Madam Secretary - Gift Horse - Review

I guess it’s time to pony up and write my review for “Gift Horse.” Listen, if the writers get to lob horse puns at us for 42 minutes, I get at least one. This was a breezy episode, full of mostly fluff with a little bit of substance thrown in. Heavy on humor, light on latitude. We need those breaks every once in a while.

3.11 finds the Dalton Administration busily preparing for Inauguration Day, while simultaneously looking over their shoulders. Sam Evans’ lawsuit about Elizabeth’s potential Ohio Dinner of Deceit is able to go forward, leaving serious concerns that the President may not remain in the White House. Thus begins a series of discussions about the peaceful transfer of power, stability of the country, Electoral College and replacing the election winner. In other words, our current reality.

Everyone has an idea on how to best handle the situation. Elizabeth, Conrad and Russell try to buy Evans off by offering him the Secretary of Commerce position, a suggestion Evans laughs at. Admittedly, I laughed, too. Instead, Evans wants State. Now I would argue that State is the most important Cabinet post, but for Evans, I think it’s just as much about getting back at Elizabeth as it is about power. Gauntlet thrown. Conrad and Russell balk at that idea, leaving them back at square one.

Of course with Russell, there’s no such thing as square one, and he suggests leaking the medical report showing Evans is predisposed to early-onset Alzheimer’s. A brush with death hasn’t softened Russell’s spiny exterior… and I’m happy about that. It makes those rare instances when he cracks open his hard shell and shows shockingly human moments so much more special. A soft Russell wouldn’t be our Russell. As he admits, “Even I had a moment on the high road, but it turns out, it’s not really my thing.” Further proving that, he goes on a covert mission. OK. It’s dinner with Evans, but he’s doing it without Conrad’s blessing. Russell pulls his Russell moves, lets Evans in on their golden egg, gets Evans to withdraw the lawsuit and saves the Dalton Presidency. Will their secret meeting ever come back up? Not sure, but I can’t see Conrad firing his now Fitbit-wearing, treadmill desk-using Chief of Staff.

Speaking of Russell, he has a new intern. Stevie. I swear the McCords walk the White House corridors like most people walk the grocery store aisles. “You saved my life. I gave you a job. We’re even.” Ah, Russell. Such a sweet-talker. Stevie’s first task is to accompany Poet Laureate Roland Hobbs from the airport, where he’s arriving to speak at the Inauguration. Things don’t go as planned and Stevie’s first night as intern probably looks like her first night in college: putting someone drunk to bed. It’s a learning moment for everyone involved. Stevie discovers that even personal idols you put on pedestals are human and fallible. Even Hobbs, in his liquor-induced stupor, osmosed some of Jareth’s words of wisdom, incorporating them into his Inauguration poem. What role Stevie will play as Russell’s intern remains to be seen. On one hand, it’s interesting to have 3 out of 5 McCords in the White House, offering their various opinions. On the other, we already have two McCords playing daily games with Russell. I don't want the family storylines to circle the White House goings-on. The fact that Elizabeth has such a strong family life outside of her job and the typical DC bureaucracy is one of the reasons why I love this show. One thing is for sure: Stevie definitely has the wardrobe down.

Henry continues his freelance, clandestine intelligence stints. He’s called to the CIA for an Ex Post Facto Re-Debrief about Black Dog Station and the possible connection between HS and ISIS. Say that word salad five times. Moral of the story: Henry’s intelligence jobs are far from over. That’s fine with me, as long as he stays on this side of the sanity line.

This week’s State Department world crisis du jour revolves around a horse. A gift horse, hence the episode’s title. Mongolia sent the United States a horse, but the horse comes with baggage. Accepting the horse from Mongolia would upset China. Stamping “return to sender” on the horse would get it killed. It’s kind of a sh***y situation to be in… literally for Blake. Eventually, the horse heads for greener pastures in Cuba, another country with nascent ties to the State Department. Nascent. Cuba. Get it? Although the horse had serious political undertones, this week’s crisis wasn’t dealing with imminent death or bombings or war. Sure, Minister Chen is upset and lobbing threats, but when isn’t he? It was fun to see Blake in some lighter moments… as light as that high-strung gem can be. Also, Elizabeth’s reaction to Blake describing Mandy looked more like she was on the other end of a questionable 1-800 number. Hey, no judgement. We all have our thing.

Even this week’s McCord family moments were breezy. Alison got her first styling gig: her mother. It was sweet to see the mother-daughter duo in this newly uncharted territory; Elizabeth wanting to be the doting and supportive mother while also not looking like a botanical garden with legs. The scene when Alison unveils her pick for the Inauguration Ball was classic Mama McCord. “It’s just… every color,” she says while basically slapping out SOS in Morse Code on Henry’s leg. In the end, Alison and Elizabeth both decide something from Elizabeth’s closet would be best. What do we have to do to get that woman back in her Carolina Herrera gardenia print dress? I still feel robbed that we never got to see Elizabeth wearing that dress along with her best accessory: Henry.

Other things:

--Russian hacking. This show’s timing is impeccable.

--Elizabeth goes through 934857 outfits in the morning before settling on something. She’s one of us.

--“When you get anxious, you take it out on your clothes.”

--Elizabeth and her love of food: Round 567348.

What were your favorite parts of “Gift Horse?”