Episode
Madam Secretary: Reading the Signs
Overview
Elizabeth seeks creative solutions when the president of Sri Lanka's psychic convinces him to not move forward with a trade agreement with the U.S. Also, Alison grapples with guilt for missing the warning signs after her college roommate attempts suicide, and Henry makes an abrupt career decision.
Details
- Series
- Madam Secretary
- Season
- Season 4
- Episode
- Episode 13
- Air date
- 2018-03-11
- Runtime
- 45 min
Episode context
Reading the Signs is Episode 13 in Season 4 of Madam Secretary. It aired on 2018-03-11. The runtime is 45 min.
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Episode 12: Sound and Fury
After President Dalton hears about a sonic attack at the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria, he thinks Russia is to blame and uncharacteristically threatens them with military force, leaving his cabinet concerned about his mental status.
Episode 14: Refuge
Jay and Kat devise a way to help persecuted foreign LGBTQ citizens escape their country while their U.S. homeland security applications are processed. However, when the country closes its borders, Jay and Kat are forced to change that plan quickly, as it could now threaten their relationship with neighboring allies.
More episodes from this season
Episode 11: Mitya
When Vice President Hurst feels threatened that Secretary of State McCord is vying to be the next president, she attempts to set Elizabeth up for failure by promising that Americans will continue to be able to adopt Russian orphans, despite the potential ban by Russia’s president. Also, Elizabeth and Henry find out Stevie is dating Dmitri after he is followed by a Russian assassin.
Episode 15: The Unnamed
Elizabeth and the team are caught in an uncertain situation when they are about to award a foreign leader with the Medal of Freedom but learn he may have known that a minority group in his country is being persecuted. Also, President Dalton doubts his ability to return to office after being cleared by his doctor, and a past family grievance is brought to light when Henry’s sister pays a visit.
Episode 10: Women Transform the World
Secretary of State McCord struggles with the realization that she may need to advise the Afghan government that a compromise with the Taliban may be better than a war with them. Also, Henry uses Dmitri as bait to convince a Russian spy to help the U.S., and Daisy returns from maternity leave and decides to finally tell Joe’s mother about the baby.
Episode 16: My Funny Valentine
As the 20th anniversary of the American embassy bombing in Mali approaches, emotions run high among the State Department staff, who had personal connections to lives lost that day, including Elizabeth, who must decide if the U.S. should lift sanctions against the country deemed responsible. Also, Henry tries to help Jason break up with Piper.
Episode 9: Minefield
Secretary of State McCord reluctantly agrees to host a holiday party in the hopes of persuading senators in attendance to pass a treaty that requires countries to destroy landmines. Also, Henry tries to find evidence that the Senate Majority Leader exchanged information with the Russians.
Episode 17: Phase Two
Senator Morejon puts phase two of Elizabeth’s U.S./Iran arms deal in jeopardy when he asserts that Iran funneled money from phase one of the deal to fund a recent bombing that killed an American citizen. Also, Henry mulls over the option of becoming the chairman of the new military ethics department at the National War College.
Episode 8: The Fourth Estate
Secretary of State McCord and her staff work with the Mexican government to extradite a Mexican cartel leader to a U.S. prison in an effort to diminish the opioid crisis. But after he escapes during transport and a journalist who secured a gloating interview with him while on the lam is murdered, Elizabeth’s urgency to find the leader escalates.
Episode 18: The Friendship Game
Elizabeth’s negotiations for a security agreement combatting gang violence in South America becomes complicated when she attempts to free an American recently kidnapped there.
Episode 7: North to the Future
When a Russian dissident flees to the U.S. after contracting smallpox, Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord and retired U.N. Ambassador Kat Sandoval must work with Russian Foreign Minister Konstantin Avdonin to contain the outbreak.
Episode 19: Thin Ice
Elizabeth is attending a summit in Montreal to resolve territorial claims of the North Pole when an activist group detonates a bomb and she can’t locate Jason and Piper. Also, things take a turn for the worse when Elizabeth learns that Russia was involved in the bombing, and Henry helps one of his students work through a difficult decision.