The Powers That Be Episode Rating Graph

Jordan and Margaret both suspect that the Senator's new female intern has designs on him.

A crisis back in the Senator's home state is nothing compared to the crisis in the Senator's household -- Charlotte wants to quit because of her secret feelings for Theodore. Meanwhile, Jordan is frustrated that Margaret's problems are more important to Bill than celebrating the anniversary of their relationship together.

Theodore volunteers to be the Senator's dummy in a ventriloquist act that everyone else finds embarrassingly bad.

The Senator takes a road trip to visit his elderly mother (Cloris Leachman) and picks up a hitchhiker -- who turns carjacker. As Bill then tries to make his way to his mother's home, the carjacker crashes the car into a gas tanker, leaving the family and the press to believe the Senator has been killed. As the Powers camp mourns Bill, Margaret contemplates accepting her husband's Senate seat.

The Powers household is invited to attend a ball in the Senator's honor, but Margaret conveniently forgets to invite Charlotte until it's too late. Theodore stays behind to wait for Caitlyn, but winds up spending a romantic evening with Charlotte when they get snowed in. Caitlyn, meanwhile, slinks off to Joe Bowman's hotel room, and the blizzard keeps the rest of the Powers clan trapped in their limo.

The Senator and his aides have no choice but to offer Joe Bowman a public apology -- in spite of his paralysis secretly being a sham. Meanwhile, Bowman sets his sights on seducing Caitlyn to have someone inside the Senator's camp. Caitlyn finds herself simultanously charmed and repulsed by Mr. Bowman and contemplates having an affair. Meanwhile, Bill and Margaret share a spontanous night of passion.

Senator Powers, in the middle of a tough re-election campaign with a local hero, finds that he has an additional potential obstacle to his re-election -- an illegitimate daughter.

A visiting Hollywood mogul charms everyone in the Senator's household -- except the Senator, who starts to suspect that something is amiss. Meanwhile, each of the ladies thinks that she's the object of their guest's desires.

The Powers are ecstatic when they are invited the Presidential motorcade for Clinton's inauguration, but when Jordan is excluded, she tries to make Bill jealous by making plans with an old boyfriend. As the delayed Powers and a bicycling Bradley brave the icy roads in hopes of catching up with the President, Theodore worries that Charlotte thinks he forgot her birthday.

Being accepted in Washington takes a back seat when Sophie goes head-to-head with the rest of the family.

It's Caitlyn and Theodore's anniversary and Margaret is insistent that Sophie not join the family for dinner. Meanwhile, the campaigning Senator is in need of some publicity, but he didn't expect it to come from Theodore's botched suicide attempt -- which results in Bill being shot in a very undignified location.

Not being asked to a White House luncheon for Princess Diana is bad enough, but Margaret really gets upset when her efforts only result in Caitlyn being invited instead. Margaret then tries to play on Caitlyn's insecurities to secure the invitation for herself, including playing her trump card -- Sophie. Meanwhile, Bill just wants the family to get along.