Henry McCord quotes from Madam Secretary

Stevie

I can't believe you don't even have a room for me.

Henry

You have a room. It just happens to be filled with boxes at the moment.

Henry

Consider giving your mom a break.

Stevie

God, dad. You would defend her if she was standing over a bloody corpse, with a knife.

Henry

I would not. It would totally depend on who the corpse was.

Stevie

You guys really don't know me at all, do you ?

Henry

Other than sucking snot out of your nose with a tube when you were two days old, I'm barely acquainted with you.

Henry

What do you expect your mom to do, quit?

Stevie

No! That's the reason I came home. She can't quit. So... I have to.

Henry

Guess this isn't a good time to give you something else to think about.

Elizabeth

You're about to plead Stevie's case, aren't you?

Henry

It's not a case. It's a situation.

Elizabeth

Why didn't she come to me about it?

Henry

She's scared of you.

Elizabeth

Because of my long history of chastising and humiliating her?

Henry

She doesn't want to let you down.

Elizabeth

She said that?

Henry

Of course not.

Elizabeth

about Stevie I just wish she wouldn't split us like this. And you're not helping, acting like her lawyer.

Henry

No, you're not helping. That's what she's telling you.

Elizabeth

Excuse me, that's what she's telling you and you're telling me. Since when do we have a system like that?

Henry

I was there. She was upset. I listened to my daughter. Guilty.

Elizabeth

Really? You're gonna go there?

Henry

Oh, I'm already regretting it.

Elizabeth

Henry, look at me. I can't quit this job.

Henry

I know.

Elizabeth

Can I?

Henry

laughs No, you can't.

Stevie

Tell me the truth. Is this you or is this her?

Henry

sternly This is us. We're a unit. You got that?

Elizabeth

Honey, Alison's 15. We can't be spying on her texts anymore. Can we?

Henry

Hey, was it really our fault that my iPad somehow tied in with her phone? And it's not like these were icky diary entries. They're stuff that she's sharing with her friends.

Elizabeth

That's true.

Henry

We're great parents.

Elizabeth

We are.

Henry

It's our responsibility to balance her privacy with her safety.

Elizabeth

She's at a precarious age.

Henry

Fifteen.

Elizabeth

We spy because we love.

Henry

Like the U.S. on France. (pauses as Elizabeth makes a face) Much, much too soon, right?

Elizabeth

Remind me again why we had kids.

Henry

They were supposed to be cute.

Henry

(answers phone) Hello? ... It's the Russian Foreign Minister's office.

Stevie

How'd they get our home number?

Jason

Russia.

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?

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)

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.