Episode Report Card M. Giant: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Welcome to the TerrorDome
By M. Giant | Season 4 | Episode 6 | Aired on 01.23.2005
The end-of-episode split-screen came a little early this week, because there's a lot going on with the final twist. So much, in fact, that they have to cover it in CTU's conference room. While videoconferencing with some dude from MacGuffin Factories, Driscoll introduces everyone sitting around the table: herself, Curtis, Special Agent Breck, and, of course, Kiefer. Mr. MacGuffin explains that the MotherFucking Briefcase contained an override device that can allow the government to take control over a nuclear power plant in the event of a disaster. It seems the Nuclear Regulatory Commission asked them to come up with it, because the NRC has never heard of terrorists. Kiefer asks if the device can also be used to create a disaster at a nuclear power plant. Mr. MacGuffin allows that it's possible, theoretically. But the plus side is that doing that would require not only the override device, but also so much computing power that the NRC would "see it coming a mile away." Kiefer asks if that would be true even during a period of extremely high internet traffic. For example, if millions of computers all around the world were, e.g., streaming video of, say, a trial of the United States Secretary of Defense. Mr. MacGuffin tries to act like, I suppose theoretically, hypothetically, in the exceedingly unlikely event of…Driscoll asks how many plants the override can control. "All of them," says Mr. MacGuffin. And how many is that? Mr. MacGuffin is starting to look like he's living his recurring nightmare about being in Trump's boardroom when he answers 104. And, meeting's over. They've heard enough. Everyone swings into action. "Thank you, Mr. MacGuffin," Kiefer says. Whether he's thanking him for the briefing or for inventing a device that can melt the country isn't clear, because Kiefer's hitting the door running. You suppose he's going to try to catch the next plane to Sydney?
As TerrorPlots go, I have to say I'm impressed with this one. I didn't see how they could top a rogue nuclear bomb or a highly contagious killer virus, and when I heard about the kidnapping storyline, I figured they wouldn't even try, which I thought was wise. But trying and succeeding is way better than not trying. I approve.
But wait, there's more! During the video conference, the part of the screen not taken up by Mr. MacGuffin's face was occupied an animated schematic of the override device. On a big screen that could be seen through the conference room's glass walls by anyone out on the floor. They really need to make up their mind about how confidential they want knowledge of this thing to be. What if someone outside the room recognized the device on the big giant display? As if to answer, AIIIEEEE!sha gets up from her chair, walks purposefully over to a quiet place on the upper-level catwalk, and makes a call on her cell phone. "They found out about the override," she says. Dun dun DUNNN! Which rhymes with "one." Which is exactly what time it is.