‘Madam Secretary’ Season 4, Episode 16 ‘My Funny Valentine’ Recap: Terror Problems and Teenage Romance [SPOILERS]

“Madam Secretary” Season 4 episode 16, titled “My Funny Valentine,” was filled with emotions regarding the 20th anniversary of the American embassy bombing in Uganda. The State Department has close personal experiences with the lives they lost that tragic day. Tensions rise between the State Department and Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni) whether or not the U.S. should lift sanctions against the country deemed responsible. Meanwhile, Henry (Tim Daly) helps Jason break up with his girlfriend Piper.

Madam Secretary’s Stand Against Sudan

CBS

Not everyone in the White House sees eye to eye. Elizabeth and her team agree that the sanctions against the country deemed responsible for the bombing should be kept. The State Department feels it would be best to lift them because it looks as if Sudan is holding their word. The country has stopped supporting terrorism and gave aid to victims. America’s plans for Sudan include building a CIA base there. Elizabeth voiced her concerns saying they are going to be blindsided if they cozy up to a country with terrorist connections.

Unconvinced by her arguments, President Dalton (Keith Carradine) gave Elizabeth three days to build her case against Sudan. If she would find anything suspicious, then he will call off the plans. They looked into President Qasim’s finances and found out they have been laundering money under their noses. During their research they’ve also found out Gaafar El-Basha, the man responsible for the embassy bombing was still alive. It looks like Sudan haven’t been entirely true to their word.

Consoling Grief and Never Forgetting Tragedy

Elizabeth was advised to give a brief statement for the commemoration of the bombing attack on the U.S. embassy in Uganda 20 years ago. But our Madam Secretary didn’t like how the state was handling the observance. It felt like they were celebrating the many lives lost and not just those inside the U.S Embassy. It took the lives of not only Embassy employees but also children and innocent bystanders. She feels that everyone who died in the tragic event should be mentioned.

But the 20th anniversary cut deeper for other characters involved. Skipp Sudduth guest stars as Petr Harriman, the only survivor of the 1998 bombing. When Elizabeth asked for him to say a few words about the incident, Petr refused. He lost not only his colleagues but the woman he loved.

CBS

After the commemoration, Elizabeth learned that Albosha, a terrorist group, is still alive and in Sudan. It meant the U.S. could not lift the country’s sanctions until another year. She tells the foreign minister of Sudan that America can forgive, but they will never forget who was responsible for their tragedy. Since the incident caused so much grief, the US had to be careful about being blindsided by false promises again. The foreign minister promised to do everything they can to find the bombers.

Henry interferes with teenage romance

Henry has a lot of time on his hands. He not only fixed the basement but also has become more involved in his children’s personal lives. After learning that Jason’s relationship with Piper is suffocating, Henry tries to get involved.  He tells Jason that he should talk things out with his girlfriend rather than breaking things off because he feels trapped. Elizabeth warned her husband that teenage romance is a complicated and messy thing he shouldn’t get thrown into, especially when that said romance is their son’s love life. But his wife’s warning did not stop him from driving Jason to his girlfriend’s house.

We see an awkward interaction between Piper’s mom and Henry. Afraid the talk might not end well; Henry left before Piper’s mom talked about prom plans. But it did work out fine. Henry’s advice helped Jason soothe things over with his girlfriend. He does learn that the next time his son has romance issues, he would not get too involved again.

“Madam Secretary” continues next Sunday, April 8th, with “Phase Two” at 10/9c on CBS.