Episode Report Card M. Giant: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Ex-Ex-President
By M. Giant | Season 5 | Episode 1 | Aired on 01.14.2006
Over at CTU, they've got Fox News on the big screen, with Palmer's face all over the alerts. Bill Buchanan in charge of the place this morning. I guess Division figures that since they always send someone over there every day anyhow, they might has well have a guy there at all times. Buchanan stalks the floor, giving orders through Curtis to coordinate the response to Palmer's shooting. Edgar pipes up to announce that Logan's on the line, and Buchanan ducks into the conference room to take the video call.
Logan's charming opening is, "Not to diminish the loss we're all feeling right now, but I'm expecting the Russian president very soon." He wants to know what's up, and quickly gets impatient with Buchanan's spiel about what they know and what they're doing: "Whoever did this, I want them dead or in custody by the time the Russians get here." Buchanan agrees, but advises postponing the treaty signing in light of the fact that "a former president was assassinated fifteen miles from where you are." Well, give or take four hundred miles. Maybe that's how Hidden Valley stays hidden. Logan shuts that right the hell down, saying that he worked too hard to arrange the summit and there won't be a second chance for this signing. Oh, just sign the Russian president's name yourself, you big sissy. Write some letters backward and nobody will know the difference.
Chloe lies awake in her bed (her hair less fabulous and more beddish), then quickly gets up and throws a robe on over her underwear. We get a look at her tiny shoulder tattoo, her apartment (decorated in Early Pier One), and some skinny dude named Spencer crashed out next to her. She rather rudely orders him out of her bed, throwing his clothes at him and heading into the kitchen. She's clearly having regrets ("I don't get involved with people who work for me," she says, going on about four words longer than necessary), although he obviously and foolishly doesn't share them as he pulls on his clothes. She tells him to keep this under his hat: "I don't want everyone thinking I'm some kind of slut." Spencer and millions of viewers assure her that nobody is ever going to think that. He comes up behind her and makes a little speech wherein he preemptively accepts her next request for a "date," and she swallows her little grin before turning around and informing him that "Arrogance doesn't turn me on." He just smirks at her until she starts to melt, and they're about to kiss. Man, I just know that guy is up to no good, but he's doing a good job of pretending to be attracted to Chloe. Then her cell phone rings. She reads the text message, and relays the news about Palmer. I don't know who sent her the message, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear that she has her cell phone set to ring every time there's an update at Google News.