S01.E22: There But For the Grace of God

[CooperTV]

Season 1 ends with Elizabeth recalling turning down a job offer by then-CIA Director Dalton that would have changed the course of her life; at the same time, she confronts a former friend. Elsewhere, Stevie and Harrison begin a relationship that will have consequences.

 

[shapeshifter]

...Stevie and Harrison begin a relationship that will have consequences

Of course they do. *Sigh* When it comes to the kids' stories on this show, I think the writers watched too much Dennis the Menace and Leave It to Beaver when they were growing up--both shows that I hated. Edited May 4, 2015 by shapeshifter

[CooperTV]

Of course they do. *Sigh* When it comes to the kids' stories on this show, I think the writers watched too much Dennis the Menace and Leave It to Beaver when they were growing up--but shows that I hated.

 

I thought Stevie said they had been an item for like, five minutes, and then they became friends? Rekindling this thing is weird. And it's really dumb move from Stevie and Harrison, which is not exactly surprising, considering.

[Driad]

 

A young character reminiscent of Eddie Haskell of "Leave It to Beaver" could be fun.  An aspiring politician or diplomat, perhaps?

[whatsatool]

Really don't diss Beaver and Dennis.

[shapeshifter]

A young character reminiscent of Eddie Haskell of "Leave It to Beaver" could be fun.  An aspiring politician or diplomat, perhaps?

Actually, Harrison does somewhat resemble Eddie Haskell.

Anyway, I thought it was a great finale...minus the Eddie Haskell sex in the back of the limo, which now two supposedly vetted men know about.

Question:

When Stevie did the deed with Harrison, was she still just trying to distract the media from her mom? It was before the JD decided not to prosecute Elizabeth, right?

Or was she just looking for a rebound to get over Arthur?

I just hope this stays a B or C plot.

[secnarf]

Actually, Harrison does somewhat resemble Eddie Haskell.

Anyway, I thought it was a great finale...minus the Eddie Haskell sex in the back of the limo, which now two supposedly vetted men know about.

Question:

When Stevie did the deed with Harrison, was she still just trying to distract the media from her mom? It was before the JD decided not to prosecute Elizabeth, right?

Or was she just looking for a rebound to get over Arthur?

I just hope this stays a B or C plot.

I didn't think Stevie was ever trying to distract the media from her mom - I thought it was to take the attention away from Harrison's drug addiction, like they'd all be so fascinated by his new "girlfriend" that they'd focus on that rather than him just getting out of rehab.

[sinkwriter]

The date to the event at the White House was meant as a distraction to keep the media attention away from Harrison's drug addiction, but I think the sex in the back of the limo was simply Stevie missing Arthur and feeling stressed out about her mom and as a result wanting to distract herself, in a way using Harrison to "help" her do that. Unfortunately, I think that's a bad move on her part, because she's messing with Harrison's drug rehab in an attempt to make herself feel better. It's selfish. Does she really think the guy with the addictive personality is going to say no to her advances? He's likely looking for distraction too, but in his case it could wreck his precarious sobriety. There's a reason they say not to get involved with anyone for at least the first year of sobriety.

 

On a side note, I thought it was creepy, seeing the two security agents in the front seat, watching them make out before rolling up the partition. And the fact that Stevie and Harrison didn't even bother to ask them to raise the partition first before they got carried away annoyed me. They're both so foolish. At that point, Stevie's mother was in danger of going to prison, and Stevie's risking making things worse for her family in the media?

I really felt for Elizabeth in this episode, especially that final scene where she watched her "friend" being interrogated and saw how negatively affected she'd been by the job that Elizabeth was originally supposed to take. Definitely something that will weigh heavily on her, I think.

 

Was this the season finale?

[Dowel Jones]

Correct if I'm wrong, but isn't the CIA station chief supposed to be at least nominally a secret post?  Announcing it out loud at a DC restaurant seems to fly directly in the face of Bess's declaration as to why she violated section 793 of USC 18.  Which I looked up by the way.  As with most governmentese, it appears to be written to  cover everything up to and including breathing unauthorized oxygen. 

[missbonnie]

LOL at the last sentence of the post above me. Yes, it was the finale, which I was surprised that they didn't end with Henry getting ready to testify. That would have made a nice little cliffhanger, but it is what it is. The entire Stevie part of the storyline was stupid I thought. I'm going to assume that it was Bess's friend that ratted her out about Henry's involvement to get back at her for questioning her loyalty. The gal they captured wasn't there that night was she?

[Julie23]

I really don't need another plot around Stevie. She still bugs. Do we know if this show got renewed?

[zoey1996]

Do we know if this show got renewed?

Yes, it's been renewed.

[AriAu]

Was this episode written by someone with ties to Aaron Sorkin-there were several lines that were pure West Wing.
"Could you stop using vowels and consonants right now" as well as the whole conversation about the ledge. Plus they kept having pedi-conferences.

[kwnyc]

I found myself feeling bad for the president. When we got the backstory of his inner circle, the happy group of Conrad's colleagues and proteges, and realized that 10 years later, 2 had committed treason and killed a third...that was sad and tragic on a lot of levels. I hope he realizes Isabel was the only one other than Bess who was willing to dig for the truth and didn't betray her country. Also what irks me is that Stevie undid all the good will she'd built up and next season's unnecessary plot will be her unwanted pregnancy and Dr. Rev. Arm Candy's religious crisis.

Edited May 4, 2015 by kwnyc

[Boundary]

I didn't mind Stevie's sexcapades, Harrison understands her world. Sometimes that's all you need. So how about the elephant in the room, Elizabeth is so popular right now all it would take is a President's scandal and she'll be the front runner. I'm surprised no one has touched this subject yet, even amongst her gossipy minions.

Edited May 4, 2015 by Boundary

[CooperTV]

I thought it was kind of underwhelming, to be honest. They'd benefit from adding another episode specifically for the flashback, which I thought was interesting in the sense of the character development and the chain of the events that led to everything. Instead they crammed this "everything" in 42 minutes, and then threw in silly and nonsensical "Stevie being an immature idiot" plot (we knew that already, thanks), the SOS Marsh's portrait plot (how come they didn't think to give it to his family in the first place), some random dude advising Nadine on her dating (how did he even know about the NASA guy? Did I miss something?), the Senate hearing and the treason plot, and it was bit of a mess.

 

The ADG (Annoying Dog Guy) and Russel were a blast together and their bonding was a quite unexpected twist. Elizabeth nobly wanting to fall on her sword and Russel, ADG (and the President) silently laughing at her because no one cared about her opinion in the matter was hilarious!

 

But I did like the poignant contrast between the past and the present. The scene with Juliet's interrogation in the end was very good: Elizabeth noticing Juliet's calmness and saying it's because she's distancing herself from the atrocities she'd committed; the question about George's murder and Juliet's involuntary emotional reaction to it; the restaurant scene from the past, -- all were very well done.

[betsyboo]

i will miss this show this summer.

 

I love that Bess calls Allison Noodle. I cannot explain why.

[secnarf]

i will miss this show this summer.

 

I love that Bess calls Allison Noodle. I cannot explain why.

 

Because it is adorable and sort of real-life-like :P

 

I thought it was kind of underwhelming, to be honest. They'd benefit from adding another episode specifically for the flashback, which I thought was interesting in the sense of the character development and the chain of the events that led to everything. Instead they crammed this "everything" in 42 minutes, and then threw in silly and nonsensical "Stevie being an immature idiot" plot (we knew that already, thanks), the SOS Marsh's portrait plot (how come they didn't think to give it to his family in the first place), some random dude advising Nadine on her dating (how did he even know about the NASA guy? Did I miss something?), the Senate hearing and the treason plot, and it was bit of a mess.

 

The ADG (Annoying Dog Guy) and Russel were a blast together and their bonding was a quite unexpected twist. Elizabeth nobly wanting to fall on her sword and Russel, ADG (and the President) silently laughing at her because no one cared about her opinion in the matter was hilarious!

The random guy (I think he was Marsh's lawyer) knew about NASA guy because "It's Washington" - i.e. because everyone gossips and there are really no secrets. That's the reasoning he gave to Nadine, anyways.

I also loved Russel and ADG (Mike B?). Elizabeth sure showed them when she basically defied the president's orders and showed up to testify anyways.

Can someone give me a brief explanation of what a senate hearing is? (I'm not American so this is a rather foreign concept to me). They said it's not like court, but then you can still perjure yourself and get subpoenaed and everything. What is the purpose of it? And why was a congressman running it, rather than a senator, if it's a senate hearing? Are they typically televised and widely watched?

[shapeshifter]

...I love that Bess calls Allison Noodle. I cannot explain why.

Did we learn in a previous episode the origin of the nickname?

[Netfoot]

I didn't mind Stevie's sexcapades, Harrison understands her world. Sometimes that's all you need.

 

Stevie is a idiot, but that's not new.  That was some truly inept back-seat fumbling, tho...

 

I also loved Russel and ADG (Mike B?).

 

I don't like Russel much, and I strongly dislike ADG.  Perhaps they can spin off an have their own show?  On BBC2?  Right after Open University.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Netfoot

[Dowel Jones]

Can someone give me a brief explanation of what a senate hearing is?

 

Both Houses of Congress have authority to investigate levels of misconduct at the federal level, including the power of subpoena, even if the proceedings do not have all the trappings of a court of law.  Some witnesses have ignored subpoenas, or, in the case of Presidents and such, claimed executive privilege.  The witnesses are sworn in, and required to answer the committee questions.  To answer falsely may bring a charge of perjury.  However, the witness can refuse to answer under protection of the 5th Amendment to the Constitution, which protects against self-incrimination.  This act has been used both famously and infamously in the course of our history.  Although the purpose of the hearings is at least nominally to get at the truth of some matter, just as often they are used as springboards to national attention (*coughMcCarthycough*).   Whether people watch them depends on the subject matter, the fireworks at the hearing, and, of course, the potential for celebrity witnesses.  Not necessarily in that order of importance.

[secnarf]

Both Houses of Congress have authority to investigate levels of misconduct at the federal level, including the power of subpoena, even if the proceedings do not have all the trappings of a court of law.  Some witnesses have ignored subpoenas, or, in the case of Presidents and such, claimed executive privilege.  The witnesses are sworn in, and required to answer the committee questions.  To answer falsely may bring a charge of perjury.  However, the witness can refuse to answer under protection of the 5th Amendment to the Constitution, which protects against self-incrimination.  This act has been used both famously and infamously in the course of our history.  Although the purpose of the hearings is at least nominally to get at the truth of some matter, just as often they are used as springboards to national attention (*coughMcCarthycough*).   Whether people watch them depends on the subject matter, the fireworks at the hearing, and, of course, the potential for celebrity witnesses.  Not necessarily in that order of importance.

Thank you!

So basically it's like a court of law but without the power to actually do anything except make people testify honestly? And any congressman or senator can start one of these hearings for basically any allegation of misconduct? That is an interesting concept.

[Sandiscot]

Congressional hearings which supposedly involve National Secrets do not. Anything involving said National Secrets is done, well, in secret with no cameras or audience at all. The exercise on this show was purely to advance the political career of the guy who chairs that committee, but in doing that he can destroy the careers or lives of other people. It's not a great system although on the surface it sounds "open".

[Kromm]

I really don't need another plot around Stevie. She still bugs. Do we know if this show got renewed?

Gigantic ratings all season.  It's never been in danger of NOT being renewed.

[Kromm]

Thank you!

So basically it's like a court of law but without the power to actually do anything except make people testify honestly? And any congressman or senator can start one of these hearings for basically any allegation of misconduct? That is an interesting concept.

Of course it has power. It can't take the place of a judicial branch action (nor should it), but in theory what's said affects lawmaking.

 

Effectively I doubt just ANY congressman or senator could compel a Secretary of State to testify.  It would take the power of some major subcommittee behind such (so effectively a leader in the party with a majority in that legislature house--which in theory tells us that this fictional president's political party doesn't have power in congress as well).

[kwnyc]

Well the sheer chutzpah of the Senator striding into the SoS's office to serve her with a subpoena was definitely playing to the cheap seats...it makes me think that this guy (and the one who showed up at the compound in Texas) are the stupid, early candidates, whom the party's letting spin their wheels until the big boys start opening their war chests for the big campaign. For that matter, Walsh would probably have been penalized by his own party for making a serious run against his own candidate. You can do it, but it doesn't work...Was it in '80 that Teddy Kennedy ran against Carter in the primaries? 

 

Do we know, on the show's world, how far away the election is?

[Xantar]

I always assumed that this show was more or less contemporaneous (although the snow in this episode means that it's apparently still in January). So that would mean Conrad won his first term in 2012 and is gearing up for re-election because it is now 2015.

 

Stevie hooking up with the President's son is definitely foolish on a lot of levels. However, that doesn't mean she annoys me. Just because a character acts foolishly doesn't mean I will get annoyed. Hell, half of Mad Men is about all the characters making stupid sexual decisions. What Stevie is doing is understandable even if it's selfish and a really bad idea. And as long as it doesn't overwhelm the show or lead to something ridiculous like causing an international incident or a pregnancy storyline, then I'm ok with it. In this particular episode, it took maybe five minutes of the episode. That's ok for me.

 

As for the subpoena and Congressional hearing shenanigans, it never felt very tense to me because the entire time I was wondering, "Why don't they just say some version of the truth? What could possibly be worse than admitting that the President's hand-picked CIA director committed treason?" Next thing we know, that's exactly what Bess did and all is well.

[TimWil]

I think there will be a time jump next season and Matt and Daisy will both have "moved on." And I won't miss either of them one bit. Did anybody else notice there was a lot less of them in the last five episodes? They were only used for perfunctory state department scenes. I hope that was a hint that they were on their way out.

Edited May 6, 2015 by TimWil

[Puffaroo]

Of course they do. *Sigh* When it comes to the kids' stories on this show, I think the writers watched too much Dennis the Menace and Leave It to Beaver when they were growing up--both shows that I hated.

 

I hated them, too.

 

Really don't diss Beaver and Dennis.

 

HATED them.  ;)

[kwnyc]

Actually, we got to see Daisy do what she does...Matt was the one who turned jerk. I like Patina Miller, AND where her character started to go. Matt can go write for the Daily Show.

[shapeshifter]

Actually, we got to see Daisy do what she does...Matt was the one who turned jerk. I like Patina Miller, AND where her character started to go. Matt can go write for the Daily Show.

That's how I saw it too. Daisy stays and acts as the buffer between SoS related drama and the world; Matt away, preferably without fanfare.

[candall]

"Hey, wait a minute.  It's been days and days since I've stressed out my mom with self-centered, immature behavior.  Now that she's going to prison, I better double up and go screw the President's substance abuser son in a car full of witnesses.  Maybe the Secret Service knows where we could score some weed!"

[kwnyc]

 

"Hey, wait a minute.  It's been days and days since I've stressed out my mom with self-centered, immature behavior.  Now that she's going to prison, I better double up and go screw the President's substance abuser son in a car full of witnesses.  Maybe the Secret Service knows where we could score some weed!"

 

"We'll take Noodle along so she can practice driving!"