Episode Report Card M. Giant: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Diplomessy
By M. Giant | Season 4 | Episode 21 | Aired on 05.08.2005
Bitchelle has just gotten off the phone with the Secretary of State, who has authorized the Consulate Cop to come and grill CTU about the raid. Soul Patch is incredulous, but Buchanan recovers more quickly, probably because he already had this conversation with Kiefer before he was supposed to. He lays it out: the Consulate Cop is going to try to prove CTU was behind the raid, and CTU has to prevent him from doing so. "Finding that nuclear warhead is our number one priority." Buchanan orders the Consulate Cop led to the conference room when he arrives, and for all visible screens to be masked. In this place, wouldn't that be…all of them? How's anybody going to get any fake computer work done? Buchanan leaves them alone in the BitchelleHole.
Soul Patch complains to Bitchelle that they shouldn't be diverting resources from finding the warhead. Bitchelle is still holding out hope that they'll be able to turf the Consulate Cop in a hurry. At the moment, they're staring through the glass wall of the BitchelleHole down at the main floor, where DoDder is busy with her file folders. Bitchelle observes, "If we don't get that information from Lee, DoDder's husband will have died for no reason." Soul Patch wonders what DoDder's even doing at CTU after what happened. Bitchelle figures DoDder's trying to keep busy to keep her mind off of things, with a significant "we're not just talking about DoDder any more" look that Soul Patch totally misses. Soul Patch marvels over how quickly Kiefer's relationship with DoDder has gone south. I guess he's not just talking about DoDder any more either. They turn to each other. "I hate being without you," he says. She emotionally says she didn't want it this way. They stare at each other. Oh, you don't have time to defuse an international incident, but you're willing to "divert resources" for this? Naturally, her desk phone rings before they can divert their tongues into each other's esophagi. It's Curtis, with the news that Consulate Cop has arrived. Wow, he got there a lot more quickly than Kiefer did last week. Must not have had a dying guy in the back of his car. Bitchelle directs Curtis to set Consulate Cop up in the conference room, where Kiefer and Buchanan are waiting for him. Curtis wonders if they shouldn't have Consulate Cop more out of sight, but Bitchelle says they have to "give the impression that we have nothing to hide." Because that in itself won't look at all suspicious in an office dedicated to national security. Curtis agrees, and Bitchelle hangs up so she and Soul Patch can be alone with this big awkward thing that's hanging between them now.
Down on the floor, Curtis greets Consulate Cop and his entourage of one, and leads them to the conference room. He arrives in the room seconds after Kiefer comes in the room through the other door. He's back in the suit he was wearing for the first hour and a half of the season. Buchanan introduces himself to Consulate Cop, and identifies Kiefer as being "from the Department of Defense." Kiefer urbanely offers Consulate Cop a seat. Consulate Cop smilingly says he knows of Kiefer, and that they knew Kiefer was in Los Angeles. Kiefer's not so much a secret agent any more, is he? He asks when Kiefer arrived, and Kiefer says he flew in from Washington with DaD a few days ago. Consulate Cop assumes that DaD must be at CTU, since he hasn't been seen the last eight or so episodes. Kiefer says DaD's at District. Is that different from Division? Consulate Cop wonders why Kiefer isn't with DaD, so Kiefer mentions that "As you know, I used to run this office." Consulate Cop goes in for the kill: "So if there's anyone capable of leading a covert operation under short notice, you would be the ideal candidate." Buchanan starts to jump in, but Kiefer pleasantly says he's got it: "I can assure you that neither CTU nor I had anything to do with the terrible events that took place at your Consulate tonight." He looks the Consulate Cop right in the eye as he's speaking, although he doesn't give his word like he usually does.