When the episode opens, Elizabeth (Tea Leoni) and Henry (Tim Daly) are forced to shutdown their son’s Call of Duty session. In the kitchen, the family discusses Jason’s (Evan Roe) schooling situation. Liz settles the problem, by insisting Jason enroll in public school, before she exits. When she heads to work, she is greeted by Nadine, Matt and Daisy. Liz becomes enraged when Daisy (Patina Miller) suggests Liz is a hero for surviving her ordeal. Afterwards, Liz meets with her nurse (Sarah Dacey Charles), who insists the stitches are almost ready to be removed.
While the nurse takes her blood, Liz speaks to Mike B about Chip Harding (Kevin O’Rourke). We’re introduced to the nervous Deputy Assistant, Laura Vargas (Audrey Esparza), who briefs Liz regarding the Amazon. She winds up getting sick and rushing out, before she can finish. When she returns, Laura continues to insist the government needs to protect the amazon from people like Harding. A dissolved Jay (Sebastian Arcelus) is sent away to tend to his pregnant wife, before Liz meets with Harding.
Liz and Harding spar back and forth regarding Ecuador and the oil industry. Harding leaves unsatisfied. Nadine checks on Matt and Daisy, who continue to insist Liz needs to prepare for Face the Nation. Afterwards, Liz and Henry meet with the president of Monroe Junior High and Liz insists on going over the security details again. After they depart, Liz and Henry argue over giving Jason added security. After a tantrum from Elizabeth, Henry finally caves and gives in.
Kevin Boyd (Thomas Keegan) arrives at the McCord house. The interview turns into an education lesson regarding PTSD. After speaking to Laura once more, Elizabeth meets with Ambassador Jose Calderon (Gary Perez) and insists he should hurry up and turn the amazon into a protected reserve. Liz offers funding, but Jose suggests the Chinese offer is better. Afterwards, Matt and Daisy prepare Liz for her appearance on Face the Nation. Liz struggles when questioned about the Iran incident.
Jason rebels against his new security detail to no avail. Henry attempts to force Elizabeth to open up about her experience in Iran, but fails. When she returns to the office, she learns about the postponement of her Face the Nation appearance. Laura and Liz give Russell (Zeljko Ivanek) a rundown of the situation. The trio debate the amazon, before Liz insists she is ready for Face the Nation. That night, Henry discovers Elizabeth playing Jason’s video games. Liz apologizes for being so mean, while they game into the night.
When she returns back to work, she discovers Jay is now a father. Afterwards, she sits down with Chinese Foreign Minister Chen (Francis Jue), who insists Liz is only stalling. He pleads with Liz to stop protesting. Elizabeth goes off on a rant about their children and the future, before she rushes out and suffers from a panic attack. Finally, she admits to Henry that she is all messed up due to Iran. She also admits she isn’t ready to talk about the situation yet. Stevie and Russell arrive, Henry refuses to let Russell in.
After Mike B upsets everyone, Nadine attempts to smooth everything over with the Chinese. Liz returns to work and experiences flashbacks of the attack, but insists she is fine. She retreats in her office and calls Henry. Meanwhile, Mike B meets with Owen Walton (Max Gordon Moore). Nadine and Laura attempt to talk Owen into getting his foundation into the fight for the rainforest. That night, Russell pays a visit to the McCord home. Russell tells Liz about a past experience involving an automobile accident and a friend’s death.
Afterwards, the group has drinks at the bar, while giving Laura credit for actually getting something done. Meanwhile, Henry and Elizabeth continue to play games, while she blames herself for the Iran deaths. She finally opens up about the boy, who witnessed his father’s death, in Iran. Finally, she appears on Face the Nation and is asked about the attack in Iran. She tells about Javani and his son.
Review
Face the Nation was a pretty decent episode, which attempted to play on PTSD. Sadly for me, many of those moments fell flat and sparked little to no emotion. Near the end of the episode, it started to pickup, but never hit a climax. Still, the addition of Laura Vargas, who came out of left field, was enjoyable. Jason, his school and new bodyguard was also nice, although the moments were few and far in between. Truthfully, the episode was good, but not great. A 6.5 out of 10 is deserved.
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Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
