Madam Secretary

Oh, hey, ma'am.

- Yes? - I'm glad I caught you.

I just got the report on coastal flooding

in Southeast Asia for tomorrow's meeting.

Yeah, okay, put it on the pile...

- Why aren't you leaving? - Just got a couple more e-mails.

Nope, not the deal. You said out the door by 6:00

on the nights you have Chloe.

Is it 6:00 already? - Yeah. Come on, come on, come on.

Get your stuff and we'll duck out together.

Just give me a second.

You have an event I don't know about?

No. Yes.

Well, not really an event.

Just... well, Jason is...

he's cooking dinner with the new girlfriend.

Girlfriend? That's new.

Yeah, that is new.

So is Jason. He's like a new person.

He's sweet and considerate.

Ha, he even remembered that his sister's a vegetarian.

- What is that? - That's a good thing, isn't it?

Yeah, I mean, it is. It is a good thing.

I'm just worried that it won't last longer

- than the relationship. - Ma'am...

- Almost made it. - Sorry.

- I can call my nanny. - No, no. You go.

Put her on the pile?

Please tell me I'm not gonna miss my dinner.

Uh, you're needed at the White House.

We can at least head out together.

- Yeah. - Sorry.

We've got a bit of a situation.

Our Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy is on a plane

about to take off from Moscow,

and they just found a Russian dissident hiding on board.

Artem Markevich. You know him?

Well, he's really more of an Eco-activist.

Last week he released shocking images

of oil spills in Siberia.

They were all over the news.

I'm guessing Russia is mad,

and now he's on the run and seeking asylum.

The Kremlin issued a Blue Notice through Interpol

about ten hours ago. They know he's on the run,

but they don't know where he is.

Interpol? What are they trying to charge him with?

Pictures of the spill were near a government oil field,

so trespassing, civil disobedience,

and just plain being dumb enough

to be an Eco-activist in Russia.

Well, it's not gonna be long before the Kremlin figures out

he's on our plane.

If we want to help Markevich, sir,

we're gonna have to do it now.

We're already locking horns with Russia

in Afghanistan.

Do we really want to stir the pot with this?

To-to risk losing their cooperation

on nuclear nonproliferation or Syria?

I don't think they'd go that far over one dissident.

And besides, we leave this guy behind,

we're signing his death warrant.

So palm him off on Sweden or whoever.

Russia hacked into our embassies

and leaked Intel to the Taliban

that got our agent abducted and a safe house bombed.

I don't think we should hide behind anybody.

And this is a way to push back.

And save a good man in the bargain.

Call the Special Envoy. Tell 'em wheels up.

Start the asylum process once Markevich arrives on our shores.

Hey, you.

All right, go ahead.

Tell me how great Jason's dinner was.

It was pretty great.

God, I knew it.

How's Piper?

Turns out she lived in Kenya until she was seven.

Of course she did. CIA or State?

Aid workers, I think.

Her parents built schools.

So she's possibly more lefty and committed

than our son.

Impressive. How was the food?

It was good.

God, I'm starving.

- Will you come sit with me? - Oh, I can't, babe.

I've got to finish going over this Afghanistan report.

The Gang of Eight called me in again tomorrow.

Boy, they're really giving SAD the third degree, huh?

Well, we're asking for more money.

We still have no solid Intel

that Russia's aiding the Taliban.

For what it's worth, we're about to grant asylum

to a Russian dissident... at least we're pushing back.

Or helping justify their aggression.

Okay, now you sound like Russell Jackson.

- I'm gonna go get chicken. Good-bye. - I sound like Russell Jackson?

- It doesn't taste like... - All right...

where's this dinner I've heard so much about?

Hi, Mrs. McCord. Sorry, Secretary.

Uh, I even rehearsed that.

"Mrs." is fine at home.

Elizabeth is even better.

It's nice to finally meet you, Piper.

It's so great to meet you.

Uh, where should I put your roasting pan?

Oh, no, no, stop. Just leave it.

Not you, keep going,

because I can't believe

- what I'm seeing. - I always help out.

We made you a plate.

I hope you're good with chestnut puree.

You made chestnut puree?!

I had a pretty amazing sous chef.

Who only slightly micromanaged the menu.

- You wanted to make pancakes. - Savory buckwheat crepes.

With blueberries?

I like it a little sweet. It was a team effort.

- You know? - Well, it smells delicious.

All right, come on. Come sit with me.

I want to hear all about... growing up in Kenya.

Well, actually, I was kind of, I was kind of hoping

just Piper and I could hang out until her mom comes.

I don't mind hanging out

- with your mom. - Well, I mean,

just... she can fill you in on her childhood anytime.

Okay...

Oh, look, look, look, look, it's Stevie, look.

Yes, okay, I get it.

Piper, it was really nice to meet you.

Jace, door open.

Mom...

Will you sit with me?

- Yeah. - What are we watching?

Oh, um, Word of the Nation is doing an interview

with this woman, Kat Sandoval?

She, like, used to be some kind of political hot shot, I guess.

Chief of Staff to the Ambassador at the U.N.,

I think... it was years ago.

Anyway, she's got this book coming out,

and Russell Jackson would not shut up about her today.

So I have to watch this.

Oh, yeah? What's Russell saying?

That she's crazy and that she's trying to cash in

after she went off the rails.

I mean, what did she do?

Threw a chair at someone.

- Seriously? - Yeah.

Never got the whole story.

Wow. Oh, here we go.

It is not a town that appreciates a shake-up.

Y-You saw what happened when President Dalton ran

as an independent.

- Right? - Mm-hmm.

Whoever thought of that idea

had some serious huevos.

It was a bold move, and I admire it.

Maybe you wish you'd hung around a little longer?

Eh. I loved my life in D.C.,

but by the end, this town had sucked my soul out

through my eyehole.

I'm not looking in the rearview mirror.

My only concern is what's ahead.

And that's avocados?

- Ten acres of 'em. - Hmm.

I used to work donors and lobbyists,

and now I work the land, right,

bringing life out of the dirt.

You talk a lot in your book...

Well, I think I've found my exit plan.

Yeah, you should totally write a memoir.

No. Retiring on a farm.

Raising animals, growing our own food.

A sustainable human society is very much like...

Mom, you do realize

that we already lived on a farm, right?

Not a horse farm, a cool farm.

How is her farm cooler than ours?

Don't mess with my dream.

- Shh. - Mm...

We've confirmed that the location

of the embassy was obtained by Russia _

when they hacked the Afghan embassy,

which led directly to the bombing

two weeks ago.

What about the kidnapping of our Agent Samadi,

and the execution of her asset, Osip Bakunin?

Do we know who orchestrated these attacks?

That Intel did not come from the embassy hacking.

We're still tracking down that source.

In other words, you're working with

a rusty bucket with a hole in the bottom.

Senator, listen, once we rebuild our presence in Afghanistan,

we'll be able to locate...

Hey, that's a bit backwards, isn't it?

I mean, you come here,

you're looking for funding and resources,

but how do we know that's not gonna