Madam Secretary “Daisy” Spoilers Ahead
Look at the gif above without crying, I dare you. It’s still hard to grasp that it’s the final season of Madam Secretary, but so far, the series has been delivering one strong episode after another, give or take a few minute mishaps. The second we learned that Elizabeth McCord was President of the United States, I couldn’t wait to see the moment when we’d see the reactions to her win. And it was the kind of moment undoubtedly well worth the wait. “Daisy” wasn’t an easy episode to watch, but without exaggeration, I openly wept from beginning to end, but absolutely lost it all during this final scene.
I don’t mean to turn this into a political post to discuss my own personal opinions — but this was the very reaction I’d expected a lot of us to have during the 2016 elections if we had elected the first female President of the United States. And perhaps that’s why I had such a visceral reaction to this episode because for a moment, it felt real, it felt hopeful, and it was executed with such heartfelt, palpable reactions you couldn’t help but choke up. The raw energy in the performances leaves much room for discussion, but simply put, it was remarkably moving in all the right ways.
It was effortlessly easy to appreciate this scene as a woman — to watch another, in this case, Daisy, be the first to tell Elizabeth that she has won was monumental. To then watch her be celebrated with her family beside her while Daisy got to celebrate with her daughter backstage reminded us of what it truly means to have hope. To remind viewers of the fact that women have made it this far because generations before us fought for the basic human rights we have today — the right to educate ourselves, the right to vote, the right to work, and the right to be who we are as we were created to be. It’s proof of the fact that persistence is key and though Madam Secretary is fiction, it’s a beautiful showcase of what can be. An exhibition to remind women not to give up despite how many words we are called or how often we are belittled. There are a few moments throughout the series’ six-year run that I’ll never be able to forget, and this is at the top of the list.
There are a number of reasons the world’s wanted to see Elizabeth McCord as President, and her humility, at all times, has been her greatest strength. Téa Leoni is magic in her embodiment as the now President of the United States, and this very scene is the actress at her finest. The initial, childlike reaction beautifully showcases her heart’s intentions through remarkable ease and goodness. Elizabeth’s been training and fighting for this very moment since the day we were introduced to her, and all the struggles, and the doubts were momentarily and perfectly absent as she was given the chance to celebrate this triumph not only for herself but every woman who’s come before her and those who’ll come after her.
What are your thoughts on Madam Secretary’s “Daisy?”