Ep 3. First Strike

The episode opens with President Mackenzie Allen (played by Geena Davis) meeting with her national security team to discuss a potential nuclear threat from North Korea. She is urged to authorize a preemptive strike, but the president is hesitant to take such drastic action without exploring all possible diplomatic solutions.

Meanwhile, Vice President Teddy Bridges (played by Donald Sutherland) is taking advantage of the president's absence from the White House to make power plays and gain influence with the Cabinet behind the president's back. He holds a secret meeting with Secretary of Defense Miles Hutchinson (played by Harry Lennix) to discuss the nuclear threat and plot ways to undermine the president's authority.

Back at the White House, President Allen convenes a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss their options for dealing with the North Korean threat. General Carl Brant (played by Kyle Secor) advocates for a pre-emptive strike, while Admiral Theodore Barrow (played by Matt Lanter) suggests a diplomatic approach. The president takes Admiral Barrow's advice and sends her chief of staff, Jim Gardner (played by Anthony Azizi), to North Korea to try to negotiate a peace treaty.

As tensions escalate, President Allen must walk a delicate tightrope between diplomacy and the military advisers who are pushing for war. She struggles to maintain her authority as commander-in-chief while also grappling with the fact that lives are at stake.

Complicating matters further, the president's daughter, Rebecca (played by Caitlin Wachs), is caught in a scandal when a photo of her smoking marijuana is leaked to the press. President Allen grapples with how to handle the situation while also dealing with the nuclear crisis.

In the end, President Allen's determination to pursue diplomatic solutions pays off when Gardner successfully negotiates a peace treaty with North Korea. The crisis is averted, and President Allen is hailed as a hero for her calm and decisive leadership in the face of a potential global catastrophe.

As the episode comes to a close, tensions between Vice President Bridges and President Allen continue to simmer, hinting at more power struggles and political intrigue to come.