Episode Report Card M. Giant: D+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT I Got the Digits
By M. Giant | Season 4 | Episode 18 | Aired on 04.17.2005
Kiefer's still filling out his form at the checkout desk when DoDder comes up to say she needs his help. He blows her off and picks up his bag while she wonders what he's up to. "I'll tell you when I get back," she says. She persists, but he snaps, "DoDder, please," without slowing down. She stands there and huffs at his temerity. DoDder, don't you understand? Kiefer's doing the only thing possible to prevent us being attacked by our own warhead. He doesn't have time to stand around all night and ask you if now that we know exactly which warhead is missing, whether it would be possible to remotely change the codes on that particular warhead before ImhoTerror can use it! Jeez, think about somebody besides yourself for once.
Prado is being led across the CTU floor by Curtis and Soul Patch, a free man. But he's pretty suspicious about what's going on, despite Weiss's gloating about the tight science of his restraining order. "Don't be so paranoid," says Soul Patch. "We're just not interested in you any more." Prado says he wants protection after leaving, and Weiss says the Marshal will escort Prado wherever he wants to go. Prado stops short and yells that he's not leaving until he knows he's safe. Curtis gets right up in his face and threatens to arrest him for trespassing in a secured government building, in which case even his attorney can't protect him. "Correct me if I'm wrong…David." I remember when Curtis was so reluctant to torture DiCK, but even he can't resist torture's siren song. Yes, show, we get it; it's a dangerous path to start down. You don't have to keep convincing me. Weiss just shrugs and says, "He's right." The little group gets moving again.
Lispy Skip, who's witnessed this whole mini-drama, can't leave well enough alone, so he storms over to Potato Face at 12:56:52. She tells him Prado is being released by order of Buchanan. That unfortunate gentleman just happens to be passing by, so Skip rounds on him and demands to know why Prado is being let go. "Not now," says Buchanan. "But he's working with the people that killed my mother," whines Skip, because he's the only person who lost someone today. Buchanan just blows him off.
Out in the CTU parking lot, Weiss tells a worried Prado, "Cheer up, Joe, you're a free man." He hands over his card, saying, "You call me if anyone from CTU tries to bother you." That appears to mollify Prado somewhat. Weiss repeats, "You're gonna be fine," and hops into his little two-seater. Here the satire gets pretty dark, because I think it's not out of the question that Weiss realizes what's really going on. And the thought that a man whose entire job is to protect human rights might conceivably look the other way -- even in this bizarro fascist 24-verse we're visiting this hour -- is a terrifying one. Prado follows the Marshal to a gray SUV, and the Marshal lets him in on the shotgun side.