Episode Report Card M. Giant: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Crushed Velvet
By M. Giant | Season 6 | Episode 1 | Aired on 01.13.2007
After delivering this dose of tough love without the love, Tom exits the Oval Office to find that Karen has been lying in wait for him. She confronts him with the rumor that he's authorized the National Guard to set up detention centers at convention centers in Detroit, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles (cities with high Muslim populations all, she doesn't add). Tom shrugs, confirms that he did, and starts to head off, but she points out that that contradicts Wayne's order from earlier. Tom condescendingly agrees to this as well, and makes to escape again, but Karen's not letting it drop. Tom claims that he's not actually implementing anything -- just "positioning" in order to be ready when Wayne inevitably changes his mind. Karen continues hounding him: "In plain English, you're second-guessing the President." Uh, yeah, Karen. That's what happens on this show. Try to keep up. Tom weasels, "Plain English does not allow for the nuances that my job requires, Karen." She makes the mistake of turning it into a policy debate instead of pursuing the issue of Tom's insubordination, saying that she worries about innocent people getting rounded up. He bitches, "Like I said before, security has its price. Just get used to it, Karen." He ducks into his office, squinting in annoyance at the fact that his office doesn't have direct connection to the Oval Office like Leo McGarry's always did so that he can avoid conversations like this.
It's 6:28:37 when Kiefer, Curtis, and Buchanan arrive at the drop point, which appears to be a dry concrete drainage ditch somewhere. Buchanan gets a call from Fayed, a bald, swarthy guy whose jaw and cheekbones are so prominent he almost looks like a talking skull. Sitting in the shotgun seat of a red van parked out of sight nearby, Fayed and his non-specific accent instruct Buchanan to handcuff Kiefer to the metal grate covering the nearest pipe opening. Buchanan wants Assad's location first, but Fayed isn't in the mood to talk, and would rather watch Buchanan do what he says on a handheld device that's giving him a live video feed of the drop point. "I'm watching you," Fayed warns, and hangs up. Buchanan tells Kiefer what Fayed wants him to do. "Do it," Kiefer says calmly, and walks over to the grate so that Buchanan can follow instructions. At least the grate is at Kiefer's eye level, so Kiefer can stand up straight. Making him squat on the pavement would just be mean. Buchanan shackles Kiefer to the grate, but then doesn't seem to know how to say goodbye. Kiefer turns and looks him in the eye, giving him a little speech about the difference between dying for something and dying for nothing. He says that the only thing keeping him alive in China was his wish to avoid the latter: "Today I can die for something. My way, my choice. To be honest with you, it'll be a relief." Buchanan says he's sorry, and clasps Kiefer on the shoulder before walking off. No love from Curtis, I'm afraid. Despite his brave words, Kiefer looks sad, but then makes a resolved face and waits. It's 6:32:52.