Episode Report Card M. Giant: A | 251 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT Two Can Play at That Game
By M. Giant | Season 7 | Episode 1 | Aired on 2009.01.11
Kiefer waits nervously inside Walker's office at 8:11:55, and when she walks in, he softly demands, "What do you want?" What the hell is up with him? He's acting like a small, frightened animal that gets vicious when cornered. Or he just left what little social skills he had back in Sangala. Rather than wasting time being offended by his brusqueness, Walker gets right to the point, telling him they need his help with a national security issue. She invites him to sit down. Of course, he doesn't move.
Moss is watching this awkward interaction from a distance through Walker's window when Janis comes up, all crushy, and tells her she did some work tasks and asks if there's anything else he needs. He distractedly tells her no. "Has Bauer been indicted yet?" she asks. Moss tells her not yet, but it's only a matter of time. Failing a presidential pardon of some sort, and what are the chances of that? Kiefer would have to pull off something pretty impressive in the next 24 hours or so.
Walker is explaining to Kiefer about the danger that could ensue were the national firewall to be breached, and he condescendingly reminds her, "I'm not active." So? Never stopped him before. He adds, "The DOJ is about to file criminal charges against me. I'm not exactly in a position to help you with your situation." Walker interrupts him with a news flash: "One of the men behind this threat is someone you know." She goes around to her monitor to pull up an image, which takes its sweet, dramatic time resolving into the face of none other than Tony Almeida. Now Kiefer sits down. "That's not possible," he murmurs. "Tony Almeida is dead." "Apparently not," Walker retorts. Kiefer tells Walker that he was there when Tony died. He even made a really weird face and everything. "And he was rushed away by the EMTs a minute later," Walker says. "You never saw him after that. And hours later, you were abducted by the Chinese government. Plus, there was no silent clock. QED." Except for the last part. Kiefer is still in denial, saying that Tony would have contacted him if he were still alive. Walker tells him the image he's looking at is security camera footage from the site of one of the technology thefts, time-stamped and dated. Sloppy, Tony. Still, Kiefer is about to walk out, until Walker calls after him, "I had Almeida's grave exhumed." The DNA proved it wasn't him. Then who was it? "The evidence is right here. If you want to leave without looking at it, go ahead." We all know that's not about to happen, so Kiefer slumps back into Walker's guest chair. This must be such a drag for him, when he'd probably much rather be having pissing matches with senators in front of news cameras.