Dasvidaniya, Mitya.

With the exit of our favorite Russian on Madam Secretary Season 4 Episode 11, Henry's guilt has been assuaged. For now. I wouldn't be surprised to have Stevie throw her lover's exile back in her father's face at some point.

While far from the most important plot that Dmitri's been involved with, his romance with Stevie McCord has been my favorite. It's a shame that those two crazy kids won't be able to make it work.

Will this latest heartbreak finally convince Stevie to head off to law school? I assume that she'll end up closer to home, barring some amazing opportunity arising for Wallis Currie-Wood.

If Stevie's going to be a pivotal character, I'd love to see her in a situation where nepotism, however unintentional, doesn't work for her.

Dmitri: I'm so sorry, Stevie.
Stevie: No, no, I am. I didn't mean to get you...exiled or whatever.
Dmitri: It's okay. Exile is a very Russian thing. It's like a rite of passage.

Permalink: It's okay. Exile is a very Russian thing. It's like a rite of passage.

She also needs to move out into her own place. All respect to a millennial facing staggering DC rent, but the way she stomped up the stairs after her parents broke the news to her was way too juvenile.

That girl needs to get some roommates and start enjoying life. Seriously, if you can afford nooners at a hotel within lunch break distance to the White House, you can afford to rent a row home with some friends.

Luxury quickies don't come cheap.

With Dmitri neatly packed off to Alaska, it would seem like Henry's super duper top secret job that basically everybody knows about would be at an impasse. The whole point of the CIA gig was to bring the Russian in from the cold.

But it looks like Henry will be forging ahead without his moral albatross. It seems like the group will be at a disadvantage though, since all the crazy stuff coming up seems to be focused on, you know, RUSSIA.

We'll just have to wait and see what the CIA crew gets up to though -- there are no hints to the plot, but Molly, Dylan, and the rest are scheduled to appear.

Teresa: I cannot abandon those children. I made a promise to the American people, to their parents, to bring them home.
Elizabeth: Your promises are not my problem. National security is.

Permalink: Your promises are not my problem. National security is.

While Elizabeth's diplomatic storyline didn't really accomplish much, it was a fascinating take on some real-world issues that the US has been having with Russia for years.

Yes, adoption bans are real. You may recall that they were featured in a pretty prominent news story involving Donald Trump Jr. and a certain Russian lawyer.

I recommend some reading about the adoption bans and the Magnitsky Act -- while reality inspired the writers, they took some huge liberties with the order in which things went down.

They failed to address some legitimate concerns that Russia may have.

Introducing VP Hirst with such a sympathetic story was a great move. She's apparently quite savvy and ambitious, but it's hard to discount her as a pure opportunist the way it is with Senator Morejon.

I want to like her. She seems like a capable woman, and outside of a little petty jealousy and imagined rivalry with Elizabeth, she seems to be pretty decent.

It's concerning that Hirst didn't cotton on to Russell's machinations though. Who in god's name would trust the chief of staff or the campaign manager? Always negotiate with the real power. Politics 101.

Russell: Hurst was the only person who could deliver us Pennsylvania. I would have sold my own mother to get those electoral votes.
Elizabeth: Does Conrad know?
Russell: I make promises so he doesn't have to.

Permalink: I make promises so he doesn't have to.

And her willingness to capitulate to Salnikov's demands was ill-advised as well. For somebody who's a career politician, who's worked twice as hard as all her male peers, the mistakes she's made are bush league.

But I'm going to give the character the benefit of the doubt, for now anyway. If nothing else, Hirst opens the door for some interesting takes on how women in power relate to one another and the public.

What I'd love to see is a slightly younger ambitious woman be thrown into the mix, just to juxtapose the generational differences. Maybe somebody like Sara Ramirez, who's been mysteriously absent.

Just how long does it take to shut down an avocado farm anyway?

Elizabeth could her help coming up. I imagine it'll be all hands on deck on Madam Secretary Season 4 Episode 12. Art will be imitating life a little too much for comfort when the mental stability of the President is called into question.

An alternative to impeachment will be explored as the cabinet loses faith in Dalton. I can't believe that Elizabeth will be anything other than #TeamPOTUS in the end, but stranger things have happened.

It should be an interesting hypothetical to see play out. Other shows have covered how the 25th amendment works -- it's the whole premise of Designated Survivor, and was a story arc on The West Wing at least twice, but never quite like this.

Blake: Ooh, this is the thing where he talks to "ordinary" Russians. I love this.
Jay: Taking canned questions and creating your own personality cult. It has a certain perverse charm.
Matt: I love how weird it is. It's like The View meets Joseph Stalin.

Permalink: I love how weird it is. It's like The View meets Joseph Stalin.

So what did you think of "Mitya?" Will Dmitri ever return from exile? How do you think Elizabeth did handling the Russian adoption issue? Is Hirst a potential ally or is she doomed to be an adversary?

We want to hear what you have to say, so join the conversation in the comments below!

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