Episode Report Card M. Giant: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT The Plot Quickens
By M. Giant | Season 5 | Episode 11 | Aired on 03.05.2006
She: Honey, start packing! I just won the lottery!
He: Really? Where are we going? The beach? The mountains?
She: I don't care, just get the hell out!
Sadly, that doesn't happen here. Henderson quickly realizes from the expression on his wife's face that something's wrong, but before he can do more than register this, Kiefer hops out behind him and pistol-whips him to the floor. It's 5:53:46 as Kiefer forces Henderson at gunpoint to get on his knees, handcuff himself behind his back, and join his wife on the sofa. Kiefer demands to know where the nerve gas is, and doesn't put up with too much of Henderson's denials before he presses the muzzle of his gun right up against Henderson's knee. Henderson awesomely says, "That's right, Jack. Start with the knee, just like I taught you. The sooner you do it, the sooner you'll see I don't know what you're talking about!" Kiefer moves the gun to Henderson's neck and tells him about the gas at the hospital. "People are going to start dying!" he roars. "Start"? Henderson's still not talking, and Miriam begs Kiefer to leave her husband alone, since he obviously doesn't know anything. Kiefer's eyes light on the briefcase Henderson carried in, which he dropped when Kiefer poleaxed him. Kiefer carries it over to the coffee table, sweeping aside the chessboard that's set up there. It's kind of an unconscious symbol of the amount of finesse that's usually involved in a Kiefer investigation.
Kiefer makes Miriam unlock the case, and he turns it back towards himself before opening it. Surprisingly, it fails to blow up in his face. Oh, Henderson, you had so much potential. Kiefer sets aside the gun that's inside and picks up the case, dumping out the bundles of cash packed tightly within. Errand, remember? Miriam is genuinely shocked and confused at the sight, so now we know she wasn't in on it. Henderson just stares bustedly at Kiefer as his wife asks him what's going on. He can't exactly plead ignorance any more, so he just says he's been trying to protect her -- and his country. Unimpressed, Kiefer puts his gun against Henderson's knee again. Equally unimpressed, Henderson dares him to do it. Kiefer realizes that he's going to have to do something unexpected in order to get to the guy who taught him everything he knows about torture -- so he turns the gun aside and puts a round through Miriam's leg. Weren't expecting that, were you, Henderson? She screams, clutching her bloody thigh and her ruined slacks. Henderson reacts in shock and horror, and those of us with adolescent memories of seeing JoBeth Williams run around at the end of Poltergeist with no pants on kind of have to agree. Henderson and Kiefer scream at each other. Kiefer says he shot Miriam above the knee, but if Henderson makes him shoot her again, she'll be in a wheelchair permanently. Henderson's side of the conversation consists largely of curses. Crying, Miriam begs Henderson to tell Kiefer everything, but he sadly tells her he can't. "Forgive me," he begs. Yeah, good luck with that.