Episode Report Card Erin: A+ | 2 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT Say goodbye to reality, Uncle Arvin.
By Erin | Season 4 | Episode 16 | Aired on 04.19.2005
At the Department of Special Research, Sloane signs a red paper and gains access to the secret store of Rambaldi artifacts buried deep down in the desert. Dix accompanies him, watching him warily the entire time. As they walk through the room, Sloane's breathing and demeanor totally change. As do mine, because, well, every Rambaldi artifact from the beginning of this damn show makes an appearance and I just think it's wicked cool that the creators basically threw the long-time viewers a bone here. As the Strings of Watch Him Go Batshit trill across the soundtrack, we come across the huge page with Sydney's visage on it. Arvin stops and puts his hand on a book with the big Rambaldi <0> on it.
Ovary Electric. Syd and Nadia are enjoying a nice spot of tea while Syd tries to apologize for doubting Sloane's innocence. Nadia's far too understanding of Syd's negativity. Syd then falls ass-backwards into a confession that she basically forced Sloane to go back to Rambaldi. Nadia's all, uh, WHAT? Syd's all, what, I thought you knew. Nadia's all, uh, NO. She goes on to say that back in Siena, the closer they got to finding the artifact that Sloane sought, the batshit crazier he became. She says that he became a different man and that his eyes were mad, lost. Yeah. Batshit crazy, all right. We head over to catch up with Cardinal Crackpot as he's paging through sheet after sheet of Rambaldi scribblings. As Dixon watches, Sloane calmly peruses the ancient writings of the genius who had no idea his drawings were falling into the hands of a megalomaniacal fruitcake with delusions of grandeur. We get a glimpse of the Rambaldi clock, which is a nice touch. Suddenly, Sloane quietly says, "I know what he's doing." And he doesn't sound happy about it.
Conference Room of Endless Expositions. Sloane informs the troops that Arvin Clone is attempting to construct an energy source -- a massive battery, if you will. That's why he needed the transformer coil. But in order to use it, you'd have to have an engineer with a specialty in nuclear physics and advanced knowledge of quantum electrodynamics, of which there are only a handful scattered throughout the world. Good thing that number is small, otherwise, they'd never notice when one of them goes missing. Right now, the one who's missing is Dr. Margaret Sinclair. Syd asks if the battery could already be operational. Sloane says no, because there are other components to consider, one of them being Xanthium 242. "How do we know they don't already have it?" asks Agent Sean. "I contacted a former colleague of mine in Sicily," says Sloane. "Someone who trades in illicit chemicals. Apparently, yesterday morning, Arvin Sloane placed an order for an unprecedented amount of Xanthium." Ron Rifkin delivers the "Arvin Sloane" part of that line with this hilarious kind of gagging reflex, as if he's about to vomit on his own name. Heh.