Tonight on CBS Madam Secretary airs with an all new Sunday January 11, season 1 episode 13 called, “Chains of Command” and we have your weekly recap below. On tonight’s episode, Henry’s [Tim Daly] father arrives for a visit; at the same time, Elizabeth [Tea Leoni] pushes to prosecute a Bahraini diplomat after he is caught holding a maid hostage in his home.
On the last episode, when a Texas state trooper was killed by a Mexican cartel smuggler, Elizabeth arranged an extradition deal before going on vacation to celebrate her 25th wedding anniversary in New York City. However, when political issues arose around the case, she was forced to cut their trip short. Also, Elizabeth’s son injured himself while Blake was watching him. Did you watch the last episode? If you missed it, we have a full and detailed recap right here for you.
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The police follow up on a robbery at an upscale home. They find a woman behind a locked door. The owners come home and they ask why they had this woman prisoner. The man says he’s a Bahraini diplomat and demands immunity. Henry finds hooch she bought for his dad’s visit. Bess says it was on his list of groceries. Henry can’t believe his dad gave them just two days notice then sent a list of demands. He says his dad is up to something but she says the kids really like him.
He reminds her that his dad treats her worse than anything but she says she’s just glad his visit is bringing Stevie home. She says Stevie thinks she’s evil then takes a call about the Bahrain thing. She tells Henry she has to go. Nadine and Daisy tell her the Hassanis had their Indonesian maid locked up in a closet for years after they stole her passport. Blake says Hassani is claiming immunity but she says he doesn’t rank high enough for immunity.
Nadine says it’s case by case and it’s an unwritten rule. Bess says she’s unwriting it since he was keeping a slave. Bahrain is tricky since they need a base they have there. She says to revoke their immunity and tell Daisy to visit with the women and let her know they’ll take care of her. She says to put DOJ on alert to prosecute and she says to put people on the Bahrain embassy to pick them up if they move since they’re holed up there.
Nadine calls for Agent Vasquez and then notices something in her portfolio. She looks around for something and can’t find it. She tells her to send a detail to the embassy. Henry’s dad tells the kids that people were once so poor they fed their kids boot leather. He says he was fed a boot. The kids are eating it up and Henry says he’s been holding court for an hour. He then talks up Roosevelt’s plan to help them. Bess comes in and he greets her.
He says they have a nice place but says it’s pretty fancy for a civil servant. Stevie says she’s only there to see Grandpa and Bess says – of course. Pat brings in dishes and she tells him the kids can do it. He asks her about the free trade negotiations and then asks her to pull some strings to get him in the game. He says he’s a union rep and has to get them heard. He tells her that he got a meeting with Reagan’s secretary of labor by finding out where he got his shoes shined then stalked him.
Pay says of course he’d ask his daughter in law to help him out. Henry says – of course he would. Pat asks what’s up with Henry and Bess says she’ll see what she can do. Bess says Henry she likes the shoe shine story and tells him to breathe and says his dad won’t be there long. Bess looks at the photo of Kemela and the boiler room she was locked in. The agent says they have a warrant but can’t get the Hassanis as long as they are in the Embassy.
She calls in Matt and asks him to write an immunity waiver request. She asks Daisy to write a story to expose it. Nadine says a private jet has been booked to Qatar and they don’t have extradition. Blake says an SUV pulled out of the Embassy and Bess says to pick them up. Nadine says to take caution because of the military base deal but Bess says she’ll take her chances. The cops close in on the SUV and put the Hassanis under arrest for human trafficking and false imprisonment.
Jay says the Hassanis were strip searched which is standard intake procedure. Jay says Bahrain will take is as an affront. Bess says the Hassanis should have take that into consideration before they held someone prisoner. Nadine says Prince Yousif has been dispatched to deal with them on this issue. She says she can deal with this but Jay says he’s used to getting his way. Bess says he’s extremely ticklish and they wonder how detailed the CIA briefings are.
Nadine says a pen was stolen from her desk by one of them she presumes. Matt asks how she knows she didn’t lose it and she says she didn’t and she knows. She says it was taken and Jay asks the significance. She says it needs to be on her desk by 3 pm and no questions will be asked. Admiral Hill comes by to ask them to release the Hassani. She says no. She says their base in Manama is critical and Bess says she understands all that.
Hill says she’s flushing it down the drain. Bess says human rights have no price. She says she’ll notify the president if she presses on. Bess says she hopes it doesn’t come to that but says she’ll see here in the oval if it does. Stevie is trying to help Pat prep for a meeting but the website she’s trying to access is blocked by her mom’s aggressive firewall. He asks what’s going on between she and her mom. She says they have philosophical differences and he applauds her for standing up.
She says she’s screwed up her job prospects by taking a stand. He says he didn’t go to college and she asks if he can get her a job in the DC union office. The prince shows up and immediately tells her they can’t abide by it. She laughs and runs to hug him. She tells Blake they went to boarding school together. He laughs and they talk about their plans to change the world. She says Stevie was little the last time they saw each other.
He says he needs her to release them and give them immunity. She says she can’t since they didn’t qualify. He says they can’t be treated like common criminals and she says they are bad. She says it’s a human rights abuse and says they broke more than half a dozen laws there. He says some of their people in Bahrain could be harassed. She asks if it’s him talking or his father. She says he railed against his dad and says to stand up to him and make him take the immunity waiver.
He agrees to talk to his father and she says she knows it’s not easy. She asks how he is and he says he’s old, sick and near the end of his life. She asks him to come over for dinner and says no shop talk. Bess goes to see Kemela at the hospital and Daisy says the woman is terrified. Bess tells her they’re doing everything they can to see the Hassanis face justice. She asks how the Hassanis are and when she can work again.
Bess says she talked to Prince Yousif about her and she asks why. Bess says he’s concerned about her too and wishes her well. She says she likes him and he’s a good man. Bess finds out the extent of the charges and that it well send the people to prison for 10-20 years after the waiver. Nadine says the Bahrainis promoted Hassani to a level that automatically gets him immunity. Bess says that ties her hands and she’ll have to send him home.
Stevie lets Yousif into the house and Bess sends her away. Yousif says she looks a lot like Bess did in high school. Bess pulls him into a room and raves about having to let the Hassanis go. He says his father’s regime is shaky and that he couldn’t do it. He says he argued for a trial in America but says his father’s rival are at his dad’s deathbed are waiting for him to show weakness. She reminds him of all his ideals and he says they’re not 17 any more. He says many people hate him for his Western education.
He says he will change things when he becomes king but he has to become king. She asks for his word that the Hassanis will stand trial in Bahrain but he looks away. They introduce Yousif to Pat and the other kids. Jason asks Yousif about his palace and how many bathrooms it has. He says it’s not enough for his mother in law. Pat takes issue with Yousif and says his wealth is built on the backs of the poor and oppressed.
Stevie asks Bess how she can be friends with someone who supports human trafficking. The younger kids take up for their mom and Henry finally breaks it up and tells his father and the kids not another word about this. Stevie says she’s applying for a union organizing job with grandpa. He calls her a chip of the old block. Bess tells Yousif she’s sorry he’s leaving but not sorry about what she says. She apologizes for Pat and she says maybe it’s not just the young that should push boundaries.
She reminds him of something he said the night they graduated that inspired her to think that anything is possible. He laughs and takes her hand. He thanks her for dinner and leaves. She heads upstairs. Next day, Stevie goes to the union office to ask about a job. She says she probably should have let her grandfather call and she says Patrick McCord is his name. The woman checks the roster and says he’s not on the board at all.
She hands Stevie the number to the Pittsburgh office in case she wants to check for herself. Some school kids come to meet Bess – they are the winners of an essay contest. She hands them certificates and takes photos with them. Her pens runs out of ink and Bess pulls one out of her desk. It’s a NASA pen and she gives it to the last child. Pat rants to Henry about the meeting that was no good and says Bess stuck him with someone that was a nobody.
He says she’s friends with a slave owning prince. Stevie comes in crying and says at least her mom isn’t a liar. She tells him he’s not on the union board and hasn’t been for five years. Stevie asked what his plan was and says he got her hopes up when he couldn’t do anything. Pat says he doesn’t have to answer to her or anyone and stomps out. Bess apologizes to Kemela for having to let the Hassanis go but says the Prince got reparations on her behalf.
Bess offers her asylum in the US. Daisy says she can start over. Kemela says there is no work in Indonesia. She says Hassani’s brother talked to her and offered her a job in Bahrain. She asks if she can go and Bess has to say yes. Jay calls them in to see Yousif’s speech about him prosecuting the Hassanis for human trafficking. Jay asks if her dinner had some effect and she says her pot roast is good. She walks out but then they hear gunshots and see that Yousif was shot at the end of his speech.
Later, Nadine comes to see her. She says the funeral is tomorrow and she’ll have to fly out tonight to make it. They tell her that the text of his speech was leaked and the opposition rebels killed him. Daisy says she’d have to stay with the women at the back of the mosque behind a curtain. Daisy says it would make her look weak but she also can’t go at all. Nadine says the base is still an issue. She says the Bahrainis are holding up supply shipments to the base.
Henry asks his dad why he lied about being on the union board. Pat says he was kicked off the board and is old and irrelevant. He says Henry has his own fancy life to worry about. Henry says he made an impression on him about hard work. Pat says to tell Stevie to watch her attitude and Henry tells his dad he’s still someone to look up to. Pat says he’s leaving and will take the bus. He says he won’t let Henry buy him a plane ticket just cause he’s a poor old man.
Bess comes home and calls out hello. Alison tells her she’s so sorry about Yousif and Jason says it’s weird that he’s dead. Bess talks to Henry about going and not going to the funeral. He says she can honor Yousif even if she decides not to go. He quotes Mohammed to substantiate it. He tells her to forget all the arguments and asks what’s in her heart. She says he was her friend and wants to go but says that puts her personal feelings above her job.
She says she encouraged Yousif to come out and take this stance. He says she pushed him to do the right thing and she says that’s why he’s dead now. She says she has to pick between her country and friend in the next hour. Matt, Daisy, Jay and Blake pace wondering what Bess is going to do. Nadine comes in and says Bess is going to Bahrain alone. She is taken to have a few moments alone with King Naheen before the funeral.
She tells him she’s sorry for his loss. She says she’s not there in an official capacity. She says today she’s just Lizzie and he says yes, Yousif’s friend that he talked about. He asks her to sit and she tells him she cared deeply for his son. She cried and he asks how it came to this. He says Yousif was always trying to convince him of something, always an argument. Bess says she’d give anything to argue with him again and his father says he feels the same way.
Nadine is at her desk when Glenn comes in – she says she wasn’t expecting him until tonight. She closes her blinds and says she lost the pen. She says she’s so sorry. He tells her he has 50 more at work and tells her not to worry. He promises to bring her another tonight. She says she has something to tell him and he asks what. She says for the last six years she was in a relationship with a married man and is very ashamed of herself. He thanks her for sharing that.
Glenn says he doesn’t care and says they’re both grownups. He says he has baggage too. He says he’s not used to being in a relationship either and says he forgets things close up on earth because he’s focused on things far away. He kisses her and it throws a silhouette on the blinds that Blake sees. He says he won’t tell anyone but she says to tell anyone he wants. Bess gets back and she tells them she’s glad she went. Admiral Hill asked to see her.
She comes in and finds Bess napping on her sofa. She says she learned that Prince Yousif was her friend. She says her fellow chiefs thought it was a bad idea that she go to the funeral. Hill sits and says she’s sat at the back of meetings where her ideas were taken credit for. She tells Bess whatever she did there worked and says the Bahrainis are letting the shipments go through. Hill says has to speak for all the chiefs and sometimes it doesn’t come out well.
Bess says she likes this tone and they share a laugh. Bess comes home early from work and Henry says he saw part of the funeral on TV. She says Yousif’s dad was very sad and thinks she did the right thing. Stevie is there and says she watched the funeral. She says her friend Hannah was impressed and she was proud of her for not going. Stevie says she sees she needs to stop defining her mom by her worst moments and respect her for everything else.
Stevie then asks if she can move back home for a while. She says Hannah’s couch is lumpy. Bess says that’s cool and hugs her daughter. Henry smiles.
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