Episode Report Card M. Giant: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Finger Pointing
By M. Giant | Season 8 | Episode 2 | Aired on 01.17.2010
As she's led off, Kiefer catches up with Hastings to say that she might be telling the truth. He shows Hastings Chloe's traffic-cam photos of Toombs leaving Reed's apartment, while Chloe watches pathetically through the glass wall of the conference room above. Hastings isn't impressed, and when Kiefer says it wouldn't hurt to send a couple of agents over to check it out, he refuses. "I can't waste valuable resources because Chloe O'Brian has a theory," he says dismissively. Kiefer is suddenly really starting to not like this guy, which is weird, because I consider Hastings' disdain for Chloe his finest quality. Kiefer presses, "Trust me, she's someone you might want to listen to. She's very good at what she does. And if she's right, the assassin's got you looking in the wrong place and you will get bit." Hastings blows Kiefer off and walks away. "I hate this place," Kiefer whispers to himself. Heh. Then he has to go back over to a rather disappointed Chloe, who still wants his help and is willing to pout and whine at Kiefer to make it happen. "Chloe, I did what you asked," he grumps, handing her folder back. He repeats that it's not his problem, and nor is it Chloe's any more. Chloe asks if any of this matters to him in the larger scheme of things. "What if Hastings knows something you don't?" he snaps at her. Looking into her kicked-puppy face, he apologizes and says Spawn's waiting for him and he has to go. Chloe calls him back. "You've come to me for help many times. And I've never let you down. You've asked me to do crazy things! And I've always taken your side. Please, help me. I can't do this by myself." And how does Kiefer respond to Chloe calling in all the favors she's done for him over the years? He says he can't. "Not this time. Not me." Sorry, dude, you still have this last year on your contract. Better spend it training FPJ in real good.
Kiefer exits out to the security tunnel at 5:34:39, to find the whole damn Spawn family there. Hubby Steven sets Teri down on the pavement and she rushes over to him excitedly, saying, "Look what I made!" He scoops her up so she can show him her stick-figure crayon drawing of herself, her parents, and her grampa, looking like a family of demented rutabagas. Kiefer lies that it's beautiful, and Spawn softly tells him, "Dad, we need to talk." Uh-oh, here it comes. Kiefer sends Teri scampering back to her dad, who's apparently the designated car-seat-bitch for this entire New York visit. Spawn says she called Chloe because Kiefer wouldn't tell her what was going on. Kiefer quickly explains to Spawn how he tried to help Chloe, but Hastings remains convinced he's got the right suspect. "But if he's wrong, then there's still someone inside the U.N. who's working with this assassin," Spawn points out. "That's what Chloe thinks," Kiefer admits. Spawn asks what he thinks, and for the third time, he thinks it's not his problem. And Spawn calls him on it. "I've never known you to walk away from something like this. If you have to stay, it's all right. You're not letting me down. I understand." They both want him to go to L.A., but Spawn realizes, "If something terrible happens, and you could have done something to stop it, I don't think you'd be able to live with yourself." Aw, look at that -- daddy's little moron is all grown up. Kiefer looks up at Chloe, still staring guilt-rays at him through the glass from inside CTU, and promises to be on a plane to L.A. as soon as he's done here. She tells him to be careful and they hug, and he starts to go over to tell Teri. Spawn says she'll handle it, and sends him on back inside. But it's left to hubby Steven to tell Teri that Grampa's not coming today. "But soon, okay? Let's go," Spawn rather shortly tells her disappointed child. Good thing she handled that; I don't think Kiefer would have been able to let her down that easy, do you?