Madam Secretary (2014–…): Season 3, Episode 11 - Gift Horse - full transcript
When the Mongolian government sends Elizabeth a horse as a gift, she thinks accepting it could upset other Asian countries, but she stirs up more controversy when she considers returning it to Mongolia. Also, Gov. Sam Evans threatens to sue Ohio for putting President Dalton on the election ballot, and Stevie has an interesting first day as Russell's new intern.
President Conrad Dalton's
inauguration is only one day
away, but he's still
facing a legal challenge
to the legitimacy of his win.
Governor Sam Evans filed a lawsuit
against the state of
Ohio for allowing Dalton
to be put on the ballot,
citing a little known
anti-lobbying law called
the Vasey Act.
Today we've learned the
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
has agreed to hear the case.
If the court rules
in Evans' favor,
it could not only revoke
Dalton's presidency,
it could spark a constitutional crisis
that would shake the very foundation
our government was built upon.
HENRY: What's shaking
the very foundation now?
We begin our team coverage in...
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
has agreed to hear Evans' case
against Ohio.
Unbelievable. What are they thinking?
Are they really gonna uphold
some obscure law from 1893?
We'll find out.
Oh, hey,
here's something weird.
I got a call from the CIA.
They want me to come in for
an Ex Post Facto Re-debrief
regarding Black Dog Station.
Well, I was in the CIA for 20 years
and I've never heard of
an Ex Post Facto Re-debrief.
When they shut down the operation down
they called it a "hotwash."
Now they want to get me debriefed.
Why does all their
terminology sound like
something that happens
in a nursing home?
(chuckles)
Baby, you okay?
Yeah. Why?
When you get anxious
you take it out on your clothes.
(sighs)
Evans is naming me
specifically in the lawsuit.
He's accusing me
of making overtures to
influence Ohio state senators.
When I did that NFL thing
in Ohio,
I also took some
legislators out to dinner.
Applebee's.
That's where they wanted to go.
I unduly influenced them with
potato skins and hot wings.
Look, I think the only reason
they're hearing the case
is so that Evans can't cry foul.
They're not gonna
upend all of American
politics over this.
ELIZABETH: Well, either way,
the whole thing is putting a damper
on the inauguration tomorrow.
- ALISON: Hey, guys.
- Hi.
- Are you cleaning out your closet?
- Maybe.
So this is a good time to talk about
what you're wearing
to the inaugural ball?
As good a time as any, I guess.
A stylist is gonna bring some gowns
to the office and I'm
gonna choose from those.
Really?
Can I come?
Oh, you can do better than that.
You can choose for me.
- Seriously?
- Yeah.
Can I also blog about it?
Blog your heart out.
You're the best.
I'll come to your office
right after school.
Okay, my mood is starting
to turn around a little bit.
Hey, you're looking very Wow.
young DC professional
poised to take over the world,
with just a dash of girlish charm.
(chuckles) Well, that is
exactly what I was going for.
HENRY: Oh, that's right.
It's the first day of your
internship with Russell Jackson.
Are you excited?
- With just a dash of terrified.
- (chuckles)
I still can't believe
he offered me the job.
You saved the guy's
life, I think he felt
it was the least he could do.
He's really scary, though.
Oh, trust me, there is way more bark
than bite with him.
And that was before the heart attack.
I mean, he's just coming back from
a three-week whale-watching cruise.
If that doesn't mellow
you out, nothing can.
(phone buzzing)
Oh, Lord.
Inauguration week is
really getting to Blake.
- Bye, guys. - Bye.
- Bye, Dad.
Hi, Blake, everything's good,
I'm just on my way to the office.
Whoa, slow down, slow down, slow down.
Blake, I thought we talked about decaf.
What...
Gifts?
♪
Wow.
You weren't exaggerating.
Yeah.
Sorry for sounding overwhelmed
and possibly even a
little nudgy, it's just
I can't move any of these
until you sign off on them.
Then they have to be processed
by the Protocol Gift Unit
and-and catalogued
by the National Archive.
And there's a room on the
third floor that looks like
Ali Baba's cave.
It's okay.
We'll get through it together.
No, we won't.
Now I have to go to
the Port of Baltimore
to sign for a gift from
Byambyn Sendoo, the
Mongolian minister of education.
Why do you have to sign for it?
They wouldn't say.
They were being very
Port Authoritarian.
All right, look, you, uh,
go sign for the gift,
and I'll start signing off on these,
and-and we'll just think
of the whole thing as...
an adventure.
Adventures in hell.
I'm sorry.
Madam Secretary, I will course-correct
immediately. You know,
it's good to be the winner.
- These are the spoils of victory.
- MATT: Yeah.
I mean, unless the Sixth Circuit Court
finds in favor of Sam Evans.
Then we have to send it all back.
Hmm?
Go.
Drive safe.
- What?
- Just for that,
- you're gonna help me sort.
- Awesome.
Oh, boy.
- What's that?
- It's nothing.
Go, go.
Sort.
Uh, what are the categories?
Uh...
Don't worry about it,
my dad's a hoarder.
I'll figure it out.
♪
Oh.
Russell.
Welcome back.
How are you feeling?
Top-notch.
So... the cruise was great?
The cruise was excruciating.
Three weeks of watching
what's left of the glaciers float past
and trying to catch a glimpse
of a whale.
Damn leisure time is gonna
kill me a lot faster
than my arteries.
ELIZABETH: Well, it's
nice to have you back.
Jumping right into the fire, no
less, with this Evans debacle.
JACKSON: We thought you
might want to lend a voice
to our strategy session.
Figuring out some way
to derail this lawsuit.
I'm not sure where there's
much room to move.
We can't influence the court.
No, but we can put
them under a spotlight.
Launch a press campaign pointing
out the lack of precedent,
lean hard on the court's obligation
to consider the stability
of the country,
the sanctity of the Electoral College.
Of course, that approach
relies on appealing
to people's higher nature and...
you know how much faith I have in that.
Or we can try to influence Evans.
Who doesn't have a higher
nature to appeal to.
He might be able to
listen to reason, and...
as the aggrieved party,
he can withdraw the complaint.
We can remind him that if he persists,
he won't only be burning
bridges in Washington,
he risks burning down American
democracy in the process.
(chuckling): Okay,
y-you guys are really gonna
make me be the one to say it?
The oppo research.
(sighs)
What happened to being a knight?
The painkillers have worn off.
And they've upped the game.
This is isn't about trying to
influence an election anymore.
Election's over.
This is about dissuading someone
from blatantly abusing the court system
to change the results.
Look,
i-it's not even as dirty as it sounds.
The guy has the gene
for early-onset Alzheimer's
and he didn't disclose
the genetic testing
with the rest of his health report.
Now, who knows, maybe the
voting public wouldn't care.
But they had the right to know.
I can't bring myself to do it, Russell.
We'll just have to let the
chips fall where they may.
What about offering Evans
a position in the White House?
Some sort of advisor.
Maybe even a Cabinet post.
Something prestigious
that we could also live with.
It's unifying and bipartisan.
Who knows, we might
even learn something
from his point of view.
Pushed it a little there at the end.
But... there is an argument to be made
for keeping him close by.
It's doable.
Then let's do it.
Abdul-Hafiz Bakkal.
- I've never heard of him.
- Dabir Fakoury?
HENRY: Dabir Fakoury's an ISIS leader.
Did he ever cross
paths with Hizb Al-Shahid
during your time
with Black Dog Station?
Not that I know of.
So you're tracking a connection
between HS and ISIS?
What about Yunis Hamawi?
Also ISIS.
Did his name ever come up?
You guys want to tell
me what this is about?
I might actually be able to help.
So you never found
any concrete connection
between HS and ISIS
other than a shared ideology.
They don't have a shared ideology,
they have a common goal.
A shared ideology would make them
much more dangerous, and, again,
do you want to let me in on that?
We're not authorized to do so,
- Dr. McCord.
- Excuse me,
you're aware of my involvement
in both operations that
effectively dismantled HS,
and yet you're telling me that
my clearance isn't high enough
to be filled in?
That's what we're telling you.
I think we've gotten
everything we need.
Thank you for your time.
ELIZABETH: I'm heading back
in the office now, Blake.
BLAKE (over phone): Well, I'm still
at the Port of Baltimore.
I just wanted to let you know that
I am unable to bring
the gift home today
because they won't
release it from customs
until it undergoes a
three-day quarantine.
Quarantine? Why?
Because it's a horse.
I'm sorry,
it sounded like you said "horse."
Yes, ma'am.
Minister Sendoo has sent
you a Mongol horse,
it's a...
symbol of national pride and unity.
I have to say, she is gorgeous.
Oh, my God.
Send it back.
- Her, and I already signed for her.
- Well, un-sign.
Make it clear that
we are respectfully declining
the gift horse.
(quietly): May I ask why?
So many reasons,
not the least of which...
we don't have anywhere in the
state department to put her.
I'm sure there's some government-owned
horse property somewhere.
It's not about that.
This is about the
Mongolian referendum vote
to become an autonomous
region of China.
Minister Sendoo
favors remaining independent,
and by accepting the horse,
it will signal...
a tacit endorsement of that position.
Because the horse,
symbol of national pride and unity.
See?
Right, right.
That'll make China mad.
And many other Asian nations,
and quite a few Mongolians as well.
Got it.
I will explain the situation
to the Port Authoritarians.
This may take a while.
(horse nickers)
She's really pretty, huh?
Yes, ma'am.
She's... she's kind of
a cappuccino color,
with a chestnut stripe down her back...
Hanging up now.
Yes, ma'am.
Hi.
(digital beeps)
"Press the operational
code into the keypad
and hold it down until
you hear the beep."
Yeah, I did that.
How's it going?
Uh, fine, sir.
You can call maintenance if
you're having trouble with that.
Oh,
I was just about to figure it out.
Adele, will you call maintenance
to program this damn thing?
Yes, sir.
I, uh, I don't like interns.
I never have, I can never find
anything I trust them to do.
- Oh, well...
- Now, I-I...
I'm giving you a chance
- to change my mind.
- I'm honored, Mr. Jackson.
But, there is no bank for good will
around here; you saved my life,
I gave you a job.
- We're even.
- Yes, sir.
Poet Laureate Roland... somebody
is coming in from
Connecticut this afternoon,
he'll be reading a poem at
the inauguration tomorrow.
You can thank JFK
for this enduring legacy
which forces us to stand
in the cold an extra 20 minutes.
Roland Hobbs? I love his work.
I-I actually wrote a paper on
him for my AP English class.
Great. Tell him all about it.
He fancies himself a man of the people,
so he refused to let us
pick him up in a limo.
He was gonna take a
cab from the airport,
but I can't take a
chance on losing him,
so he finally agreed to
let us send an intern.
Adele has all the information.
Awesome. That's just so exciting.
Um, thank you. I won't let you down.
Tick tock.
Oh.
Minister Sendoo,
I am touched and honored
by your generous gift
of a Mongol horse.
Unfortunately,
I'm not allowed to
keep diplomatic gifts,
and, well, we just have
no place to put a horse
here in the state department.
I'm very sorry to hear that,
Madam Secretary.
Because we cannot risk
exposing our horse population
to any foreign strains of disease.
If a horse is returned to us
after having been abroad,
it must be euthanized.
You're going to kill her?
Perhaps you would like to reconsider.
Did you really accept a horse
from the Mongolian minister
- of education?
- No.
Then why is the president of Mongolia
calling me to complain about it?
I don't have enough going on,
trying to stop Sam Evans
from making rubble
out of the Constitution?
He's all the big dumb mammal
I can handle right now.
Send the horse back.
I'm working on it.
What's-what's to work on?
You can't find the return address?
The problem is, Russell,
Minister Sendoo says that
they can't reintegrate the horse
now that it's left the country,
so if we return her,
they will...
(softly): terminate her.
(laughing): What?
They're bluffing.
It's a classic Mongolian squeeze play.
Russell,
do you really want a YouTube video
of a dying horse flying
around the first month
- of Dalton's second term?
- (sighs)
Our staff is working diligently
to find the horse a safe haven,
one that is both suitable
and will not offend anyone politically.
(sighs) Well, hurry up.
ELIZABETH: We're on it.
And, Russell, you may
want to pace yourself.
I am pacing myself.
4,782 paces, to be exact.
Why do you think I walked
all the way over here?
And stop coddling me.
They vacuumed my heart end to end.
My arteries are cleaner than yours.
Make the horse thing go away.
(jet engine roaring)
STEVIE: Mr. Hobbs?
Hi, Mr. Hobbs, I'm Stephanie McCord.
Um, I'm Russell Jackson's intern.
He sent me to pick you up
a-and take you to your hotel.
What are you doing?
Excuse me?
You should be ferry-hopping
through the Greek isles
with nothing but a summer frock,
a wineskin and a battered
copy of Rimbaud.
Well, um, I'm doing this.
By the way, Mr. Jackson's office
sent me a copy of the poem
that you're planning on
reading tomorrow and...
I think it's amazing.
That insipid rant?
They were pressuring me
to come up with something
so they could approve it.
I would no more read that aloud
than I would evacuate my bowels
in public.
Wow. Okay. Um,
so, I guess you probably want
to get straight to the hotel
to work on your replacement poem.
Um, they have you booked at the Vinton.
It's really nice.
It sounds like a soulless
corporate pod.
I'm not gonna get any work done there.
Well, is-is there somewhere
else that you'd rather go?
(sighs heavily)
Maybe just a drive around the city.
Perhaps if I see a few
monuments to democracy,
I could get the creative engine moving.
Sure, uh, the traffic does
tend to get a little crazy
at this time of...
Let's do that.
(car alarm chirps)
What the...?
Murderer!
(tires screeching)
(shudders)
Dr. McCord is here.
If you're looking for your daughter,
she's off on assignment.
I'm looking for you.
Go.
Are you gonna keep doing that?
You think I'm enjoying this?
Okay, look, I just got
back from some cryptic
re-debrief at the CIA.
Why are they running
random names by me,
trying to draw connections
between HS and ISIS?
CIA, they're cryptic.
Has HS joined ISIS?
Are they being reconstituted?
It's classified.
Give me a break.
I originated the operation.
Excuse me, I originated the operation.
Just tell me what's going on.
(treadmill beeps)
It's about the Illinois bomber.
He was radicalized at an
ISIS-affiliated madrassa
in Saudi Arabia,
but we have reports that say
he was also communicating
with HS-affiliated terrorists.
The NSA has been
trying to hack into the bomber's phone
to gather data,
but their efforts have been...
unproductive.
The NSA can't hack into a cell phone?
Well, they're limited
by money and man-hours
like any other human institution.
So they're combing
all their assets for tips,
to avoid paying an exorbitant fee
to an outside cyber
security consultant.
Exactly.
Because the CEO of
this particular phone company,
Warren Lee,
is a big donor to our campaign.
But he's also a big privacy advocate.
And a diligent practitioner of Taoism.
- Really?
- Well,
as diligent as a Taoist can be,
given that it's about
effortless action.
It's a theological paradox.
Yeah, hell, what isn't?
So you were just gonna box
me out of this whole thing?
If you want in,
tell me what you're thinking.
Warren Lee's in town
for the inauguration.
POTUS can only push him so far
on the investigation
without looking like
an anti-Fourth Amendment bully.
But a third party with
an oblique connection
to the administration,
who speaks the language
of theological paradox?
Knock yourself out.
Corner him at the inaugural ball.
I've got a better idea.
I'd love a better idea.
- Tell me when it pans out.
- (treadmill beeps)
What am I doing wrong?
I got you.
- (sighs)
- (coffee maker beeps)
There you go.
(whirring)
I thought I did that.
NADINE: Ma'am,
Foreign Minister Chen has
requested a SVTC call with you.
I took the liberty of setting it up.
His office is on hold right now.
Well, that didn't take long.
So, Blake's still out?
He's been further detained.
Yeah, uh, he ran into some protesters
from the Equine Resource
League in a parking lot
at the Port of Baltimore.
They pelted him and
his car with manure.
Is he okay?
He's, uh, rattled.
What are they protesting anyway?
Somebody sent me a horse?
No, ma'am, that you're
sending her back to Mongolia
where she'll be euthanized.
How on earth did they find out?
We're getting to the bottom of that.
But they have all the
information on the Web site.
They claim you're sending
a purebred to its death
over a diplomatic dispute.
They're encouraging
a widespread protest
until the U.S. accepts the horse
and gives her a loving home.
So...
how does Blake sound?
Um, remember when pigeons
got into his apartment
when he was out of town?
Wow, that bad, huh?
Worse.
Shall I put someone on his
desk until he comes back?
Not unless you want to finish him off.
- Hey, guys.
- Hi, Noodle.
The dresses just arrived
from the stylist.
Wow, I... (gasps)
What do we like?
Honestly? None of them.
Oh.
Not even this?
You can't wear black.
It's a celebration, not a funeral.
Well... tell you what,
why don't we just forget about these?
Why don't you just be the stylist?
And you find something you like
and we'll track it down, okay?
Really?
This is amazing!
My first assignment
is the inaugural ball?
Yeah, and your first client
carried you in her womb,
so she's probably gonna go easy on you.
DAISY: Ma'am,
I'll get back to you
as soon as we find out
who leaked the information on Mandy.
Excuse me? Mandy?
Oh, Blake named her.
- Apparently, they formed a bond.
- No.
No naming the horse,
it's just gonna make it worse
when we have to send her back.
That goes for everyone.
- Okay.
- Yes, ma'am,
I will issue a directive:
no bonding with the horse.
Minister Chen, still holding for you.
Minister Chen, oh, I'm so
sorry to keep you holding.
My assistant is out of the office
and, well, it's been a day
of excitement for all of us.
I'm sure it's not every day
you receive a Mongolian horse
as an inducement to intervene
in the democratic process
of a foreign nation.
The, uh, horse was
a gift of congratulations
from Minister Sendoo, not a bribe,
and in any case,
I've already declined it.
My concern is that
even the perception of a
U.S. stance on independence
could sway the outcome of the vote.
Well, the U.S. position
on the referendum
is one of neutrality.
As I trust China's will be, as well.
I am not the one accepting
gifts from the Mongolians.
Well, that makes two of us.
Always a pleasure
talking to you.
Good-bye, Madam Secretary.
Blake, will you get me...
I really... really don't like this.
HOBBS: I don't know why I thought
this would be inspiring.
Religious altars to the
gods of money and power,
statues to slave owners and warmongers,
an obelisk
extending into the sky
like a great wagging phallus.
Uh, well, do you want
to see Georgetown?
It has a bit of a homier feel to it.
Oh, yes, by all means.
Let us see where the exploiters
of all that is sacred
rest their weary bones.
Wait. Stop.
What? Excuse me?
- Stop!
- Oh, okay.
Uh, are you okay?
Inspiration.
Mr. Hobbs, I-I don't think
I can park here. Mr....
(car horns honking)
Governor, we understand
the symbolic gesture
of filing suit against the state
for overriding its sore-loser law
and allowing us on the ballot.
I can't imagine you
expected the Sixth Circuit
to hear the case, and...
now we find ourselves
in an awkward situation.
On the contrary, I fully
expected them to hear it.
There's nothing awkward
about it for me.
There was no impropriety
on the part of the secretary,
and you know it.
Even under whatever bogus,
antiquated law you dug up.
It's not about what I know, Russell,
it's how the judge sees it.
No president has ever been unseated
by the judiciary,
or even thrown out of office
after impeachment, for that matter.
The idea that the court
would do something
as destabilizing as
removing a president
after his inauguration,
replacing him with his
opponent, is laughable.
If it's so laughable,
why are you negotiating with me?
This was a trying
election for everyone.
And instead of tying up the country
in a court battle you'll never win,
wouldn't your intellect
and passion and experience
be put to better use by
- serving in this administration?
- What do you have in mind?
Your campaign platform made it clear
that your priority is
fostering the growth
of business and industry.
We'd like you to come on board
as our Secretary of Commerce.
Are you joking?
(laughs)
You two need to take this on the road.
It's hilarious.
There's only one post
significant enough
to make me want to walk away
from rolling the dice
in the Sixth Circuit.
State.
- Excuse me?
- Secretary of state.
Or the beat goes on.
What do you say to that?
Not gonna happen, Sam.
Have a nice day, gentlemen.
You're wasting your time.
ERL is under no obligation
to reveal the source
of our information.
Does it concern you at all that
any leak in the state department
could be a matter of national security?
That's your problem.
I have the Freedom of
Information Act on my side.
Did you get the information
directly from Minister Sendoo?
Otherwise, there's no other explanation
why it was on your Web site so fast.
The foreign minister and I
had no direct communication.
It's the minister of education.
Do you even read your own
illegally obtained information?
I'm starting to feel harassed here.
If the Mongolese people want to use us
to promote animal rights,
we welcome their input.
You mean the Mongolian people?
- Eh...
- Wait a minute.
You barely know what I'm talking about.
You didn't put that piece up on
the Web site yourself, did you?
Where did it come from?
You were hacked.
Hey. How's your day going?
A little crazy.
I really need your help.
I'm in a dive bar with
the poet laureate,
who is supposed to be composing
a poem for the inauguration.
Okay.
Unless it's going to be about Scotch,
I don't think that's gonna happen.
Oh, I can't tell you
the number of times
I've been in that exact predicament.
Are you serious?
This is my first real assignment
for Russell Jackson,
to get this guy safely to the hotel,
and I can't do it.
Well, there must be
a government employee
who can handle it.
I am a government employee.
Oh, yeah.
Please? I can't stress Russell out.
He just had a heart attack.
- What do you want me to do?
- Come down here.
You can at least...
help me carry him to the car
in case he starts to pass out.
Okay. Text me the address.
Oh, and please
don't give that whole
"poetry is a useless waste
of time and brain cells" rant
in front of this guy, okay?
Consider me censored.
I'll see you in a bit.
(exhales deeply)
Excuse me, Mr. Lee?
Aren't you Dr. Henry McCord?
Yes. I-I'm so flattered
that you recognized me.
Well, I've read all of your books.
I consider myself a student
of the world's religions.
So am I.
I think some of the sentiments
of the Tao Te Ching
are reflected in the parables
of the gospels,
although I sometimes find
the language more poetic.
So... do you practice here?
No. I came to meet you.
On behalf of your wife?
On behalf of the NSA.
Really?
I sometimes do some consulting work.
I have nothing left
to say to those guys.
Look, I know they can
come on pretty strong,
but they're probably just embarrassed
and intimidated by you.
So, because of their fragile psyches,
I'm supposed to help them
burn up the Bill of Rights?
It's one thing to defend
the Fourth Amendment,
it's another thing
to develop technology
so impenetrable that it locks out
the state's ability to investigate
with probable cause.
Giving the NSA access to
a private customer phone
would set a terrible legal precedent.
Maybe you need to practice
some of the tenets
Taoism has taught you,
and let go of your longing.
The world's religions aren't the
only thing I've learned from.
In the intelligence community,
there's a method
for developing assets
called "MIC"... M.I.C.
First you try to persuade
with money... that's the "M."
You have plenty of that.
"I" is for ideology.
I tried to appeal to that,
and I failed.
And the "C" is for coercion,
but as an ally of Dalton's...
not a lot to coerce you with.
So it seems... (sighs)
that you have run out of letters.
Yes.
All I can do now is humble
myself and appeal to you
as someone who cares deeply about
the welfare of this country.
So few of us find ourselves
in your position.
You have the U.S. government
groveling at your feet
for a small piece of
proprietary information.
You're the only person who can help us.
Okay, here's what we're up against
with finding a safe
haven for the horse.
It has to be a country
whose customs laws
are lax enough to accept a horse
who has been exposed to the diseases
of two different countries.
It would have to have
regular trade relations
- with the U.S.
- Right.
It would have to have
a climate amenable
to Mongol horses.
And we'd need verifiable
first-class living conditions.
No hiding her away on some
remote, decrepit farm
in South America.
She needs human interaction.
She was bred for that.
Did she tell you that, horse whisperer?
Blake, I believe you were warned
about bonding with the horse.
Oh, like I can walk that back.
DAISY: Guys...
CYBERCOM has made a forensic analysis
on the ERL Web site hack,
and they have a very strong
idea of who was behind it.
- Russia?
- That's right, ma'am.
As you know, they are
none too happy about
the idea of China expanding its borders
further across the southeastern
portion of its country.
Well, or of China expanding
its land holdings
and natural resources.
But really?
Enough to get into this?
MATT: We figure that's why
they came at it so sideways.
They don't want to destroy
relations with China
any more than we do.
Our working theory is that
Russia may have ties
to Minister Sendoo's
independence campaign
and was hoping to develop
a little insurance
in the event that we tried
to send the horse back to Mongolia.
Apparently, the minute Minister Sendoo
hung up with you, he called
his connection in Russia,
and then it ended up
on the ERL Web site,
resulting in the... manure offensive.
So this way Russia influences
the outcome of the referendum
but keeps its hands clean
of interventionism.
Yes, ma'am.
Well, I-I'm just glad
this hasn't escalated
into an international incident.
- Oh, thank God.
- Hey.
What's happening?
Uh, Mr. Hobbs, this
is my fiancé, Jareth.
He dropped by because, um,
he wanted to meet you.
HOBBS: Have a seat, young man.
Let's talk about how you find poetry
a waste of time and brain cells.
I overheard her conversation
on the phone with you.
I don't know why people think
alcohol affects auditory nerves.
Please have a drink
and, uh, explain the
futility of verse to me.
I don't think it's futile.
Sometimes it can be ever so slightly...
indulgent.
Unnecessarily convoluted and redundant.
Also pretentious, arrogant,
and not essential to the
evolution of mankind.
Otherwise a perfectly harmless pursuit.
Should we go?
With what do you occupy
your superior gray matter?
I'm a physicist.
Ha! Bravo.
The geniuses who brought
us nuclear weapons,
Oh.
space junk and global warming.
- Well done.
- What a charming oversimplification.
Tell me something, how do you live
with such an unimaginative
reductionist view of the world?
How is life, without
the resonance of beauty,
even worth the effort?
Let me tell you a little
something about beauty,
Mr. Hobbs.
You seem to think I can't
appreciate beauty
because I study the intricacies
of its components.
You know what? Why don't we just go?
Uh, bartender?
It was Richard Feynman, physicist,
personal hero of mine, who put it best.
He said that he could appreciate
the beauty of a flower more
than, say, uh, you.
He said he could see more
than the average man sees.
He could imagine its cells,
he could appreciate
that the flower evolved
in order to make its colors
more attractive to insects.
Which means that insects see color.
I mean, maybe they share
our aesthetic sense.
Recognizing the majesty
of the quantum world
only adds to the beauty of life.
It does not subtract.
So to answer your question, Mr. Hobbs,
I don't just live in a beautiful world,
I understand it.
COUNSEL: We're in a
difficult spot here, Russell.
Your legal options
in fighting this case
are extremely limited.
If they rule in Evans' favor,
there's very little we can do.
Short of asserting power
by military junta.
What if you tried reasoning with Evans?
Oh, we tried that.
We even offered him
Secretary of Commerce.
He turned it down.
Well... What can I tell you?
He's a motivated guy.
He's a sore-loser law unto himself.
Give me odds on the ruling.
60-40, us.
Nothing we can really
do but hang tight.
Okay, thanks.
I guess.
(exhales)
Go back to the breath.
(beeping)
"Serenity," stream.
(new age music begins playing)
(exhales)
Nothing to be done.
Let the chips fall where they may.
(whispers): Breathe.
Chips fall...
What the hell?
Who am I?
Adele!
Get me my file on Sam Evans.
It's time to take out the trash.
HENRY: What if we just buy the horse?
Let her live at the farm?
That way it's a purchase, not a
bribe. And that's legal, right?
Yes, it is,
and that was my first thought.
The horse costs $2 million.
Oh, my God.
Does it sing and dance?
Besides, even buying it
looks like I'm taking sides
on the referendum.
I spent an hour on the phone
with the Russian foreign minister,
stepping out the
consequences of interfering
with the democratic process.
So I can't give them any ammunition.
To knock you off your high horse.
(chuckles)
That was right there.
I had to, that was...
It's the only one you get.
Is Stevie at Jareth's?
I haven't seen her around.
Yeah, she told us not to expect her.
Oh. Think I could call
and just check on her,
make sure she got in okay?
At her fiancé's place?
Helicoptery, right?
ALISON: Hey.
It took a while,
but I found your dress.
Oh.
I saw it in French Vogue
and the stylist
finally tracked it down.
It's an Andre Devereaux,
who is a totally cutting edge designer.
No one else will be wearing it.
Oh!
That is really something, isn't it?
- It is.
- ALISON: You love it, right?
Oh. I-I've...
never seen anything like it.
It's just... every color.
Ooh! Want to try it on?
Tomorrow, baby.
I-I'm so tired, and...
Yeah. I'll have all of your
accessories by then, anyways.
- Oh, there's more. Just gonna...
- Love you.
- Good night.
- (Elizabeth exhales)
I can't wear that, right?
I don't think so.
Oh... But she'll be
so disappointed and...
Babe, this is not the
lanyard she made for you
in the second grade. This is your dress
for the inaugural ball.
You got to seem, uh...
you know... sane.
Stop trying to figure out
how to make it work.
Okay, then I'm calling Stevie.
(phone buzzes)
Hello. Hey, Mom!
Wine.
Uh... What's up?
Oh...
I was just calling to
see how your day was.
Are you at Jareth's?
Not yet. Um, we're just hanging out.
Uh, uh, actually, I need
to get back to that.
- I-I'll call you later, okay?
- (grunts)
- But everything's fine.
- ELIZABETH: Good.
Okay. Bye.
Okay. We need to roll him on his side,
- Yeah.
- so he doesn't choke on his own vomit.
- What?
Uh, nothing. Love you.
All good. Bye.
I admire your discipline, Russell.
That is the saddest looking
plate I've ever seen.
(chuckles) You know what?
Turns out I like fish. And kale.
Now I get what
everybody's talking about.
What are you looking
to sell me on tonight?
'Cause I'm not buying
that lame cabinet post.
No, not a thing.
And the job offer's no
longer on the table.
You looked that horse a
little too long in the mouth.
See, the president
doesn't know I'm here.
Neither does the secretary.
'Cause they're both
more principled people
than I am.
"In peace there is
nothing so becomes a man
"as modest stillness
"and humility.
"But when the blast of
war blows in our ears,
then imitate the actions of the tiger."
Henry V.
We, uh, got our hands
on some oppo research
that could have influenced
the narrative of the election,
and the president
decided not to use it.
He still feels that way.
Even I had a moment on the
high road, but it turns out,
it's not really my thing.
'Cause I can't stand
seeing good people being hurt
because of unbridled
greed and ambition.
So I want you to think
about this, Governor.
Imagine if you held the country up
in an elaborate legal proceeding,
rattled their faith in the system,
even got yourself in office,
only for the voting public to discover
that you withheld information
pertinent to your competency
to be president of the United States.
You're bluffing.
You're welcome to try me.
♪
NEWSWOMAN: As the president and
members of his administration
prepare for the inauguration ceremony,
we've just received confirmation
that Governor Sam Evans
has officially dropped his lawsuit
against the state of Ohio.
EVANS: After much
consideration and prayer,
I've decided the best thing
for this country is to move on.
Maintaining the Republic
and focusing on my work
in the great state of Pennsylvania
is of far greater importance
than continuing to fight
this decision in court.
- I'll be taking no questions. Thank you.
- (exhales)
What do you know?
Four Horsemen can't be far behind.
What are you doing?
Oh! Oh, God.
Noodle, I'm so sorry. I just...
I can't wear the dress
that you picked out.
It's beautiful. It works great
on somebody else,
but I just can't pull it off.
And so I went back into my closet
and I-I found these two,
just... so much more me...
Oh, thank God.
What?
I woke up in the middle of the night
and I just totally started panicking.
It's the inaugural ball, not the VMAs.
Suddenly, I pictured you
on some Worst Dressed list
next to Miley Cyrus, and
it would've been all my fault.
I'm just so happy
that you're not upset.
It was sweet of you to trust
me with such a big decision,
I just... I wasn't ready.
- Oh, well...
- For your inauguration?
- (laughs)
- I will be.
That's very funny. In the meantime,
Which one of these do you like?
Uh... the blue one.
That's exactly what I think.
The blue one.
(rumbling in distance)
Mr. Hobbs?
Are you here?
Jareth, wake up. He's gone.
- What?
- Mr. Hobbs is gone.
- He's disappeared.
- All right, take it easy.
I can't! It's the day
of the inauguration,
and I have lost the poet laureate.
Russell is gonna die.
He could actually die. Oh, my God.
- (door opens)
- Good morning, children.
I've got cappuccinos all around.
Um... Are you okay?
Glorious.
Got down to business
at the coffee shop,
finished the poem.
I work better under pressure. Cruller?
Ooh.
♪
HENRY: There he is.
- Bess.
- Congratulations.
- Henry.
- Mr. President.
Well, that was a cinch,
wasn't it? Getting here.
- Piece of cake.
- Like butter.
Barely felt it myself.
Henry. A word?
Warren Lee has agreed to help us
break into the bomber's phone.
What'd you do?
I told him about the system
we use to develop assets.
MIC.
Money, ideology, coercion.
Actually, the system is MICE.
With an "E." The fourth approach
is appealing to the asset's ego.
I failed to mention that when
I told him he was our only hope.
(chuckling): Okay.
Mr. President.
Congratulations, sir.
- Thank you, Nadine.
- Congratulations.
- Blake.
- Pardon me for interrupting,
but there is news from Mongolia.
The referendum vote came in.
They voted to remain independent.
That's a good thing.
Now, about the horse.
Mandy. Her name is Mandy.
We found a suitable home for...
Mandy.
Cuba has agreed to take her.
Their laws around importing livestock
are still in a nascent stage.
At first, I worried the
climate was too warm,
but the vibe there is so great.
Well, that's a relief.
Thanks, guys. Love it
when it all works out.
What? The, uh, the Evans thing?
No. But since you brought it up...
Any idea what happened there?
I guess the chips
just fell our way, sir.
HOBBS: Sitting high above
the Potomac swamp,
in the long shadow of the
spilt blood and dreams
of the Founding Fathers
and Founding Mothers,
I can see more than
the average man sees.
I imagine the cells,
the nucleus of things.
I see colors that evolved
to speak to the smallest of eyes.
Sacrifices that meet in this cataclysm
of longing for what can and what can,
overcoming what cannot.
In the majesty of the quantum world,
in the beauty of building blocks,
in the tiniest of elements,
I glimpse the privilege of being.
This alertness does not subtract.
It adds.
It is not our inheritance
merely to abide
in this beautiful world.
It is our inheritance
to understand it.
(applause)
♪
inauguration is only one day
away, but he's still
facing a legal challenge
to the legitimacy of his win.
Governor Sam Evans filed a lawsuit
against the state of
Ohio for allowing Dalton
to be put on the ballot,
citing a little known
anti-lobbying law called
the Vasey Act.
Today we've learned the
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
has agreed to hear the case.
If the court rules
in Evans' favor,
it could not only revoke
Dalton's presidency,
it could spark a constitutional crisis
that would shake the very foundation
our government was built upon.
HENRY: What's shaking
the very foundation now?
We begin our team coverage in...
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
has agreed to hear Evans' case
against Ohio.
Unbelievable. What are they thinking?
Are they really gonna uphold
some obscure law from 1893?
We'll find out.
Oh, hey,
here's something weird.
I got a call from the CIA.
They want me to come in for
an Ex Post Facto Re-debrief
regarding Black Dog Station.
Well, I was in the CIA for 20 years
and I've never heard of
an Ex Post Facto Re-debrief.
When they shut down the operation down
they called it a "hotwash."
Now they want to get me debriefed.
Why does all their
terminology sound like
something that happens
in a nursing home?
(chuckles)
Baby, you okay?
Yeah. Why?
When you get anxious
you take it out on your clothes.
(sighs)
Evans is naming me
specifically in the lawsuit.
He's accusing me
of making overtures to
influence Ohio state senators.
When I did that NFL thing
in Ohio,
I also took some
legislators out to dinner.
Applebee's.
That's where they wanted to go.
I unduly influenced them with
potato skins and hot wings.
Look, I think the only reason
they're hearing the case
is so that Evans can't cry foul.
They're not gonna
upend all of American
politics over this.
ELIZABETH: Well, either way,
the whole thing is putting a damper
on the inauguration tomorrow.
- ALISON: Hey, guys.
- Hi.
- Are you cleaning out your closet?
- Maybe.
So this is a good time to talk about
what you're wearing
to the inaugural ball?
As good a time as any, I guess.
A stylist is gonna bring some gowns
to the office and I'm
gonna choose from those.
Really?
Can I come?
Oh, you can do better than that.
You can choose for me.
- Seriously?
- Yeah.
Can I also blog about it?
Blog your heart out.
You're the best.
I'll come to your office
right after school.
Okay, my mood is starting
to turn around a little bit.
Hey, you're looking very Wow.
young DC professional
poised to take over the world,
with just a dash of girlish charm.
(chuckles) Well, that is
exactly what I was going for.
HENRY: Oh, that's right.
It's the first day of your
internship with Russell Jackson.
Are you excited?
- With just a dash of terrified.
- (chuckles)
I still can't believe
he offered me the job.
You saved the guy's
life, I think he felt
it was the least he could do.
He's really scary, though.
Oh, trust me, there is way more bark
than bite with him.
And that was before the heart attack.
I mean, he's just coming back from
a three-week whale-watching cruise.
If that doesn't mellow
you out, nothing can.
(phone buzzing)
Oh, Lord.
Inauguration week is
really getting to Blake.
- Bye, guys. - Bye.
- Bye, Dad.
Hi, Blake, everything's good,
I'm just on my way to the office.
Whoa, slow down, slow down, slow down.
Blake, I thought we talked about decaf.
What...
Gifts?
♪
Wow.
You weren't exaggerating.
Yeah.
Sorry for sounding overwhelmed
and possibly even a
little nudgy, it's just
I can't move any of these
until you sign off on them.
Then they have to be processed
by the Protocol Gift Unit
and-and catalogued
by the National Archive.
And there's a room on the
third floor that looks like
Ali Baba's cave.
It's okay.
We'll get through it together.
No, we won't.
Now I have to go to
the Port of Baltimore
to sign for a gift from
Byambyn Sendoo, the
Mongolian minister of education.
Why do you have to sign for it?
They wouldn't say.
They were being very
Port Authoritarian.
All right, look, you, uh,
go sign for the gift,
and I'll start signing off on these,
and-and we'll just think
of the whole thing as...
an adventure.
Adventures in hell.
I'm sorry.
Madam Secretary, I will course-correct
immediately. You know,
it's good to be the winner.
- These are the spoils of victory.
- MATT: Yeah.
I mean, unless the Sixth Circuit Court
finds in favor of Sam Evans.
Then we have to send it all back.
Hmm?
Go.
Drive safe.
- What?
- Just for that,
- you're gonna help me sort.
- Awesome.
Oh, boy.
- What's that?
- It's nothing.
Go, go.
Sort.
Uh, what are the categories?
Uh...
Don't worry about it,
my dad's a hoarder.
I'll figure it out.
♪
Oh.
Russell.
Welcome back.
How are you feeling?
Top-notch.
So... the cruise was great?
The cruise was excruciating.
Three weeks of watching
what's left of the glaciers float past
and trying to catch a glimpse
of a whale.
Damn leisure time is gonna
kill me a lot faster
than my arteries.
ELIZABETH: Well, it's
nice to have you back.
Jumping right into the fire, no
less, with this Evans debacle.
JACKSON: We thought you
might want to lend a voice
to our strategy session.
Figuring out some way
to derail this lawsuit.
I'm not sure where there's
much room to move.
We can't influence the court.
No, but we can put
them under a spotlight.
Launch a press campaign pointing
out the lack of precedent,
lean hard on the court's obligation
to consider the stability
of the country,
the sanctity of the Electoral College.
Of course, that approach
relies on appealing
to people's higher nature and...
you know how much faith I have in that.
Or we can try to influence Evans.
Who doesn't have a higher
nature to appeal to.
He might be able to
listen to reason, and...
as the aggrieved party,
he can withdraw the complaint.
We can remind him that if he persists,
he won't only be burning
bridges in Washington,
he risks burning down American
democracy in the process.
(chuckling): Okay,
y-you guys are really gonna
make me be the one to say it?
The oppo research.
(sighs)
What happened to being a knight?
The painkillers have worn off.
And they've upped the game.
This is isn't about trying to
influence an election anymore.
Election's over.
This is about dissuading someone
from blatantly abusing the court system
to change the results.
Look,
i-it's not even as dirty as it sounds.
The guy has the gene
for early-onset Alzheimer's
and he didn't disclose
the genetic testing
with the rest of his health report.
Now, who knows, maybe the
voting public wouldn't care.
But they had the right to know.
I can't bring myself to do it, Russell.
We'll just have to let the
chips fall where they may.
What about offering Evans
a position in the White House?
Some sort of advisor.
Maybe even a Cabinet post.
Something prestigious
that we could also live with.
It's unifying and bipartisan.
Who knows, we might
even learn something
from his point of view.
Pushed it a little there at the end.
But... there is an argument to be made
for keeping him close by.
It's doable.
Then let's do it.
Abdul-Hafiz Bakkal.
- I've never heard of him.
- Dabir Fakoury?
HENRY: Dabir Fakoury's an ISIS leader.
Did he ever cross
paths with Hizb Al-Shahid
during your time
with Black Dog Station?
Not that I know of.
So you're tracking a connection
between HS and ISIS?
What about Yunis Hamawi?
Also ISIS.
Did his name ever come up?
You guys want to tell
me what this is about?
I might actually be able to help.
So you never found
any concrete connection
between HS and ISIS
other than a shared ideology.
They don't have a shared ideology,
they have a common goal.
A shared ideology would make them
much more dangerous, and, again,
do you want to let me in on that?
We're not authorized to do so,
- Dr. McCord.
- Excuse me,
you're aware of my involvement
in both operations that
effectively dismantled HS,
and yet you're telling me that
my clearance isn't high enough
to be filled in?
That's what we're telling you.
I think we've gotten
everything we need.
Thank you for your time.
ELIZABETH: I'm heading back
in the office now, Blake.
BLAKE (over phone): Well, I'm still
at the Port of Baltimore.
I just wanted to let you know that
I am unable to bring
the gift home today
because they won't
release it from customs
until it undergoes a
three-day quarantine.
Quarantine? Why?
Because it's a horse.
I'm sorry,
it sounded like you said "horse."
Yes, ma'am.
Minister Sendoo has sent
you a Mongol horse,
it's a...
symbol of national pride and unity.
I have to say, she is gorgeous.
Oh, my God.
Send it back.
- Her, and I already signed for her.
- Well, un-sign.
Make it clear that
we are respectfully declining
the gift horse.
(quietly): May I ask why?
So many reasons,
not the least of which...
we don't have anywhere in the
state department to put her.
I'm sure there's some government-owned
horse property somewhere.
It's not about that.
This is about the
Mongolian referendum vote
to become an autonomous
region of China.
Minister Sendoo
favors remaining independent,
and by accepting the horse,
it will signal...
a tacit endorsement of that position.
Because the horse,
symbol of national pride and unity.
See?
Right, right.
That'll make China mad.
And many other Asian nations,
and quite a few Mongolians as well.
Got it.
I will explain the situation
to the Port Authoritarians.
This may take a while.
(horse nickers)
She's really pretty, huh?
Yes, ma'am.
She's... she's kind of
a cappuccino color,
with a chestnut stripe down her back...
Hanging up now.
Yes, ma'am.
Hi.
(digital beeps)
"Press the operational
code into the keypad
and hold it down until
you hear the beep."
Yeah, I did that.
How's it going?
Uh, fine, sir.
You can call maintenance if
you're having trouble with that.
Oh,
I was just about to figure it out.
Adele, will you call maintenance
to program this damn thing?
Yes, sir.
I, uh, I don't like interns.
I never have, I can never find
anything I trust them to do.
- Oh, well...
- Now, I-I...
I'm giving you a chance
- to change my mind.
- I'm honored, Mr. Jackson.
But, there is no bank for good will
around here; you saved my life,
I gave you a job.
- We're even.
- Yes, sir.
Poet Laureate Roland... somebody
is coming in from
Connecticut this afternoon,
he'll be reading a poem at
the inauguration tomorrow.
You can thank JFK
for this enduring legacy
which forces us to stand
in the cold an extra 20 minutes.
Roland Hobbs? I love his work.
I-I actually wrote a paper on
him for my AP English class.
Great. Tell him all about it.
He fancies himself a man of the people,
so he refused to let us
pick him up in a limo.
He was gonna take a
cab from the airport,
but I can't take a
chance on losing him,
so he finally agreed to
let us send an intern.
Adele has all the information.
Awesome. That's just so exciting.
Um, thank you. I won't let you down.
Tick tock.
Oh.
Minister Sendoo,
I am touched and honored
by your generous gift
of a Mongol horse.
Unfortunately,
I'm not allowed to
keep diplomatic gifts,
and, well, we just have
no place to put a horse
here in the state department.
I'm very sorry to hear that,
Madam Secretary.
Because we cannot risk
exposing our horse population
to any foreign strains of disease.
If a horse is returned to us
after having been abroad,
it must be euthanized.
You're going to kill her?
Perhaps you would like to reconsider.
Did you really accept a horse
from the Mongolian minister
- of education?
- No.
Then why is the president of Mongolia
calling me to complain about it?
I don't have enough going on,
trying to stop Sam Evans
from making rubble
out of the Constitution?
He's all the big dumb mammal
I can handle right now.
Send the horse back.
I'm working on it.
What's-what's to work on?
You can't find the return address?
The problem is, Russell,
Minister Sendoo says that
they can't reintegrate the horse
now that it's left the country,
so if we return her,
they will...
(softly): terminate her.
(laughing): What?
They're bluffing.
It's a classic Mongolian squeeze play.
Russell,
do you really want a YouTube video
of a dying horse flying
around the first month
- of Dalton's second term?
- (sighs)
Our staff is working diligently
to find the horse a safe haven,
one that is both suitable
and will not offend anyone politically.
(sighs) Well, hurry up.
ELIZABETH: We're on it.
And, Russell, you may
want to pace yourself.
I am pacing myself.
4,782 paces, to be exact.
Why do you think I walked
all the way over here?
And stop coddling me.
They vacuumed my heart end to end.
My arteries are cleaner than yours.
Make the horse thing go away.
(jet engine roaring)
STEVIE: Mr. Hobbs?
Hi, Mr. Hobbs, I'm Stephanie McCord.
Um, I'm Russell Jackson's intern.
He sent me to pick you up
a-and take you to your hotel.
What are you doing?
Excuse me?
You should be ferry-hopping
through the Greek isles
with nothing but a summer frock,
a wineskin and a battered
copy of Rimbaud.
Well, um, I'm doing this.
By the way, Mr. Jackson's office
sent me a copy of the poem
that you're planning on
reading tomorrow and...
I think it's amazing.
That insipid rant?
They were pressuring me
to come up with something
so they could approve it.
I would no more read that aloud
than I would evacuate my bowels
in public.
Wow. Okay. Um,
so, I guess you probably want
to get straight to the hotel
to work on your replacement poem.
Um, they have you booked at the Vinton.
It's really nice.
It sounds like a soulless
corporate pod.
I'm not gonna get any work done there.
Well, is-is there somewhere
else that you'd rather go?
(sighs heavily)
Maybe just a drive around the city.
Perhaps if I see a few
monuments to democracy,
I could get the creative engine moving.
Sure, uh, the traffic does
tend to get a little crazy
at this time of...
Let's do that.
(car alarm chirps)
What the...?
Murderer!
(tires screeching)
(shudders)
Dr. McCord is here.
If you're looking for your daughter,
she's off on assignment.
I'm looking for you.
Go.
Are you gonna keep doing that?
You think I'm enjoying this?
Okay, look, I just got
back from some cryptic
re-debrief at the CIA.
Why are they running
random names by me,
trying to draw connections
between HS and ISIS?
CIA, they're cryptic.
Has HS joined ISIS?
Are they being reconstituted?
It's classified.
Give me a break.
I originated the operation.
Excuse me, I originated the operation.
Just tell me what's going on.
(treadmill beeps)
It's about the Illinois bomber.
He was radicalized at an
ISIS-affiliated madrassa
in Saudi Arabia,
but we have reports that say
he was also communicating
with HS-affiliated terrorists.
The NSA has been
trying to hack into the bomber's phone
to gather data,
but their efforts have been...
unproductive.
The NSA can't hack into a cell phone?
Well, they're limited
by money and man-hours
like any other human institution.
So they're combing
all their assets for tips,
to avoid paying an exorbitant fee
to an outside cyber
security consultant.
Exactly.
Because the CEO of
this particular phone company,
Warren Lee,
is a big donor to our campaign.
But he's also a big privacy advocate.
And a diligent practitioner of Taoism.
- Really?
- Well,
as diligent as a Taoist can be,
given that it's about
effortless action.
It's a theological paradox.
Yeah, hell, what isn't?
So you were just gonna box
me out of this whole thing?
If you want in,
tell me what you're thinking.
Warren Lee's in town
for the inauguration.
POTUS can only push him so far
on the investigation
without looking like
an anti-Fourth Amendment bully.
But a third party with
an oblique connection
to the administration,
who speaks the language
of theological paradox?
Knock yourself out.
Corner him at the inaugural ball.
I've got a better idea.
I'd love a better idea.
- Tell me when it pans out.
- (treadmill beeps)
What am I doing wrong?
I got you.
- (sighs)
- (coffee maker beeps)
There you go.
(whirring)
I thought I did that.
NADINE: Ma'am,
Foreign Minister Chen has
requested a SVTC call with you.
I took the liberty of setting it up.
His office is on hold right now.
Well, that didn't take long.
So, Blake's still out?
He's been further detained.
Yeah, uh, he ran into some protesters
from the Equine Resource
League in a parking lot
at the Port of Baltimore.
They pelted him and
his car with manure.
Is he okay?
He's, uh, rattled.
What are they protesting anyway?
Somebody sent me a horse?
No, ma'am, that you're
sending her back to Mongolia
where she'll be euthanized.
How on earth did they find out?
We're getting to the bottom of that.
But they have all the
information on the Web site.
They claim you're sending
a purebred to its death
over a diplomatic dispute.
They're encouraging
a widespread protest
until the U.S. accepts the horse
and gives her a loving home.
So...
how does Blake sound?
Um, remember when pigeons
got into his apartment
when he was out of town?
Wow, that bad, huh?
Worse.
Shall I put someone on his
desk until he comes back?
Not unless you want to finish him off.
- Hey, guys.
- Hi, Noodle.
The dresses just arrived
from the stylist.
Wow, I... (gasps)
What do we like?
Honestly? None of them.
Oh.
Not even this?
You can't wear black.
It's a celebration, not a funeral.
Well... tell you what,
why don't we just forget about these?
Why don't you just be the stylist?
And you find something you like
and we'll track it down, okay?
Really?
This is amazing!
My first assignment
is the inaugural ball?
Yeah, and your first client
carried you in her womb,
so she's probably gonna go easy on you.
DAISY: Ma'am,
I'll get back to you
as soon as we find out
who leaked the information on Mandy.
Excuse me? Mandy?
Oh, Blake named her.
- Apparently, they formed a bond.
- No.
No naming the horse,
it's just gonna make it worse
when we have to send her back.
That goes for everyone.
- Okay.
- Yes, ma'am,
I will issue a directive:
no bonding with the horse.
Minister Chen, still holding for you.
Minister Chen, oh, I'm so
sorry to keep you holding.
My assistant is out of the office
and, well, it's been a day
of excitement for all of us.
I'm sure it's not every day
you receive a Mongolian horse
as an inducement to intervene
in the democratic process
of a foreign nation.
The, uh, horse was
a gift of congratulations
from Minister Sendoo, not a bribe,
and in any case,
I've already declined it.
My concern is that
even the perception of a
U.S. stance on independence
could sway the outcome of the vote.
Well, the U.S. position
on the referendum
is one of neutrality.
As I trust China's will be, as well.
I am not the one accepting
gifts from the Mongolians.
Well, that makes two of us.
Always a pleasure
talking to you.
Good-bye, Madam Secretary.
Blake, will you get me...
I really... really don't like this.
HOBBS: I don't know why I thought
this would be inspiring.
Religious altars to the
gods of money and power,
statues to slave owners and warmongers,
an obelisk
extending into the sky
like a great wagging phallus.
Uh, well, do you want
to see Georgetown?
It has a bit of a homier feel to it.
Oh, yes, by all means.
Let us see where the exploiters
of all that is sacred
rest their weary bones.
Wait. Stop.
What? Excuse me?
- Stop!
- Oh, okay.
Uh, are you okay?
Inspiration.
Mr. Hobbs, I-I don't think
I can park here. Mr....
(car horns honking)
Governor, we understand
the symbolic gesture
of filing suit against the state
for overriding its sore-loser law
and allowing us on the ballot.
I can't imagine you
expected the Sixth Circuit
to hear the case, and...
now we find ourselves
in an awkward situation.
On the contrary, I fully
expected them to hear it.
There's nothing awkward
about it for me.
There was no impropriety
on the part of the secretary,
and you know it.
Even under whatever bogus,
antiquated law you dug up.
It's not about what I know, Russell,
it's how the judge sees it.
No president has ever been unseated
by the judiciary,
or even thrown out of office
after impeachment, for that matter.
The idea that the court
would do something
as destabilizing as
removing a president
after his inauguration,
replacing him with his
opponent, is laughable.
If it's so laughable,
why are you negotiating with me?
This was a trying
election for everyone.
And instead of tying up the country
in a court battle you'll never win,
wouldn't your intellect
and passion and experience
be put to better use by
- serving in this administration?
- What do you have in mind?
Your campaign platform made it clear
that your priority is
fostering the growth
of business and industry.
We'd like you to come on board
as our Secretary of Commerce.
Are you joking?
(laughs)
You two need to take this on the road.
It's hilarious.
There's only one post
significant enough
to make me want to walk away
from rolling the dice
in the Sixth Circuit.
State.
- Excuse me?
- Secretary of state.
Or the beat goes on.
What do you say to that?
Not gonna happen, Sam.
Have a nice day, gentlemen.
You're wasting your time.
ERL is under no obligation
to reveal the source
of our information.
Does it concern you at all that
any leak in the state department
could be a matter of national security?
That's your problem.
I have the Freedom of
Information Act on my side.
Did you get the information
directly from Minister Sendoo?
Otherwise, there's no other explanation
why it was on your Web site so fast.
The foreign minister and I
had no direct communication.
It's the minister of education.
Do you even read your own
illegally obtained information?
I'm starting to feel harassed here.
If the Mongolese people want to use us
to promote animal rights,
we welcome their input.
You mean the Mongolian people?
- Eh...
- Wait a minute.
You barely know what I'm talking about.
You didn't put that piece up on
the Web site yourself, did you?
Where did it come from?
You were hacked.
Hey. How's your day going?
A little crazy.
I really need your help.
I'm in a dive bar with
the poet laureate,
who is supposed to be composing
a poem for the inauguration.
Okay.
Unless it's going to be about Scotch,
I don't think that's gonna happen.
Oh, I can't tell you
the number of times
I've been in that exact predicament.
Are you serious?
This is my first real assignment
for Russell Jackson,
to get this guy safely to the hotel,
and I can't do it.
Well, there must be
a government employee
who can handle it.
I am a government employee.
Oh, yeah.
Please? I can't stress Russell out.
He just had a heart attack.
- What do you want me to do?
- Come down here.
You can at least...
help me carry him to the car
in case he starts to pass out.
Okay. Text me the address.
Oh, and please
don't give that whole
"poetry is a useless waste
of time and brain cells" rant
in front of this guy, okay?
Consider me censored.
I'll see you in a bit.
(exhales deeply)
Excuse me, Mr. Lee?
Aren't you Dr. Henry McCord?
Yes. I-I'm so flattered
that you recognized me.
Well, I've read all of your books.
I consider myself a student
of the world's religions.
So am I.
I think some of the sentiments
of the Tao Te Ching
are reflected in the parables
of the gospels,
although I sometimes find
the language more poetic.
So... do you practice here?
No. I came to meet you.
On behalf of your wife?
On behalf of the NSA.
Really?
I sometimes do some consulting work.
I have nothing left
to say to those guys.
Look, I know they can
come on pretty strong,
but they're probably just embarrassed
and intimidated by you.
So, because of their fragile psyches,
I'm supposed to help them
burn up the Bill of Rights?
It's one thing to defend
the Fourth Amendment,
it's another thing
to develop technology
so impenetrable that it locks out
the state's ability to investigate
with probable cause.
Giving the NSA access to
a private customer phone
would set a terrible legal precedent.
Maybe you need to practice
some of the tenets
Taoism has taught you,
and let go of your longing.
The world's religions aren't the
only thing I've learned from.
In the intelligence community,
there's a method
for developing assets
called "MIC"... M.I.C.
First you try to persuade
with money... that's the "M."
You have plenty of that.
"I" is for ideology.
I tried to appeal to that,
and I failed.
And the "C" is for coercion,
but as an ally of Dalton's...
not a lot to coerce you with.
So it seems... (sighs)
that you have run out of letters.
Yes.
All I can do now is humble
myself and appeal to you
as someone who cares deeply about
the welfare of this country.
So few of us find ourselves
in your position.
You have the U.S. government
groveling at your feet
for a small piece of
proprietary information.
You're the only person who can help us.
Okay, here's what we're up against
with finding a safe
haven for the horse.
It has to be a country
whose customs laws
are lax enough to accept a horse
who has been exposed to the diseases
of two different countries.
It would have to have
regular trade relations
- with the U.S.
- Right.
It would have to have
a climate amenable
to Mongol horses.
And we'd need verifiable
first-class living conditions.
No hiding her away on some
remote, decrepit farm
in South America.
She needs human interaction.
She was bred for that.
Did she tell you that, horse whisperer?
Blake, I believe you were warned
about bonding with the horse.
Oh, like I can walk that back.
DAISY: Guys...
CYBERCOM has made a forensic analysis
on the ERL Web site hack,
and they have a very strong
idea of who was behind it.
- Russia?
- That's right, ma'am.
As you know, they are
none too happy about
the idea of China expanding its borders
further across the southeastern
portion of its country.
Well, or of China expanding
its land holdings
and natural resources.
But really?
Enough to get into this?
MATT: We figure that's why
they came at it so sideways.
They don't want to destroy
relations with China
any more than we do.
Our working theory is that
Russia may have ties
to Minister Sendoo's
independence campaign
and was hoping to develop
a little insurance
in the event that we tried
to send the horse back to Mongolia.
Apparently, the minute Minister Sendoo
hung up with you, he called
his connection in Russia,
and then it ended up
on the ERL Web site,
resulting in the... manure offensive.
So this way Russia influences
the outcome of the referendum
but keeps its hands clean
of interventionism.
Yes, ma'am.
Well, I-I'm just glad
this hasn't escalated
into an international incident.
- Oh, thank God.
- Hey.
What's happening?
Uh, Mr. Hobbs, this
is my fiancé, Jareth.
He dropped by because, um,
he wanted to meet you.
HOBBS: Have a seat, young man.
Let's talk about how you find poetry
a waste of time and brain cells.
I overheard her conversation
on the phone with you.
I don't know why people think
alcohol affects auditory nerves.
Please have a drink
and, uh, explain the
futility of verse to me.
I don't think it's futile.
Sometimes it can be ever so slightly...
indulgent.
Unnecessarily convoluted and redundant.
Also pretentious, arrogant,
and not essential to the
evolution of mankind.
Otherwise a perfectly harmless pursuit.
Should we go?
With what do you occupy
your superior gray matter?
I'm a physicist.
Ha! Bravo.
The geniuses who brought
us nuclear weapons,
Oh.
space junk and global warming.
- Well done.
- What a charming oversimplification.
Tell me something, how do you live
with such an unimaginative
reductionist view of the world?
How is life, without
the resonance of beauty,
even worth the effort?
Let me tell you a little
something about beauty,
Mr. Hobbs.
You seem to think I can't
appreciate beauty
because I study the intricacies
of its components.
You know what? Why don't we just go?
Uh, bartender?
It was Richard Feynman, physicist,
personal hero of mine, who put it best.
He said that he could appreciate
the beauty of a flower more
than, say, uh, you.
He said he could see more
than the average man sees.
He could imagine its cells,
he could appreciate
that the flower evolved
in order to make its colors
more attractive to insects.
Which means that insects see color.
I mean, maybe they share
our aesthetic sense.
Recognizing the majesty
of the quantum world
only adds to the beauty of life.
It does not subtract.
So to answer your question, Mr. Hobbs,
I don't just live in a beautiful world,
I understand it.
COUNSEL: We're in a
difficult spot here, Russell.
Your legal options
in fighting this case
are extremely limited.
If they rule in Evans' favor,
there's very little we can do.
Short of asserting power
by military junta.
What if you tried reasoning with Evans?
Oh, we tried that.
We even offered him
Secretary of Commerce.
He turned it down.
Well... What can I tell you?
He's a motivated guy.
He's a sore-loser law unto himself.
Give me odds on the ruling.
60-40, us.
Nothing we can really
do but hang tight.
Okay, thanks.
I guess.
(exhales)
Go back to the breath.
(beeping)
"Serenity," stream.
(new age music begins playing)
(exhales)
Nothing to be done.
Let the chips fall where they may.
(whispers): Breathe.
Chips fall...
What the hell?
Who am I?
Adele!
Get me my file on Sam Evans.
It's time to take out the trash.
HENRY: What if we just buy the horse?
Let her live at the farm?
That way it's a purchase, not a
bribe. And that's legal, right?
Yes, it is,
and that was my first thought.
The horse costs $2 million.
Oh, my God.
Does it sing and dance?
Besides, even buying it
looks like I'm taking sides
on the referendum.
I spent an hour on the phone
with the Russian foreign minister,
stepping out the
consequences of interfering
with the democratic process.
So I can't give them any ammunition.
To knock you off your high horse.
(chuckles)
That was right there.
I had to, that was...
It's the only one you get.
Is Stevie at Jareth's?
I haven't seen her around.
Yeah, she told us not to expect her.
Oh. Think I could call
and just check on her,
make sure she got in okay?
At her fiancé's place?
Helicoptery, right?
ALISON: Hey.
It took a while,
but I found your dress.
Oh.
I saw it in French Vogue
and the stylist
finally tracked it down.
It's an Andre Devereaux,
who is a totally cutting edge designer.
No one else will be wearing it.
Oh!
That is really something, isn't it?
- It is.
- ALISON: You love it, right?
Oh. I-I've...
never seen anything like it.
It's just... every color.
Ooh! Want to try it on?
Tomorrow, baby.
I-I'm so tired, and...
Yeah. I'll have all of your
accessories by then, anyways.
- Oh, there's more. Just gonna...
- Love you.
- Good night.
- (Elizabeth exhales)
I can't wear that, right?
I don't think so.
Oh... But she'll be
so disappointed and...
Babe, this is not the
lanyard she made for you
in the second grade. This is your dress
for the inaugural ball.
You got to seem, uh...
you know... sane.
Stop trying to figure out
how to make it work.
Okay, then I'm calling Stevie.
(phone buzzes)
Hello. Hey, Mom!
Wine.
Uh... What's up?
Oh...
I was just calling to
see how your day was.
Are you at Jareth's?
Not yet. Um, we're just hanging out.
Uh, uh, actually, I need
to get back to that.
- I-I'll call you later, okay?
- (grunts)
- But everything's fine.
- ELIZABETH: Good.
Okay. Bye.
Okay. We need to roll him on his side,
- Yeah.
- so he doesn't choke on his own vomit.
- What?
Uh, nothing. Love you.
All good. Bye.
I admire your discipline, Russell.
That is the saddest looking
plate I've ever seen.
(chuckles) You know what?
Turns out I like fish. And kale.
Now I get what
everybody's talking about.
What are you looking
to sell me on tonight?
'Cause I'm not buying
that lame cabinet post.
No, not a thing.
And the job offer's no
longer on the table.
You looked that horse a
little too long in the mouth.
See, the president
doesn't know I'm here.
Neither does the secretary.
'Cause they're both
more principled people
than I am.
"In peace there is
nothing so becomes a man
"as modest stillness
"and humility.
"But when the blast of
war blows in our ears,
then imitate the actions of the tiger."
Henry V.
We, uh, got our hands
on some oppo research
that could have influenced
the narrative of the election,
and the president
decided not to use it.
He still feels that way.
Even I had a moment on the
high road, but it turns out,
it's not really my thing.
'Cause I can't stand
seeing good people being hurt
because of unbridled
greed and ambition.
So I want you to think
about this, Governor.
Imagine if you held the country up
in an elaborate legal proceeding,
rattled their faith in the system,
even got yourself in office,
only for the voting public to discover
that you withheld information
pertinent to your competency
to be president of the United States.
You're bluffing.
You're welcome to try me.
♪
NEWSWOMAN: As the president and
members of his administration
prepare for the inauguration ceremony,
we've just received confirmation
that Governor Sam Evans
has officially dropped his lawsuit
against the state of Ohio.
EVANS: After much
consideration and prayer,
I've decided the best thing
for this country is to move on.
Maintaining the Republic
and focusing on my work
in the great state of Pennsylvania
is of far greater importance
than continuing to fight
this decision in court.
- I'll be taking no questions. Thank you.
- (exhales)
What do you know?
Four Horsemen can't be far behind.
What are you doing?
Oh! Oh, God.
Noodle, I'm so sorry. I just...
I can't wear the dress
that you picked out.
It's beautiful. It works great
on somebody else,
but I just can't pull it off.
And so I went back into my closet
and I-I found these two,
just... so much more me...
Oh, thank God.
What?
I woke up in the middle of the night
and I just totally started panicking.
It's the inaugural ball, not the VMAs.
Suddenly, I pictured you
on some Worst Dressed list
next to Miley Cyrus, and
it would've been all my fault.
I'm just so happy
that you're not upset.
It was sweet of you to trust
me with such a big decision,
I just... I wasn't ready.
- Oh, well...
- For your inauguration?
- (laughs)
- I will be.
That's very funny. In the meantime,
Which one of these do you like?
Uh... the blue one.
That's exactly what I think.
The blue one.
(rumbling in distance)
Mr. Hobbs?
Are you here?
Jareth, wake up. He's gone.
- What?
- Mr. Hobbs is gone.
- He's disappeared.
- All right, take it easy.
I can't! It's the day
of the inauguration,
and I have lost the poet laureate.
Russell is gonna die.
He could actually die. Oh, my God.
- (door opens)
- Good morning, children.
I've got cappuccinos all around.
Um... Are you okay?
Glorious.
Got down to business
at the coffee shop,
finished the poem.
I work better under pressure. Cruller?
Ooh.
♪
HENRY: There he is.
- Bess.
- Congratulations.
- Henry.
- Mr. President.
Well, that was a cinch,
wasn't it? Getting here.
- Piece of cake.
- Like butter.
Barely felt it myself.
Henry. A word?
Warren Lee has agreed to help us
break into the bomber's phone.
What'd you do?
I told him about the system
we use to develop assets.
MIC.
Money, ideology, coercion.
Actually, the system is MICE.
With an "E." The fourth approach
is appealing to the asset's ego.
I failed to mention that when
I told him he was our only hope.
(chuckling): Okay.
Mr. President.
Congratulations, sir.
- Thank you, Nadine.
- Congratulations.
- Blake.
- Pardon me for interrupting,
but there is news from Mongolia.
The referendum vote came in.
They voted to remain independent.
That's a good thing.
Now, about the horse.
Mandy. Her name is Mandy.
We found a suitable home for...
Mandy.
Cuba has agreed to take her.
Their laws around importing livestock
are still in a nascent stage.
At first, I worried the
climate was too warm,
but the vibe there is so great.
Well, that's a relief.
Thanks, guys. Love it
when it all works out.
What? The, uh, the Evans thing?
No. But since you brought it up...
Any idea what happened there?
I guess the chips
just fell our way, sir.
HOBBS: Sitting high above
the Potomac swamp,
in the long shadow of the
spilt blood and dreams
of the Founding Fathers
and Founding Mothers,
I can see more than
the average man sees.
I imagine the cells,
the nucleus of things.
I see colors that evolved
to speak to the smallest of eyes.
Sacrifices that meet in this cataclysm
of longing for what can and what can,
overcoming what cannot.
In the majesty of the quantum world,
in the beauty of building blocks,
in the tiniest of elements,
I glimpse the privilege of being.
This alertness does not subtract.
It adds.
It is not our inheritance
merely to abide
in this beautiful world.
It is our inheritance
to understand it.
(applause)
♪