Episode Report Card M. Giant: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Mayer, Mayer Not
By M. Giant | Season 7 | Episode 14 | Aired on 03.16.2009
While walking away through the bullpen, a thoughtful Moss is intercepted by Janis, who again tells her about Morris waiting in the conference room. Again, Moss isn't listening. "Renee talked to Bauer," he realizes aloud. Janis asks, "How do you know?" Rather than wasting any time explaining, Moss tells Janis to snoop into Walker's phone logs and workstation to see what she's been up to for the last fifteen minutes. "We want to catch Bauer, she's our best shot," he says. It's 9:11:28.
At 9:15:54, Olivia and President Taylor are watching the CNB reports about the end of the White House attack, along with the press secretary who I thought was killed two hours ago. I guess that was just a deputy, although she looked an awful lot like the live one, I have to say. Good thing they had a backup. They're discussing an upcoming address, and after the press secretary leaves, Olivia talks Taylor into using the speech to not just reassure the public, but declare victory in Sangala. Since they're getting along so well -- Taylor even calling her daughter "Livvie" -- Ethan has to pick this moment come in with some "troubling news." At 9:17:16, he asks for a moment alone with the prez. She tells him that he can "speak freely in front of Olivia," which he really didn't want to do given how poorly he's been getting along with her, but here goes. He tells them about Kiefer and his theory last hour that Ryan Burnett might lead them to members of the conspiracy that were still at large, and about how he, Ethan, authorized the questioning. He leaves out the part where Larry Moss tried to talk him out of it and Ethan insisted on letting Kiefer go ahead. "It was a terrible mistake," he says. "What happened?" Taylor demands. "Burnett is dead," Ethan says. "The evidence suggests that he was killed by Bauer." Taylor is blown away, and even Olivia's jaw drops. Ethan adds that Kiefer may have just been trying to get to Burnett so he could avenge Buchanan. "No one knows. But Madam President, I take full responsibility. I was trying to insulate you, to provide you with deniability in case anything went wrong." So how did that go, then? Shaking her head, Olivia asks, "Or was it because you thought the president would say no?" Funny, Moss said the same thing. Taylor says her daughter's name warningly, and asks Ethan where Kiefer is now. When she learns that he's on the run, she tells Ethan, "Let me know the minute they find him." Ethan stops to apologize before leaving, but Taylor doesn't acknowledge it at all. Dude, bad hour at work for Ethan.