Elizabeth secretly travels to Iran in an attempt to prevent a coup that could impact President Dalton's administration. Also, she brings her staff up to speed on the investigation into Marsh's death.
A lot of action happens in "Tamerlane" that feels rewarding because it's finally forcing all the serialized narratives into conflict. The conspiracy surrounding Marsh's death is still active but the coup that he was involved in with Iran actually occurs in this episode. Madam Secretary is creating a world event with actual stakes that could alter the political policies of its main characters. It's becoming more personal to the worlds of Elizabeth, Russell and the President. This is a narrative the show has been crafting all season long so that it would have weight in this episode when the action finally occurred. Yes, it was still rather clunky in the execution but there was a purpose to it that is often lacking in the episodic storytelling of the show.It's also an immense relief for everyone to learn the various secrets that have been at play so far. Secrets are a part of this business that the main characters are in but they only make narrative sense for so long. Unless there's a reason why someone should be kept in the dark, it just doesn't make that much sense. These characters are suppose to be intelligent and good at their jobs. When Daisy was struggling on how to do her job while knowing Elizabeth was withholding information from the reporters, it wasn't that interesting. And now, we get the requisite scene of Elizabeth visiting Daisy in her apartment to personally apologize for making her feel that way. Revealing the truth is often very liberating. It opens up shows to new narrative avenues because they don't have to worry about who knows what and when.
Everyone has to work together for the common goal of figuring out what to do with the pending coup in Iran. They have to determine whether or not it is preventable and how it will effect the United States ongoing peace talks with Iran. It's a very delicate situation. They all know that this is a credible threat with the wheels having been in motion for awhile now. They may not know why Marsh was killed but they know he was a part of this conspiracy. They know that this would be a radical shift for the country. But they also have to figure out if they should just get on board with it. Members of the United States government did coordinate this attack. It would be very difficult for them to persuade the Iranian government that the President and company had no involved in it. That's their hope though. Through the work of President Dalton, Russell and Elizabeth, they want to warn Iran about the coup as a good gesture between their countries. Then, perhaps the peace negotiations could become even more serious.
That ultimate goal comes with a lot of risk though. The only way Elizabeth can show the Iranians that this threat is credible is to go to the country herself with very minimal security. It's a plan that terrifies Henry. He simply does not want to lose her. Yes, she's in a dangerous profession and has been in dangerous situations before this season. But this trip poses an even greater threat than before. She's heading into a country where a coup could be happening at any moment. She plans on talking to the leaders who are being targeted. It's a risk that Elizabeth and Dalton believe is worth taking. Henry eventually gets on bored but he's increasingly worried throughout the whole experience. At one point, Elizabeth's status in the country is unknown. An attack on Javani's home leaves him and her security detail all dead. It proves that she was right and the information she provided helped the leaders stay alive and maintain their power. So everything worked out in Elizabeth's favor in the end like it always does on this show. And yet, there is something about the way that this story was resolved that makes it feel like the show earned this moment. President Dalton addresses the nation about the Iranian coup and divulges the full truth. Yes, that is very aspirational of a president. That's what we would like to believe is happening with the person running our country. But there's the quality of full transparency that is both appealing and rewarding to the narrative.
Some more thoughts:
- "Tamerlane" was written by David Grae and directed by Jonathan Brown.
- The State Department staff also learn about Nadine's affair with Marsh. It was going on for six years. She sure knows how to keep a secret better than any of them. Plus, she got the great line about him being dead no matter what because of his plans to dump her when he ran for President.
- No one in the office thinks that Daisy and Matt's romantic relationship is a secret. And yet, the show keeps hitting the beat comedically over and over again. It's tired. Find something new to define that relationship already.
- It's also Allison's 16th birthday which means she is now mature enough to be told more about the dangers of Elizabeth's work. She and Stevie still get to protect Jason from the full truth though.
- Andrew was given enough freedom to send a message to his co-conspirators but not enough to fully save himself. His suicide should feel more important than it actually does.
- And now that the coup has failed, Juliet wants to come back in and talk with Elizabeth. That should be interesting, right?
