Blake Moran quotes from Madam Secretary

Blake

Good morning, ma'am. Russell Jackson's office needs your approval on this.

Elizabeth

Coffee?

Blake

Café au lait. The White House barista has been practicing for the state dinner.

Elizabeth

It's coffee with milk.

Blake

The French are picky...and easily insulted.

Daisy

[to bruised Jay & Matt] Oh my god, what happened?

Blake

A sample sale at Brooks Brothers?

Elizabeth

Make it clear that we are respectfully declining the gift horse.

Blake

May I ask why?

Elizabeth

So many reasons, not the least of which -- we don't have anywhere in the State Department to put her!

Elizabeth

Not only did Minister Chen undercut our deal at the last minute, he chose to do so in a very public and embarrassing way.

Blake

So he...he trolled us?

Arguably tried to bigfoot us.

'Elizabeth

I believe the correct diplomatic term he "pantsed" us.

Matt

Is this more Dateline?

Blake

It's semi-legitimate journalism.

Blake

I can't believe what it feels like to Juan-Luis or Soledad. I mean, when I was their age, I thought the pinnacle of pressure was being director of my acapella group.

Nadine

Now they're being groomed to run for office.

Nadine

Madam Secretary, I have your travel book for the trip.

Blake

And I have your briefcase.

Elizabeth

Oh. Well, it takes a village.

Blake

Well, there's nothing else you need here, and the car is waiting.

Nadine

As is the plane. They keep gently reminding me in all caps.

Blake

The window to visit Andrada in the Philippines and make it to Singapore in time is extremely tight.

Nadine

And the change of itinerary has caused a bit of, um, huffiness.

Elizabeth

Huffiness? Oh, well we better get going.

Elizabeth

(After finding out that Andrada has decided to go against their Defense Cooperation Agreement with the US.) Okay, wait, let's take a breath. Kicking the US Military out of a country doesn't happen in an afternoon. I think if I apologize to Andrada, suggest that he... caught me by surprise and I acted on instinct... I can grovel. I'm a decent groveler. And things were going so well up until I broke his nose.

Russell

Not a sentence you hear every day.

Elizabeth

Blake, what is it?

Blake

Uh, President Andrada wants us to leave.

Elizabeth

Yeah, I-I know. We're working to resolve that right now.

Blake

No, no. Us. You and me. He sent the military police to kick us out of the Philippines right now.

Daisy

(While looking at Andrada's official social media) President Andra7da even trotted out some flunky who agreed to play his sparring partner. The guy took it a step further by making himself up to look even more pummeled.

Blake

Unless Andrada actually let him kick him in the face.

Blake

It's the White House. They need you A.S.A.P.

Elizabeth

That's probably not a welcome home party.

Blake

[about the sand mandala] Uh, I still don't get the point.

Elizabeth

That is the point.

Blake

No. Due respect, ma'am, not getting the point can't possibly be the point. You can say that about anything.

Elizabeth

[points at Blake] Exactly.

Blake

I don't get it. These monks spend all week, painstakingly arranging colored sand to fit this blueprint, and then "whoosh," they just sweep it away? What's the point?

Nadine

That is the point.

Daisy

Everything's transitory.

Matt

Everything ends.

Blake

That's...very sad.

Nadine

Even that feeling...that'll pass too.

Blake

Okay, now you're just piling on.

Daisy

[after Ambassador Dong vetos the ED education proposal] I really thought The Fonz would clinch it.

Blake

He was humming the theme song!

Nadine

Well apparently "Happy Days" can't beat cold hard cash.

Nadine

So you have anxiety about running into old colleagues?

Blake

Not unless you count waking up at two am in a cold sweat from stress nightmares where I'm back there and all the doors are locked and I'm naked, but...[Nadine laughs] not really.

Elizabeth

[pause] Why?

Blake

I didn't ask. I thought it might be classified. Or weird.

Elizabeth

[mutters] It's probably both.