S03.E21: The Seventh Floor

[CooperTV]

Quote

Elizabeth and her team work to secure the release of an American journalist held hostage in the Sudan.

Promos

[shapeshifter]

So that was a Mothers Day episode, right?

*sniff*

[Fireball]

Anyone know what song was playing at the end of the episode?

[Netfoot]

Ugh!

Hated this episode.  Don't give a toss about the personal lives of Matt, Jay, Blake or any of them.  Not even Nadine.  Thought Daisy's pregnancy was predictable and desperate.  Did they have to go there?  And did they have to use the old Morning-Sickness Reveal?  I hate that with the energy of a thousand burning nuns!  Didn't feel even slightly moved by the reporter who went looking for trouble with a torchlight, and expects the rest of us to bail him out when his actions bit him in the ass.  Very disappointed that the only McCord family action was the further aggrandizement of St. Henry.

There went 42:43 of my life that I'll never get back!

[auntiemel]

This reminded me of the episode of CSI that was all about the techs!

[Brian Cronin]

4 hours ago, Fireball said:

Anyone know what song was playing at the end of the episode?

"Rise Up" by Andra Day.

[Beezella]

Also didn't care for the pregnancy bit. Or Jay and the reporter. However, I loved the opening of Blake's morning routine.

[Guest]

I don't buy that the Chinese government was the cause of the guy being imprisoned, but then kept reaching out to the family.  Why? Guilty conscious? I don't think so.

I called Daisy's pregnancy the week her boyfriend died, but had decided I was wrong.  I guess I'm glad Jay is moving on? Whatever.  I thought the Blake opening was well done.  

[thewhiteowl]

They reached out to the family, pretending sympathy to get information on communication or possible release plans.  

I enjoyed the episode. Matt dancing was my favorite part.

[picklesprite]

With the exception of the pregnancy, I liked it, esp. the opening. But I always love it when the cute Chinese diplomat acts indignant with Elizabeth and she's like, "Yeh, yeh, that's your line, here's mine: see ya."

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, picklesprite said:

I always love it when the cute Chinese diplomat...

Well, if he's cute, I guess it means I'm in with a chance!

[mbutterfly]

Since Patina Miller is pregnant, I kind of like the use of it, dead hero father and all. 

[HurricaneVal]

3 hours ago, picklesprite said:

With the exception of the pregnancy, I liked it, esp. the opening. But I always love it when the cute Chinese diplomat acts indignant with Elizabeth and she's like, "Yeh, yeh, that's your line, here's mine: see ya."

Me too!  That cat and mouse game between Madame Secretary and the Chinese diplomat, and the chemistry the two actors have together (even over Skype) just really makes that pop.

I really like how they're fleshing out the supporting characters, and Blake has always been sort of a mystery to me.  He's obviously dedicated to his job, and dedicated to Bess--almost blindly so.  Wasn't he the one who "took one for the team" during some European trip on a previous season and was arrested for public urination, except that was a ruse to get him close to someone in jail?  I always wondered why such a persnickety guy would be willing to do that, and it turns out he is all-in, completely devoted to Bess and the job.  Very interesting to see how OCD and detail oriented he is. 

I run hot and cold on Daisy, but she seems to be having an interesting character growth arc.  I loved her anxiety on the airplane during the Africa trip, and her growing awareness of issues beyond herself that she could influence with her position and how those issues could affect her.  At first her character was little more than a PR hack, not caring what the issue was or how important it was on the global scale, just how to spin it and make the best splash on social media.  Daisy has grown beyond that--and I hope she keeps going.

I've liked our peeks into Jay's life as well, he's a lot more volatile than we've been shown last season.  And we already know Nadine is just made of awesome. 

Matt?  He bugs me for some reason I can't put my finger on--but I also think he's supposed to bug us.  He's supposed to be the difficult character.  I kind of enjoyed his panic over having writers block when asked to produce a last minute, needs-to-be-epic, speech.  I loved how they showed him getting his inspiration when speaking with the congressman, and then turning those phrases directly into his speech.  I wonder if there will be repercussions because he did that.  They were, however, completely plebeian turns of phrase, just within the context of the issue they brought some power to the dialogue.

But I gotta say, for a guy supposedly on his death bed because of tuberculosis, that journalist made a miraculous recovery during his overnight at Ramstein and trotted down those airstairs and across the tarmac to his parents and wife.  I also liked how the journalist's daughter sort of hung back at the big triumphant reunion when her father came home.  That was real. 

Edited May 8, 2017 by HurricaneVal

[Xantar]

So basically, Justin Baldoni has been typecast as the guy who becomes the female character's baby daddy. 

I guess there are worse gigs.

Edited May 8, 2017 by Xantar

[Netfoot]

4 hours ago, mbutterfly said:

Since Patina Miller is pregnant, I kind of like the use of it, dead hero father and all. 

It's the ralphing her breakfast into a trash bin that I really didn't like.  

[Brian Cronin]

My issue with the pregnancy is that they avoided addressing her pregnancy for so long and then, when they're THIS close to the end of the season where they wouldn't have to talk about it ever again, they decided to write it in. Just seems like an odd, not particularly well-thought out, choice. 

[TeapotDiva]

16 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

It's the ralphing her breakfast into a trash bin that I really didn't like.  

Oh thank God ~ I had thought she was puking into the hallway water fountain!

[milner]

Me too lol

[CheshireCat]

48 minutes ago, Brian Cronin said:

My issue with the pregnancy is that they avoided addressing her pregnancy for so long and then, when they're THIS close to the end of the season where they wouldn't have to talk about it ever again, they decided to write it in. Just seems like an odd, not particularly well-thought out, choice. 

That's what I thought. She's pretty far along, right, so she would likely have given birth by the time they start filming again? So, the only reason I can think of is that she will still be on maternity leave then and they didn't want to come up with another explanation. But the timing seems to be odd and it's not like they could suddenly stop hiding it now because that would require a serious time jump.

Edited May 8, 2017 by CheshireCat

[Hudson0325]

I absolutely HATE the overused TV cliche that when a woman vomits, she must be pregnant. Cuz you know, we women NEVER get the noro virus or food poisoning or several other ailments that cause vomiting. Nope, it's always a pregnancy. I guess I've been pregnant dozens of times in my life and never knew it.

Sorry - pet peeve of mine.

[buckboard]

My pet peeve with the pregnancy is that they never discussed her option to have an abortion.  

She's unmarried, pregnant by a guy she went out with for one week, who is now deceased.   Want to think about what to do next?  I can understand if she decides she's keeping the baby because she is religious and her beliefs make her opposed to abortion.  (Although apparently her religion doesn't have an issue with sex out of wedlock.)  But I would have liked for SOMEONE to bring that up.  They didn't have to get into a long, drawn out fight about abortion, but at least mention it in passing.

[orza]

34 minutes ago, buckboard said:

My pet peeve with the pregnancy is that they never discussed her option to have an abortion.  

She's unmarried, pregnant by a guy she went out with for one week, who is now deceased.   Want to think about what to do next?  I can understand if she decides she's keeping the baby because she is religious and her beliefs make her opposed to abortion.  (Although apparently her religion doesn't have an issue with sex out of wedlock.)  But I would have liked for SOMEONE to bring that up.  They didn't have to get into a long, drawn out fight about abortion, but at least mention it in passing.

It was clear from the various conversations that Daisy had made her decision. In light of that it would be really inappropriate and presumptuous for anyone she works with to start talking about abortion. They may be on friendly terms and even be friends to some extent but it is way out of line for uninvolved third parties to broach the subject.

[VinceW]

1 hour ago, orza said:

It was clear from the various conversations that Daisy had made her decision. In light of that it would be really inappropriate and presumptuous for anyone she works with to start talking about abortion. They may be on friendly terms and even be friends to some extent but it is way out of line for uninvolved third parties to broach the subject.

Exactly.

Daisy  "I guess I always thought I might have to do it alone"

Bess    "The best ride is just about to start; You got all of us here"

I doubt that the abortion option ever came up in the writing of this episode. IMO.

Edited May 9, 2017 by VinceW

[roughing it]

Finally Jay found someone with some personality.  His wife is such a downer and the two have absolutely no chemistry.  Glad that Jay got a little hot lovin'.

[KaveDweller]

19 hours ago, orza said:

It was clear from the various conversations that Daisy had made her decision. In light of that it would be really inappropriate and presumptuous for anyone she works with to start talking about abortion. They may be on friendly terms and even be friends to some extent but it is way out of line for uninvolved third parties to broach the subject.

Yeah, she was talking about having the baby and going on maternity leave. If she presented it as "what am I going to do" it would have been different.

Plus, didn't she have a scene once where she talked about wanting kids? She was dating someone and told him how if they were going to keep dating she needed to know there was a chance they could have a baby someday? And he didn't freak out even though it hadn't been that long.  She may figure it is her only shot.

[secnarf]

20 hours ago, buckboard said:

My pet peeve with the pregnancy is that they never discussed her option to have an abortion.  

She's unmarried, pregnant by a guy she went out with for one week, who is now deceased.   Want to think about what to do next?  I can understand if she decides she's keeping the baby because she is religious and her beliefs make her opposed to abortion.  (Although apparently her religion doesn't have an issue with sex out of wedlock.)  But I would have liked for SOMEONE to bring that up.  They didn't have to get into a long, drawn out fight about abortion, but at least mention it in passing.

It doesn't have to be a religious thing. I don't think Daisy has been shown to be religious before. She's always wanted kids - we know that she has been stressing out about getting older, ticking biological clock, etc - and as others have said, the appropriate response to "I'm going to need maternity leave" is NEVER "hey, have you considered an abortion or giving the baby up for adoption"?

Any of Daisy's coworkers bringing up the possibility of an abortion or giving the child up for adoption is way out of line. It's not like Daisy is unaware of her options and she made it pretty clear she is keeping the baby.

As an aside - did I hear correctly in that Daisy asked Nadine for a month off?! I know mat leave is terrible in the US, but it's definitely more than a month!

[CheshireCat]

6 minutes ago, secnarf said:

Any of Daisy's coworkers bringing up the possibility of an abortion or giving the child up for adoption is way out of line. It's not like Daisy is unaware of her options and she made it pretty clear she is keeping the Baby.

I think Matt would be the only one who could breah the subject but more along the lines of "You're going to keep it, right?!" (phrased more like a statement than a question)

 

26 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

 

Plus, didn't she have a scene once where she talked about wanting kids? She was dating someone and told him how if they were going to keep dating she needed to know there was a chance they could have a baby someday? And he didn't freak out even though it hadn't been that long.  She may figure it is her only shot.

Yes, in S2 in the episode with the Doomsday Clock.

[orza]

2 minutes ago, CheshireCat said:

I think Matt would be the only one who could breah the subject but more along the lines of "You're going to keep it, right?!" (phrased more like a statement than a question)

Even that is way out of line because it's giving an unsolicited opinion on what he thinks she should do. Coworkers and friends should not be expressing such opinions unless the expectant mother is specifically soliciting advice about alternatives. In Daisy's case the only acceptable reaction is to express congratulations and support, like Elizabeth and the others did.

[CheshireCat]

9 minutes ago, orza said:

Even that is way out of line because it's giving an unsolicited opinion on what he thinks she should do. Coworkers and friends should not be expressing such opinions unless the expectant mother is specifically soliciting advice about alternatives. In Daisy's case the only acceptable reaction is to express congratulations and support, like Elizabeth and the others did.

I don't consider it an opinion, I consider it a rhetorical question. Based on their shared history, I think it would be okay but I guess, what we consider to be acceptable or not, especially in such a personal case, depends a lot on personal views and background. :-)

[Mellowyellow]

Bess and Chen are so adorable together! This show brings out chemistry between the strangest pairings. LOVED that call between them!

I loved getting a peek into Blake and Nadine's lives. 

I'm assuming they will cure the journalist from TB?

[VinceW]

19 hours ago, orza said:

Even that is way out of line because it's giving an unsolicited opinion on what he thinks she should do. Coworkers and friends should not be expressing such opinions unless the expectant mother is specifically soliciting advice about alternatives. In Daisy's case the only acceptable reaction is to express congratulations and support, like Elizabeth and the others did.

+100

Edited May 10, 2017 by VinceW

[Netfoot]

10 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

I'm assuming they will cure the journalist from TB?

If so, it won't be them.  It will be Henry!

But I doubt we'll hear anything more about said journalist, ever again.

[Netfoot]

Thank god I don't live where you folks do.

"Hey!  Yuh mekkin' bones!  Who pu' in de shot, de sheriff, uh de deputy?  Yuh goin' keep it?  'Cause I know a Obeah Man wuh fix ya right up, quick, quick!"

[rur]

15 hours ago, secnarf said:

As an aside - did I hear correctly in that Daisy asked Nadine for a month off?! I know mat leave is terrible in the US, but it's definitely more than a month!

I heard this, then figured it was an advance explanation why she may not be on the show (for a month) when it returns next fall. 

[VinceW]

8 hours ago, rur said:

I heard this, then figured it was an advance explanation why she may not be on the show (for a month) when it returns next fall. 

OR she might not be returning to the show next season at all or move to recurring status. The whole pregnancy story seems rushed in the manner it was thrown in this way at season end.. The quick changeover in Jay's behavior (Spanish reporter) seems odd as well.  Single parents with baby stories coming next fall? When does Stevie get married? (Jareth not in last 2 episodes)

Edited May 10, 2017 by VinceW

[secnarf]

20 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

I'm assuming they will cure the journalist from TB?

Why wouldn't they?

We haven't heard anything about it being a crazy drug-resistant strain and that's not overly likely in Sudan. I doubt we will hear about him again, but I can't see why he wouldn't be cured.

[betsyboo]

I love Blake. That is all. Carry on.

[Mellowyellow]

18 hours ago, Netfoot said:

If so, it won't be them.  It will be Henry!

But I doubt we'll hear anything more about said journalist, ever again.

Bahahahaha this cracked me up so much!

I watch a few other shows where the heroes are struggling against some crafty villains, some with super powers. Every week I think "If they just brought Henry over, Henry would fix everything and solve everyone's problems!"

[roughing it]

On 5/9/2017 at 5:16 PM, secnarf said:

As an aside - did I hear correctly in that Daisy asked Nadine for a month off?! I know mat leave is terrible in the US, but it's definitely more than a month!

At my company, everyone gets 3 weeks + 4 days PTO (paid time off) for the entire year.  You may use them for vacation, illness, doctor appointments, surgery recovery, maternity leave, time off for whatever.  Anything over that is unpaid.  Some employers are generous, whereas some, like mine, are not.

[secnarf]

1 hour ago, roughing it said:

At my company, everyone gets 3 weeks + 4 days PTO (paid time off) for the entire year.  You may use them for vacation, illness, doctor appointments, surgery recovery, maternity leave, time off for whatever.  Anything over that is unpaid.  Some employers are generous, whereas some, like mine, are not.

But legally in the US there is a minimum maternity leave time that people are entitled to that is > 4 weeks. I get that not everyone can afford to take the unpaid time off, but Daisy should be able to afford the "full" maternity leave. Also as a (huge) government organization, you'd think they'd follow their own workplace laws.

[KaveDweller]

5 hours ago, secnarf said:

But legally in the US there is a minimum maternity leave time that people are entitled to that is > 4 weeks. I get that not everyone can afford to take the unpaid time off, but Daisy should be able to afford the "full" maternity leave. Also as a (huge) government organization, you'd think they'd follow their own workplace laws.

They have to hold your job for 12 weeks (per the Family and Medical Leave Act), but they don't have to give you that much time off paid.  According to this article, the federal government does not consider any of that time paid. There is actually legislation in process to try and change it to 6 weeks of paid time, but it isn't in effect yet.

I don't know how much someone in Daisy's position makes, but DC is an expensive place to live and she's going to be a single mom, so 12 weeks is a lot of salary to lose.  Plus, she likes her job and thinks it is important work

Edited May 12, 2017 by KaveDweller

[shapeshifter]

On May 11, 2017 at 9:33 PM, KaveDweller said:

They have to hold your job for 12 weeks (per the Family and Medical Leave Act), but they don't have to give you that much time off paid.  According to this article, the federal government does not consider any of that time paid. There is actually legislation in process to try and change it to 6 weeks of paid time, but it isn't in effect yet.

I don't know how much someone in Daisy's position makes, but DC is an expensive place to live and she's going to be a single mom, so 12 weeks is a lot of salary to lose.  Plus, she likes her job and thinks it is important work

But the price of daycare for an infant equals the lost pay for many jobs—though likely not Daisy's. I figured her reason for asking for only a month off was at least in part to telegraph that she doesn't want to lose the job and will not be looking for a more "family friendly" position.

[Dowel Jones]

With this show's penchant for Hallmark Movie conclusions, I have little doubt that some equitable solution will be found.

[Calvada]

Daisy is a federal employee.  Her paid leave could be any combination of accrued sick leave and annual leave (vacation time).  Federal employees get 104 hours of sick leave per year (or 13 days), and her AL accrual would depend on her years of service,  Less than 3 years - 4 hours per pay period; more than 3 years but less than 15, 6 hours per pay period; and more than 15 years, 8 hours per pay period.  You can carry up to 240 hours of AL from one year to the next, but your SL accrues without limit.   If she doesn't have enough leave, she can take leave without pay or get advanced sick leave.  The latter is a tough hole to climb out of, and if she takes LWOP the best bet it to stagger it with paid leave if possible.  If you go fully LWOP, the govt. share of your benefits stops, including health insurance.  And you don't accrue SL or AL while on LWOP status.  All this means that Daisy could take more than a month, but whether it is paid leave depends on her leave balances.   

Not to be crass, but she should reach out to the baby's father's family, if only to secure rights to whatever estate he had for his unborn child.

[CheshireCat]

12 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

But the price of daycare for an infant equals the lost pay for many jobs—

What about a nanny? Preferrably in-house living, otherwise, she'd have to bring the baby for those middle-of-the-night meetings. (Although I'm sure that Bess would love if she did ;-))

[memememe76]

I loved the episode just by virtue of the lack of Henry. And I totally must have blanked out when Nadine did it with the dog guy. I hate that guy. I want her back with Ira from Mad About You!

And where is that cafe that Blake went to? I saw no independent coffeehouses when I visited the White house,  just boring chains.

[RemoteControlFreak]

On 5/8/2017 at 1:54 PM, mbutterfly said:

Since Patina Miller is pregnant, I kind of like the use of it, dead hero father and all. 

There are about a billion much more original ways to deal with the fact that Patina Miller is pregnant. 

Why is it that American television cannot seem to ever bear to portray a smart, strong single woman without her getting unexpectedly pregnant?  

Edited May 15, 2017 by RemoteControlFreak

[Netfoot]

25 minutes ago, RemoteControlFreak said:

Why is it that American television cannot seem to ever bear to portray a smart, strong single woman without her getting unexpectedly pregnant?  

Same reason they can't portray a smart, strong, competent, married woman in a position of influence and authority without making it plain that her husband is the real star of the show.  Because the viewers like it that way, and TPTB are simply catering to their audience.

[CheshireCat]

11 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Same reason they can't portray a smart, strong, competent, married woman in a position of influence and authority without making it plain that her husband is the real star of the show.  Because the viewers like it that way, and TPTB are simply catering to their audience.

Or their PTB... This is Hollywood after all.

I actually thought Daisy's question of how to mourn something that hasn't even started yet back in ep14 meant that they hadn't slept with each other before he died.

Edited May 16, 2017 by CheshireCat

[sinkwriter]

I really liked the glimpse into the lives of the staff, especially Blake and Nadine. (Though I also laughed with a bit of delight at Matt trying to pump himself up by listening to "the song," as Daisy put it, LOL. That was marvelous.) 

I actually felt a bit of disappointment when they switched from Blake's point of view to Jay's. Not that I have anything against Jay, but I found I was kind of hoping the entire episode would be from Blake's perspective of things and what he goes through and does for the Secretary. I really do adore Blake.