Original subtitles

[Mac] Previously on Commander in Chief:

You want to be president because you want the power

- to control the universe. - That's not me.

- That's the problem. - [man] Get the doctor in here.

[Kelly] Isn't Templeton next in line?

I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States.

Hello, Mr. President.

You used this office for your massive ego.

What I did, I did for this country.

You couldn't make a decision from this office. I could, and I did.

You have crossed a line with me.

Get the hell out of my office.

[whirring]

You're on my treadmill.

Only one where you can see C-SPAN, the news and ESPN.

I'm here every morning at precisely 5:00 a.m.

It's ten after.

Pegged you as more of a "roll out of a hangover

and straight into the office" kind of guy.

Yeah, I just joined. New Year's resolution.

[chuckles] It's May.

It didn't take the first few times.

Who won?

Well, you could make a case for the president.

She goes from the ICU to Indonesia without missing a beat.

Throw in Manila and Bangkok for good measure,

might as well call her Wonder Woman.

But if you ask me, your guy's the real winner.

Twenty-four-hour presidency, ends the strike,

elevates himself to a whole new stratosphere.

You've got your first campaign spots.

I meant the Phillies game.

Well, definitely the women's conference in Manila

was the high point of the trip.

8,500 women from all points of the globe.

- Kenya, Mongolia. - Not to mention Washington.

The presence of the first woman U.S. president

had its impact on the delegates.

So many amazing women.

We Americans fancy ourselves pioneers, but many other countries...

- [knock on door] - Come in.

...have had female heads of state. The Philippines...

We're on our second female president.

The special blend I told you about.

Wheat germ, soy, ginkgo extract and salmon oil.

Salmon oil?

Old Air Force trick. Sure-fire cure for jet lag.

Thanks. Well, uh, I'll have that... later.

[laughs] Let's jump on to another topic.

When Speaker Templeton took over your office for a day,

he got an injunction against the pilot's union to stop the strike.

Was that a rebuke to your leadership?

I'm not going to waste a minute wondering about the speaker's motives.

I'm just gonna clean up the mess he left behind.

Fortunately for us, I recovered quickly.

This trip certainly speaks to that.

I should let you get some sleep. How long have you been up now?

Twenty-seven and a half hours. But who's counting?

- [chuckles] Enjoy your rest, ma'am. - Thank you.

[man] Come on. Kelly, I have hard facts to confirm it.

- [woman] That's right. - [man 2] It's true.

[Kelly] it's just not accurate.

[man] Are you questioning our notes, Kelly?

The last White House reporter this sloppy with facts

now covers school board meetings in Loudon County.

We gotta get an impartial ruling.

- Turbulence counts. - What?

Thank you, Jimmy.

The whole flight from Jakarta to Sydney was bumpy.

Yes, and because turbulence is random, it is constant.

[laughing] Zen and the art of air bowling.

[Charlie] All right. Oliver's still up.

It's gonna take a strike, Kelly.

It comes down to this:

One woman, one orange, ten cans.

- Unbelievable! - Whoo!

Sounds like Kelly just picked up another seven-ten split.

The beast never sleeps.

[sighing]

You catch the president's head bob during the last bilat?

How could you miss it? Even made the Secret Service flinch.

Hmm. At least we're done for today,

except for the, uh, veep tryouts.

The president's exhausted.

I'm not even sure she remembers it's her birthday.

She knows, trust me.

A couple of years ago,

I stuck a candle in a cupcake. Mm-mmm.

Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Gardner,

a secure call from the White House Situation Room. Mr. Prado.

Thanks, colonel.

Tony.

You're sure?

OK. We'll wake her.

Vince, you need to...

Vince.

This is Mr. Gardner. Please ring the president's cabin.

[Rebecca] Because they're ahead.

I don't understand. We called Mom yesterday to wish her a happy birthday.

Yeah, and...?

But today, it's her birthday again? How?

International Date Line. Rebecca's right.

- Ha! - Good morning, kids.

[kids] 'Morning, Grandma.

OK, it's like this.

The plane carrying Mom left Indonesia at midnight.

Midnight last night or midnight tonight?

How could it be midnight? Tonight hasn't happened.

Grandma, can you help me with my shoelaces?

Of course, bunny. Hop right up.

Now remember,

we are all going out for dinner tonight. You got it?

- Mm-hmm. - All right.

Oh, Nora said just drop off the gifts, she'll take care of wrapping 'em.

You guys did get your mother gifts, right?

It's kind of hard to compete with the king of Jordan.

- That's not the point, Horace. - We get mobbed when we go to the mall.

After school, I'll take you to the mall.

Nobody's gonna mess with me.

- [Horace] Fine. - [Rebecca] OK.

Air Force One is faster than other planes.

Nice try.

Jim, you obviously didn't see

the "do not disturb" sign I left on my door.

- Is Anthony on the line? - Standing by.

- Anthony. - My apologies, Madam President.

What have you got?

A little over an hour ago, just after first prayer,

an unidentified militant group

- stormed the Woodley Hotel in Istanbul. - How many?

- Uh, militants? - Americans.

They are there? That is why you woke me?

- Twenty-two Americans. - [sighs] What do we know about them?

Nineteen are medical personnel. Twelve men, seven women.

- Part of the State Department team... - In Kustepe, the hospital project.

They were to leave on a charter flight this afternoon.

There could be as many as 300 people in the hotel.

Nineteen were with the hospital project. Who are the other three?

A husband and wife from Toledo.

They were visiting their family with their 16-year-old daughter.

- What else? - The Turkish military is moving fast,

threatening to storm the hotel within the hour.

Call the prime minister, tell him to slow this down.

I'm not sure he's in control of his own military.

Tony, I'm 35,000 feet over nowhere. Keep the troops out of the hotel.

Yes, ma'am.

And, uh, ma'am...

...happy birthday.

Tony, what do we know?

The KSM has claimed responsibility.

- Kurdish separatists? - Yes, ma'am.

- What do they want? - Besides their own country?

No specific demands. Could be any number of things.

Elections are coming up. They may be trying to embarrass the prime minister.

Get Harry and Tuba here from Langley, make sure this isn't something bigger.

- They're already here. - Do we trust Prime Minister Levitas?

He made a speech last week at the Madrid conference

that was pretty inflammatory, very anti-West.

- For the moment, we have no choice. - Madam President.

Vince, would you get Levitas on the phone?

Yes, ma'am.

Ma'am, should we reschedule the VP interviews?

No. I'm not letting this presidency be hijacked again.

The thought of Templeton spending one more second behind my desk...

- Yeah. - [Vince] Right this way, please. Ma'am.

Harry, can't you dress more like Tuba?

The agency frowns on that sort of thing, ma'am.

Please. Thank you.

So do you think this is related to your listening post?

Could be. Either way, we need to tread lightly.

We can't anger Prime Minister Levitas

- before construction begins. - Levitas won't back out.

The Turks want to eavesdrop on Iran just as much as we do.

It's in everyone's best interest to keep nuclear weapons out.

- I'm not so sure he didn't engineer it. - Who?

The prime minister.

OK. Here we go.

If the prime minister has second thoughts,

he just takes that hotel hostage for a few hours.

And risk getting some of his own men killed.

You gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet.

[Mac] Harry, you probably believe that Neil Armstrong's moon landing

was created on a soundstage in Hollywood.

Ah, no, ma'am. It was Burbank.

Our first priority has to be saving the lives of those 22 Americans.

The listening post will live to fight another day.

Jim, this post is vital to security around the region.

Around the globe. The ability to monitor

potentially the most dangerous rogue nation in the world.

Prime minister's on the line.

Ma'am, the Turkish prime minister is sort of a nut, but he's a useful nut.

It would be very good if you could, uh, keep him that way.

Mr. Prime Minister, this is President Allen.

I want to thank you for your restraint. I know you're under a lot of pressure.

[Levitas] With respect, this is not your problem.

Helping the people of Kustepe get medical attention

- was not our problem either. - This is different.

Men with guns hold one of my hotels hostage.

There are 22 Americans inside.

I'm just asking for some more time so we know what we're dealing with.

And I cannot afford to wait.

At least let us get our military in place so we can get our citizens out.

American military presence will only escalate the situation.

- As will storming the hotel. - Perhaps. But...

Mr. Prime Minister, may I call you back?

- Of course. - [beeps]

The wires are reporting that hostages are leaving the Woodley Hotel.

They released them? That doesn't make sense.

Oh, it does if the whole thing was, uh, staged like a stunt.

Or they escaped.

We spend $40 billion a year on intelligence,

and I'm getting my information from the media. Get me some answers.

- Yes, ma'am. - Yes, ma'am.

Ma'am, Governor Solis is waiting in the Cabinet Room.

He can wait.

For what? The world to stop exploding around us?

- Good luck. - And Dickie is hovering as well.

Dickie, Averell Harriman used to say, when the president turns to you,

you have seven seconds to make your case.

- Go. - We need to get this right, ma'am.

You last chose a vice president with your heart.

- Keaton was extremely qualified. - Solis is young, vibrant, Hispanic,

the governor of Texas, if it were its own state,

the eighth-largest economy in the world.

He could put 34 electoral votes in our column.

He has a wife who's a professor, three young kids.

So you like him? Another cup of coffee won't get you fired.

And by the way, that was 17 seconds.

Hey, Mr. President. Great job.

Thank you. Hey, kids.

- [girl] Hi, Mr. President. - [boy] Hi.

Jayne thinks he's the best political consultant

working on our side of the fence.

But I'm... I'm not so sure about him.

Well, Jayne likes him, doesn't she?

Yeah.

And he's proven quite useful, hasn't he?

Yeah, at digging. But digging is not directing.

And I don't want to be handled anyway.

I mean, we don't want this campaign

to be about consultants and focus groups.

This has to be about me, and I know what I know.

Bloody hell, I've got ties in my closet older than this kid.

Hey, thanks for ending the airline strike, Mr. President.

Just doing my job. Thank you.

Remember when you first ran,

all those hours we went door to door, meeting people?

[sighs] Times have changed.

It's a big country, Nate.

Yeah. [chuckles]

You telling me I'm not gonna get to the White House

by going door to door and visiting courthouses?

You mean back to the White House.

[chuckling]

Back to the White House.

[Lance] Mr. Speaker, I'm a guy who makes a bunch of money

reminding politicians of their deeply held beliefs,

which means I would imagine that I represent

everything that you hate about modern politics.

Well, I'm contemplating hiring you, Mr. Addison, not marrying you.

[chuckles] Mr. Speaker,

I've elected 18 United States senators,

14 governors, more congressmen than I can remember,

but I have never elected the president of the United States.

I want to change that, Mr. Speaker.

And you're the man.

You know, I've sat here listening to you guys,

and I know... I know she's a woman,

I know she's an unelected president without a geographic base.

She has no party structure behind her.

But...

But she has the most powerful forces on the planet

to help her get through this process... the Oval Office, Air Force One.

And, yes, she's a woman, but she is still the commander in chief,

and when she walks into a room, they still play Hail to the Chief.

But in a three-way race,

it will be almost impossible for anyone to get 271 electoral votes.

That throws the election to the House of Representatives,

and, uh, he's got some very good friends there.

Mm. Ma'am... no.

There is no way the House can overturn the popular vote.

If his pals in Congress try that,

they're going to be run out of office on a rail.

You have to win this outright, which means our goal,

our mission,

is to destroy Mackenzie Allen as a viable political choice.

Not hurt her, not ding her...

...destroy her.

It's the only way we can win.

I could ask you the same question.

Did you feel you had the foreign policy experience

- when you joined the Bridges ticket? - I respect your honesty.

Thank you, ma'am. Governor's mansion in Austin has lots of fancy rooms,

nothing quite like the White House Situation Room. But I'm...

Oh, excuse me.

Governor, I'm afraid I need to cut this short.

I understand.

My staff thinks very highly of you, and I can see why.

Thank you.

[Mac] Are we sure?

State Department spoke to our consulate.

They let everyone go but the Americans?

Yes, ma'am.

- [man] Ten-hut! - Jim.

One of the released hostages, a German businessman,

said the Americans had been moved to the second floor.

Turkish police are doing a full debrief.

We know that there are as many as ten terrorists inside the building.

They're all heavily armed.

We believe that they're also all wired with high explosives.

What are our chances of getting the hostages out?

Ma'am, we are mobilizing a Delta Force team out of Italy,

but we're gonna need some time

to formulate the appropriate rescue mission.

Turn... turn that up.

We are awaiting what we are told will be a statement from the terrorists.

Hang on.

I am not exactly sure what is happening.

Perhaps a deal has been struck.

- The front door to the hotel is open. - Go, go!

- [gun fires] - [woman] Dear God.

We apologize to our viewers

who have just witnessed this tragic turn of events.

[man] The Turkish government

continues to unjustly imprison 67 of our Kurdish brothers.

These are honorable men whose only crime

is that they believe the Kurdish people

deserve to have their own land,

speak their own language

and to honor their own culture...

Madam President, we've got snipers in position. We can take this guy out.

We will kill an American every two hours

until the Turkish government releases all our countrymen.

It's on your order, ma'am.

We kill this guy, we don't know what happens next.

I can't risk the hostages.

Two hours,

and then we kill David Nelson.

General Allyson, tell me we have our Delta Force team in place

and ready to take this hotel.

Ma'am, we're working as fast as we can here.

General, an American was just executed on live TV.

I'm gonna walk back in this room in 20 minutes,

- and you'll have a plan for me. - Yes, ma'am.

[Mac] Jim.

- Where is David Nelson from? - Idaho.

Get on the phone with Governor Jenkins.

I want somebody representing this administration

at the Nelson house within ten minutes.

And find out the name of our murdered American. I want to call his family.

Yes, ma'am.

Oh, we could buy Mom an early edition of The Sun Also Rises.

- She loves Hemingway. - I don't get that book.

That's because you only read the Cliff Notes.

OK. [sighs]

What about Doctor Zhivago?

They made that into a book?

Kidding.

Grandma, you do realize we have a library in the White House?

That's what that big room with all the books is.

[Rebecca laughs]

Do you remember the old blue swing that I had on my front porch?

Yeah. I still have the scar behind my left ear

when Horace tried to slingshot me into the front yard.

It would've worked if the chain didn't break.

You guys were very little, probably too little to remember,

but your mom used to sit on that swing for hours.

And she would read you books.

And when she ran out of books, she would make up stories.

She called it "twin time."

I think I actually remember that.

- Yeah? - Me too.

Well, good.

Maybe your mom would like to be reminded of that time as well.

I always pegged you as more of a gatherer, Vince.

From the Chinese premier. Nineteenth century.

I guess he didn't get the memo. Female president.

I don't know. I'm betting this president can handle a bow and arrow.

No doubt. How's she doing?

I mean, she hasn't had the best birthday on record.

She's fine. Uh, the next VP candidate?

He's waiting for you in the Cabinet Room.

Oh, can you tell her the speaker called?

- Tough day. It might be a while. - Mmm.

- Senator. - Jim.

My apologies. The president is delayed.

The situation in Turkey? How's the president holding up?

- In complete control. - Good, good.

We can reschedule.

You tell me, Jim, wasn't it just two years ago,

same meeting with Bridges?

Gonna be the same results?

You wouldn't be on her short list if it wasn't for real.

- She doesn't play games. - I'm sure she doesn't.

There's only so much social advancement the country'll accept at one time.

Is that what you tell your kids at night?

- You deserve to be here. - I don't mean to be cynical...

Then don't be. This is real.

Then please tell the president that I appreciate her interest,

and I'll gladly reschedule at her convenience.

[Mac] What do we know about the Kurdish political prisoners, Tuba?

Political scientists, journalists, authors...

Some would be tenured professors if they lived in this country.

That's what you get when it's against the law to insult the state.

Where does that leave us?

We have been providing military and economic aid in Turkey for years.

Maybe it's time we called in a chit, see how many of these political prisoners

we can get released in exchange for Americans.

We wouldn't be negotiating.

- The Turkish government would be. - Win-win.

Whatever we do, we need to stall for time.

- Vince! - Madam President.

- Get the prime minister on the phone. - Yes, ma'am.

You know, one thing always did bother me about the moon landing.

The video of the flag fluttering.

Everybody knows there's no wind on the moon.

- Line two, ma'am. - [beeps]

Mr. Prime Minister, would you be willing...

And I'm not saying we're ready to ask,

but would you be willing to release a limited number

of your political prisoners?

[Levitas] Madam President, are you asking me to negotiate with terrorists?

I'm not asking you yet, Mr. Prime Minister.

Of course you're not.

But if you did, I would tell you that I am willing to do it,

to release my prisoners.

- You are? - Yes, ma'am.

But I would have to tell the world that I let my prisoners go

at the request of the American president.

I will consider your offer.

Thank you.

[phone beeps]

[Anthony] Ma'am?

It's been 15 minutes. That's long enough.

General, you're on.

This is a representation of the Woodley Hotel.

The hotel was built on the original foundations

of the sultan's summer palace. General.

This blue line represents a passageway from the palace to the Bosporus,

where the sultan would board his boat. The Bosporus was much lower then.

So now it's a secret tunnel hidden by water.

We can launch an amphibious landing and not come up for air

until we're in the basement of the hotel.

How many men will it take to get into the hotel

- and overwhelm the terrorists? - That's the problem.

There's a low fog ceiling out of Aviano. I don't have a full team.

- How many men are ready to go in? - I've got nine,

but it might be an hour, maybe two,

until the fog lifts and I can get the whole team in place.

- I need three more men. - David Nelson doesn't have two hours.

If I may, Delta Team is specifically trained

to operate as a complete unit.

At full force, it's virtually unstoppable.

- And at three-quarters strength? - It's like having a table

that has three legs under it instead of four.

It'll work, just not as well.

Are you telling me that I should let one man die

so we can try and save the rest of the hostages?

No, ma'am.

That's your decision.

In 94 minutes, they kill another American.

What are the odds of success if we go in now without a full team?

It depends on your definition of success.

Our calculus is running around 60/20.

What that means is 60 percent chance

of taking 20 percent casualties or less.

With a full team, that moves to 70/15.

I'm not gonna sit here and allow another American to be executed.

Move the team in place now.

I wanna know the second they're in position to enter the hotel.

The final go order is mine and mine alone.

- Understood. - How long until we have updates?

They should be in position in under an hour.

We'll be able to communicate when they're inside.

We're up against the next deadline.

Tell the prime minister he has my authorization

to start negotiations for the hostages. Maybe that'll buy us some time.

Just to be clear, Madam President,

the Turks are likely to let it be known you ordered them to negotiate.

Well, there's not much to be done until they're in place.

You might want to try and get some rest.

Do we know his name? The man they shot.

Richard Hopkins.

Richard Hopkins.

[Allyson] Ma'am.

We will kill that son of a bitch that shot that American.

I promise you that.

Good.

Boss.

The entire press pool is calling you to comment on the Turkish crisis.

The Turks leaked that they've been asked to negotiate by President Allen.

Oh, she didn't.

Well, that's her instinct.

Things will work out if we can just talk.

Maybe I should touch base with Jim Gardner.

Lance is right, you know?

Lance may be necessary,

but you mustn't confuse necessary with right.

- Ow. - Sorry.

Nora said she would do this for you, you know?

And have her judge my taste in books? No, thank you.

- [sighs] - [vibrating]

Oh! That thing startles me every time.

Sorry.

Well, aren't you gonna find out who it's from?

- It's probably just Stacy or something. - Hmm.

I may not be very hip, but that rattle sounds like a boy to me.

Besides, you've been smiling too much lately.

[chiming]

Oh, you kids and your thumbs.

All day long, tap, tap, tap, tap.

He's just a friend, Grandma.

Uh-huh.

[chiming]

"No Fear Guy"?

Doesn't sound very friendly to me.

[chuckles]

So how'd it go with Governor Solis?

You know the score, Dickie. She's got three finalists in mind.

I've rescheduled Senator Colby, and Ambassador Manchester

is later today, if she wants to keep the appointment.

What a disaster.

Since when is a distinguished former two-term governor

and ambassador to China a disaster?

He's from Maine, for crying out loud. Maine.

Are we crazy? Three electoral votes. Three.

So let me think about it. What's better, Maine with three or Texas with 34?

- Am I losing my mind? - I'd like to test that.

I'm getting too old for this.

Did we get the return call from the White House?

Uh, not yet.

Not too many left in this building who stand when I walk into a room.

- Thank you. - Mr. Speaker, this is...

- Nathan Templeton. - Colin James. Pleasure.

- New star intern. - Star? You get a star rating.

It's not easy to impress Jayne. Welcome.

Thank you. It's an honor to meet you, sir.

- Thank you. - I hope it's not too presumptuous,

but I was wondering if I might sit in on staff meetings from time to time.

I-I know I'm just a student, but I'm pretty politically minded.

- Are you old enough to vote? - I voted for President Bridges

- in the last election. - Good.

I never was too crazy about his running mate.

Oh, she's a bright girl.

Well, we'll do what we can, get you in a meeting somewhere.

Thank you, sir.

Lucky you.

Come in.

Oh, thank you, Vince. I could drink the whole pot.

The quality of the help is really improving around here.

Welcome home. Happy birthday.

Mm.

I... sent in nine men.

- Nine? Is that all? - Yeah.

I've been reading the, uh, service records of the team.

These guys have more impressive résumés than any of us do.

Sky-high IQs,

top in their class in every kind of training.

This one...

...speaks Kurmanci.

- Kurmanci? - Yeah, it's the native tongue

of the founder of the Kurdish terrorist group.

Twelve hours ago, I didn't even know it existed.

This one was an all-American in squash.

Five of them are married.

They have seven kids between them.

I don't know if I feel up for going out tonight.

Totally understand.

It just, uh... it doesn't feel right, considering.

Well, maybe we can just order up pizza.

Yeah.

What?

Oh, well...

One of the special ops I sent in.

He's just a few years older than Horace.

[Vince] Excuse me, ma'am.

You're needed in the Situation Room.

Sorry.

- What happened? - The Bosporus currents

were much stronger than we anticipated.

We, uh, don't know the exact sequence of events.

We were out of direct radio contact, but one of our guys didn't make it.

His body was recovered downstream of the access point.

- We're down to eight men. - That's correct, ma'am.

- The rest of them are in position? - They are.

What does the team leader say? He want to abort?

- We asked him, ma'am. - And...?

His exact quote was "try and stop us."

The team leader said that?

These Delta guys play by a different set of rules, ma'am.

They're a different kind of soldier.

- Send them in. - Yes, ma'am.

Operation Sudden Thunder is go.

I say again, Sudden Thunder is go.

[man] Ma'am, radio contact initiated.

[man 2] Red sky, position one.

- Do they know? - Ma'am?

About the member of their team who died?

They know he's nonoperational.

[man 2] Clear sky, position two.

How's it going?

Too early.

Ambassador Manchester's waiting.

I was gonna cancel. I wanted to check first.

[man] We've reached the basement door.

We estimate 20 to 25 minutes to gain access.

- Anthony. - The second we hear anything.

Thanks for coming outside. I needed to clear my head.

And I was afraid if I sat down I might fall asleep,

and then you'd think I was bored, and we'd be off to a terrific start.

I'm from Maine. We think boring is a virtue.

I don't mean to pry, but any good news out of Turkey?

We're working it.

Shot for the crime of being an American.

When I was in law school, I backpacked through Europe one summer.

I had a big American flag on my pack.

Now the State Department advises American tourists

not to display any sign of their nationality.

- Ma'am. - Thank you.

You know, I've been president less than a year,

and I'm already on my second vice president.

You sure you want this job?

I know the protocol. I'm supposed to play hard to get,

act sort of interested and tell you that I don't really need the job.

But that isn't true.

I want to be vice president, badly.

- That's refreshing. Why? - Don't get me wrong.

- I'd rather be president. - That job's taken.

I was elected to statewide office in Maine four times as a Democrat.

Thought I'd never run again. But I got so mad at the guy who succeeded me,

another Democrat, that I ran against him as an Independent and won.

Why don't you run for president as an Independent?

I'm never gonna run for president. I can't win on my own. I'd get killed.

Any Independent would.

Unless, somehow, that Independent became president

and could run as an incumbent from the White House.

Then... you just might have a shot.

Dickie McDonald thinks you're a disaster.

[laughs] I can guarantee Dickie

I will deliver Maine's three electoral votes.

- That is a mortal lock. - [chuckles]

- [Jim] How'd it go with Manchester? - He seemed nervous.

I can't imagine why.

Interviewing for the second most important job...

I suppose so. Younger than I remember.

Sleep will do that to you. What about Governor Solis?

Oh, very impressive, very.

He has really turned around the public school system in Texas.

But...?

Did you know that, for a quarter of our nation's history,

we've been without a vice president?

You're saying that you'd like to wait?

I'm saying that I don't want to rush into this decision.

I've been through a lot of potential candidates,

and to be honest, I'm not sparking to any of them.

And what about Templeton staying next in line?

We'll pray lightning doesn't strike twice.

- Let's, uh, reschedule Senator Colby. - Done.

And we'll keep searching for other candidates.

- What about you? - Me?

Think about it.

[man] Delta Force in final position.

Red team, blue team, this is a go.

- Go, go, go, go! - [door kicked open]

- [screaming] - [shouting]

Get down! Get on your knees!

- Move it! - [man 2] I want to see your hands.

- [man 1] Gun, gun, gun! - [gunfire]

[men shouting]

Lay down on the ground!

Put your hands up where I can see them.

- Operation Sudden Thunder secure. - [Allyson] Roger, secure.

- Casualties. - Two American hostages wounded.

Stabilizing now. We have eight terrorists KIA, two wounded.

- [Allyson] Say friendly casualties. - Negative. Cuts and bruises only.

[radio crackles]

Very well, team leader. Outstanding. Let's get 'em outta there.

Roger that.

He did a job in Yemen and reported cuts and bruises,

which turned out to be shrapnel and two flesh wounds from an AK-47.

- I want to talk to him and his team... - [explosion]

- [shouting] - [gunfire]

[man] Get down!

- [gunfire] - [screaming]

To the right! [screaming]

[radio crackling]

Team leader, say status.

[man] Delta Team leader down. We are evacuating hostages.

We have wounded and KIA.

Sir, are you all right? This way.

Need medic immediately. Outside, let's go.

I spoke to the head trauma surgeon who'll be on the medevac to Germany.

He thinks everyone will make it.

Thank God.

An initial debrief indicates that the Delta Team

missed two terrorists in the assault.

Those two attacked the Delta Team as they were leading the hostages out.

One was a suicide bomber.

The Delta Team leader charged the suicide bomber

and took most of the blast.

Two dead hostages, 12 more wounded

and three dead on the Delta Team.

And 12 dead terrorists, killed by the team.

A full Delta team wouldn't have missed those last two terrorists.

The hostages are saying the plan was to kill all of them.

Our sources confirm.

I think you averted a total and complete catastrophe.

Madam President,

considering the dangers inherent in a mission like this,

I think it's a miracle.

Even the press is with us on this one, ma'am.

We're done here.

- This is a complete list of the dead? - Yes, ma'am.

Uh, Ortez?

He was the 21-year-old Special Forces soldier?

Yes, ma'am.

[woman] Ortez was 21 years old.

He was based out of the Delta Force head...

- [turns TV off] - What a day.

That Lance character's right, isn't he?

I can't count on the election getting thrown into the House

and beating her that way.

But you can win it outright, Nate. You've prepared all your life for this.

For being president.

Being's a lot different than running.

I'm a used car, sweetheart. She's a new model.

We must never underestimate

what a formidable candidate she can be.

- That's why we need Lance. - [sighs]

Do you really want this, my darling?

I do. Don't you?

I want it so badly I can taste it.

Mr. Speaker, the call went through.

Thank you.

Madam President, thank you for taking my call.

I hope you're recovering well.

I'm fine.

It's been a long day for you, to be sure.

What can I do for you, Mr. Speaker?

[stammering] I was just calling because I wanted to...

Because Sarah and I wanted to wish you a happy birthday.

Thank you.

So... happy birthday, Madam President.

Is there something else?

No. No, no, no. No, no. I-I won't keep you.

My best to you and your family.

- Good night, ma'am. - Good night, Mr. Speaker.

[dial tone]

[chuckling] Hey, Mom.

Oh, um, are you OK?

Oh, yeah.

- We'll come back later. - No, no. Listen,

I know you guys hate this, but tough.

- [laughs] - Mm. Mmm.

We can do this again next year for your birthday, I promise.

Here you go. Don't get your hopes up. [laughs]

- Oh, you guys. - [Horace] Don't start crying.

Do you know this is the first book that...?

You ever read us.

[Rod] Hey.

[laughs] The pizza's here.

- Great. I'm starving. - Me too.

- Look what they got me. - [Rebecca] Why not?

All our friends are going to Europe to backpack.

Yeah, you did it, Mom.

I don't think your mom had Secret Service agents with her.

- I still have my Eurail pass. - Can I go?

It'll only be for three weeks.

Two weeks.

Ten days, and I'll call every day.

[all] Surprise!

[cheering, applause]

[man] Happy birthday, Madam President!

[woman] ...beautiful. You've grown so much.

- You must be very proud of them. - I am. I am.

- Thank you. - Oh, I want to introduce you...

- Oh, sure. - I'll see you in a second.

I can't believe you didn't tell us.

Sneaky. Very sneaky.

Hey, she loved that book.

- It was Rebecca's idea. - Oh, I'm shocked.

You know, I never got to do

the whole backpacking in Europe thing either.

Maybe I should go with you.

That will never happen.

- But it was a good father-son gesture. - Yeah, I thought so. [chuckles]

[Mac] I can't believe it.

- Three years. - You look great.

No, I don't. I haven't slept for two days.

And the twins are adorable.

- Happy birthday, Madam President. - Oh.

Thanks.

Oh. How's Tom?

- Oh, he finally made partner. - Great. Wonderful.

Oh, it better be. I worked my tail off for his partnership.

You know how many times I left work early to cover at home?

Have you talked to Rod about this? [laughs]

[laughs] Oh, well, finally,

I just gave in to the inevitable and left the firm.

So now I volunteer when I can at the legal aid office

of the domestic violence shelter. Hey, you know, you cut our budget.

- I did? - Yeah.

Bridges did. Well... I wrote you about it.

I didn't get it. I'm so sorry. I'll look into it.

You know, I will settle for the ambassadorship

to some small, warm country with a great beach.

- Me too. - [both laughing]

- Just like our freshman dorm. - Uh, maybe your side of the room.

- Oh! - [laughs]

I can't imagine what it must be like for you.

The constant pressure, that horrible thing over in Turkey.

I am really proud of you, Mac.

- Madam President, excuse me. - Oh.

[whispering]

- Excuse me. - Oh, of course.

Is everything all right?

Yeah, just have a couple of calls to finish.

- Was this OK? - It was wonderful.

'Cause I was kinda trapped. Everyone had already flown in.

You can imagine how excited they were to see you.

- Rod, I needed this. - Yeah, you did.

[rings]

[chiming]

[Horace] Why do you bail on me at these things?

I got stuck talking to Mom's law professor, Ms. Glasser.

- Smells. - [chiming]

Shoulda known. Who's online?

- Lexi. - Who?

Oh, you don't know her. Honors English.

[chiming]

- You gonna look at that thing? - You gonna leave?

Whatever.

[rings]

[neck cracks]

[Jayne] Go home. The speaker is gone.

Take advantage of the early evening.

Uh, I'm leaving now. I could walk out with you.

I-I have some ideas that I'd like to bounce off you.

[vacuum whirring]

[turns vacuum off]

- Good evening, Henry. - Good evening, ma'am.

[woman] Hello.

Mrs. Ortez, this is President Allen.

I wanted to express my sorrow at the loss of your son.

I know that there's little that I could say

to ease your pain,

but I hope there's some comfort

in knowing that he gave his life

saving many, many American lives,

and his country will always be grateful for that,

and to you for the sacrifice that you both have made.