4. Mother

Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) learns that her mother has suffered a severe stroke and is unlikely to recover. She travels to North Carolina with her daughter, Catherine (Sarah Sutherland), while the presidential recount in Nevada continues to dominate conversations among her staff; Amy Brookheimer (Anna Chlumsky), Dan Egan (Reid Scott), Ben Cafferty (Kevin Dunn), and Kent Davison (Gary Cole) remain focused on the election results as they coordinate with Selina from afar.

At the hospital, Selina reunites with her ex-husband Andrew (David Pasquesi), and visits her mother. Catherine is upset by Selina's detached attitude toward the situation, while Selina spends much of her time discussing the recount and taking calls from her staff. After doctors determine that her mother is brain-dead, the family decides to remove her life support.

Elsewhere, White House press secretary Mike McLintock (Matt Walsh) and his wife Wendy Keegan (Clea DuVall) continue looking into surrogacy options. Dan becomes increasingly frustrated with the uncertainty surrounding the election, and Amy struggles to manage the campaign's response as the recount drags on. Following her mother's death, Selina and her family attend the funeral. During the service, updates from Nevada continue to arrive, distracting both Selina and her staff. Selina delivers a eulogy, during which she learns that the recount has further benefited her opponent. She then discovers that her mother's will leaves the bulk of the estate to Catherine rather than to her.