Episode Report Card M. Giant: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Putting The "Curt" In "Curtis"
By M. Giant | Season 6 | Episode 3 | Aired on 01.14.2007
At 8:06:12, Assad and Kiefer's Echo is still trailing the Handler. Kiefer realizes that the Handler is heading into an area with light traffic. At 8 AM. In Los Angeles. On a weekday. Come the fuck on, show. Kiefer's worried that the Handler will see them, as if they're not driving a car smaller than the Handler's blind spot. And I don't mean the blind spot of the Handler's car; I mean the actual, anatomical blind spot in the very center of his vision that we all have, which is of course quite tiny yet still more than large enough to swallow a Toyota Echo or two. But Kiefer says that they need to call CTU and arrange satellite coverage to keep the Handler's car in sight. Assad still doesn't want CTU involved after they tried to kill him and all. "I will not work with my enemies," he insists. "You're working with one now," says Kiefer. He tells Assad that if he really wants to disarm, he's going to have to compromise. He can't even say that Assad won't be thrown in prison on sight, but says that the Handler is their only lead to Fayed. "Make the call," Assad finally pouts. "Thank you," says Kiefer. Huh. Some enemy.
At CTU, Milo brings Morris -- who is hovering over Chloe's desk, as usual -- a file of the Palmdale suspects that he wants Morris to load and go over in case Wayne goes through with the release. Without moving, Morris assures Milo that Wayne will do no such thing. Milo gets pissy that his orders aren't being followed, and it only gets worse when Morris advises him to "give it to one of the girls in Archives. I'm working up Fayed threads; that's more important." Even Chloe looks alarmed at this insubordination, as Milo gets angrier and Morris condescendingly tells Milo not to waste the time of his most important analysts. Chloe finally shuts him up, and Milo leaves, trailing dark threats about Morris's fate if he doesn't have the files in twenty minutes. "Grow up," Chloe snaps at Morris before Milo is more than ten feet away. Again, watching Chloe telling people to behave and get along is completely weirding my shit out.
Chloe's desk phone rings, and it's Kiefer. "Jack, I didn't think I'd ever hear your voice again," she gushes. Kiefer, of course, has no time for this mushy stuff, and asks for Buchanan. Chloe transfers the call, and Kiefer tells Buchanan that he's tracking Fayed's Handler with Assad. He wants Chloe -- who has just arrived in the Situation Room with her laptop -- to give them satellite coverage. Buchanan in turn tells Kiefer about Fayed's demand for the Palmdale prisoners' freedom, and that he thinks Wayne will go through with it if they don't find Fayed by the end of the episode. Kiefer's still rolling his eyes at that when Chloe cuts in to say that it's going to take her ten minutes to get satellite coverage. What, did Morris crash his Uzbek satellite into the Pacific in the last hour? Kiefer says that's too long, but Chloe can't help it; surveillance satellites are kind of in high demand under the circumstances, what with three or four major American cities exploding at any given moment. Nadia suggests traffic cams, but Chloe already checked, and there aren't any on the road the Handler's going to be taking. CalTrans: aiding and abetting terror since the 1980s. I don't know why Kiefer's so stressed; he can just hope the Handler stops for gas, and then hold up the station to keep him there for a while. Kiefer asks for the nearest CTU tactical team to be sent in his direction, and is told that Curtis will be on his way to meet him soon. Satisfied for now, Kiefer hangs up. "Do you think this man will recognize you?" Kiefer asks Assad. Assad doesn't think so. Maybe he's not as famous a terrorist as we've been led to believe, if even other terrorists affiliated with his organization don't know him by sight. Still, it's enough for a plan to spring fully formed from Kiefer's head. We just cut away before he can explain it. Not to worry; we'll see it in action soon enough.