‘Madam Secretary’ Season 5, Episode 3 ‘The Magic Rake’ Recap: Labor Laws and Criminal Justice Reform

I only ever watched three political dramas, and that’s House of Cards, Designated Survivor, and Madam Secretary. The difference of the latter among the two is that it appeals to your emotions, and gives you that breath of fresh air in today’s political climate. Where House of Cards shows us the sinister workings of a man and woman in power, Designated Survivor makes things look a bit more cinematic and dramatic. Madam Secretary, on the other hand, is a grounded political show that gives us real-life problems and situations. That’s exactly what tonight’s episode, titled “The Magic Rake” did for us.

Tonight’s “crisis of the week” involves Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni) trying to gain leverage for a global free and fair trade initiative after a Chinese factory in Romania collapsed in a fire, killing dozens of factory workers in its wake. Elizabeth flies over to Milan, not for the fashion week, but to face off against Chinese Foreign Minister Chen (Francis Jue) over the anti-sweatshop treaty. But that’s not the only thing that Elizabeth has to face—President Li of China is also set to name his successor, and Minister Chen is a candidate. Meanwhile, Daisy (Patina Miller) struggles to cope with the growing racism and false nationalism that’s plaguing America, leading her to worry for the safety of her child. But despite that, Daisy finds it in herself to inspire a group of smart, young teenagers, that in the midst of national crisis and uncertainty, there’s power in looking back to the small feats of greatness that they accomplished.

“The Magic Rake” opens with Minister Chen preparing for big news in Milan. President Li is stepping down and is about to announce his successor. Back home, Elizabeth tries to appear for jury duty but is bombarded with calls from her secretary, Blake (Erich Bergen) mainly about the Milan fashion week, and Henry (Tim Daly), who’s about to step down from the war college to take up the Presidential Ethics Advisor post. Mike B (Kevin Rahm) also reminds her to focus on her upcoming presidential run by defining the scope of her candidacy so he can make calls to possible donors.

The judge then excuses Elizabeth from jury duty (while ranting about the length of time it took for the judge’s wife’s passport to get renewed). On her way out, Elizabeth bumps into a woman named Katelyn (Grace Rex). She’s about to go to 20 days in jail since her ex-husband forgot to pay her car insurance, with the court citing her a misdemeanor case. Katelyn doesn’t have any money for proper representation, and she fears for her future if she gets sent to prison. Elizabeth then gives her the number of a Legal Aid Foundation and her card, encouraging Katelyn to call her if things go south.

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Change of Plans

Elizabeth arrives at her office right after her Chief of Staff, Jay Whitman (Sebastian Arcelus), wraps up their agenda for the day. They were just talking about the tragedy at Romania, so Jay has Matt Mahoney (Geoffrey Arend) write a statement about it. But when Elizabeth arrives, she changes her mind and wants to go to Milan to push for a global initiative (with the EU) against China’s unfair labor practices.

Elizabeth calls up Italian Prime Minister Enzo Moretti (David Pasquesi) to tell her about her plans of pushing for the anti-sweatshop treaty. Moretti, though, urges her to not make a big political fuss out of the fashion week. Besides, the factory is owned by China, so Italy has nothing to do with it entirely. Elizabeth brings this to President Conrad Dalton (Keith Carradine) and plans to file a complaint to the World Trade Organization against China’s unfair labor practice—something that Dalton agrees for her to do.

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In Milan, Minister Chen gets wind of the WTO complaint and acts out by unleashing tariffs against the United States. Elizabeth then goes head to head with Minister Chen and threatens to put sanctions on their trade agreements. By doing this, both countries are risking the plummet of their economy. Chen refuses to back down, prompting Elizabeth to bring it to Dalton. He gives Elizabeth a last chance to talk to Chen in Milan. But if it doesn’t yield the best results, they will hit back with higher tariffs.

That night, Elizabeth arrives in Milan to have a sit-down with Minister Chen. Despite Elizabeth’s efforts to convince him to back the treaty, she fails. It turns out that Minister Chen is in the shortlist of President Li’s successors, and if Chen backs down with their tariff against the US, it might minimize his chances of becoming the new Chinese President.

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The next day, Prime Minister Morelli tells Elizabeth that they are backing out of the treaty. “There is no point in alienating the Chinese over an agreement they will never join,” Morelli says. Elizabeth pleads with Morelli and asks for more time for her to convince Chen. The joint statement event arrives, with the EU present. Elizabeth pulls a stunt of putting an empty chair beside her, saving it for China while calling them out for their unfair labor practices.

Meanwhile, Minister Chen finds out that President Li appointed himself to another five-year term, disappointing Chen. Despite this, Chen encourages his assistant that they will serve China for as longs as they’re needed. After Elizabeth’s stunt, Minister Chen informs her that China has agreed to sign the treaty. Elizabeth apologizes for her actions, primarily if it played a part in Chen’s failure to grab the Presidency. Later that night, Chen does an act of rebellion by visiting the factory site and placing a wreath in remembrance of the workers that died there.

Presidential Campaigns and Newfound Inspirations

Elsewhere in the episode, Daisy is still reeling from the White House attack. This bothers her so much that her work is affected. Jay notices this, but Daisy lashes out in sarcasm. Later, Sister Anne Gutierrez (Diana Maria Riva) visits her to ask about the State Department visit for her students. They won a nationwide civic engagement contest, and all that Sister Anne wanted was for them to meet someone. Since Elizabeth is in Milan, she asks Daisy to be the person they’d meet. Daisy refuses and reveals the real reason for her apprehension—she’s not in the right mental capacity to inspire them because she is anxious about the world that she is raising her daughter in.

Sister Anne, however, changes her perspective. “I worry about my kids, and this is why I was so invested in them winning this contest so they can at least feel that their country sees them,” Sister Anne says. Daisy considers this, and in the end, accommodates the students. She realizes the need for them to have something good to hold on to in the midst of tragedy and racial issues. The kids’ visit end with a surprise guest—President Dalton himself.

Mike B, on the other hand, is tasked by Elizabeth to help in Katelyn’s case after she lost all chances of getting proper representation from the Legal Aid Foundation. Mike crushes Katelyn’s trial, sending the DA running after his defeat. That’s when Elizabeth realizes her purpose for her presidential campaign. After an epiphany about magic rakes with Henry that night, Elizabeth calls Mike B over to tell him that she’s running for president officially. Her main platform? Criminal justice reform.

‘Madam Secretary: The Magic Rake’ Overall Verdict

I have to say that this season of Madam Secretary is the best by far. Three episodes in, and we’re presented with another socially-relevant and overly motivating chapter. You’ve got everything that a political show should have and topics that most of the others don’t delve on that much—labor laws and economically-binding treaties. If the show continues on this track, it’s going to be a fascinating next few weeks for Elizabeth McCord and the entire State Department.

Madam Secretary continues next Sunday, October 28th, with “Requiem” at 10/9c on CBS.