Episode Report Card M. Giant: C+ | 1 USERS: B YOU GRADE IT Daddy Issues
By M. Giant | Season 6 | Episode 10 | Aired on 02.18.2007
Even so, moments later they've got Agent Turner and his field team on live video and audio as they move in on Gredenko's safe house. Armored agents burst in the front and back doors, and it's only the work of a few seconds to ascertain that nobody's there. Even Gredenko's coffee cup is nowhere to be seen. Buchanan tells Chloe to send Kiefer a text message saying that Gredenko is still at large. Because God forbid that they should distract Kiefer with an actual telephone conversation while he's busy with a mission that he refuses to tell anyone about.
It's 3:43:42, and Kiefer has insisted on making everyone take the stairs to the 21st floor for some reason. As they emerge from the stairwell into the hallway, Kiefer's text message arrives: "Gredenko not at location." He blows it off when Marilyn asks what it is, and warns Hacker not to try to alert Dad. "Once he sees that you brought me here, he's more likely to shoot you than I am." He tells Hacker and Marilyn to walk ahead, saying that he'll follow when Dad lets them in. But the plan quickly changes when they reach the room and see that the door is already ajar. Kiefer tells Marilyn to hang back, and enters the room using Hacker as a shield/hostage. He's wasting the effort, though, because the suite is as empty as Gredenko's safe house was. Hacker swears that he doesn't know where Dad is, and Kiefer angrily shoves him into a chair. Marilyn comes in and asks where Josh is. Kiefer tells her to stay calm -- you know, like he is -- and makes Hacker handcuff himself. The room phone rings, and Kiefer asks Marilyn to answer it on speaker mode. "Hello, Marilyn," says Dad's voice. "Jack, even when you were young, I learned never to underestimate you." What, no love for Hacker? Dad tells them to look out the window to the roof of the next building over. They do, and Marilyn gasps to see Dad standing in the access doorway with one hand holding his cell phone to his ear and the other holding a gun pointed at the back of Josh's neck. And also at Dad's hair, which isn't being done any favors by the wind up there. He looks like he's being dragged through a hedge backward. Facing each other across the street but talking over the phone, Kiefer tells Dad that his only choice now is to try to cut a deal with the government. Dad doesn't think he'll ever get immunity after everything that's happened. Kiefer tells him he doesn't know that: "Right now they are desperate." And those twelve thousand people who were instantly converted into airborne isotopes less than six hours ago? Bygones. Either way, Kiefer says, Dad's finished: "There's no empire to protect. There's no legacy left. There is Marilyn, Josh, and me. That's it." At least until the show decides to give Kiefer a sister next season. And right here is where the wheels start to come off the episode, as Kiefer offers to trade himself for Josh. Which means, as far as Kiefer's concerned, NukeHunt '07 is over so that he can be a hero and rescue his "nephew." Dad goes for it, and tells Kiefer to come alone and unarmed. Dad hangs up and pulls Josh back inside the building. Kiefer tells Marilyn to hang up, and then knocks Hacker unconscious with a sock in the mush. That'll learn him to be so helpful. Kiefer gets on his cell phone to have someone from CTU come pick up Hacker. As Kiefer and Marilyn leave the room, Kiefer says into Marilyn's stressed-out face, "This is our only chance." That line barely makes sense under the circumstances, but it's the kind of thing people say at the end of an act, so it stays. It's 3:46:57.