Madam Secretary became Madam President on Sunday's season premiere when Air Force One was declared missing. Meanwhile, Henry was asked by his DIA handler to recruit one of his Russian students.
While Elizabeth's family is taken to safety, she is briefed about the nuclear football. She also learns that the President appointed a new National Security Advisor without her knowledge, a man named Craig Sterling whom Elizabeth has some tumult history with. Meanwhile, the situation with Air Force One comes to a head when Russell suggests she might have to shoot down Air Force One before it crashes on US soil. Fortunately, the jets make contact with the pilot and he confirms that everyone is alive. Elizabeth's final act as acting President is releasing Erica James, a journalist who was locked up for not revealing her sources. President Dalton touches down just in time for Elizabeth to sing at the talent show. However, it was earlier said that she is tone deaf and she gets a panic attack right before the show. Lucky for her, there is a contingency plan. Instead of Elizabeth singing, Nadine, Daisy and Blake take the stage and sing "For The Longest Time" with some political lyrics. Later that night, Craig Sterling informs Elizabeth that the communication loss was due to a malware virus, which Elizabeth declared an act of war.
Meanwhile, Henry has his own problems on the job. His DIA handler Jane Fellows informs him that they want him to recruit on of his Russian students named Ivan. Henry is reluctant about this, especially because they are going to use his closeted homosexuality to blackmail him. He also thinks Ivan is too unstable and instead suggests they recruit another student of his, Dmitri Petrov, to which Jane agrees.
This was a decent premiere that was obviously just a set-up for the rest of the season. I can't help but feel a bit disappointed about Elizabeth being President. I mean, it really wasn't that long and we didn't really get to see her in action at all. Basically, the only thing she did was releasing Erica James and making sure the President touches down safely. I would have preferred if she had been President for a bit longer. Also, President Dalton's return felt a bit anti-climatic. However, I am glad the end of the episode hinted that the storyline is far from over. Hopefully this episode is setting up an awesome storyline. I did really enjoy Henry's story and am excited to see where that's going next. Having seen episode 2 already, I can say that it will come back in a significant way during that episode. Something I also liked in the premiere, was the singing at the end. It may have been a bit cheesy, but it was definitely a great moment. Overall, I am excited to see where they take the storylines next.
A few side notes:
-Keith Carradine has been promoted to series regular, meaning we will likely see a bit more of the President this season. Last season he appeared in 16 of the 22 episodes.
-The President said Bess' approval ratings are higher than his own. Somehow, I have no trouble believing that.
-Allison is a peer mediator at her school: she has a talking stick. Or something like that.
-Bess did not want her staff to call her Madam President. Fortunately, Nadine came up with "Madam Acting President". Hillarious!
What did you think of "The Show Must Go On"? Did you enjoy seeing Elizabeth as acting President? Do you think they maybe could have stretched it out a bit more? What are your thoughts on the beginning of this new storyline? Do you already have any suspicions as to who could be behind the Air Force One virus? And lastly, what do you make of Henry's storyline? Sound off with your thoughts and theories in the comment section below.
You can find a promo for episode 2 below. Also be sure to check out my advance preview of that episode, coming later this week.
