'Madam Secretary' Season 4, Episode 15 'The Unnamed' Recap: Unwilling Presidents [SPOILERS]

“Madam Secretary” has a way of addressing International social issues by wedging it into their storylines. This week, they are tackling Myanmar’s Ethnic cleansing issue. Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni) is caught in an uncertain situation when they are about to award Myanmar’s first elected leader with the Medal of Freedom. President Dalton (Keith Carradine) returns but doubts his ability as a President after being cleared by his doctor. Meanwhile, a past family grievance is brought to light when Henry’s (Tim Daly) sister pays a visit.
Unlike other episodes of “Madam Secretary,” Season 4, Episode 15 made sure they are not only converting truth to fiction but also to shed light on a pressing issue. In partnership with UNICEF, Tea Leoni tells viewers at the end of the episode to give their support for hundreds and thousands of Rohingya children. It felt like “Madam Secretary” wanted to be not just another political drama but also a catalyst for change.

‘Madam Secretary’ Explains Ethnic Cleansing

President U Khaing (Bhavesh Patel) is publicly known as the Nelson Mandela of Myanmar albeit dreamy. Khaing is Myanmar’s new democratic leader and is deemed as a saint and savior, but the young President hides his country’s worsening issue. Kat informs Elizabeth about Rohingya Muslims escaping to Bangladesh. Many Rohingya refugees reported rape, killings, and arson by security forces.  In reality, 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh. Khaing refuses to confront the issue, and Elizabeth refuses to turn a blind eye to this human rights violation. But they have no proof whether or not it was a state-ordered crackdown or vigilante violence.

When Elizabeth confronted Khaing about the issue, the President dismissed it as a way to root out terrorists. He refuses to call it as Ethnic cleansing but saving his people. He even compared it to America’s immigration problem. The United States cannot intervene without disrespecting Myanmar’s sovereignty. But with the numbers of Rohingya refugees rising, they need to find a way for Khaing to address the problem–especially when Khaing is supposed to be awarded a Medal of Freedom. The man may have gotten himself arrested for the independence of his people, but brushes off ethnic cleansing. Then Elizabeth and Russel realized there was only one person who can help Khaing recognize the problem.

President Dalton is back

Conrad is finally ready to return to office. But he is afraid his condition would continue to shadow his political decisions. We see a glimpse of Conrad’s life running for California’s State Governor, and the man is genuinely fit for politics. Dalton was charming and knew how to make the right calls. But we also see why he was hesitant to return to his presidency. During the night of his debate, he got a call from the hospital about his brother. Just like Conrad, his brother also suffered from unstable mental health. Conrad’s brother had schizophrenic tendencies and heard voices from the devil. Afraid he might take another shot at Russia without a second thought, he felt it was best to take an extended break, but his cabinet had none of it.

Russel reassures Conrad the best neurosurgeons in the country says he was okay. His wife tells him he can quickly swing back into Presidency, but he was still afraid until Elizabeth came to talk to Conrad about how he passed all the tests. Conrad may have doubts about his decision-making skills, but Elizabeth believes that he can take time before coming back. But until then, she only asks him to talk to Khaing about Myanmar’s Ethnic Cleansing issue. Conrad told Khaing that if he spoke of peace, then brutality and exclusion shouldn’t be part of his message. A leader may have trouble finding his voice, but they should instill hope, not violence. Conrad’s counseling worked, and Khaing delivered a beautiful message to his citizens.  Khaing’s message, in the end, was more than just a plot device. It was a way to spread awareness.

Henry’s Sister

On a lighter side of “Madam Secretary,” Henry’s sister comes for a visit. However, Alison (Kathrine Herzer) isn’t too keen about her Aunt Maureen (Kate Burton) due to her lifestyle choices. She considers her aunt to be a little too bourgeois to have any other tastes. Alison was even shocked Maureen was in town for an art gallery, but Henry tells his daughter to keep an open mind about her aunt. It looks like there’s no bad blood between Henry and Maureen, but there are daddy issues in their relationship. Unlike his sister, Henry isn’t too fond of their father. Henry even mentions if his father found out about Alison’s dream to become a fashion designer her grandfather would crush it out of her.
We find out Henry’s father wasn’t happy about Maureen going to college to pursue Art History and appreciation. Maureen tries to defend their late father saying she decided to crush her dreams. But Henry told her a few truth bombs Maureen couldn’t deny–their father never gave him a single dime of college tuition and made sure Maureen stayed to work because she was his favorite. At the end of the episode, we see Alison warming up to her aunt, even asking Maureen to teach her how to play cards. The McCord siblings made sure their issues with their father wouldn’t affect their relationship.
“Madam Secretary” continues next Sunday, April 1st, with “My Funny Valentine” at 10/9c on CBS.