I’ve been waiting for Madam Secretary to air for months, and the premiere episode, broadcast over the weekend did not disappoint!
Our lead character is Elizabeth McCord, a former CIA analyst turned professor who is asked by the President to become his new Secretary of State. McCord had left her DC life behind, moving to Virginia to teach and live on a farm with her family. Fast forward two months, and she’s settling in to her new role, navigating the waters with members of her inherited staff and adjusting to her new life.
Her first challenge is to rescue two American teenagers who have been imprisoned in Syria, going head to head with the President’s Chief of Staff and using tested back channels to eventually get them released. McCord also has to welcome the President of Swaziland and his seven wives, and this causes for some interesting diplomacy at the dinner table. There was also a great cliffhanger at the end of the episode for an arc which will run the length of the series.
In some ways the show reminded me of Commander in Chief (remember that?) but it’s a stronger take on a woman in government. Tea Leoni is a great choice to play the Secretary of State, and brings both strength and humor to the role. The relationship with her on-screen husband Tim Daly is believable and sweet, and it’s evident that their scenes are going to be some of the greatest in the series. The supporting cast is brilliant- Bebe Neuwirth, Patina Miller and Geoffrey Arend are all excellent choices.
The set decoration, costumes and music are all brilliant- I can’t wait for the series to continue!
