Madam Secretary - Vartius (Season Finale) - Review: "What will season 3 look like?"

Madam Secretary aired its second season finale on Sunday, and the episode gave a definitive answer to the question 'Is Dmitri Petrov dead or alive?' Besides that, Bess also learned that President Dalton wanted to replace her as Secretary of State, but for what reason?

Following last week's offer by Russian Foreign Minister Konstantin Avdonin to do a spy swap where the US returns notorious spy Peter Buckley while Russia gives the US Dmitri Petrov, Bess immediately gets to Mike B to find out if such a swap is even a remote possibility. Of course, she first has to find evidence that Dmitri is still alive. Avdonin is not just going to give proof of life, so Bess calls to Anton Durchenko (who helped her retrieve the American children in Syria in the very first episode of the show). Durchenko promises to find out what he can, and later gives Bess a package that contains a photo of Dmitri's dead body. Bess confronts Avdonin and accuses him of lying to them, but Avdonin assures her that Dmitri is still alive. All signs point to Dmitri being dead, except for the word of the Russian Foreign Minister. This and the fact that Peter Buckley was responsible for the death of several Americans leads the President not to approve of the deal. Bess says that they get a rare chance to make up for what they have done to Dmitri, to which Dalton agrees. Bess tells Henry that Dmitri might still be alive, and the two head to Vartius in Finland for the spy exchange. At first, Russia comes up with a guy that is clearly not Dmitri, but as Henry gets ready to return empty-handed, the Russians pull out the real Dmitri, who is very much alive. Dmitri is initially reluctant to see Henry, but later embraces him.

Meanwhile, in the search for Dmitri, Mike B finds out that Dalton has made a list of potential replacements for Bess. Bess is shocked to learn that Dalton wants to replace her, and she finds out how much she actually loves the job. Nadine and Mike learn that Bess' replacement is Calvin Hastings and that he has already made preparations to move to Washington. Bess subsequently confronts Russell, who doesn't deny that Bess is being replaced, but says she should talk to Dalton. The next day, Bess goes to the President and goes on a rant about how badly she is being treated when she has done everything in service of the Dalton administration. She is angry that she is being fired. Dalton interrupts, and says he is not firing her, but rather asking her to be his Vice President. Current VP Mark Delgado has some serious health issues (as seen in the season 2 premiere), so Dalton is looking for his replacement. He said he only had one person on the list of replacements, AKA Bess. Dalton will need her help in the re-election and then as his advisor on all matters. Rest assured, Bess is not fired, but she has a big decision to make. She has not yet made that decision, but says she needs some time to think about it.

Also, Jareth is moving to Oxford and asks Henry for Stevie's hand. Henry and Bess are shocked that they already want to get married after a few months, but are confident that the wedding won't take place in the near future. Stevie and Jareth announce their engagement, and say they want to get married in the weekend. Henry and Bess are once again shocked and believe that Stevie is rushing into this marriage. Henry talks to her and Stevie admits that she also thinks it is too soon to get married already. So while the two are still engaged, the wedding will be held much later.

So Dmitri is alive. When we learned in episode 11 that he died, I had a feeling that it could be possible that he was still alive (see my review). That feeling faded throughout the season, but then Dmitri's body was recently brought up again as was his sister Talia. I am glad he is still alive since he really didn't deserve to die. I also liked that his first reaction towards Henry was to spit on him. Henry promised him he would be all right, but he wasn't. I am glad that Dmitri later hugged Henry as Henry really had a lot of guilt and has done everything he could to assure Dmitri's safety. I do hope Dmitri's story doesn't end here, but instead I would like to see him again next season. About Stevie and Jareth's engagement: I totally agree with Bess and Henry that it's way too soon. They have been together for only a few months and it's not like there is any need for them to already get married. I do like Jareth and he is probably the best boyfriend Stevie has had in two seasons, but they shouldn't rush into this marriage. I am glad they are waiting a while before getting married.

And now about Bess' big decision: she has been asked to be Dalton's VP! I was very surprised when I first watched the episode, I didn't see it coming. And I am very pleased that Dalton isn't firing Bess, but instead offered her the second most important job in the country. Remember that time when Bess thought she was being pushed out of Dalton's inner circle (thanks to Craig Sterling)? Oh, how times have changed! Anyway, we didn't get a definitive answer as to what Bess will do so the question remains: what will season 3 look like? Personally, I hope she will take the job. It would change the show, but not that much. All her staff can keep working for her and her family doesn't change either. The political aspects of the show will change, but I am excited to see how exactly that would change. The only problem is that the show is still called Madam Secretary, but I'm not too concerned with that. There are more shows of which the title lost its relevance (e.g. Veep where the VP is no longer VP but rather POTUS) so if that would happen here, it wouldn't bother me much.

No matter how it turns out, I won't be here to review it. As you might have read in my message in the SpoilerTV Open Community Thread, I am going to stop writing reviews at the end of the current TV season. That means this was my last review of Madam Secretary. I have had a lot of fun reviewing the show for two seasons and interacting with all you guys in the comments. I also loved writing the previews for various episodes and teasing you with what was to come. I will miss writing reviews, reading everybody's responses in the comments and discussing the episodes. It is my profound hope that someone will take over the Madam Secretary reviews. Also, I will not completely leave SpoilerTV as I will still be around in the comments. And of course, I will still be watching Madam Secretary when it returns next fall, because the show is awesome!

What did you think of the season 2 finale? How do you feel about Dmitri still being alive? What are your thoughts towards Stevie and Jareth's engagement? Were you surprised that Dalton wants Bess as his VP? Do you think she should take the job? And lastly, what do you think season 3 will look like? I love reading your opinions and theories in the comments below.

Thank you all for reading my last Madam Secretary review! Much love from the Netherlands!

Daniel

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, Madam Secretary and Quantico. 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)