Episode Report Card M. Giant: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Dead Kiefer Walking
By M. Giant | Season 7 | Episode 16 | Aired on 03.30.2009
Inside the real lab, Hodges happily watches a monitor that's showing a feed from a security camera placed outside the warehouse. The empty warehouse, with nothing in it. "Well, what do you know," Hodges remarks to the guy running the monitor. "Little ol' Seaton bought us some time. On the other side of the compound. We just have to keep them there." But how are they going to do that? Damn, if only Starkwood had some guys...
As Hodges shrinks into a splitscreen window, other windows show Moss's men continuing the pointless search of the warehouse, Taylor pacing the Oval Office, Hodges's men continuing to do their prep work on the bioweapons, Seaton looking quietly smug, and Kiefer watching the video feeds. Finally, Peter Onorati tells Moss that there's nothing there. Yes, we could see that from the bare walls. Although it would make a nice hideout for some freelance terror organization, if they just brought in some kind of room dividers for Kiefer to run and shoot around. Moss tells Walker over his headset that this was a diversion. At her shoulder, Kiefer tells Walker that the weapons have to be there somewhere, since there's no way they could have gotten them off the compound this fast. Uh, how long did it take Starkwood to get them away from you, smart guy? Was it an entire minute? But Walker relays Kiefer's remark to Moss. He orders everyone out of the warehouse, where at 11:58:14 he instructs his men to begin a search of the whole compound. "Good," Kiefer says to Walker, and starts to walk away. Moss is still giving his instructions when suddenly he and all his men are surrounded by Starkwood Humvees with roof-mounted machine guns. Which, naturally, are pointed at the FBI guys. Walker calls Kiefer back to watch the end of the show as Moss tells his men to hold their fire. "Tell Larry to have his men stand down," Kiefer tells Walker. "Are you kidding? They just drew on federal forces," Walker retorts angrily. Kiefer says they'll lose their men otherwise. Especially since he's not there to save them. Into this standoff drives one more Humvee, and out of the shotgun seat climbs Stokes, not even remotely dead. But a little less angry. Still sneery, though. He walks toward the FBI men until Moss tells him to stop. Tony and Seaton look at each other. So Seaton wasn't even willing to kill one coworker in order to sell this little ruse of his? What a lightweight. Actually, this payoff reminds me of Marathon Man, where a guy pretends to kill Dustin Hoffman's tormentor, only to hand him back over to him later. By the way, that non-killer was played by a young William Devane, by which logic Greg Seaton will one day be the United States Secretary of Defense.