Madam Secretary Review: Jibral Disah is finally killed and Dmitri is alive?!

*In the tune of a song from The Wizard of Oz* Ding dong, the Wizard’s dead! Which old Wiz? The Wicked Wiz! Ding dong, the wicked Wiz, is dead! Sorry, I just had to go there. I’m sure that you can tell from my short musical number that the Hizb al-Shahid leader Jibral Disah has finally been taken down in this week’s episode of Madam Secretary.

I was as nervous as Elizabeth as she tried to concentrate on her job and the safety of Henry and the rest of the Murphy Station team. Yes, I know full well that Henry’s not going to die, but once you’re in the moment, you can’t help but feel a sense of nervousness and a tinge of fear. I’m a fiction writer (well, an aspiring one), it’s in my nature. I was relieved to see Henry and his fellow team members make it back home safely towards the end of the episode. Get ready to be a couch potato for a few days, Dr. McCord! Don’t forget burgers and bowling!

The scene where Walter told Jay that nuclear bombs don’t come with big red buttons or a plunger with wires that you can push down because they’re not made by the Acme Company made me laugh. I adore these subtle references that the show makes. It just makes my night. I also liked the part where Jose said, “I can feel the Dark Side of the Force.” Way to work in a Star Wars reference, Madam Secretary writers!

As I watched the scene where Jose told Henry to give him his last rites, it was a bit ironic that Henry of all people would forget how to recite said rites. The guy studies religion quotes philosophers and religious figures for goodness sake! He should know the whole last rites thing by heart! At least Jose was able to get medical attention after the shopkeeper came back with a doctor, so no last rites needed.

This episode got off track just a little bit with the Alison field trip thing, but it didn’t derail the entire episode, so it’s all good. Well, aside from Elizabeth jumping to conclusions and started ranting at Dean Ward. When the Secretary of State found out the truth about the whole “settled issue” predicament, I can practically see the brief awkward tension that followed. I’ll just chalk this one up as sleep-deprived, brain can’t fully function.

The part that shocked me the most while watching this episode was that while Elizabeth was trying to convince the Russian Foreign Minister to release Dmitri’s sister Talia from prison, the latter informed Elizabeth that Dmitri is still alive and well. We were led to believe that Dmitri had been captured by the Russians and is killed for being an American spy. It would be intriguing, to say the least, to see how Henry would react to the news. No doubt that he will be elated as well as confused. Hopefully, Elizabeth can arrange the release of both Dmitri and Talia, though I have a feeling that it’s not going to be an easy task. Then again, nothing the Secretary of State does is ever easy.

Photo via CBS