Fake news. We see it every day in the tabloids and on websites that don’t follow the rules of good journalism. That and the current president is spewing his displeasure about it whenever he has the chance. In this week’s fourth season premiere of Madam Secretary, Elizabeth gets to experience fake news first hand.
Rogerio Bento, a diplomat from Timor-Leste, collapses to the floor dead at the United Nations General Assembly. When news of Bento’s death got around various media outlets and social media, Elizabeth got the brunt of it. Protestors gathered outside the news studio with signs and chanted “Murderer” over and over. It seems that mainstream media has become so desperate, they are willing to write and post anything. They should give a hard think about their responsibility to the public and know good journalism from bad. No self-respecting media outlet should put out a news article without gathering all the facts and check to see if they pan out. I applaud Elizabeth for trying to put out the fire before it gets worse.
In happier news, Alison McCord is leaving for college. Elizabeth felt guilty for most of the episode for not being able to send off her middle child to school. The secretary got a small reprieve when she showed up at Alison’s dorm room, surprising her with a dorm-warming gift. I felt a bit sorry for Henry when Elizabeth had to leave when students were taking pictures of her at the cafeteria. Then again, I’m sure that he’s used to it since his wife is one of the most influential women in the world.
We also see Dmitri back working for Henry again. I fear the young man’s addiction to painkillers might be an issue somewhere down the line. His sister Talia tried to make her brother do the right thing, but Dmitri wouldn’t hear of it. I hope that he can overcome this soon or else it’s both his and Henry’s heads on the chopping block.
Coming back to Elizabeth’s false news dilemma, the Secretary manages to ask her brother Will to run a blood test on the blood that splashed onto her blouse when Bento died. It turns out that an up-and-coming Mexican drug cartel orchestrated Bento’s death. They anonymously bought the atolls in the South China Sea to use as shipping bases, and they took the country of Timor-Leste by force. I had thought that President Da Silva had something to do with the death of his friend when he ordered the release of Bento’s body without an autopsy back to Timor-Leste. Then I realized that he too is under the control of the Colima Cartel.
The leader of the cartel is eventually arrested for the death of Mr. Bento, and Elizabeth is off the hook for now. She bumped into Chief Justice Wilbourne (special guest star Morgan Freeman) before speaking with Senator Carlos Morejon. The latter is still not a big fan of Elizabeth’s as he stated that if the secretary is responsible for Bento’s death, then Elizabeth is not worthy of being the Secretary of State. The senator then told Elizabeth that 12 percent of Americans think she is a murderer and he can work with that statistic and turn things in his favor. Senator Morejon? I officially hate you.
Side Notes:
Elizabeth McCord being a fan of Bed, Bath & Beyond. Never thought I’d see the day. At least she didn’t clean out the entire store buying all the necessities for Alison to bring to her new dorm.
Henry’s astonishment over women and their love for shoes amuses me greatly. Maybe he should count my shoes sometime lol.
Will’s relentless teasing about his sister’s guilt over not being able to take Alison to school is a tad uncalled for. That, and not remembering the time when Elizabeth took him to college. Dude, be kind to your sister!
I chuckled when Stevie and Jason ganged up on Alison over what they would do to her room when she’s away at school. I would love a pool table. Then again, I don’t think my room is big enough for one and I don’t play a lot. Just give me a large room filled with books and writing things and I’m good.
The scene where Alison’s roommate asked if a Marine is someone who trains dolphins made me a bit worried about the American education system. It’s hilarious, yes, but at the same time, they should know better. Or maybe there is a type of Marine that trains dolphins, I don’t know.
I also loved the scene where Nadine stood up for Elizabeth against Russell. Score one for Nadine Tolliver!
Photo via CBS
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