Episode Report Card M. Giant: B+ | 399 USERS: C+ YOU GRADE IT Nuclear Winner
By M. Giant | Season 6 | Episode 17 | Aired on 2007.04.09
But behind the scenes, Kiefer is already pressuring Buchanan to have Habib call Jamal. Buchanan's doubtful they can pull it off, but he'll do what he can. "We need to involve the President," he says dramatically, like we don't know who that is. It's 10:22:54.
Commercials. The people trying to act like their minivan is some high-performance sport vehicle aren't convincing me of anything except what losers they are.
10:27:23. Looks like Buchanan was as good as his word, as Tom patches him through on the speakerphone in Wayne's office. Buchanan explains to Wayne that they have Fayed, but that he won't take them to the nukes until he speaks to General Habib. Oddly, Buchanan is speaking really loudly and over-enunciating, like he's talking into a speakerphone instead of the mouthpiece of the headset he's wearing. Or maybe he's now part of the contingent who thinks Wayne's mind is going. Wayne echoes Buchanan's earlier doubts about getting Habib to cooperate, but Buchanan says that Kiefer thinks this is the only way. These are, of course, the magic words. You'd think that after three years of running CTU, Buchanan would hope to have enough credibility of his own not to always have to argue, "Kiefer says so. If you don't believe me, believe the loose-cannon, insubordinate, ex-junkie, PTSD sociopath who, technically speaking, hasn't ever worked for me." After learning from Tom that the Mideastian ambassador has just arrived at the Bunker, Wayne agrees to do what he can, and ends the call with Buchanan. Tom advises Wayne that if their little con isn't working, maybe they need to try "more conventional means." Wayne naturally believes Kiefer's assessment of the situation implicitly, so that's how they'll be proceeding. Then, as he's heading out of the room to go meet the ambassador, Wayne nearly collapses. Tom grabs his arm and asks if he's all right. "No, you ass, I just got blown up five and a half hours ago," Wayne doesn't say. He insists he's fine.