Episode Report Card M. Giant: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Terrorist Leader: 2. Bloated Government Bureaucracy: 1.
By M. Giant | Season 4 | Episode 15 | Aired on 03.27.2005
Sure enough, a window pops up on Lispy Skip's monitor with the title "LAPD Hourly Report Log." Wait, so Poor Man's Poor Man's Eric Stoltz's family lived in Los Angeles? Which means he, too is based out of L.A.? It would make so much more sense if the dead pilot and his family lived somewhere else, because it would explain why nobody at the base notices that he's been replaced by a different person, as well as making it more likely for him to be shacked up in a motel room with NotMandy last week. On the other hand, the local nature of the report makes it more likely that it gets passed along to CTU L.A. I'm thinking about this kind of thing too much again, aren't I? Hey, someone has to. In any case, Lispy Skip calls up Potato Face to ask what she usually does with the LAPD hourlies. Jeez, Skip, what have you been doing with them the last ten hours? She says she goes through and promotes flagged items. Right now neither of them has time for that (as we learn through more counterproductive bickering), so Skip will pass it along to someone named "Meg" and go through the report after the prisoner switch. "Okay, boss," Potato Face bitches, and hangs up. Lispy Skip calls Meg, a CTU employee we've never seen before, and after some more pissing and moaning about who's more backed up, he sends the report over to her computer.
Poor Man's Eric Stoltz has changed into a flight suit or a mechanic's coverall. It's hard to say, because neither of the two extras walking around in the background raises the alarm at failing to recognize him anyway. It's like that computer game Hitman, where the tall, bald, Caucasian protagonist can disguise himself as an Asian Tong member just by donning a red silk tunic. Poor Man's Eric Stoltz steps into what must be the office of the aforementioned Chief Mechanical Officer, saying that his plane is ready to go and that the trouble sensor was a false alarm. The CMO looks at him suspiciously, then picks up the phone to clear the plane for takeoff. Well, that was easy. Poor Man's Eric Stoltz leaves the office with a smirk. It's 9:25:07. Do you suppose people ever complain about the danger that 24 will inspire copycat crimes? I think this is one scheme they'd like more actual terrorists to try, because I think in real life a lot more of them would get caught.
9:29:33. Kiefer is still working on his wire origami, Bitchelle confers with Lispy Skip, and DoDder appears to have a splitting headache. Which is odd, because from what we've seen of her relationship with her husband, splitting is not really her forte. Potato Face approaches DoDder and stands over her with that pinched expression on her face. "What's wrong?" DoDder asks, addressing Potato Face by name. Hey, when did they meet, anyway? Potato Face got fired before DoDder's rescue, and DoDder's been at the clinic since Potato Face got back, except for a few brief forays onto the floor to harangue the bosses. Anyway, Potato Face says there's nothing wrong. "I mean, there's no bad news about Kiefer yet, if that's what you mean." I don't think DoDder meant "yet," actually. Potato Face is just there to have DoDder sign some forms, since DaD isn't in this episode for some reason. I'm starting to see why CTU's top people are so backed up, what with all the clerical busywork they're being given. While DoDder's scrawling her John Hancock, Potato Face peeks through the operating room window, where we can see doctors passing bits of gauze and grue back and forth like at some kind of macabre buffet. "I'm really sorry about your husband," Potato Face says. Now stop talking. DoDder thanks her, but we all know Potato Face isn't done: "I can't imagine how I'd be feeling right now if I were you…you and your husband are separated, you've fallen in love with Kiefer, I guess. Then they end up together and your husband ends up taking a bullet that saves Kiefer's life? What do you do with that?" I think a more relevant question is, how does Potato Face know all this? Has she been watching the previouslies? Does she know they LIE? ["And do a lot of people start watching shows halfway through the fifteenth episode of the season? I understand that making Chloe socially awkward gives them some latitude with exposition, but that was absurd even for this show." -- Sars] DoDder tries to close the discussion down, but Potato Face plows onward: "What about Kiefer? You just assume the terrorists aren't going to kill him?" DoDder snaps again that she doesn't want to talk about it, and stomps over to the OR window to watch the operation, because looking at her husband's innards is better than sparing another moment for Potato Face. Who's saying, "I was inappropriately blunt, wasn't I? I do that a lot." Yeah, but you don't normally feel bad about it and it's kind of freaking me out. Potato Face excuses herself without another word or glance from DoDder. Whoops, almost forgot to do the bitchface there, Potato Face!