Pilot

I love that Tia and Tim are dating in real life, you can see the connection they have on screen! Keep up the good work!

When a television network announces a sister show to your favorite series on the air, one feels obligated to tune in, especially when said sister show airs directly before your favorite show. The previews CBS showed all summer for "Madam Secretary" didn't excite me, in fact, they made the show look cruddy. But against all my preconceived notions and the mediocre reviews, I gave the pilot a chance to prove me wrong. Though I did not find it completely a fail, its very basic set-up does nothing to hide the dominant flaws in the show's lacking creativity and misguided technical areas.

The pilot of "Madam Secretary" contains two of the most cringe-inducing television moments in recent memories: 1) the returning United States teenagers who were being held as prisoners overseas return to kiss the Washington D.C. airport pavement of the airport after being saved by the secretary of state. (In slow motion on top of all that, give me a break). 2) The insistence by the staff that the secretary of state needs a stylist to do her job. The gimmick will make you stop and say, "Wha?"

On top of all this, "Madam Secretary" alienated me most with its unnecessary use of shooting close-ups characters from behind and the camera only capturing the actor's profile. Especially because this technique is used in the most dramatic moments of the pilot, where the plot dives into a more mysterious, suspenseful subplot. From a viewpoint of pure amusement, the show delivered better than I thought it would. The plot held up enough weight to entertain you through the 45 minutes of the running time. Tea Leoni establishes a strong performance, finding an interesting space between overt and subtle, she could pull "Madam Secretary" out of the harsh criticism for its silly plots.

Grade: C+