S02.E17: Higher Learning

[CooperTV]

Elizabeth accompanies Alison on a college campus tour, during which she becomes the center of attention when ambushed by groups protesting a Chilean mining operation. Elsewhere, Henry and Jane work with Jose Campos in an attempt to track down Jibral Disah's third wife, Hijriyyah.

 

[shapeshifter]

Loved the Skype tactic with the protester's 'rents.

[missbonnie]

Sooooo, my dvr shut off right as the avalanche was happening. Could someone please tell me what I missed?

Edited March 21, 2016 by missbonnie

[kwnyc]

 

Loved the Skype tactic with the protester's 'rents.

Masterful. 

It was another interesting look at the fallout of having a famous/controversial parent from the kids' POV. It looks like Noodle might be able to handle it a bit better than Stevie, though Stevie shows signs that she's actually growing a brain.

 

Random moment I loved: "French horn. Guaranteed scholarship."

 

Oh, and Dr. Professor Spy Daddy once again trumps (in the original sense of the word) all the other experts and gets them the answer they need. Annoying as hell. I sure hope that ex-teacher isn't collateral damage.

 

Russell looked awful...people have commented on this all season. I'm not spoilered, but he seems like he's headed for a health crisis.

 

Blake remains the most useful character on the show (though the speechwriter's knowing how to survive an avalanche was another random moment that was excellent).

[Kromm]

Despite him having an entire subplot by himself, I still in a way think this was a Professor Skycaptain Armcandy Secret Agent Spyboss light episode, which means not a bad one. We do have to put up with twice as much Russell Jackson now, since he's Armycandy's seeming boss (however little sense that makes on any kind of Org chart) as well as still seeming to believe half the time that he's Elizabeth's boss too. 

 

I actually liked the main plot, even the college part, too,despite how unrealistic it is that they could reduce her security detail to like 2 guys. It was kind of eyerolling that Stevie is now "the serious one" though--although I suppose you could argue that even her rebellion period was her being kind of self-important. 

[Kromm]

You know I've been wondering if the fact that Armcandy actually has some amount of personal chemistry with Jill Hennessy is going to lead to some yucky subplot with him being tempted.  Of course it may not be intentional--Hennessy's always had an easy chemistry with most people she's on screen with (the lady is overdue for an actual leading role somewhere again, since being is your late 40s is less of an automatic actress career killer than it used to be). 

[betsyboo]

If you told me a year ago that Stevie was going to be my favorite character (after Blake, CLEARLY), I would have laughed in your face!!

 

Glad to see Noodle's foray into college life didn't end up with her puking in a garbage can or being molested by a handsy frat guy. She held her own!

 

Daisy. go away, You serve no purpose. or GET a purpose! 

 

So are we headed for a Jason-as-a-drug-addict subplot since no one is ever paying attention to him?

 

"We bonded over Sondheim." "It's before 10 p.m."

[Netfoot]

Henry saves the world from Jihadists, while Bess organizes blueberry-lemon muffins!

 

You know, I don't believe that the most gutless Secretary of State would put up with that level of shit from Russel Jackhole.  Bess needs to get DS Agent Matt to "violate his personal face", several times! 

 

Oooo look!  Henry has identified another ultra-high valued asset, right in the heart of the enemy camp!  Let's see if he gets this one killed right away, or if she lasts longer than Dimitri.

 

Pretty bad, for Alison to tell Stevie she's not fun any more.  Which I assume means, she doesn't get fired for inappropriate clohing, or for shagging her middle-aged boss.  And she no longer gets caught shagging the First Junkie.  And things like that.  But honestly?  I quite like the not-fun Stevie of recent episodes, compared to Fun-Stevie of yore!

 

I felt sorry for Hugo the Glacier Boy, when the avalanche knocked him down, and pushed him away from the Starbucks on the top of the mountain.  Once that happened, he lost his free wifi connection, and his live feed went down!

[CheshireCat]

Why did we need to have all the Henry scenes? All of that could have been delivered as an update to Bess at the end of the episode... And where did Henry's reserve go to use someone as an asset? He just lost one, I highly doubt he would willingly compromise a young woman. Once the teacher pointed out that she's still just a chess piece, Henry should have said "yes, she is" because that is how he viewed Dimitri and why he had problems with using him and sending him anywhere. I used to love Henry but now he's starting to annoy me as he's becoming the male equivalent of a Mary Sue character. Can they get him back to teaching, please so I can love him again?

 

On a different note - the kid who filed the lawsuit. Would any lawyer really take that lawsuit with people witnessing that he was moving towards the Secretary while he was protesting something she was handling? DS is there to handle the Secretary's security, the guy was perceived as a security threat. Shouldn't that end the discussion right then and there? Of course, it makes for less drama but I'm not really a fan of creating drama where there is no real drama

Edited March 21, 2016 by CheshireCat

[Dowel Jones]

There's always someone who would be willing to file such a lawsuit on a contingency basis.  For that matter, he could file it himself.  In all likelihood, it would never get past the judge's first glance. 

 

Oh, and Dr. Professor Spy Daddy once again trumps (in the original sense of the word) all the other experts and gets them the answer they need.

 

It was nice seeing the ex-Special Forces officer step on him by flawlessly translating the Arabic text.  Henry even had a bit of a shocked look on his face. 

"But, but, I'm the smart one here."

 

Stevie can still be so self-absorbed.  Elizabeth caps on her with the remark "You won quite a few of those ribbons if I remember" (for showing up).  And Stevie replies, "Thank you, mom."

[MaryHedwig]

What I would have given to have watched Blake roll down that hill.

[bros402]

There's always someone who would be willing to file such a lawsuit on a contingency basis.  For that matter, he could file it himself.  In all likelihood, it would never get past the judge's first glance. 

 

It was nice seeing the ex-Special Forces officer step on him by flawlessly translating the Arabic text.  Henry even had a bit of a shocked look on his face. 

"But, but, I'm the smart one here."

 

Stevie can still be so self-absorbed.  Elizabeth caps on her with the remark "You won quite a few of those ribbons if I remember" (for showing up).  And Stevie replies, "Thank you, mom."

 

I took it as a sarcastic thank you, like Thank you, mom.

[Brian Cronin]

Jose Campos is such a weird character. He exists just to be wrong about everything. 

[shapeshifter]

And where did Henry's reserve go to use someone as an asset? He just lost one, I highly doubt he would willingly compromise a young woman. Once the teacher pointed out that she's still just a chess piece, Henry should have said "yes, she is" because that is how he viewed Dimitri and why he had problems with using him and sending him anywhere.

I was really confused by that dialogue. Did they just retcon Henry's personality? Tim Daly delivered the lines to the ex-teacher with extra sincerity about Hijyrah being able to make a change in Libya for all girls and women. What??

[Netfoot]

The whole interaction was strange.

 

"Can I buy you a cuppa coffee?"

"No way!  My principles will cost you at least a BLT sandwich!"

"I want to use you to get to her.  So I can use her, too."

"OK, Sold!"

 

(Only, maybe not a BLT...)

[CheshireCat]

shapeshifter, on 21 Mar 2016 - 04:12 AM, said:

I was really confused by that dialogue. Did they just retcon Henry's personality? Tim Daly delivered the lines to the ex-teacher with extra sincerity about Hijyrah being able to make a change in Libya for all girls and women. What??

 

Yeah, my sentiments exactly. He sounded like everyone else sounded during the Dimitri arc. But I bet as soon as the girl's life is in jeopardy, he'll be all distraught again. It's so sad that they're in the process of destroying Henry's character for the sake of giving him something else to do.

[KLovestoShop]

I agree that Henry is really nothing more than a scene filler for me as I find his current stories to be boring and not at all part of Elisabeth and her work.

 

This show hit all the right moves regarding the pie in the sky college kids and their views.  They only care about their opinions and want to subvert any other opinions forgetting that the First Amendment covers all speech, not only the ideas they espouse.  I love how Elisabeth put the kid in his place, but then smoothed things over.  Too bad Elisabeth can't straighten out this year's election crapfest.  

[Guest]

My favorite scene was when Bess showed up with the lawsuit guy's parents on Skype and the rest of the dorm laughed at him. 

 

Overall, I liked the episode, though the child bride sending that message to her teacher just feels far too convenient.

[roughing it]

When I heard that Hugo got caught in the avalanche, my immediate thought was that Professor Super-Secret Arm-Candy Wonder-Dad was going to fly a helicopter to Chile to save him.  Next thing I hear....a helicopter!!!

 

I'm super surprised that said Professor couldn't read the Arabic.  Slacker.

[Netfoot]

the child bride sending that message to her teacher just feels far too convenient.

 

Henry's gotta get a quick, massive, win.

[Kromm]

Overall, I liked the episode, though the child bride sending that message to her teacher just feels far too convenient.

<ADMIRAL ACKBAR> It's a trap!</ADMIRAL ACKBAR>

[Brian Cronin]

Another thing about Campos is that Henry does everything right, so it just gets dumber and dumber for Campos to challenge him on everything. Campos was going on and on about how awesome the e-mail was this episode, but you just know that next episode he'll be doubting Henry's every move. 

[CheshireCat]

The problem is, if Campos were right about doubting Henry, he'd get even worse. It's a clichéd set-up à la Craig Sterling and Elizabeth only that I wanted Bess to be right because she was simply opposing Craig's "let's go to war" enthusiasm and having worked for the CIA and as a political science professor makes her a lot more qualified to be right than Henry in that particular situation. I was okay with him as Dimitri's handler, but this is just a step too far.

 

He told his kids he was consulting and I wish they'd have left it at consulting. Let Fellows and Campos handle the actual intelligence work and have Henry be in the room and analyse things on a people-skill and religious level like he analysed that Dimitri was the better pick than the other guy who eventually killed himself and I forgot the name of. And using him to bond with the teacher was also okay but he should most definitely not be a shot-caller because he's not qualified to be a shot-caller. And if he's a shot-caller, he should be wrong every now and then and they could have let him be wrong had they not brought in a softer version of Campos/more of a team-player Campos.

[roomtorome]

I appreciated how the show highlighted the impact of the internet/social media - and its impact on pretty much everything.  I know we see it a lot and know it in our daily lives but I thought it worked well here all smushed together in a 40 minute show, that every single thing is being covered, recorded, broadcast and once it is online - it is there forever.  

 

And, I prefer episodes where it actually more about the lead of the show than her boring husband.  If they had to have a husband so involved, I do wish it had been another actor - pretty much any other actor.  Oh well.  

[Brian Cronin]

The problem is, if Campos were right about doubting Henry, he'd get even worse. It's a clichéd set-up à la Craig Sterling and Elizabeth only that I wanted Bess to be right because she was simply opposing Craig's "let's go to war" enthusiasm and having worked for the CIA and as a political science professor makes her a lot more qualified to be right than Henry in that particular situation. I was okay with him as Dimitri's handler, but this is just a step too far.

 

He told his kids he was consulting and I wish they'd have left it at consulting. Let Fellows and Campos handle the actual intelligence work and have Henry be in the room and analyse things on a people-skill and religious level like he analysed that Dimitri was the better pick than the other guy who eventually killed himself and I forgot the name of. And using him to bond with the teacher was also okay but he should most definitely not be a shot-caller because he's not qualified to be a shot-caller. And if he's a shot-caller, he should be wrong every now and then and they could have let him be wrong had they not brought in a softer version of Campos/more of a team-player Campos.

 

Very fair point. Honestly, I was so impressed (briefly) when they had Henry make a call and have it go wrong a couple of episodes ago, so of course they had to reiterate that no, Henry was right, things just happened that changed the situation. Why can't he just be WRONG once in a while? 

[Kromm]

Very fair point. Honestly, I was so impressed (briefly) when they had Henry make a call and have it go wrong a couple of episodes ago, so of course they had to reiterate that no, Henry was right, things just happened that changed the situation. Why can't he just be WRONG once in a while? 

Because unlike a Secretary of State, when a Dr. SuperspyDaddy Lt. Col. Flyboy is wrong... people die!!!

[Netfoot]

What is the one thing Henry should have, but doesn't?  What does Henry need most of all?  Blue tights and a red cape!

[Kromm]

What is the one thing Henry should have, but doesn't?  What does Henry need most of all?  Blue tights and a red cape!

Maybe someone will make some Fan Art (or as I call it "FArt").

[CheshireCat]

Kromm, on 21 Mar 2016 - 10:16 PM, said:

Because unlike a Secretary of State, when a Dr. SuperspyDaddy Lt. Col. Flyboy is wrong... people die!!!

 

They wouldn't if they made him stick to decisions he was actually knowledgeable about... I don't mind him being right. I mind him being right he has no idea about because he has no experience in the field whatsoever. Being a Professor and being able to determine someone's dedication to faith or country by analysing the way they talk about it is one thing and I can buy that. What I can't buy is that he suddenly knows everything else about intelligence work and actually calls the shots and above all calls them right. Characters need flaws or they lose their sympathy factor. Bess has flaws, Henry's are in the process of being erased.

[VinceW]

They wouldn't if they made him stick to decisions he was actually knowledgeable about... I don't mind him being right. I mind him being right he has no idea about because he has no experience in the field whatsoever. Being a Professor and being able to determine someone's dedication to faith or country by analysing the way they talk about it is one thing and I can buy that. What I can't buy is that he suddenly knows everything else about intelligence work and actually calls the shots and above all calls them right. Characters need flaws or they lose their sympathy factor. Bess has flaws, Henry's are in the process of being erased.

VINCEW, ON 08 MAR 2016 - 2:35 PM, SAID:

.......................I don't like the way this seems to be heading with Henry having some kind of obsession over always being right. It presents as much the same that happened in his dealings with Jane over Dmitri during the Russian arc. The task force is suppose to come to a consensus over info given to them by Russell and then give Russell a plan of action................ For now, Henry appears out of his element working with such a highly experienced/trained intelligent group.

 

The Jane Fellows character played by Jil Hennessy is the only part of the Henry story that is making it watchable right now. I think the writers went too far with the teacher interview allowing Henry to offer deals for her help. If you notice, whenever Jane and Henry are working together, she always shoots him down at first on his ideas in order to keep him in check, but he goes rogue when left alone. In the CIA world, that is how an operative gets himself killed by the enemy.

Edited March 22, 2016 by VinceW

[CheshireCat]

VinceW, on 22 Mar 2016 - 12:10 AM, said:

VINCEW, ON 08 MAR 2016 - 2:35 PM, SAID:

The Jane Fellows character played by Jil Hennessy is the only part of the Henry story that is making it watchable right now. I think the writers went too far with the teacher interview allowing Henry to offer deals for her help. If you notice, whenever Jane and Henry are working together, she always shoots him down at first on his ideas in order to keep him in check, but he goes rogue when left alone. In the CIA world, that is how an operative gets himself killed by the enemy.

 

Exactly. And I think that is what makes it all so unrealistic and hard to swallow.

 

And you bring up another point I was bothered by - how can he offer that they get the family of the teacher out without clearing it first? I would so love to see the argument between Russell and Bess on one side and Henry on the other over that. Not going to happen but I would love for someone to put Henry in his place and make him realize that he's not Superman and not the President.

[Brian Cronin]

That's what makes it so galling that they reversed the initial thing where it looked like he made the wrong call in trusting that one asset and it ended up getting his colleague killed in the bombing. Henry has been right about so much that him being wrong about something, even if he put a lot of thought into it, and that wrong decision getting a colleague killed? That's NATURAL drama right there. It doesn't make him a dummy if he makes the occasional wrong call. It just makes him human. And that's what we need more from Henry - actual humanity instead of SUPERhumanity. ;)

[candall]

Quote function denied, but I agree with several of the Henry sentiments above.  I thought we were all supposed to be pro-Henry?  All the empathy and promises made my stomach twist.  Where does he get off promising he'll make sure that girl stays safe?  And spontaneously offering to get the teacher's family out of Libya?  Either he doesn't have a very long memory concerning the strength of his authority or that fine moral compass has slipped a few degrees off true north. 

 

Note to self:  keep this scene in mind when the man from the black helicopter is at his most dewy puppydog-eyed sincere.

[kwnyc]

 

Not going to happen but I would love for someone to put Henry in his place and make him realize that he's not Superman and not the President.

Hell, Henry even gets to go yell at the President (as he did when Dmitri was lost). I totally expect him to be the VP on Conrad's ticket in the next election. (Replacing the guy who threw up on the Chinese foreign minister. HENRY still has his gall bladder! And if it went south, he'd remove it himself!)

[needschocolate]

It was nice seeing the ex-Special Forces officer step on him by flawlessly translating the Arabic text.  Henry even had a bit of a shocked look on his face. 

"But, but, I'm the smart one here."

 

I'm super surprised that said Professor couldn't read the Arabic.  Slacker

 

This pleasantly surprised me too.  I was also pleasantly surprised that, when the email had a passage (supposedly) from the Koran and mentioned the passage after it, Henry didn't email say what the next passage was.  But then it made sense, since the passage wasn't actually from the Koran, because I am pretty sure that Professor Spy Daddy Arm Candy has the Koran, the Bible, the Torah, and ever other piece of religious literature memorized.  

 

However, it seems to me to be a rather foolish move for the girl to "quote" the Koran, but then the passage wasn't actually in the Koran.  If someone is checking her email, I would think this would arouse suspicion.  

 

Quote function denied, but I agree with several of the Henry sentiments above.  I thought we were all supposed to be pro-Henry?  All the empathy and promises made my stomach twist.  Where does he get off promising he'll make sure that girl stays safe?  And spontaneously offering to get the teacher's family out of Libya?  Either he doesn't have a very long memory concerning the strength of his authority or that fine moral compass has slipped a few degrees off true north.

 

I am okay with assuming that they had discussions about what he could offer to get her cooperation before he met with her..  I am glad we didn't have to watch these discussions, as I think it would be boring since I am finding it difficult to get interested in this story line at all (which I will probably regret when Bess eventually has to get involved)

 

On a different note - the kid who filed the lawsuit. Would any lawyer really take that lawsuit with people witnessing that he was moving towards the Secretary while he was protesting something she was handling? DS is there to handle the Secretary's security, the guy was perceived as a security threat. Shouldn't that end the discussion right then and there? Of course, it makes for less drama but I'm not really a fan of creating drama where there is no real drama

 

I think the point they were trying to make was that it doesn't matter if he could win the lawsuit, just filing one and the inevitable social media about it would make him win in the court of public opinion.  

 

However, it bugged me that no one pointed out to the kid that he "threatened" the SOS first and that all the Secret Service guy did was put his hand on his chest.  He was stopped, not pushed, and certainly not hurt.  

 

Sooooo, my dvr shut off right as the avalanche was happening. Could someone please tell me what I missed?

I don't remember the exact details, but since no one else has filled you in (including me - I forgot to respond when I originally posted and had to edit):  Short answer - he lives.  The speechwriter gave the SOS staff a thorough overview of what someone should do if they are in an avalanche (boy school training).  The rescue mission had to wait overnight because of the weather.  The next day, we see him half buried in snow, waving at the rescue helicopters.  

 

I don't remember if the protester story was fully resolved by the time of the avalanche.

Edited March 22, 2016 by needschocolate

[Netfoot]

On a different note - the kid who filed the lawsuit. Would any lawyer really take that lawsuit with people witnessing that he was moving towards the Secretary while he was protesting something she was handling? DS is there to handle the Secretary's security, the guy was perceived as a security threat.

 

Honestly, I'd have thought that if you approached the Secretary of State in such a belligerant manner that DS had to step in, that charges would automatically be brought against you.   

[CheshireCat]

Netfoot, on 22 Mar 2016 - 10:26 AM, said:

Honestly, I'd have thought that if you approached the Secretary of State in such a belligerant manner that DS had to step in, that charges would automatically be brought against you.   

 

I guess we need to put that into the "TV reality" column. But I sincerely hope that the parents told the kid off-Screen that you just don't approach someone who's surrounded by security in a manner which could be perceived as a threat and that you certainly don't file a lawsuit afterwards.

[needschocolate]

As I understand it, when they decided the company couldn't excavate for gold where they originally wanted to, the Chilean government was going to sue for lost royalties. Then the company decided that they would mine farther down and go under the glacier - more expensive, but better than paying royalties on gold they never mined.

 

The final resolution was that they would mine for gold in Argentina instead.  What about the lost royalties - wouldn't Chile still be able to collect?

As I understand it, when they decided the company couldn't excavate for gold where they originally wanted to, the Chilean government was going to sue for lost royalties. Then the company decided that they would mine farther down and go under the glacier - more expensive, but better than paying royalties on gold they never mined.

 

The final resolution was that they would mine for gold in Argentina instead.  What about the lost royalties - wouldn't Chile still be able to collect?

[Kromm]

However, it seems to me to be a rather foolish move for the girl to "quote" the Koran, but then the passage wasn't actually in the Koran.  If someone is checking her email, I would think this would arouse suspicion.  

It struck me as a weird, stupid plot point even as they said it. Her OWN captors are as likely to note it's not part of the Koran than anyone else. This is not a book that's mysterious to them.

[kwnyc]

 

Honestly, I'd have thought that if you approached the Secretary of State in such a belligerant manner that DS had to step in, that charges would automatically be brought against you.

As for the kid who released the confetti cannon, I'm surprised he didn't end up with federal charges. In this day and age, someone approaching a federal official with something that could be mistaken for a pipe bomb might also have found himself tazed or worse.

[Kromm]

As for the kid who released the confetti cannon, I'm surprised he didn't end up with federal charges. In this day and age, someone approaching a federal official with something that could be mistaken for a pipe bomb might also have found himself tazed or worse.

Forget a Federal official. This is the person who's 4th in line for the highest office in the land.

[missbonnie]

I don't remember the exact details, but since no one else has filled you in (including me - I forgot to respond when I originally posted and had to edit): Short answer - he lives. The speechwriter gave the SOS staff a thorough overview of what someone should do if they are in an avalanche (boy school training). The rescue mission had to wait overnight because of the weather. The next day, we see him half buried in snow, waving at the rescue helicopters.

I don't remember if the protester story was fully resolved by the time of the avalanche.

Thanks very much, I appreciate it. Edited March 23, 2016 by missbonnie

[andromeda331]

Replacing the guy who threw up on the Chinese foreign minister

I still can't stop chuckling over that poor guy. Or the kid getting chewed out by his parents. That was awesome.

He was all brave and tough until he saw his Mommy and Daddy.

Edited March 23, 2016 by andromeda331

[candall]

As for the kid who released the confetti cannon, I'm surprised he didn't end up with federal charges. In this day and age, someone approaching a federal official with something that could be mistaken for a pipe bomb might also have found himself tazed or worse.

RIGHT.  Ha ha, you thought it was shrapnel, but it's only confetti!  Made you flinch, Madam Secretary of State.

 

No repercussions for that?  Those two Brit kids were deported for texting some ill-chosen slang--I'm surprised this doofus isn't getting a firsthand look at Gitmo.

[Driad]

I hope they checked the guy's relationship with his parents before calling them in as the big guns. If he despised his parents and was not getting money from them for college, the skype tactic could have been embarrassing for the SoS.

[sinkwriter]

 

What I would have given to have watched Blake roll down that hill.

 

At first I thought it was him, but then I realized it was the secret service agent. Alas... if anyone needs to have some fun, it's buttoned-up Blake.  *GRIN*

[MYOS]

Does anyone have any idea at what college this was shot?