All language subtitles for Madam Secretary - 04x12 - Sound and Fury.HDTV.LOL.English.C.updated.Addic7ed.com

...with Minister Ognian, followed by...

Ognian?

- New finance minister.
- Ah, right.

Then your monthly
ambassador's roundtable

with local NGO leaders at 10:00.

Cool. Who we got this month?

What the hell?

Out, out, everybody out!

Let's go!

Clear the floor!

Now!

I can't feel my ears.

Maybe you should've worn a hat.

I can't, I'm wearing fancy hair.

Men never get that.

Listen, I really want
to hold onto my gloves.

But is that tacky?

Uh, hey, we have had
colder weather than this.

I don't know...

When? Henry, it is two degrees.

Two.

It's not enough degrees
for a basketball team.

Boot camp, Lake County, Illinois.

T-That December, it was
consistently in the negatives.

You don't remember that?

It's all a blur of newlywed bliss.

Oh.

Bet Prime Minister
Soeda is pining away

for the balmy shores
of Tokyo right now.

Hope it doesn't damage
our relationship.

Oh, I'm sure Conrad will ply him

with the finest American spirits.

Nothing to warm you up like a dose

of Thomas Jefferson's Reserve.

Madam Secretary.

Kat. Oh, man, I wished
I'd held onto my coat.

Have you met my husband, Henry?

No. I've heard so much about you.

- It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. McCord.
- You, too, Kat.

Uh, ma'am, our embassy in Bulgaria

is reporting some kind of... attack.

What do you mean?

A military attack?

We're not sure where it's coming from.

What kind of weaponry?

Sound.

Thank you, Lucy.

A sonic attack.

Really?

That's what it sounds like, sir.

I... so to speak.

Sounds more like something
out of Star Trek.

It's the Russians, isn't it?

Where's Ephraim?

On his way, sir.

I'm not aware of any
evidence pointing to Russia.

But I did just speak

with Ambassador Williams.

And? How is he?

Rattled, but hanging in there.

About 20 FSOs are being
treated for hearing loss,

headache, nausea.

Embassy security is getting
into it with Bulgaria's SIA,

but to be clear, we still don't know

whether this was an attack,
or something else.

Like what?

- Ephraim Ware, sir.
- Get him in here.

It's the Russians, isn't it?

Actually, sir, yes,
it looks like it is.

SIA is reporting that just
prior to the incident,

three men broke into
an office building

with direct line of
sight to our embassy.

Which is what you'd need

for a sonic weapon, I presume.

Facial recognition identified

one of the men as Yuri Sturble,

a Russian national.

So much for "something else."

Where are these men now?

Unknown. But we're working

with the Bulgarians to track them.

It's practically an act of war.

Top Russian brass certainly grumbled

after we thwarted their
invasion in Emona,

then added that new
wing onto the embassy

as a victory lap, but I-I...

Now they're hitting back.

I'm putting Special
Activities Division

in charge of the investigation.

Dr. McCord is already being briefed.

Fine, but I want the Pentagon
working on countermeasures now.

Well, I suppose we should go and greet

Prime Minister Soeda and smile

like we're not careening
toward the abyss.

Lydia wouldn't have it any other way.

You look quite fetching,
by the way, Bess.

Oh.

Thank you, sir.

Mr. President?

What about the attack on
our embassy in Bulgaria?

Was it Russia?

I will tell you this:

if we confirm

that Russia is behind it,

they are going to feel the
overwhelming force and ferocity

of our military might.

Are you threatening

a nuclear attack, Mr. President?

That's it.

Thanks, everyone.

Mr. President, I have to ask,

what did you have in mind
with that statement?

We're putting the Russians on notice.

It's called leading from strength.

Okay. And did you vet it

with the secretary of defense
or anyone on the NSC?

Relax, Russell.

As the top of the food
chain around here,

I don't have to check with anyone

before warning an adversary.

Due respect, sir, actually, you do.

Excuse me?

Mr. President, I-I...

I know I don't need to explain

why it's dangerous to
improvise foreign policy,

especially with threats.

That's right, you don't.

Lydia.

Just, uh...

call the Russian foreign minister.

Cool things down.

Yeah, that'll be easy.

He just threatened
"ferocity and might"?

What the hell?

I have no idea.

Is it Harrison?

He-he gets this way

with Harrison, but he doesn't usually

take it out on our
nuclear adversaries.

Hopefully, he'll sleep it off.

For now, let's just...
contain the damage.

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Oh!

Wow.

Isn't the heat working?

It's on, it's just taking
a second to kick in.

We closed the vents in here to
make it warmer in your office.

Then let's go directly there.

- Okay, good.
- Great.

Ma'am, Jay has Chloe tonight,
so he's monitoring

the situation from home.

Understood.

And where are we on the situation?

I have set up an emergency call
with Foreign Minister Avdonin.

Who is standing by to teach
us an advanced course

in Russian expletives,

if his preliminary e-mail
is any indication.

I saw it. Some of the phrases
were pretty imaginative.

- Yeah.
- Ma'am, I hate to ask,

but what's going on
with the president?

Look, let's just focus on
containing the damage.

- Okay?
- Okay, ma'am.

Yes, ma'am.

I suppose the challenge
in this call with Avdonin

is to walk the delicate line

of not undermining the
president's position

while assuring Russia there
are no immediate plans

to respond to the Sofia
situation with force.

Piece of cake.

No immediate plans? Really?

Well, that just makes it
all better, doesn't it?

Minister Avdonin...

I have been in President
Salnikov's office

for the last hour, and trust me,

he's not happy.

He makes me look like the picture

- of peace and solitude.
- And that's why

you and I need to tamp things down.

Tamp?

Your president is the only one

who needs to tamp, Madam Secretary.

In fact, he should apologize publicly

for his spectacularly
over-the-top, barbaric,

asinine, outrageous threat
against the Russian people.

Why don't you and I focus
on what we can actually do?

I can't wait to hear
what you have in mind.

You say you didn't attack us.

We know for a fact that
one of your citizens

was seen in position to strike
our embassy before the incident.

Let us talk to him.

That's your idea

of something we can actually do?

If it wasn't an attack, then you
have nothing to worry about.

Us, worry?

President Dalton

threatened Russia on the world stage.

No. You worry.

We will not let this
affront go unanswered.

So much for containment.

Good night, Geri. Good night.

Hey.

- Oh.
- You're still up?

Yeah, I was, I was
trying to get a jump

on this Intel on the ground in Sofia.

- Any luck?
- Well, it's mostly conflicting reports

and speculation at this point.

How did things go with Avdonin?

Not in a good place yet.

What on earth possessed Conrad?

It's so unlike him.

I tried calling Lydia,

but she didn't pick up.

Maybe something with Harrison.

That usually sets him off.

I'm hoping he turns
on the charm tomorrow

and buys it all back, and then

this will have just been a very
strange, very cold evening.

And right now, I am going

to go take a very hot bath.

For about two and a half hours.

Well, that sounds good.

That doesn't sound good.

- Oh!
- Oh, gosh.

No, no, no, no. Oh, no.

Mom? Dad? What?

What is happening? What on earth?

It sounded like the world was ending.

It's just a broken pipe, calm down.

Really? You were the first
one to say "giant sinkhole."

That could still happen.

Is there something that we can do?

I don't even know what's down here.

Look at that box.

Ugh. Got even worse news.

- There goes your hot bath.
- What?

I had to turn off the main.

I hate this night.

Let's go, come on.

- Isn't there supposed to be a drain?
- Call the plumber. Plumber, plumber.

When it gets this cold,
you got to run the water through

as a preventative measure.

Why?

'Cause if you let it just sit
there, it freezes, expands.

The pipes burst.

Did you run the water through?

Let me answer that for you,

because I wouldn't be here if
you ran the water through.

We ran the water in the morning.
We were only gone for the day.

Yeah, well, that's all it
takes in weather like this.

Well, I was about to

draw a bath when it happened...

The point here isn't to be right.

The point here is to learn
from your mistakes.

Well, thank you, Earl.

This is a terrific
opportunity for growth.

Ooh, hey.

Looks like you guys

found the fishing gear.

Yeah, it was on the top shelf.

Most of the boxes look like this.

- Ugh.
- Or worse.

We're setting up Operation
Dig Through in the kitchen.

I-It's probably just old linens

and stuff we don't care about, right?

We'll see.

Pretty expensive lesson, am I right?

Wow.

Ooh.

See, it's easy to forget
about the foundations.

You live in the bright,

shiny spaces where everything works,

but you let yourselves forget
about structural integrity.

The sanctity of the pipes.

Everything inside the walls
that makes it all work.

Houses are built from the ground up.

Remember that.

Okay. I consider myself

a relatively progressive,
enlightened man...

You want to punch Earl.

- So much.
- I know.

I get it.

Okay.

Hello.

Russia just announced an $8
billion arms sale to Iran.

Okay. Not too bad, considering.

The release says it's

to "counteract imperialist
Western influence."

Has a sort of autocratic charm.

They know it's not in their
interest to amp up aggressions.

So it's a measured response.

Then you should tell POTUS that.

He wants you in the Situation Room.

Morning. You got something?

We lost Yuri Sturble.

He was over the Romanian
border less than two hours

after the incident,
along with the two other men.

It's all on border security footage.

SRI is into it, but we're not hopeful.

What about our foreign
service officers?

Still being treated for hearing loss

and severe headaches.

Some are having prolonged bouts
of dizziness and nausea.

And that's consistent
with a sonic attack?

Still, the case against Russia
is completely circumstantial.

But the president must
know something, right?

"Overwhelming force and veracity
of our military might".

He must have some broader strategy.

The president is counting
on us to provide clarity.

Let's broaden all our inquiries.

Okay.

What the hell took you so long?

Excuse me?

Sorry. The stress of wrangling

the most powerful man on Earth.

What now?

He's talking about shooting down

- Russian military satellites.
- What?!

At least he wants to hear from the NSC

before giving the order.

Oh, he'll hear from us.

Any word from Harrison?

Yeah, I just talked to him.

Chewed my ear off about his blog,

the whole juicing versus regular
juicing or whatever the hell.

He's not the problem.

What about Lydia?

She's not returning my calls.

Yeah, she's been dodging me, too.

What is happening?

I suggest either targeted
economic sanctions

or the expulsion of diplomats.

Same old dance.

It's a proportional response, sir.

That's exactly my problem with it.

I agree with Ellen, sir.

We're talking about a
response to an arms deal.

Do you really have any doubt
about the sonic attack

- on our embassy?
- Yes.

It's still being investigated.

That leaves you, Gordon.

I'm with Ellen and the
secretary on this, sir.

Although I might also advocate

for the seizure of Russian property

- on our soil.
- None of which will teach

Salnikov and his comrades a lesson.

How many

Oko missile detection
satellites do they have?

Five, sir.

Take 'em out.

All of 'em. Thanks, everyone.

Conrad, that's a massive
escalation without

- We're done here, Bess.
- definitive proof that Russia is beh...

Mr. President, I strongly
advise against this order.

I already heard your recommendation.

Sir, I cannot in good
conscience carry it out.

What makes you think I give a crap

about your conscience, Gordon?

I will not obey the order, sir.

Then I'll expect your resignation.

- Mr. President.
- Sir.

- Yes, sir.
- In the meantime,

you're fired.

Deputy Secretary Holland,
congratulations.

You are now acting
secretary of defense.

Do you understand my order?

Yes, Mr. President.

Mr. President, I have to tell you,

I, uh, I agree with Gordon.

- Noted.
- I think we should...

Conrad, can we just talk about this?

We just did.

But striking Russia when we...

- I'm standing up to them.
- No, thi-this isn't like you,

ignoring your entire
National Security Council,

escalating before we
have all the facts.

Enough.

This is our policy now.

You and the rest of the
NSC need to get on board

or get out of the way.

What's going on?

You have always insisted
that I speak my mind.

Well, I might have to
rethink that policy, too.

Conrad.

Let's stick with Mr. President, hmm?

Dr. McCord, we have Agent
Montgomery on SVTC.

You're gonna want to hear this.

Nicole, I understand
you found a recording.

Yeah, it matches the timing exactly.

And several FSOs confirmed
it's what they heard.

You buried the lede.
Tell him how you got it.

The, uh, embassy has a Diplotots
day care on the first floor

with a nanny cam
recording all the fun.

I've always questioned the
civil rights implications

of those things, but I'll take it.

Okay, let's hear it.

It's pretty faint.

We're sending it over to the FBI lab.

If it's a sonic weapon, they'll know.

Maybe they can also

reverse-engineer the signal.

That way we'll know if it's
Russian tech or something else.

I'll make the request.

Are they here?

Does anyone know you're here?

Uh, no. I mean, my husband, but...

I didn't tell my wife.

If this goes sideways, I don't
want her to have to lawyer up.

I'd rather be eaten by
lawyers than do this,

but we should get started.

The president, who I would normally

walk through the gates of hell for,

has issued an order that,
for the good of the country,

cannot be executed.

We are the firewall between that order

and the nightmare it could unleash.

Inspiring words, Russell,

but I'm the one who's on the hook.

A pact among all of us.

- A suicide pact.
- Call it whatever you want.

We all threaten to quit
if it comes to that,

except Gordon.

First unto the breach.

Look, even in his current state,

I believe the president would realize

he couldn't afford to lose

all four of us, especially
with news not breaking yet

of Gordon's firing.

All of that coming out at once

would create a political firestorm,

could lead to a constitutional
crisis, God knows what.

Maybe I should just refuse
the order outright,

like Gordon.

And take our chances on Sorenson?

You took your chances on me.

I tried to shock POTUS
into changing his mind.

Now we're in a different situation.

I see. So, you're honorable
and I'm the traitor?

Oh, please. Come on.

Look, I'm sorry.

I just... I-I never considered

shirking an order from
the president before.

You know, I already
have stomach issues.

I know it's a lot to ask, Bob,

but what's the alternative?

To follow orders.

You know, maybe POTUS is right.

Maybe we need to push
back on Salnikov.

You really want to risk
striking a country

with 1,500 nuclear-armed ICBMs

on a hair-trigger?

Do you really want to risk
a constitutional crisis?

Look, there is a reason
the chain of command

begins with civilians.

And it follows the
Constitution's empowerment

of civilians over the military

because we exercise judgment
before just following orders.

I've read the Constitution,
Madam Secretary.

And it doesn't spell out any of that,

but it does say that the president

is the commander in chief.

Okay, okay.

How long do we have

until our missiles are
ready to be fired?

Our sea-based interceptors

have to move to AOR for launch,

and that'll take at
least another 15 hours.

Then STRATCOM has to
calibrate targeting.

- We have 24 hours.
- Good.

Maybe by then we'll have something

that'll make POTUS reconsider.

If not,

I mean, is there any way
to slow-play the order?

Hold it up somehow?

You could jam up STRATCOM.

Order a review of the
launch trajectory.

This is a coup.

What we're talking about is a coup.

I realize we're painting
outside the lines here,

but the framers never contemplated

that an elected president
wouldn't be reasonable.

We're doing the best we can.

What about the 25th Amendment?

- We're not there yet.
- Well, what are we waiting for?

- The clock to run out.
- And then what?

Then we'll do what we have to.

All right? Just...

let's just see what
the next day brings.

Okay.

But I'm not making any promises.

Gross.

How is Operation Dig Through going?

Oh, you know, it's your basic, weird,

soggy journey through the past.

Oh, did anything survive?

Uh, yeah. It's mostly junk, though.

It's baby stuff that Mom was saving.

It's not junk to her.

Sentimentality is the superstructure

erected upon brutality.

Way to plagiarize Jung.

Uh, it's still true.

Oh, no.

Looks like your formative
years took a hit.

- Oh, no.
- Oh, my God.

Oh, you can kind of make
out some of the stuff.

Here, let's see.

"Stevie spits up".

No. "Sits up". Sits up.

"Stevie..".

- What is that?
- Uh... "Sees herself in mirror."

- And never stops.
- Hey.

My book is pretty messed up, too.

And, wow, there's a
lot of blank pages.

And after my first step there's
nothing until preschool.

Jason's looks in
pretty good condition.

Uh, yeah, because it was never
taken out of its shrink-wrap.

That can't be true.

Great.

Great. I'll just...

let the documented
ones finish up here.

What, so now sentimentality is okay?

No.

That's not nostalgia, that's history.

And apparently mine isn't important.

Jace.

Thank you, Mrs. Dalton.

Elizabeth, what a nice surprise.

I didn't see your name
on the guest list.

It isn't.

I'm not allowed to participate
in political fund-raisers,

even though I'm a fan
of Senator Giminski.

No, I just am shamelessly crashing

to get a moment with you.

You know this is putting
me in an awkward position.

You know I wouldn't if it
weren't extremely important.

So, you want to know what's
going on with Conrad

because he's finally reached
his limit with an adversary

who has behaved
consistently abominably

under his administration.

Conrad's behavior is out of character.

It is extreme.

You know him almost as well as I do.

It takes a lot to get him angry,

but once he gets there...

everyone needs to take a step back.

Lydia, Russia isn't going
to take a step back.

And the Conrad I've known

for over two decades

would be well aware of that.

- You need to talk to him.
- I've tried.

That's why I'm here.

I need to know if you're aware
of any changes in his health.

He has a physical quarterly.

There's never anything wrong.

I think your worrying

is out of proportion.

At the risk of breaching protocol,

I am gonna tell you something.

Conrad has ordered a missile strike

against Russia's satellite system.

It could easily lead to war.

Every member of the NSC

has advised against it.

Gordon Becker was so opposed,

he refused a direct order.

So Conrad fired him,
and he wants to do it anyway.

You tell me,

does that sound like the man we know?

Hey.

Should I even ask how your day was?

Well...

the Constitution is
still intact for now.

You?

Oh, I was hoping these FBI analysts

could make some progress overnight,

so we could get some answers
about what happened in Sofia.

Maybe even something that'll
help talk Conrad off the ledge.

He hasn't backed off
this satellite strike?

I don't know how long we can
keep the acting SecDef in line.

And I don't blame him for wavering.

We're asking him to do
something unprecedented.

Well, at the end of the day,
I guess the best we can hope for

is that he follows his conscience.

Even if his conscience

is telling him to defy a
direct order from POTUS?

I think reptile brain wins that one.

We have the best system of government

the world has ever seen,

but it's only as good as
the people in charge.

Gosh, that's reassuring.

Sorry.

I'm no Earl.

Morning, sir.

Morning, Mr. President, Russell.

Let's hear it. What did you find?

The FBI lab has determined
that the sonic event

at our embassy in Sofia
was not an attack.

Then what the hell was it?

There's high confidence
that the sound was caused

by a Russian listening device

pointed at the embassy that interacted

with the fourth floor's
encryption frequency.

- So their frequencies crossed?
- Basically.

Creating a beating effect.

So how does that account
for our people's injuries?

Well, the noise would produce

headaches and temporary hearing loss.

The bottom line is,

there was no attack,

just a thwarted spying effort.

So we're supposed to believe
it's just a coincidence

that when the Russians
spied on us, suddenly,

our FSOs became ill?

That's right.

All our top FBI sound
engineers concur.

There was no Russian attack.

I heard you the first time.

Thank you, Henry. Ephraim.

Yes, sir.

You bet, Mr. President.

So that changes things.

- Like what?
- The satellite attack.

- It's unwarranted now that we...
- No.

We are not backing down now.

It's not backing down if
Russia never attacked us

- in the first place, sir.
- So you're okay with them spying on us?

I seem to remember you running

the biggest spy agency on Earth.

No one ever declared war on us

when they found out
we were listening in.

Because they knew what the
consequences would be.

Sir, I think the secretary

is just pointing out that
given what we now know...

I know exactly

what she's doing, Russell.

And you, too. And I'm sick of it.

I'm the damn president!

And my authority will
not be questioned,

do you understand?

Conrad, can you hear yourself?

What's next, Russell?

Uh...

Meeting with the House
Ways and Means Committee

in the Roosevelt Room.

Mr. President, you're not well.

Really?

Hmm.

And what exactly do you
think is wrong with me?

I don't know,

but you need to be
examined by a doctor

to find out.

You've been talking to
Lydia, haven't you?

Yes. I'm concerned about you.

We all are, sir.

I am trying to show

Salnikov and Russia that I
will not be trifled with.

That when I make a threat,
I carry through on it.

And I don't give a crap
if you or anyone agrees

because I am the most
powerful man on Earth,

and no one is going to stop me!

Okay.

We all know why we're here.

Conrad Dalton...

is the finest public
servant I've ever known.

He's thoughtful,
compassionate, courageous,

the best damn listener
in a town full of people

who love to hear themselves talk.

In short, he's a good man

and a patriot.

And I, like many of you in this
room, owe my career to him.

But the man who publicly
threatened to unleash

the overwhelming force of
America's military might,

and stands by his order to
strike Russia's satellites,

despite conclusive evidence

that the Russians did not attack us,

is not the same man.

Something's wrong.

Without a diagnosis,
we don't know what.

But I think the Conrad
Dalton we all know

would want us to stop him.

I've talked to White House Counsel

and the attorney general,

and though there is a "fog of law".

Surrounding Section 4
of the 25th Amendment,

because it's never been
invoked, they assured me

that if the heads of the
executive departments

plus the vice president

vote by simple majority,

the president will be
removed from office,

and Vice President Hurst

will become the acting president.

Acting secretaries can't vote,
so that eliminates Bob here.

Leaving 15 of you,

including the VP.

If ever there were a time
to set aside politics

and do what's best for the country,

this is it.

Russell has asked me to provide
some context for this.

Um, in two hours,

President Dalton will
enter the Situation Room,

and I will execute his order.

Nine minutes later,

all five Russian Oko
satellites will be destroyed.

And we will be on a war footing.

Unless you alter history here tonight.

On that cheerful note,

we'll leave you to it.

There is no playbook for this.

And clearly, time is of the essence.

So do you want to talk or just vote?

Well, as attorney general,

I would just like to say that,

although I concur with Russell's
explanation of the law,

I just don't think we've hit
the Section 4 threshold yet.

Really?

A reckless strike

against our greatest nuclear adversary

doesn't do it for you, Hank?

Due respect, Madam Vice President,

but perhaps it's indiscreet
for you to weigh in

given you're the one with
an enormous vested interest

- in the outcome.
- My interest

is only what is best for the country.

But fair enough.

Speaking of fairness,
I mean, who are we

to question the president's judgment?

Some banana republic? I mean, hell,

maybe it is just the right
time to hit the Russians.

I support the strike and our
duly elected president.

But even if the Russians are cowed,

the president is still a wild card.

And we will end up going

from crisis to crisis,

and eventually there'll be disaster.

It's too dangerous.

To my mind, it's more dangerous

to support what amounts
to a bloodless coup

based on a medical diagnosis
by the secretary of state

and chief of staff.
The commander in chief

should only be removed from office

under extraordinary circumstances.

And even if you and Russell

are right, don't we owe it to Conrad

to protect him and his reputation?

Other administrations

had shielded their
presidents in the past.

Maybe it's our turn to step up.

Do our jobs while limiting
his public appearances.

I want to protect him, too.

But a shadow government of unelected

cabinet members running the show

while keeping the
president under wraps

is no way to govern a democracy.

We all pledged an oath

to the Constitution,

not to the president.

Hey, pal.

Can I talk to you for a minute?

Maybe even look at each other?

I don't need to see you to hear you.

Especially if this is some lame
apology about the baby book.

I'm sure my poop wasn't special.

Well, that's where you're wrong.

Look, it's a thing, okay?

The more kids you have,

the less time you have to record

their every move.

A-And on top of that,

you were a 9/11 baby.

The world was crazy for
quite a while after that,

especially for Mom.

It doesn't mean we were any less

delighted to witness your milestones.

You were such a funny kid.

Oh, my God, you were babbling
all the time about something.

You were a champion crawler,

had a huge appetite.

You were the best thing
about that time.

Okay.

I'll just let my kids
know that that's why

I-I... don't know what my first
word was or when I walked.

It's because I was a 9/11 baby.

If we do this, history will
look at us as traitors.

History will judge us

no matter what we do, Tom.

Fine.

But there have to be other
ways to constrain Dalton.

Not in the Constitution.

The Constitution only allows

for the 25th Amendment or impeachment.

And that missile strike will
happen in less than an hour,

so impeachment isn't
gonna cut it tonight.

Look, I... I think if
we've all said our piece,

we should vote.

Okay, I'll keep the tally.

Simple voice vote...

yes to invoke Section 4
and remove the president,

effective immediately;

no to reject it.

I vote no.

It's done.

I'm thinking of keeping
Bob on at Defense.

- What do you think?
- He's a good man.

Is he? I hadn't noticed. Takes orders.

Pretty much my new number one
requirement post-Gordon.

Speaking of...

Time for some fireworks.

What the hell?

Where is everyone?

Lydia?

What is this?

It's an intervention, Conrad.

What?

No.

Where's my national security team?

Where are my generals, my admirals?

- Get them the hell in here, now!
- There's not gonna be

an attack on the Russian
satellites tonight, sir.

Of course there is... now,
call STRATCOM, call CNO!

Sir, the cabinet...

Oh, for God's sake, I'll do it myself.

They won't take your order.

The cabinet voted tonight
to invoke Section 4

- of the 25th Amendment.
- What?

What are you talking about?

I'm sorry...

sir, but you have been
removed from office.

Teresa Hurst is now
the acting president.

No.

Why the hell would they do that?

'Cause of Gordon? They want revenge?

Because they're afraid
to stand up to Russia?

- I'll fight this.
- You're not well, Conrad.

You need help, sweetheart.

No, Lydia, not you, too.
You're too smart.

You know me too well.

You know that this
is all just politics

- and backstabbing...
- I love you.

- We all do.
- No, it's a coup.

It's a goddamn coup. Can't you see?

It's the damn appeasers,
the peaceniks,

afraid of standing up to Russia!

They want to drive me
out to avoid a fight.

But we can't back down...
we got to be tough.

We can't let 'em get away with it,

or Russia will be storming our shores!

Can't you see that?

I'll fight this.

I'll fight it in Congress.

You think I don't know how this works?

Sir, a letter has been drafted

to send to the Senate Pro Tem
and the Speaker of the House.

Once they receive it,
the American people

will know that the
cabinet has lost faith

in your ability to govern.

There'll be great pressure on
Congress to make it official

by two-thirds vote,

which I'm confident they will.

Because you've given the
enemies in our party

the ammo they need to
finally get rid of me.

You handed it to them
on a damn platter.

There's another option, Conrad.

Invoke Section 3, which is temporary,

and we won't send the
letter to Congress.

All you have to do is submit
to a full examination

and treatment if... appropriate.

And once it's determined
that you're better,

you can be reinstated.

Agree...

and we don't send the letter.

Otherwise, Congress votes
on Section 4 tomorrow.

I made you.

And this is the thanks I get?

I plucked you off a
goddamn farm, Bess.

Shoveling horse crap in pigtails.

You did.

But now you need to trust us.

Agree to the exam, Connie.

Please.

I feel like it was

- almost 18 months.
- Right, 'cause his sisters

never put him down long enough
for him to learn to walk.

- 14 months.
- 14 months.

- Yes, because I remember the
doctor said let's give it - Yeah.

to 15, and then we'll
take a look after that.

Then he went right from walking

to running, just...

His teeth were late, too.

Yeah, I remember you
wanted to get him x-rayed.

'Cause he was gonna be at preschool

- gumming his food.
- That was 14 months, too.

Everything, like, just happened

- all at the same time.
- Except the talking.

- Well...
- That happened at six months.

Yeah. His first word was "no."

Oh, of course it was.

Why are you guys doing this?

You let the thing sit in
plastic for 16 years...

why is it suddenly important?

Because we almost lost it.

And it feels

- like a good time to rebuild.
- No.

- Yes, yes, yes.
- Don't do...

Rebuild? Really?

While our democracy's falling apart?

Okay, it's not.

- Don't say that.
- Stop.

- That scares me.
- Yeah.

- Our democracy is not falling apart.
- Stop.

Oh.

You know what? I know this one.

Favorite toy... it was, uh...

it was the weird monkey.

- You know, the weird...
- Devil monkey.

Oh, devil monkey was scary!

- Because he...
- Stop!

It's a pretty good-sized meningioma.

But very treatable.

Positioning makes it a snap
to remove... which we'll do

after a course of IV steroids
calms down the swelling.

- Is it malignant?
- 95%

are not, so I wouldn't worry.

He should make a full recovery.

Thank God.

And this accounts for
the personality change?

Oh, yeah. See? It's pressing
against the frontal lobe.

I'm surprised he wasn't running
around the White House naked.

I'm not kidding.

These suckers grow
symptomless for months

until they're pushing
against the brain,

sometimes altering
behavior quite suddenly.

The frontal lobe is responsible
for executive functions:

judgment, decision-making, inhibition.

So, when it's stimulated,

significant personality
change is common...

along with excessive
displays of emotion.

And removing the growth will reverse

- all of that?
- Yep. In fact,

the steroids I'm putting
him on will rapidly reduce

the swelling and ease the pressure.

He should improve
dramatically, even pre-op.

- Hey, you two.
- Hi, Lydia.

We heard you were running
a little low on flowers.

So we brought some reinforcements.

- They're beautiful. Thank you.
- Conrad.

Bess.

- Henry.
- Conrad.

- Thank you for being here.
- Are you kidding?

Chance to see something
as historic as this,

you couldn't keep me
away with a stick.

Listen, I have to apologize, Bess.

No, Conrad, you don't.

What I put you all through...

I think you get a pass

- for all of it.
- It wasn't you, it was the meningioma.

Yeah.

I told you you looked "fetching"

the night of the Japanese state dinner.

Well, she did.

It's fine hearing it from you, Henry.

Crazy thing is...

I don't think I ever felt freer

or more sure of myself.

How scary is that?

I mean, real madman stuff.

No sense at all that I
was out of my gourd.

Well, it was Russell that we
were really worried about.

You could practically
see the aneurysm.

I...

really did almost start World War III

over a misunderstanding.

Enough of the self-flagellation,

- darling, it's getting boring.
- Yeah.

We need you to project
confidence tonight.

- Hello. Lydia.
- Hi.

How are you feeling, Mr. President?

Surprisingly well, thanks.

Madam President.

That has a nice ring to it.

But that's Acting President.

- I'm just minding the store.
- Well, thanks for doing this, Teresa.

I think it'll mean a
lot to the country.

- So do I, sir.
- Well, it's time.

You know, Bess, that was
quite a thing you all did,

invoking Section 4.

- Took guts.
- Well, it wasn't fun.

Should I ask how you voted?

The way you would have
wanted me to, sir.

I've since been given steroids
to reduce the swelling

and will be operated on
tomorrow to remove the tumor.

During my recovery,
Acting President Teresa Hurst

will continue to provide steady,
experienced leadership,

like she always has during
her almost 30 years

of extraordinary public service.

She has my full faith and confidence.

When I have passed
extensive medical tests

and the doctors say I'm 100% ready,

only then will I be reinstated

under Section 3 of the 25th Amendment.

Finally, I'd like to pay tribute

to the resiliency of our Constitution,

a 230-year-old document that
has endured the challenges

of every stage of our
nation's journey.

Our government is built on
an ingenious foundation

of principles and laws,

and though the people within
that system are fallible,

the system itself

is devised to withstand anything,

even an unfit president.

The fact that the system
worked as it should

proves that our democracy

is as strong as ever.

I thank the brave cabinet secretaries

who voted to invoke
the 25th Amendment.

They are all true American
heroes and patriots.

They put their country

ahead of their personal
relationship with me.

That's what separates
us from dictatorships

and oligarchies.

Without people of such courage,
our democracy would be lost,

and they will forever
have my gratitude.

And because of them,

I have never felt more
proud to be an American.

And now Acting President Hurst
would like to say a few words.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Good evening, fellow Americans.

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