Episode Report Card Niki: C+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Can you say "anticlimactic"?
By Niki | Season 2 | Episode 14 | Aired on 03.06.2001
From the office where he's yanking yet another phone from the wall, Benny glances out the window at all the flashing lights. Huh. There's only like four cars out there, with two more pulling up. So who's making all the noise? "Dammit," Benny sighs. He strides back into the restaurant and paces around, looking flustered again. He rocks from one foot to the other and glances from side to side. Jake tentatively approaches him and says, "Benny, I know this is a mess right now, but I do think it'd be easier if you just let everyone go." Benny says he doesn't know. He starts whining that he doesn't "even know why the police are here. I'm not a bad person. This is not...like I would do something." Jake takes his cue: "Of course not! Of course not, Benny. I know that! But they don't know you. That's why you need to prove to them that you're not going to hurt anybody and let everyone go." He tells Benny to keep him, and they'll work it out. Benny ponders for a second, trying to reconcile it with whatever else is going on in his scary, scary head. Jake kicks it up a notch, pointing out that Benny is holding children hostage. Whoa, pal. "I'm not holding anyone hostage," Benny asserts. "I wouldn't do that!" Clearly. I guess everyone's just misunderstood the gun waving, warning shot, and orders not to leave. Or move, even.
Jake agrees with Benny that he's not holding anyone hostage, and pulls the keys out of his pocket. He walks purposefully toward the door, saying, "Just the kids," as Benny follows, protesting. Jake ignores Benny's orders to stop until Benny finally shouts, "You have to listen to me!" Sigh. Did this kid's parents totally ignore him, or what? Oh, but wait. That's blaming the parents, so never mind. Jake spins around and demands, "What is the matter with you?" Benny answers by aiming his gun at Jake's face and declaring, "Nobody's going!" Jake holds up his hand to placate Benny, inadvertently flashing him the peace sign. "Daddy!" Grace cries. Tiffany stands by a post, looking strangely calm. I say "strangely" because I don't think it was the actress's intention. Benny rips the keys from Jake's hand and backs away, ordering him again to stay away and just let Benny think. Again. Some more. Benny turns off the lights and then settles uneasily to think. Jake sinks to the floor, weary. In the background, a few people start crying. I'm guessing it's because they're sick of hearing Benny's tired, tired dialogue.
After commercials, it's dark outside, so I guess the hostage thing has been going on for a long time. And it took Lily all day to drive from Manning Manor to the restaurant. Lily rushes up to a cop, closely followed by Rick. She's frantically asking to be let through the barricade because it's her family's restaurant and she needs to know if her daughter is inside. A high-ranking cop overhears and calls out that it's okay to let her through. The man introduces himself as "Captain Patterson," and they shake hands. He says he believes Lily's daughter is still inside. Lily reels from the news. The captain introduces her to a hostage negotiator, who tells her that it's a difficult situation and their first priority is everyone's safety. I didn't catch this cop's name, but Captain Obvious seems somehow appropriate. Lily asks if her daughter is okay. The negotiator tells Lily that as far as they know, everyone inside is fine, and she asks about Jake's temperament -- whether he remains cool in stressful situations. Lily says he does, and that he's always been good in emergencies.
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