Episode Report Card Kim: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Taken
By Kim | Season 3 | Episode 16 | Aired on 03.20.2004
Cut to a phalanx of police cars approaching the plane. My husband wonders if it's possible for a plane of that size to land on sand. I tell him to have a drink. Syd and Weiss pull up, and Weiss walks strangely to the plane. It's like he's overswinging his arms or something. Weiss gets a message that the plane is secure, and no one has entered or exited since it landed. A fireman helps Syd and Weiss into the plane. Syd walks into the cabin, gun drawn, and finds the security guards frozen solid, with bullet wounds to the head. They are definitely dead. The oxygen masks have also descended. Weiss bursts into the cabin, which I thought would be a lot harder in today's world. The pilot and co-pilot are also frozen solid, with bullet holes in their foreheads. The inside of the plane's windows are iced over as well. Syd heads toward the back of the plane. She gets to Sark's row, and finds an empty strait jacket. She states the obvious to Weiss: "Sark's gone." Again, are they really surprised about this?
Oops Center, where Vaughn is trying to explain this big oops to Jack. Vaughn says that the plane landed on autopilot, and Sark and one of the armed guards are missing. Jack adds that they have to assume that Sark and his accomplice made it out alive, and all the frozen bodies indicate that Sark parachuted out at high altitude, which made the cabin depressurize. Vaughn says that Marshall is pulling satellite feeds to narrow the search area, and Jack tells Vaughn to put together a team and be ready to go as soon as Marshall has the information. Jack is so hot when he's ordering people around. Did I say that out loud? Dixon walks up to Jack, who says that Syd and Weiss are on the way back with the flight recorders. Dixon totally doesn't care, because his kids didn't show up at school, they're not answering their cell phones, and calls to family, friends, neighbors, and police haven't been fruitful. Dixon's cell phone rings, and relief washes over his face as he tells Jack that it's Robin. Dixon answers the phone, "Where have you been?" and Sark's voice says that they have Dixon's children, and they're safe, and they will remain so as long as Dixon meets the Covenant's demands. A tense violin screams us out of the scene.
Jack gives a lovely multimedia presentation about Dixon's missing children while Dixon just sits there, looking stunned. Jack informs the group that Sark is asking for the release of five Covenant operatives within forty-eight hours. Vaughn points out that different governments are holding the operatives, and Lauren adds that even if they could coordinate their release, it would take days or weeks. Dixon looks like he's going to puke. I would think he would recuse himself from the decision-making here. Syd insists forcefully that they start working on securing the children's release immediately. Senator Reed says that negotiating with terrorists sets a dangerous precedent. Syd retorts that it would be a dangerous precedent if they didn't do everything they can to protect the children. Senator Reed points out that once they find out it works, terrorists might start kidnapping family members of intelligence officers more regularly. Syd says that this isn't a hypothetical family. Senator Reed starts giving a speech about "these hostages," and Dixon speaks for the first time in the scene to remind him that "these hostages" are named Stephen and Robin. Lauren stares at Dixon, perhaps looking a bit chastened. Senator Reed says more quietly that he's only suggesting that they look into alternatives. Dixon has had enough, and he says tersely, "Anyone else?" Vaughn says that Marshall is analyzing the flight recorder for leads. Syd carefully suggests that they open negotiations with the various governments. Jack adds that whether or not it works, they can use the lengthy negotiations to buy time and make the Covenant believe they are "proceeding in good faith." Dixon announces with finality that the negotiations will proceed. He adds that Sark was able to escape because he had information from their office, and he wants the leak identified. And believe me when I say that Dixon's tone indicates that he really, really wants the leak identified. Lauren goes, "Gulp."