Episode Report Card M. Giant: A- | 438 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT Re-Juma-nated
By M. Giant | Season 7 | Episode 12 | Aired on 2009.03.02
While Kiefer rummages through a supply cabinet in the lockdown room, Taylor sees on the monitor that more hostages are being brought in. Senator Mayer is among them, but she's worried that Olivia isn't. Kiefer assures her that's good. "I know Aaron Pierce. He will do everything in his power to make sure that your daughter is safe." Taylor wonders how they could have gotten in, and Kiefer is sure there was inside help. Of course he doesn't know from whom, but if I were President, I'd start asking myself whether any of my senior staff had conveniently "gone to the Pentagon" at the top of the hour. "Juma must realize there's no way for him to get out of this alive," she says. Kiefer agrees. "He came here to make a statement and he's willing to die for it. As soon as the rescue teams realize that you're secure, they'll move in. It's only a matter of time." Except they realize they might not have as much time as they think, because they see on the video monitor that Laptop Guy is looking pretty busy outside the door, and the access code number display is starting to beep. Plus two of the six flashing digits have already stopped cycling, with four to go. Horrified, Kiefer realizes they're about to get inside, and says he needs to get into the access panel. As he goes to a floor lamp and unplugs it from the wall, Taylor offers to help, so he asks her for the toolbox. After ripping the power cord off the lamp, he starts unscrewing the panel. Three digits left. Kiefer asks Taylor to plug the cord into the wall, which she does, slowly. Two digits left. Kiefer strikes a few sparks off the two exposed leads in his hands, which should have instantly tripped the circuit breaker and left him feeling pretty stupid, standing there with a pair of dead wires. But he uses the leads to short out the panel's guts with only one digit left, and the numbers go dark. Even better, the door doesn't open automatically as a fail-safe. Of course, there's no telling whether it's ever going to be possible to get that door open again, but that's probably something to worry about under less urgent circumstances.
Outside, Laptop Guy tells Juma that the panel must have been disabled from inside. Hey, remember that old TV show, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century? He was always shooting door panels to make them do what he wanted. Need a door opened? Shoot the door panel. Need a door closed? Shoot the door panel. Need the door to let in only your friends, and then make you an espresso? Shoot the door panel. I don't know why I thought of that just now. Anyway, Juma orders C-4, but Laptop Guy says it will take too long and possibly not even work. "Then we will find another way!" Juma snarls at him threateningly. Suddenly he becomes aware of how his men are looking at him, so he repeats his message in a more inspirational manner. And then he dials his scrambled sat phone.