Madam Secretary

_

_

_

_

_

- Passport? - Check.

Wait.

Oh. Okay, check.

- Lecture notes. - What?

Lecture notes?

Oh, uh, yeah. Got it. Okay. Check.

What about that big, ugly parka

that I bought you that's so warm?

- Uh... Yes. - You gonna take it?

Got it. Russia...

here I come. I'm all set.

Listen, I want you to take this cell phone

instead of your regular one.

What? Why? Better calling plan or...?

It's a more secure line.

You know, there's nothing covert about this visit.

I'm just lecturing about fundamentalism

to a bunch of colonels named Boris.

First of all, it's not just a lecture.

These military-to-military exchanges

help keep the peace. It's a big deal.

I feel special again. Thanks.

You think just anyone

gets invited to these things,

especially at the personal behest

- of Foreign Minister Gorev? - Guess he forgot

that I once refused to give his daughter an "A."

- Ha. - Do the world a favor:

don't remind him of that.

Now, that is a secure line

so that we can, you know,

talk without any Borises listening in.

Just in case you have trouble staying warm

on those long winter nights.

I was not sleeping.

- Yes, you were. - I was meditating.

You were not; you were snoring in the middle of...

- I was not. - Yes.

- Was I? - Yes.

But you find that incredibly sexy though, right?

Snoring.

Come on, it's not an old thing.

It was a, it was a boring movie.

- No. - Come on, I'm so with it.

I'm so... Look, come on.

Look at my phone.

Look at all the applications

and life hacks... I have on here.

Life hacks.

Whoa.

What?

Let me see.

Oh, my God, where'd you get that?

I have an alert app that dings me

every time your name or photo shows up on the Internet.

See? With it.

- What? - Well, no, I have it for everyone in the office.

- I have to make sure they're not making the wrong kind of news. - Oh.

Wait, how did this get here?

Well, who posted it?

Alison!

Alison, it's her account.

God, I'm gonna kill her.

And that-that's... that's, that's Harrison, right?

- Yeah. - The, uh, president's son?

Yeah.

Sort of breaks your heart to see him

before all the bad choices.

- I don't see what the big deal is. - He's the president's son, Ali!

That kind of makes it a big deal.

Plus, he really needs privacy right now.

- What does that mean? - Don't worry about what it means.

Just take the picture down.

Wait, are you freaking out because there actually

is something going on between you and Harrison?

No, no, look, I already told you we dated for, like, three weeks

when I was your age, okay?

We are just friends.

But it is really important to me

that he feels like I am someone that he can trust.

Please be more mysterious.

Look, I don't want him looking at this

and thinking that I'm going around telling people

that I'm "one half of Starrison."

And according to this, not the cute half.

Girls, I'm leaving.

Come say do svidan'ya.

Let's go say do svidan'ya.

- Morning, all. - Morning.

Nadine tells me I have a very full schedule today.

Uh, yes, we're starting with the Russian war games

off the Alaskan coast.

They began this morning.

A flotilla of some 50 different vessels and aircraft.

They're technically within their rights.

The maneuvers and test firings are taking place

on international waters and outside American airspace.

Still insultingly close to our northern borders.

But we were expecting something like this, right?

After the NATO thing?

Yes, it's believed to be a response

to our announced deployment of the NATO Rapid Response

Strike Force in Latvia.

Which was our response to Russia's meddling

in its neighbor's affairs.

Moldova being the most recent example.

White House expects us to send

a démarche, ma'am, a diplomatic cable in protest.

The NATO force in Latvia was the right call.

I'm just annoyed that Ostrov is so determined

to refight the Cold War,

instead of fixing his crappy economy.

Don't, uh, put that in the protest thingy.

Yes.

Speaking of the Cold War, Ma'am?

There's a ceremony today

for Ezra Lyle Helsinger,

the department's oldest foreign service office.

He's retiring today, after 60 years of service.

Wow, 60 years.

Good for him.

I'm sorry, ma'am?

You're needed in the Situation Room.

Elizabeth.

What's up?

Blake couldn't give me any details.

That's because it's need to know.

Okay, what do I need to know?

Russian war games have gotten heated.

One of their subs split

from the fleet and has crossed into US coastal waters.

That's aggressive, but not unprecedented.

Sure, Russians like

to test our defenses, just like we test theirs,

but we were tracking the sub, and it vanished.

That is unprecedented.

So they've perfected some kind of cloaking technology.

And the sub's nuclear armed, I'm guessing?

And now it's somewhere off the Alaska shoreline,

intentions unknown.

Could be posturing, could be about starting World War III.

What's Ostrov saying?

We've tried calling President Ostrov directly.

We're told he's at a remote location.

He can't be reached.

So he's vanished, as well.

Heck of a week for Henry to go to Russia.

Can't disagree with you there.

Thank you.

Professor McCord, you are most welcome.

Thank you, Minister Gorev.

You must call me Anton.

Even after I wouldn't give your daughter an "A" last semester?

I overreached in asking.

An "Incomplete" was generous.

Well, good.

I'm glad we cleared the air on that.

As am I.

Indeed, that is the purpose of these wonderful meetings

between our militaries.

To keep the air clear.

Especially in a time of such...

unfortunate misunderstandings.

Thank you very much.

It's an honor to be here.

I'm gonna speak with you today

about a subject that is of great importance

to our two countries and our common civilization,

and that is the roots of the two notions

of righteous religious warfare or struggle.

Namely, jihad in classical Islam,

and in both Eastern and Western Christianity,

the concept of crusade.

Professor McCord, may I introduce the president

of the Russian Federation

and our supreme commander-in-chief,

Pavel Ostrov.

Professor McCord,

it is an honor to meet you.

It's also my honor, uh, Mr. President,

and a bit of a surprise.

I like to come to this place on occasion for a visit.

For the beautiful country,

the recreation and for the game.

I'm told you enjoy blood sports.

If, by that, you mean hunting,

then, yes, my father took me sometimes.

Deer, duck, an occasional squirrel.

Then you must come hunt with me.

No refusing.

My pleasure is to show

the goodness of Russian life

to such eminent, distinguished guest.

With such a beautiful,

eminent wife.