Episode Report Card M. Giant: C+ | 0 USERS: N/A YOU GRADE IT Mole Patch II: Electric Whatever
By M. Giant | Season 3 | Episode 21 | Aired on 2004.05.04
Out on the floor, Adam approaches Potato Face to confirm that somebody in Soul Patch's group purged the satellite frames, but he doesn't know who because whoever did it used a "no-name login." A no-name login, eh? Those must be handy around an office that handles matters of national security and has repeatedly proved susceptible to moles. Adam is off to tell Soul Patch so he can lock the barn door -- I mean, "the system." Potato Face gets a call from a de-hazmatted Doctor Hazmat, who wants to know what's become of Bitchelle. Why is she outside without her hazmat suit on? Are we to assume that everyone inside Inn Fection is dead now? They should make that clearer, if only to earn that "graphic violence" warning at the top of the episode. Anyway, Bitchelle's not at Health Services, and she's not at County, where Doctor De-Hazmatted heard she was going instead. Potato Face promises to look into it and get back to her, because it's not like she has anything else going on right now. It's 9:22:22. Potato Face calls a guy to connect her with a guy who's supposed to be with Bitchelle, but he's not answering. Potato Face says, "What do you mean, he's not answering? He's active. He has to answer." The guy repeats, "He's not answering." Potato Face snaps, "Okay, I heard you the first time." Hey, you asked. Jerk.
Meanwhile, outside Spawnders's holding room, Soul Patch is getting the "news" from Adam that one of the 79 users in his group has been messing with the satellite footage. Seventy-nine users, and the one Potato Face chose to approach is Adam. Not many speaking roles to go around CTU, I guess. Soul Patch sucks at acting surprised. He gives Adam clearance to lock it down and sends him on his way, as Potato Face comes in with the further "news" that Bitchelle is incommunicado. Soul Patch spins a tangled yarn about having overridden an order, looking shiftier than the San Andreas Fault. Then he changes the subject and tells Potato Face he wants her to work on a phone call he just had with Saunders. Potato Face is surprised that Soul Patch just spoke to the guy they're all looking for, but Soul Patch blows past that and instructs her to analyze the signal with the voice track stripped away, telling her it's scrambled anyway. God, what a dumb idea. Even if she locates Saunders without being her normal busybody self and listening to the voice track, what's Soul Patch going to do about it in his current lone wolf mode? Soul Patch wants her to do it in "Tech One," away from everybody, explaining that it's technically Adam's job, "but you're better at it." Potato Face takes this with her usual lack of grace and turns to leave, then stops short. "Why did you say that?" she demands. "Because it's true," says the man who was getting real tired of her personality not an hour ago. Potato Face leaves Soul Patch standing there, wondering how badly he just overplayed his shitty, shitty hand. It's 9:24:07.