Madam Secretary (2014) s04e19 Episode Script
Thin Ice
1 Ugh.
I am dreading this trip.
Come on.
You love Montreal.
Not when the hosts are stabbing me in the back.
That was Jay with the advance team.
Last week, this group of Canadian divers discovered this wreckage of the HMS Wanderer, disappeared in 1848 while trying to reach the North Pole.
With a name like that, I'm not surprised.
They're claiming it planted a flag for Canada in the Northwest Passage.
Because it sank there in 1848? Right? And meanwhile, Russia, Norway, Denmark are all calling dibs.
On the North Pole? Well, I guess Santa will be next.
The fact is, the melting ice cap is, among other things, a massive strategic opportunity.
Shipping lanes, natural resources, fishing rights.
What we achieve at this summit could well determine the balance of power for the next hundred years.
Assuming the world exists.
Not a given, at the rate the ice is melting up there.
Thanks, Dr.
Doom, but I actually have to just focus on one monumental global issue at a time.
JASON: Has anyone seen my passport? The one I found in the dryer after the India trip? - Possibly.
- Yeah, I have it.
So, are you getting psyched for Montreal? Ah, not as much as Piper.
She's all about Bella Rossi and the big scoop for the school paper.
How cool is it that Mom is letting you tag along with your girlfriend so she can interview the woman who's gonna be outside the hotel protesting Mom and the summit? It's pretty cool, I guess.
Gosh, I'm overwhelmed.
HENRY: Well, listen, there are some beautiful churches up there you guys might want to check out.
You know, the Jesuits were the first missionaries - to New France.
- First?! Wow! I should finish packing.
Yeah, they were the radical reformers of their day.
You ah.
Oh, honey, I think that Jesuit churches are pretty cool.
Well, I don't know how the Canadians are gonna be able to resist you, eh? (BOTH CHUCKLE) - Hey.
- Hey.
Oh, the secretary said she wants to stop by the Chip Harding - meeting on the way to Andrews.
- Hmm.
But she said to get started without her.
Copy that.
You ready for your part of the Future Energy pitch? - Oh, of course.
- Hey.
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
You're the one that wanted to get more involved in policy.
And I'm very thankful to the secretary for allowing me to spread my wings under your expert supervision, of course.
It's just it just burns me that we have to suck up to an oil magnate.
- Blake, Congress cut our - Cut our funding.
I know.
The last word on practically every state initiative.
And I get why the World Expo is a critical showcase for American companies in a ferocious global marketplace.
It's just It's just a tad ironic that our big opportunity to promote American renewable energy at the expo is being sponsored by Big Oil and Gas.
Dude, this is not the irony hill you want to die on.
If Chip Harding doesn't pony up, we'll be saying "Buy American" with dioramas and sock puppets.
So let's get on board, 'cause this is our only shot to compete with China at the expo, okay? Yeah.
- Come on.
- Okay.
- We got this.
- Okay.
BLAKE: And then the Hall of Renewables is here.
I heard China has a holodeck, robot dancers, and free hoverboards.
Well, we have food by Rachael Ray.
And a pre-taped video of Jennifer Lawrence personally lobbying world leaders on behalf of American companies like yours.
- Mm-hmm.
- But your pitch has a fundamental problem.
The nuclear power section? It's taking up a lot of real estate here, and you've neglected good old natural gas.
Well, nuclear power produces carbon-free electricity, while natural gas does not.
And most climate scientists see nuclear as the key transition technology until renewables become more efficient.
The bridge to renewables is not nuclear, my dear.
It's gas.
It's cheap, has half the emissions of coal, and most importantly, it won't melt down and make the neighborhood children glow in the dark.
Uh, due respect, Mr.
Harding, no child or anyone has ever glowed in the dark from any - Ma'am.
- Mr.
Harding.
So good to see you again.
I'm on my way to Montreal, but I couldn't leave without stopping in to say hi.
I'm happy to hear that the Arctic is a top priority of the Dalton administration.
It's a brave new world.
Everybody wants a piece, myself included.
Well, I am eager to negotiate a contract that will be fair to all of us.
And I wanted to thank you again for your generous pledge to our World Expo pavilion.
Wow.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Yes.
- Yes.
- Yeah.
It is being held in my home state of Texas.
Wouldn't want to fumble the ball on the home field, right? Not at all, which is why I'm so concerned there's no section on natural gas.
If we're talking future energy, we need to tell folks that gas is cheap, has half the emissions of coal, and most importantly, folks won't glow in the dark.
Let me tell you something else.
So, wait, nuclear's gone, just like that? Well, it's not gone, it's just, it's not a part of "future energy.
" Okay, well, can it be part of? Kat, have you heard anything from Jay at the summit? Deputy talks suggest that Canada is still holding firm on the HMS Wanderer.
Crap.
Okay, I have spent weeks with those briefing books.
- I know full well - I know.
Hey, kids! You excited about your trip? - Yeah.
- Do you need anything? - I'm good, thanks.
- Uh snacks, juice.
How about a bedtime story? - Uh, have a great trip.
- Thanks.
- Yeah.
- BLAKE: I'll apologize later.
Okay.
Look, 16 of the 17 of the hottest years on record have occurred since 2000.
The North Pole is the hottest it's been in 1,500 years.
Did you see the video of that starving polar bear? - Because it is just awful.
- No.
I did, I did, because you showed it to me several times.
- Okay.
- Let's just go right into my Well, look, natural gas is better than coal I will give you that but that's still a lot of CO2.
And-and renewables are great, but you need, like, 12 billion solar roofs just to match the projected growth in energy consumption by 2050, which wind and solar won't even come close to filling, unless something magical happens, which doesn't seem like a very good plan to me.
You are preaching to the choir, man.
Do you know how many Americans have died from commercial nuclear power accidents since World War II? - Zero.
- Zero.
And that includes Three Mile Island.
People only died at Chernobyl because they didn't have a containment dome.
And when it comes to waste, the world's entire supply of spent uranium from reactors could fit on a single football field.
Meanwhile, this expo has the potential to generate thousands of green jobs.
I know.
I guess it's picking our battles.
Besides, we can't even begin to turn the tide on nuclear until we have backing from a major environmental group, like the I don't know NRDC or Climate Defense Force.
- (SIGHS) - Yeah.
All right.
I'll give the heads-up to the ECA and the Expo Unit about the redesign.
- All right.
Hey, Blake? - Yeah.
You've done really good work.
Thank you.
Yeah.
The British ship Laconia was carrying more than 2,000 soldiers, crew and passengers when it was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat.
And the German crewmen were actually in the process of rescuing the survivors when they were spotted by USAAF bomber pilot Lieutenant James D.
Harden.
Even though the Germans broadcast their humanitarian intent on open channels and were flying the-the Red Cross flag, what did Harden do? - He bombed the sub.
- That's right.
The panicked U-boat crew threw the survivors off the deck to make their escape.
More than a thousand people died, including civilians.
It was hushed up at the time, and Harden even won a medal, but in today's world, would his actions classify as a war crime? Yeah.
Yes.
There were clearly innocents aboard the sub.
Harden and his senior officer who issued the order should have been prosecuted.
MAN: Prosecuted? For not taking the word of an enemy U-boat commander? The sub had just sunk an Allied vessel.
Harden knew if he didn't destroy the sub now, it would just go on to sink more ships, cost more lives.
As a fellow fighter pilot, I sure know what I would have done.
Thomas Aquinas said that war is just if the ultimate goal is peace.
Harden was acting for the greater good.
Well argued, Lieutenant Hill, but with all due respect to Aquinas, there were 80 women and children in the lifeboats that Harden bombed.
Was killing them in support of the greater good? Just something to consider.
All right, that's it for today.
That was a very good discussion.
Thanks.
Oh, and papers, please Stoic strength and Epictetus' teleology.
Hard copies and PDFs, okay? Uh, is it okay if I drop off my paper - later, Dr.
McCord? - Yeah.
Is everything okay? Yeah, I just want to read over it one more time.
Okay, just make sure I get it before my last class ends at 6:00.
Uh, nice Aquinas reference, by the way.
(PROTESTERS CLAMORING) These governments scramble for the last drops of oil, and who suffers? The untold millions in the developing world, who are the least responsible for this global warming catastrophe.
- That's right.
- We call on the Arctic Council to enact a permanent ban on all drilling in the North Pole region! - (CHEERING) - ELIZABETH: We've always insisted that the Northwest Passage was in - international waters.
- With good reason.
JASON: An ice-free passage could shorten shipping routes between Asia and the Eastern U.
S.
by up to 5,000 miles.
(PROTESTERS SHOUTING) Piper let me read the notes for her article.
You see that? Even high schoolers get it.
But now Canada's flexing with the stupid HMS whatever.
- Wanderer.
- Wanderer.
Right.
They ought to wander over to the Pentagon where they'd see that our force projection in the Arctic is lame.
How many icebreakers does the Coast Guard have again? - Two.
- And one of them's in dry dock.
JASON: That's what you get for failing to invest in the end of the world.
Don't you need to go downstairs somewhere? - Yeah - (KNOCKING) The point is, we need to project a united front to keep Russia at bay, and I think - we should Le - Hey, let's do it.
- Hey, Piper.
- Hi.
Are you ready for your big interview? Absolutely.
Thanks again for the opportunity, Madam Elizabeth.
- (LAUGHS) - I mean Elizabeth.
Sorry.
I know you want me to call you by your first name.
No.
Actually, Madam Elizabeth I think that's kind of badass.
- I like it.
- JASON: Okay, we're let's Okay, we're gonna And thank you for the hotel room.
Of course.
You guys have fun, all right? - Don't get arrested.
- JAY: Oh, heads up.
Word among the staff is that Minister Chen is on the prowl.
Flew in last night.
Of course he did.
CHEN: Secretary McCord.
Another auspicious crossing of paths.
Minister Chen, it is lovely to see you again.
(LAUGHING): Yes, I'm sure.
But you must know that China has recently declared itself - a near-Arctic power.
- I don't even know what that means.
Probably has something to do with all the nuclear-powered icebreaker ships they've been secretly building.
If you are referring to our research vessels, they make vital contributions to the study of marine life, including the language of killer whales.
Okay.
It's nice to see you.
We are no longer content with mere observer status.
Our access to the Arctic is vital to the global economy.
The designation "Arctic power" is based on simple geography, Minister.
Due respect, but "near" doesn't cut it.
Unless you want to include Poland, Mongolia.
- Kazakhstan, Netherlands.
- Yeah.
This isn't a question of latitude.
ELIZABETH: Actually, it is.
The latitude that borders the Arctic.
If you'll excuse me.
NISSEN: We all appreciate the urgency of climate change.
Progress cannot be made until Canada drops their aggressive new claim on the Northwest Passage.
WARREN: Our claim goes back to the HMS Wanderer.
Please.
Enough with your magical sailing ship.
Which sank in 1848.
KONSTANTIN: When Canada was a part of Britain.
I'll remind you that Canada has the world's longest Arctic coastline.
KONSTANTIN: 60% of all Arctic land area is in Russia, along with 80% of the Arctic's population.
But Greenland's continental shelf extends to the North Pole.
According to whom? You? ELIZABETH: While we're at it, America has its own claims on the Chukchi Ridge.
Which is Russian.
We recognize the ambiguity.
Which is why we propose an independent survey of the Arctic seabed, administered by the U.
N.
and funded by the members of this council.
The domestic reaction to such an agreement could be complicated.
Which is why I suggest we keep the terms classified.
For now.
We Norwegians would consider such a proposal.
In principle, Denmark agrees.
Russia has no objection.
Provided that Canada withdraws its latest far-fetched claim.
A sunken ship.
Preposterous.
It's hard to argue with a neutral survey.
The people of Canada are willing to provisionally withdraw our perfectly reasonable and genuine claim based on the sinking of the HMS Wanderer.
In that case, I'd like to propose a short recess so we can read the American proposal.
- Seconded.
- KLEVAN: Adjourned.
Hey.
Just under the wire.
Yeah.
My mom says my head's in the clouds.
She has no idea.
Thinking about flying even when you're on the ground, huh? Yeah.
I remember.
Was it hard to give it up? (SIGHS) Pulling six Gs in a Split S? Brutal.
But lucky for me, there were other things I wanted to do.
Spend more time with my family, write, teach.
But, uh, the freedom, the rush oh, man, I still dream about it.
First time I went up, my dad snuck me into a Lockheed Vega at a county air show.
It was my fifth birthday.
I guess he was hoping I'd like it.
Join the family business, you know.
But when I saw the earth fall away and disappear beneath the clouds, I knew I was never gonna feel at home on the ground again.
I'm sure he'd be very proud.
I know your mom is.
Thanks, Dr.
McCord.
Lieutenant Hill.
Paper.
Thank you.
JAY: Initial responses seem promising, even with the fine print.
Good.
As soon as we can resolve the territorial claims, we can pivot to climate change.
- Cover Bluebird! - Wait - Jason! - Ma'am, ma'am.
No, Jason! - Ma'am! - Jason and Piper.
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING) - Jason.
Wait, Jason's out there.
- Ma'am.
- The conference is under attack.
- Wait.
(ALARM BLARES) ELIZABETH: Come on.
Come on.
- Come on, Jason.
- Bluebird is secure.
Repeat.
Bluebird's secure.
- DS AGENT 2: Evac team inbound.
- It's just going straight to voice mail.
- What about Piper? - Nothing.
How about your tracking app? No.
It's just "Locating phone.
" It's The network must be overwhelmed.
RCM reports lacerations and burns.
No word on fatalities.
That's it.
We are finding Jason.
The Mounties and local PD are looking for him, ma'am.
- That's bull - There's nothing more we can do.
I got a hit! I got Jason.
- Jason's in the hotel.
- (ALARM BLARES) - He's in the hotel.
- Backup, backup.
Jason?! Jason! DS AGENT 1: Jason.
- DS AGENT 2: Jason McCord! Somebody check the shops and the restaurants downstairs.
- I lost the signal.
I lost it.
- Can we get a 20 on Jason? I want to check Piper's room.
Is he in there? Ma'am.
Ma-Ma'am.
I'm going to have to insist that you stay Yeah, insist while we walk.
- (GROANS) - Ma'am.
Ma'am, I'm sure he's gonna be all right.
Piper! Jason.
Honey, are you guys in there? Pipe Jason! (GASPS) Oh.
When did you get back? Hi.
What-what are you? Who-who? - Where's Piper? Did she get back? - Yeah.
No.
She's fi - I-I don't You don't - Okay.
You don't have to She's okay.
She Is that Luther Vandross? ("IF ONLY FOR ONE NIGHT" PLAYING) To ease away your fear Ooh.
It would be so nice Oh, God.
If only for one night Got it.
Understood.
Ma'am.
Summit's been postponed indefinitely.
Looks like a small group of masked protesters from CDF started the riot by breaking down the barriers and setting off this IED.
They arrested Bella Rossi for facilitating a terrorist activity.
All right.
Um, I want you to stay here.
Liaise with Consular Affairs, talk to Rossi.
If she'll cooperate fully with the local authorities, then we'll do whatever we can to keep her out of Canadian prison.
I mean, assuming she wasn't complicit.
JASON: I'd rather be in prison.
I'm sorry.
Did you say something? I said I'd rather be in prison.
PIPER: Jason, stop.
(SIREN WAILING) (DOOR OPENS) Thank you, Frank.
Hey.
Hey.
You just gonna ground me, get it over with? You're not getting off that easy.
Okay.
Firing squad? Yeah, that's warmer.
Go upstairs.
We'll have "the talk" tomorrow.
You might want to consider getting rid of the wise-ass routine.
(SIGHS) Glass of wine? No.
Scotch.
Hmm.
(SIGHS) So I talked to Regina when we dropped off Piper.
Piper takes full responsibility for the deception.
Says that she just wanted their first time to be special and romantic, and I guess Jason went along with the plan, right down to Luther Vandross and chocolate-covered strawberries.
It's like they wanted to have sex in the '80s.
(EXHALES) But Piper's apology does not get Jason off the hook.
- Oh, not by a long shot.
- Okay.
(SIGHS) He's the son of the secretary of state.
We were on an official U.
S.
diplomatic mission.
What happened to taking responsibility for your decisions? To thinking before you act? Here I was, thinking that my son, or at least his girlfriend, would be interested in what I was doing.
Turns out it was all a ruse just to have sex in a country that speaks French.
And what, are we supposed to just continue to clean up their messes for the rest of their lives because they turned out to be lazy and entitled and self-destructive? Willing to risk everything that's important in their lives, while we just whistle past their deception and misconduct? Are we still talking about Jason and Piper? (SIGHS) I'm sorry.
I-I-I also had a crappy situation with a student.
And it's more than a little fraught.
You mean that someone else's kid screwed up? I'm all ears.
Let's hear it.
He turned in a paper, and sections of it were lifted from an essay by a student of mine from Georgetown.
I guess he found it on the Internet and didn't realize it was from my class.
- Wow.
- Yeah.
Has he ever done anything like this before? No.
That's the thing.
The kid is a rock star.
First in his class at Air Force Academy, first in officer's training.
He's a natural pilot and he loves it.
And now I'm gonna have to report him to the commandant.
Punishment starts with NJP and could lead to a court-martial.
And, babe It's Ellen Hill's son, Andrew.
Oh, my God.
Anything less than him rising to general or even president will be - a bitter disappointment to Ellen.
- I've got to report him.
Things are gonna be a little awkward at the next NSC meeting.
- (PHONE BUZZING) - (SCOFFS) Jay, tell me you have some good news.
JAY: Bella Rossi turned over the names of the violent protesters to Canadian authorities.
Great.
Are they in custody? No, ma'am.
The names were all aliases.
Canadian Intelligence traced one to a Twitter handle controlled by an Internet research agency in the Olgino district of St.
Petersburg.
You have to be kidding me.
They're Russian agents, ma'am.
Russia spiked the summit? Using GRU assets planted inside an American NGO for more than a year.
That's some deep game.
That's Russia.
Whatever they're up to in the Arctic, it's just the beginning.
KONSTANTIN: These charges are absurd.
Once again, you make Russia your bogeyman.
No, that's all on you.
CIA confirmed Canadian Intelligence findings, so you can skip the denial.
Our Treasury Department is preparing to levy retaliatory sanctions under Executive Order 13660.
This is a serious escalation.
I'm sorry, what? You infiltrated a peaceful protest and set off an antipersonnel bomb.
And it is a miracle that no one in the crowd was killed, including my son and his girlfriend.
I didn't realize Jason was at the conference.
I can't imagine what you went through.
No, you really can't.
(SIGHS) And I could not have imagined inviting you back to the table after what you did, but the planet can't wait.
So you need to get serious about negotiating.
You may have bought Alaska, but the Arctic is in our blood.
Your sanctions won't deter us.
I'm glad your boy is okay.
They've already been caught.
What do they have to gain by continuing to obstruct? Blake, get me Ephraim Ware.
I'm gonna put whatever Intel assets we have in the Arctic on high alert until we can find out.
(ORGAN MUSIC PLAYING) Hope I'm not intruding.
No, it's fine.
How'd you find me? Former spy.
Look, Andrew.
I can't accept your paper.
I think you know why.
Thought I'd give you a chance to explain before I go to the commandant.
I have no defense.
You should do whatever it is you have to do.
Really? So no plea for leniency, no do-over? I have too much respect for you, Dr.
McCord.
You're an ethical man.
Yeah, that's the reputation I have, and you were counting on that, weren't you? I don't know what you mean.
Look, Andrew at first I thought that in addition to being lazy, you were also incredibly careless.
But then I realized those two words are the last I'd ever use to describe you.
You did it on purpose.
I just don't know why.
You know that poem by John Magee? "High Flight"? "Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings.
" Yeah.
Why? Ever since I joined the Air Force, I was trained to kill.
Simulations, training runs.
You know it isn't real, and you tell yourself that maybe by the time it is real, that it'll just feel automatic.
Follow the orders.
Fly home.
The last lines of that poem, "And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod, "the high, untrespassed "sanctity of space, put out my hand and touched the face of God.
" I feel like I've touched the face of God.
I can't do it.
I can't kill.
Yesterday you cited Aquinas and just war.
Killing in war is different than murder, and, sadly, there are times when it's necessary.
I get that.
And I thought that maybe by taking that position, I could chase away my doubts.
I'm not a pacifist, Dr.
McCord, and I'm not afraid of dying, but I can't reconcile the questions you've been raising in class, and that made me realize that I can't live with the guilt of taking a life.
A civilian life.
An innocent.
Not even an enemy.
Have you told your mom? My mom was chairwoman of the Joint Chiefs.
Now she's national security advisor.
Service is everything to her.
I can't.
So rather than tell her, - you plagiarized your ethics paper.
- In the moment, it seemed like it was better for her to believe that my career ended over a lapse in judgment.
I don't know how to tell her that this is my choice.
Andrew, if there's one thing I know about you, you're not a coward.
There are things that you can do, steps to take.
But your mom deserves to hear about it from you.
Petroleum, natural gas, and other fossil fuel innovations will be center stage right here.
American geothermal, solar, and wind companies will also be featured in the annex here.
More like broom closet.
But still represented.
By the way, I-I'm sorry we didn't have time to make a new model, ma'am.
No, I'm sorry that circumstances have put us in this position.
We need to be doing more to fight climate change.
But that's a great poster.
Jay just called.
Bella Rossi is being released now.
You mean actual not bad news? - Let's see it.
- (CROWD CHEERING OVER TABLET) BELLA: I would like to thank I would like to thank the U.
S.
Department of State, especially Chief of Staff Jay Whitman, for helping to secure my release.
For any part my group played in the violence at the summit, I am truly sorry.
I cooperated with the authorities because I stand against violence, but silence is not a condition of my freedom.
We will never stop denouncing the corporations and governments who continue to suppress the truth about global warming - and continue to poison the planet.
- What is she doing? - She was just supposed to apologize.
- Well, you can lead - an activist to an apology - (PHONE RINGING) Until we end our addiction to oil and gas, future generations will suffer unimaginable flooding, pollution, and poverty.
Hello.
Please hold.
Ma'am, Chip Harding would like a word.
CHIP: I sponsored the expo to boost my image, and what do I hear? Bella Rossi name-checking your chief of staff while she trashes my business.
We assist all citizens, regardless of their perspectives.
Yeah, try telling that to my board.
My inbox is filling up with some very unhappy perspectives.
I want a public statement of support for drilling in the Arctic Circle.
The administration has taken no such position.
Well, it's about to.
With no drilling, there's no gas.
With no gas, there's no future.
Your company has been saying that for 30 years, Chip, and it is as false now as it was then.
Yeah, well, the money's just as green, so what's it gonna be? Chip Harding is no longer our sponsor.
MAN: What did I say? Because of Bella Rossi? Because I refused to endorse Arctic drilling.
(OVERLAPPING CHATTER) And I may also have mentioned his company's long history of hiding data and denying climate change.
(OVERLAPPING CHATTER) And violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, so that probably did it.
That explains it.
I like your style.
Andrew filed for Class O-1.
Permanent change in status.
I know how much his service meant to you.
"There are things you can do, steps to take.
" Did you really tell him that? Yes.
Knowing where it would lead.
- Ellen, he followed his conscience.
- No.
He's in the thrall of his ethics professor, - and you're going to talk him out of it.
- I can't do that.
When he was six, he begged to quit karate.
Said he didn't want to hurt any other kids.
Then he won state title.
Twice.
Your class You've turned him into a philosopher, and that might be fine for an ethics professor, but it is not the job of a fighter pilot.
- Ellen - Please.
If anyone can change his mind, it's you.
Okay, before we start, I just want to say that this whole thing, the whole Canada hotel underage sexcapade thing is all Piper's deal, and nothing even happened.
You know, and even if you hadn't walked in when you did, Mom, nothing would have happened, anyway, because Piper freaked out.
And-and now she's ghosting me, so still nothing's happening.
And so I think I've learned my lesson, so good talk.
Sit down.
(SIGHS) I told you everything.
What do you want from me? We want you to acknowledge that you conned your mom into taking you and your girlfriend to a foreign country while she was on official government business so you could sneak into Piper's hotel room.
Which we paid for, by the way.
Yeah.
Not only did you deceive us but also the Boroumands, who are trusting Mom to chaperone their daughter.
And I-I totally understand that.
Okay? But have you guys even thought that if we did go to the protest which we were gonna do, by the way, because she was gonna do her interview after then maybe we would have died in the explosion.
- I don't know, okay? I - Are you really gonna go there, pal? Come on.
(SIGHS) Every second she won't talk to me, it's like a dagger in my heart.
So I don't know why you guys expect me to be thinking straight right now.
So innocent by reason of love-induced insanity? (PHONE BUZZING) You gonna get that? No.
(BUZZING CONTINUES) Mom.
If it's important, they'll get me.
In two days, Jason, I haven't heard anything even resembling an apology.
You need to take responsibility for your actions.
You're right.
(SIGHS) I'm sorry.
I'm sorry I lied to you.
I really messed up.
(DOORBELL RINGS) (SIGHS) Listen, - Piper is just - (ELIZABETH SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY) she's upset and embarrassed.
And she'll get over it.
It's just gonna take her some time.
She'll call you when she's ready.
Okay? - Come on.
- Okay.
And everything you're feeling is normal, okay? (SIGHS) Thanks so much, Frank.
(SIGHS) Is he all right? Yeah.
He'll be writing bad poetry in no time.
But we still need to punish him.
We will.
But I got to get to the emergency NSC meeting.
Bye.
Bye.
Good luck with Ellen.
Ellen.
Listen, I-I, uh I'm sorry about Andrew.
You should feel sorry for our military.
Countless hours of instruction, the millions spent on training, and it's all for nothing.
I-I, I think you're wrong about that.
Young man like Andrew, he'll find a way to make his mark.
Sometimes these kids that we love make decisions we don't.
Ellen.
Bess.
It's worse than we thought.
WARE: Per our conversation, we concentrated intelligence assets in Eastern Russia.
That's how we learned their Northern Fleet secretly left base in Kamchatka an hour ago.
Six destroyers, four frigates, and three next-gen icebreaker corvettes armed with Kalibr anti-ship cruise missiles.
All on a direct course for the Chukchi Ridge.
ELIZABETH: It's a region of dispute at the summit.
PARKER: They're escorting the Kaliningrad, a mobile offshore base with potential to stay on station for months.
We're looking at an occupation.
Explains why they bombed the summit.
They wanted to strike while all the other Arctic powers were still divided.
Sir, this fleet is a clear and present danger to the people of Alaska, and not to mention a brazen violation - of international law.
- I agree.
If the Russians are allowed to claim the Chukchi Ridge, they could dominate the Arctic for the next hundred years.
Options? The Third Fleet is a day's steam to the south.
But without icebreakers, there's no way it reaches the disputed zone in time.
HILL: The Polar Star's in dry dock.
The Healy's in the Southern Ocean.
What about our allies? They'll never get there in time.
ELIZABETH: There is one "near-Arctic" power that can help us.
Madam Secretary, I share your distress, but China has no military vessels in the Chukchi Sea.
Well, the Xue Long 3 is 30 miles north of Saint Paul Island.
Yes, with a pod of our beloved orcas.
Did you know they only sleep with one hemisphere of their brain at a time? I did not.
Such inquisitive creatures.
Yet we have much to learn from them.
Ming, the Russians are mere hours from claiming the Arctic.
What a shame.
But our mission is peaceful.
Is that why your marine biologists are armed with Yu-6 torpedoes and C-803 cruise missiles? Elizabeth, I don't see how we can help.
You said it yourself.
China is not an Arctic power.
It's simple geography.
Name your price.
DALTON: So now China's in the Arctic Council.
With full voting power, not that we had a choice.
But will Russia play along? Only if they blink first.
DALTON: What's the sitrep? Captain Prosky, report.
Sir, thanks to the Xue Long 3, we've been able to set an intercept course for the Russian fleet.
Have we warned 'em off? Yes, but they're ignoring our calls.
They're not backing down.
Russian jets have already buzzed our ships at close range.
How long do we have, Captain? Their anti-ship missiles should be in range of our aircraft carrier in less than three minutes, sir.
What about countermeasures? The Wayne Morris has the SSDS Mark II system, but if even one of those missiles gets through, there are 5,000 sailors aboard ship.
And in these waters, they'll die of exposure in minutes.
HILL: Forget battle losses.
If there's a naval engagement with Russia, it could lead to retaliation in Europe.
Salnikov would never let it get that far, not with China involved.
Call again, Captain.
Russian Commander, this is Captain Joseph Prosky of the U.
S.
Navy.
Your occupation of this sector is illegal under international law and a violation of American sovereignty.
Heave to and alter course.
This is your final warning.
Fire one across her bow.
- C.
I.
C.
- Aye, sir.
PROSKY: Fire one five-inch shell across her bow.
OFFICER: Firing.
(WHOOSH) They're not turning.
One minute until missile range.
Your orders, sir? PARKER: 30 seconds - until missile range.
- HILL: Mr.
President, I recommend moving to DEFCON 2.
Do it.
Get me NORAD.
Russian radar is locked.
They're lighting us up.
We need a decision, sir.
Mr.
President? Pull back, Captain.
Get out of there.
Disengage and deploy from theater.
CSG-3, I repeat, disengage.
OFFICER: Aye, sir.
They're turning.
The Russians are turning.
Belay that order, Captain.
- Belay, belay, belay.
- The Russian fleet is bugging out.
CSG-3, belay and resume course.
I repeat, resume course.
I ordered a retreat.
Was that the right call? With thousands of lives at stake Honestly, I don't know.
(GRUNTS) My father was a sergeant with the 6th Armored when they liberated Buchenwald.
(SCOFFS, CLICKS TONGUE) His generation fought for something existential.
We just played chicken with the Russians over a slice of frozen wasteland that spends six months of the year in total darkness.
The world is changing rapidly.
We're all just struggling to keep up.
Yeah.
Teaming up with the Chinese.
(CHUCKLES SOFTLY) Have to admit, I did not see that coming.
You know what I can't get out of my head? That Chinese icebreaker can push through 20-foot-thick ice at seven knots for two years before refueling.
And you know why? Because it runs on nuclear power.
We let a transformative, carbon-free technology get buried in fear and ignorance.
And now we're suffering the consequences.
It doesn't have the clarity of battle lines on a map, but climate change is the existential threat of our time.
And we have to do more than provide moral leadership.
You want to revisit our nuclear energy policy.
I do.
And I know exactly where to start.
The CDF is still worried about the threat of a meltdown.
JAY: That threat has always been way overblown, if nonexistent.
And barring some technical moon shot, which isn't going to happen, we are not getting to 100% renewables before the ice caps are gone.
Between us, I get that modern nuclear plants using light-water reactors are virtually accident-proof.
Then what's with all the "bathe the planet in radiation" stuff? Official party lines.
Our members, they think any support of nuclear - takes money away from renewables.
- So educate them.
It's not that simple.
I need to think about my donor base.
Actually, it is.
I need to fight global warming, and I cannot do that without them.
You can't win that fight without nuclear power.
ELIZABETH: And we can't sell the public without you.
So sponsor our pavilion at the World Expo.
BLAKE: Admittedly, it's a stripped-down version.
ELIZABETH: But one that will showcase a future where carbon-based fuels are actually a thing of the past.
(SIGHS) HENRY: Lieutenant Hill was raised to join the family business.
He loves flying.
He loves flying more than anything in the world, and he would never willingly give it up unless he had no choice.
He never wanted to be a conscientious objector.
He wanted to be a fighter pilot.
But he knows that his participation in the death of others would leave him with a guilt he couldn't bear, a-a moral wound from which he would never recover.
He's heartbroken that he let down his commanding officers and his loved ones, but he is determined to serve this country in ways outside the military, and I have every confidence he'll find a way to do that.
I believe that Lieutenant Hill's motives are pure, and I support his application for conscientious objector status.
Thank you, Dr.
McCord.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER) Hey.
- Hi.
- Where is everyone? Mom wanted to have dinner at, uh, Mazzarella's to celebrate her new partnership with the Climate Defense Force.
Viva la nuclear.
Ah, indeed.
- Ali is taking one for the team.
- Mm.
And I got out of it by playing the work card.
As you can see.
I thought you were having dinner at Piper's.
I did, too.
What happened? Um she broke up with me.
What? Jason.
I'm so sorry.
I just (SIGHS) I just don't get it, you know? Like (SIGHS) last week she wanted to take our relationship to the next level and now she's ending it? Yeah.
(SIGHS) I mean I don't know if-if relationships made sense, I would've been married, like, three times by now.
That doesn't make any sense.
Exactly.
Aw.
God.
(EXHALES) (CLICKS TONGUE) (SIGHS) How do I make the pain go away? You kinda don't.
You just got to wallow in it for as long as it takes.
Well, this sucks.
(CHUCKLES) I know.
I am dreading this trip.
Come on.
You love Montreal.
Not when the hosts are stabbing me in the back.
That was Jay with the advance team.
Last week, this group of Canadian divers discovered this wreckage of the HMS Wanderer, disappeared in 1848 while trying to reach the North Pole.
With a name like that, I'm not surprised.
They're claiming it planted a flag for Canada in the Northwest Passage.
Because it sank there in 1848? Right? And meanwhile, Russia, Norway, Denmark are all calling dibs.
On the North Pole? Well, I guess Santa will be next.
The fact is, the melting ice cap is, among other things, a massive strategic opportunity.
Shipping lanes, natural resources, fishing rights.
What we achieve at this summit could well determine the balance of power for the next hundred years.
Assuming the world exists.
Not a given, at the rate the ice is melting up there.
Thanks, Dr.
Doom, but I actually have to just focus on one monumental global issue at a time.
JASON: Has anyone seen my passport? The one I found in the dryer after the India trip? - Possibly.
- Yeah, I have it.
So, are you getting psyched for Montreal? Ah, not as much as Piper.
She's all about Bella Rossi and the big scoop for the school paper.
How cool is it that Mom is letting you tag along with your girlfriend so she can interview the woman who's gonna be outside the hotel protesting Mom and the summit? It's pretty cool, I guess.
Gosh, I'm overwhelmed.
HENRY: Well, listen, there are some beautiful churches up there you guys might want to check out.
You know, the Jesuits were the first missionaries - to New France.
- First?! Wow! I should finish packing.
Yeah, they were the radical reformers of their day.
You ah.
Oh, honey, I think that Jesuit churches are pretty cool.
Well, I don't know how the Canadians are gonna be able to resist you, eh? (BOTH CHUCKLE) - Hey.
- Hey.
Oh, the secretary said she wants to stop by the Chip Harding - meeting on the way to Andrews.
- Hmm.
But she said to get started without her.
Copy that.
You ready for your part of the Future Energy pitch? - Oh, of course.
- Hey.
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
You're the one that wanted to get more involved in policy.
And I'm very thankful to the secretary for allowing me to spread my wings under your expert supervision, of course.
It's just it just burns me that we have to suck up to an oil magnate.
- Blake, Congress cut our - Cut our funding.
I know.
The last word on practically every state initiative.
And I get why the World Expo is a critical showcase for American companies in a ferocious global marketplace.
It's just It's just a tad ironic that our big opportunity to promote American renewable energy at the expo is being sponsored by Big Oil and Gas.
Dude, this is not the irony hill you want to die on.
If Chip Harding doesn't pony up, we'll be saying "Buy American" with dioramas and sock puppets.
So let's get on board, 'cause this is our only shot to compete with China at the expo, okay? Yeah.
- Come on.
- Okay.
- We got this.
- Okay.
BLAKE: And then the Hall of Renewables is here.
I heard China has a holodeck, robot dancers, and free hoverboards.
Well, we have food by Rachael Ray.
And a pre-taped video of Jennifer Lawrence personally lobbying world leaders on behalf of American companies like yours.
- Mm-hmm.
- But your pitch has a fundamental problem.
The nuclear power section? It's taking up a lot of real estate here, and you've neglected good old natural gas.
Well, nuclear power produces carbon-free electricity, while natural gas does not.
And most climate scientists see nuclear as the key transition technology until renewables become more efficient.
The bridge to renewables is not nuclear, my dear.
It's gas.
It's cheap, has half the emissions of coal, and most importantly, it won't melt down and make the neighborhood children glow in the dark.
Uh, due respect, Mr.
Harding, no child or anyone has ever glowed in the dark from any - Ma'am.
- Mr.
Harding.
So good to see you again.
I'm on my way to Montreal, but I couldn't leave without stopping in to say hi.
I'm happy to hear that the Arctic is a top priority of the Dalton administration.
It's a brave new world.
Everybody wants a piece, myself included.
Well, I am eager to negotiate a contract that will be fair to all of us.
And I wanted to thank you again for your generous pledge to our World Expo pavilion.
Wow.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Yes.
- Yes.
- Yeah.
It is being held in my home state of Texas.
Wouldn't want to fumble the ball on the home field, right? Not at all, which is why I'm so concerned there's no section on natural gas.
If we're talking future energy, we need to tell folks that gas is cheap, has half the emissions of coal, and most importantly, folks won't glow in the dark.
Let me tell you something else.
So, wait, nuclear's gone, just like that? Well, it's not gone, it's just, it's not a part of "future energy.
" Okay, well, can it be part of? Kat, have you heard anything from Jay at the summit? Deputy talks suggest that Canada is still holding firm on the HMS Wanderer.
Crap.
Okay, I have spent weeks with those briefing books.
- I know full well - I know.
Hey, kids! You excited about your trip? - Yeah.
- Do you need anything? - I'm good, thanks.
- Uh snacks, juice.
How about a bedtime story? - Uh, have a great trip.
- Thanks.
- Yeah.
- BLAKE: I'll apologize later.
Okay.
Look, 16 of the 17 of the hottest years on record have occurred since 2000.
The North Pole is the hottest it's been in 1,500 years.
Did you see the video of that starving polar bear? - Because it is just awful.
- No.
I did, I did, because you showed it to me several times.
- Okay.
- Let's just go right into my Well, look, natural gas is better than coal I will give you that but that's still a lot of CO2.
And-and renewables are great, but you need, like, 12 billion solar roofs just to match the projected growth in energy consumption by 2050, which wind and solar won't even come close to filling, unless something magical happens, which doesn't seem like a very good plan to me.
You are preaching to the choir, man.
Do you know how many Americans have died from commercial nuclear power accidents since World War II? - Zero.
- Zero.
And that includes Three Mile Island.
People only died at Chernobyl because they didn't have a containment dome.
And when it comes to waste, the world's entire supply of spent uranium from reactors could fit on a single football field.
Meanwhile, this expo has the potential to generate thousands of green jobs.
I know.
I guess it's picking our battles.
Besides, we can't even begin to turn the tide on nuclear until we have backing from a major environmental group, like the I don't know NRDC or Climate Defense Force.
- (SIGHS) - Yeah.
All right.
I'll give the heads-up to the ECA and the Expo Unit about the redesign.
- All right.
Hey, Blake? - Yeah.
You've done really good work.
Thank you.
Yeah.
The British ship Laconia was carrying more than 2,000 soldiers, crew and passengers when it was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat.
And the German crewmen were actually in the process of rescuing the survivors when they were spotted by USAAF bomber pilot Lieutenant James D.
Harden.
Even though the Germans broadcast their humanitarian intent on open channels and were flying the-the Red Cross flag, what did Harden do? - He bombed the sub.
- That's right.
The panicked U-boat crew threw the survivors off the deck to make their escape.
More than a thousand people died, including civilians.
It was hushed up at the time, and Harden even won a medal, but in today's world, would his actions classify as a war crime? Yeah.
Yes.
There were clearly innocents aboard the sub.
Harden and his senior officer who issued the order should have been prosecuted.
MAN: Prosecuted? For not taking the word of an enemy U-boat commander? The sub had just sunk an Allied vessel.
Harden knew if he didn't destroy the sub now, it would just go on to sink more ships, cost more lives.
As a fellow fighter pilot, I sure know what I would have done.
Thomas Aquinas said that war is just if the ultimate goal is peace.
Harden was acting for the greater good.
Well argued, Lieutenant Hill, but with all due respect to Aquinas, there were 80 women and children in the lifeboats that Harden bombed.
Was killing them in support of the greater good? Just something to consider.
All right, that's it for today.
That was a very good discussion.
Thanks.
Oh, and papers, please Stoic strength and Epictetus' teleology.
Hard copies and PDFs, okay? Uh, is it okay if I drop off my paper - later, Dr.
McCord? - Yeah.
Is everything okay? Yeah, I just want to read over it one more time.
Okay, just make sure I get it before my last class ends at 6:00.
Uh, nice Aquinas reference, by the way.
(PROTESTERS CLAMORING) These governments scramble for the last drops of oil, and who suffers? The untold millions in the developing world, who are the least responsible for this global warming catastrophe.
- That's right.
- We call on the Arctic Council to enact a permanent ban on all drilling in the North Pole region! - (CHEERING) - ELIZABETH: We've always insisted that the Northwest Passage was in - international waters.
- With good reason.
JASON: An ice-free passage could shorten shipping routes between Asia and the Eastern U.
S.
by up to 5,000 miles.
(PROTESTERS SHOUTING) Piper let me read the notes for her article.
You see that? Even high schoolers get it.
But now Canada's flexing with the stupid HMS whatever.
- Wanderer.
- Wanderer.
Right.
They ought to wander over to the Pentagon where they'd see that our force projection in the Arctic is lame.
How many icebreakers does the Coast Guard have again? - Two.
- And one of them's in dry dock.
JASON: That's what you get for failing to invest in the end of the world.
Don't you need to go downstairs somewhere? - Yeah - (KNOCKING) The point is, we need to project a united front to keep Russia at bay, and I think - we should Le - Hey, let's do it.
- Hey, Piper.
- Hi.
Are you ready for your big interview? Absolutely.
Thanks again for the opportunity, Madam Elizabeth.
- (LAUGHS) - I mean Elizabeth.
Sorry.
I know you want me to call you by your first name.
No.
Actually, Madam Elizabeth I think that's kind of badass.
- I like it.
- JASON: Okay, we're let's Okay, we're gonna And thank you for the hotel room.
Of course.
You guys have fun, all right? - Don't get arrested.
- JAY: Oh, heads up.
Word among the staff is that Minister Chen is on the prowl.
Flew in last night.
Of course he did.
CHEN: Secretary McCord.
Another auspicious crossing of paths.
Minister Chen, it is lovely to see you again.
(LAUGHING): Yes, I'm sure.
But you must know that China has recently declared itself - a near-Arctic power.
- I don't even know what that means.
Probably has something to do with all the nuclear-powered icebreaker ships they've been secretly building.
If you are referring to our research vessels, they make vital contributions to the study of marine life, including the language of killer whales.
Okay.
It's nice to see you.
We are no longer content with mere observer status.
Our access to the Arctic is vital to the global economy.
The designation "Arctic power" is based on simple geography, Minister.
Due respect, but "near" doesn't cut it.
Unless you want to include Poland, Mongolia.
- Kazakhstan, Netherlands.
- Yeah.
This isn't a question of latitude.
ELIZABETH: Actually, it is.
The latitude that borders the Arctic.
If you'll excuse me.
NISSEN: We all appreciate the urgency of climate change.
Progress cannot be made until Canada drops their aggressive new claim on the Northwest Passage.
WARREN: Our claim goes back to the HMS Wanderer.
Please.
Enough with your magical sailing ship.
Which sank in 1848.
KONSTANTIN: When Canada was a part of Britain.
I'll remind you that Canada has the world's longest Arctic coastline.
KONSTANTIN: 60% of all Arctic land area is in Russia, along with 80% of the Arctic's population.
But Greenland's continental shelf extends to the North Pole.
According to whom? You? ELIZABETH: While we're at it, America has its own claims on the Chukchi Ridge.
Which is Russian.
We recognize the ambiguity.
Which is why we propose an independent survey of the Arctic seabed, administered by the U.
N.
and funded by the members of this council.
The domestic reaction to such an agreement could be complicated.
Which is why I suggest we keep the terms classified.
For now.
We Norwegians would consider such a proposal.
In principle, Denmark agrees.
Russia has no objection.
Provided that Canada withdraws its latest far-fetched claim.
A sunken ship.
Preposterous.
It's hard to argue with a neutral survey.
The people of Canada are willing to provisionally withdraw our perfectly reasonable and genuine claim based on the sinking of the HMS Wanderer.
In that case, I'd like to propose a short recess so we can read the American proposal.
- Seconded.
- KLEVAN: Adjourned.
Hey.
Just under the wire.
Yeah.
My mom says my head's in the clouds.
She has no idea.
Thinking about flying even when you're on the ground, huh? Yeah.
I remember.
Was it hard to give it up? (SIGHS) Pulling six Gs in a Split S? Brutal.
But lucky for me, there were other things I wanted to do.
Spend more time with my family, write, teach.
But, uh, the freedom, the rush oh, man, I still dream about it.
First time I went up, my dad snuck me into a Lockheed Vega at a county air show.
It was my fifth birthday.
I guess he was hoping I'd like it.
Join the family business, you know.
But when I saw the earth fall away and disappear beneath the clouds, I knew I was never gonna feel at home on the ground again.
I'm sure he'd be very proud.
I know your mom is.
Thanks, Dr.
McCord.
Lieutenant Hill.
Paper.
Thank you.
JAY: Initial responses seem promising, even with the fine print.
Good.
As soon as we can resolve the territorial claims, we can pivot to climate change.
- Cover Bluebird! - Wait - Jason! - Ma'am, ma'am.
No, Jason! - Ma'am! - Jason and Piper.
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING) - Jason.
Wait, Jason's out there.
- Ma'am.
- The conference is under attack.
- Wait.
(ALARM BLARES) ELIZABETH: Come on.
Come on.
- Come on, Jason.
- Bluebird is secure.
Repeat.
Bluebird's secure.
- DS AGENT 2: Evac team inbound.
- It's just going straight to voice mail.
- What about Piper? - Nothing.
How about your tracking app? No.
It's just "Locating phone.
" It's The network must be overwhelmed.
RCM reports lacerations and burns.
No word on fatalities.
That's it.
We are finding Jason.
The Mounties and local PD are looking for him, ma'am.
- That's bull - There's nothing more we can do.
I got a hit! I got Jason.
- Jason's in the hotel.
- (ALARM BLARES) - He's in the hotel.
- Backup, backup.
Jason?! Jason! DS AGENT 1: Jason.
- DS AGENT 2: Jason McCord! Somebody check the shops and the restaurants downstairs.
- I lost the signal.
I lost it.
- Can we get a 20 on Jason? I want to check Piper's room.
Is he in there? Ma'am.
Ma-Ma'am.
I'm going to have to insist that you stay Yeah, insist while we walk.
- (GROANS) - Ma'am.
Ma'am, I'm sure he's gonna be all right.
Piper! Jason.
Honey, are you guys in there? Pipe Jason! (GASPS) Oh.
When did you get back? Hi.
What-what are you? Who-who? - Where's Piper? Did she get back? - Yeah.
No.
She's fi - I-I don't You don't - Okay.
You don't have to She's okay.
She Is that Luther Vandross? ("IF ONLY FOR ONE NIGHT" PLAYING) To ease away your fear Ooh.
It would be so nice Oh, God.
If only for one night Got it.
Understood.
Ma'am.
Summit's been postponed indefinitely.
Looks like a small group of masked protesters from CDF started the riot by breaking down the barriers and setting off this IED.
They arrested Bella Rossi for facilitating a terrorist activity.
All right.
Um, I want you to stay here.
Liaise with Consular Affairs, talk to Rossi.
If she'll cooperate fully with the local authorities, then we'll do whatever we can to keep her out of Canadian prison.
I mean, assuming she wasn't complicit.
JASON: I'd rather be in prison.
I'm sorry.
Did you say something? I said I'd rather be in prison.
PIPER: Jason, stop.
(SIREN WAILING) (DOOR OPENS) Thank you, Frank.
Hey.
Hey.
You just gonna ground me, get it over with? You're not getting off that easy.
Okay.
Firing squad? Yeah, that's warmer.
Go upstairs.
We'll have "the talk" tomorrow.
You might want to consider getting rid of the wise-ass routine.
(SIGHS) Glass of wine? No.
Scotch.
Hmm.
(SIGHS) So I talked to Regina when we dropped off Piper.
Piper takes full responsibility for the deception.
Says that she just wanted their first time to be special and romantic, and I guess Jason went along with the plan, right down to Luther Vandross and chocolate-covered strawberries.
It's like they wanted to have sex in the '80s.
(EXHALES) But Piper's apology does not get Jason off the hook.
- Oh, not by a long shot.
- Okay.
(SIGHS) He's the son of the secretary of state.
We were on an official U.
S.
diplomatic mission.
What happened to taking responsibility for your decisions? To thinking before you act? Here I was, thinking that my son, or at least his girlfriend, would be interested in what I was doing.
Turns out it was all a ruse just to have sex in a country that speaks French.
And what, are we supposed to just continue to clean up their messes for the rest of their lives because they turned out to be lazy and entitled and self-destructive? Willing to risk everything that's important in their lives, while we just whistle past their deception and misconduct? Are we still talking about Jason and Piper? (SIGHS) I'm sorry.
I-I-I also had a crappy situation with a student.
And it's more than a little fraught.
You mean that someone else's kid screwed up? I'm all ears.
Let's hear it.
He turned in a paper, and sections of it were lifted from an essay by a student of mine from Georgetown.
I guess he found it on the Internet and didn't realize it was from my class.
- Wow.
- Yeah.
Has he ever done anything like this before? No.
That's the thing.
The kid is a rock star.
First in his class at Air Force Academy, first in officer's training.
He's a natural pilot and he loves it.
And now I'm gonna have to report him to the commandant.
Punishment starts with NJP and could lead to a court-martial.
And, babe It's Ellen Hill's son, Andrew.
Oh, my God.
Anything less than him rising to general or even president will be - a bitter disappointment to Ellen.
- I've got to report him.
Things are gonna be a little awkward at the next NSC meeting.
- (PHONE BUZZING) - (SCOFFS) Jay, tell me you have some good news.
JAY: Bella Rossi turned over the names of the violent protesters to Canadian authorities.
Great.
Are they in custody? No, ma'am.
The names were all aliases.
Canadian Intelligence traced one to a Twitter handle controlled by an Internet research agency in the Olgino district of St.
Petersburg.
You have to be kidding me.
They're Russian agents, ma'am.
Russia spiked the summit? Using GRU assets planted inside an American NGO for more than a year.
That's some deep game.
That's Russia.
Whatever they're up to in the Arctic, it's just the beginning.
KONSTANTIN: These charges are absurd.
Once again, you make Russia your bogeyman.
No, that's all on you.
CIA confirmed Canadian Intelligence findings, so you can skip the denial.
Our Treasury Department is preparing to levy retaliatory sanctions under Executive Order 13660.
This is a serious escalation.
I'm sorry, what? You infiltrated a peaceful protest and set off an antipersonnel bomb.
And it is a miracle that no one in the crowd was killed, including my son and his girlfriend.
I didn't realize Jason was at the conference.
I can't imagine what you went through.
No, you really can't.
(SIGHS) And I could not have imagined inviting you back to the table after what you did, but the planet can't wait.
So you need to get serious about negotiating.
You may have bought Alaska, but the Arctic is in our blood.
Your sanctions won't deter us.
I'm glad your boy is okay.
They've already been caught.
What do they have to gain by continuing to obstruct? Blake, get me Ephraim Ware.
I'm gonna put whatever Intel assets we have in the Arctic on high alert until we can find out.
(ORGAN MUSIC PLAYING) Hope I'm not intruding.
No, it's fine.
How'd you find me? Former spy.
Look, Andrew.
I can't accept your paper.
I think you know why.
Thought I'd give you a chance to explain before I go to the commandant.
I have no defense.
You should do whatever it is you have to do.
Really? So no plea for leniency, no do-over? I have too much respect for you, Dr.
McCord.
You're an ethical man.
Yeah, that's the reputation I have, and you were counting on that, weren't you? I don't know what you mean.
Look, Andrew at first I thought that in addition to being lazy, you were also incredibly careless.
But then I realized those two words are the last I'd ever use to describe you.
You did it on purpose.
I just don't know why.
You know that poem by John Magee? "High Flight"? "Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings.
" Yeah.
Why? Ever since I joined the Air Force, I was trained to kill.
Simulations, training runs.
You know it isn't real, and you tell yourself that maybe by the time it is real, that it'll just feel automatic.
Follow the orders.
Fly home.
The last lines of that poem, "And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod, "the high, untrespassed "sanctity of space, put out my hand and touched the face of God.
" I feel like I've touched the face of God.
I can't do it.
I can't kill.
Yesterday you cited Aquinas and just war.
Killing in war is different than murder, and, sadly, there are times when it's necessary.
I get that.
And I thought that maybe by taking that position, I could chase away my doubts.
I'm not a pacifist, Dr.
McCord, and I'm not afraid of dying, but I can't reconcile the questions you've been raising in class, and that made me realize that I can't live with the guilt of taking a life.
A civilian life.
An innocent.
Not even an enemy.
Have you told your mom? My mom was chairwoman of the Joint Chiefs.
Now she's national security advisor.
Service is everything to her.
I can't.
So rather than tell her, - you plagiarized your ethics paper.
- In the moment, it seemed like it was better for her to believe that my career ended over a lapse in judgment.
I don't know how to tell her that this is my choice.
Andrew, if there's one thing I know about you, you're not a coward.
There are things that you can do, steps to take.
But your mom deserves to hear about it from you.
Petroleum, natural gas, and other fossil fuel innovations will be center stage right here.
American geothermal, solar, and wind companies will also be featured in the annex here.
More like broom closet.
But still represented.
By the way, I-I'm sorry we didn't have time to make a new model, ma'am.
No, I'm sorry that circumstances have put us in this position.
We need to be doing more to fight climate change.
But that's a great poster.
Jay just called.
Bella Rossi is being released now.
You mean actual not bad news? - Let's see it.
- (CROWD CHEERING OVER TABLET) BELLA: I would like to thank I would like to thank the U.
S.
Department of State, especially Chief of Staff Jay Whitman, for helping to secure my release.
For any part my group played in the violence at the summit, I am truly sorry.
I cooperated with the authorities because I stand against violence, but silence is not a condition of my freedom.
We will never stop denouncing the corporations and governments who continue to suppress the truth about global warming - and continue to poison the planet.
- What is she doing? - She was just supposed to apologize.
- Well, you can lead - an activist to an apology - (PHONE RINGING) Until we end our addiction to oil and gas, future generations will suffer unimaginable flooding, pollution, and poverty.
Hello.
Please hold.
Ma'am, Chip Harding would like a word.
CHIP: I sponsored the expo to boost my image, and what do I hear? Bella Rossi name-checking your chief of staff while she trashes my business.
We assist all citizens, regardless of their perspectives.
Yeah, try telling that to my board.
My inbox is filling up with some very unhappy perspectives.
I want a public statement of support for drilling in the Arctic Circle.
The administration has taken no such position.
Well, it's about to.
With no drilling, there's no gas.
With no gas, there's no future.
Your company has been saying that for 30 years, Chip, and it is as false now as it was then.
Yeah, well, the money's just as green, so what's it gonna be? Chip Harding is no longer our sponsor.
MAN: What did I say? Because of Bella Rossi? Because I refused to endorse Arctic drilling.
(OVERLAPPING CHATTER) And I may also have mentioned his company's long history of hiding data and denying climate change.
(OVERLAPPING CHATTER) And violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, so that probably did it.
That explains it.
I like your style.
Andrew filed for Class O-1.
Permanent change in status.
I know how much his service meant to you.
"There are things you can do, steps to take.
" Did you really tell him that? Yes.
Knowing where it would lead.
- Ellen, he followed his conscience.
- No.
He's in the thrall of his ethics professor, - and you're going to talk him out of it.
- I can't do that.
When he was six, he begged to quit karate.
Said he didn't want to hurt any other kids.
Then he won state title.
Twice.
Your class You've turned him into a philosopher, and that might be fine for an ethics professor, but it is not the job of a fighter pilot.
- Ellen - Please.
If anyone can change his mind, it's you.
Okay, before we start, I just want to say that this whole thing, the whole Canada hotel underage sexcapade thing is all Piper's deal, and nothing even happened.
You know, and even if you hadn't walked in when you did, Mom, nothing would have happened, anyway, because Piper freaked out.
And-and now she's ghosting me, so still nothing's happening.
And so I think I've learned my lesson, so good talk.
Sit down.
(SIGHS) I told you everything.
What do you want from me? We want you to acknowledge that you conned your mom into taking you and your girlfriend to a foreign country while she was on official government business so you could sneak into Piper's hotel room.
Which we paid for, by the way.
Yeah.
Not only did you deceive us but also the Boroumands, who are trusting Mom to chaperone their daughter.
And I-I totally understand that.
Okay? But have you guys even thought that if we did go to the protest which we were gonna do, by the way, because she was gonna do her interview after then maybe we would have died in the explosion.
- I don't know, okay? I - Are you really gonna go there, pal? Come on.
(SIGHS) Every second she won't talk to me, it's like a dagger in my heart.
So I don't know why you guys expect me to be thinking straight right now.
So innocent by reason of love-induced insanity? (PHONE BUZZING) You gonna get that? No.
(BUZZING CONTINUES) Mom.
If it's important, they'll get me.
In two days, Jason, I haven't heard anything even resembling an apology.
You need to take responsibility for your actions.
You're right.
(SIGHS) I'm sorry.
I'm sorry I lied to you.
I really messed up.
(DOORBELL RINGS) (SIGHS) Listen, - Piper is just - (ELIZABETH SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY) she's upset and embarrassed.
And she'll get over it.
It's just gonna take her some time.
She'll call you when she's ready.
Okay? - Come on.
- Okay.
And everything you're feeling is normal, okay? (SIGHS) Thanks so much, Frank.
(SIGHS) Is he all right? Yeah.
He'll be writing bad poetry in no time.
But we still need to punish him.
We will.
But I got to get to the emergency NSC meeting.
Bye.
Bye.
Good luck with Ellen.
Ellen.
Listen, I-I, uh I'm sorry about Andrew.
You should feel sorry for our military.
Countless hours of instruction, the millions spent on training, and it's all for nothing.
I-I, I think you're wrong about that.
Young man like Andrew, he'll find a way to make his mark.
Sometimes these kids that we love make decisions we don't.
Ellen.
Bess.
It's worse than we thought.
WARE: Per our conversation, we concentrated intelligence assets in Eastern Russia.
That's how we learned their Northern Fleet secretly left base in Kamchatka an hour ago.
Six destroyers, four frigates, and three next-gen icebreaker corvettes armed with Kalibr anti-ship cruise missiles.
All on a direct course for the Chukchi Ridge.
ELIZABETH: It's a region of dispute at the summit.
PARKER: They're escorting the Kaliningrad, a mobile offshore base with potential to stay on station for months.
We're looking at an occupation.
Explains why they bombed the summit.
They wanted to strike while all the other Arctic powers were still divided.
Sir, this fleet is a clear and present danger to the people of Alaska, and not to mention a brazen violation - of international law.
- I agree.
If the Russians are allowed to claim the Chukchi Ridge, they could dominate the Arctic for the next hundred years.
Options? The Third Fleet is a day's steam to the south.
But without icebreakers, there's no way it reaches the disputed zone in time.
HILL: The Polar Star's in dry dock.
The Healy's in the Southern Ocean.
What about our allies? They'll never get there in time.
ELIZABETH: There is one "near-Arctic" power that can help us.
Madam Secretary, I share your distress, but China has no military vessels in the Chukchi Sea.
Well, the Xue Long 3 is 30 miles north of Saint Paul Island.
Yes, with a pod of our beloved orcas.
Did you know they only sleep with one hemisphere of their brain at a time? I did not.
Such inquisitive creatures.
Yet we have much to learn from them.
Ming, the Russians are mere hours from claiming the Arctic.
What a shame.
But our mission is peaceful.
Is that why your marine biologists are armed with Yu-6 torpedoes and C-803 cruise missiles? Elizabeth, I don't see how we can help.
You said it yourself.
China is not an Arctic power.
It's simple geography.
Name your price.
DALTON: So now China's in the Arctic Council.
With full voting power, not that we had a choice.
But will Russia play along? Only if they blink first.
DALTON: What's the sitrep? Captain Prosky, report.
Sir, thanks to the Xue Long 3, we've been able to set an intercept course for the Russian fleet.
Have we warned 'em off? Yes, but they're ignoring our calls.
They're not backing down.
Russian jets have already buzzed our ships at close range.
How long do we have, Captain? Their anti-ship missiles should be in range of our aircraft carrier in less than three minutes, sir.
What about countermeasures? The Wayne Morris has the SSDS Mark II system, but if even one of those missiles gets through, there are 5,000 sailors aboard ship.
And in these waters, they'll die of exposure in minutes.
HILL: Forget battle losses.
If there's a naval engagement with Russia, it could lead to retaliation in Europe.
Salnikov would never let it get that far, not with China involved.
Call again, Captain.
Russian Commander, this is Captain Joseph Prosky of the U.
S.
Navy.
Your occupation of this sector is illegal under international law and a violation of American sovereignty.
Heave to and alter course.
This is your final warning.
Fire one across her bow.
- C.
I.
C.
- Aye, sir.
PROSKY: Fire one five-inch shell across her bow.
OFFICER: Firing.
(WHOOSH) They're not turning.
One minute until missile range.
Your orders, sir? PARKER: 30 seconds - until missile range.
- HILL: Mr.
President, I recommend moving to DEFCON 2.
Do it.
Get me NORAD.
Russian radar is locked.
They're lighting us up.
We need a decision, sir.
Mr.
President? Pull back, Captain.
Get out of there.
Disengage and deploy from theater.
CSG-3, I repeat, disengage.
OFFICER: Aye, sir.
They're turning.
The Russians are turning.
Belay that order, Captain.
- Belay, belay, belay.
- The Russian fleet is bugging out.
CSG-3, belay and resume course.
I repeat, resume course.
I ordered a retreat.
Was that the right call? With thousands of lives at stake Honestly, I don't know.
(GRUNTS) My father was a sergeant with the 6th Armored when they liberated Buchenwald.
(SCOFFS, CLICKS TONGUE) His generation fought for something existential.
We just played chicken with the Russians over a slice of frozen wasteland that spends six months of the year in total darkness.
The world is changing rapidly.
We're all just struggling to keep up.
Yeah.
Teaming up with the Chinese.
(CHUCKLES SOFTLY) Have to admit, I did not see that coming.
You know what I can't get out of my head? That Chinese icebreaker can push through 20-foot-thick ice at seven knots for two years before refueling.
And you know why? Because it runs on nuclear power.
We let a transformative, carbon-free technology get buried in fear and ignorance.
And now we're suffering the consequences.
It doesn't have the clarity of battle lines on a map, but climate change is the existential threat of our time.
And we have to do more than provide moral leadership.
You want to revisit our nuclear energy policy.
I do.
And I know exactly where to start.
The CDF is still worried about the threat of a meltdown.
JAY: That threat has always been way overblown, if nonexistent.
And barring some technical moon shot, which isn't going to happen, we are not getting to 100% renewables before the ice caps are gone.
Between us, I get that modern nuclear plants using light-water reactors are virtually accident-proof.
Then what's with all the "bathe the planet in radiation" stuff? Official party lines.
Our members, they think any support of nuclear - takes money away from renewables.
- So educate them.
It's not that simple.
I need to think about my donor base.
Actually, it is.
I need to fight global warming, and I cannot do that without them.
You can't win that fight without nuclear power.
ELIZABETH: And we can't sell the public without you.
So sponsor our pavilion at the World Expo.
BLAKE: Admittedly, it's a stripped-down version.
ELIZABETH: But one that will showcase a future where carbon-based fuels are actually a thing of the past.
(SIGHS) HENRY: Lieutenant Hill was raised to join the family business.
He loves flying.
He loves flying more than anything in the world, and he would never willingly give it up unless he had no choice.
He never wanted to be a conscientious objector.
He wanted to be a fighter pilot.
But he knows that his participation in the death of others would leave him with a guilt he couldn't bear, a-a moral wound from which he would never recover.
He's heartbroken that he let down his commanding officers and his loved ones, but he is determined to serve this country in ways outside the military, and I have every confidence he'll find a way to do that.
I believe that Lieutenant Hill's motives are pure, and I support his application for conscientious objector status.
Thank you, Dr.
McCord.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER) Hey.
- Hi.
- Where is everyone? Mom wanted to have dinner at, uh, Mazzarella's to celebrate her new partnership with the Climate Defense Force.
Viva la nuclear.
Ah, indeed.
- Ali is taking one for the team.
- Mm.
And I got out of it by playing the work card.
As you can see.
I thought you were having dinner at Piper's.
I did, too.
What happened? Um she broke up with me.
What? Jason.
I'm so sorry.
I just (SIGHS) I just don't get it, you know? Like (SIGHS) last week she wanted to take our relationship to the next level and now she's ending it? Yeah.
(SIGHS) I mean I don't know if-if relationships made sense, I would've been married, like, three times by now.
That doesn't make any sense.
Exactly.
Aw.
God.
(EXHALES) (CLICKS TONGUE) (SIGHS) How do I make the pain go away? You kinda don't.
You just got to wallow in it for as long as it takes.
Well, this sucks.
(CHUCKLES) I know.