‘Madam Secretary’ Series Finale ‘Leaving the Station’ Review: Farewell, But Don’t Forget About Equal Rights!

After everything that the McCord family has been through, a touching ending caps it off as President Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni) emerges victorious from a near-impeachment. Madam Secretary finally wraps with a very warm idealist resolution—one that shows us what could have been our reality if Hillary Clinton won the Presidential elections in 2016.

The last four episodes of the show have seen a significant bump in tonal and writing quality and political action, what with the impeachment inquiries and the added stakes of another possible World War. This time, though, Madam Secretary opted for a more chipper finale to act as its cherry on top. The last shot even shows Elizabeth and Henry (Tim Daly) kissing on the back of a railroad car as they embark on a whistlestop tour to rally the states into passing the Equal Rights Amendment. It’s old school, but this might just get the ball rolling for Elizabeth to create a landmark amendment to the constitution.

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I still can’t believe that the show is finally over as I haven’t been able to get over the sudden tank in quality of Designated Survivor and the abrupt ending of Netflix’s House of Cards. But it’s Madam Secretary that stood firmly in its place and knew what it was doing, thanks to creator Barbara Hall. Titled “Leaving the Station,” the show ends with a powerful and gripping statement of equality and a touching union that symbolizes new beginnings. Stevie (Wallis Currie-Wood) is about to get married to Dmitri Petrov (Chris Petrovski) while Elizabeth juggles the marriage preparations with passing the Equal Rights Amendment.

Again, SPOILERS are peppered all throughout this article, so tread lightly.

“What Have You Done For Equal Rights, Madam President?”

Madam Secretary’s finale is a star-studded affair at the very least. World Cup Champions of the US Soccer Team Crystal Dunn, Allie Long, Ashlyn Harris, and Ali Krieger graced the episode with awesome cameos during the signing of Elizabeth’s legislation for equal pay. Also in attendance is Flo Avery (Cicely Tyson), who was born August 18, 1920—the same day that women’s voting rights were finally recognized. It was supposed to be a historic day, but Flo had something more in mind. Flo never thought that she could live to see the day that a woman would one day lead the country. But all this time, she was expecting Elizabeth to push further in terms of women’s equality. That’s when the Equal Rights Amendment came into play once again. First introduced in 1923, the amendment aims to guarantee equal legal rights for all Americans regardless of sex. It was ratified by more states until the late ’70s, but it never picked up steam since (at least, in the Madam Secretary reality).

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Elizabeth then decides that now is the right time to reignite the flames for the ERA. But just when Elizabeth thought she’d get resounding support from Congress and the other states, Senator Amy Ross (Tyne Daly) of Ohio made it her mission to block its passing. Ross believes that women need access to special rights, and the ERA will erase everything that they have fought for since. Desperate for the amendment to pass, Stevie steps up to help whip votes during her wedding day.

A White House Wedding

Stevie’s wedding preparations were mired by a baffling problem—the church that they were supposed to host the event burned down, leaving them with no choice but to hold it in the White House (you know, Elizabeth’s security clearances and all). At first, wrapping up the show with a wedding seemed a bit too mushy for Madam Secretary, but it worked so well as the epic finale that it needed. It was also a reunion of sorts—Jay Whitman (Sebastian Arcelus) came back from Amsterdam and is now ready to settle in Washington for good with his now fiancé, Matt Mahoney (Geoffrey Arend) flew from his screenwriting job in Los Angeles to offer his witty remarks, and Daisy (Patina Miller) comes out of her fulltime mom gig to participate as well. Even former President Conrad Dalton (Keith Carradine) was once again present to officiate Stevie and Dmitri’s wedding. It’s nothing but a touching sequence as Henry also offers an emotional toast to his daughter (as he struggles to fight back tears). As Stevie and Dmitri move on to a new level of life, Elizabeth’s administration faces an overwhelming amount of hope for what they can accomplish.

CBS

HONORABLE MENTIONS 

• Russell Jackson (Zeljko Ivanek) almost suffered a relationship loss tonight as his wife, Carol (Linda Emond), threatened to end their marriage if he didn’t choose his wife over his job this time. With all the optimism surrounding Stevie and Dmitri’s wedding, Russell realizes that it’s finally time for him to take a backseat and resigns from his post as Elizabeth’s Chief of Staff. And you wouldn’t believe who took over the helm—yep, you guessed it, good ‘ol Jay Whitman is back in political action.
• Mike B’s (Kevin Rahm) son Zach (Will Harrison) gets a weird directive from his control-freak father, “get close to the McCord’s youngest daughter and get us into this family.” True enough, Alison (Kathrine Herzer) seems to be very open to the idea of possibly dating Mike B’s son.

‘Madam Secretary’ Overall Verdict

“Leaving the Station” is definitely an apt way to wrap Madam Secretary. The show did feel like the ideal reality as compared to the complicated and messy scenario of the Trump administration. If you’d look back at the hopeful resolutions to predicaments that the show was able to tackle, it did feel as if we’re having a glimpse of a different universe that we seem to have missed out on. Nonetheless, the show’s end makes for a heartful goodbye to a series that was able to show how governance would have been executed had a sane leader sat in the Oval Office. It’s not as action-packed and politically charged as its former episodes, but “Leaving the Station” does offer a satisfying end with a resounding last note—maybe it’s time for a woman to take the helm this time?