Tonight on NBC State of Affairs airs with an all new Monday December 22, season 1 finale called, “Masquerade,” and we have your weekly recap below. On tonight’s episode, Charlie [Katherine Heigl] heads to Qatar with Maureen [Sheila Vand] and President Payton [Alfre Woodard] for a diplomatic mission, but the standard trip turns disastrous. Meanwhile, a direct link to Omar Fatah [Farshad Farahat] is tracked; a masked man interrogates Nick; and Charlie desperately tries to remember details about the convoy attack.
On the last episode, now that a portion of the convoy attack report had been leaked, President Payton (Alfre Woodard) had a lot of questions for Nick Vera (guest star Chris L. McKenna). Unfortunately, he seemed to be MIA. As Charlie (Katherine Heigl) searched for him, she flashed back to the hours before and during the convoy attack, and we learn another secret that she’d been withholding from President Payton. After an American reporter (guest star Ray Laska) was granted a rare, exclusive interview, Charlie and team had to work to contain the footage as an urgent matter of national security. Kurt (Cliff Chamberlain) finally worked up the courage to show Maureen (Sheila Vand) his cards, while D.P. (David Harbour) reached out to an old friend to squash the convoy attack report before it’s released in its entirety. Also starring Adam Kaufman and Tommy Savas. Nestor Carbonell, Courtney B. Vance, James Remar, Farshad Farahat, Nick Shakoour and Melinda McGraw guest star. Did you watch the last episode? If you missed it, we have a full and detailed recap right here for you.
On tonight’s episode as per the NBC synopsis, “Charlie (Katherine Heigl) and Maureen (Sheila Vand) accompany President Payton (Alfre Woodard) to Qatar on a diplomatic trip. What begins as a standard mission of diplomacy becomes a disaster when a Qatar national infiltrates the American embassy claiming to be CIA. Constance tasks Charlie to find out if he’s telling the truth. Meanwhile Lucas (Adam Kaufman), Dash (Tommy Savas) and Kurt (Cliff Chamberlain) work to track down Al Moosari, believed to be a direct link to Omar Fatah (guest star Farshad Farahat). Kurt has a run-in with a walk-in who claims to have found a valuable backdoor into highly valuable communications. Nick (guest star Chris L. McKenna), still MIA, is violently interrogated by a masked man. Charlie finally takes desperate and dangerous measures to remember the events of the convoy attack. Also starring David Harbour. Omid Abtahi and Jenny Pellicer guest star.”
This is definitely one series that you don’t want to miss. Don’t forget to stay tuned to Celeb Dirty Laundry where we will be live blogging every episode of State of Affairs first season. While you wait for the recap, check out a sneak peek of tonight’s episode below!
Tonight’s episode begins now – Refresh Page for Updates
On Air Force One, Charlie drinks coffee and wanders. Mo asks if it’s pronounced Cutter or Kut-are. She says Cutter and asks Charlie what’s up. She says Fatah set up this terror network and they’re stuck on the plane. Mo says they nicknamed Al Moosari – the Moose. She tells Charlie she’s still digging and trying to find Nick. In Qatar, we see a guy go into his garage and load up a backpack with some items, put on a helmet and leave on his motorcycle.
Payton talks to David in the limo and he says they need to tread lightly. She says they just need continued use of the military bases. David says yes but to launch clandestine missions from. She says she won’t let Fatah’s network to build a head of steam like Al Qaeda. She’s got a strategy ready. The motorcycle guy speeds through traffic toward the convoy. Mo talks to Charlie about Fatah but she’s lost thinking about Kabul. She says it feels like an attack is coming.
Mo asks if she’s okay and she asks if Charlie has remembered all. She says she has lost details and needs to remember. She says she thinks POTUS thinks she’s lying and MO says a faulty memory is a lie. Charlie says she sees Aaron pointing a gun at her and says she remembers her shooting back at him. Payton tells David that Charlie is hiding something and buying time. He asks why she trusts Charlie so much and Payton says she was almost family.
David says Fatah is one of the most dangerous men in the world and he built this network under Charlie’s nose and she’s the expert on him. He says she’s not throwing strikes. The motorcycle guy stops and sees the convoy a block away. He speeds toward it. The Embassy opens the gate when POTUS is one minute out. They roll into the Embassy gates and the cyclist is hot on their tail. The guards notice and everyone runs to shield Payton.
They rush to shut the gate and shoot him off his bike. His bike goes down and he’s on fire. They put it out and he screams out repeatedly that he works for the CIA. Later, Mo says he was shot twice and has burns. She says the station chief wants them to interview him. His name is Rayst Kamal and he’s not on the CIA books but Charlie says it happens. The PM of Qatar shows up to see Payton. She stands to greet him. She sits and he says he was considering canceling the meeting.
He says they’re supposed to be allies and says they’re spying on them. He says he wants Kamal released back to them. She says he attacked the Embassy and that’s all she knows. He gives her a deadline and says to give Kamal back by tomorrow or face closure of their bases. He wishes her luck making war on their enemies without them. Lucas and the others talk about Moose. They say he was supposedly killed by Mossad in 2012.
They plan to release photos of him and see what floats up but Lucas says they should sit on it. Lucas says “Ray” put him in charge and they are shocked by the first name use and says Navarro put him in charge to have a scape goat. Nick comes to tethered to a rack with loud punk rock music blaring. There are lights on him. He sees a guy standing there. The guy sits and pulls off his hat. He has a mask on that makes him look like Nick and Nick calls him handsome. The guy speaks through a voice modulator.
Nick says to spare him the tactics and says they know the same playbook. The guy tells Nick it’s unlikely he’ll leave this box alive. Nick says he’d better never. He’s battered and bloody. The guy asks Nick if he killed Aaron Payton. Nick tells him to take off his face and says he’ll tell him. He asks who was with him when he interrogated Fatah and lights a blowtorch to show he means business. He comes for Nick with it.
Kamal sits cuffed and bandaged when Charlie and Mo come in. He says he’s supposed to only speak with Ben. They ask how he met Ben. Charlie says they have to see if what he says matches the file. He says he met Ben at a bar. He works for the Qatari Armed Forces in procurement. He says he told Ben about the things that his boss was doing that was illegal. He says he has evidence with his brother who will only release it to him.
Lucas asks if they’ve called the Egyptians for info. Kurt gets a call and says he needs an hour. He says there’s a walk in at a safe house in Baltimore who asked for Charlie. He says he’s going. Dash tells Kurt about the convoy crash in Qatar. He asks to talk to Mo if she calls. Payton asks Charlie about Kamal. She says he thinks he’s their asset but isn’t. She says he’s just a pawn of someone who pretended to be CIA. Payton wants to give him back to the Qataris.
Charlie says he has good intel they may want. She says the intel could be legitimate and shows that the Qataris are selling US weapons to Fatah’s terror network. Kurt shows up to the safe house and says the woman is in the back. He tells the guard to take a walk around the block. He goes to talk to Ms Anchez. She says she asked for Charleston. She says they have mutual friends and he asks what she has. She says she may have accidentally hacked a secure comm satellite for corporate espionage.
Kurt says he doesn’t care who she contracts for and asks to see it. She says the program has data on a bunch of nefarious groups the CIA has failed to track. She says she wants an obscene amount of money after they verify the data is good. He says he’s got it and takes the flash drive and goes. He says he’ll be in touch and leaves. She calls him a dork. He goes to the car and pops in the drive. He calls Dash and sends the program. He tells him to use a disposable cluster and to keep it away from everything.
Payton tells David about the Qatari’s possible treachery. She says they need the base more than ever. She says it’s even more important with Fatah’s network now on line. She asks Charlie why they’re playing catch up on the network. Charlie says they need to retrieve Kamal’s intel. She says she’s inclined to trust him based on her training and instincts. Payton says once again she has to take her word. Charlie says nothing.
Kurt gets back and Dash says to pay the woman. He says it’s encrypted data from the MidWest and Middle East. He says it’s like a big 10 conference. Charlie tells David that Kamal says he has satellite images of arms deals. She says his brother is in the Tangiers. She has to smuggle out the most wanted man in Qatar and take him to the most popular shopping center in Qatar. Mo goes to requisition a vehicle and notices someone is shredding documents.
The Marine tries to stop Mo at the gate and says the Embassy is on lock down but she pulls out. The Marines give chase with lights blaring. With that distraction, Charlie walks Kamal out the back door. They stop her and she flashes her CIA badge. She opens her trunk and they see bags of shredded paper. Charlie takes off in another car with Kamal.
At the mall, Kamal points out his brother’s store but she tells him to walk past. She asks if Ben ever taught him trade craft. He asks what will happen to him after that. He says he wants a normal life but she says the chance for that ended when he came to them. He says he didn’t do this for America. He says he doesn’t like his country helping evil men like Fatah. They walk past the store, go downstairs and go around.
Nick is asked about the photo of Fatah, Nick and Charlie and ask whose idea it was to turn him. Kurt takes a photo of Moosari to Lucas. He says he thinks he was in Cairo for surgery on his eye but Lucas is stubborn. Kurt brings him a bottle and says to have a drink. He says him having the DTs is slowing them down. He says to dry out on his own time and for now, knock back a few drinks, get his head on and help out. Lucas glares but grabs the bottle.
Charlie and Kamal pose as a couple and go into his brother’s shop. He hands him the file from the storeroom. She says they need to get Kamal back now for a full debrief. She asks for another way out and his brother points to a service hallway. She says they have to move and goes out the back. They hear an elevator ding and a guy comes out. Kamal calls him Ben and she shoots him. She asks how he knew they were here and he says he’s CIA. She says he’s not and that he was set up.
She checks Ben over and says she has no idea who he is. She snaps a photo and says he’s a CIA asset now. She tells him to grab Ben’s bag and let’s move. They hear sirens and she says they heard the shots and they have to go now. They walk out of the mall and she coaches him on how to move through the mall. Mo calls Kurt and tells him that Charlie shot someone. She asks for help vetting the intel to help Charlie. Their call gets cut off.
He goes out and talks to Dash who tells him that the mystery girl gave them a line into the terror network communication. Kurt wonders if the timing is odd since the info came in right when they needed it. Dash tells him not to be like that but Kurt is concerned. Lucas comes over and says he was right about Moosari getting eye surgery in Cairo. He says post-surgery treatment requires steroids and they wonder if they can trace his meds shipped from the hospital.
Lucas says he’s been sober eight years but then a week ago… Kurt stops him and says he has no interest in this but says just not to screw them up at work. He says his secret is safe and says Mo got a huge problem out of her life and doesn’t need another. He tells Lucas to stay away from her and Lucas agrees. Charlie explains to them that she had to shoot the guy.
Dash sees that the intel has been altered. She gets a text saying the intel is bogus as David is screaming at her. She tells POTUS and David about the backdoor info they got that let them vet them properly. She says Kamal was set up to try and trash the Qatar/US delegations. Payton says they can solve them by turning over Kamal. Charlie doesn’t like this. David tells Charlie to get her priorities straight and she rants at him that the country is her top priority.
Payton shuts down the argument and asks for a moment alone with Charlie. He leaves. Payton says another Pres went to war over WMDs in CIA info. She says she’s still paying for that bad info. She tells Charlie that on her watch this new terror network has risen up and her beautiful son was killed. Payton says the presidency is only as good as those that serve it. She tells Charlie to tell her what happened in Kabul. Charlie says she can’t remember.
She says she’s told her everything she can remember and would never do anything to harm her intentionally. Payton says she’s dismissed as her briefer effective immediately. Charlie thanks her for her time and leaves. Mo tells Charlie not take it personally but Charlie says it is personal for both of them and wonders what if she really did shoot Aaron on instinct. Mo says there may be a way to get the info that’s painful and illegal.
The hacker chick follows Kurt and he asks why she’s creeping on him. He tells her she solved a problem they didn’t even have until today. She says he thinks the CIA is the end all and be all but they’re not. She says the company she works for is. He gets hostile with her and tells her not to touch him. She hands him some money and says it’s a finders fee. She tells him to donate it or use it take Maureen out.
The guy questions Nick some more and he won’t answer and tells him to blow him. He tells Nick to enjoy his trip and says it’s coming to an end. Charlie talks to Kamal and hands him a passport. She says they made the base renewal contingent on his freedom and says she wishes him luck in Canada. She says he and his family have been offered asylum. Mo has some drugs to shoot Charlie up with to stimulate her memories.
She hands an IV and says she has HJ7 – she says if it gets too hairy she’ll stop it. Charlie says to not stop no matter what she says or does. She steps fully clothes into a bathtub of cold water and ice cubes. Mo starts the IV and zip ties her down. She tells her it’s an ad hoc chemical interrogation that has risks including heart stoppage and seizure. Charlie tells her to do it. Mo starts the injection and Charlie says she may hear her say some really ugly things. Mo says okay.
She tells Mo to start recording and she does. Charlie sits back in the water. Mo says they are rewinding the convoy. She talks about the explosion and the attack. She asks Charlie to tell her what she sees. We see gunshots and the explosion. We see Charlie saying who in the convoy is dead. She sees Fatah dragging her out of the wreckage.
She says Aaron saw them and raised his gun but Fatah raised her gun and shot him. We see Fatah saying to her – when one can act, one can act as a liberator. Then the fire fight continues around her. She sees Fatah who tells her that Pegasus still flies then he runs off into the night. Mo sits by the bed. Charlie wakes up and tells her she remembers everything. She says Fatah is still her asset.
THE END!
