Elizabeth McCord quotes from Madam Secretary

Elizabeth

He's Top Secret SCI.

Nadine

She gave you that?

Blake

You Jedi mind-tricked her, didn't you ma'am?

Henry

Hey. I hope I didn't really make things difficult for you with Gorev.

Elizabeth

No, I like that you stood up to him. It's sexy.

Henry

Is it?

Elizabeth

Yeah. Your ethics are... even sexier.

Henry

Really?

Elizabeth

Mmm. A man with a solid moral compass? Big turn on.

Henry

Who says you have to be a bad boy to get the hot girl?

As for a trial, it has already been scheduled for next week.

I see your intelligence services haven't penetrated our legal system.

Elizabeth

Can you postpone the trial?

Madam Secretary, your country has shown it can disrespect our sovereignty with impunity. The prerogative of the greater power. But when you are caught, you must accept the consequences.

Daisy

Madam Secretary Schaeffer's capture by the Pakistanis just hit the wires.

Matt

It's wall-to-wall on the cable outlets.

Elizabeth

Everyone needs to stop ambushing me on my way in.

Daisy

We thought you'd want to know right away.

Elizabeth

Well, we might need to redefine "right away."

Daisy

So, how do you want to spin it?

Elizabeth

Schaeffer? I don't.

Matt

So, we're going with, "Yeah, he was spying on their nukes, our bad?"

Elizabeth

We expect Pakistan to treat all prisoners, including U.S. citizens, humanely and in accordance with the third and fourth Geneva Convention.

Blake

You have a visitor, Madam Secretary.

Elizabeth

(Startled) God, where did you come from?

Blake

I'm always with you.

Elizabeth

All right, who's visiting? And why are we allowing it?

Blake

Our favorite reporter Gina Fisher. Says it's urgent.

Elizabeth

Really? Put her in conference East and don't offer her a beverage.

Nadine

(About Jed Heller aka Viper) He has, uh, schistosomiasis. It's a rare African disease caused by an... infestation of worms in the skin.

Elizabeth

A worm disease. Fitting.

Elizabeth

Henry... Henry, this is important.

Henry

So is my integrity. As an academic, that's all I have.

Elizabeth

Oh, come on. I compromise my ethics every single day in this job! T-That's not entirely true... I don't have time to worry about my decaying moral fiber. I moved heaven and Earth to get the president and Pakistan and Russia all on board, and the entire thing falls apart without you. So, please, just say yes.

Henry

No. You shouldn't have involved me in this. You're gonna have to find another way.

Elizabeth

I've been on the phone with Gorev, and I got him to move off the "A."

Henry

Oh, my God. Now we're going to be fighting over a "B"?

Elizabeth

No. All Gorev cares about is his daughter's GPA. If you would consider giving her an incomplete, that wouldn't affect it. She can retake the course next semester and you don't give an undeserved grade.

Henry

The deadline for an incomplete has passed.

Elizabeth

Henry, I'm out of rabbits.

Henry

This operative will really die If you don't make this deal?

Elizabeth

Yes

Henry

Does he have family?

Elizabeth

A mom, a dad and three little sisters.

Henry

That you didn't shove in my face before to try to move me?

Elizabeth

Well, even Elizabeth the Unethical has her lines.

Henry

Okay.

Elizabeth

Thank you. (Obviously overwhelmed and exhausted, she collapses into Henry)

Nadine

(While the staff is gathered around a bottle of Cognac gifted to Elizabeth by France) Madam Secretary, protocol explicitly states that foreign gifts remain in the gift room.

Elizabeth

Noted. I decree an exception.

Nadine

Oh, thank God.

Matt

I second the decree.

Daisy

Uh, Uh, decrees don't need seconding.

Matt

Uh, this one felt like it did.

Elizabeth

Let's have a toast to Roy Schaeffer. Welcome home.

Welcome home.

Elizabeth

Matt draft a memo to the staff. "From now on, I expect all correspondence at every level of confidentiality to be civil and respectful, worthy of the office being represented.

Matt

How wide do you want it to go?

Elizabeth

How many people work here?

Nadine

31,822.

Elizabeth

That'll do it.

Jay

(Trying to hand her his resignation letter) Now that, uh, things have settled down.

Elizabeth

Well, unless that's great seats to the Kennedy Center, I don't want it.

Jay

What about Dubois?

Elizabeth

I called him this morning and told him that while I was very sorry that he was insulted, he doesn't get to make decisions about my staff.

Jay

How'd he take it?

Elizabeth

I had to pardon his French.

Jay

What about Jackson's guy?

Elizabeth

Your idea helped to save a man's life.

Jay

You got it over the finish line.

Elizabeth

So... we're a good team.

Jay

All due respect, I was on Secretary Marsh's team. I was his guy.

Elizabeth

I know.

Jay

I was hoping to ride him to the White House. You don't have such ambitions.

Elizabeth

You're right. But clearly you can make a difference here at State. And I am a sucker for anyone who's good at their job. But if something comes along with a presidential contender, I'll understand.

Jay

Okay.

Elizabeth

Oh, and, uh, Jay, one other thing. As long as you're here, you're my guy now.

Henry

You notice that Allie's in much better spirits?

Elizabeth

Oh, I noticed. Check this out. (Elizabeth hands Henry the iPad)

Henry

What?

Elizabeth

Fresh intel on Allie's better spirits. Flint Summers.

Henry

Who's that?

Elizabeth

They've been texting all afternoon. Clearly she's moved on from Josh. So I did a little digging. He plays on the varsity football team. Flint is two years ahead of Allie.

Henry

That makes him 17.

Elizabeth

I know. Whole new world from 15.

Henry

Yeah, and by whole new world, you mean... sex... He'll push for it.

Elizabeth

Of course. Name like Flint Summers? There's no boundaries.

Henry

What are we doing?

Elizabeth

Losing our minds.

Henry

Pretty much.

Elizabeth

We have to stop this, don't we?

Henry

Okay, if I push this button we sever the link forever.

Elizabeth

Yeah

Henry

(pushes the button) Now, it begins. Parenting without a net.

Elizabeth

Well, Stevie turned out all right.

Henry

She quit college.

Elizabeth

She's not a meth addict.

Henry

That's a high bar.

Elizabeth

Listen, about last night?

Henry

Oh, I'm over it. I saw the video of Schaeffer reuniting with his family.

Elizabeth

Well, good. I wasn't apologizing about that. It's this job. Is it turning me into a morally compromised version of myself? Because I am worried that I'm going to become someone that you can't be with anymore.

Henry

Whoa, whoa. I talk a good game, but I am no pillar of virtue.

Elizabeth

You're a good man. I need you to be my touchstone. Uh, to tell me if I'm crossing lines. I'd quit this job in a heartbeat if it threatened what we have.

Henry

That's not going to happen. But if you're asking me to be the man beside the woman? I'm in.

Elizabeth

You read my memo?

Russell

I did.

Elizabeth

And you have photographic memory.

Russell

I do.

Elizabeth

That's impressive.

Russell

I'm told.

Russell

Fine. I'll have POTUS there for the signing ceremony.

Elizabeth

Fine? Really? Because my staff and I have been up for four days straight trying to avert World War III, and that's what we get? We get "fine"? (Breaks into laughter) It's like... God, I'm so sorry. I mean we've... It's been a really... It's been a really long four days, and I'm totally sleep-deprived and hopped-up on coffee. I actually feel sick.

Russell

Your predecessor and I had developed a shorthand. "Fine"... means "thank you for not screwing up." It's high praise. Take it.