Episode Report Card Erin: B | 2 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT This is the end. My foolish friends, the end.
By Erin | Season 5 | Episode 17 | Aired on 2006.05.22
We switch to a view of a white-clad elbow leaning on a chair arm. The camera travels up to a hand holding a phone to an ear as Sark says on the other end that he has the artifact and is on his way. The camera pans around and it's none other than Lena Fucking Olin holding the phone. "Good," she purrs. "See that it gets here intact." Oh, she really IS a bad mamma jamma.
After the four hundredth commercial break (for which I am eternally grateful), we return to the Hillside of Dying Daddies as Jack is getting the news that his ex-not-dead-wife is behind everything and that Sloane traded her the missiles for The Sphere. Vaughn says that Marshall's managed to access the launch protocol, but he can't shut them down. "She's in Hong Kong, preparing to strike as we speak," Vaughn finishes. "We have to stop her," says Jack. "Dad!" says Syd, practically laughing. "You're not going anywhere!" Jack orders Vaughn to ready the transport and Vaughn just does what he says. Syd pleads with Jack, telling him he's been shot in the chest and shouldn't be standing, let alone FLYING.
Sydney starts crying and losing her shit as Vaughn runs off to do Jack's bidding. Jack tries to calm her down, saying that if Irina's acquired missiles, she's for certain going to use them. This isn't a time for false threats. "You can't even stand up straight," sobs Syd, "how can you expect to confront mom?" "I'm not coming with you, Sydney," gasps Jack. Syd suddenly realizes that he intends to stay there and die. He tells her that she has to go to Hong Kong; there's no other way. She says she isn't leaving him. "You're the only one who can beat her," says Jack. "I can't," says Sydney. "You can," says Jack. "I never wanted this life for you, you know. I never wanted you to bear this kind of responsibility, but you...you were a very difficult little girl. You were far too driven...far too strong to let someone like me stop you from becoming who you are."
Syd tries to tell him that the medical team is coming and they just have to sit tight, but Jack tells her that there's no one in this world that can do the things that she can do. Vaughn arrives in a Jeep, and Jack says he can hold out until help arrives. "You have to go," he says. "You have to stop your mother." Syd finally realizes that she has to go, and she takes a minute to hover over her father and tell him to keep applying pressure, and it's very sweet and sad because it's fairly obvious that she's basically saying goodbye to her father forever. "I love you, Dad!" she sobs. "I love you, Sydney," he says quietly. Sniff. "I don't want--I don't want to leave you!" she continues sobbing! "Go!" he whispers. And finally, she does. She looks back at him from the car as he slowly makes it to his feet and stands, stoically nodding at her as if to say, "I'm just fine -- now go kill your mother." Once she leaves, he crashes to the ground. Sniff. Sniffle.