All language subtitles for Madam Secretary - S02 E12 - The Middle Way (720p - AMZN Web-DL)

Oh. Morning.

Morning.

Don't miss the trade
agreement. Page three.

It's finally
happening. (chuckles)

(elevator bell dings)

Uh-oh.

More than three of you.

It's not bad news.

We just have a few
things to discuss with you.

For your trip to Myanmar.

You're only the third secretary
of state to visit in 50 years,

you know. And the first who gets to
sign the Pacific Rim Trade Agreement.

Boom.

I'm just experimenting
with that.

"Boom" is over,
man. You missed it.

Daisy,
what's up with page three?

Why isn't it bigger
news than that?

Believe me,
when you sign the agreement,

it'll be front page,
above the fold.

There is just one
small fly in the ointment.

I can't believe I
kicked that football.

The meet and greet
at the elevator...

Always bad news.

Who's the fly?

Ambassador Arlen Maxwell.

In my office? BLAKE: No,
in Myanmar.

He's called a few times today.

He has some ethical concerns
about the trade agreement.

He does?

Yes. The U.S.
ambassador to Myanmar,

whose job it is to represent
U.S. interests in Myanmar,

has some ethical concerns about
the landmark trade agreement.

Upon which everyone has agreed.

You know,
I've spoken to him a few times.

He seems reasonable enough.

What's going on? I think
the ambassador might have

something referred
to as clientitis.

He's identifying closely

with the culture and its people.

Let's nip it in the bud, and...

Blake, get me the ambassador,
will you?

So,
is there anything else that I should know?

Yes. He and President Dalton
have been friends since college.

Maxwell inherited a
large sum of money

and invested it in some
high-risk enterprises.

One of them paid off.

A very deep gold
mine in Argentina.

MATT: Now, word is,
he got lucky.

His wife divorced
him two years ago.

No prenup. Talk about
a very deep gold mine.

So when the ambassadorship came up,
he called his old friend

the president and asked
to be sent to Myanmar.

Maybe for a change of
scenery? I'm guessing to escape

the tabloids. Their divorce was

a splashy story.

To be fair to the president,

a number of candidates
turned down the post.

Myanmar is a very poor
country a long way from anything.

Unless you're a fan of temples. MATT: Look,
there's no way

this rube is gonna mess
up the trade agreement.

I had to rewrite an
entire Billy Joel song

just to make it happen.
Yeah. And we had to sing it.

Don't you mean you got
to sing it? Don't worry, Matt.

It won't be for naught.

This agreement is
going to go through.

Ambassador Maxwell. Great.

Thanks, everybody.

Thank you. Ma'am.

Ambassador, I'm looking forward

to meeting you in person
in the next couple of days.

And I you, Madam Secretary.

Uh, now, may I ask, have you...

have you read, uh, this report

put out by your
State Department?

Well,
I-I have to be honest with you.

The State Department puts
out thousands of documents,

feels like every day. Well,
this is called.

The World in 2030, and I just...

I have to tell you,
it's not a pretty world,

particularly for Myanmar,
after we sign this trade agreement.

What in particular about the
trade agreement bothers you?

Elimination of tariffs
on hydropower turbines.

Let's start there.

Yes. So that hydroelectric
dams can be built,

leading to the modernization
of Myanmar's power grid.

At the cost of displacing
whole villages of people.

People who have been
farmers all their lives.

It's... it is all right in here.

But with the modernization to the cities,
industry can thrive.

And it will help close
the enormous wealth gap

and, in turn,
raise the standard of living for everyone.

We're talking about
generations of people

who have only lived
close to the land.

Ambassador Maxwell,
I understand.

This agreement,
it isn't perfect,

but at the end of the day,

the positive effects clearly
outweighed the negative.

Well, I can tell you,
there is a large segment of people

who live here who do not agree.

Even President Shwe,
even he has concerns.

Concerns that have been resolved
through hours of conversation

and reviewing the data.

President Shwe got on
board for a very good reason.

If Conrad would call me back...

President Dalton has entrusted
me with this agreement,

but I assure you that
he is fully committed to it.

And I promise you that this

is an agreement
that you can represent

to the people of
Myanmar proudly.

See you then.

(computer beeps)

I don't know how we missed this.

We didn't.

I read it when it came out.

But probably just before I read
the joint CIA and FBI projection

of the ten most imminent
terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.

I do have to prioritize

my end of the world documents,
you know.

It's somebody's job
in every department

to game out
worst-case scenarios.

It's not supposed to be
taken as hard science.

Water is featured as a
megatrend starting on page 380.

ELIZABETH: See,
that's good. Write that down.

We just... we just need
to remind the ambassador

of the counterpoints.

Why are we humoring this guy?

Because these big trade
agreements are very fragile

when you have so
many countries involved.

And the last thing we need
is a skittish ambassador.

If his concerns get out
and they're taken as a sign

that the United
States has doubts,

it could make others reevaluate,

not to mention embarrass
the hell out of us.

No kidding.

"2030,
nearly half the world's population

will live in areas of
severe water stress."

The trade agreement is going
to allow us to send in scientists

to help shore up erosion.

It's all in the speech I
wrote for the ceremony.

It's solid.

We just need talking points

to ease the ambassador's mind.

Sure. No problem.

I love that answer.

BLAKE: Spider
monkeys will be extinct?

Somebody take
that away from Blake.

(line beeps)

Hi, it's me.

Uh, I called before,
but I didn't leave a message.

Um,
maybe you didn't recognize the number.

So, it looks like

I'm going to be in your
neck of the woods... soon.

And, um,
it would be very nice to see you.

Anyway, I'll be there,
uh, day after tomorrow.

And... I-I look
forward to seeing you.

Okay. Um... bye.

Damn it.

Oh, Madam Secretary!

Listen, I'm just heading home.

I need those, uh,
talking points e-mailed to me.

But, um,
or Jay can bring them tomorrow.

Uh,
that's what I wanted to talk to you about.

I'll be joining you on your
trip to Myanmar instead of Jay.

Oh. Okay. But
everything all right?

Oh, it's fine.

I just thought he could use
a break from all the traveling.

The baby's teething... incisors.

It's painful. Yeah,
those are the tough ones.

Yeah. What's the real reason?

(chuckles, clears throat)

I recently found out that my son

has been living in Myanmar
for the last few months.

Your son?

From a very brief
affair when I was

touring Europe
with a dance troupe.

Dance troupe?

Before law school.

Anyway,
he quit Juilliard years ago

and has been traveling around

and wound up in Myanmar,
as luck would have it.

You know,
you and I really should have

gone out for a
drink at some point.

I like to keep my private life private,
ma'am.

You've done a superb job.

Um, I'm glad you're coming.

That'll be great,
and I look forward

to maybe meeting your son. Oh,
thank you.

Be honored to introduce you
to him if I can coax him out.

He's an artist,
so he's anti everything we stand for.

Oh.

I've got a budding
one of those myself.

(elevator bell dings)

See you tomorrow,
Madam Secretary.

Okay.

I am off to the treaty
signing in Myanmar.

Okay. Cool. Sounds good.

What's the time
difference there?

11 and a half hours.

Wow.

Guess everybody's over the gig,
huh?

Kind of got it down by now, Mom.

Obviously. Jason
isn't even here.

He's getting donuts
with the Dudes.

It's their jam.

STEVIE: If we were upset,
then you would feel torn

between your family
and your career,

and is that what
you really want?

(phone ringing)

Is there something
in the middle?

Just go and have another
wonderful history-making trip

and come home soon.

Oh, security.

Hey, Kevin. What's up?

Bye. Bye.

Yeah, okay. Yeah,
be right there.

Our neighbor Ted is outside.

He wants to see us.

It's a little late for
the welcome basket.

Never too late for a welcome.

Come on.

You're so much nicer than I am.

Yes, I am.

Hello, Ted.

Come on in.

Sorry about the whole
security thing. Thanks, guys.

Can I get you a cup of coffee?

I'm here on
neighborhood business.

Oh. Okay.

Your residence has violated

a number of our homeowners'
association bylaws,

such as your security taking
up much of our street parking

24 hours a day,

the removal of trash
cans without permission,

and the unsightly cones
that are placed in the street,

to name a few.

It's all in the complaint,
but the worst is.

Madam Secretary's SUV,

which is left running
24 hours a day,

adding unwanted air
and noise pollution.

Well,
that's a hell of an icebreaker, Ted.

Why don't you come
in? I'm sure it's our fault

for not getting to
know you guys.

We kind of hit the
ground running.

We keep talking about
having a dinner party.

We do. We talk about that.

I have to get to work.

We're having a meeting
on Saturday to vote

on whether or not we need
to explore our legal options

with regard to these complaints.

You're welcome to attend.

ELIZABETH: You want us to move?

Seriously?

HENRY: I'm sure
they're not saying that.

Henry, they're saying that.

Right here.

It's-it's one of the
options we've listed.

Well, I am sure that you'll
find that the Fair Housing Act

won't support those options.

I'll tell you what, Ted.

Why don't we host
the meeting here

at our house on Saturday?

We can have brunch and
get to know everybody,

work everything out.

We're not looking for a party,
Mr. McCord.

Doctor.

Dr. McCord.

What party? It's
eggs and mimosas

and solving some problems.

All right.

I'll send out an
e-mail to the members.

Great.

How could they not like us?

People like us.

Do you remember
our old neighborhood?

They called us
the Merry McCords.

Oh... Okay, I hated it.

But now I miss it.

I mean, we're likeable!

NADINE: So you'll
have about an hour with.

Ambassador Maxwell
before the reception.

And just a reminder
about protocol here.

Men and women do not
kiss cheeks in greeting.

No touching of
the heads or feet.

And in the presence of the elderly,
don't spit.

I can't make any promises.

I just can't. I... (laughs)

(crowd chanting in Burmese)

(man chanting in
Burmese over loudspeaker)

What's going on?

Some kind of demonstration,
ma'am.

NADINE: I'll call Ambassador
Maxwell and find out.

Wait.

(chanting continues)

Maybe we can just wave him over.

Oh, dear God.

(chanting continues)

Didn't he have
hair the other day?

Maybe we can keep this
from the Myanmar authorities.

(siren toots,
chanting continues)

Or not.

(chanting)

(chanting continues)

♪

The Arlen Maxwell I
talked to the other day

didn't look like that.

What happened?

He periodically wears the robes.

The shaved head is new.

(buzzer sounds) Oh.

He had his teacher
do it this morning.

His teacher?

Yes. Ashin Tun.

He's a Buddhist monk.

Ambassador Maxwell
converted to Theravada Buddhism

about six months ago?

Well,
his religion is his own business,

but inciting a demonstration

against his own
country's policies is...

I want to say insane, I do.

You have to understand,

Ambassador Maxwell
didn't come here with the idea

to live a cushy
life in the embassy.

He wanted to immerse himself
in local life and-and culture.

He's a man of the people.

He's an ambassador
for the American people.

Well, I think he's come to think

of the Myanmar
people as his people.

ELIZABETH: Well, I think

he should rethink that.

He's meditating. Is he?

Mr. Ambassador?

Elizabeth McCord.

Secretary of State.

I'm so sorry to intrude
on your downtime.

Arlen,
do you think I haven't taken a yoga class?

I know you can hear me.

Madam Secretary,
I'm happy to meet you.

What were you thinking?

Inciting a demonstration

against the very work you
were appointed to support?

I tried to share my
concerns with you.

And when I didn't embrace them,

your next step was to
humiliate the president?

The right response to
injustice is civil disobedience.

I came fully prepared

to have a reasonable
discussion with you,

but since your new beliefs
don't seem to include

reasonable discussion,
I am telling you

that you are officially
removed from your post.

So when you get
released from here,

you can pack your bags
and head off to the monastery.

Good day.

All is as it should be. Yeah,
well,

we'll see about that.

Yes, Mr. President,
I am as surprised as...

Well, I-I spoke with an aide

from President Shwe's
office... (phone chimes)

And there has been
no change in schedule.

As soon as the agreement is signed,
I'll call.

(sighs)

Sir, it is a good deal.

In all fairness, sir,
I-I don't think anyone could have

anticipated a U.S. ambassador
leading a demonstration

against his own country.

(phone chimes) With that said,

I'm gonna do
everything I can to...

Sir? Sir?

(phone whooshes)

The president hung up on me.

I'm sure he doesn't blame you.

No, no, he does.

I need to get back
to the embassy

and check in with
the foreign ministers,

make sure that the
agreement still stands.

We have... three
hours until the signing.

Matt and Daisy are working on

a boilerplate press release.

Something about the ambassador

wanting to spend more
time with his family. Good.

And for once,
we can be thankful for a government

that controls the media.

There won't be any press
about the demonstration.

Have you read this thing?

Enough to get the gist of it.

Why? I was up all night.

DAISY: Wait.

You read the whole thing?

It's like a horror film.

Bioterror weaponry,

diseases that jump
from animals to humans,

accelerated climate change,

demon robots who
will take over the world.

Well, a demon robot is
welcome to take over my world

as long as he cleans my
bathroom and organizes my stuff.

You know,
I'm gonna get a 3-D printer,

use it to make
another 3-D printer,

then return the first one.

I'm no fool. And
forget about bombs.

Okay? 'Cause hacking is
gonna be the new bomb.

Because banks won't
be able to keep up with all

the new hacking techniques.

Which means we'll have to
pay in cash for everything.

Which means piles and
piles of cash in every home.

Which means guns in every home.

Which means shootouts
in the middle of the street.

It's gonna be like the
Wild West out there!

Dude.

These doom and gloom
predictions happen all the time.

You can't lose
any sleep over it.

I suggest you take a
second look at that thing.

Look,
I'll just go with head in the sand.

Okay.

All right, just...

just hope that
sand isn't in Miami.

Because it'll all be underwater.

(indistinct chatter)

Oh, hello.

Um,
I'm not sure if I have the right address.

Uh... You are Roman's mother?

I'm Shindy.

I'm Nadine.

Is my son here?

I am sorry.

He had band practice.

Are you his girlfriend?

I am.

We've been together
for six months.

Oh, I see.

And you're from here?

Oh, of course, you're from here.

Unless you're not from here.

I'm sorry, I'm very sorry.

I don't mean to assume.

It's all right.

I was born and raised here.

Ah.

How is he?

Uh, he's fine.

I'll tell him you stopped by.

Thank you.

Oh,
um... would you please give him this?

It's all the information
of where I'm staying.

My hotel,
all the numbers where he can reach me.

I have to leave tomorrow.

I would love to see him.

I'll tell him.

Thank you.

It's lovely to have met you.

You, too.

(indistinct chatter)

She seems nice.

Mr. President,
thank you for seeing me.

It was good of you to
come to say good-bye.

Of course, of course.

My being here has been an honor.

It's changed my life.

I have to tell you,
Mr. President,

you cannot sign
that trade agreement.

Mr. Maxwell,
may I point out to you

that 12 countries have
sent heads of state

to sign this agreement
in two hours.

That may be in
their best interest.

But I can tell you
this agreement

is not in Myanmar's
best interest.

Even Secretary McCord

expressed her doubts about it.

Really? With me,
she was quite steadfast.

This is a predominantly
Buddhist country.

The Noble Truths
should be your guide

as you plan for the future.

Let me remind you that
one of those truths is.

"Don't struggle to
get what you want,

but modify your wanting."

I wish you a safe trip
home to your country.

I'm sorry, Mr. President.

Uh, I,
I have to keep struggling.

My work here is not done.

Everybody out or
the president dies!

Get out! Get out!

Out! Get out!

(indistinct shouting)

(sirens wailing)

Madam Secretary,
how was your...?

What's going on?

The president has
been taken hostage.

What? By whom?

By the American ambassador.

(sirens wailing)

The ambassador has a gun
to President Shwe's head.

And this action seems to be
linked to the trade agreement.

(sighs) Are we
sure the gun is real?

Where's a Buddhist
even get a firearm?

Probably brought it with him

from when he was an
average American citizen.

Can we talk to him?

He is demanding that we cancel

the signing of the
trade agreement.

No discussion.

And he won't pick up the phone.

Any idea how to get through

to a gun-wielding Buddhist?

No.

But I know someone who might.

MALE REPORTER:
Ambassador Maxwell's excuse

to meet with President Shwe

was that he wanted
to pay (phone ringing)

His respects and say good-bye.

But at some point
he pulled a gun...

Babe, are you okay?

Yes,
I'm far enough away from the action.

Unbelievable.

I guess hostage taking

is the new form of negotiation.

It is definitely
becoming a trend.

Henry,
I need you to tell me everything

I need to know about Buddhism
in the next five minutes.

Look,
I don't know what this guy's doing,

but he is not
practicing Buddhism.

Yeah, well, he thinks he is.

So just tell me.

Okay.

There are six realms divided
into 31 planes of existence...

Henry.

The point is,
it's not a five-minute conversation.

Well... I need something.

Some way to reach him.

Maybe,
what about a Buddhist quote?

Or-or-or-or a Buddhist teaching?

Just something to talk him down.

You just want me to reach into
my grab bag of religious quotes?

Why not? You do it all the time!

It's adorable.

I quote when it makes
sense in context.

Henry, please.

I can't just watch
him kill somebody.

Or be killed himself.

He's not gonna
listen to you anyway.

You're not his teacher or
his mentor or a monk, so...

He-he mentioned
that he had a teacher.

Well,
your best bet is to find him.

Theravada Buddhism emphasizes
heeding the advice of the wise.

Okay,
I'm gonna... I'm gonna get on that.

Listen, uh,
I hate to bring this up,

but, um... safe bet,

you're not gonna make it home

by tomorrow morning.

Oh, crap.

The brunch.

Don't worry about
it. We'll cancel.

Oh, no, no, no.

We cannot cancel.

That would look like I'm...

The secretary of state?

(sighs)

Listen,
the last thing that I need right now

is a conflict on my own street.

Okay, like I said,

it's just eggs and mimosas.

It's easy.

Okay, and you know what?

I'm gonna send Blake
just for good measure.

Okay, well,
don't worry about it.

We'll handle it.

And, um,
I'd never thought I'd say this,

but, uh...

don't get too close to
the Buddhist terrorist.

Don't worry, I won't.

I love you.

Nadine, I need you to track
down Arlen Maxwell's teacher.

I think his aide said he
was a Buddhist monk...

Ashin Tun... I
made a note of it.

Good.

And I-I don't care
what you have to do

to get him here,
just get him here.

Yes, ma'am.

It's 12 hours and counting
since this volatile situation

began in Naypyidaw, Myanmar...

Formerly known as Burma...

Where American
Ambassador Arlen Maxwell

has taken the president
of this country hostage.

The United States
government has condemned.

Ambassador Maxwell's actions,

which occurred after he
was released from his post...

Dr. McCord, any change?

Not yet. (TV shuts off)

On the upside,
my quiches are perfect.

And I cleaned the
kitchen. You're welcome.

Well, I'm all set up,
if you want to have a look.

Sure.

So I have a 15-slide
PowerPoint called.

"The Upside of
Diplomatic Security."

Uh,
would you like a quick preview? Actually,

I really have to go study.

So the quiches
are on the counter

and all you have to do is
cut them and serve them.

(doorbell rings)

(sotto voce): Sergio and
Alice. Three doors down.

Hi. Sergio, Alice?

Henry McCord. Very
nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you, finally.

Uh, new Tesla.

Hey,
how do you like that Tesla of yours?

It's fast, right? Too fast.

I'm going to get in
trouble in that car.

Oh, I hear you.

I've been wanting to
test-drive one of those.

Please, stop by.

He'll take you
for a spin. Really?

I'll take you up on that. Please,
come on in

and make yourself
at home. Thanks.

Gary and Margo. Big garden.

Hi. Uh, Gary, Margo?

Henry McCord. I
love your garden.

Thank you. Beautiful. Please,
come in.

And of course, the Rhodes,

Ted and Ginny. Hi, Ted.

I'm really glad
we could do this.

And you must be Ginny.

It's so nice to
finally meet you.

I'm really glad
we could do this.

Please,
make yourself... at home.

(exhales)

You're really good at this.

Well, I welcome the distraction.

From what? You
don't want to know.

I mean, did you know that
there are more plastic flamingos

than real flamingos
in this world?

What? Don, Tina.

Hi, Don. Hi, Tina.

Henry McCord. Come on in.

So for all the inconvenience
that a strong security detail

may bring to the neighborhood,

it also cuts crime rates
in the following ways.

A nine percent decrease
in automobile break-ins.

A 15% decrease
in home break-ins...

ALICE: What about all the
foot traffic from the tourists?

Right. Yeah, like every day. Strangers,
roaming our streets.

BLAKE: Strangers who actually

raise the resale
value of your home

by an impressive 12%.

Remember,
a famous area is a desirable area.

Now,
here's a surprising yet charming statistic.

There's actually a four percent

decrease in lost pets.

(laughter and
indistinct chatter)

TED: This is all
very interesting,

but, uh, we were led to believe

that the secretary
herself would be here.

Where is she?

That-that was
certainly our plan,

but unfortunately
my wife was held up

by the hostage
situation in Myanmar.

What a mess. How
did that happen?

SERGIO: Is that trade
agreement really a good idea?

It sounds like
they're gonna send

a lot of jobs overseas.

(neighbors clamoring)
Let's not drift into politics.

Let's not drift... He's right,
let's not.

We're here to talk about
how the secretary's lifestyle

is interfering with our own.

Alice,
you were saying that your garbage bins

are constantly being
moved by the security guys.

Well, yes, I assume it's them.

TED: And the tourists
are actually picking

Gary and Margo's prize roses.

ALICE: Oh, it's terrible.

TED: And they've caught them on camera,
actually.

Not to mention the
worst problem of all,

which is the caravan
of SUVs out front.

MARGO: It is difficult
to have a dinner party.

ALICE: Also,
my dog wakes up and barks

every time the secretary
leaves or comes home,

which is all hours of the day.

Oh, please.

Tell me again about
your barking dog

while violent hurricanes pound
millions and millions of homes

up and down the East Coast,

uprooting and displacing people,

forcing them into
these makeshift,

disease-ridden
little shantytowns

right here in your own upscale
Georgetown neighborhood!

Okay, thank you very much,
Blake.

Thank you.

Um, why don't we take five?

There's some pastries
and coffee in the kitchen.

No,
let's talk about the environment.

Let's talk about your SUVs

running day and night,
spewing carbon monoxide

into the air 24 hours a
day. That is a protocol issue.

They have to be kept running

in the event of a
state emergency.

Give me a break!

I'm sure your wife
is too important

to care about my son's asthma,

but shouldn't she care
about climate change?

Isn't that part of her job,
too? (neighbors murmur agreement)

I was hoping that this would
be a reasonable discussion

where we could all
get to know each other

and come up with some

creative ideas about
how to live together.

But it's turned into a platform

for you to voice your
opinions about foreign policy

and elevate your
mundane concerns

to global importance...
(protesting)

Because my wife happens to be

the secretary of state.

"Mundane concerns"?

Yeah, Ted.

Your garbage bins?

Really?

Dinner parties?

I'm sorry my
house is a little busy

because matters
of national security

really don't take a day off.

There are dangers that
you will never know about

because there are
people out there

working to make sure
you're never affected by it.

People who are
putting their lives at risk

every day.

So why don't we all
just take a time-out

and then, if you still want
to petition us to move out

of the neighborhood,
go with God.

Good luck with that.

Okay, everybody out. Let's get out of here,
honey.

What? Out? Come on, let's go.

Let's go. Let's all go.

(indistinct chatter)

Great diplomacy, guys.

Really.

Top-notch.

(front door closes)

The teacher Ashin Tun

has been received
by Mr. Maxwell.

A conversation ensued
among the three of them.

Now, if you care to rest,

the president and the teacher

appear to be meditating.

The idea was that

the teacher was going
to counsel Mr. Maxwell.

We brought him in at your request,
Madam Secretary.

What happened after
that is not up to us.

NADINE: President
Shwe and Mr. Maxwell

want to talk to you.

It's a secure line.

This is Secretary
of State McCord.

I believe the hard work has paid off,
Madam Secretary.

You must be exhausted.

Why don't you put the gun
down and let's... let's all talk?

Look,
I know that I'm probably going to prison

for the rest of my life,

but I am ready to
face that possibility

if I know that I have
created a better agreement

for my new home and people.

Arlen, clearly,
you-you care very much about these changes,

so why don't you come out

and let's discuss them?

Madam Secretary, are you aware

of the sutta of the Middle Way?

I think that it's, um,

similar to what the Greeks call

the golden mean.

Moderation in all things.

It's the road between
sensual indulgence

and self-mortification.

It's... it is the path
we should all seek.

And I have been successful

in, uh,
getting the president to understand that.

What does that mean?

He agrees

that these
hydroelectric dams are...

they're just... they're a
bad idea for his people.

Well, if the president is convinced,
we can...

absolutely take a look
at making an amendment.

But we can't talk about anything

while President Shwe
has a gun to his head.

It's not the president's
attention that I need now.

It's yours.

And when I show you

on a map, uh,
the-these-these areas

that will be flooded and
these poor people who will

lose ev... (gunshot)

Arlen, what was that?

Arlen?

(shouting)

I lost him.

The police chief
isn't answering.

Nor is Arlen's aide. I...

Nothing reported
on any news source.

The president is unharmed.

Oh,
thank God. What about Maxwell?

Mr. Maxwell let his guard
down as he spoke to you.

The snipers were
able to wound him.

He is being treated.

He will recover.

The president wishes
to see you immediately.

Of course.

(phone chimes)

The important thing
is that you're all right.

And we all deeply regret

Mr. Maxwell's actions.

But we came here
for a specific reason

that carries great
international...

Madam Secretary, I must tell you

that the reluctance
that I voiced

to Mr. Maxwell was genuine.

In order for Myanmar
to sign this agreement,

it must be amended
to address the problem

of the possible
hydroelectric dams.

This agreement

was based on hard
data from every nation.

They predict that these
hydroelectric dams

will modernize your power grid,

which will, in turn,
help Myanmar

to take better care
of all of its citizens.

You and I both know why
China was so interested

in eliminating tariffs
on hydropower turbines.

So that they could be the one

to build the hydroelectric dams,

using their technology
and their labor.

And perhaps claim
Myanmar's future water rights.

Mr. President,

there is something in this
agreement for every country.

That's how we got here.

I have a clearer picture now.

Signing this agreement
is a short-term solution

which will lead to much
greater problems down the road.

I-I know that you are aware

that it's too late to
change the terms now,

but perhaps we can use
Myanmar's labor force

to build the dams.

And at this point,
Mr. President,

there's no reason to suspect

that China will lay claim

to a sovereign
nation's water rights.

Tell that to the African nations

where China is
buying up all their land.

Have you read The World in 2030,

put out by your own
State Department?

Water is the future's
most precious commodity.

So for the good of my people

and future generations,

I must withdraw my support

for this agreement.

If you could visit
some of our villages...

(indistinct chatter)

Oh, it's okay.

Thank you.

I was worried.

I'm flattered.

Seriously?

Oh, I didn't mean it that way.

I... I really wasn't sure...

That I care about my own mother?

Why do you have
to be so dramatic?

Roman,
you haven't returned my calls in...

a few years, now.

What about when you
stopped speaking to me

when I dropped out of Juilliard?

That's ancient history!

I was angry then.

I was afraid I'd say
something I'd regret.

And when I tried to get
back in touch with you,

you wouldn't hear of
it. You disowned me.

I didn't disown you.

I cut you off financially.

If you were adult enough
to drop out of school,

then you were adult
enough to support yourself.

You were mad because
I abandoned your dream.

No, no.

You wanted Juilliard
as much as I did.

That is not true.

And Dad was
totally understanding

when I changed my mind.

Yeah, well,
he wasn't paying for it.

It always comes back to money.

I was a single mother

and a government worker.

I didn't have endless resources.

I saved from the
time you were born

to give my only child
a college education,

and you took that
gift and threw it away.

I didn't throw anything away.

I'm using what I learned there.

You're just so prosaic.

It's like nothing counts unless
it's some kind of pedigree.

(sighs)

Okay.

Okay.

(clears throat)

You're right.

I don't fully understand it,
but I'm going to trust

that you know what you're doing.

Anything to end this fight.

I want to have a
relationship with you.

Well,
how are we supposed to do that?

We keep talking to each other.

You return my calls,
I won't mention Juilliard.

Can we do that?

I guess.

(phone chimes)

Ugh!

I'm sorry, I have to go back in.

I love you.

I get that. I do.

NADINE: I apologize,
Madam Secretary.

It was my son.

(chuckles) He was worried.

Oh. Understandable.

Is he okay?

Yeah.

Where are we with
President Shwe?

It's over.

We're going home
without a trade agreement.

Called the president;
I'm not sure the hearing

in that ear will ever recover.

He's got a lot of nerve
holding you accountable.

He's the one who put an
unstable person in that post.

You got to see your son.
It wasn't a total waste.

Yeah, we'll see.

The truth is, ma'am, um...

we've been
estranged for a while.

But I wanted to mend fences,
so I had to suck it up.

I kept my eye on
the bigger picture.

(sighs) And you know what?

He met me halfway.

At least in theory.

That's good.

You found the Middle Way.

That's a Buddhist
principle I was lectured on

by a guy holding a
gun to someone's head.

It's one thing to talk about,
quite another

to put into practice.

Yeah, it is.

I'll start making
arrangements to go home.

Uh, first, Nadine,

see if you can get the Chinese
foreign minister on the phone.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you, guys.

(groans)

Anybody home?

Just me.

Well, that'll do.

Are you okay, babe?

Yeah.

Ouch. Oh.

I'm a little tired.

I'm sure you are.
I saw the news.

You put that trade
agreement back together.

What happened?

I had an epiphany.

I found the Middle Way.

Oh, my God. You're a Buddhist.

(both chuckle)

More like a... suck-it-upist.

Since when?

Well,
after President Shwe changed his mind

about the agreement,
I managed to work a side deal

with the Chinese to protect.

Myanmar's water rights.

So, by prostrating myself

and taking all the blame,
which I did not deserve,

everybody signed
and there you go. Wow.

History made.

That's great. Congratulations.

Mm. Thank you.

(sighs)

I couldn't pull things
off with the neighbors.

Well, there's... still time.

What, you want to employ the
"suck it up" strategy with them?

While it's working, yes.

I may have incinerated
the Middle Way.

Well,
there's only one way to find out.

What in the world are...?

How do these things
get so out of order?

It's the alphabet, people.

You're still upset
about the 2030 report?

Rising sea levels, displaced people,
economic upheaval?

Yeah, it's staying with me.

If you want to bury
yourself in work,

the secretary has a
real assignment for us.

Yes, please.

We need to get to the
bottom of why the SUVs

are left running
outside her house.

There has to be
a way to stop that.

I tried. Oh.

After the evil brunch,
I did some research.

It would take
mountains of paperwork,

questions from Congress

and at least six
months of waiting.

Most likely to be turned down.

Huh.

Well...

in that case,
there's only one thing left to do.

♪ Oh, lay your hands ♪

WOMAN: ♪ Oh,
lay your hands on me

♪ Oh, lay your hands ♪

♪ Ooh...

You know,
when I was a little girl,

we didn't have fire drills.

We had nuclear bomb drills.

Duck and cover.

Duck under the desk
and cover your head.

(laughs) As if that
would've helped.

(sighs)

We were all absolutely convinced

that one day we would
all die in a nuclear war.

(groans): Oh.

We just lived with it.

Oh, we... tried to get
the most out of our time,

but we just hoped
and prayed for the best.

I studied the Cold War.

It's a miracle it didn't happen.

Oh, partly.

There were other things.

The SALT talks.

Ongoing negotiations
among world leaders.

The Berlin Wall
eventually came down,

seemingly out of nowhere,
but really...

it had to do with
a lot of people

making good moves
at the right time.

And yet here we are again,
making a big mess of everything,

and if we don't change our ways,
then yes,

it will be the stuff
of nightmares.

But if we turned
things around once,

I believe we can do it again.

Sometimes...

you have to have
faith in people.

Do not ever tell
anyone I said that.

(laughs)

Yes, ma'am.

(music ends, woman laughs)

(crowd cheering)

Meanwhile,
that's why God created alcohol and music.

Now,
get up there and sing. (chuckles)

Uh, why?

(sighs)

Because you can.

(James Taylor's "Fire
and Rain" playing)

BLAKE: ♪ Just yesterday morning

♪ They let me know
you were gone ♪

♪ Susanne,
the plans they made put an end to you ♪

♪ Walked out this morning

♪ And I wrote down this song

♪ I just can't remember
who to send it to ♪

♪ I've seen fire
and I've seen rain ♪

♪ Seen sunny days that I
thought would never end ♪

♪ I've seen lonely times
when I could not find a friend ♪

♪ But I always thought
that I'd see you again. ♪

(engine running)

Whew. Hi.

MATT: Can I help you,
Madam Secretary, Dr. McCord?

Yeah.

Matt,
I was wondering if maybe you guys could

shut off the motors
for the night?

No, ma'am. It's protocol.

I'm not kidding.

This is important.

I'll tell you what,
if you get in trouble,

you just blame it on me,
okay? I'm sorry, ma'am.

I'm not authorized to do that.

Hey, have you called Conrad

to tell him the trade
agreement is finalized?

Yeah, he was in a meeting,
so I left a message at the office.

Uh, he's probably home by now.

It's this whole thing with the neighbors,
Matt.

They-they don't like the
cars running all the time.

The poor guy's kid has asthma.

Well, be that as it may,
Dr. McCord,

I don't work for your neighbors.

That's true.

Technically,
I don't even work for Secretary McCord.

(chuckles): That's true,
too, technically.

ELIZABETH: Just
hold on one second.

Um, Matt,
the president would like a word.

Yes, Mr. President?

Yes, sir.

Yes, sir.

I understand.

Right-right away, sir.

Good-bye.

(engine stops) Thanks, Matt.

I'll tell the other guys.

Have a good night.

(chuckles)

(sighs): Oh.

I like the Middle Way.

That was not the Middle
Way. That was winning.

Well, I like that,
too. (chuckles)

Captioning sponsored by CBS.

Captioned by Media Access
Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org