Episode Report Card Erin: A | 211 USERS: B- YOU GRADE IT The bitch is back.
By Erin | Season 4 | Episode 21 | Aired on 2005.05.18
By the time Syd and Nadia reach the actual camp, it's nighttime and they've shut off their engine and are rowing the boat ashore and there's no Michael anywhere in sight. "Kumbaya," anyone? Syd tells Jack they've reached the perimeter and he tells them to proceed. He watches them on the thermal map and is able to warn them when there's an incoming guard. They duck just in time and Jack tells them they're clear. He guides them to a small clearing and past a bonfire. No guards anywhere around. They make it to a spot where Jack says she's supposed to be, but Irina's not there. Jack tells Syd that she's standing right next to her. Nope. Nada. Nothing. Syd starts immediately and uncharacteristically panicking. Nadia, calmer, just…trips over something and boom! They've found Irina. They shove a bunch of leaves out of the way and discover a metal tank lid with air holes. Syd easily picks the lock on top and they open the lid. The darkness is thick but Nadia's flashlight finally finds its target. There, in the bottom of the pit, is Irina, her hands over her face, her body filthy. She looks up and gasps and her face looks scared for the first time I've ever seen on this show. "Mom?" says Syd, echoing the final moment of Season One. Niiiiiice.
By the way, we're thirty-three minutes into this second episode and, even though we ALL talked about how AWESOME this ep was because of Lena Olin, so far, she's only been in less than five minutes of it. You can either say that she's so fucking cool that she makes five minutes seem like an eternity, or you can say that we all wanted her back so much that we made a small contribution into a GARGANTUAN one. Take your pick.
Syd leaps down into the pit and tries to talk to her mother. Irina looks like she doesn't trust her own eyes. "S--Syd?" she begins. "You're gonna be okay," says Syd, cutting her mother free of her bindings. "Sydney?" says Irina, her eyes filling with tears. Sydney's crying now too. Irina reaches out and touches her face. "I…knew you'd come," she whispers. Aw. Nadia reaches down and takes her mother's hand, bringing her to the surface. Irina's wrists are bloody and torn. The girls take their mother to the boat. Before they can reach it, however, they accidentally trip a wire and announce their presence to the guards. The girls and Spy Mommy haul ass as the guards run after them. Suddenly, Syd's ankle is caught in a trap and she's whipped up into the trees, hanging upside down. Irina calls for Syd's knife, but Syd can't reach it. Nadia tosses over hers and heads off to delay the guards.