Episode Report Card M. Giant: C+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Mole Patch
By M. Giant | Season 3 | Episode 20 | Aired on 04.26.2004
It's 8:19:42, and Saunders apparently agrees. Fauxbayashi confirms that the list of agents has not been supplied. Now here's what I don't get: how hard would it have been for Palmer to put up a dummy list of fake names just to make Saunders think he had complied? I know things move fast on this show, and Saunders would have realized he'd been had sooner rather than later, but Palmer probably could have bought himself the fifteen minutes they need to trace Saunders's location. But no, they take the high road, so Saunders gets right on the phone and gives the order: "Release San Francisco." Right at that moment, his SpawndersPhone rings and he rescinds the order, telling the henchman on the other line that he'll call right back. Before he answers the SpawndersPhone, he orders Fauxbayashi to trace the call. He picks up. Spawnders, on the other end, whines quite convincingly about being scared of everything that's going on. Saunders makes that face we've seen Kiefer make so many times while on the phone with his own daughter. One's children can be so inconvenient when one is trying to [save/destroy] the world. Fauxbayashi breaks in with the news that someone is monitoring the call, and Saunders puts his daughter on hold to confirm it. It only takes him a few seconds to realize that "they've got her." Meanwhile, Forrester in turn announces that their trace is being traced. So much intrigue! Does Saunders know that they know that he knows? Before we can pursue this any further, Saunders gets back on the line and tells Spawnders to hand the phone to Kiefer. Yes, Saunders. You're very clever. You're the cleverest boy in the world. Of course, his request seems redundant since Kiefer's already listening in on a headset. But Spawnders gives him the phone, and Saunders throws off some threat action: "You know how many vials I have and what I'm capable of." Kiefer looks significantly at Spawnders and says quietly, "You know what I'm capable of too." Look as significant as you want, Kiefer, but the only one who can see you right now is the one whose cooperation you need. Saunders disconnects. The call ran ninety seconds.
Back at CTU, Soul Patch has Adam the Woman Hater and Potato Face scrambling to trace the signal. After a few seconds of rapid typing and furious monitor-scowling, they have a lock. What happened to fifteen minutes? And shouldn't somebody update the president? Kiefer orders the coordinates sent to his helicopter and Spawnders brought back to CTU. Obviously, Spawnders's importance cannot be overestimated right now; she represents the only leverage they've got against the man who holds millions of lives in his hands. So Kiefer wants her fully protected. And thus he is sending Spawn with her. Oh, brother. It's 8:22:44.