Episode Report Card M. Giant: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Who Rescues the Rescuer?
By M. Giant | Season 5 | Episode 3 | Aired on 01.15.2006
Outside, the airport fire trucks are pulling up as McLaren's cell phone rings. It's Bald Guy 2.0 (whom the closed captioning now identifies as "Beresch") calling to tell the cops that his guys are all wearing explosive vests, and they're prepared to blow up themselves and the hostages. Just to illustrate, he states, "If you make any efforts to enter the terminal, you will spend the rest of the day collecting body parts." Beresch hangs up before McLaren can sneer that he's off-duty in fifteen minutes. Not really. McLaren gives some more orders to his guys: set up a security perimeter, move the fire trucks out of the way, and bring Diane to him right now. He's going to regret that decision. Especially if I have anything to say about it.
Back in the luggage area, Kiefer climbs up a set of shelves, moves aside an acoustic tile overhead, and disappears into the ceiling, man-purse and all.
It's 9:06:10 at CTU. Audrey climbs the steps to Buchanan's office (formerly and variously known as the KieferKube, the DrisCube, and the BitchelleHole, when I might as well just call it the Hot Potato Room), and they agree that they should lower their people's respective alert levels now that the Russian president has arrived safely at Not Camp David. Buchanan also reveals that Curtis did indeed find the bodies of Jeff Kober and crew at the refinery. Audrey thinks that means the rest of Chloe's story might be true, but Buchanan isn't ready to assume too much in regard to Kiefer's innocence. Right then his desk phone rings, and an operator tells him Kiefer's on the line. Well, speak of the devil. Buchanan pointedly picks up his handset and tells the operator to put him through. Audrey asks Buchanan to put the call on speakerphone, and Buchanan reluctantly complies. When Kiefer's voice comes through, he's all business: "Bill, I'm inside Ontario Airport. Gunmen have just attacked and taken over Terminal One. They have automatic weapons and they have hostages." This is the first Buchanan's heard of it. While he's getting Kiefer to explain what he's doing at the airport in the first place, Spencer comes into Buchanan's office with news of the attack at the airport. Way to be on the ball, there, Spence. While Buchanan is telling Spencer to have all tactical teams and Curtis sent to the airport, Kiefer -- who's positioned unseen behind a grate overlooking the terminal concourse -- uses his camera phone to take photos of the hostage-takers. Buchanan then tells Kiefer to get out of the airport, turn himself in, and let CTU handle it. "Understand this, Bill," Kiefer says. "I don't work for you." Well, yeah, that sounds tough and all, but that's pretty much what Buchanan just said. That line makes Kiefer sound like Ben Stiller in Dodgeball. Kiefer's point is that Buchanan needs his intel, which means they're going to have to handle things Kiefer's way. Kiefer sends over his camera phone photos of the bad guys so CTU can identify them. Buchanan agrees, and says he's sending a schematic of the terminal to Kiefer's phone. Before wrapping up the call, Kiefer tells Buchanan that he's sent Diane and Derek Huxley to CTU. Buchanan asks who they are. Kiefer says, "I don't have time to explain" -- we see Audrey's face looking interested -- "but I'm responsible for them." Buchanan promises to take care of the Huxleys. End of call. Buchanan tells Audrey to alert President Logan. At 9:08:44, Kiefer looks around his hidey-hole and finds a ladder that he hopes will lead to a better vantage point. He and his man-purse are on the move.