nicholas.
My grandfather's name-saint.
Nikolai is an old family name.
He, too, may have been happy to see us... Here...
In peace.
Perhaps this is what he sacrificed so much for.
I will call your president.
News anchor (on tv): ...After an accidental, nighttime collision
Between the russian nuclear-powered submarine
And the u.S. Minesweeper kirkland,
The disabled sub then drifted
Into american territorial waters.
U.S. Naval personnel boarded it, in an attempted rescue.
Tragically, they found no survivors.
Crew members will be buried at sea
And the hulk of the sub will be returned
To its home port of vladivostok.
(broadcast continues) those poor guys.
What a way to go.
I'm just glad that things didn't escalate with russia.
(turns off tv)
Look who I brought.
Jay: Mr. Helsinger.
We thought you'd left.
Your tour of duty ended yesterday.
Well, I figured one more day wouldn't matter.
Also, they told me I still had to pick up my gift.
Oh, yes...
The secretary wanted to give that to you personally.
If you don't mind, it'll just be a few more minutes.
I'll wait.
Getting used to that, waiting.
Ezra: Oh, yeah.
Interesting how all that turned out, isn't it?
But defense is handling it; we had nothing to do with it.
Still, it is very interesting.
And it is a story. (wry chuckle)
Kind of makes you wonder what really happened.
Dalton: These are all of them?
All 20 survivors of the yalta.
Being given a top-secret and strictly classified welcome
Aboard the uss teddy roosevelt.
The russians will be announcing
That their remains have been buried at sea,
So we'll leave it to them to make sure the story holds up.
As you said, they are good at refuting reality.
Ostrov accepted the deal?
Jackson: Yes, sir.
And identities, here in the United States.
The price for letting us rescue them.
Elizabeth: In fairness, sir, we did get a chance
And take a good look at the new stealth technology
Before giving it back.
Won't get sent home and shot for mutiny.
But they will never see their families again,
Not even to let them know that they're alive.
Any contact puts their loved ones in danger.
Dalton: All so that ostrov could save face.
Hell of a thing.
Jackson: Sir, the nato forces
Are still deploying to latvia and the...
Yalta situation didn't spiral out of control.
We won this round.
Yeah.
The world did not blow up on our watch.
For at least another day or two.
Ezra: Probably my first day on the job.
I could not believe I was meeting the old man.
Whoa! Is that john foster dulles?
The architect of permanent peace in europe.
Who stood up to soviet aggression.
Elizabeth: That picture was taken the day that president eisenhower
And secretary dulles signed the treaty
Bringing germany into nato.
Ezra: He always said that "the ability to get to the verge
"without getting into the war...
Is the..." "...The necessary art."
Would you guys give us a minute?
Congratulations, sir.
Thank you. A pleasure.
Mine.
Never even asked you where you were going.
Oh, um... Prague.
Budapest, berlin.
You ever think you'd live to see the day?
When the wall came down,
Open borders, free elections?
(wry chuckle) sometimes we wondered
If we'd live to see the next five minutes.
(both chuckle)
But, somehow, we understood
That, uh, if we just kept talking...
In the end, the soviets didn't want to push that button.
Any more than we did.
There was a, um...
A rationality to it,
Crazy as it seems.
Mutually assured destruction.
Yeah, but your new enemies today...
They have no such qualms.
They want to push that button...
And there's no holding them back.
That's a bit grim, isn't it?
(wry chuckle)
(sighing): I don't know.
Makes me feel naive for being hopeful.
Oh, you'll be fine.
I've seen a lot of them come and go.
I think you're the one for the job.
Ezra...
Madam secretary?
You and I should keep talking.
Well, for what it's worth,
Ali feels terrible about "starrison."
I know she does. It's okay.
And I'm sorry about... "starthur."
Let's not go crazy with the names.
I think that you did a very adult thing.
But I know it was hard, and I'm so sorry that you're hurting.
Come here.
Thanks. Sweetie.
Well, at least dad will be overjoyed.
But he'll hide it well,
Which is all you can ask for.
Mm-hmm.
This is nice, by the way.
You going to an event tonight?
I am. The mccord family dinner.
Soon as dad gets back.
Oh...
Yeah, I don't, I don't know if I'm up for that.
Well, get up for it.
We're celebrating.
Why?
(sighs) because we can.
Because we're here.
Jason: Dad's home!
We found a place with awesome vegan options.
I did.
(quiet laugh)
That's nice.
Listen, I just want you to know
That even when it's hard,
And no matter how much it hurts right now,
It is not the end of the world, okay?
Henry: Where are they?
There they are-- hey! Hey, you...
(gentle laugh)
I missed you guys.
What do you think?
Oh, I think it's awful.
Yeah. Hi.
Hi. Oh, mom texted me.
I'm so sorry, honey.
Nice try, dad.
Jason: Hey... Come on, let's get some food, please.
Let's go. Wait, wait, let me just get my shoes.
Alison: Dad, can I wear the hat? Henry: No.
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