Red, White & Royal Blue

It’s the day before Thanksgiving. Alex has just found out that the turkeys the president pardons every year are temporarily housed, on the taxpayers’ dime, at a nearby fancy hotel. He’s beside himself and insists to Ellen that this year’s turkeys, Stuffing and Cornbread, stay in his room tonight. Alex regrets it as he tries to sleep with the two giant birds staring at him later. He texts Henry that he’s certain the birds will eat him, but Henry just asks for pictures and deems Cornbread “cute.” Rather than try to convince Henry over text that the turkeys’ gobbles are terrifying, Alex calls Henry. Henry is confused, as it’s three in the morning. But insisting he’s a skilled turkey hunter, Henry coaches Alex on getting close to the turkeys and then reveals it to be a joke (you can’t hunt turkeys in Britain). Alex’s scream scares a gobble out of Cornbread. It is, Henry acknowledges, “proper frightening.”

Alex explains that Nora and June are having a girls’ night, and he’s afraid to go sleep elsewhere because he’s seen Jurassic Park. Henry turns his attention to his beagle, David, and Bea’s cat, Mr. Wobbles, who’s trying to steal his Jaffa Cakes. Embarrassed, he reveals that he’s in bed, watching Great British Bake Off and wearing a face mask because he has an appearance tomorrow. Alex stifles his laugh. Henry explains that Bake Off is soothing, and Alex observes that Henry actually has depth, even if his dog is named David. Henry says it’s actually David Bowie, and he tells Alex to go to sleep. The turkeys won’t kill him. Grinning, Alex hangs up, crawls into June’s bed, and texts Henry to ask for pictures of David and Mr. Wobbles. Henry complies. Weeks later, Alex texts that he just watched a Bond marathon and Henry’s dad “was a total babe.”

It’s very normal that Oscar is coming to Christmas, but it’s weird that the Post is reporting on it. Still, his coming makes Ellen and June anxious. When Oscar arrives, he and June disappear immediately to the chocolate shop. The day after, Oscar beckons Alex onto the Truman Balcony to smoke a cigar. It delights them both to know that some people would be upset about two Mexican men smoking here. As the days pass, Alex enjoys having his dad around so much. He often sees his dad during congressional sessions, but it’s nice to revisit Oscar’s cooking and remember how things used to be before Oscar and Ellen divorced.

Christmas dinner will happen on Christmas Eve so that Zahra can attend—she’s going out of town for Christmas. Dinner progresses smoothly until Oscar suggests that he could campaign with Ellen as a surrogate. Things become tense instantly; Ellen notes that nobody wants to be reminded that she’s divorced—that fact polls terribly. Soon, Oscar accuses Ellen of treating Alex and June like numbers and insists she’ll need help against angry Republicans and Richards. When his parents start cursing, Alex asks why they can’t be civil for one meal. They run this country, after all. He leaves for his bedroom, feeling like a lost high school student again. Feeling like he has no one else to talk to (Nora is in Vermont and Liam, Alex’s high school best friend, hasn’t spoken to him in a year), Alex dials Henry.

It’s 2:30 a.m. in England, but Henry is eating cookies with Bea. Alex immediately tries to backtrack—he doesn’t want to bother Henry—but with prodding, Alex blurts that he got upset for no good reason when Ellen and Oscar got in a fight over dinner. Henry kicks Bea out and tells Alex to talk. It takes Alex an hour to tell Henry everything, and to his utter shock, Henry says that Alex clearly did his best. Just then, June knocks on Alex’s door, and Alex hastily thanks Henry and hangs up. June comes in, expresses empathy for Alex’s stress due to being in his last few months of college, and says that their parents quickly got around to happily reminiscing. Alex, she says, was right to call them out, though she also thinks Oscar is right that Ellen sometimes treats the kids like political pawns, not her children.

June gets a text from Evan, her ex-boyfriend in California. She changes the subject and asks what Alex told Nora—and Alex admits that he was actually talking to Henry. June gleefully crows that Alex has made a friend, suggesting this is like a rom com that starts out with the couple fake dating and ends in true love. Alex denies this.

The day after Christmas, Alex is thrown into preparations for the White House Trio’s New Year’s Eve party. About 300 important young people are invited, and it’s technically a fundraiser but is mostly good for First Family PR. While perusing the guest list, Alex spots Henry’s name. June and Nora fess up to inviting him—Alex “need[s] friends.” Alex feels suddenly hot. Henry is, apparently, bringing Pez as his plus-one. On the day of the party, Alex sees a picture of Henry and Pez on a private jet, bound for D.C. Guests arrive starting at eight, and Henry and Pez arrive with the last wave. It feels like meeting Henry all over again—they actually know each other now. Henry is wearing a yellow tie to appease Alex, and June and Pez immediately introduce themselves to each other and disappear. Pez has been fixated on June since Philip’s wedding.

Alex is acutely aware that people are watching him and Henry, the young heartthrobs of their respective countries. The evening progresses, Henry joins June at the bar, and a DJ takes over from the band. Alex, drunk, reunites with Henry on the dance floor. Henry looks lost—especially when “Get Low” comes on, and Alex attempts to explain that dirty dancing to this song in middle school is an American rite of passage. Nora joins Alex to demonstrate, and Alex enjoys how Henry is watching him. They continue to drink and dance, and Alex is a bit too drunk to understand why Henry is only willing to dance when Alex touches him. At midnight, Alex and Nora kiss like they always do (mostly to throw people off).

Alex, however, opens his eyes from the kiss to see Henry looking strange. Henry disappears, but Alex is happy to dance and drink. He loves parties. Still, he wonders where Henry is, and eventually, Alex finds Henry in the garden. Alex joins Henry, who insists he’s looking for constellations. They insult each other, and Alex feels sparks when Henry’s knuckles brush his. Alex asks what Henry is doing out here. Henry says that sometimes, things are “a bit much.” Alex finds himself thinking that maybe he could handle some of what Henry can’t. They discuss what they’d be or do if they weren’t important. Henry would write and date more, saying cryptically that the people he’d prefer to date aren’t really options for him, given his position. Alex is extremely confused—and then Henry kisses him. Alex kisses him back. Then, Henry pulls back and hurries away.