Episode Report Card M. Giant: B+ | 1 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT Manning Down
By M. Giant | Season 6 | Episode 4 | Aired on 01.14.2007
Nadia calls Buchanan to tell him that she just heard Ahmed died en route to the hospital. Buchanan looks sad for some reason. Thanks for wrapping that up, show, but nobody cares at this point.
In the wake of all this drama, I almost forgot that something else big is about to happen. In Valencia, a small army of heavily armed CTU agents is moving into position around Fayed's conveniently windowless HQ. It's 9:56:55 when Chloe tells Buchanan that the TAC team is ready. Buchanan tells her to be sure that the White House has the feed, and we see Wayne standing expectantly with his staff in the Oval Office. The live video feed from some agent's helmet-cam comes through to the big screens in both the Oval Office and the CTU Situation Room. For several long moments, the only dialogue is agents quietly talking to one another in the field. Before you know it, they're in the outer area of the warehouse; now that the guards out there have already caught Dad, they seem to have decided to take the rest of the morning off. Oh, wait -- there are about three of the guards still there, but the CTU agents kill them quickly and quietly. Maybe they should have been watching the actual door. From their respective offices, everyone watches the agents' continued progress.
In Fayed's back room, where Numair is still working on the nuke, one of the minions notices some suspicious movement in the outer area. Numair says that he'll be finished as soon as he reconnects the fuse. The nuke has a fuse? I hope it's a really long one. The CTU agents keep moving forward, still monitored from the safety of CTU and the Oval Office. But they've gotten close enough for Fayed's minion to be sure they aren't on his side, and he sounds the alarm. But it might be too late. Numair has finished -- he can detonate now if he wants. Off to the side, handcuffed to a pipe, Dad watches this scene with growing horror. Finally, the CTU agents get within firing range and start shooting. Fayed's guys shoot back while Numair and Dad dive for what little cover exists. The open suitcase nuke is totally visible on the video feed, but there's too much shooting for anyone watching to comment on it. Over the noise of the gunshots, Fayed's tech-support guy tells Numair, "Do it now!" Numair braves the flying bullets and gets his hand on a toggle switch. "Nooooooooo!" screams Dad. Numair flips the switch, and the entire screen goes white. Boom. See if Dad ever cooperates with a terrorist again.
About sixteen miles to the south, Kiefer's still fetal on the ground when he senses heat and light hitting the top of his head (the boom should be arriving shortly) and looks up with horror into a second sunrise. Like his day hasn't been bad enough, now he's going to be blind.