Madam Secretary Season 1 Thoughts and Feels

Madam Secretary 

Season 1

Thoughts and Feels

4.43 out of 5 Stars

I had no clue this show was a thing until it popped up on my Netflix feed and now I feel like I missed out when it was airing live! Fortunately for the entertainment side of my brain, it was very captivating. Unfortunately for my productivity, it was very captivating.

Madam Secretary is a political show about the fictional Secretary of State, Elizabeth (Bess) McCord. Episode 1 sets it all up: ex-CIA, predecessor died in a suspicious plane crash, used to be a professor living on a horse farm. As each episode goes along, there is a wide variety of different crises that come up in the office and internationally that we get to see the State off take care of. It was really well done in my opinion (even though I haven't seen many political shows lol) because it wasn't over-the-top or melodramatic. There's one office romance, but it occupies minimal air time and there is some family drama as well, but that serves more as character development for Bess as we see her balance her high-profile position and her relationships at home.

Bess is fantastic. Seriously, I love that while she has her own very strong morals, she's also very comfortable listening to other people's perspectives. I especially love that if she's talking to her husband, she can keep up with his level of philosophical theory as an ethics professor (which, I love their relationship), so clearly she's done her research. Bess really strongly and quietly holds her own though in her position. Like I mentioned, she came into the office because the last guy died in a plane crash, so nobody really knew who she was or was thrilled she was there. The Chief of Staff especially, Russell Jackson, has a very stern personality, so it was all heightened. Bess just went about her job though and completely crushed it with success after success.

Overall, I liked how consistent the show was with through-line of the Iran Peace Talks and suspicious plane crash. I think they sort of nailed how much they needed to draw attention back to those puzzle pieces by keeping it fresh without overwhelming every single plot and episode with new information. But oh my God, I think the most intense episode was when Iranian Ambassador Javani died. I cried and cried. It was heartbreaking to see this man pass away in front of his son. That scene was so horrible, but so well-done and set up for that the tragedy hits home in your heart instantaneously.

Despite how well the show handled the overall/larger plot, I also really liked how each episode had it's own center. I feel like because the show was handled this way, we were able to see more of the "everyday," or I guess the variety, of situations the State had to handle. These situations ranged from navigating a person seeking asylum to going through a potential shooter outside the building to helping solve a crisis in Canada. It is so varied and each episode is going to be different from the next.

It was still a long season. This is not a Madam Secretary thing, but an American thing. I just don't really understand seasons that are 22 episodes long. I was not as upset about this as I normally am with TV shows because I thoroughly enjoyed the show from pacing to acting to plot. It did get to that point for me of, "oh jeez how many episodes are in this season?" But I didn't get to that point until much later than I would expect myself to. So even though it was a long season, I wasn't as annoyed with the 22-episode length like I am with other shows.

What I appreciated was that the show wasn't super dramatic. I wouldn't know, but I imagine it was just slightly a bit more dramatic than what actually happens in a political office. Then again, it could be incredibly boring, I have zero clue. But I think what it is for me as a viewer, is that it felt realistic. Like, Grey's Anatomy is very fun and dramatic, but I don't image doctors and nurses have the dramatic relationship scenes in a hospital they way they do in the show. With Madam Secretary, I don't get that vibe.

This show low-key gives me some sort of hope for the future of American politics. Not all politics are bad, but there are a lot of politicians that I am not happy with (this is a mild way to put it). And seeing a show about high-ranking political figures that are ethical and moral, not perfect, but they try, is a sort of balm, even if it's fictional.

I'm already watching season 2 and I am so happy to have found show to binge that balances some drama with some cognitive necessity. Just a dash brain power needed, but a healthy-sized dash. 

Thanks for reading!