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Spoilers and Speculation

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

Quote

Question: Elizabeth and Henry on Madam Secretary are #couplegoals. Please tell me anything you can. —Mary
Ausiello: An upcoming episode opens with the McCords taking a tango lesson. And one of them is significantly more skilled than the other.

https://tvline.com/2018/12/14/million-little-things-spoilers-season-1-episode-14-regina-secret/

 

That sounds like it could be fun. And possibly like Bess is the one who is less skilled. Somehow, she doesn't strike me as much of a dancer (though Henry doesn't either).

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

15 minutes ago, orza said:

If Henry and Stevie continue working for Conrad and Russell there will be story lines for them, with the rest of the characters working in the campaign. Bess can still jump in as the occasional special envoy, presidential advisor or secret negotiator to keep her relevant in government story lines. This might even open up more opportunities for Bess to work off the books with Foreign Minister Chen. He's a great character to keep around.

I thought it was better to reply here since it's more speculation than media :-)

In any case, Blake was talking about Stevie's value to the campaign, and with that rule they were referring to in ep 18 when they sent Henry and Stevie upstairs because they were working in the WH, it would probably be best if they resigned to avoid any and all controversy. Especially since it seems that there's very little they can use against Bess, so her opponents and likely the media will probably pounce on any bit they an get. (I'm curious if the flashdrive Bess got in S4(?) will make a reappearance).

On the other hand, neither the kids nor Henry are necessarily known to put their own interest second, so who knows. (Although, I would certainly appreciate if Henry at least, resigned and devoted himself to supporting his wife 100% for once since campaigns seem to be quite draining). But even if they remain in the WH, it will be hard to combine the campaign with "regular" WH stories.

Does Bess have to meet requirements to get on the ballot in all the states as an Independent? She will have to fulfill requirements to get into the debate and I don't think Mike B will let her get away with not being in the debate. (By the way, I read that the show Kevin Rahm was in got cancelled, so, we might get more of him. I like him but I'm not sure how I feel about that).

I certainly hope we'll get to see Minister Chen!

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

4 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

I thought it was better to reply here since it's more speculation than media :-)

Following suit and moving this:

8 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:
1 hour ago, CheshireCat said:

But Chen was hoping the current President would step down and he'll get nominated in ep 3 of S5. It didn't work out and Chen's assistant/aide mentioned that the current President will seek another 5 years (I think it was) and if memory serves, they hinted that he could seek a lifetime appointment.

Okay. So the current MSec-land Prez of China just needs to either 1) die of a heart attack, 2) be assassinated, or 3) become incapacitated by dementia.
Right?

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

16 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Okay. So the current MSec-land Prez of China just needs to either 1) die of a heart attack, 2) be assassinated, or 3) become incapacitated by dementia.
Right?

Sounds about right. Plane crash or a natural disaster would also work, I guess. ;-) On the other hand, making Chen President sounds like it would either be too easy or like you could fill an entire season with all that he'd be up against.

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

8 hours ago, bros402 said:

I bet they'll have the show skip ahead a bit in time, cover the primaries for 2-3 episodes at most, then the months leading up to the election for the bulk of the season (4-5 episodes), then 1 episode for the election, and one for the transition period, and 95% chance they end it on her giving her inauguration

5% - they end on a hopeful shot of like some kids in a museum in the future learning about president elizabeth mccord, or maybe some kids come into the white house and she talks to them about something

That sounds like it would feel rushed ;-)

I'd actually love if they started with Bess as President in whatever way and then told the rest as "flashback" episodes. Not flashing back and forth during the episodes but that they're all something she remembers. That way, it would make sense that we're only seeing "snippets" and not spend more time on the primary months, election and transition.

6 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Sure, but an almost apocacalyptic ending in which extremists win the election would be another acceptable finale for me.

I really hope not.

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bros402

bros402

15 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

That sounds like it would feel rushed 😉

I'd actually love if they started with Bess as President in whatever way and then told the rest as "flashback" episodes. Not flashing back and forth during the episodes but that they're all something she remembers. That way, it would make sense that we're only seeing "snippets" and not spend more time on the primary months, election and transition.

It wouldn't feel rushed if they did it right.

It starting with Bess as President would be risky - since you would know she won (yes, we have a strong feeling she is going to win, but we don't know that until it happens) - so they'll probably want to have an Election Night episode, at the very minimum - and they'll also want to establish who she is running against/ran against, how things played out, etc.

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

On ‎5‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 2:42 AM, bros402 said:

It wouldn't feel rushed if they did it right.

I think it's not about the episodes but more about the time that they have to cover. It's 1 1/2 years until the election, roughly 1 if they pick up in October, and then it's another few months until the Inauguration (fingers crossed that that's what they decide) and she is in a unique position as an Independent, so there'd be a lot of stories to tell. The way they have written this show, they could probably fill 5-10 episodes with the transition alone, so, I think that what we will get will be good, I just don't think they can tell all the stories that they could tell in 10 episodes and I'm not sure how that'll translate.

On ‎5‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 2:42 AM, bros402 said:


It starting with Bess as President would be risky - since you would know she won (yes, we have a strong feeling she is going to win, but we don't know that until it happens) - so they'll probably want to have an Election Night episode, at the very minimum - and they'll also want to establish who she is running against/ran against, how things played out, etc.

Good point. I guess, not every viewer is as interested in the "behind-the-scenes"/journey as me and wants to be kept in suspension. :-)

As far as an election night episode is concerned, I think that could very well be the last episode with (hopefully - sorry, I'm not trying to drive home my point, I just don't want to jinx it ;-)) an Inauguration to conclude with. I think it would be smarter to end it like that and focus on the campaign instead of also including one or two transition episodes.

I also wouldn't object if they sort of skipped ahead a year, covered the last couple of weeks of the campaign and then spent most of the time on the transition. (I'm so glad I don't have to make the decision because I don't think I could.)

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bros402

bros402

3 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

I think it's not about the episodes but more about the time that they have to cover. It's 1 1/2 years until the election, roughly 1 if they pick up in October, and then it's another few months until the Inauguration (fingers crossed that that's what they decide) and she is in a unique position as an Independent, so there'd be a lot of stories to tell. The way they have written this show, they could probably fill 5-10 episodes with the transition alone, so, I think that what we will get will be good, I just don't think they can tell all the stories that they could tell in 10 episodes and I'm not sure how that'll translate.

Good point. I guess, not every viewer is as interested in the "behind-the-scenes"/journey as me and wants to be kept in suspension. 🙂

As far as an election night episode is concerned, I think that could very well be the last episode with (hopefully - sorry, I'm not trying to drive home my point, I just don't want to jinx it ;-)) an Inauguration to conclude with. I think it would be smarter to end it like that and focus on the campaign instead of also including one or two transition episodes.

I also wouldn't object if they sort of skipped ahead a year, covered the last couple of weeks of the campaign and then spent most of the time on the transition. (I'm so glad I don't have to make the decision because I don't think I could.)

True, there is a lot of story with her running as an independent. I wouldn't be surprised if they had some scandals pop up like how she is close with the foreign minister of China and countries like Iran. They might have an episode that just deals with the DNC, RNC, and uhhh the independent convention where it's just her and Dalton partying?

We already jumped forward a few weeks at the end of the season to her announcement, I think the next season premiere would probably start out with a bunch of news clips like "Former Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord announces her presidential run, Senator Carlos Morejon announces his run, etc. just to rush through time, maybe to November 2019 or so, then ~1.5 months of time per episode/in between episodes, then that would bring you to Inauguration Day 2021 😛

I think an election night episode would be the second to last episode - they might end an election night episode announcing her win, Conrad coming in and congratulating her, and asking her to sit down at the desk in the oval office, saying something like "You've earned it. Now tomorrow you get to learn what the job really entails"

Then the final episode would be the transition period + inauguration - probably a B plot about a few members of the electoral college disagreeing with McCord being elected and wanting to be faithless electors

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secnarf

secnarf

22 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

More spoiler-y photos from the season premiere and a link to an article that seems to contain spoilers. (I can't read it, it's blocked in the EU due to their data privacy rules).

https://twitter.com/erichbergen/status/1156375745733758976

https://twitter.com/madamseclive/status/1154137495757557761

https://twitter.com/madamseclive/status/1157078855414362114

Putting the article here (in spoiler tags so it doesn't take up too much room) so that you and others without access can read it.

When “Madam Secretary” returns to CBS for its final season in the fall, the show should probably have a new title — “Madam President.”

In May, Season 6 ended with Elizabeth McCord (Tea Leoni) declaring her candidacy for president. When Season 7 begins on Sunday, Oct. 6, she will be in the Oval Office as the newly elected chief executive.

“We have not announced anything, but we are doing about a two-year time jump,” Amy Reisenbach, CBS’ executive vice president of current affairs, told The Salt Lake Tribune. “When we come back, Elizabeth will be president. It will be about 100 days into her presidency.”

They are not, however, changing the title of the series. “But we had discussions about that,” said Kelly Kahl, president of CBS Entertainment.

The series will jump over the primaries and the general election, for the most part. “There will be flashbacks to the campaign,” Reisenbach said.

When “Madam Secretary” premiered in September 2014, Elizabeth McCord — a former intelligence officer — was appointed secretary of state by her former boss at the CIA, President Conrad Dalton (Keith Carradine). He has since been reelected to a second term, running as an independent, and McCord was his choice as his heir apparent.

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

They messed up the seasons in that article 😛

But that aside, I'm surprised that they skip over the campaign. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I wasn't keen on spending (most of) what was left of the show on the campaign (at least not if they had revived Callister's campaign and/or gone with a similar candidate) and I do like that we get to see Bess as President.

On the other hand, an inauguration would have felt like a perfect way to end it - final without being so because she'd got a whole presidency ahead of her - and diving right into the presidency feels so open-ended, at least, where the show and its limited ten episodes are concerned. And there are things that I would have liked to see from the campaign (mostly, Mike B. pushing her to do whatever it takes to get into the debates. That would have had potential for some fun. Also, discussions about who she'd pick as VP would have had potential and how she convinces whoever it is to join her on the ticket).

Now I'm curious to see how they end it. Will Bess struggle and find her footing in the final episode? (I also want to know what Mike B.'s role is or rather what that green pin he has on his lapel is all about. I doubt Bess made him head of the EPA 😛 )

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

Sara Ramirez/Kat isn't going to be a series regular in S6. I'm surprised in so far that I'm not sure why Kat would pass up on working in the WH especially considering how she "fan-girled" when she first met Bess but on the other hand, they haven't really done much with her this past season anyway. https://tvline.com/2019/08/06/madam-secretary-season-6-sara-ramirez-leaving-kat-sandoval/

I wondered the other day if Mike B's pin isn't green but if it's a reflection and Bess actually made him chief of staff. I think Mike B as chief of staff makes a lot more sense than Jay. I like Jay but he seems to soft as a chief of staff for the President. I don't mean that negatively, just that he was never a character who seemed to have the same grit as Russell and Nadine. He also has Chloe and I don't think he'd get to see that much of her if he were Bess' chief of staff. I just wondered what they'd do with Kat if Mike B was chief of staff and Jay maybe deputy chief of staff. But now that Kat's out of the picture, that seems more likely. (Maybe they write her out through her kid?)

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Guest

Guest

Kat was a weak addition and they never developed her much, so I'm happy she won't be there. I would like it if Mike B were only there for the campaign stuff.  

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

3 hours ago, deaja said:

Kat was a weak addition and they never developed her much, so I'm happy she won't be there. I would like it if Mike B were only there for the campaign stuff.  

Not sure if Kat was a weak addition. I think it's simply that they didn't have the same need for her/a policy advisor that they would have had in earlier seasons. (Although, even Jay wasn't in every episode and I believe Arcelus wasn't even a regular until S2). She was certainly a very dominant character and it took them a while to make her fit into the group but I think, mostly, she was just one character too many. Especially after Blake joined the policy advisor team.

As far as Mike B is concerned, I think the photos and especially the pin suggest that you're out of luck. But if they did make him chief of staff, I think they also have to tone down his attitude. He'd probably have to tap into his more mature side and lay off the act, like he did with Nadine.

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funnygirl

funnygirl

I found Kat Sandoval to be a distraction who didn't really add much to the show or group. 

I am looking forward to this final run. 10 episodes means little to no filler. I don't know how likely this is, but I'd love to see Nadine again before it ends. 

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

Looks like Russell stays on with the McCord administration. https://twitter.com/coultharddd/status/1161543243949101056

The leather folder or whatever you call it makes it look like he could even stays on as chief of staff. (Maybe Mike B. gets as a job as WH counsel? Would make a lot more sense, I think). Considering that he had the heart attack, I didn't think he'd stay on and/or that his wife would be thrilled/want him to. On the other hand, he strikes me as the kind of person who wouldn't know what to do with himself if he retired.

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

45 minutes ago, Notwisconsin said:

this is a bummer. it would have been so much better if she loses the nomination halfway through the series and they focus on how she begins to get on with her life after that.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but she's running as an Independent, so, from what I understand, she doesn't have a primary/nomination to win.

I have no idea how she gets on the ballot as an Independent, but they established throughout the show that she had high approval ratings and during S5 they established that she had donors and there was a lot of interest in her as President and the WH was backing her, so, I think it would have been unrealistic if she hadn't been able to get on the ballot everywhere.

Speaking of WH backing, I wonder if they will address what happened to the VP. She obviously belonged/belongs to a party, so, she could always run as her party's nominee. But if you're the VP and your President is backing his Sec of State, what are your chances?

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bros402

bros402

5 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but she's running as an Independent, so, from what I understand, she doesn't have a primary/nomination to win.

I have no idea how she gets on the ballot as an Independent, but they established throughout the show that she had high approval ratings and during S5 they established that she had donors and there was a lot of interest in her as President and the WH was backing her, so, I think it would have been unrealistic if she hadn't been able to get on the ballot everywhere.

Speaking of WH backing, I wonder if they will address what happened to the VP. She obviously belonged/belongs to a party, so, she could always run as her party's nominee. But if you're the VP and your President is backing his Sec of State, what are your chances?

For getting on the ballot, let's check ballotpedia!

https://ballotpedia.org/Ballot_access_for_presidential_candidates

"An individual can run as an independent. Independent presidential candidates typically must petition each state to have their names printed on the general election ballot."

States require anywhere from a set figure between 1000-10000 (split among voting districts in some states) to a percentage of the vote in the previous presidential elections (1% in Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Florida, Oregon, and West Virginia and 2% in Wyoming)

Some states also have filing fees, ranging from $200 (Wyoming) all the way to $2500 (West Virginia)

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

1 minute ago, thewhiteowl said:

Didn't her boss Dalton win his second term as an Independent? I kind of remember something like that. So I think it would make this ( her winning as an Independent) more plausible.

He did. Sort of. He lost the primary because he went rogue during a debate and then Bess pushed him to run as an Independent. None of the candidates won on election night and the election was then decided in the House.

I'm curious to see if they go the same route with Bess or if she'll actually win. I don't remember where I read it but either Hall or McCreary said in an interview that they wanted to create a universe where it was possible to win as a third party candidate, or they said something along the lines, at least. I think it was in an interview after Conrad won as an Independent, however, if that's what they wanted then Bess running as an Independent and being able to win on election night would be a continuation of the universe they created.

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txhorns79

txhorns79

Aside from Kat, TVline notes that multiple other characters are being downgraded to recurring status.

From the article: "Sebastian Arcelus (who plays Jay), Geoffrey Arend (Matt), Kathrine Herzer (Alison), Evan Roe (Jason) and Keith Carradine (President Dalton) will no longer be series regulars when Season 6 premieres."

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

Henry's cause that ties in with legislation should prohibit someone without any intelligence training to do anything other than intelligence gathering. They certainly shouldn't be a handler or supervisor of any sort. 😉

Sarcasm aside, as long as they don't manage to let his cause overshadow Bess presidency, he can have as many causes as he likes.

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Calvada

Calvada

Jason no longer a regular character?  It took them until the 6th season, but they are finally listening to the fans.  

I would love it if they had scenes of Henry picking out the centerpieces for a state dinner, planning the Easter egg roll, and doing all the other things that have been handled by First Ladies from Martha Washington to the present.  The wives are supposed to become unpaid social directors, so why shouldn't husbands?  

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

8 hours ago, Calvada said:

Jason no longer a regular character?  It took them until the 6th season, but they are finally listening to the fans.  

I would love it if they had scenes of Henry picking out the centerpieces for a state dinner, planning the Easter egg roll, and doing all the other things that have been handled by First Ladies from Martha Washington to the present.  The wives are supposed to become unpaid social directors, so why shouldn't husbands?  

Well, to be fair, I'm not sure if I'd want my dad (or other men I know) to do any of these things... 😉

I hope they throw in something that addresses that. Unfortunately, they only have ten episodes, so, probably not.

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

TV Line put out spoilers for a whole bunch of shows https://tvline.com/2019/09/04/fall-season-premieres-2019-tv-spoilers-preview/

There isn't much that wasn't in the article from yesterday. It sounds a little less like Henry will only be involved in politics, so here's to hoping. Leoni also says that they went with someone different for who she picks as VP. I've seen a couple of photos that include Susan Thompson (who replaced her as Sec of State) and I was wondering if she was the VP choice but hoped she remained Sec of State.

For me, it works that the MSec universe elected a female Independent President. It's kind of a continuation from Conrad's run as an Independent. But those voters also rejected Conrad when he admitted that climate change exists on the debate stage and went for a man who's the complete opposite of him. Someone like Callister also had enough support to be a viable opponent. That makes it very hard for even me to suspend belief enough to find it credible that the MSec universe voters are ready to elect not one but two women. 

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

https://tvline.com/2019/09/11/riverdale-season-4-casey-cott-kevin-returning/

Quote

Question: Is Madam Secretary going to make Stevie and Blake a full-on couple this season? —Anna
Ausiello: Sorry to disappoint you, Anna, but it looks like the pair — who kissed near the end of last season — will go back to being great friends. “But we have big plans for Stevie and her romantic life,” EP Barbara Hall previews.

I could do without Stevie and her romantic life (eating up any screen time) but at least, they moved away from Stevie and Blake. I'm grateful for the little things 😉

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Guest

Guest

On 9/3/2019 at 5:36 PM, txhorns79 said:

From the article: "Sebastian Arcelus (who plays Jay), Geoffrey Arend (Matt), Kathrine Herzer (Alison), Evan Roe (Jason) and Keith Carradine (President Dalton) will no longer be series regulars when Season 6 premieres."

Man..... I don't think I like this. I'm fine with Alison and Jason not being regulars, but Jay and Matt? I guess President Dalton makes sense as he won't be president anymore, but.... ugh.  

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

24 minutes ago, deaja said:

Man..... I don't think I like this. I'm fine with Alison and Jason not being regulars, but Jay and Matt? I guess President Dalton makes sense as he won't be president anymore, but.... ugh.  

I'd rather they're not regulars than watching an episode and wondering why they're in it. If memory serves, Matt wasn't in every episode last season either and he had a couple of episodes when he had only one scene.

If only Stevie and her love life weren't regulars either. I mean, we only have ten episodes, why waste precious screen time on something that really isn't relevant to the show's story? 😉

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