This CBS series centering on female Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni) was obviously inspired by Hillary Clinton’s tenure in the office, and even Clinton’s loss in the 2016 presidential election has not derailed a plot development that was probably intended from the start: McCord’s admission that she wants to run for the presidency, a realization that she reaches only at the end of this fourth season, after being instrumental in defusing an imminent nuclear war. While that is the most serious crisis McCord handles here, there are others, beginning with accusations that she murdered a foreign minister, followed by a showdown over arctic territory, a government shutdown, a civil war in Libya, a senator’s collusion with Russia, sound-wave weapons used against embassies, and a terrorist threat to a dam in the Middle East—not to mention a situation in which President Dalton (Keith Carradine) is diagnosed with a serious illness and is temporarily replaced by the Vice-President under the provisions of the 25th amendment. As if these national emergencies were not enough, McCord must also deal with domestic problems—one daughter goes off to college and is faced with her roommate’s suicide attempt, another takes up with a former Russian spy turned CIA agent, and her son is sexually active. Through it all, her husband Henry (Tim Daly)—now a CIA operative—is unfailingly supportive. Although somewhat overstuffed with incidents, Madam Secretary remains refreshing for its serious treatment of the political world. Compiling all 22 episodes from the 2017-18 fourth season, extras include expanded and deleted scenes. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Madam Secretary: Season 4
Paramount, 6 discs, 949 min., not rated, DVD: $46.99
Madam Secretary: Season 4
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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