Madam Secretary - The Time is at Hand/Spartan Figures - Double Review

Episode 1.18 "The Time is at Hand"

After Elizabeth has given a speech at a charity event, a man named Jerry approaches her with an important subject matter. Jerry tells Bess his daughter Christine is part of a cult residing in Bolivia, which is planning a mass suicide due to the assumed upcoming end of the world. He tells her he was sent by Congressman Ames and Elizabeth tells him she will look into it. The cult appears to be led by a Reverend Wesley Finch and the staff arrange a meeting with the Bolivian Ambassador, but sadly she is unwilling to help due to a recent incident between the US and Bolivia. Bess also meets with Congressman Ames and makes it clear she didn't appreciate him sending Jerry to ambush her. Ames want to go to Bolivia himself to deal with the cult, but Elizabeth tells him to back off. She also orders her staff to make sure he can't fly to Bolivia, but the next day he manages to slip away and is subsequently taken hostage by Reverend Finch in Bolivia.

While Russell wants to send in the army, Bess convinces her to hold off and seeks advise from Henry. He thinks he might be able to talk Finch out of the mass suicide and Bess tells the President he should let Henry call Finch. Dalton instead suggests Henry goes to Bolivia in person. Despite his wife's concerns, Henry agrees. At the cult's compound, he talks to Finch and manages to give him doubts. Sadly, one of his followers come in and draws a knife. When he starts fighting with Henry, a sniper takes him out. However, Christine comes in and, after seeing the follower's dead body, she storms out shouting it's time for the mass suicide. The army moves in and saves Henry, Congressman Ames, and most of the cult members, but sadly some 30 members, including Christine, still manage to kill themselves. Bess is later seen telling Jerry that his daughter is dead.

Meanwhile, Bess and Henry are aware that Stevie has a boyfriend at the microloan office. We later learn that it is in fact her boss Arthur whom she is dating. Bess and Henry unintentionally meet him when he comes to pick up Stevie and they clearly don't agree that he is years older than Stevie. The four end up in an awkward conversation which includes a heated discussion about microloans. Elizabeth and Henry hope that the relationship will be over soon.

This was a good episode after all the intense stuff happening in Iran and with Elizabeth's PTSD. The case was an interesting one and it was good to see Henry more in action. The cult aspect was handled well, and they really showed how Reverend Finch wasn't just a crazy leader. I think he was a very decent cult leader and one that certainly didn't really seem that power-hungry. Regarding Stevie's storyline, I hadn't expected her boyfriend to be her boss from the microloan office. I didn't think they would start dating back in episode 14, but apparently they did. I understand Bess and Henry's concerns as I really think Arthur is too old for her. However, I have read in an upcoming press release for the show that they won't last long. And I'm glad about that.


Episode 1.19 "Spartan Figures"

The Greek debt crisis is about to be solved with a deal between the US, Greece and the Eurozone in sight. However, a man named Max Quinn advises the President to go hard on the Greeks instead of taking the deal. Dalton won't listen to him, but Max later seizes some Greek treasures, so-called Spartan figures, because Greece owes him $1.3 billion. This leads the Greek Prime Minister Spiros Georgiou to reject the debt deal. In Brussels, he blames President Dalton and even advises him to resign because the recent events have damaged his credibility. Even worse, the German Chancellor Schultz wants to shut out the US completely because Europe can solve this on their own. However, if a new deal with the Greeks can't be made, it could lead to global economic collapse.

Dalton is ready to walk away and accept things the way they are, but Elizabeth isn't. She talks to Dalton and tries to convince him to fight for this deal and his presidency. Her staff works to find dirt on Quinn, but can't find any. Daisy makes a remark about how valuable the Greek statues are, and this leads to Bess offering Quinn a deal. The statues return to Greece and he gets full profit until his debt is paid. He agrees to the deal, but the European leaders have a secret meeting. With Blake's help, Bess finds the location of the meeting and she and Dalton storm in. Dalton manages to convince Schultz and the other leaders that he can be of help.

Meanwhile, in DC, we see what really bothers President Dalton. His son Harrison has returned from rehab and made contact with Stevie. The childhood friends reconnect, but Stevie is let down again after she doesn't hear back from Harrison. An ambulance at the White House later has her concerned, and rightfully so because Harrison has relapsed. She later visits him in the rehab facility and leaves when President Dalton comes to visit his son.

Elsewhere, while teaching a class, Henry is approached by a General Samo, who says the National War College is interested in him. Henry is offered a job where he would be teaching future military and national security leaders, but Henry isn't overly enthustiatic. Later, Russell comes to his house and implies the job might include some intelligence work. After discussing this with Bess, he decides to take the job. Also, the couple finally decides to sell their old house.

First of all, as a Dutchie I really enjoyed all the references in Brussels and the Dutch text. They handled that part well. I think the case of the week was OK, but it is highly unbelievable that the fate of the global economy hangs in the balance due to some old statues. I get that some things can mean a lot to a country, but I'm not sure it's worth going bankrupt for. The angry German Chancellor was a bit stereotypical, but I am willing to take it. The case mostly served to show us that President Dalton is also a human being. We saw both the impact of the recent political events and the recent personal events. I think it was great for the show to acknowledge that. I enjoyed seeing Harrison and I think Stevie and him could be great friends (or perhaps even more). Henry's new job will be interesting to see how that turns out. Him going back to intelligence work is bound to get intriguing. I do wonder why Russell, and possibly the President, is so determined to get him in the intelligence work. Maybe they have something more in mind for him? For now, this should be enough.

What did you think of "The Time is at Hand" and "Spartan Figures"? What did you think of their respective cases of the week? Were you surprised that some members of the cult still managed to kill themselves? How do you feel about Stevie's boyfriend? And lastly, what are your thoughts towards Henry's new job? Sound off with your opinions in the comments below.

About the Author - Daniel van der Veer

Daniel van der Veer is a Dutch university student studying Psychology. On SpoilerTV he is a reviewer of NCIS, The 100, Stalker, Madam Secretary and the upcoming show American Odyssey. He also enjoys LOST, Arrow, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, Nikita, The Blacklist, Scorpion and How To Get Away With Murder.

Recent Reviews by Daniel van der Veer (All Reviews)