'Madam Secretary' Season 4, Episode 11 'Mitya' Recap: Elizabeth vs. the Vice President [SPOILERS]

“Madam Secretary” is back with more challenges posted for the new year. Vice President Hurst (Jayne Atkinson) attempts to set Secretary Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni) up for failure by promising that Americans will continue adopting Russian orphans. Meanwhile, Stevie (Wallis Currie-Wood) and Dmitri’s (Chris Petrovski) relationship is no longer a secret.

‘Madam Secretary’ butts heads with Madam VP

The Russian President banned American families from adopting any more Russian orphans until America sever their ties with Afghanistan. But with Elizabeth’s strategies for retaliating on the adoption ban, Vice President Hurst informs the media the White House will find a solution—clearly going against Foreign Policy. This predicament adds more problems to Elizabeth’s slate since it’s delivering false hope to the public. But after the Vice President’s statement about the ban, Jay informs Elizabeth Hurst staged the impromptu Q&A. The Vice President’s involvement with the adoption ban will help Hurst with her campaign for the presidency.

Elizabeth confronts Hurst about going behind the President for her agenda. We learn that Hurst wants to push Elizabeth out of the presidential campaign. It worked in her favor when the Russian President asked Hurst to visit Moscow to talk about a compromise. Worried the Russians would twist their mess into their diplomacy, Russel urges Elizabeth to watch Hurst like a hawk.

Dmitri and Stevie’s Relationship

Stevie and Dimitri’s blossoming relationship goes to a halt. Their secret is out—not found out by Henry (Tim Daly) nor Elizabeth, but by a Russian GRU. The spy took pictures of their meetings and placed a bomb in Dimitri’s car. He sent the photos over to CIA, who then informed Henry and Elizabeth of the relationship. Henry suspended Dimitri from the Special Activities department for putting his daughter’s life at risk. Dimitri reassures Henry that he didn’t share classified information with her. Stevie, on the other hand, doesn’t want to come to terms with her parent’s wishes, until Henry told her that Dimitri has a complicated past, and if she’s involved, her life will be in danger.
To make sure the safety of everyone involved, Henry and his team try to find the spy using Dimitri as bait. The plan backfired when the bomb in Dimitri’s car blew off. In the end, the FBI was able to locate the spy and have him in US custody. But as for Dimitri, he was relocated to Alaska.

The Russian Solution

Meanwhile, to Elizabeth’s dismay, she sees Vice President Hurst getting along with the Russian President. Hurst takes it as an advantage for negotiating, but Elizabeth knows the Russian President has other plans. Before the joint statement, the Russian President asks that the US pledge American troops to Bulgaria. Hurst was willing to negotiate to win back the orphans, but Elizabeth has none of it. She cut the trip short and had them all flying back home before any agreement came through. While talking to Henry about the Russian GRU following Dimitri, Elizabeth finds a way to bring back the orphans.
Hurst and the Elizabeth buried the hatchet when it comes to dealing with the Russian President. They urge him to the take the original agreement and bring back the orphans. If he continues negotiating, Elizabeth will bribe the spy he sent to betray Russian secrets. Before things got out of hand, the Russian President did not contest. Despite the temporary solution with the Russians, there’s still tension between the Vice President and the Madam Secretary. Hoping to call it a truce, Hurst asks Elizabeth to rule herself out of the Presidential race, to which Elizabeth refuses.
“Madam Secretary” continues next Sunday, January 14th with “Sound and Fury” at 10:30 PM on CBS.