Episode Report Card Gustave: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT When the chips are down...
By Gustave | Season 2 | Episode 21 | Aired on 04.28.2003
Back at the Trial of David "ten-dollar whore" Palmer, PoorMan'sAlexanderHaig has just gotten off the phone with someone, and announces that the bombers have finished refueling, and therefore they must bomb the Middle East now already, for some reason. Palmer has them wait a few minutes. "This is the difference between peace and war!" says Palmer, waiting for Kiefer's call like one of those pathetic bitches on Sorority Life. Finally, Chappelle calls Palmer and patches him through to Kiefer. Kiefer breaks the bad news to Palmer about the chip being too damaged to prove anything. He does, however, promise to follow up on other leads, like EvilChrisElliott, the man who allegedly is trying to start World War III to raise oil prices. But Palmer needs hard evidence. Kiefer assures him he'll find something. He swears that he is absolutely convinced the Cyprus recording was forged. Palmer tells the cabinet that the evidence will not be forthcoming just now, but will arrive at some time in the future. "When will that be, sir?" asks someone from the floor. "I don't know," says a defeated-looking Palmer. PoorMan'sAlexanderHaig announces that the window for a surprise attack is fast a-closing. PoorMan'sHumeCronyn asks if he can speak to Palmer in private. They walk off together.
"This Kiefer thing is an illusion," says PMHC. "A mirage." He begs Palmer to authorize the attack for the sake of the country. Palmer blows him off and asks that they take a vote already. The first person to cast her vote is the Secretary of Transportation. I have to say that the Secretary of Transportation doesn't really look like a U.S. Presidential cabinet member. She's too retro. She's got on this cute "working woman of the fifties" outfit on, and it just doesn't look right. She looks more like an extra in a Target commercial. She does vote in favor Palmer, however. Meanwhile, as the cabinet casts their votes, PoorMan'sHumeCronyn is tabulating the results on this computer program that looks like the video program you use to keep score in a bowling alley. The Secretary of the Treasury, who looks like Eraserhead, votes against Palmer. The time is 04:49:17 AM.
The time is 04:53:43 AM. Klockwise from the top left, the voting continues, so does that gay scorekeeping by PMHC, Palmer awaits his fate, cabinet members watch the procedure, and Kiefer's in a new Kiefmobile. At CTU, Soul Patch's phone rings. It's Kiefer from the new Kiefmobile, half a block from Hewitt's loft. He asks for Hewitt's FBI file. Soul Patch gives it to him. Apparently, he's a graduate of CalTech and revamped the State Department's entire surveillance system. He was caught manipulating files, and attempted suicide in custody. He was recently released from a psychiatric prison. Kiefer asks if he had any connection to EvilChrisElliott. Soul Patch replies that there is none. Kiefer loads his gun and promises to get back to Soul Patch when he can.