Episode Report Card M. Giant: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Down with the Sickness
By M. Giant | Season 7 | Episode 17 | Aired on 04.06.2009
Out in the hall, at 12:53:52, she answers the call that turns out to be from her mother, just now coming out of the basement elevator on her way to the Situation Room and wondering where the hell Olivia is. Olivia says she had to "run interference with a reporter." So that's what the kids are calling it these days. Taylor says she needs Olivia there for the air strike, and Olivia promises to be there in five minutes. She and Aaron get on the elevator, and he gives her this awesome, weary look, like, "Can I please quit now?"
Taylor enters the Sit Room, where Admiral Smith says the planes, loaded with bunker-buster bombs, will be in position in seven minutes. He adds that the white phosphorus charges, which burn at 5,000 degrees, should incinerate the pathogen handily and prevent it from getting out. So extreme heat can destroy it? Let's try giving Kiefer some really hot coffee, then. But make it decaf, or he'll be up all night.
Hodges enters that command center, and gets confirmation that the weapons are loaded and there's a call in to the president right now. "It's an historic day, gentlemen," he says to Seaton and Tom the tech. "Great day for Starkwood." Seeing Seaton glancing down at his blood-spattered shirt, Hodges adds with an unhinged smile, "Too bad Mr. Knowles can't be joining us." Seaton looks sick some more. Hodges smirks up at the red-and-white missiles waiting in a rack, pointing upward. We can debate whether Jonas Hodges is or is not a cartoon villain, but as for those rockets? With their pointy fins and belled-out flanks, they might as well be stamped on the side with the letters ACME WMD's.
Two fighter planes are in the air over D.C, and Admiral Smith is monitoring their progress on a Sit Room phone while everyone else sits around and watches a tactical display on the big screen. Smith tells Taylor that there's a "phased array radar" at Starkwood. Which means? "They know we're coming," he explains. Why couldn't he say that to begin with? The good news is that there doesn't look to be any kind of antiaircraft threat, so there's not much Starkwood can do about it. Right? Well actually, Tim suddenly says that there's a phone call for Taylor from Jonas Hodges himself. Taylor tells Tim to put him on speaker, but Tim says that Hodges has not only requested a private conversation, but set up a proprietary line in the ops room. "How did he mange that?" Taylor asks. "I have no idea," Tim admits. After a long pause, to give us plenty of time to wonder about not only that question but what exactly a proprietary line is, Tim and Taylor cross the back hallway at 12:56:36 so Taylor can take the call in what looks like a cramped little server room.