By Nicole Horton
“Madam Secretary” chronicles the personal and professional life of a maverick female Secretary of State, Elizabeth McCord, as she moves her family to D.C., pushes past office politics and looks to influence international diplomacy. Like many others, I thought that Téa Leoni (Tower Heist) was going give her best Hillary Clinton impression. In addition to her character’s ambition and assertive nature, she even had the blonde hair and quintessential pantsuit. However, Leoni gives a gripping performance and the script does not at all mirror Clinton’s days in office as Secretary of State.
“Madam Secretary” begins, at first inexplicably, in Syria where two teenage boys have been taken and jailed, one of them begging for someone to call the State Department. This impending international predicament is cut short as the viewers see Professor Elizabeth McCord on the way to visit her theology professor husband, Henry (Tim Daly, “Private Practice”), to tell him that she will be having dinner with her former CIA co-workers. With her husband and two teenagers, McCord now lives a “bucolic life,” as one of her friends says while at dinner.
However, they all receive a news alert that the previous Secretary of State has died in a plane crash, under seemingly questionable circumstances. The next day, McCord receives a visit from the president, who offers her the position and will not take “no” for an answer. The show fast-forwards two months and shows the McCords now residing in Washington, D.C. This marks the official beginning of the show.
McCord’s first major issue is “Operation Stupid Kids,” as the gruff Chief of Staff Russell Jackson, played by Bebe Neuwirth, refers to it. Viewers also meet the rest of the White House staff, including McCord’s speech writer and press coordinator, played respectively by Geoffrey Arend (“Garfunkel and Oats”) and Patina Miller (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1.) Her witty assistant, played by Jersey Boys’ Erich Bergen, is the only character that appears to serve as slight comedic relief in this serious, fast-paced TV show.
McCord must work to have her voice heard and make an impact rather than act as a mere figurehead. After a failed attempt, she appeals to the president to enable her to negotiate under the radar. In a ploy to stop the press from picking up the story, McCord takes Jackson’s advice and takes on a stylist. Her stylish public appearance makes headlines, which serves as social commentary about the warped focus of the news world.
As Madam Secretary navigates her first potential international crisis, it is apparent that she is a politician you will want to root for. Leoni makes her compellingly conflicted, as she is unsure if she is right for the job and whether this change was the right choice for her family.
Nevertheless, there are a few suggestions that would keep the audience’s attention and make it a must-watch. The pilot hints at future dramatic verbal spats between McCord and Jackson. It may not generate the high level of personal drama in the political world present in TV shows like “Scandal,” but these characters must interact more to advance the plot. In addition, there is the allusion of a conspiracy regarding the first secretary of state’s death, spurred by a warning from a former CIA colleague. Finally, achieving a balance in tone and plot movement would be beneficial — the show’s opening five to seven minutes have a jarring shift from harsh realism in Syria to the McCords going on a stroll and engaging in light banter during dinner.
On Tuesday, Sept. 23, Fordham students were surprised to see “Madam Secretary” filming on campus. The path between Keating and John Mulcahy Hall was taken over by the crew, in addition to the third floor of Duane. A number of TV shows and movies film on campus during the summer or breaks during the academic year, so many students were excited to get a glimpse.
Nicole Horton is the Culture Editor for The Fordham Ram.
