As Elizabeth prepares for the arrival of Iranian President Shiraz to sign a nuclear treaty, she uncovers a top secret plot to assassinate him on United States soil. At the same time, she must deal with a massive protest by the Human Rights Campaign in response to Iran's plans to stone a gay citizen to death. Also, Elizabeth sees a therapist to deal with her PTSD.
So much of the first season of Madam Secretary has been centered around President Dalton and Elizabeth trying to negotiate nuclear peace with Iran. It has played a part in the conspiracy surrounding former Secretary Marsh's death and the coup organized for a regime change in Iran that led to Elizabeth's PTSD. As minimal as the ongoing arc has been in hindsight, it has somewhat been leading up to this moment. "The Kill List" features President Dalton and Iranian President Shiraz signing the treaty that both sides have worked so tirelessly in crafting and negotiating. It should be seen as a rewarding and uplifting moment. Madam Secretary is suggesting a universe where there is peace between the United States and Iran - at least when it comes to nuclear war. That's a huge declaration to make. As Elizabeth notes to her therapist at episode's end though, this treaty will be one of the few things mentioned in the first line of her obituary. And yet, everything around this momentous occasion can only be described as bittersweet.Elizabeth simply doesn't have the time to celebrate and be happy because there's still the uncertain threat of what Juliet will do when it's discovered she has resurfaced in Washington, D.C. On top of that, the Iranians are also planning a stoning of a gay citizen to occur at the exact same time as the treaty signing. This administration wants to look ahead and see all the potential good this deal will have for the future. And yet, is all of that just wishful thinking that will never likely come to fruition? Everyone looks at this stoning of a person for being who he is as something that could only happen in a barbaric society. Are those the type of people a treaty like this should be made with? Is the promise of peace in the future enough to outweigh the horribleness of this act which is an inherent part of the Iranian culture? Those are the questions that plague Elizabeth throughout this episode. She's trying to make the justification that the treaty outweighs everything else. If not, than why has she spent so much time and effort trying to make it happen in the first place? It puts her in the "perfect" headspace to talk with Juliet again.
Juliet was the person who betrayed Elizabeth the most when it came to the failed coup against Shiraz in Iran. She was in Elizabeth's very close circle of people she trusted when it came to discussing this conspiracy. Juliet took all that information and used it against Elizabeth from the very start. She was one of the only conspirators to actually escape the aftermath of the failed coup. She had to flee into hiding but her presence has always been on Elizabeth's mind. How could Juliet believe that she was acting with the country's best interests in heart? This coup was brutal and ultimately hurt Elizabeth in a very psychological way. Sure, her PTSD hasn't been as crippling as it was initially. Right now, it just plays as a whole bunch of cliches wrapped up into one big plot beat. That extends to her new therapist - played by Marsha Mason - who admits that she has become a cliche but does nothing to break from those confines. It's a big deal that because of the events of this episode, Elizabeth will have a chance to talk with Juliet again. She will get her side of this whole story. And now, Elizabeth may actually be more open to hearing what she has to say than she was earlier because of the recent events in Iran.
It's all because Jay fought as hard as he could to postpone the stoning and failed. He did his best but there was ultimately nothing he could do. He got an earful from the protestor leading the rally outside the White House. That motivated him. He found a solution only for the Iranians not to take it. That was a crucial blow to his morality. He tries using the same type of guilt trip on Elizabeth who has seen and heard about stories just like this one too many times. It is a tragedy. Jay feels the necessity of describing the experiencing of being stoned in crushing detail. She remarks back by pointing out all the people who get subjected to this torture in Iran. It's a devastating list. And yet, there is still nothing more that they can do because the treaty signing takes precedence over everything else.
That may not be good enough for Jay. He and Elizabeth have agreed to disagree on several subjects throughout this first season. He remains the only character at her office with a meaningful relationship with Elizabeth that feels like it has had an arc this season. Technically, Jay is just a recurring character this season but he has had more nuance than Daisy, Matt or Blake - probably all combined. Sure, it was surprising when he suddenly had a baby to deal with. But his dynamic with Elizabeth is one that could be hinting at a big change in the office sometime soon. He hates that he couldn't make a difference in Iran this time. In the end, he doesn't attend the treaty signing. Instead he is outside - with his baby! - protesting the death of the gay Iranian citizen. Morally, it is the correct place to be and that contention with Elizabeth could mean he'll leave his job in next week's finale. But nothing he is feeling right now is different than what Elizabeth is as well. She sympathizes with what he is trying to do. She just has to prioritize the treaty because of her position as Secretary of State. All of it still weighs on her and it's only going to get worse because of having to face Juliet again.
Some more thoughts:
- "The Kill List" was written by David Grae and directed by Ed Ornelas.
- President Dalton saying that Russell was making the same argument just before Elizabeth walked into the room only further proves that the show enjoys setting them up as opponents in morality debates too much.
- Elizabeth wants to believe that Russell is a crier when it comes to his own therapy sessions.
- I really couldn't care less about the other daughter (I don't even know her name without looking it up!) learning how to drive. It was mostly action that happened offscreen with several characters commenting on it for brief seconds in the most cliche way possible. The show really hasn't found a way to make the family drama all that interesting this season.
- Juliet's family doesn't even know what she did and what happened to her. Her husband is subjected to impersonal and blunt interviews by the FBI at least once a week. The pressure is getting to him - and seeing Juliet arrested in front of their house alongside their two children likely won't help any either.
- Seriously, a protest outside the White House seems like a horrible place to take a baby.
