Madam Secretary (2014) s03e11 Episode Script
Gift Horse
1 President Conrad Dalton's inauguration is only one day away, but he's still facing a legal challenge to the legitimacy of his win.
Governor Sam Evans filed a lawsuit against the state of Ohio for allowing Dalton to be put on the ballot, citing a little known anti-lobbying law called the Vasey Act.
Today we've learned the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to hear the case.
If the court rules in Evans' favor, it could not only revoke Dalton's presidency, it could spark a constitutional crisis that would shake the very foundation our government was built upon.
HENRY: What's shaking the very foundation now? We begin our team coverage in The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to hear Evans' case against Ohio.
Unbelievable.
What are they thinking? Are they really gonna uphold some obscure law from 1893? We'll find out.
Oh, hey, here's something weird.
I got a call from the CIA.
They want me to come in for an Ex Post Facto Re-debrief regarding Black Dog Station.
Well, I was in the CIA for 20 years and I've never heard of an Ex Post Facto Re-debrief.
When they shut down the operation down they called it a "hotwash.
" Now they want to get me debriefed.
Why does all their terminology sound like something that happens in a nursing home? (chuckles) Baby, you okay? Yeah.
Why? When you get anxious you take it out on your clothes.
(sighs) Evans is naming me specifically in the lawsuit.
He's accusing me of making overtures to influence Ohio state senators.
When I did that NFL thing in Ohio, I also took some legislators out to dinner.
Applebee's.
That's where they wanted to go.
I unduly influenced them with potato skins and hot wings.
Look, I think the only reason they're hearing the case is so that Evans can't cry foul.
They're not gonna upend all of American politics over this.
ELIZABETH: Well, either way, the whole thing is putting a damper on the inauguration tomorrow.
- ALISON: Hey, guys.
- Hi.
- Are you cleaning out your closet? - Maybe.
So this is a good time to talk about what you're wearing to the inaugural ball? As good a time as any, I guess.
A stylist is gonna bring some gowns to the office and I'm gonna choose from those.
Really? Can I come? Oh, you can do better than that.
You can choose for me.
- Seriously? - Yeah.
Can I also blog about it? Blog your heart out.
You're the best.
I'll come to your office right after school.
Okay, my mood is starting to turn around a little bit.
Hey, you're looking very Wow.
young DC professional poised to take over the world, with just a dash of girlish charm.
(chuckles) Well, that is exactly what I was going for.
HENRY: Oh, that's right.
It's the first day of your internship with Russell Jackson.
Are you excited? - With just a dash of terrified.
- (chuckles) I still can't believe he offered me the job.
You saved the guy's life, I think he felt it was the least he could do.
He's really scary, though.
Oh, trust me, there is way more bark than bite with him.
And that was before the heart attack.
I mean, he's just coming back from a three-week whale-watching cruise.
If that doesn't mellow you out, nothing can.
(phone buzzing) Oh, Lord.
Inauguration week is really getting to Blake.
- Bye, guys.
- Bye.
- Bye, Dad.
Hi, Blake, everything's good, I'm just on my way to the office.
Whoa, slow down, slow down, slow down.
Blake, I thought we talked about decaf.
What Gifts? Wow.
You weren't exaggerating.
Yeah.
Sorry for sounding overwhelmed and possibly even a little nudgy, it's just I can't move any of these until you sign off on them.
Then they have to be processed by the Protocol Gift Unit and-and catalogued by the National Archive.
And there's a room on the third floor that looks like Ali Baba's cave.
It's okay.
We'll get through it together.
No, we won't.
Now I have to go to the Port of Baltimore to sign for a gift from Byambyn Sendoo, the Mongolian minister of education.
Why do you have to sign for it? They wouldn't say.
They were being very Port Authoritarian.
All right, look, you, uh, go sign for the gift, and I'll start signing off on these, and-and we'll just think of the whole thing as an adventure.
Adventures in hell.
I'm sorry.
Madam Secretary, I will course-correct immediately.
You know, it's good to be the winner.
- These are the spoils of victory.
- MATT: Yeah.
I mean, unless the Sixth Circuit Court finds in favor of Sam Evans.
Then we have to send it all back.
Hmm? Go.
Drive safe.
- What? - Just for that, - you're gonna help me sort.
- Awesome.
Oh, boy.
- What's that? - It's nothing.
Go, go.
Sort.
Uh, what are the categories? Uh Don't worry about it, my dad's a hoarder.
I'll figure it out.
Oh.
Russell.
Welcome back.
How are you feeling? Top-notch.
So the cruise was great? The cruise was excruciating.
Three weeks of watching what's left of the glaciers float past and trying to catch a glimpse of a whale.
Damn leisure time is gonna kill me a lot faster than my arteries.
ELIZABETH: Well, it's nice to have you back.
Jumping right into the fire, no less, with this Evans debacle.
JACKSON: We thought you might want to lend a voice to our strategy session.
Figuring out some way to derail this lawsuit.
I'm not sure where there's much room to move.
We can't influence the court.
No, but we can put them under a spotlight.
Launch a press campaign pointing out the lack of precedent, lean hard on the court's obligation to consider the stability of the country, the sanctity of the Electoral College.
Of course, that approach relies on appealing to people's higher nature and you know how much faith I have in that.
Or we can try to influence Evans.
Who doesn't have a higher nature to appeal to.
He might be able to listen to reason, and as the aggrieved party, he can withdraw the complaint.
We can remind him that if he persists, he won't only be burning bridges in Washington, he risks burning down American democracy in the process.
(chuckling): Okay, y-you guys are really gonna make me be the one to say it? The oppo research.
(sighs) What happened to being a knight? The painkillers have worn off.
And they've upped the game.
This is isn't about trying to influence an election anymore.
Election's over.
This is about dissuading someone from blatantly abusing the court system to change the results.
Look, i-it's not even as dirty as it sounds.
The guy has the gene for early-onset Alzheimer's and he didn't disclose the genetic testing with the rest of his health report.
Now, who knows, maybe the voting public wouldn't care.
But they had the right to know.
I can't bring myself to do it, Russell.
We'll just have to let the chips fall where they may.
What about offering Evans a position in the White House? Some sort of advisor.
Maybe even a Cabinet post.
Something prestigious that we could also live with.
It's unifying and bipartisan.
Who knows, we might even learn something from his point of view.
Pushed it a little there at the end.
But there is an argument to be made for keeping him close by.
It's doable.
Then let's do it.
Abdul-Hafiz Bakkal.
- I've never heard of him.
- Dabir Fakoury? HENRY: Dabir Fakoury's an ISIS leader.
Did he ever cross paths with Hizb Al-Shahid during your time with Black Dog Station? Not that I know of.
So you're tracking a connection between HS and ISIS? What about Yunis Hamawi? Also ISIS.
Did his name ever come up? You guys want to tell me what this is about? I might actually be able to help.
So you never found any concrete connection between HS and ISIS other than a shared ideology.
They don't have a shared ideology, they have a common goal.
A shared ideology would make them much more dangerous, and, again, do you want to let me in on that? We're not authorized to do so, - Dr.
McCord.
- Excuse me, you're aware of my involvement in both operations that effectively dismantled HS, and yet you're telling me that my clearance isn't high enough to be filled in? That's what we're telling you.
I think we've gotten everything we need.
Thank you for your time.
ELIZABETH: I'm heading back in the office now, Blake.
BLAKE (over phone): Well, I'm still at the Port of Baltimore.
I just wanted to let you know that I am unable to bring the gift home today because they won't release it from customs until it undergoes a three-day quarantine.
Quarantine? Why? Because it's a horse.
I'm sorry, it sounded like you said "horse.
" Yes, ma'am.
Minister Sendoo has sent you a Mongol horse, it's a symbol of national pride and unity.
I have to say, she is gorgeous.
Oh, my God.
Send it back.
- Her, and I already signed for her.
- Well, un-sign.
Make it clear that we are respectfully declining the gift horse.
(quietly): May I ask why? So many reasons, not the least of which we don't have anywhere in the state department to put her.
I'm sure there's some government-owned horse property somewhere.
It's not about that.
This is about the Mongolian referendum vote to become an autonomous region of China.
Minister Sendoo favors remaining independent, and by accepting the horse, it will signal a tacit endorsement of that position.
Because the horse, symbol of national pride and unity.
See? Right, right.
That'll make China mad.
And many other Asian nations, and quite a few Mongolians as well.
Got it.
I will explain the situation to the Port Authoritarians.
This may take a while.
(horse nickers) She's really pretty, huh? Yes, ma'am.
She's she's kind of a cappuccino color, with a chestnut stripe down her back Hanging up now.
Yes, ma'am.
Hi.
(digital beeps) "Press the operational code into the keypad and hold it down until you hear the beep.
" Yeah, I did that.
How's it going? Uh, fine, sir.
You can call maintenance if you're having trouble with that.
Oh, I was just about to figure it out.
Adele, will you call maintenance to program this damn thing? Yes, sir.
I, uh, I don't like interns.
I never have, I can never find anything I trust them to do.
- Oh, well - Now, I-I I'm giving you a chance - to change my mind.
- I'm honored, Mr.
Jackson.
But, there is no bank for good will around here; you saved my life, I gave you a job.
- We're even.
- Yes, sir.
Poet Laureate Roland somebody is coming in from Connecticut this afternoon, he'll be reading a poem at the inauguration tomorrow.
You can thank JFK for this enduring legacy which forces us to stand in the cold an extra 20 minutes.
Roland Hobbs? I love his work.
I-I actually wrote a paper on him for my AP English class.
Great.
Tell him all about it.
He fancies himself a man of the people, so he refused to let us pick him up in a limo.
He was gonna take a cab from the airport, but I can't take a chance on losing him, so he finally agreed to let us send an intern.
Adele has all the information.
Awesome.
That's just so exciting.
Um, thank you.
I won't let you down.
Tick tock.
Oh.
Minister Sendoo, I am touched and honored by your generous gift of a Mongol horse.
Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to keep diplomatic gifts, and, well, we just have no place to put a horse here in the state department.
I'm very sorry to hear that, Madam Secretary.
Because we cannot risk exposing our horse population to any foreign strains of disease.
If a horse is returned to us after having been abroad, it must be euthanized.
You're going to kill her? Perhaps you would like to reconsider.
Did you really accept a horse from the Mongolian minister - of education? - No.
Then why is the president of Mongolia calling me to complain about it? I don't have enough going on, trying to stop Sam Evans from making rubble out of the Constitution? He's all the big dumb mammal I can handle right now.
Send the horse back.
I'm working on it.
What's-what's to work on? You can't find the return address? The problem is, Russell, Minister Sendoo says that they can't reintegrate the horse now that it's left the country, so if we return her, they will (softly): terminate her.
(laughing): What? They're bluffing.
It's a classic Mongolian squeeze play.
Russell, do you really want a YouTube video of a dying horse flying around the first month - of Dalton's second term? - (sighs) Our staff is working diligently to find the horse a safe haven, one that is both suitable and will not offend anyone politically.
(sighs) Well, hurry up.
ELIZABETH: We're on it.
And, Russell, you may want to pace yourself.
I am pacing myself.
4,782 paces, to be exact.
Why do you think I walked all the way over here? And stop coddling me.
They vacuumed my heart end to end.
My arteries are cleaner than yours.
Make the horse thing go away.
(jet engine roaring) STEVIE: Mr.
Hobbs? Hi, Mr.
Hobbs, I'm Stephanie McCord.
Um, I'm Russell Jackson's intern.
He sent me to pick you up a-and take you to your hotel.
What are you doing? Excuse me? You should be ferry-hopping through the Greek isles with nothing but a summer frock, a wineskin and a battered copy of Rimbaud.
Well, um, I'm doing this.
By the way, Mr.
Jackson's office sent me a copy of the poem that you're planning on reading tomorrow and I think it's amazing.
That insipid rant? They were pressuring me to come up with something so they could approve it.
I would no more read that aloud than I would evacuate my bowels in public.
Wow.
Okay.
Um, so, I guess you probably want to get straight to the hotel to work on your replacement poem.
Um, they have you booked at the Vinton.
It's really nice.
It sounds like a soulless corporate pod.
I'm not gonna get any work done there.
Well, is-is there somewhere else that you'd rather go? (sighs heavily) Maybe just a drive around the city.
Perhaps if I see a few monuments to democracy, I could get the creative engine moving.
Sure, uh, the traffic does tend to get a little crazy at this time of Let's do that.
(car alarm chirps) What the? Murderer! (tires screeching) (shudders) Dr.
McCord is here.
If you're looking for your daughter, she's off on assignment.
I'm looking for you.
Go.
Are you gonna keep doing that? You think I'm enjoying this? Okay, look, I just got back from some cryptic re-debrief at the CIA.
Why are they running random names by me, trying to draw connections between HS and ISIS? CIA, they're cryptic.
Has HS joined ISIS? Are they being reconstituted? It's classified.
Give me a break.
I originated the operation.
Excuse me, I originated the operation.
Just tell me what's going on.
(treadmill beeps) It's about the Illinois bomber.
He was radicalized at an ISIS-affiliated madrassa in Saudi Arabia, but we have reports that say he was also communicating with HS-affiliated terrorists.
The NSA has been trying to hack into the bomber's phone to gather data, but their efforts have been unproductive.
The NSA can't hack into a cell phone? Well, they're limited by money and man-hours like any other human institution.
So they're combing all their assets for tips, to avoid paying an exorbitant fee to an outside cyber security consultant.
Exactly.
Because the CEO of this particular phone company, Warren Lee, is a big donor to our campaign.
But he's also a big privacy advocate.
And a diligent practitioner of Taoism.
- Really? - Well, as diligent as a Taoist can be, given that it's about effortless action.
It's a theological paradox.
Yeah, hell, what isn't? So you were just gonna box me out of this whole thing? If you want in, tell me what you're thinking.
Warren Lee's in town for the inauguration.
POTUS can only push him so far on the investigation without looking like an anti-Fourth Amendment bully.
But a third party with an oblique connection to the administration, who speaks the language of theological paradox? Knock yourself out.
Corner him at the inaugural ball.
I've got a better idea.
I'd love a better idea.
- Tell me when it pans out.
- (treadmill beeps) What am I doing wrong? I got you.
- (sighs) - (coffee maker beeps) There you go.
(whirring) I thought I did that.
NADINE: Ma'am, Foreign Minister Chen has requested a SVTC call with you.
I took the liberty of setting it up.
His office is on hold right now.
Well, that didn't take long.
So, Blake's still out? He's been further detained.
Yeah, uh, he ran into some protesters from the Equine Resource League in a parking lot at the Port of Baltimore.
They pelted him and his car with manure.
Is he okay? He's, uh, rattled.
What are they protesting anyway? Somebody sent me a horse? No, ma'am, that you're sending her back to Mongolia where she'll be euthanized.
How on earth did they find out? We're getting to the bottom of that.
But they have all the information on the Web site.
They claim you're sending a purebred to its death over a diplomatic dispute.
They're encouraging a widespread protest until the U.
S.
accepts the horse and gives her a loving home.
So how does Blake sound? Um, remember when pigeons got into his apartment when he was out of town? Wow, that bad, huh? Worse.
Shall I put someone on his desk until he comes back? Not unless you want to finish him off.
- Hey, guys.
- Hi, Noodle.
The dresses just arrived from the stylist.
Wow, I (gasps) What do we like? Honestly? None of them.
Oh.
Not even this? You can't wear black.
It's a celebration, not a funeral.
Well tell you what, why don't we just forget about these? Why don't you just be the stylist? And you find something you like and we'll track it down, okay? Really? This is amazing! My first assignment is the inaugural ball? Yeah, and your first client carried you in her womb, so she's probably gonna go easy on you.
DAISY: Ma'am, I'll get back to you as soon as we find out who leaked the information on Mandy.
Excuse me? Mandy? Oh, Blake named her.
- Apparently, they formed a bond.
- No.
No naming the horse, it's just gonna make it worse when we have to send her back.
That goes for everyone.
- Okay.
- Yes, ma'am, I will issue a directive: no bonding with the horse.
Minister Chen, still holding for you.
Minister Chen, oh, I'm so sorry to keep you holding.
My assistant is out of the office and, well, it's been a day of excitement for all of us.
I'm sure it's not every day you receive a Mongolian horse as an inducement to intervene in the democratic process of a foreign nation.
The, uh, horse was a gift of congratulations from Minister Sendoo, not a bribe, and in any case, I've already declined it.
My concern is that even the perception of a U.
S.
stance on independence could sway the outcome of the vote.
Well, the U.
S.
position on the referendum is one of neutrality.
As I trust China's will be, as well.
I am not the one accepting gifts from the Mongolians.
Well, that makes two of us.
Always a pleasure talking to you.
Good-bye, Madam Secretary.
Blake, will you get me I really really don't like this.
HOBBS: I don't know why I thought this would be inspiring.
Religious altars to the gods of money and power, statues to slave owners and warmongers, an obelisk extending into the sky like a great wagging phallus.
Uh, well, do you want to see Georgetown? It has a bit of a homier feel to it.
Oh, yes, by all means.
Let us see where the exploiters of all that is sacred rest their weary bones.
Wait.
Stop.
What? Excuse me? - Stop! - Oh, okay.
Uh, are you okay? Inspiration.
Mr.
Hobbs, I-I don't think I can park here.
Mr.
(car horns honking) Governor, we understand the symbolic gesture of filing suit against the state for overriding its sore-loser law and allowing us on the ballot.
I can't imagine you expected the Sixth Circuit to hear the case, and now we find ourselves in an awkward situation.
On the contrary, I fully expected them to hear it.
There's nothing awkward about it for me.
There was no impropriety on the part of the secretary, and you know it.
Even under whatever bogus, antiquated law you dug up.
It's not about what I know, Russell, it's how the judge sees it.
No president has ever been unseated by the judiciary, or even thrown out of office after impeachment, for that matter.
The idea that the court would do something as destabilizing as removing a president after his inauguration, replacing him with his opponent, is laughable.
If it's so laughable, why are you negotiating with me? This was a trying election for everyone.
And instead of tying up the country in a court battle you'll never win, wouldn't your intellect and passion and experience be put to better use by - serving in this administration? - What do you have in mind? Your campaign platform made it clear that your priority is fostering the growth of business and industry.
We'd like you to come on board as our Secretary of Commerce.
Are you joking? (laughs) You two need to take this on the road.
It's hilarious.
There's only one post significant enough to make me want to walk away from rolling the dice in the Sixth Circuit.
State.
- Excuse me? - Secretary of state.
Or the beat goes on.
What do you say to that? Not gonna happen, Sam.
Have a nice day, gentlemen.
You're wasting your time.
ERL is under no obligation to reveal the source of our information.
Does it concern you at all that any leak in the state department could be a matter of national security? That's your problem.
I have the Freedom of Information Act on my side.
Did you get the information directly from Minister Sendoo? Otherwise, there's no other explanation why it was on your Web site so fast.
The foreign minister and I had no direct communication.
It's the minister of education.
Do you even read your own illegally obtained information? I'm starting to feel harassed here.
If the Mongolese people want to use us to promote animal rights, we welcome their input.
You mean the Mongolian people? - Eh - Wait a minute.
You barely know what I'm talking about.
You didn't put that piece up on the Web site yourself, did you? Where did it come from? You were hacked.
Hey.
How's your day going? A little crazy.
I really need your help.
I'm in a dive bar with the poet laureate, who is supposed to be composing a poem for the inauguration.
Okay.
Unless it's going to be about Scotch, I don't think that's gonna happen.
Oh, I can't tell you the number of times I've been in that exact predicament.
Are you serious? This is my first real assignment for Russell Jackson, to get this guy safely to the hotel, and I can't do it.
Well, there must be a government employee who can handle it.
I am a government employee.
Oh, yeah.
Please? I can't stress Russell out.
He just had a heart attack.
- What do you want me to do? - Come down here.
You can at least help me carry him to the car in case he starts to pass out.
Okay.
Text me the address.
Oh, and please don't give that whole "poetry is a useless waste of time and brain cells" rant in front of this guy, okay? Consider me censored.
I'll see you in a bit.
(exhales deeply) Excuse me, Mr.
Lee? Aren't you Dr.
Henry McCord? Yes.
I-I'm so flattered that you recognized me.
Well, I've read all of your books.
I consider myself a student of the world's religions.
So am I.
I think some of the sentiments of the Tao Te Ching are reflected in the parables of the gospels, although I sometimes find the language more poetic.
So do you practice here? No.
I came to meet you.
On behalf of your wife? On behalf of the NSA.
Really? I sometimes do some consulting work.
I have nothing left to say to those guys.
Look, I know they can come on pretty strong, but they're probably just embarrassed and intimidated by you.
So, because of their fragile psyches, I'm supposed to help them burn up the Bill of Rights? It's one thing to defend the Fourth Amendment, it's another thing to develop technology so impenetrable that it locks out the state's ability to investigate with probable cause.
Giving the NSA access to a private customer phone would set a terrible legal precedent.
Maybe you need to practice some of the tenets Taoism has taught you, and let go of your longing.
The world's religions aren't the only thing I've learned from.
In the intelligence community, there's a method for developing assets called "MIC" M.
I.
C.
First you try to persuade with money that's the "M.
" You have plenty of that.
"I" is for ideology.
I tried to appeal to that, and I failed.
And the "C" is for coercion, but as an ally of Dalton's not a lot to coerce you with.
So it seems (sighs) that you have run out of letters.
Yes.
All I can do now is humble myself and appeal to you as someone who cares deeply about the welfare of this country.
So few of us find ourselves in your position.
You have the U.
S.
government groveling at your feet for a small piece of proprietary information.
You're the only person who can help us.
Okay, here's what we're up against with finding a safe haven for the horse.
It has to be a country whose customs laws are lax enough to accept a horse who has been exposed to the diseases of two different countries.
It would have to have regular trade relations - with the U.
S.
- Right.
It would have to have a climate amenable to Mongol horses.
And we'd need verifiable first-class living conditions.
No hiding her away on some remote, decrepit farm in South America.
She needs human interaction.
She was bred for that.
Did she tell you that, horse whisperer? Blake, I believe you were warned about bonding with the horse.
Oh, like I can walk that back.
DAISY: Guys CYBERCOM has made a forensic analysis on the ERL Web site hack, and they have a very strong idea of who was behind it.
- Russia? - That's right, ma'am.
As you know, they are none too happy about the idea of China expanding its borders further across the southeastern portion of its country.
Well, or of China expanding its land holdings and natural resources.
But really? Enough to get into this? MATT: We figure that's why they came at it so sideways.
They don't want to destroy relations with China any more than we do.
Our working theory is that Russia may have ties to Minister Sendoo's independence campaign and was hoping to develop a little insurance in the event that we tried to send the horse back to Mongolia.
Apparently, the minute Minister Sendoo hung up with you, he called his connection in Russia, and then it ended up on the ERL Web site, resulting in the manure offensive.
So this way Russia influences the outcome of the referendum but keeps its hands clean of interventionism.
Yes, ma'am.
Well, I-I'm just glad this hasn't escalated into an international incident.
- Oh, thank God.
- Hey.
What's happening? Uh, Mr.
Hobbs, this is my fiancé, Jareth.
He dropped by because, um, he wanted to meet you.
HOBBS: Have a seat, young man.
Let's talk about how you find poetry a waste of time and brain cells.
I overheard her conversation on the phone with you.
I don't know why people think alcohol affects auditory nerves.
Please have a drink and, uh, explain the futility of verse to me.
I don't think it's futile.
Sometimes it can be ever so slightly indulgent.
Unnecessarily convoluted and redundant.
Also pretentious, arrogant, and not essential to the evolution of mankind.
Otherwise a perfectly harmless pursuit.
Should we go? With what do you occupy your superior gray matter? I'm a physicist.
Ha! Bravo.
The geniuses who brought us nuclear weapons, Oh.
space junk and global warming.
- Well done.
- What a charming oversimplification.
Tell me something, how do you live with such an unimaginative reductionist view of the world? How is life, without the resonance of beauty, even worth the effort? Let me tell you a little something about beauty, Mr.
Hobbs.
You seem to think I can't appreciate beauty because I study the intricacies of its components.
You know what? Why don't we just go? Uh, bartender? It was Richard Feynman, physicist, personal hero of mine, who put it best.
He said that he could appreciate the beauty of a flower more than, say, uh, you.
He said he could see more than the average man sees.
He could imagine its cells, he could appreciate that the flower evolved in order to make its colors more attractive to insects.
Which means that insects see color.
I mean, maybe they share our aesthetic sense.
Recognizing the majesty of the quantum world only adds to the beauty of life.
It does not subtract.
So to answer your question, Mr.
Hobbs, I don't just live in a beautiful world, I understand it.
COUNSEL: We're in a difficult spot here, Russell.
Your legal options in fighting this case are extremely limited.
If they rule in Evans' favor, there's very little we can do.
Short of asserting power by military junta.
What if you tried reasoning with Evans? Oh, we tried that.
We even offered him Secretary of Commerce.
He turned it down.
Well What can I tell you? He's a motivated guy.
He's a sore-loser law unto himself.
Give me odds on the ruling.
60-40, us.
Nothing we can really do but hang tight.
Okay, thanks.
I guess.
(exhales) Go back to the breath.
(beeping) "Serenity," stream.
(new age music begins playing) (exhales) Nothing to be done.
Let the chips fall where they may.
(whispers): Breathe.
Chips fall What the hell? Who am I? Adele! Get me my file on Sam Evans.
It's time to take out the trash.
HENRY: What if we just buy the horse? Let her live at the farm? That way it's a purchase, not a bribe.
And that's legal, right? Yes, it is, and that was my first thought.
The horse costs $2 million.
Oh, my God.
Does it sing and dance? Besides, even buying it looks like I'm taking sides on the referendum.
I spent an hour on the phone with the Russian foreign minister, stepping out the consequences of interfering with the democratic process.
So I can't give them any ammunition.
To knock you off your high horse.
(chuckles) That was right there.
I had to, that was It's the only one you get.
Is Stevie at Jareth's? I haven't seen her around.
Yeah, she told us not to expect her.
Oh.
Think I could call and just check on her, make sure she got in okay? At her fiancé's place? Helicoptery, right? ALISON: Hey.
It took a while, but I found your dress.
Oh.
I saw it in French Vogue and the stylist finally tracked it down.
It's an Andre Devereaux, who is a totally cutting edge designer.
No one else will be wearing it.
Oh! That is really something, isn't it? - It is.
- ALISON: You love it, right? Oh.
I-I've never seen anything like it.
It's just every color.
Ooh! Want to try it on? Tomorrow, baby.
I-I'm so tired, and Yeah.
I'll have all of your accessories by then, anyways.
- Oh, there's more.
Just gonna - Love you.
- Good night.
- (Elizabeth exhales) I can't wear that, right? I don't think so.
Oh But she'll be so disappointed and Babe, this is not the lanyard she made for you in the second grade.
This is your dress for the inaugural ball.
You got to seem, uh you know sane.
Stop trying to figure out how to make it work.
Okay, then I'm calling Stevie.
(phone buzzes) Hello.
Hey, Mom! Wine.
Uh What's up? Oh I was just calling to see how your day was.
Are you at Jareth's? Not yet.
Um, we're just hanging out.
Uh, uh, actually, I need to get back to that.
- I-I'll call you later, okay? - (grunts) - But everything's fine.
- ELIZABETH: Good.
Okay.
Bye.
Okay.
We need to roll him on his side, - Yeah.
- so he doesn't choke on his own vomit.
- What? Uh, nothing.
Love you.
All good.
Bye.
I admire your discipline, Russell.
That is the saddest looking plate I've ever seen.
(chuckles) You know what? Turns out I like fish.
And kale.
Now I get what everybody's talking about.
What are you looking to sell me on tonight? 'Cause I'm not buying that lame cabinet post.
No, not a thing.
And the job offer's no longer on the table.
You looked that horse a little too long in the mouth.
See, the president doesn't know I'm here.
Neither does the secretary.
'Cause they're both more principled people than I am.
"In peace there is nothing so becomes a man "as modest stillness "and humility.
"But when the blast of war blows in our ears, then imitate the actions of the tiger.
" Henry V.
We, uh, got our hands on some oppo research that could have influenced the narrative of the election, and the president decided not to use it.
He still feels that way.
Even I had a moment on the high road, but it turns out, it's not really my thing.
'Cause I can't stand seeing good people being hurt because of unbridled greed and ambition.
So I want you to think about this, Governor.
Imagine if you held the country up in an elaborate legal proceeding, rattled their faith in the system, even got yourself in office, only for the voting public to discover that you withheld information pertinent to your competency to be president of the United States.
You're bluffing.
You're welcome to try me.
NEWSWOMAN: As the president and members of his administration prepare for the inauguration ceremony, we've just received confirmation that Governor Sam Evans has officially dropped his lawsuit against the state of Ohio.
EVANS: After much consideration and prayer, I've decided the best thing for this country is to move on.
Maintaining the Republic and focusing on my work in the great state of Pennsylvania is of far greater importance than continuing to fight this decision in court.
- I'll be taking no questions.
Thank you.
- (exhales) What do you know? Four Horsemen can't be far behind.
What are you doing? Oh! Oh, God.
Noodle, I'm so sorry.
I just I can't wear the dress that you picked out.
It's beautiful.
It works great on somebody else, but I just can't pull it off.
And so I went back into my closet and I-I found these two, just so much more me Oh, thank God.
What? I woke up in the middle of the night and I just totally started panicking.
It's the inaugural ball, not the VMAs.
Suddenly, I pictured you on some Worst Dressed list next to Miley Cyrus, and it would've been all my fault.
I'm just so happy that you're not upset.
It was sweet of you to trust me with such a big decision, I just I wasn't ready.
- Oh, well - For your inauguration? - (laughs) - I will be.
That's very funny.
In the meantime, Which one of these do you like? Uh the blue one.
That's exactly what I think.
The blue one.
(rumbling in distance) Mr.
Hobbs? Are you here? Jareth, wake up.
He's gone.
- What? - Mr.
Hobbs is gone.
- He's disappeared.
- All right, take it easy.
I can't! It's the day of the inauguration, and I have lost the poet laureate.
Russell is gonna die.
He could actually die.
Oh, my God.
- (door opens) - Good morning, children.
I've got cappuccinos all around.
Um Are you okay? Glorious.
Got down to business at the coffee shop, finished the poem.
I work better under pressure.
Cruller? Ooh.
HENRY: There he is.
- Bess.
- Congratulations.
- Henry.
- Mr.
President.
Well, that was a cinch, wasn't it? Getting here.
- Piece of cake.
- Like butter.
Barely felt it myself.
Henry.
A word? Warren Lee has agreed to help us break into the bomber's phone.
What'd you do? I told him about the system we use to develop assets.
MIC.
Money, ideology, coercion.
Actually, the system is MICE.
With an "E.
" The fourth approach is appealing to the asset's ego.
I failed to mention that when I told him he was our only hope.
(chuckling): Okay.
Mr.
President.
Congratulations, sir.
- Thank you, Nadine.
- Congratulations.
- Blake.
- Pardon me for interrupting, but there is news from Mongolia.
The referendum vote came in.
They voted to remain independent.
That's a good thing.
Now, about the horse.
Mandy.
Her name is Mandy.
We found a suitable home for Mandy.
Cuba has agreed to take her.
Their laws around importing livestock are still in a nascent stage.
At first, I worried the climate was too warm, but the vibe there is so great.
Well, that's a relief.
Thanks, guys.
Love it when it all works out.
What? The, uh, the Evans thing? No.
But since you brought it up Any idea what happened there? I guess the chips just fell our way, sir.
HOBBS: Sitting high above the Potomac swamp, in the long shadow of the spilt blood and dreams of the Founding Fathers and Founding Mothers, I can see more than the average man sees.
I imagine the cells, the nucleus of things.
I see colors that evolved to speak to the smallest of eyes.
Sacrifices that meet in this cataclysm of longing for what can and what can, overcoming what cannot.
In the majesty of the quantum world, in the beauty of building blocks, in the tiniest of elements, I glimpse the privilege of being.
This alertness does not subtract.
It adds.
It is not our inheritance merely to abide in this beautiful world.
It is our inheritance to understand it.
(applause)
Governor Sam Evans filed a lawsuit against the state of Ohio for allowing Dalton to be put on the ballot, citing a little known anti-lobbying law called the Vasey Act.
Today we've learned the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to hear the case.
If the court rules in Evans' favor, it could not only revoke Dalton's presidency, it could spark a constitutional crisis that would shake the very foundation our government was built upon.
HENRY: What's shaking the very foundation now? We begin our team coverage in The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to hear Evans' case against Ohio.
Unbelievable.
What are they thinking? Are they really gonna uphold some obscure law from 1893? We'll find out.
Oh, hey, here's something weird.
I got a call from the CIA.
They want me to come in for an Ex Post Facto Re-debrief regarding Black Dog Station.
Well, I was in the CIA for 20 years and I've never heard of an Ex Post Facto Re-debrief.
When they shut down the operation down they called it a "hotwash.
" Now they want to get me debriefed.
Why does all their terminology sound like something that happens in a nursing home? (chuckles) Baby, you okay? Yeah.
Why? When you get anxious you take it out on your clothes.
(sighs) Evans is naming me specifically in the lawsuit.
He's accusing me of making overtures to influence Ohio state senators.
When I did that NFL thing in Ohio, I also took some legislators out to dinner.
Applebee's.
That's where they wanted to go.
I unduly influenced them with potato skins and hot wings.
Look, I think the only reason they're hearing the case is so that Evans can't cry foul.
They're not gonna upend all of American politics over this.
ELIZABETH: Well, either way, the whole thing is putting a damper on the inauguration tomorrow.
- ALISON: Hey, guys.
- Hi.
- Are you cleaning out your closet? - Maybe.
So this is a good time to talk about what you're wearing to the inaugural ball? As good a time as any, I guess.
A stylist is gonna bring some gowns to the office and I'm gonna choose from those.
Really? Can I come? Oh, you can do better than that.
You can choose for me.
- Seriously? - Yeah.
Can I also blog about it? Blog your heart out.
You're the best.
I'll come to your office right after school.
Okay, my mood is starting to turn around a little bit.
Hey, you're looking very Wow.
young DC professional poised to take over the world, with just a dash of girlish charm.
(chuckles) Well, that is exactly what I was going for.
HENRY: Oh, that's right.
It's the first day of your internship with Russell Jackson.
Are you excited? - With just a dash of terrified.
- (chuckles) I still can't believe he offered me the job.
You saved the guy's life, I think he felt it was the least he could do.
He's really scary, though.
Oh, trust me, there is way more bark than bite with him.
And that was before the heart attack.
I mean, he's just coming back from a three-week whale-watching cruise.
If that doesn't mellow you out, nothing can.
(phone buzzing) Oh, Lord.
Inauguration week is really getting to Blake.
- Bye, guys.
- Bye.
- Bye, Dad.
Hi, Blake, everything's good, I'm just on my way to the office.
Whoa, slow down, slow down, slow down.
Blake, I thought we talked about decaf.
What Gifts? Wow.
You weren't exaggerating.
Yeah.
Sorry for sounding overwhelmed and possibly even a little nudgy, it's just I can't move any of these until you sign off on them.
Then they have to be processed by the Protocol Gift Unit and-and catalogued by the National Archive.
And there's a room on the third floor that looks like Ali Baba's cave.
It's okay.
We'll get through it together.
No, we won't.
Now I have to go to the Port of Baltimore to sign for a gift from Byambyn Sendoo, the Mongolian minister of education.
Why do you have to sign for it? They wouldn't say.
They were being very Port Authoritarian.
All right, look, you, uh, go sign for the gift, and I'll start signing off on these, and-and we'll just think of the whole thing as an adventure.
Adventures in hell.
I'm sorry.
Madam Secretary, I will course-correct immediately.
You know, it's good to be the winner.
- These are the spoils of victory.
- MATT: Yeah.
I mean, unless the Sixth Circuit Court finds in favor of Sam Evans.
Then we have to send it all back.
Hmm? Go.
Drive safe.
- What? - Just for that, - you're gonna help me sort.
- Awesome.
Oh, boy.
- What's that? - It's nothing.
Go, go.
Sort.
Uh, what are the categories? Uh Don't worry about it, my dad's a hoarder.
I'll figure it out.
Oh.
Russell.
Welcome back.
How are you feeling? Top-notch.
So the cruise was great? The cruise was excruciating.
Three weeks of watching what's left of the glaciers float past and trying to catch a glimpse of a whale.
Damn leisure time is gonna kill me a lot faster than my arteries.
ELIZABETH: Well, it's nice to have you back.
Jumping right into the fire, no less, with this Evans debacle.
JACKSON: We thought you might want to lend a voice to our strategy session.
Figuring out some way to derail this lawsuit.
I'm not sure where there's much room to move.
We can't influence the court.
No, but we can put them under a spotlight.
Launch a press campaign pointing out the lack of precedent, lean hard on the court's obligation to consider the stability of the country, the sanctity of the Electoral College.
Of course, that approach relies on appealing to people's higher nature and you know how much faith I have in that.
Or we can try to influence Evans.
Who doesn't have a higher nature to appeal to.
He might be able to listen to reason, and as the aggrieved party, he can withdraw the complaint.
We can remind him that if he persists, he won't only be burning bridges in Washington, he risks burning down American democracy in the process.
(chuckling): Okay, y-you guys are really gonna make me be the one to say it? The oppo research.
(sighs) What happened to being a knight? The painkillers have worn off.
And they've upped the game.
This is isn't about trying to influence an election anymore.
Election's over.
This is about dissuading someone from blatantly abusing the court system to change the results.
Look, i-it's not even as dirty as it sounds.
The guy has the gene for early-onset Alzheimer's and he didn't disclose the genetic testing with the rest of his health report.
Now, who knows, maybe the voting public wouldn't care.
But they had the right to know.
I can't bring myself to do it, Russell.
We'll just have to let the chips fall where they may.
What about offering Evans a position in the White House? Some sort of advisor.
Maybe even a Cabinet post.
Something prestigious that we could also live with.
It's unifying and bipartisan.
Who knows, we might even learn something from his point of view.
Pushed it a little there at the end.
But there is an argument to be made for keeping him close by.
It's doable.
Then let's do it.
Abdul-Hafiz Bakkal.
- I've never heard of him.
- Dabir Fakoury? HENRY: Dabir Fakoury's an ISIS leader.
Did he ever cross paths with Hizb Al-Shahid during your time with Black Dog Station? Not that I know of.
So you're tracking a connection between HS and ISIS? What about Yunis Hamawi? Also ISIS.
Did his name ever come up? You guys want to tell me what this is about? I might actually be able to help.
So you never found any concrete connection between HS and ISIS other than a shared ideology.
They don't have a shared ideology, they have a common goal.
A shared ideology would make them much more dangerous, and, again, do you want to let me in on that? We're not authorized to do so, - Dr.
McCord.
- Excuse me, you're aware of my involvement in both operations that effectively dismantled HS, and yet you're telling me that my clearance isn't high enough to be filled in? That's what we're telling you.
I think we've gotten everything we need.
Thank you for your time.
ELIZABETH: I'm heading back in the office now, Blake.
BLAKE (over phone): Well, I'm still at the Port of Baltimore.
I just wanted to let you know that I am unable to bring the gift home today because they won't release it from customs until it undergoes a three-day quarantine.
Quarantine? Why? Because it's a horse.
I'm sorry, it sounded like you said "horse.
" Yes, ma'am.
Minister Sendoo has sent you a Mongol horse, it's a symbol of national pride and unity.
I have to say, she is gorgeous.
Oh, my God.
Send it back.
- Her, and I already signed for her.
- Well, un-sign.
Make it clear that we are respectfully declining the gift horse.
(quietly): May I ask why? So many reasons, not the least of which we don't have anywhere in the state department to put her.
I'm sure there's some government-owned horse property somewhere.
It's not about that.
This is about the Mongolian referendum vote to become an autonomous region of China.
Minister Sendoo favors remaining independent, and by accepting the horse, it will signal a tacit endorsement of that position.
Because the horse, symbol of national pride and unity.
See? Right, right.
That'll make China mad.
And many other Asian nations, and quite a few Mongolians as well.
Got it.
I will explain the situation to the Port Authoritarians.
This may take a while.
(horse nickers) She's really pretty, huh? Yes, ma'am.
She's she's kind of a cappuccino color, with a chestnut stripe down her back Hanging up now.
Yes, ma'am.
Hi.
(digital beeps) "Press the operational code into the keypad and hold it down until you hear the beep.
" Yeah, I did that.
How's it going? Uh, fine, sir.
You can call maintenance if you're having trouble with that.
Oh, I was just about to figure it out.
Adele, will you call maintenance to program this damn thing? Yes, sir.
I, uh, I don't like interns.
I never have, I can never find anything I trust them to do.
- Oh, well - Now, I-I I'm giving you a chance - to change my mind.
- I'm honored, Mr.
Jackson.
But, there is no bank for good will around here; you saved my life, I gave you a job.
- We're even.
- Yes, sir.
Poet Laureate Roland somebody is coming in from Connecticut this afternoon, he'll be reading a poem at the inauguration tomorrow.
You can thank JFK for this enduring legacy which forces us to stand in the cold an extra 20 minutes.
Roland Hobbs? I love his work.
I-I actually wrote a paper on him for my AP English class.
Great.
Tell him all about it.
He fancies himself a man of the people, so he refused to let us pick him up in a limo.
He was gonna take a cab from the airport, but I can't take a chance on losing him, so he finally agreed to let us send an intern.
Adele has all the information.
Awesome.
That's just so exciting.
Um, thank you.
I won't let you down.
Tick tock.
Oh.
Minister Sendoo, I am touched and honored by your generous gift of a Mongol horse.
Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to keep diplomatic gifts, and, well, we just have no place to put a horse here in the state department.
I'm very sorry to hear that, Madam Secretary.
Because we cannot risk exposing our horse population to any foreign strains of disease.
If a horse is returned to us after having been abroad, it must be euthanized.
You're going to kill her? Perhaps you would like to reconsider.
Did you really accept a horse from the Mongolian minister - of education? - No.
Then why is the president of Mongolia calling me to complain about it? I don't have enough going on, trying to stop Sam Evans from making rubble out of the Constitution? He's all the big dumb mammal I can handle right now.
Send the horse back.
I'm working on it.
What's-what's to work on? You can't find the return address? The problem is, Russell, Minister Sendoo says that they can't reintegrate the horse now that it's left the country, so if we return her, they will (softly): terminate her.
(laughing): What? They're bluffing.
It's a classic Mongolian squeeze play.
Russell, do you really want a YouTube video of a dying horse flying around the first month - of Dalton's second term? - (sighs) Our staff is working diligently to find the horse a safe haven, one that is both suitable and will not offend anyone politically.
(sighs) Well, hurry up.
ELIZABETH: We're on it.
And, Russell, you may want to pace yourself.
I am pacing myself.
4,782 paces, to be exact.
Why do you think I walked all the way over here? And stop coddling me.
They vacuumed my heart end to end.
My arteries are cleaner than yours.
Make the horse thing go away.
(jet engine roaring) STEVIE: Mr.
Hobbs? Hi, Mr.
Hobbs, I'm Stephanie McCord.
Um, I'm Russell Jackson's intern.
He sent me to pick you up a-and take you to your hotel.
What are you doing? Excuse me? You should be ferry-hopping through the Greek isles with nothing but a summer frock, a wineskin and a battered copy of Rimbaud.
Well, um, I'm doing this.
By the way, Mr.
Jackson's office sent me a copy of the poem that you're planning on reading tomorrow and I think it's amazing.
That insipid rant? They were pressuring me to come up with something so they could approve it.
I would no more read that aloud than I would evacuate my bowels in public.
Wow.
Okay.
Um, so, I guess you probably want to get straight to the hotel to work on your replacement poem.
Um, they have you booked at the Vinton.
It's really nice.
It sounds like a soulless corporate pod.
I'm not gonna get any work done there.
Well, is-is there somewhere else that you'd rather go? (sighs heavily) Maybe just a drive around the city.
Perhaps if I see a few monuments to democracy, I could get the creative engine moving.
Sure, uh, the traffic does tend to get a little crazy at this time of Let's do that.
(car alarm chirps) What the? Murderer! (tires screeching) (shudders) Dr.
McCord is here.
If you're looking for your daughter, she's off on assignment.
I'm looking for you.
Go.
Are you gonna keep doing that? You think I'm enjoying this? Okay, look, I just got back from some cryptic re-debrief at the CIA.
Why are they running random names by me, trying to draw connections between HS and ISIS? CIA, they're cryptic.
Has HS joined ISIS? Are they being reconstituted? It's classified.
Give me a break.
I originated the operation.
Excuse me, I originated the operation.
Just tell me what's going on.
(treadmill beeps) It's about the Illinois bomber.
He was radicalized at an ISIS-affiliated madrassa in Saudi Arabia, but we have reports that say he was also communicating with HS-affiliated terrorists.
The NSA has been trying to hack into the bomber's phone to gather data, but their efforts have been unproductive.
The NSA can't hack into a cell phone? Well, they're limited by money and man-hours like any other human institution.
So they're combing all their assets for tips, to avoid paying an exorbitant fee to an outside cyber security consultant.
Exactly.
Because the CEO of this particular phone company, Warren Lee, is a big donor to our campaign.
But he's also a big privacy advocate.
And a diligent practitioner of Taoism.
- Really? - Well, as diligent as a Taoist can be, given that it's about effortless action.
It's a theological paradox.
Yeah, hell, what isn't? So you were just gonna box me out of this whole thing? If you want in, tell me what you're thinking.
Warren Lee's in town for the inauguration.
POTUS can only push him so far on the investigation without looking like an anti-Fourth Amendment bully.
But a third party with an oblique connection to the administration, who speaks the language of theological paradox? Knock yourself out.
Corner him at the inaugural ball.
I've got a better idea.
I'd love a better idea.
- Tell me when it pans out.
- (treadmill beeps) What am I doing wrong? I got you.
- (sighs) - (coffee maker beeps) There you go.
(whirring) I thought I did that.
NADINE: Ma'am, Foreign Minister Chen has requested a SVTC call with you.
I took the liberty of setting it up.
His office is on hold right now.
Well, that didn't take long.
So, Blake's still out? He's been further detained.
Yeah, uh, he ran into some protesters from the Equine Resource League in a parking lot at the Port of Baltimore.
They pelted him and his car with manure.
Is he okay? He's, uh, rattled.
What are they protesting anyway? Somebody sent me a horse? No, ma'am, that you're sending her back to Mongolia where she'll be euthanized.
How on earth did they find out? We're getting to the bottom of that.
But they have all the information on the Web site.
They claim you're sending a purebred to its death over a diplomatic dispute.
They're encouraging a widespread protest until the U.
S.
accepts the horse and gives her a loving home.
So how does Blake sound? Um, remember when pigeons got into his apartment when he was out of town? Wow, that bad, huh? Worse.
Shall I put someone on his desk until he comes back? Not unless you want to finish him off.
- Hey, guys.
- Hi, Noodle.
The dresses just arrived from the stylist.
Wow, I (gasps) What do we like? Honestly? None of them.
Oh.
Not even this? You can't wear black.
It's a celebration, not a funeral.
Well tell you what, why don't we just forget about these? Why don't you just be the stylist? And you find something you like and we'll track it down, okay? Really? This is amazing! My first assignment is the inaugural ball? Yeah, and your first client carried you in her womb, so she's probably gonna go easy on you.
DAISY: Ma'am, I'll get back to you as soon as we find out who leaked the information on Mandy.
Excuse me? Mandy? Oh, Blake named her.
- Apparently, they formed a bond.
- No.
No naming the horse, it's just gonna make it worse when we have to send her back.
That goes for everyone.
- Okay.
- Yes, ma'am, I will issue a directive: no bonding with the horse.
Minister Chen, still holding for you.
Minister Chen, oh, I'm so sorry to keep you holding.
My assistant is out of the office and, well, it's been a day of excitement for all of us.
I'm sure it's not every day you receive a Mongolian horse as an inducement to intervene in the democratic process of a foreign nation.
The, uh, horse was a gift of congratulations from Minister Sendoo, not a bribe, and in any case, I've already declined it.
My concern is that even the perception of a U.
S.
stance on independence could sway the outcome of the vote.
Well, the U.
S.
position on the referendum is one of neutrality.
As I trust China's will be, as well.
I am not the one accepting gifts from the Mongolians.
Well, that makes two of us.
Always a pleasure talking to you.
Good-bye, Madam Secretary.
Blake, will you get me I really really don't like this.
HOBBS: I don't know why I thought this would be inspiring.
Religious altars to the gods of money and power, statues to slave owners and warmongers, an obelisk extending into the sky like a great wagging phallus.
Uh, well, do you want to see Georgetown? It has a bit of a homier feel to it.
Oh, yes, by all means.
Let us see where the exploiters of all that is sacred rest their weary bones.
Wait.
Stop.
What? Excuse me? - Stop! - Oh, okay.
Uh, are you okay? Inspiration.
Mr.
Hobbs, I-I don't think I can park here.
Mr.
(car horns honking) Governor, we understand the symbolic gesture of filing suit against the state for overriding its sore-loser law and allowing us on the ballot.
I can't imagine you expected the Sixth Circuit to hear the case, and now we find ourselves in an awkward situation.
On the contrary, I fully expected them to hear it.
There's nothing awkward about it for me.
There was no impropriety on the part of the secretary, and you know it.
Even under whatever bogus, antiquated law you dug up.
It's not about what I know, Russell, it's how the judge sees it.
No president has ever been unseated by the judiciary, or even thrown out of office after impeachment, for that matter.
The idea that the court would do something as destabilizing as removing a president after his inauguration, replacing him with his opponent, is laughable.
If it's so laughable, why are you negotiating with me? This was a trying election for everyone.
And instead of tying up the country in a court battle you'll never win, wouldn't your intellect and passion and experience be put to better use by - serving in this administration? - What do you have in mind? Your campaign platform made it clear that your priority is fostering the growth of business and industry.
We'd like you to come on board as our Secretary of Commerce.
Are you joking? (laughs) You two need to take this on the road.
It's hilarious.
There's only one post significant enough to make me want to walk away from rolling the dice in the Sixth Circuit.
State.
- Excuse me? - Secretary of state.
Or the beat goes on.
What do you say to that? Not gonna happen, Sam.
Have a nice day, gentlemen.
You're wasting your time.
ERL is under no obligation to reveal the source of our information.
Does it concern you at all that any leak in the state department could be a matter of national security? That's your problem.
I have the Freedom of Information Act on my side.
Did you get the information directly from Minister Sendoo? Otherwise, there's no other explanation why it was on your Web site so fast.
The foreign minister and I had no direct communication.
It's the minister of education.
Do you even read your own illegally obtained information? I'm starting to feel harassed here.
If the Mongolese people want to use us to promote animal rights, we welcome their input.
You mean the Mongolian people? - Eh - Wait a minute.
You barely know what I'm talking about.
You didn't put that piece up on the Web site yourself, did you? Where did it come from? You were hacked.
Hey.
How's your day going? A little crazy.
I really need your help.
I'm in a dive bar with the poet laureate, who is supposed to be composing a poem for the inauguration.
Okay.
Unless it's going to be about Scotch, I don't think that's gonna happen.
Oh, I can't tell you the number of times I've been in that exact predicament.
Are you serious? This is my first real assignment for Russell Jackson, to get this guy safely to the hotel, and I can't do it.
Well, there must be a government employee who can handle it.
I am a government employee.
Oh, yeah.
Please? I can't stress Russell out.
He just had a heart attack.
- What do you want me to do? - Come down here.
You can at least help me carry him to the car in case he starts to pass out.
Okay.
Text me the address.
Oh, and please don't give that whole "poetry is a useless waste of time and brain cells" rant in front of this guy, okay? Consider me censored.
I'll see you in a bit.
(exhales deeply) Excuse me, Mr.
Lee? Aren't you Dr.
Henry McCord? Yes.
I-I'm so flattered that you recognized me.
Well, I've read all of your books.
I consider myself a student of the world's religions.
So am I.
I think some of the sentiments of the Tao Te Ching are reflected in the parables of the gospels, although I sometimes find the language more poetic.
So do you practice here? No.
I came to meet you.
On behalf of your wife? On behalf of the NSA.
Really? I sometimes do some consulting work.
I have nothing left to say to those guys.
Look, I know they can come on pretty strong, but they're probably just embarrassed and intimidated by you.
So, because of their fragile psyches, I'm supposed to help them burn up the Bill of Rights? It's one thing to defend the Fourth Amendment, it's another thing to develop technology so impenetrable that it locks out the state's ability to investigate with probable cause.
Giving the NSA access to a private customer phone would set a terrible legal precedent.
Maybe you need to practice some of the tenets Taoism has taught you, and let go of your longing.
The world's religions aren't the only thing I've learned from.
In the intelligence community, there's a method for developing assets called "MIC" M.
I.
C.
First you try to persuade with money that's the "M.
" You have plenty of that.
"I" is for ideology.
I tried to appeal to that, and I failed.
And the "C" is for coercion, but as an ally of Dalton's not a lot to coerce you with.
So it seems (sighs) that you have run out of letters.
Yes.
All I can do now is humble myself and appeal to you as someone who cares deeply about the welfare of this country.
So few of us find ourselves in your position.
You have the U.
S.
government groveling at your feet for a small piece of proprietary information.
You're the only person who can help us.
Okay, here's what we're up against with finding a safe haven for the horse.
It has to be a country whose customs laws are lax enough to accept a horse who has been exposed to the diseases of two different countries.
It would have to have regular trade relations - with the U.
S.
- Right.
It would have to have a climate amenable to Mongol horses.
And we'd need verifiable first-class living conditions.
No hiding her away on some remote, decrepit farm in South America.
She needs human interaction.
She was bred for that.
Did she tell you that, horse whisperer? Blake, I believe you were warned about bonding with the horse.
Oh, like I can walk that back.
DAISY: Guys CYBERCOM has made a forensic analysis on the ERL Web site hack, and they have a very strong idea of who was behind it.
- Russia? - That's right, ma'am.
As you know, they are none too happy about the idea of China expanding its borders further across the southeastern portion of its country.
Well, or of China expanding its land holdings and natural resources.
But really? Enough to get into this? MATT: We figure that's why they came at it so sideways.
They don't want to destroy relations with China any more than we do.
Our working theory is that Russia may have ties to Minister Sendoo's independence campaign and was hoping to develop a little insurance in the event that we tried to send the horse back to Mongolia.
Apparently, the minute Minister Sendoo hung up with you, he called his connection in Russia, and then it ended up on the ERL Web site, resulting in the manure offensive.
So this way Russia influences the outcome of the referendum but keeps its hands clean of interventionism.
Yes, ma'am.
Well, I-I'm just glad this hasn't escalated into an international incident.
- Oh, thank God.
- Hey.
What's happening? Uh, Mr.
Hobbs, this is my fiancé, Jareth.
He dropped by because, um, he wanted to meet you.
HOBBS: Have a seat, young man.
Let's talk about how you find poetry a waste of time and brain cells.
I overheard her conversation on the phone with you.
I don't know why people think alcohol affects auditory nerves.
Please have a drink and, uh, explain the futility of verse to me.
I don't think it's futile.
Sometimes it can be ever so slightly indulgent.
Unnecessarily convoluted and redundant.
Also pretentious, arrogant, and not essential to the evolution of mankind.
Otherwise a perfectly harmless pursuit.
Should we go? With what do you occupy your superior gray matter? I'm a physicist.
Ha! Bravo.
The geniuses who brought us nuclear weapons, Oh.
space junk and global warming.
- Well done.
- What a charming oversimplification.
Tell me something, how do you live with such an unimaginative reductionist view of the world? How is life, without the resonance of beauty, even worth the effort? Let me tell you a little something about beauty, Mr.
Hobbs.
You seem to think I can't appreciate beauty because I study the intricacies of its components.
You know what? Why don't we just go? Uh, bartender? It was Richard Feynman, physicist, personal hero of mine, who put it best.
He said that he could appreciate the beauty of a flower more than, say, uh, you.
He said he could see more than the average man sees.
He could imagine its cells, he could appreciate that the flower evolved in order to make its colors more attractive to insects.
Which means that insects see color.
I mean, maybe they share our aesthetic sense.
Recognizing the majesty of the quantum world only adds to the beauty of life.
It does not subtract.
So to answer your question, Mr.
Hobbs, I don't just live in a beautiful world, I understand it.
COUNSEL: We're in a difficult spot here, Russell.
Your legal options in fighting this case are extremely limited.
If they rule in Evans' favor, there's very little we can do.
Short of asserting power by military junta.
What if you tried reasoning with Evans? Oh, we tried that.
We even offered him Secretary of Commerce.
He turned it down.
Well What can I tell you? He's a motivated guy.
He's a sore-loser law unto himself.
Give me odds on the ruling.
60-40, us.
Nothing we can really do but hang tight.
Okay, thanks.
I guess.
(exhales) Go back to the breath.
(beeping) "Serenity," stream.
(new age music begins playing) (exhales) Nothing to be done.
Let the chips fall where they may.
(whispers): Breathe.
Chips fall What the hell? Who am I? Adele! Get me my file on Sam Evans.
It's time to take out the trash.
HENRY: What if we just buy the horse? Let her live at the farm? That way it's a purchase, not a bribe.
And that's legal, right? Yes, it is, and that was my first thought.
The horse costs $2 million.
Oh, my God.
Does it sing and dance? Besides, even buying it looks like I'm taking sides on the referendum.
I spent an hour on the phone with the Russian foreign minister, stepping out the consequences of interfering with the democratic process.
So I can't give them any ammunition.
To knock you off your high horse.
(chuckles) That was right there.
I had to, that was It's the only one you get.
Is Stevie at Jareth's? I haven't seen her around.
Yeah, she told us not to expect her.
Oh.
Think I could call and just check on her, make sure she got in okay? At her fiancé's place? Helicoptery, right? ALISON: Hey.
It took a while, but I found your dress.
Oh.
I saw it in French Vogue and the stylist finally tracked it down.
It's an Andre Devereaux, who is a totally cutting edge designer.
No one else will be wearing it.
Oh! That is really something, isn't it? - It is.
- ALISON: You love it, right? Oh.
I-I've never seen anything like it.
It's just every color.
Ooh! Want to try it on? Tomorrow, baby.
I-I'm so tired, and Yeah.
I'll have all of your accessories by then, anyways.
- Oh, there's more.
Just gonna - Love you.
- Good night.
- (Elizabeth exhales) I can't wear that, right? I don't think so.
Oh But she'll be so disappointed and Babe, this is not the lanyard she made for you in the second grade.
This is your dress for the inaugural ball.
You got to seem, uh you know sane.
Stop trying to figure out how to make it work.
Okay, then I'm calling Stevie.
(phone buzzes) Hello.
Hey, Mom! Wine.
Uh What's up? Oh I was just calling to see how your day was.
Are you at Jareth's? Not yet.
Um, we're just hanging out.
Uh, uh, actually, I need to get back to that.
- I-I'll call you later, okay? - (grunts) - But everything's fine.
- ELIZABETH: Good.
Okay.
Bye.
Okay.
We need to roll him on his side, - Yeah.
- so he doesn't choke on his own vomit.
- What? Uh, nothing.
Love you.
All good.
Bye.
I admire your discipline, Russell.
That is the saddest looking plate I've ever seen.
(chuckles) You know what? Turns out I like fish.
And kale.
Now I get what everybody's talking about.
What are you looking to sell me on tonight? 'Cause I'm not buying that lame cabinet post.
No, not a thing.
And the job offer's no longer on the table.
You looked that horse a little too long in the mouth.
See, the president doesn't know I'm here.
Neither does the secretary.
'Cause they're both more principled people than I am.
"In peace there is nothing so becomes a man "as modest stillness "and humility.
"But when the blast of war blows in our ears, then imitate the actions of the tiger.
" Henry V.
We, uh, got our hands on some oppo research that could have influenced the narrative of the election, and the president decided not to use it.
He still feels that way.
Even I had a moment on the high road, but it turns out, it's not really my thing.
'Cause I can't stand seeing good people being hurt because of unbridled greed and ambition.
So I want you to think about this, Governor.
Imagine if you held the country up in an elaborate legal proceeding, rattled their faith in the system, even got yourself in office, only for the voting public to discover that you withheld information pertinent to your competency to be president of the United States.
You're bluffing.
You're welcome to try me.
NEWSWOMAN: As the president and members of his administration prepare for the inauguration ceremony, we've just received confirmation that Governor Sam Evans has officially dropped his lawsuit against the state of Ohio.
EVANS: After much consideration and prayer, I've decided the best thing for this country is to move on.
Maintaining the Republic and focusing on my work in the great state of Pennsylvania is of far greater importance than continuing to fight this decision in court.
- I'll be taking no questions.
Thank you.
- (exhales) What do you know? Four Horsemen can't be far behind.
What are you doing? Oh! Oh, God.
Noodle, I'm so sorry.
I just I can't wear the dress that you picked out.
It's beautiful.
It works great on somebody else, but I just can't pull it off.
And so I went back into my closet and I-I found these two, just so much more me Oh, thank God.
What? I woke up in the middle of the night and I just totally started panicking.
It's the inaugural ball, not the VMAs.
Suddenly, I pictured you on some Worst Dressed list next to Miley Cyrus, and it would've been all my fault.
I'm just so happy that you're not upset.
It was sweet of you to trust me with such a big decision, I just I wasn't ready.
- Oh, well - For your inauguration? - (laughs) - I will be.
That's very funny.
In the meantime, Which one of these do you like? Uh the blue one.
That's exactly what I think.
The blue one.
(rumbling in distance) Mr.
Hobbs? Are you here? Jareth, wake up.
He's gone.
- What? - Mr.
Hobbs is gone.
- He's disappeared.
- All right, take it easy.
I can't! It's the day of the inauguration, and I have lost the poet laureate.
Russell is gonna die.
He could actually die.
Oh, my God.
- (door opens) - Good morning, children.
I've got cappuccinos all around.
Um Are you okay? Glorious.
Got down to business at the coffee shop, finished the poem.
I work better under pressure.
Cruller? Ooh.
HENRY: There he is.
- Bess.
- Congratulations.
- Henry.
- Mr.
President.
Well, that was a cinch, wasn't it? Getting here.
- Piece of cake.
- Like butter.
Barely felt it myself.
Henry.
A word? Warren Lee has agreed to help us break into the bomber's phone.
What'd you do? I told him about the system we use to develop assets.
MIC.
Money, ideology, coercion.
Actually, the system is MICE.
With an "E.
" The fourth approach is appealing to the asset's ego.
I failed to mention that when I told him he was our only hope.
(chuckling): Okay.
Mr.
President.
Congratulations, sir.
- Thank you, Nadine.
- Congratulations.
- Blake.
- Pardon me for interrupting, but there is news from Mongolia.
The referendum vote came in.
They voted to remain independent.
That's a good thing.
Now, about the horse.
Mandy.
Her name is Mandy.
We found a suitable home for Mandy.
Cuba has agreed to take her.
Their laws around importing livestock are still in a nascent stage.
At first, I worried the climate was too warm, but the vibe there is so great.
Well, that's a relief.
Thanks, guys.
Love it when it all works out.
What? The, uh, the Evans thing? No.
But since you brought it up Any idea what happened there? I guess the chips just fell our way, sir.
HOBBS: Sitting high above the Potomac swamp, in the long shadow of the spilt blood and dreams of the Founding Fathers and Founding Mothers, I can see more than the average man sees.
I imagine the cells, the nucleus of things.
I see colors that evolved to speak to the smallest of eyes.
Sacrifices that meet in this cataclysm of longing for what can and what can, overcoming what cannot.
In the majesty of the quantum world, in the beauty of building blocks, in the tiniest of elements, I glimpse the privilege of being.
This alertness does not subtract.
It adds.
It is not our inheritance merely to abide in this beautiful world.
It is our inheritance to understand it.
(applause)