Madam Secretary

Previously on Madam Secretary...

You're going to need a Chief of staff.

Okay. Then I'd be honored to be considered.

There's no consideration. You are it, pal.

There will be a partial shutdown of the federal government

in a matter of days.

You're playing a more dangerous game than you know.

You played a pretty dangerous game yourself.

I am not letting that puny ideologue

dismantle Conrad's agenda piece by piece

over the next four years!

I wanted you to meet a mother

whose daughter was taken by the criminals

we're trying to stop.

The Russians are stepping up their efforts

to bolster the Taliban

and undermine the democratic government in Afghanistan.

I don't have to tell you how disastrous

that would be to the United States...

well, the entire Western world...

if they were to succeed.

Russian support for the Taliban

is growing in intensity. _

According to our source,

this latest transfer included lethal weaponry,

including RPG-7s, PKs and Kord machine guns,

which were used in an attack on an Afghan police station

in Mazar-i-Sharif last night,

leaving 23 dead.

Terrible business.

I've read the reports.

But, well, why do you think the Kremlin is arming

- the Taliban? - Well, one, because it undermines

American interests in the region.

And two, because it establishes a relationship

in the event the Afghan government falls.

And you think that's likely?

If the infiltration continues, yes.

That's why Special Activities Division is requesting

emergency funding, so that we can hire personnel,

develop sources,

and launch new operations

against Russian targets in Kabul.

So you're trying to nip this thing in the bud

- before GRU gets a foothold. - Yeah, exactly.

Then I'm inclined

to support your request.

We must defend our allies

in Kabul.

With all due respect to the majority leader,

I am not ready to sign a blank check here.

Our Afghan partners are divided and weak

because so-called best efforts of the Dalton administration

have failed.

I'm afraid I didn't hear a question in there, Senator.

Well, isn't this Russia thing just an attempt by the president

to deny blame for a failed policy?

I assure you, the threat is real.

Well, maybe the fault lies with the secretary of state.

She's the one that executes

that policy.

I'm more interested in finding solutions

than assigning blame,

but the secretary can only do so much with the budget

approved by this Congress.

Senator Morejon,

you ran your campaign on a platform of national security.

So I'm asking, respectfully,

for you to put your money where your mouth is.

"Put your money where your mouth is"?

You actually said that?

Guy went after my wife.

So you went full Godfather.

Yeah, and I got my funding.

I guess I made him a request he couldn't refuse.

Yeah, a smart one.

Oh, hey, listen,

while you're on the Hill, will you stop by Colonial Gelato

and get some pistachio for Ali?

She texted me she's gonna come over tonight.

Again?

She was just there.

I mean, is it normal for a freshman in college

to want to spend so much time at home?

No, stop. I like it when she comes home.

And she's not an intelligence asset, Henry.

You don't have to question her motives.

She's my daughter.

I question everything.

Two tubs of pistachio, Don Corleone.

Good morning, Madam Secretary.

- Morning. - Hey!

- Oh, here. - Oh.

- Matt, welcome back. - Thank you so much.

It's great to be here, with consequential work

and fresh pastries.

There's fresh pastries?

- No. - Yeah.

Morning, Madam Secretary.

Good morning, Mr. Chief of Staff.

How's your first major initiative going?

Finally got the Summit team assembled.

They're waiting in the portrait gallery.

- Okay. - He's been herding the G/TIP Program Officers

since 5:00 this morning.

Happy to be sleep deprived

for a landmark deal on human trafficking.

Oh, hey, wait.

Has anyone heard from Daisy? What's the news?

Oh, she's great. She's binge-watching

Real Housewives, about ready to pop.

Oh, tell her to skip Potomac, it's the worst one.

I... I heard.

- Tell her to hang in there. - I will.

Diane.

It's good to see you.

Proud to serve, Madam Secretary.

Uh, good morning.

Good morning.

To those of you who were on furlough: welcome back.

And there are fresh pastries on Uncle Sam.

In that room.

Um, I-I just wanted to acknowledge

the incredible work you have done

to prepare for this Human Trafficking Summit

in Kyrgyzstan.

Central Asia is still one of the last strongholds

of forced labor and sexual exploitation.

Thanks to you, we now have a framework agreement

which includes advanced prevention efforts

and reparations to the victims and their families.

Which means justice for people like Diane Cramer,

who, despite losing her daughter Lara,

is personally serving on our negotiations team.

On that note,

I will turn it over to my new chief of staff,

- Jay Whitman. - Okay.

Copies of my latest draft agreement

will be arriving in your inboxes any minute.

There'll be a travel briefing at 11:00 in Conference Room F

where there will be even more pastries.

Thank you.

Hey.

Look who's back.

And he brought a blankie.

Are we really so scary?

I, uh, I made this for Molly.

She's on bed rest.

Looks like the kiddo's coming early.

But I'll see that she gets it.

You seriously, you knit this?

Had way too much time on my hands during the furlough.

Morning, Team.

Meet Agent Nafisa Samadi.

She's our Chief of Station in Kabul.

Dylan Larsen.

- Hi. - Alexander Mehranov.

Hi there.

Nafisa's in D.C. to coordinate

strategy on our intelligence operations in Afghanistan.

Which so far have been focused on our primary asset,

Osip Bakunin.

But now that Congress has loosened the purse strings,

I want to expand our options.

So, where are we on Andrei Yarmolinsky?

Well, everything continues to point

to him being the principal GRU agent operating in Kabul.

But we have no idea who he's working with.

Well, if we're really serious

about deterring Russian aggression in Afghanistan,

we need to uncover his network.

Which means ramping up our staff in-country.

Nafisa, how quickly can we set up a safe house,

increase our surveillance operations in Kabul?

24 hours to select the personnel,

another 24 to set up the site.

Okay, let's get started.

That's it.

Uh, Alexander, hang back for a second, would you?

How you doing?

Um...

my rehab counselor says that I should try knitting.

You know, focuses the mind.

And, uh, now all I can do is have dreams about cable stitch.

Well, it's an effective therapy. Keep it up.

Is there something else?

No.

Just wanted to say I'm glad to have you back.

President Nogoyev will be right in the middle

of the table, here.

Mrs. Cramer, you'll be seated over here.

Directly across from him.

Are you sure that's best?

Well, if he tries to backtrack on reparations,

he'll have to do it to your face. Huh.

That is, uh, if you're up for it, of course.

Madam Secretary,

when Lara died in that truck, I...

When you offered me the chance

to work on behalf of her and all the victims,