Episode Report Card M. Giant: C | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Husbands And Wives
By M. Giant | Season 6 | Episode 13 | Aired on 03.11.2007
At 6:10:37, Doyle is out on the CTU floor, haranguing the analysts who are trying to put together his mission profile. He brusquely orders Chloe to switch him from teams of five to teams of three, and then asks Morris about the estimated numbers for the Consulate's defenses. Morris is still sorting, but Doyle wants the numbers now. Morris: "Oh, I see, this is about whether it takes eight seconds or ten seconds? There are your numbers, sorted three ways. Pick one." Doyle picks the previously unmentioned Option #4, which is to clamp a hand on Morris's chest and push him back in his chair. Surprisingly, Morris doesn't scream in pain at having the drill-hole in his back reopened, which I suspect would at least take some of the wind out of Doyle's sails. "Do I have your attention?" Doyle says to the room at large. "Because I only want to do this once." Suuure he does. He releases Morris and goes into a whole clichéd speech about how he's about to lead some guys into danger, plus there are those three nukes, like everyone here isn't on the thirteenth hour of the day's shift: "So if anyone has a problem taking orders from me without giving me lip, tell me now and I will have you reassigned." Mike, I hate you. Let me recap Doctor Who. No? Shit, that totally didn't work. Oh well, Jacob's better at it anyway. Nobody else speaks up, and Doyle starts to walk off, without even looking at Morris's triple-sorted numbers. Milo pulls Doyle aside and asks him to keep his hands off Milo's people; he'd rather Doyle come to him if he has a problem. Doyle grumpily agrees, and tells Milo to have his people download everything to Doyle's screen. Milo then goes to Morris, who is busy calming down, and asks if he's okay. "The shirt's a blend, it doesn't wrinkle," Morris cracks, but he tells Milo he's all right. "I thought I was a pain in the ass," Milo mutters. Hey, nobody said you weren't.
In the White House Bunker, Lisa and Tom enter the Battle Bridge, escorted by several guards and Secret Service agents. The Veep greets Tom and dismisses the agents. He asks whether Tom has thought any more about their earlier conversation. I did, and I just got more confused, so I stopped. Tom says he's decided to "look the other way regarding details of the assassination plot, to a point." Which means that eventually the truth has to come out, and Chad Lowe and Carson have to be punished. The Veep assures Tom that they will be, but for now he's just trying to keep the country united. By lying to it. And to others, for that matter. Specifically, the Veep now wants Tom to tell the ambassador of Mideastia that he saw Assad plant the bomb. And if Tom wasn't cool with standing aside while Assad took the fall, he's even less cool with going on record and actively lying to an ambassador. The Veep comes around his desk and hulks over Tom, rumbling that he needs Tom to cooperate. Tom starts to say he'd like to, and the Veep cuts him off, snapping, "I'm still talkin'!" He says that, on the bright side, Wayne survived, neither of them had anything to do with the attempt on his life, and best of all, now they have the chance to Jail All Muslims like they always wanted. "Can you just put aside your distaste for my methods for one minute and think about the great gift that's been given to us?" the Veep wheedles. Tom finally nods his agreement. Ask Chad Lowe how binding those nods sometimes turn out to be, Mr. Vice President. But the Veep claps Tom on the shoulder and sends Lisa out to summon the ambassador, and to tell the Department of Justice that Tom's been cleared of any wrongdoing. Just like that. While she's at it, maybe she should tell the Federal Reserve that the prime rate has been raised a half a point and tell the FAA that Air Force Two has been armed with missiles. After Lisa leaves, Tom asks what the Veep's plan is. The Veep says that his plan is to hold Mideastia responsible for everything, from the nuke to the assassination attempt. He plans to motivate them to help find the terrorists by threatening a nuclear retaliation if they don't. Tom looks like he really wants to take his agreement back now. It's 6:15:55. Do you know where your Secretary of State is?