BWW Recap: MADAM SECRETARY Grants Safe 'Passage,' To Broadway's Corey Cott

Tonight's MADAM SECRETARY was a real barn burner Stranger Friends, (or technically a chemical filled silk dye factory burner), as our Secretary went on her first diplomatic visitation to India. I have to say that I was sweating more than the Secretary's Aide Blake during his Indian meal, with all of the twists, turns, and reveals on tonight's episode. Guest star's this week included Corey Cott, fresh off his stand-out performances as Jack Kelly in the recent production of Broadway's NEWSIES, and one of my favorite actors of stage and screen, John Shea, who played one of the best Lex Luthor's ever in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN.

The Secretary and her staff picked Turkey as the destination of her first overseas trip, but after being called to Camp David by the President, who was shooting skeet with Shea's pompous business man and big campaign donor character, she was asked to "think about" going to India instead, where the business man has two big factories that he purchased to make dye's for silk. He is looking for India to help him in his business, while they have been discussing creating similar businesses for their own country.

Hoping for the trip to be educational for her family as well, the Secretary is disappointed when husband Henry, and daughter Stephanie, have to stay behind for work. Also left behind is speechwriter Matt due to Visa issues, who is then replaced by his assistant Scott, (Cott's character). Press Secretary, Daisy, has to stay behind as well for a wedding she is supposed to attend.

The trip is going well, friendships seem to be developing between our Secretary and her Indian counterpart, and even daughter Allison is locking eyes with a young Indian boy at the event. Suddenly, an earthquake shakes the country, killing many and and wounding more. Furthermore, Shea's factory has blown up, filling a river and the air with toxic poisons and killing 4,000 more.

Back in D.C., Stephanie catches Henry at a café with a pretty woman instead of working in the archives on his book, which is why he supposedly stayed behind. This possible affair sends Stephanie drinking to excess at a restaurant where it just so happens, Matt and Daisy have gone to end their relationship yet again.

I am thinking this is the fourth time they have vowed to end their affair. I also have to admit that this is my breaking point with Matt. I really love Geoffrey Arend, but his character seems to be becoming more and more inept at his job, doubting himself, being too wimpy to pursue Daisy, and now he doesn't want to help the Secretary's daughter because he is afraid of getting caught at dinner with Daisy. Why are the writers making me hate this man?

Daisy does the right thing and makes sure Stephanie sobers up and gets a cab home, but not until after she is told why Stephanie is upset, and has proof to back up her claims of Henry's cheating.

After some goodwill visits in India, our MADAM SECRETARY gets back home and tries to get America's elite fire squad to India to help with the chemical fire, but is refused by India for the optics now surrounding the American company that the Secretary has become bound to. Soon, in a double smack down even the World Wrestling Federation would be impressed by, the Secretary take's down Matt, letting him know that she feels he has not been giving his best work, feeling he has one foot out the door for greener pastures, and that SHE is the one that denied his visa, so she can try out the hungry, up and comer, Scott.

And after Daisy feels she is being hamstrung on putting the Secretary in the best light of the current situation, she tells the Secretary about Henry's possible affair, and is immediately told how she better pay attention to her own situations with her affair with Matt, shocking Daisy that she even has a clue about it, and to stop projecting her current problems onto the Secretary's life. OUCH!

A couple quiet doubts and a quick run home later, the Secretary confronts Henry, hurt and scared and, as Henry is slow to talk, her fear slowly starts to grind away, as you can almost see the gears in her head using her CIA skills to figure out what is going on, and gets the answer; Henry is working another case for the NSA. WHEW!

This episode was getting tense enough, I just couldn't handle the thought of Henry, who I have quietly been man-crushing on as his character has been coming into his own these past few weeks, being the kind of person that could do that to his wife and family. Now, Henry has some State secrets of his own that can't be talked about, this could be fun.

Now, it is Matt's turn to step up, and he hits a homerun with a plan and a speech for the Secretary to force the Indian government to accept the American help that it needs, and to get some empathy back for the US and the Secretary. Did she know he had it in him all the time? Was this her way to get him back in the game, by playing up to the Scott character? (Who I hope becomes a recurring character, just saying.) Either way it works, and Matt soon has wind in his sails once more, as he realizes how out of control he has been and soon heads over to Daisy's to celebrate his new-found decisions about the two of them. His confidence is soon destroyed again by the engagement ring on Daisy's finger. She got engaged tonight. OOOPS!

We end with our Secretary letting Stephanie know that there is no affair, which took a little convincing, along with a two-week grounding (you can't do that to a 20 year old can you? Hmm, guess you can), for getting drunk at the restaurant that Daisy has told her all about. Hmmm, maybe Daisy is back in the good graces again as well for helping out her daughter. We will have to see next week Stranger Friends................

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Things I Loved:

Broadway! Hello! NEWSIES, JERSEY BOYS, CHICAGO'ans, Patina, Tim............ Let's just get Harvey Feinstein and Alan Menken to write, "The very special musical episode..........," now!

Matt is back! I hope this is the turning point in his character to keep the funny, but step up his game.

Henry: from Cool College Prof, to Captain in the Air Force, to Secret NSA Agent......NICE!

Questions:

Is Henry looking into the death of their friend? Is that why he said, "I Know," when the Secretary told him it wasn't an accident?

How long is this engagement going to go on? You know you like him Daisy!

Where was Blake's funny quip of the week? Curry and temperature jokes don't count.

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