Episode Report Card M. Giant: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Management Issues
By M. Giant | Season 7 | Episode 9 | Aired on 02.16.2009
After Janis watches Moss walk out of the conference room, Erica saunters up to her desk, conveniently recognizing Chloe from a seminar and wondering what she's doing here. Janis relays Moss's cover story, and Erica's mildly surprised. "Doesn't sound like her area of expertise." Detecting security breaches? Yes, Chloe's ignorance on that score is embarrassing. Erica adds, "Besides, as far as I know she's been inactive since CTU was decommissioned." Erica wanders off, having done nothing to assuage Janis's curiosity. You know what I'm curious about? What happens at a seminar given by Chloe. "Let's all start by going around the room and introducing ourselves. Just give us your name, where you work, and your most disdainful facial expression."
At 4:21:16, Dubaku walks into a busy hotel lobby. As you do, when you're the most wanted man in America. Or at least the most wanted man in the Oval Office, since nobody seems to have gotten around to putting out any kind of APB on the dude. Dubaku sits across a table from Burnett, who slides a small manila envelope over to him. He says a plane will be ready to leave Taft Airfield for the Cayman Islands within a half hour. Dubaku asks for a car and a driver for Marika, which apparently wasn't part of the deal. "I'm not sure I can find someone I trust on such short notice," Burnett says. "Really," Dubaku says skeptically, and proceeds to pick out all the shifty-looking people around the lobby who are currently watching them. Burnett's people, of course. "I know you people see me as a liability now," Dubaku says. Burnett says they're all there to protect Dubaku, but Dubaku's not buying it. He tells Burnett to relay a message to whomever he works for: "If anything should happen to me on my way out of the country, an accident or an assassination attempt, anything. The plane that you were so generous to donate decides to explode? A data file with all the names and bank transactions of those involved will be sent to the Justice Department." Wow, how much would Kiefer love to get a hold of that file? Burnett claims that's totally unnecessary, with enough vehemence to let everyone know that getting rid of Dubaku is precisely what the plan was. Dubaku says the same applies to Marika, who, he assures Burnett, knows nothing. "Make sure your driver knows this before he brings her to me." He makes sure Burnett understands, and gloats. "The one thing I have learned in the company of mercenaries, Mr. Burnett, is that ultimately they care about nothing but their own survival. Good day." And then he leaves without remembering to add, "I said good day!"