S05.E04: Requiem

[CooperTV]

Quote

When the remains of U.S. soldiers who served in World War II are uncovered in Southeast Asia, Elizabeth’s hopes of bringing them home quickly fade when a stubborn leader stands in her way. Also, Henry and Stevie find themselves publicly targeted by a restaurant owner who is angry about Elizabeth’s policies, and Alison volunteers for a local congressional campaign.

Sunday, Oct. 28

[shapeshifter]

When President Andrada invited Bess to step into the boxing ring and she moved forward and unbuttoned her blazer, I yelped.
Eric Stoltz is listed on IMDb as the director. Way to go on the body language!

 

I was a little confused by Kat's threat gift/warning to Congressman D!ckhead.
I guess Bess would make public what he did in the future? Maybe in Madam Secretary-land that will play? Okay.

 

Loved this episode--but then I love the whole show--even more since Henry is no longer being a superhero (but if it's because Tim Daly has permanent skeletal frailties after his skiing accident, I am sorry for that).
 

Edited October 29, 2018 by shapeshifter
line spacing

[TVForever]

3 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

When President Andrada invited Bess to step into the boxing ring and she moved forward and unbuttoned her blazer, I yelped.
Eric Stoltz is listed on IMDb as the director. Way to go on the body language!

 

I caught that too! It was a beautiful, tiny gesture, and TOTALLY GANGSTA!

[funnygirl]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

When President Andrada invited Bess to step into the boxing ring and she moved forward and unbuttoned her blazer, I yelped.
 

I was a little confused by Kat's threat gift/warning to Congressman D!ckhead.
 

Bess is a superwoman. One of the best leading ladies on television, as far as I'm concerned. 

I don't understand why Kat randomly mentioned that she's queer during her conversation with the senator. What does her identity have to do with anything? Blake hasn't mentioned his sexuality but maybe twice in all his years on the show, while Kat waltzes in and that is all she is: a token. Representation certainly is important but if the most interesting thing about a character is how they sexually identify then the writers are doing something wrong. Needless to say, I did not mind her absence in the first few episodes. 

Edited October 29, 2018 by funnygirl

[shapeshifter]

One other bit of dialog I floved was
(having now lived in Chicagoland for the past 17 years and 10 others of my youth)
when they dropped the factoid about it having been 150 years since the last time a SOS became Prez, and it was compared to the Cubbies winning the World Series.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, funnygirl said:

I don't understand why Kat randomly mentioned that she's queer during her conversation with the senator.

I think he was belittling her and she was implying  that part of the reason was that she was a female minority.

It was a good episode except where Bess started preaching to Allison. No, actually, I don’t think that is what a motorcade is for- to drive your spoiled daughter to vote after you harangue her into it.

[Netfoot]

10 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I love the whole show--even more since Henry is no longer being a superhero

Apparently he now stands all day in a broom-closet in the Oval Office, and pops out when ever anyone needs to hear about Thomas Aquinas.

10 hours ago, funnygirl said:

What does her identity have to do with anything? Blake hasn't mentioned his sexuality but maybe twice in all his years on the show, while Kat waltzes in and that is all she is: a token.

It's been nice knowing you.....

[thewhiteowl]

I think Kat was letting him know that his bigotry was no longer stealthy. That was a good scene. That's what I watch this for. Not the preaching. I'm afraid they are killing this show with the preaching. It was very annoying. 

[Xantia]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

Apparently he now stands all day in a broom-closet in the Oval Office, and pops out when ever anyone needs to hear about Thomas Aquinas.

Coffee - all over my computer screen, and i'm still giggling. I'm now picturing Henry, like microsoft word's Clippy - "Hi, it looks like you are making a morally complex decision. Would you like to use the Aquinas template?"

[kwnyc]

Quote

Loved this episode--but then I love the whole show--even more since Henry is no longer being a superhero (but if it's because Tim Daly has permanent skeletal frailties after his skiing accident, I am sorry for that).

Probably also because he's been in rehearsal for a play in NYC (which I'm totally going to see!)

[shapeshifter]

33 minutes ago, Xantia said:

2 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Apparently he now stands all day in a broom-closet in the Oval Office, and pops out when ever anyone needs to hear about Thomas Aquinas.

Coffee - all over my computer screen, and i'm still giggling. I'm now picturing Henry, like microsoft word's Clippy - "Hi, it looks like you are making a morally complex decision. Would you like to use the Aquinas template?"

and it's a good thing I wasn't taking a drink from my water bottle or coworkers would be checking to make sure I wasn't choking to death.

[HurricaneVal]

I loved this episode.  Loved the scenes with Andrada, loved Jay's discussion with the lobbiest, loved Kat's interaction with the stealth White Nationist congressman, loved Professor Hero Arm Candy being Clippy, the White House pop-up ethicist, loved Bess reading Alison the riot act over letting the perfect be the enemy of the good....

I lost track towards the end, though.  Why were the catalyst WWII hero's remains not allowed to be interred at Arlington with full honors?  Something about being AWOL for a few hours?  Was he hanging out with the informant from NCIS: Los Angeles who also had some missing time?

[valandsend]

11 hours ago, deaja said:

15 hours ago, funnygirl said:

I don't understand why Kat randomly mentioned that she's queer during her conversation with the senator.

I think he was belittling her and she was implying  that part of the reason was that she was a female minority.

My spouse and I weren't sure about that earlier, and we don't have a DVR anymore to go back and check what was said about the senator and his friend. However, as a same-sex couple, we do know that Rehoboth Beach is the gay summer getaway for D.C. residents. Right before that scene, the staff talked about the senator and his friend being former roommates, sharing season tickets and vacationing together every summer. Therefore, we wondered if the senator is closeted. While Rehoboth is far from being entirely gay, there are other well-known, (straight) family-friendly beaches adjacent to it, such as Ocean City, Dewey Beach and Lewes.

[Xantar]

15 hours ago, funnygirl said:

I don't understand why Kat randomly mentioned that she's queer during her conversation with the senator. What does her identity have to do with anything? Blake hasn't mentioned his sexuality but maybe twice in all his years on the show, while Kat waltzes in and that is all she is: a token. Representation certainly is important but if the most interesting thing about a character is how they sexually identify then the writers are doing something wrong. Needless to say, I did not mind her absence in the first few episodes. 

 

It was established earlier that the Senator is a bigot. When Jay had a meal with a lobbyist, he found out that the reason the Senator was holding up the arms deal in the first place was because it would benefit a company in his home state that was founded by an Indian immigrant. It's not stated specifically that he's homophobic, but that's not much of a leap.

What I didn't get was what kind of threat Kat was making to him. If he messes with Madam Secretary, then she will come at him as a mother? That's really vague and doesn't honestly sound that scary to a white nationalist.

Bess dressing down Noodle for not voting was a thing of beauty. That kind of uncompromising hissy fit is the sort of thing a young college student would do, and Bess had just the right line to shame her into exercising her vote. But why was her voting place in Silver Spring? I guess Allison is a resident of Maryland because that's where she goes to college?

Edited October 29, 2018 by Xantar

[kwnyc]

36 minutes ago, Xantar said:

Bess dressing down Noodle for not voting was a thing of beauty. That kind of uncompromising hissy fit is the sort of thing a young college student would do, and Bess had just the right line to shame her into exercising her vote. But why was her voting place in Silver Spring? I guess Allison is a resident of Maryland because that's where she goes to college?

DC residents do not have a Congressional rep. They have a "non-voting delegate," which is why their license plates in DC say "Taxation Without Representation." Since the McCord's live in the District, you'd have to assume Noodle registered where her college is (has it been established it's Maryland?) 

[mwell345]

6 hours ago, thewhiteowl said:

I think Kat was letting him know that his bigotry was no longer stealthy. That was a good scene. That's what I watch this for. Not the preaching. I'm afraid they are killing this show with the preaching. It was very annoying. 

Thank you! I have been thinking the same thing - but couldn't come up with the right words.   That, along with Henry's endless pontificating (even worse now that he's an "ethics advisor" and will probably be in every WH meeting from here on) just may do me in.

1 hour ago, valandsend said:

My spouse and I weren't sure about that earlier, and we don't have a DVR anymore to go back and check what was said about the senator and his friend. However, as a same-sex couple, we do know that Rehoboth Beach is the gay summer getaway for D.C. residents. Right before that scene, the staff talked about the senator and his friend being former roommates, sharing season tickets and vacationing together every summer. Therefore, we wondered if the senator is closeted. While Rehoboth is far from being entirely gay, there are other well-known, (straight) family-friendly beaches adjacent to it, such as Ocean City, Dewey Beach and Lewes.

 I took away the same thing you did. 

[Dowel Jones]

23 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

One other bit of dialog I floved was
(having now lived in Chicagoland for the past 17 years and 10 others of my youth)
when they dropped the factoid about it having been 150 years since the last time a SOS became Prez, and it was compared to the Cubbies winning the World Series.

Deferring to the late Steve Goodman here (several years old now):  "The law of averages says anything that will happen, can.  But the last time the Cubs won a National League Pennant, was the year we dropped the bomb on Japan."

I took Allison's remark that she didn't even vote for the candidate to mean that she skipped that race, not the entire election, and was surprised for a moment when Bess told her to get off her butt and down to the polling place.  And it was an eloquent speech.  Small story:  Regarding the polling place, I remember living in Chico, CA, many years back and being a polling official at the University polling place.  There were 16 local residents and 100-200 students registered, but, they were all gone by the time primary elections came around in June, and were a factor only in the general elections.  Thus, I had to sit there for 12 hours, even after the 16 local residents in the precinct had cast their votes.  And I'm sure the students went home and tried to vote at their home precincts, too.

I think Bess should make it a point to quietly spread the word around State that employees should avoid eating at that establishment, period.

I also think the staff should get a loan of a shelter puppy and meet Bess at the elevator just for one day.

The DoD chief, in my opinion, was being a bit too strict on protocol. Yes, it was wartime, but he was stateside, as I understand it, and made it back to his unit before deployment. I think that if they did some digging they would find more than a few soldiers AWOL for more than 18 hours.  I saw a program on tv once (Whispers in the Wind, if I remember rightly), about the desertions in the early days (1942 on) of the air war in Europe. They were a constant problem because the Allies were basically losing, and crews were flying their bombers to Sweden or Switzerland for refuge and internment. So I can see the attitude toward desertion, but he didn't desert; he served his country.

[Netfoot]

13 minutes ago, Dowel Jones said:

I think Bess should make it a point to quietly spread the word around State that employees should avoid eating at that establishment, period.

What was it called?  The Red Hen?

14 minutes ago, Dowel Jones said:

I also think the staff should get a loan of a shelter puppy and meet Bess at the elevator just for one day.

They should have an official pool of puppies from which stressed staffers can select a daily cuddle bundle.  They could fund it by eliminating some stupid, useless official position, like, say, I don't know...  Whitehouse Ethics Advisor?  

[shapeshifter]

5 hours ago, Netfoot said:

al pool of puppies from which stressed staffers can select a daily cuddle bundle.  They could fund it by eliminating some stupid, useless official position, like, say, I don't know...  Whitehouse Ethics Advisor

Aw. Not Clippy!

[Guest]

On 10/29/2018 at 12:05 PM, Xantia said:

Coffee - all over my computer screen, and i'm still giggling. I'm now picturing Henry, like microsoft word's Clippy - "Hi, it looks like you are making a morally complex decision. Would you like to use the Aquinas template?"

I cannot stop laughing at “the Aquinas template.” I’m sitting at my desk with tears in my eyes from trying to stifle my laugh.

[Driad]

Are there detailed summaries of MS episodes somewhere? I couldn't watch Sunday, and don't have a recorder or any of the pay-to-view arrangements. The CBS site used to play episodes pretty well, but now it won't show me anything but commercials for walnuts (which I dislike). I'd like to find a better way to see occasional episodes later, or at least summaries. Help please?

[Mellowyellow]

On 10/29/2018 at 2:50 PM, funnygirl said:

Bess is a superwoman. One of the best leading ladies on television, as far as I'm concerned. 

Agree with this 100%

She's the perfect mix of intelligent, badass, wise but also with a dash of dorkiness thrown in. I find her so "perfect" but so human and relatable at the same time and I think this has a lot with how likeable Tea Leoni is. She's absolutely wonderful as Bess.

***

Loved Bess and the crazy President. Loved how everyone kept making cracks about her punching him and how vexed she was by it! Hilarious.

I found it refreshing that Russell was on Bess's side about the soldier and that POTUS took the hard line. I like it when shows mix it up and it make sense.

Henry was used perfectly this episode. Good encouraging pep talk, being supportive and doing all the right things by buying the donuts. That's the Henry I love.

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Henry was used perfectly this episode. Good encouraging pep talk, being supportive and doing all the right things by buying the donuts. That's the Henry I love.

Him unexpectedly popping out of the broom-closet was a little bizarro-world, though... 

[ThisIsMe]

On 10/29/2018 at 7:05 AM, Netfoot said:

Apparently he now stands all day in a broom-closet in the Oval Office, and pops out when ever anyone needs to hear about Thomas Aquinas.

LOL!  So true!  This whole "ethics adviser" role of Henry's is a bit much.  I guess it's mostly an excuse to include him in more scenes now that he's not running clandestine operations.

Loved that Kat was back in this episode.  I hope she sticks around.  She brings a lot of sizzle to the show.

They almost made it through an episode without being too preachy ... but then the "soldiers died so that you can vote" lecture.  The writers need to find a way to rely on storytelling rather than lectures.

[shapeshifter]

7 minutes ago, ThisIsMe said:

but then the "soldiers died so that you can vote" lecture.

Yeah, that even kind of harshed my buzz. I'm fanwanking that it was a Bess clone delivering that lecture.
The real Bess would've found a more reasoned reason for Noodle to vote.

Edited October 31, 2018 by shapeshifter

[kwnyc]

Can some talented person add a halo to this Clippy gif?

 

[Scott]

On 10/29/2018 at 8:36 PM, Dowel Jones said:

The DoD chief, in my opinion, was being a bit too strict on protocol. Yes, it was wartime, but he was stateside, as I understand it, and made it back to his unit before deployment.

I've deleted it, so I can't check, but I thought he was already overseas, and had returned in time to fly the mission on which he was killed.

Either way, something else bugged me--if they were denying him military honors at his funeral, wouldn't that also include the flag on his casket?

[roughing it]

18 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

but also with a dash of dorkiness thrown in

Sometimes I find the "dorkiness" forced, like they try too hard to show "hey we're just a normal family here whose mom is SOS"

[shapeshifter]

6 hours ago, kwnyc said:

Can some talented person add a halo to this Clippy gif?

 

 

[mojito]

Quote

Bess dressing down Noodle for not voting was a thing of beauty. That kind of uncompromising hissy fit is the sort of thing a young college student would do, and Bess had just the right line to shame her into exercising her vote. But why was her voting place in Silver Spring? I guess Allison is a resident of Maryland because that's where she goes to college?

I agree. I got a similar lecture once, complete with references to participation in WWII and the March On Washington. I voted after all. 

[mythoughtis]

Surprised Bess didn’t also discuss the fact that not voting means you can’t complain about who gets elected - or what happens during that next term.   Noodles quit the campaign because of one issue. What if the person that got elected was a lot worse? 

Edited November 1, 2018 by mythoughtis

[CheshireCat]

On ‎28‎.‎10‎.‎2018 at 11:19 PM, shapeshifter said:

Loved this episode--but then I love the whole show--even more since Henry is no longer being a superhero (but if it's because Tim Daly has permanent skeletal frailties after his skiing accident, I am sorry for that). 

I would assume that one of the reasons is that he's doing double duty this winter. He's in a play that runs until December so he'd not be as available for filming. I'm also hoping that they realized that Henry-the-SuperHero wasn't all that popular and maybe it's also because of the route that the show is going. They'd have a difficult time keeping him as a SuperHero with Bess running for POTUS.

 

On ‎28‎.‎10‎.‎2018 at 11:50 PM, funnygirl said:

I don't understand why Kat randomly mentioned that she's queer during her conversation with the senator. What does her identity have to do with anything? 

She said she's a queer Latina, and as Xantar pointed out, we learned that he's a racist, so it's likely he would have a problem with her sexuality as well. Thinking about it, I think it was a great move on Bess' part to dispatch Kat. She's got the attitude for it and she's something the Senator despises.

 

On ‎29‎.‎10‎.‎2018 at 3:54 AM, deaja said:

It was a good episode except where Bess started preaching to Allison. No, actually, I don’t think that is what a motorcade is for- to drive your spoiled daughter to vote after you harangue her into it.

Bess was on her way to Dover, so she was going that way anyway. Of sorts in any case. I don't think she would have done it had she not been on her way out.

 

On ‎29‎.‎10‎.‎2018 at 4:19 PM, kwnyc said:

DC residents do not have a Congressional rep. They have a "non-voting delegate," which is why their license plates in DC say "Taxation Without Representation." Since the McCord's live in the District, you'd have to assume Noodle registered where her college is (has it been established it's Maryland?) 

I wondered about Noddle voting in MD when living in DC, too, but that makes sense. Although, even if Noodle had been registered in DC, I think she should have gone and voted to show her willingness to participate in democracy.

 

On ‎31‎.‎10‎.‎2018 at 1:32 PM, Scott said:

Either way, something else bugged me--if they were denying him military honors at his funeral, wouldn't that also include the flag on his casket?

I read a little bit about it a few months ago and from what I understand, you don't get a flag if you were dishonorably discharged. Since he wasn't, and died for his country, I guess, Veteran Affairs didn't have an objection to a flag-draped casket.

 

Great episode. I loved the tension, and I kind of loved Bess' mood even though she wasn't really cheerful in any of the scenes. But she still had some great lines and despite the tension and Bess' mood, there was some lightness in the dialogue and I really liked that.

Her elevator-puppy rant was fun.

The Bess and Russell scenes were awesome, all of them! Too bad there wasn't more time for election-anxiety Russell. He's always fun but at least we got a little of him. And I loved the scene when Bess told Russell that she going to fly to the Phillippines. There was so much goodness in there, the acting was great but also what was said, the trust and faith that Russell has in Bess. I think they did such a great job of developing that relationship and they are doing a great job of Russell still bugging Bess at times like he did at the beginning even though their relationship is completely different now.

I'm glad there was more to the restaurant-eviction than met the eye. I'm not sure it was necessary - yes, it established the whole Senator from KY running for President (Kentucky, really?) story, but couldn't they have done it in a different way? But at least, it wasn't completely random because it felt like that when it happened. Doesn't the restaurant owner feel small and petty, though? Especially since Henry also served?

But it got us what I thought was another great scene between Russell and Bess. I don't think there was a Russell-Bess scene this season that I didn't like so far. I could go on and on about them! Really loved how that was written and acted.

I'm a bit disappointed that we got a new Senator though. I would have liked to get Senator Morejon back and see that relationship develop but I guess, if it had developed, they may not have ended up as the antagonists they seem to want. I wonder if we'll see him back though, maybe as more of an ally?

Why didn't they try to get another Senator to pass the aide package? The KY guy didn't seem old enough to be chairman and the bill doesn't have to be voted out of the committee unanimously, does it? So, if they were one vote short, why not go to another Senator?

I liked that SecDef was upset but still a team player. But Russell, you're such a chicken, letting Bess tell Gordon that POTUS wanted her to take over. Nice scene though.

Why didn't Dalton make public that they were in the process of negotiations to bring the soldiers home? Why didn't Dalton make a statement saying what he said to Bess in the Oval Office to the public? He served, too. He knows how important it is, he said as much to Bess. So, it didn't make much sense that he didn't just go out there and say something. People could still have been dissatisfied even if he had.

I didn't even remember the Phillippine connection until they mentioned it. But I adore this show for not forgetting. Most other shows would never have revisited the issue. Great use of it. I'm surprised Bess didn't punch Russell in that scene when he revealed the screensaver though. He would have deserved it.

Loved Kat and Jay being in agreement that Bess shouldn't talk to Andrade personally and how they handled this whole scene. Loved Kat's look when Andrade started to eat, too.

I liked how they handled the staff in general in this episode. It was brief, but that exchange between them at the end was great.

I, too, thought that Bess unbuttoning her blazer was brilliant. And I adore how she handles these situations when the other guy thinks they have the upper hand and there are cameras. She so knows how to outmaneuver someone like Andrade.

And yay, they're not forgetting Uncle William either. Which reminds me, we haven't seen Will yet, have we?

Even though it was short, I liked that we got a little of supportive Henry. But why did we need Henry in the Oval Office as ethics advisor? He basically said what Bess said or what Bess would have said had he not been there. It felt a bit forced.

I'm not sure that I like that they're using the show to get political messages across. Yes, it's a political show and I don't disagree with the message that they are sending. Alison certainly isn't the only one with that attitude. But I'm still hoping that they'll stop once midterms are over.

That said, I think that the way they are doing it, is well-done. They spent time thinking about how to best incorporate it into the show and didn't just throw it in there and after the days that Bess had, it felt realistic that she'd snap at Alison.

On a shallow note, I'm loving a lot of Bess' wardrobe this season. I'm in love with the pants she's wearing, and I wouldn't mind owning the black suit with the red blouse myself.

[CheshireCat]

On ‎31‎.‎10‎.‎2018 at 1:50 PM, roughing it said:

Sometimes I find the "dorkiness" forced, like they try too hard to show "hey we're just a normal family here whose mom is SOS"

I think that kind of fits with the show though. There were some scenes throughout the sshow when Bess expressed her desire to be a normal family (which I find understandable) even though they can't really be, so, the McCord's are probably trying too hard themselves at times.

 

On ‎30‎.‎10‎.‎2018 at 3:01 PM, Driad said:

Are there detailed summaries of MS episodes somewhere?

SpoilerTV used to have them. Not sure if they have them this season, too.

 

On ‎29‎.‎10‎.‎2018 at 3:40 PM, Xantar said:

What I didn't get was what kind of threat Kat was making to him. If he messes with Madam Secretary, then she will come at him as a mother? That's really vague and doesn't honestly sound that scary to a white nationalist.

I don't think it was supposed to scare him and it was probably supposed to be vague. I'm not really sure what we're supposed to think of it either but I would imagine that it's meant to remind him how dangerous mothers can be when their young are attacked/that you should never get between a mother and their young in the animal world. (It made me remember a story I read a few months ago: a woman was attacked by a bear in her driveway. All the woman had done was not be aware of the bear and consequently, didn't realize that she was getting in between the mother and her cub),

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

On October 29, 2018 at 2:54 AM, deaja said:

It was a good episode except where Bess started preaching to Allison. No, actually, I don’t think that is what a motorcade is for- to drive your spoiled daughter to vote after you harangue her into it.

Bess was on her way to Dover, so she was going that way anyway. Of sorts in any case. I don't think she would have done it had she not been on her way out.

Yes, and Bess was probably also being a bit snide or sarcastic with Allison, because as the daughter of the SOS (as well as of Spy Daddy, if Allison ever knew), Allison lives in the proverbial "glass house" environment of special protections (with motorcades) and so shouldn't really be "throwing stones" (by not voting) at a minority candidate who is trying to "get a seat at the table" (as the candidate explained) so that he might eventually be in a place to vote for student loan forgiveness.
But all of this^ remains just my interpretation since it wasn't explicitly included in Bess's lecture. Not great writing, but not awful either.

Similarly:

2 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

On October 28, 2018 at 10:50 PM, funnygirl said:

I don't understand why Kat randomly mentioned that she's queer during her conversation with the senator. What does her identity have to do with anything? 

She said she's a queer Latina, and as Xantar pointed out, we learned that he's a racist, so it's likely he would have a problem with her sexuality as well. Thinking about it, I think it was a great move on Bess' part to dispatch Kat. She's got the attitude for it and she's something the Senator

Sure, as @CheshireCat and @Xantar explained, we can presume Senator D!ckhead loathes queers and is a racist, but I too had a moment of "Huh? Kat's queer, sure, but what's that got to do with Senator D!ckhead getting Henry and Stevie thrown out of a restaurant?" And, even more to the point, we only knew Senator D!ckhead for a few moments, so I didn't even remember that he was a racist (after all, Henry and Stevie are very white) so I wasn't ready to mentally leap to Kat knowing that Senator D!ckhead had a problem with her sexuality, plus, I kind of doubt Senator Doodyhead is even familiar with the term, "LatinX."
So, again, not, IMO, Emmy-quality writing. 
—Which is too bad, because there were a lot of great parts in the episode.
Maybe the writers figured after this election (that the show was mirroring) was history, that either it would all make sense or else none of it would be remembered enough to make sense? IDK.

Edited November 4, 2018 by shapeshifter

[Driad]

2 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

On 10/30/2018 at 3:01 PM, Driad said:

Are there detailed summaries of MS episodes somewhere?

SpoilerTV used to have them. Not sure if they have them this season, too.

They do.  Thank you!

[Netfoot]

4 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

They'd have a difficult time keeping him as a SuperHero with Bess running for POTUS.

You can bet they will find a way for him to up-stage The Little Woman at least once per episode.   Even if she is POTUS.  

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I kind of doubt Senator Doodyhead is even familiar with the term, "LatinX."

I didn't.  Just had to look it up.  (I'd have guessed a Linux distro...)

[Calvada]

No matter how preachy Bess was to Allison, I was cheering, because GET OFF YOUR ASS AND PARTICIPATE!  Jesus, I know I'm old, because the fact that young people don't vote is the most aggravating thing ever.  If you do feel that you are unable to vote for either candidate in a particular race, what about all the other races on the ballot?  And good luck seeking perfection.  I've been voting for decades and I've yet to find the perfect candidate.  

[Dowel Jones]

Not to mention that an astute competitor candidate might have his staff look up the family voting records and make an issue out of her non-voting during the campaign.

[CheshireCat]

8 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Sure, as @CheshireCat and @Xantar explained, we can presume Senator D!ckhead loathes queers and is a racist, but I too had a moment of "Huh? Kat's queer, sure, but what's that got to do with Senator D!ckhead getting Henry and Stevie thrown out of a restaurant?" And, even more to the point, we only knew Senator D!ckhead for a few moments, so I didn't even remember that he was a racist (after all, Henry and Stevie are very white)

From what I understood, Henry and Stevie weren't thrown out because of racism. It's explained in the Bess-Russell conversation - the Senator is suspecting that Bess is going to run and he wanted her to show up at his office and yell at him so that he could then use it against her (claiming that she's not so diplomatic after all). The restaurant owner had a connection to the Senator although I don't remember what it was. So, he was "conspiring" with the Senator. That's why I said he should feel ashamed of himself. I think, as a veteran, the restaurant owner disgraced himself and the military. There was nothing patriotic or honorable about his behavior.

 

8 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

so I wasn't ready to mentally leap to Kat knowing that Senator D!ckhead had a problem with her sexuality, plus, I kind of doubt Senator Doodyhead is even familiar with the term, "LatinX."

That came from the conversation between Jay and the lobbyist for the KY company. He told Jay that the reason why the Senator didn't care about the jobs was because the head of the company was a naturalized citizen.

This episode was jam-packed with information. Basically every scene contained something relevant to the story. I love episodes like this one because I think the casting is awesome and everyone has great chemistry with one another and the dynamic is great (even the lobbyist and Jay had a great dynamic) and apart from the end, this was a conversation/dialogue driven story. But it's also a little tough when you have so much information; you blink, you miss something.

 

By the way, I wish they had mentioned where Jason was. Google says Evan Roe is 18, so I'm assuming he is either graduating from high school or started college and isn't available for filming as much because he's busy with finals or getting used to college. Still, it would have been good if they had said that he's at a friend's or something.

[Driad]

2 hours ago, Calvada said:

If you do feel that you are unable to vote for either candidate in a particular race, what about all the other races on the ballot?

Exactly.  Fewer votes are cast in local races, so a vote in a local race can matter more than in a national race.

[thewhiteowl]

No real world political stuff here please. Just a reminder that warns and bans will follow. Thanks.

[kwnyc]

Well, if Senator Dickhead is a closeted gay, they would keep him away from the nomination (because someone would out him); and of course Senator Asshole had some issue with his wife's citizenship, didn't he? Both of them have big negatives if they want the presidential nomination for their party, so it'll be interesting to see if they push for someone more "electable." The other party DOES have at least one woman Senator we've seen. And of course Russell's current Veep has said SHE is interested in running.

[shapeshifter]

6 hours ago, kwnyc said:

And of course Russell's current Veep has said SHE is interested in running.

True, but is she still on the show?

[CheshireCat]

On ‎05‎.‎11‎.‎2018 at 12:43 PM, kwnyc said:

Well, if Senator Dickhead is a closeted gay, they would keep him away from the nomination (because someone would out him); and of course Senator Asshole had some issue with his wife's citizenship, didn't he?

I forgot about that but it doesn't seem to have hurt him so far. He's an immigration hardliner and since he's in the Gang of Eight he can't be a first-term Senator, so, his opponents could easily have used his wife against him before but it doesn't seem that they did. Sounds like they think it wouldn't be big enough of an issue. I also think that these immigration claims are hard to prove. Unless she overstayed her visa and there is a record of her being present in the US at the time and/or a record of her working when she didn't have a work permit yet, it would be he-said, she-said.

 

Quote

Both of them have big negatives if they want the presidential nomination for their party, so it'll be interesting to see if they push for someone more "electable." The other party DOES have at least one woman Senator we've seen. And of course Russell's current Veep has said SHE is interested in running.

I know Russell is sometimes acting like he's President but it's Conrad. :-)

 

On ‎05‎.‎11‎.‎2018 at 7:02 PM, shapeshifter said:

True, but is she still on the show?

Not sure if the actress is still available but she's still existent in the MSec universe. Either Mike B or Russell mentioned that Bess should start telling donors that she plans to run before Hurst gets their money.

I think even the Senator is still in the universe. If memory serves, she was part of the Gang of Eight. Of course, if she was up for re-election, she could have lost her seat just now but since she's from Texas, she probably didn't. Same for Morejon in Arizona.

Edited November 10, 2018 by CheshireCat

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

Morejon in Arizona.

Ah, yes. Morejon from AZ. How could I have forgotten him? Is that who you/we meant by "Senator Asshole," @kwnyc? I couldn't recall. But, yes, a worthy opponent. Looking at IMDb, José Zúñiga's dance card has been very full lately, but maybe he'll have time now for MS.

[txhorns79]

Quote

Apparently he now stands all day in a broom-closet in the Oval Office, and pops out when ever anyone needs to hear about Thomas Aquinas.

I died a little at this.  And of course when the President meets with his Secretaries of State and Defense, it makes total sense that he'd summon Henry to be there as well.  Because obviously this complex decision cannot be made without Henry's insights.  Why not appoint Stevie to be the Secretary of Made Up BS and make it a family affair? 

[Dowel Jones]

Stevie is already in line to be the Secretary of Domestic and Foreign Affairs.

[shapeshifter]

26 minutes ago, Dowel Jones said:

Stevie is already in line to be the Secretary of Domestic and Foreign Affairs.

It couldn't happen to a nicer family?