Episode Report Card M. Giant: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Walker Hard
By M. Giant | Season 8 | Episode 4 | Aired on 01.18.2010
. He's dead, at least until the Daleks dig him up again. For whatever reason, Kiefer rips Davros's shirt open, revealing a canvas of tattoos on his chest. They look Russian, with stars and Russian minarets and crap. "Son of a bitch," Kiefer breathes, breaking out his cell phone to record the images for posterity. Or whatever freaky-ass dead tattoo fetish website he's launched since the end of Season Seven.A fresh motorcade delivers Hassan and his guard to the security tunnel entrance at CTU at 7:08:48. Hastings is waiting there for him, and leads him into the bunker, assuring him that his wife and daughter are fine. Hassan asks about his brother, and Hastings is slow to answer. But then he stops walking and seriously says, "It appears your brother was involved with the attack." Hassan is in denial about it and wants to talk to Farhad. Which of course isn't going to happen. Hastings explains, "After the explosion, he killed one of my men to facilitate his own escape. There were witnesses, including your wife and daughter. He is the insider we've been looking for. There's no doubt." Gotta give him credit for such a fast one-eighty. But see what I mean about Farhad's post-assassination plan? It's not like Hassan was the one who busted him; in fact, he was the last to know. Anyway, Chloe pops up next to them to report that Kiefer just called in to say the assassin is dead, and sent them some video to prove it. Before letting him get back to work, Hassan thanks Hastings. "I owe you my life." Hastings nods modestly, and tells Chloe to meet in the conference room. But first, Hassan asks to talk to Meredith Reed. Hastings agrees, and as he and Chloe walk away, he grumbles at her, "I saw that...the way you looked at me when he thanked me for saving his life." Which is weird, because Chloe was behind Hastings when that happened. "You were thinking he should have been thanking you?" With uncharacteristic modesty, Chloe says, "I was actually thinking he should thank Jack, then Cole, then maybe me." Oh, all right: heh. Hastings glares hard at her and circles her dangerously, but what he says to her is rather surprising: "I underestimated you, Chloe. You saw what was really going on and I did not. It was a major save. My report will state that." Which I have to give him credit for, even though he says it all in the same tone he uses when threatening to fire her. Chloe actually smiles a bit and returns to her station at 7:11:02. Now how does this computer work again? she thinks to herself.
Hastings goes over to ask Dana about the images Kiefer just sent, and she obligingly puts close-ups of Davros's dead, pale, bloody chest up on the big screen, like everyone on the floor wants to see that. Talk about creating a hostile work environment. Dana also shows him similar tattoos of the bad guys Kiefer killed in the first hour, and says she thinks they're Russian gang tattoos. Always Johnny-on-the-spot, Dana has already sent them to the FBI, and the FBI has helpfully responded with the name of an agent who went undercover with the Russian mob years ago. Not only has Dana got that agent's folder already in hand, she's already had her picked up by one of CTU's remaining helicopters and the agent is being delivered via airmail right now. But who might this agent be? "Chloe, I think you worked with her," Dana mentions offhandedly. Indeed she did; the folder contains a dossier and photo of none other than Renee Walker. I was wondering when she'd show up again. Although I must confess to some disappointment that it's not Janis Gold. Hastings notices that she's an ex-agent, which he assumes means she was fired and the record was sealed. He wonders why they're calling in someone who clearly has some issues, but Dana insists that Walker is the only person who ever got near the famously secretive Russian mob. Chloe just keeps her troubling thoughts to herself. No point in using up all her new capital with Hastings right away, after all.
Somewhere in town, a fancy restaurant is closed and empty, except for a man in a suit watching a news report on the failed assassination attempt. That man is played by Jürgen Prochnow, the German H!ITG who starred in Das Boot decades ago and has been playing baddie after Euro-baddie ever since. In fact, I couldn't believe he'd never been on this show before until I checked to make sure. He mutes the TV to answer a phone call, which turns out to be from Farhad. "Why is my brother still alive?" Farhad demands. In a Russian accent, Jürgen Prochnow smoothly assures Farhad that it won't matter, "once you have the materials in your possession." He wonders if he needs to find another buyer, but Farhad says he's on his way. "Good," the Russian says cheerfully. "We'll have a nice meal waiting. And we'll talk." Farhad jumps out in front a cab and gets in while the Russian hangs up his phone. It's 7:13:05, and clearly a commitment to client service is part of the corporate culture of this gang. Farhad should appreciate that more.