S04.E04: Shutdown

[CooperTV]

Quote

As the government shutdown shows no sign of progress, Secretary of State McCord must negotiate an agreement between the White House and its opposition led by Senator Morejon. Also, Elizabeth is having trouble finding a suitable replacement for the chief of staff position.

Promos

Edited October 24, 2017 by CooperTV
Adding promo info

[Netfoot]

The glorification of Henry continues, with Dmitri declaring that he (Henry) is the person that he (Dmitri) needs to apologize to most, after his own sister.  Henry has royally rogered Dmitri so many times I can't believe that it just is not even funny.  And immediately after Dmitri's declaration, Henry once more shows that he's only there to use Dmitri again.  Of course later, we do get to see an angsty, guilt-ridden Henry for a whole 3 seconds.  

Every episode I hope for Dmitri to lose it and kill Henry with a blunt object.  But I know that if this show went there, they would have Dmitri fail, and Henry would be cast as the poor, brave martyr.  Probably with a life-threatening injury which heals in time for the final credits to roll.

And I just HATE the idea of Jay Whitman as the new Chief of Staff.  What, couldn't they have done better than that?  <¡ retch !>

[shapeshifter]

So Stevie finally "Shutdown" Jareth. 

And Bess "Shutdown" Russell's plan to get rid of the POTUS's nemesis.

The actor who plays Dimitri did an excellent job of conveying disappointment in a minimalist way (upon learning of Henry's real reason for visiting him) and even offering (as the script called for) to help Henry similarly in the future.   Unless…. Is there any chance Dimitri is now a double spy?

[MerBearHou]

I was hoping Jay would be named Chief of Staff so that made me smile.  I like his character and I like the actor.  

Blake is A++ in my book.  

Petty comment:  why does Elizabeth insist on wearing that baggy ivory silk shirt over and over, half tucked out, and with a black bra underneath?  It annoys me.  I want to just reach in and tuck it in for her and I want to not be distracted by her bra showing so blatantly.  But yes, that's just me.

Glad to see Noodle.  And glad Stevie let Jareth go on.

The Bess/Henry heated conversation at the B&B re Dmitri and Jason was very realistic to me.  Very protective mother re Jason.

Loved the gift of her father's watch -- that was beyond thoughtful.

Also loved how Bess handled the egomaniacal Senator and he eventually caved.  Realistic of Russell to be mad and territorial, but she made the right call.  She handled Russell well too -- wine, Russell?

[SW Sam]

9 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

So Stevie finally "Shutdown" Jareth. 

And Bess "Shutdown" Russell's plan to get rid of the POTUS's nemesis.

The actor who plays Dimitri did an excellent job of conveying disappointment in a minimalist way (upon learning of Henry's real reason for visiting him) and even offering (as the script called for) to help Henry similarly in the future.   Unless…. Is there any chance Dimitri is now a double spy?

Agreed with you about the scene between Henry and Dmitri... it was so sad, can totally felt dmitri’s disappointment. He apologized wholeheartedly and ended up realizing he was being used again. 

[kwnyc]

So Russell finally said out loud that he considers Elizabeth a future candidate. And she continues to do what she thinks is best, which ultimately got the nasty senator to cave (this time.) I rather wish Russell HAD come in for a glass of wine. The Senator is a great villain, but he's also not dumb. He took the offer that would protect him (and his family.)

Stevie certainly has the government service/power bug, and I wonder if she will even go to law school. Maybe get a masters in something government related? The most interesting/best parts for me were the actual friendship between Matt and Jay, when Matt counseled him to set boundaries for his time with his daughter. Also, who bets Matt's novel is about a handsome young man in a fictional Secretary of State's office?

The show is at its best when it is about personal relationships and negotiations (sometimes a microcosm of the international/national plotlines). And Henry is a good father and helpmate. But I suppose we'll have to see him get blowed up real good next week to show he is also the man.

[MaryHedwig]

Quote

Petty comment:  why does Elizabeth insist on wearing that baggy ivory silk shirt over and over, half tucked out, and with a black bra underneath?  It annoys me.  I want to just reach in and tuck it in for her and I want to not be distracted by her bra showing so blatantly.  But yes, that's just me.

There's no excuse for that black bra, but I wondered if the half-tucked-out shirt is supposed to show us what long-hard days Bess has, and that she is too much of a servant to sweat the small stuff. Still, I can't imagine that Blake would tolerate the bra/shirt combo at work, or Noodle at home.

[sinkwriter]

I noticed the bra this time too! It was distracting, and I kept waiting for Blake to quietly whisper to her that she might want to put her blazer back on (showing that she's been working so hard, she didn't notice that she put the wrong color bra on under a white blouse). Sadly, no one said anything to her. LOL.

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The actor who plays Dimitri did an excellent job of conveying disappointment in a minimalist way (upon learning of Henry's real reason for visiting him)

This really bothered me. The fact that he apologized to Henry when it should be the other way around, and then realized that Henry was only visiting him because he needed something... what a knife to the gut. So sad. 

I fear they're setting us up for an eventual ultra-upsetting melodramatic Dimitri death, and that will really piss me off because he's made it through SO much. I wanted him to get out of the spy biz and have a quiet, safe life with his sister somewhere, the end. 

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, sinkwriter said:

I wanted him to get out of the spy biz and have a quiet, safe life with his sister somewhere, the end. 

Wow.  I just realised what an opportunity this is for Dmitri to really stick it to Henry for the way he's used him.  He should run off with... Stevie!  She could become a pole-dancer to finance their life together, and Dmitri could be her manager.

[tvfanatic13]

19 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

So Stevie finally "Shutdown" Jareth. 

And Bess "Shutdown" Russell's plan to get rid of the POTUS's nemesis.

The actor who plays Dimitri did an excellent job of conveying disappointment in a minimalist way (upon learning of Henry's real reason for visiting him) and even offering (as the script called for) to help Henry similarly in the future.   Unless…. Is there any chance Dimitri is now a double spy?

I too noticed the subtlety in his acting. It was excellent. I felt so bad for Dimitri.

[Noneofyourbusiness]

Stevie picked the worst possible time to decide she'd rather go in to work than take a trip with her fiancé to visit his grandmother for a week (with a ticket doubtless already paid for). They're only going to grow further apart after this. It doesn't matter if she "needs time to figure things out" as she said, because after pulling a stunt like this Jareth isn't going to want to be with her. At least, I wouldn't.

[Netfoot]

6 minutes ago, Noneofyourbusiness said:

after pulling a stunt like this Jareth isn't going to want to be with her. At least, I wouldn't.

Uhm, in the episode I watched, Jareth chucked her bags into the street and drove off.  I assumed that was a wordless breakup.  Sure as shit, if I were he, she wouldn't see my face again in any hurry.

[TVForever]

6 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Wow.  I just realised what an opportunity this is for Dmitri to really stick it to Henry for the way he's used him.  He should run off with... Stevie!  She could become a pole-dancer to finance their life together, and Dmitri could be her manager.

I've been wondering if the show is headed for a Dmitri/Stevie pairing. Twice now we've seen them meet and interact, sort of (?) checking each other out. Now with this latest development with Jareth, I say, "Watch that space..."

[Noneofyourbusiness]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

Uhm, in the episode I watched, Jareth chucked her bags into the street and drove off.  I assumed that was a wordless breakup.  Sure as shit, if I were he, she wouldn't see my face again in any hurry.

Of course he did, she wasn't coming with.

[Dowel Jones]

On 10/29/2017 at 9:33 PM, MerBearHou said:

Also loved how Bess handled the egomaniacal Senator and he eventually caved.  Realistic of Russell to be mad and territorial, but she made the right call.

I rather disagree on that one point.  It's not, or at least it shouldn't be, her job to mediate political disputes.  Yes, on this show the end often justifies the means, but what if Russell and the President had agreed on that strategy without her knowledge?  The Senator then sees a serious riff between the two.  I think Russell was right when he said "Stay in your lane."  Not that I don't think the bit of political pressure that was applied to the Senator wasn't justified, but if it was to be used in that manner, it should have been by someone else in the administration.

When Stevie said "I'll see you next week.  We'll talk",   I was waiting to hear Jareth reply "I think we just did."

[Netfoot]

8 hours ago, Noneofyourbusiness said:

Of course he did, she wasn't coming with.

My point being he didn't politely take her bags into the house and say "See you when I get back."  There was some serious "Screw you, bitch!" implied.  Or at least that's how I saw it.  

[mythoughtis]

I am happy to see Jay promoted  to Chief of Staff. I like all the staff with the possible exception of Daisy. I’d like her too except-1.  She trampled all over Matt’s heart and 2. - the actress’s  pregnancy caused them to write a ridiculous plot just to give the baby a father who wasn’t Matt. 

If Henry really wanted what was best for Dmitri, he’s leave him out of the spy business. He’dhave listened to Dmitri’s apology and offered up one of his own.  Also, we all have work lives that interfere with our personal ones. Bess was only mad because it was Dmitri this time. 

Stevie is still a waste of a Character. I assume the actress would prefer some real scenes rather than this boring stuff. 

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, Netfoot said:

My point being he didn't politely take her bags into the house and say "See you when I get back."  There was some serious "Screw you, bitch!" implied.  Or at least that's how I saw it.  

Since he's upper crust British, I can't even picture a thought balloon over his head with those words in it, LOL, but, yes, the same sentiment.

[KaveDweller]

20 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Uhm, in the episode I watched, Jareth chucked her bags into the street and drove off.  I assumed that was a wordless breakup.  Sure as shit, if I were he, she wouldn't see my face again in any hurry.

Yeah, I assumed that was a break up as well.

[kwnyc]

Well, they do live together, so it will probably draaaaaag on.

[Netfoot]

Hopefully, Stevie will have the nous to be gone by the time he gets back.

[Brian Cronin]

I love Jay and I'm glad to see more of him, but he makes zero sense as a Chief of Staff. At least that means the new cast addition won't be thrust into a MAJOR role right away, which is also good. 

[roughing it]

On 10/30/2017 at 8:42 PM, Noneofyourbusiness said:

They're only going to grow further apart after this.

They're not going to grow further apart.  They are already further apart.  This was a break up.

[Noneofyourbusiness]

1 hour ago, roughing it said:

They're not going to grow further apart.  They are already further apart.  This was a break up.

I assumed having Stevie say, "I'm not saying anything definitive" meant they'd have at least one more episode to officially, verbally break up when Jareth got back. What an incredibly fast and contrived breakup. We never even got a good reason for her to suddenly not being feeling it with Jareth.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Noneofyourbusiness said:

I assumed having Stevie say, "I'm not saying anything definitive" meant they'd have at least one more episode to officially, verbally break up when Jareth got back.

Why would Jareth give her the time of day, after that?  Frankly, I congratulate him on refraining from colourful language.

[secnarf]

5 hours ago, Noneofyourbusiness said:

I assumed having Stevie say, "I'm not saying anything definitive" meant they'd have at least one more episode to officially, verbally break up when Jareth got back. What an incredibly fast and contrived breakup. We never even got a good reason for her to suddenly not being feeling it with Jareth.

I disagree - it's been brewing for a while. Since last season, if I recall correctly.

[Noneofyourbusiness]

2 hours ago, secnarf said:

I disagree - it's been brewing for a while. Since last season, if I recall correctly.

There really weren't any hints of them growing apart last season. At the beginning of it, she wasn't happy about his family's treatment of her, but he broke up with them for her.

[Noneofyourbusiness]

6 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Why would Jareth give her the time of day, after that?  Frankly, I congratulate him on refraining from colourful language.

To make it official and tell her to move her stuff out of their shared apartment, though I guess he can do that off-screen in a text. I know I'd break up with her after that, but I suppose I was expecting the writers to be more indulgent of Stevie since they wrote her dialogue saying it wasn't definitive and they seem to like her even when she's being unlikable, like Henry.

[CheshireCat]

On ‎30‎.‎10‎.‎2017 at 4:20 PM, sinkwriter said:

This really bothered me. The fact that he apologized to Henry when it should be the other way around,

But it couldn't be the other way around because Dmitri's apology was part of his addiction treatment. The question is, if you apologize because your program requires you to, is it a sincere apology but I guess, that's a debate for another time and day ;-)

I'm not sure if I think that Henry needs to apologize for Dmitri. That would mean that Bess and Dalton should apologize, too, and so many other people as well. It is what they do in the name of national security. But Henry proved once again that he is not cut out for it. I'm not surprised either as I imagine that that is what makes or break your career in intelligence work, or one of the things that'll do that. Henry is not an intelligence officer. He has not gone through any training, at all. Being a soldier in a war is something else entirely. Yes, you kill people and yes, you put lives on the line but you can see the threat. You know it's there and you're defending yourself. Intelligence work is preventitive work and it's highly classified. You're not at war yet and what you do you do to prevent war and save lives and in order to do that, lives have to get sacrificed. Big difference. Henry is obviously not cut out for that. And it's okay. It's why I love him, because he has those morals. But he's never going to find a way to live with himself and he should just realize that. And he should take what Dmitri said about accepting that he can't fix everything and being stronger for accpeting help, too. He (Henry) needs to accept that he's not SuperMan and he'd be considered stronger for admitting that, too. And seeking help, because he clearly needs to see Bess' therapist again!

That said, I still think he owes Bess and apology and now he owes her two, in my opinion. As far as we were told, she took the job after she talked to the family and they all agreed. And I'm repeating myself but he championed her in season 1. Told her that he was happy to be the man beside the woman and that it wasn't a big deal that she was the one who had to work late and he was making popcorn for Alison's sleepover. So, his comment was completely uncalled for, in my opinion.

 

On ‎30‎.‎10‎.‎2017 at 3:42 PM, MaryHedwig said:

There's no excuse for that black bra, but I wondered if the half-tucked-out shirt is supposed to show us what long-hard days Bess has,

From what I understand, it's a fashion thing. You only tug in the front because, when you meet people, you're wearing the jacket and nobody sees the back. I've never tried to do it this way, so I have no idea if it's more comfortable but it's probably easier when you get dressed.

 

On ‎30‎.‎10‎.‎2017 at 10:34 AM, kwnyc said:

So Russell finally said out loud that he considers Elizabeth a future candidate. And she continues to do what she thinks is best, which ultimately got the nasty senator to cave (this time.) I rather wish Russell HAD come in for a glass of wine. The Senator is a great villain, but he's also not dumb. He took the offer that would protect him (and his family.)

Yes. But he now also knows that Russell knows/the administration knows. And writing this, I now realize that while I thought that Bess was taking the diplomatic way when she confronted the Senator, she didn't really. I wonder if that has occured to her.

 

On ‎30‎.‎10‎.‎2017 at 0:33 AM, MerBearHou said:

Also loved how Bess handled the egomaniacal Senator and he eventually caved.  Realistic of Russell to be mad and territorial, but she made the right call.  She handled Russell well too -- wine, Russell?

I would have preferred Russell's takedown of the Senator, I just want him to go away, and I wouldn't have minded if he'd lost re-election or were forced to resign. And I certainly didn't want him to be able to take credit for anything. I'm still hoping for a takedown in the future even though, he should not give them any more trouble. Unless, of course, he comes clean about it himself but that might have unwanted consequences.

 

On ‎31‎.‎10‎.‎2017 at 2:19 AM, Dowel Jones said:

I rather disagree on that one point.  It's not, or at least it shouldn't be, her job to mediate political disputes.  Yes, on this show the end often justifies the means, but what if Russell and the President had agreed on that strategy without her knowledge? 

I doubt that Dalton would agree because he probably didn't know about it. Russell made a point of keeping Dalton out of it with Sterling, he made the point again in S3 when Nadine confronted him the first time about that report that had a redacted line. And again, when he forced one of the candidates out of the race last season, he told the candidate that neither Bess nor Dalton knew he was there because they had a moral compass (something along those lines anyway). So, I'd say he considers the Chief of Staff the protector of whoever they're Chief of Staff of, or the dirt fighter, and he seems to consider it his job to make sure that threats are eliminated while keeping Dalton above board.

 

Quote

The Senator then sees a serious riff between the two.  I think Russell was right when he said "Stay in your lane."  Not that I don't think the bit of political pressure that was applied to the Senator wasn't justified, but if it was to be used in that manner, it should have been by someone else in the Administration.

Russell came to Bess and dragged her into this. He had even already set up a press conference without her agreement. She was the one who didn't want to get involved. He can't have it both ways, so, I think the "stay in your lane" was uncalled for. Although, I wonder if he was merely referring to her handling of the Senator or the bigger picture. He mentioned a potential candidacy, so if she goes rogue, she can't be protected. Part of that line might have been motivated by his instinct as a Chief of Staff.

 

I think Stevie needs a reality check. The question is, did she really think she was so essential to Russell or was it a welcome excuse not to go to England? I didn't consider them to have broken up. Yes, Jareth was upset but he was also hurt/disappointed when he got into the cab. They might break up and they might do it off screen but I think they're in a sort of limbo right now. And why was Stevie styled/dressed like a housewife from the 50s when she was cooking?

 

With all of that said, I think the Episode was great. So much great acting from Blake and Jay and Bess, too. I loved her reaction when Russell came to her about the shutdown. And then, of course, Blake each time the Chief of Staff position was mentioned and Jay when Bess told him she wanted him to do the job. Oh, and Jason and his parents! Love, love, love that! Definitely one of my favorite episodes/an episode containing favorite scenes!

Edited November 6, 2017 by CheshireCat

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

From what I understand, it's a fashion thing.

Yes. Here's a relatively current post on the "half tuck": https://jonesdesigncompany.com/fashion/doing-the-half-tuck-how-to-wear-your-shirt/
And here's a slightly different definition of the "half tuck" and the "front tuck" from 2013 (perhaps the origin of the trend?): http://www.whowhatwear.com/how-to-tuck-your-shirt-like-a-street-style-pro/slide15
This was around the same time tops began appearing that were longer in the back, which I also thought was odd, but now I see as a means of covering the butt, I guess.
ETA: Since the 2013 posting refers to the trend as "street style," I now suspect the origin of the look was with those who had a gun in the rear waistband, concealed by a shirttail; tucking in the front—especially the side of one's dominant hand—would make it easier to grab the gun in a hurry. Of course, this style of utility would also work for a cellphone, wallet, or ID kept in the back pocket, but 40 years after the last time I had to walk through sketchy neighborhoods on a regular basis, I still keep anything of value in my front pocket.

 

About the black bra...I haven't Googled it, but I noticed when wearing a thin, light colored blouse that a light gray or tan camisole doesn't accentuate the shape of the breasts the way white does, so maybe the black bra is an extension of that concept?

Edited November 6, 2017 by shapeshifter

[sinkwriter]

Quote

I'm not sure if I think that Henry needs to apologize for Dmitri. That would mean that Bess and Dalton should apologize, too, and so many other people as well. It is what they do in the name of national security.

It's what the government does overall as part of national security, yes, so I don't think Bess or Dalton need to apologize. 

However... Henry was Dmitri's personal handler. He made assurances that he would protect Dmitri. He pushed and pushed for Dmitri's help under that very promise. Then he wasn't there for him. And because of it, Dmitri was brutally tortured and barely got out alive. For that at the very least, he owes Dmitri an apology.

[CheshireCat]

8 minutes ago, sinkwriter said:

It's what the government does overall as part of national security, yes, so I don't think Bess or Dalton need to apologize. 

However... Henry was Dmitri's personal handler. He made assurances that he would protect Dmitri. He pushed and pushed for Dmitri's help under that very promise. Then he wasn't there for him. And because of it, Dmitri was brutally tortured and barely got out alive. For that at the very least, he owes Dmitri an apology.

I disagree that Henry wasn't there for him. Henry had no way of doing anything. Yes, they don't shy away from letting Henry play SuperMan but I'm glad that he didn't in that case. The way it went down seemed very realistic. Anything else would have been infuriating. And Henry did try, he went straight to his wife and to Conrad. Henry as a handler and Dmitri even more than him, were pawns. They probably still are.

I could, however, get on board with an apology for promising to protect Dmitri and not letting anything happen to him. Henry should not have done that because it was a lie. Henry should have been truthful, that he will do everything that he can to keep Dmitri safe but that there is a chance that that might not be enough and that, if anything goes wrong, Dmitri will be considered dispensable. (I'm sure he could have said so in words which wouldn't have sounded so off-putting and alienated Dmitri as his asset ;-))

[shapeshifter]

5 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

…Henry should have been truthful, that he will do everything that he can to keep Dmitri safe but that there is a chance that that might not be enough and that, if anything goes wrong, Dmitri will be considered dispensable…

At the very least, there should have been a few lines out of Prof. Ethical's mouth with Bess or another confident about how lying to Dimitri to manipulate him goes against everything Henry believes in.

[CheshireCat]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

At the very least, there should have been a few lines out of Prof. Ethical's mouth with Bess or another confident about how lying to Dimitri to manipulate him goes against everything Henry believes in.

But to be realistic, that should lead/should have led to Henry leaving the CIA sooner or later because he cannot do the job without continuing to manipulate and/or asking others to manipulate. That is how assets are turned, as a matter of fact, it is what Dmitri and Co are doing right now. How can Henry possibly be okay with risking doing what he did to Dmitri to someone else when he can't get over what he had to do to Dmitri? Knowing that Henry's still not over that, how are we supposed to believe that it'll be any different this time around? Just because he won't be doing it personally? Come on, Henry's already taking responsibility for everything, so there is no way that he wouldn't say "This is on me, I authorized it" when it comes to the new asset.