"(Islamic call to prayer over loudspeaker)" "(prayer continues in distance)" " (door bangs)" " MAN:" "Call the American embassy." "(speaking Arabic)" "Call the State Department." "You can't do this." "You know, we have rights." " Call the American embassy." " (men shouting in Arabic)" "I don't understand... what'd he say?" "He said, "Don't be a fool." "You're gonna die here."" " Dr. McCord." " Yeah." "Hey, can I talk to you about my thesis?" "Uh, sure... during office hours." "Yeah, your office hours don't really work for me." "(laughs) Sorry to hear that." "Thing is, I don't really want to write about the Cold War." "You're aware that the class is called" ""Postwar Politics and the Cold War."" "Yeah, but I feel like it's been done." "That's why they call it history, Jake." "Thing is, my theory is that we are living through a new cold war." "All right, compare and contrast to the original and convince me." "Great." "Also, I'll need an extension." "My parents are coming to town and they're very needy." "Oh." "My husband bought tickets to the opera this weekend." "I mean, normally, I love the opera, but I got to tell you, it's been a hell of a week, and the thought of sitting in a dimly lit room with a bunch of people" "singing at me in Italian... it's just gonna make me fall asleep." "I'm so sorry." "I thought we were telling each other our problems." "No extension." "Enjoy your parents." "MAN:" "What Aquinas was trying to say in Summa Theologica is that existence and essence are separate things, right?" "That's the whole notion behind Catholic transubstantiation." "Now, Luther though a Thomist by definition, departed from him" " in significant ways." " Honey?" "Their eyes are glazing over." "They're just listening to you 'cause you're so cute." "GIRL:" "No way." "I hated religion before I took his class." "Now I'm totally caught up." "He's brilliant." "Wow." "Well, do you mind if I just steal his brilliance for a minute?" "Yeah, sure." "So, how am I supposed to develop a cult following?" "Oh, I think you'll figure it out." "Hey, listen." "Did you remember you got to cook tonight?" "'Cause I'm going into DC." " Right, the spy reunion." " Yes." "And since I'm the only one who can talk about work," "I get to be the center of attention." "You're always the center of attention with me." "Really?" "Tell that to your cult following." "WOMAN:" "You wouldn't recognize the CIA." "George is the only one on a Middle East desk right now." "MAN:" "Libya." "Lebanon." "I'm staring at screens of abandoned factories and oil wells, listening to chatter about the World Cup." "I mean, they could at least have pastured me somewhere interesting." " He loves that desk job." " They didn't pasture you." "They just didn't feel like risking your life in the field anymore." "You bought their story?" "There was no evidence that my cover was blown." "He never looks back." "And you guys should talk." "They both got Africa." "Do you know how volatile" " that place is gonna be?" " Yes!" "That is like the disco of global hot spots." " Oh, yeah." " Why don't you call our, uh, former boss and complain to him about your desk job?" " Oh, I did." " George!" " You called POTUS about your desk job?" " I..." "I..." "I gave it a shot, okay?" "I mean, he ran the place for 12 years, I figured he's still invested in personnel, so..." "He never called back." "Imagine that." "How is the, uh, bucolic life going?" "It's great." "We're teachers." "We're parents." "We're horse owners." " Mmm." " Ooh!" "Oh, my!" "And every morning we wake up," " that's all we got to be." " (phones buzzing)" "That's a shock." "Well, this can't be good." "The, uh, Secretary of State's plane just went down over the Atlantic." "HENRY:" "Hey!" "I thought we said no gadgets at the table." "ELIZABETH:" "We did." "And then the kids never came to the table." "Besides, it's Saturday." "Oh, yay!" "No Rules Saturday?" "REPORTER:" "Vincent Marsh, of course, began..." " Hey!" " Dad, can you turn it off?" "What?" "My screen is competing with your screens?" "Repeating what we know so far... the Secretary of State Vincent Marsh's plane disappeared off the coast of Florida." "He was headed to Caracas, Venezuela." "Mom, do you think it was terrorism?" "No." "I think people shouldn't fly in small planes." "Still, why was he going to Venezuela?" " Is that a resort destination?" " JASON:" "Exactly." "When will you guys acknowledge the obvious conspiracy around us" " at all times?" " Seriously?" "You had to wind up the anarchist?" "Sorry." "(horse snorts)" "I thought you were gonna do something relaxing today." "Well, this relaxes me." "Oh, uh, your phone." "It wouldn't stop ringing, so I answered it." "Well, who is it?" "Some lady says it's the president's office." "PTA?" "The United States." "Well, that's a prank." "Hang it up." "Just take it." "She sounds serious." "(siren chirps nearby)" "(horse snorts)" "(dog barking in distance)" "(vehicles approaching)" "MAN:" "The death of Vincent Marsh is catastrophic on many levels." "It's a bad time to be without diplomatic representation." "Because of the peace talks with Iran and President Shiraz's upcoming visit to the U.S.?" "So you understand why I can't waste any time on this decision." "I want you to step in." "Step into what?" "Secretary of State." "(laughs)" "Y... (laughs)" "You're joking." "Um, I don't mean you're joking, but you can't be serious." "Obviously you're serious, I just..." "Why?" "I recruited you for the CIA." "I trained you as an analyst." "I know how you think, how you work." "I trust you." "Give us a minute, will you?" "SECRET SERVICE AGENT:" "Yes, Mr. President." "I wanted to nominate you right after I was elected." "I was talked out of my choice by... well-meaning advisers." "Vincent Marsh was always running for office." "You have no such ambition." "You quit a profession you love for ethical reasons." "That makes you the least political person I know." "You don't just think outside the box." "You don't even know there is a box." "(quiet laugh)" "I believe I can effect real change in the world." "I want you to help me do that." "I know you won't let me down." "I realize you'll need some time to discuss this with your family." "I'll give you the rest of the day." "But I won't take no for an answer." "(door opens)" "(door closes)" "_" "WOMAN:" "The King of Swaziland sits here." "Madam Secretary, you'll be across from him." "I've charted out all ten of his wives by their names and ranks." "Basically, it's a seniority system." "You look like you have a question." "Um..." "Yes." "Why are we doing this?" "The chart?" "The dinner." "Why are we entertaining the King of Swaziland?" "MAN:" "It was on Vincent's agenda." "It was important to him." "WOMAN:" "The press loves stuff like this." "The guy's flamboyant, exotic." "Polygamist." " We're not using that word." " We're not?" "What are we calling it?" "It falls under cultural diversity." "I see." "Well, is it important to have all the wives?" "You think maybe we could've cut it off at say three?" "How much is this costing, Nadine?" "You want me to get you the figures on that?" "Yes." "And also the updated information on the AIDS epidemic in that country." "Madam Secretary?" "It's the Czech Ambassador." "He says it's urgent." "What could be urgent over there?" "Guess we'll find out." "Let's pick this up after lunch, okay?" "ELIZABETH:" "Hey, Blake, on a scale of one to ten, how much does Nadine hate me?" "Oh, I think that one goes to 11." "They all hate me as much?" "No." "It's a mixture." "Why don't you hate me?" "Because you hired me." "And you're awesome." "I might have inadvertently reversed those." "Probably should've brought my own staff." "Probably." "But you know what, their boss had just died." " I couldn't just clean house like that." " Yes, ma'am." "Meeting with the chief of staff and the secretary of defense in half an hour." "Oh, that's Russell Jackson and Gordon Becker, respectively." "Blake?" "I know their names." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Hello, Pavel." "(men shouting in Arabic nearby)" "(man pleading in Arabic)" "Stay away from the door!" "(grunting)" "(guard yelling in Arabic)" "(man pleading in Arabic)" "(guard shouts in Arabic) (bangs bars)" "(metallic clattering)" "What are they gonna do..." "kill that guy?" "!" "Sit down!" "Don't draw attention." "(blows landing, man screaming)" "(man shouting in Arabic)" "ELIZABETH:" "Two American kids arrested and imprisoned in Syria for attempting to join Fatah ash-Sham." "Ethan and Tyler Cole, brothers from Hartford, Connecticut." "They have an activist Web site called "One Free Earth,"" "the basic gist of which is "war bad, peace good."" "So they join a jihadist group to drive home this point." "Ash-Sham isn't a jihadist group." "It has jihadist elements, but their immediate goal is to overthrow the Syrian government, which I think we can all agree, isn't a paradigm of virtue." "I stand corrected." "These kids are peace-loving freedom fighters." "ELIZABETH:" "They're using Facebook and Instagram to demonstrate poverty and poor treatment of women." "Doesn't make them geniuses, but it certainly doesn't make them jihadists." "Where does this come from?" "(sighs)" "From the Czech ambassador." "That's how we communicate with Syria these days." "Any idea what the Syrians think they're up to?" "President Nussir's completely opposed to Shiraz's visit to the U.S." "He sees it as a threat to his authority." "The Syrians want to prove that they still have teeth." "So they grab two hapless kids and throw them in prison?" "How does that help?" "They're always detaining some Westerner who had no business being there." "What's the urgency?" "They're gonna execute those kids in a week." "Oh... (sighs) Has it hit the news cycle?" "ELIZABETH:" "No." "We're just learning of it ourselves." "What do you recommend?" "I know some people on the ground." "I'd like to proceed through back channels at this point." " What do you mean, "back channels"?" " Not an official op." "I think it's safer and faster just to work with the people I know." "Trouble is, I don't know the people you know." "No, we have to do it my way." "Keep it within The Company." "All right." "I'll get in touch with the parents and stress the importance of non-communication." "Good." "I think we're done here." "JACKSON:" "We got you the name of a stylist, right?" "A stylist?" "You're going to find it useful." "It's a tough transition." "I-I really don't think it's necessary." "It's coming from the top." "Conrad...?" "The president wants me to have a stylist?" "As chief of staff, when I speak," "I am generally speaking for the president." "Image is a big part of the job." "Don't take it personally." "You know, actually, as long as we're on the subject... somewhat... of speaking to the president," "I'd like to brief him on the Syrian kidnapping." "No." "It's premature." "It's a volatile situation." "I don't want him being caught off guard if it hits the press." "It's not going to hit the press, 'cause I'm telling you to make sure it doesn't." "I'll do my best." "I know you have a friendship with the president." "But you're in a system now." "Trying to take advantage of that would be ill-advised." "How would I take advantage of that?" "By going around me." "WOMAN (voice wavering):" "Tyler..." "he's, uh, the ambitious one." "He has this idea he's going to change the world with his blog." "He majored in Arabic studies." "He speaks Farsi and Arabic, fluently." "He's a brilliant kid." "I can't believe he's stupid enough to pull a stunt like this." "So I assume you tried to talk them out of making this trip?" "We didn't even know about it." "See, we were sending Ethan to Europe for graduation, he asked Tyler to go with him." "I mean, we knew they would go as far as Turkey, but we had no idea they'd cross into Syria." "Ethan's not political at all." "He wants to play music and pick up girls." "Tyler talked him into this." "It doesn't matter whose fault it is." "So, then, there's no reason to believe that they were somehow trying to join the Syrian opposition movement?" "No." "Absolutely not." "Neither one of them knows how to mow a lawn, let alone... handle a weapon." "They're idealists." "It should be easy enough to explain." "And tensions are easing up in that part of the world, right?" "Not in Syria." "I mean, we have to go through a third party." "If the State Department is gonna take this on, it's gonna have to be" " completely undercover." " If?" "It has to go up the chain of command." "So far, I've been given the green light to pursue a negotiation." "But if anything were to get out in the press, it would greatly jeopardize our efforts." "But you're gonna have to work with us." "We need to take down their blog, their Facebook page, and we need to ask that you have no communication through social media yourselves." "But how-how do we take their pages down?" " We don't even have the passwords." " We can handle that." " You're asking us to go underground?" " ELIZABETH:" "Yes." "And trust you with our children's lives." "That's right." "But... but isn't there a power to speaking out?" "Mr. Cole, free speech has landed us where we find ourselves right now." "It's a constitutionally protected right, not a global one." "As your sons are finding out the hard way." "Oh, God..." "I have two teenagers." "They're smart, self-confident and articulate, as we've raised them to be." "My son is a self-proclaimed anarchist." "(laughs)" "I could see him doing something like this." "And if it were my son where Tyler and Ethan are today?" "This is how I would handle it." "Okay." "Okay." "JASON:" "The kids are all either preppy nerds who already have their rooms at Harvard and Yale picked out or these athletes who are too dumb to breathe." " HENRY:" "That's pretty dumb." " ELIZABETH:" "Not to mention a bad situation for an athlete." "Yeah, well, fortunately, the teachers are completely unimaginative rule-followers who are totally threatened by original thought." "ELIZABETH:" "Okay." "Let's play a game called" ""name one positive thing about your school."" "There are, uh, three hot girls." "HENRY:" "Dude, that's three things." "I feel better already." "You know, I seem to remember that you hated your former school, too." "Yeah, but for totally different reasons." "HENRY:" "Such is the lonely journey of the anarchist." " I'm not complaining." " ELIZABETH:" "And yet it sounds exactly like complaining." "What about you?" "Everything's fine." " Come on." " Do you want to hear the details of me missing my boyfriend?" "Ooh!" "I vote no." "ELIZABETH:" "What about your classes?" "You remember how excited you were about that French literature class?" "It's fine." "Can I be excused?" "HENRY:" "Yes." "Did you want to hear more of that?" "Maybe I should go talk to her." "Just give her some space." "Okay." "Or not." "ELIZABETH:" "Did we do the right thing?" "We absolutely did the right thing." "What are we talking about?" "This." "The job." "The move." "Yes." "The kids will adjust." "It's only been two months." "And you're sure that I didn't push us into this?" "No." "Jason is thrilled to be living even closer to the dark halls of conspiracy." "Ali hated living on a horse farm." "Okay, and now she misses her boyfriend." "Yeah." "If we were home, she'd be dramatically upset about something else." "She's 15." "Do you hear what you just did?" "You just called it "home."" "That place." "Where we used to live." "Honey, it's gonna take some time before it stops feeling like home." "And... are you really happy at Georgetown?" "Are you kidding me?" "I love Georgetown." "Being a religion professor at a Jesuit university?" "It's like being a Beatle. (snorts)" "So we're fine?" "We're fine." "Totally fine?" "Totally fine." "We used to have sex more often." "We had sex this weekend." "But we used to have weeknight sex." "Stop overthinking things." "Is it my masculine energy?" "I've got too much of it?" "Because I know some men, they're turned off by women in positions of power." "I totally love women in power positions." "Huh?" "I'm completely attracted to your masculine energy." "Tell me what to say." "(phone buzzing)" "What is it?" "It's an encoded text." "Oh, it's from George." "Saying what?" "He's outside." "Come inside." "I can't." "Your place is probably bugged." "George, they sweep it every day." "Come on." "(breathing heavily)" "How'd you get by my security detail?" "I know those guys." "I gave the detail leader his first job." "Well, that's unsettling." "Humor me, will you?" "I'm taking my life in my hands here, and you're the only person I can trust." "You look terrible." "Have you even slept?" "Listen to me." "Vincent Marsh's plane crash was not an accident." "I have reason to believe that someone inside had it arranged." "Inside what?" "The Company." "Marsh had some operation going in Venezuela." "Money laundering, drugs, arms dealing... something." "But the guy was dirty." "What's the evidence, George?" "I decoded some of his personal correspondence and uncovered a bank account in Caracas." "He was on his way to meet someone." "Do you know what happens when that gets out?" "That someone inside the White House has gone completely off the grid?" "You think I'm nuts." "It's just a lot..." "it's a lot to process, George." "That's all." "HENRY:" "Hey, buddy." "Everything okay?" "Hank." "Where'd you come from?" "The bedroom." "I live here." "Oh." "Do you want to come in and have a drink?" "I'm sorry." "(sighs)" "Boy, I shouldn't have come." "This... this didn't happen." "Understood?" "What didn't happen?" "Be careful, Bess." "MATT:" "Who's she in there with?" "Oh, I'm not at liberty to say." "Well, I got a tip from security." "It's the Director of the CIA." "Can't confirm or deny." "Uh, just so you know?" "There's a tradition of sharing information in the outer office." "Oh." "Well, (clears throat) in that case," "I heard you guys tongued in the supply closet at the Christmas party, and it's been a little awkward ever since because you're both with other people." "MATT:" "Look, is she going to fire us?" "Because I need to get my résumé in order." "Blake?" "I'm Roxanne Majidi." "I have an appointment with the secretary." "BLAKE:" "The secretary is busy." "Hey, why don't we all take a seat and think our private thoughts." "MUNSEY:" "The prison holding the two boys is located 20 miles outside of Damascus in a rural area." "Mostly abandoned warehouses and farms." "But our team on the ground made a positive I.D." "They're working with people inside." "How big is the team?" "Four guys, special ops." "The prison is low security." "One helo, in and out, under cover of darkness, clean and simple." "Barring unanticipated complications." "Yeah, barring those." "And there's no reason to think that these kids are somehow CIA?" "Absolutely not." "We haven't flagged them anywhere." "And the FBI says they haven't either." "All right." "The chief of staff has told me I can sign off." "So, this is the official go-ahead." "(exhales loudly)" "Alert me two hours out." "Yes, ma'am." "How's George doing by the way with the new desk job?" "He's a good analyst." "A little high-strung, but I think he'll settle in." "Good." "He's doing good work." "He just needs to take a breath." "He's not really a breather." "That is an understatement." "Hey, listen to me." "If there is any reason at all to pull the plug on this op, do it." "We can't afford a Black Hawk Down moment." " Yes, ma'am." " Thank you." " Madam Secretary?" " Yeah?" "This is Roxanne Majidi, the newest addition to our staff." "I see." "In what capacity?" "I was sent by the chief of staff." "Mr. Jackson says I'm to be your personal appearance specialist." "Okay, I have no idea what that means." "Your stylist." "Oh. (laughs)" "Well, I-I'm sure that you're very good at what you do." "But, um, I don't need a stylist." "Madam Secretary," "I just do as I'm told." "But I was sent by the chief of staff." "He was pretty insistent." "The way he conveyed it to me, you don't have a choice in the matter." "See, here's the problem." "I've never met a situation where I don't have a choice in the matter." " Well..." " You know, why don't we find another time for you to swing by?" "It's a very busy day here." "Uh, why don't you grab your stuff and, uh, we'll be able to talk..." "Madam Secretary?" "We need to review your statement about the King of Swaziland visit." " Okay." " Yeah." "I have a rough first draft." "I'm still working on the adjectives." "Right now, you're "happy" and "excited."" "You need to work on the adjectives." "Well, I have to get something to the press" " by tomorrow." " Can I be "resigned"" "and "conflicted"?" "You can never be either of those things." "You can be "eager" and "optimistic."" "No, she can't be eager." "That's too Jimmy Carter." "Can I be "cautiously optimistic"?" "Well, that's for more serious world events." " You can be "forward-thinking."" " You know what?" " I'll do the writing, thanks." " Can we maybe just throw in something of substance here?" "Maybe a reference to global health issues" " or developing economies?" " Yeah, I just don't think now is a good time for substance." "Okay." "What if I'm grateful for the opportunity to expose the world to a variety of cultural differences as we move toward a more global-thinking society?" "That's really good." "Should I write it down for you?" " No, I'm the writer." "I..." " Just as long as our roles are clear." "You got to stop doing that, okay?" "Because it's my job, it's not yours..." " Thanks..." " Madam Secretary?" "We have a problem." "It has to do with Operation Stupid Kids." "Is that really what we're calling it?" "That's what we were calling it." "Before it went bust." "Now we're calling it Operation Never Happened." "The Intel on the prison location was bad, and when the special forces made their way inside the structure, they found goats." "Is that code for something?" "No, ma'am." "Actual goats." "It was disinformation." "The good news is that there were no casualties and no goats were harmed." "It's just not helpful." "I was supposed to be alerted two hours out." "What the hell just happened?" "Apparently they saw a window." "They felt they had to move." "That is not the CIA director's call." "Blake?" "Where the hell is he anyway?" "Mr. Munsey is busy cleaning up the mess on the ground." "Yeah, well, that is nothing compared to the mess he's gonna have to clean up with me." "NADINE:" "And this just came in." "We are American spies captured and rightfully imprisoned in Damascus." "Our objective was to overthrow the government." "We intend to commit acts of terrorism against the Syrian people." "When did this come in?" "About an hour ago." "It was sent as an encoded e-mail directly to our office." "Unfortunately, it comes on the heels of our unsuccessful attempt to liberate the prisoners." "JACKSON:" "How unsuccessful?" "Well, we were given disinformation on the location." "Nothing disastrous, but now they have some leverage." "And this is obviously their next move." "What do they want?" "Engagement for now." "Ultimately, they want us to call off the peace talks." "What if we don't respond?" "They'll release the video." "This thing goes viral, it's on the first hour of every morning talk show with compare-and-contrast profiles to the Boston bombers." "Not the worst outcome I could imagine." "No, I agree." "That's the best case scenario." "Worst case, nobody buys the phony confession and then the world has to stop while we negotiate their release." "That's why we have to act now under the radar while we still have some latitude." "Your failed attempt wasn't under the radar?" "Excuse me, that was your failed attempt as well." "Nobody's placing blame." "Sir, this is not how I would've proceeded left to my own devices." "An official op... it's got too many moving parts." "There's too many things that can go wrong." "We need to take direct action." "How direct?" "Just me and the guy that can get it done." "A guy I can't really ask about." "Yes, sir." "That kind of guy." "Sir, we can't afford to get involved in this." "Not on the eve of Shiraz's visit and the most important peace talks in recent memory." "We're already involved." "Keep it at bay." "Let the Syrians know we're gonna disavow the kids, deny the validity of the video." "By the time it gets out, if it does," "Shiraz's visit is over, the world's focused on peace in the Middle East, the Syrians look like fringe lunatics, the kids are... troublemakers who shouldn't have been there in the first place." "And if the kids are executed?" "Same story, sadder outcome." "Sir, let me get in front of this." "I know how to handle it." "Sorry, Bess." "You gave it a shot." "Now I have to go with Russell." "ELIZABETH:" "It's my job to advise the president." "How am I supposed to do that when I can get any time alone with the president?" "How many e-mails did you send him?" "Fifteen." "And... every time I got a reply from Russell Jackson's office." "What about texts?" "He does do texts." "He refers me to Russell Jackson." "Well, babe, you're new at the job." "You'll figure something out." "I don't have time to figure something out." "Why?" "What's going on?" "I can't tell you." "Okay." "Let me take the Socratic approach." " (laughs)" " Why did you take this job?" "Because who wouldn't take this job?" "Hey, wise guy, I'll be Socrates." "Answer the question." "(sighs)" "I think I left The Company too soon." "I had some unfinished business." "And I feel like I let Conrad down." "I don't want to do that again." "You feel like you're letting him down now?" " Yes." " How?" "By not insisting that he do the right thing." "And what's the right thing?" "You know, there's a reason why they killed Socrates." "He told me that we could effect real change in the world." "That's what I signed up for." "Then you have to figure out a way to take action." "Thomas Aquinas said," ""If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would leave it in port forever."" "Aquinas also said," ""Sorrow can be alleviated by a good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine."" "Which one of those worked?" "(hinges squeaking)" "(footsteps echoing)" "Well." "It has been a long time." "Thanks for coming." "What can I say?" "I've missed you." "What's it been... eight years?" "Yes." "Chechnya." "(whistles)" "Such a paltry little rebellion by today's standards." "What's your title these days?" "Still cultural attaché." "I need to broker a deal on the ground... in Syria." "What kind of deal?" "Two American kids imprisoned for espionage." "I'm sorry." "I really am a cultural attaché now." "For the last couple of years." "No double-dipping in the spy pool." "You must still know people." "Bess, I'm telling you, I'm fully legit now." "State Department." "I can get you caviar and vodka." "I like it here, okay?" "I can't risk going back to Russia." "It's a pigsty." "My kids are on the fast track for Ivy Leagues." "Let me ask you something." "Who got your cousin and his family out of Chechnya during the revolution?" "You did, of course." "Using field officers on the ground who risked their lives to do so." "I took responsibility for that." "No, I haven't forgotten." "These kids are gonna die." "Just as your cousin and his family were going to." "So you're cashing in your chips?" "No." "I am appealing to your humanity." "And if that doesn't work, I'm reminding you that the Secretary of State can have any foreign diplomat removed off of U.S. soil for any reason." "I am feeling very... humane." "DALTON:" "Let's call it a nightcap." "That way I don't have to yell at you for breaking protocol and waking me up." "Yes, sir." "In fact, texting my wife?" "(laughs) I'd call that obliterating protocol." "We've remained friends." "We talk sometimes." "I know she stays up late." "Fine." "You have my attention." "I made an unofficial move on the situation in Syria." "Why would you do that?" "To save the lives of two innocent kids who aren't that much older than mine." "That's just the first reason." "You tried before." "Let me ask you something." "Why did you give me this job?" "I told you why." "You said you didn't want a politician in this post." "Well... this is me not being a politician." "I didn't uproot my life and my family to come here and sit in endless staff meetings and plan parties for potentates." "I came here to do the job that you said only I could do." "So for God's sakes, Conrad, let me do it." "I'm waiting." "You said I think outside the box." "Well, from where I sit, you are in a dangerous box of appeasement and I'm showing you the way out." "Step it out for me." "We do nothing, the Syrians execute those kids just to make a point." "When it hits the press that you knew about it and did nothing?" "That's a genie I can't put back in the bottle." "My job is to advise you on matters of foreign policy, and I'm advising you." "This is a risk you can't afford not to take." "I know the right people, we have to do it my way." "Trust me." "You'd better be right about this." "Or yours could be the shortest term in State Department history." "Elihu B. Washburne, under President Grant." "11 days." "I looked it up." "But I take your point." "ANTON:" "It's going to be $2 million U.S." "It's going to be half that." "(speaks Russian)" "One and a half." "Close of business." "I can make that work." "First installment with confirmation that the kids are released." "Second installment after they've landed." "(speaking Russian)" "It needs to be U.S. dollars in a third-party account." "No." "It's going to be that amount in the form of medical supplies and food." "Nussir gets the photo op, distributing relief among the suffering masses." "I don't think it's enough." "Okay, then tell them this:" "We won't sanction them into the Stone Age." "The tide is turning, and they do not want to be isolated on the wrong side of it." "No one misses Syria if it completely self-destructs." "I think they're taking it." "Congratulations." "You just bought yourself two stupid American kids." "I'll believe it when they're in the air." "You stay on it, okay?" "ANTON:" "Yes, ma'am, Madam Secretary." "NADINE:" "It's all right to address his wives by their first names." "But be advised they probably won't have much to say." "Most of them don't speak English." "Unless you to speak Swazi." "French, German, Arabic, Farsi... year of Spanish, high school." "So you'll just smile a lot." "That was a New York Times reporter who just got off the phone with" "Tyler and Ethan Cole's parents." "The Times got the Coles to make a statement?" "JAY:" "No." "The Times got them to give" " a two-hour interview." " (sighs)" " ELIZABETH:" "What did you say?" " JAY:" "I said no comment." "Now I'm going to call Robert Cole and say a lot of things at an elevated level." "But when are they going to run it?" "Tomorrow." "Oh." "Buried in the back?" "JAY:" "Depends on how big of a news day it is." "Is that personal image consultant" " still in the building?" " Yeah, she's got an office on the second floor." "Tell her I want to see her right away." "(people talking excitedly)" "Madam Secretary." "Hi." "Congratulations on your new position." "Thank you." "Where are you guys from?" "We're from Minnesota." "Ah, the land of 10,000 lakes, right?" "But it's actually more like 15,000." "Yes, ma'am." "Can we get our picture taken together?" "Actually, that's fine." " That'd be great." " Thank you." "I need you to step back." " Good?" " Good?" " Okay." " Thank you!" "Enjoy your stay." "Madam..." "Madam Secretary!" "REPORTER:" "The response to Secretary McCord's look has been positive, most people saying..." "She's showing a little bit of leg." "And it looked like she went and changed her hairstyle, too!" "I kind of like it." "REPORTER 2: ...issued no statement as to why the Secretary felt the need to modernize her look." "REPORTER 3:" "Secretary of State..." "I can't believe that with everything going on in the world, this is the news." "I mean, no offense, Mom, but a new outfit isn't really a global event." "Well, I-I guess it is now." "This is the most you've been in the news since the confirmation hearing." "Yep." "(phone buzzing)" "_" "(exhales)" "♪ ♪" "♪ ♪" "♪ ♪" "Good morning." "Good morning." "I didn't realize we had an appointment." "You want to tell me how those kids got released?" "I guess the Syrians saw the error of their ways." "So that would be a "no."" "I got the president to sign off." "How could you do that without my knowledge?" "I-I don't know." "By blatantly circumnavigating your authority?" "You'd better learn how to work with me instead of around me." "My first choice, as well." "I used your stylist, didn't I?" "I think you'll find" "I make a much better ally than opponent." "Same here." "I'm going to chalk this one up to rookie enthusiasm." "But going forward?" "I won't be so forgiving." "(exhales)" "NUNGUNDE:" "It is an honor to visit your beautiful country." "And its most beautiful Secretary of State." "ELIZABETH:" "We're very happy to have Your Highness and his royal family." "NUNGUNDE:" "And what about your family, Madam Secretary?" "Do you have children?" "I do." "I have a son" " and two daughters." " Ah." "A nice, small family." "Well, I-I just have the one husband." "(laughing)" "(all laughing)" "NUNGUNDE:" "Yes." "I am honored to have 23 children." "Wow." "That sounds like a lot of work." "Well, I am blessed with wonderful partners." "ELIZABETH:" "Your Highness, if I could take a moment to discuss with you a matter of international importance?" "Of course." "I know that you're aware that the AIDS epidemic has continued to grow in your country despite its decline in other developing nations." "Early on in your reign, you took great steps to address it, but lately it hasn't been at the forefront of your political agenda." "Certainly, a man of your education and obvious love of family understands the importance of this issue." "We would like to work with you to bring it back to the top of your list." "It would be an honor to do so, Madam Secretary." "I'm sure that you can enlist the help of your wives..." "Majaha..." "Sibhale..." "Lindelwa..." "Nomcebo," "Nolwazi," "Siviwe," "Temily, Dzeltwe," "Andiswa and Bongeka." "(people whispering)" "A woman's perspective is such an important thing... and you have no shortage of that." "DAISY:" "That exchange with the King is already trending, Madam Secretary." "Twitter is blowing up." "People love it." "Well, not everyone's going to love it." "Matt, prepare a statement for tomorrow." "We may have to call a press conference." "I'm already on it." "Do you want this to become an issue?" "Yes!" "I think we've spent enough time on my look." "World health, education, war on women... how do you want to frame it?" "All of the above." "JAY:" "It's a strong message." "It'll play well in the polls." "Not that I, you know, care about polls." "Car is waiting for you outside when you're ready." "I'll tell security to stand by." "Thanks, Blake." "Nice work, Madam Secretary." "Thank you." "Ooh..." "Hey." "How long have you been here?" "You know, if you wanted to come tonight," "I could have gotten you an invitation, because I happen to know people in the..." "What's wrong?" "George is dead." "(gasps)" "What happened?" "Single-car collision into a telephone pole." "No witnesses." "That wasn't an accident." "I know."