Episode Report Card M. Giant: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Spawn to the Rescue!
By M. Giant | Season 7 | Episode 23 | Aired on 05.18.2009
ood. It's in his organs. We'll be able to harvest everything we need from his body. Why do you think I had you put those operatives on Kim Bauer?" Uh, because she was there? And that's what you do when Kim Bauer's around? Honestly, if it hadn't been Tony it would have been someone else. Tony tells the Faux-yer to have a biochemist meet them "at the complex," and they climb in and drive away. It's 6:11:53. Oh, and don't forget to cut those operatives at the airport loose before the whole thing goes pear-shaped, Faux-yer.6:16:14. Ethan and Aaron walk through the White House together as Aaron brings Ethan up to speed on his suspicions about Olivia. He tells Ethan about Hodges's murder (which shocks Ethan, who wasn't even supposed to know that Hodges was alive in the first place, but then maybe he never heard that he was supposed to be dead, either), and the working theory that his itinerary was leaked to The Group. "But I suspect there may be another scenario, and I have reason to believe that Ms. Taylor might be involved," Aaron intones. Ethan pretends to be offended on Olivia's behalf. "Olivia's capable of many things, but I can't believe committing murder is one of them." Aaron continues, explaining about how Olivia told him she wanted Hodges dead. And then she met with Martin Collier, who apparently everyone in the world knows as a bad dude, because time is getting short here. "None of this constitutes proof of complicity," Ethan maintains. Aaron says that's why he needs to get at the recorder inside the Chief of Staff's office. Ethan's a little resistant to the idea, but when Aaron leans on him a bit, Ethan finally nods, and they head into Olivia's office so these two old guys can do some creepy snooping on the cute young chick. Well, I'm sorry, but that's how it comes off.
Inside the room, Ethan goes right to a framed document on the wall and swings it away to reveal an electronic console. He presses his thumb to the sensor, which allows him to open the glass cover over the tape decks. Except that nothing's ever on tape on this show, but you know what I mean.
Olivia's TelePresence interview is wrapping up, and after privately swallowing a mini-freak-out, she leaves the suite. Inside her office, Aaron warns Ethan that she's on her way, and Ethan pulls a memory card out of the deck (what was he doing up until now?) and replaces the framed document. Out in the hallway, Aaron intercepts Olivia. "Let me explain," he says as she opens the door to her office at 6:19:42, but it's too late. "Good morning, Olivia," Ethan pleasantly greets her. He claims to have just come back for some files for his archives. At six in the morning. As you do. Sometimes those archives just can't wait, you know? She clearly isn't buying it, so he calmly hands over the folder he's holding, and she flips through it before rather coldly dismissing him. Aaron tries to follow Ethan out, but she has a bone to pick with him. She starts ranting like the paranoid criminal she is, about people not being allowed in her office. But then she suddenly notices the lit-up console behind the incompletely closed document. Nice going, Ethan. "Ms. Taylor, could I get someone on staff to help you with that?" Aaron asks. As he speaks, Olivia sees some lights on the recorder's sound gauge flicker, which erases any doubt she might have had about what it is she's looking at. Unfortunately for her, she can't get into the console, because apparently the thumbprint sensor didn't get the memo about her being promoted to acting Chief of Staff. So she grabs her desk phone and orders Security to detain Ethan before he leaves the White House. Aaron asks what's going on. "He stole my property, Aaron," Olivia claims, barely keeping her shit together.
Ethan is outside the building at 6:22:05, but before he's clear of the portico, a Secret Service guy and a couple of officers call out and say they've been ordered to detain him. Ethan takes his time deciding to go with them. Which is too bad; it would have been entertaining to see that puffy old dude make a run for it.
The tunnel where Kiefer and Tony left the prisoner van is a full-on crime scene now. Someone's uncuffed Walker, and she's on a walkie-talkie to Janis and Chloe back at HQ. She explains to them that Kiefer busted Tony out to save Spawn. "They have Kim?" Chloe asks, almost remembering to show some vague concern for her former coworker. Janis offers to call down the full fury of the airport police on the operatives, but Walker tells her to hold off, and instead, has Chloe patch her through to Kim's departure gate, which she knows (presumably from the now-dead Franks) is Gate 7. Janis offers to update the White House. But how does Walker know that Spawn is still at the gate, and not locked up some warehouse somewhere? Oh, right, Kiefer said they had a camera on her. That's lucky.