Episode Report Card M. Giant: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT High Jack
By M. Giant | Season 5 | Episode 20 | Aired on 04.30.2006
Up in the cockpit, Evans asks Cotter what that was all about. "He's desperate," Cotter says. "Wants to land." Evans observes that "This is messed up." Cotter agrees and faux-casually observes, "Bad luck for you, huh?" Ostensibly meaning that his copilot wasn't even supposed to be on this flight, but also gauging Evans's reaction, which is a bit telling. Evans claims not to know what happened to the regular guy: "I got the call, so I'm here." Cotter seems to accept that at face value, and Evans looks shifty. After a way-too-short pause, the captain fakes a leg cramp and moves to get out of his chair. Evans, in turn, fakes concern and reaches for the heavy flashlight clipped to the side of his seat where Cotter can't see it. They both pretend like nothing's going on, but when Cotter dives for the door, things happen very fast. Evans unhooks his seat harness, gets up, and clubs his captain over the head with the Maglite. Given the close quarters and the dim lighting, it's not immediately clear which crewman succeeded in his objective, but when Kiefer hears the commotion on the other side of the door he finds that he's able to enter. He does so, gun leveled at Evans's face. Don't ask me how Kiefer knows he's facing Evans and not Cotter, having never met either of them. He probably figures that either way, the unconscious guy on the floor isn't a threat. "I'm the only one who can fly this plane!" Evans cries down Kiefer's gun barrel. Unimpressed, Kiefer smacks Evans to the deck. Okay, so maybe Evans has a name tag that I can't see. Kiefer threatens, "You don't strike me as a man who's willing to die for Christopher Henderson." Which is certainly a demographic that Kiefer's learned a lot about in the past few hours. He demands the recording, and the music swells heroically as Evans hands it over the little digital device. Mission accomplished! Now if they can just get back on the ground. Kiefer forces Evans to resume his seat, and takes the empty seat behind him, the gun still aimed at Evans's head. It's probably wise to let Evans take care of the landing. Sure, we've seen Kiefer pilot helicopters and a small airplane, but just because I can paddle a canoe doesn't mean I'm going to try docking my dad's cabin cruiser. With his free hand, Kiefer calls Chloe. "Advise CTU I have the recording," he says. "I'll be on the ground in less than fifteen minutes." Relieved, Chloe says, "Got it." Why does Kiefer keep forgetting that aside from Hayes, CTU is directly wired to Logan? Does he realize that he's just told the President he's got him by the balls? When technically he doesn't yet?
These are questions we can ponder during the split-screen. Hayes paces around at CTU. Flight 502 is still above the cloud cover, while inside, the passengers sit in their seats looking nervous, although they don't have to have their hands on their heads any more. Buchanan paces his holding room, still handcuffed, and FLOTUS is sitting next to her empty wine glass as she calls someone on her phone. You suppose she's trying to win concert tickets from the local radio station?