Episode Report Card M. Giant: A- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Walsh Out
By M. Giant | Season 8 | Episode 20 | Aired on 05.03.2010
no sign of their sentry. While Command tries to raise unit four, Kiefer darts in behind him, puts his gun to his head, and demands, "Where's Dana Walsh?" Command doesn't spill right away, but when Kiefer presses the muzzle of his gun to Command's knee and says, "Last chance," Command tells him, "First room on the left." You can't blame Command for rolling over. He's there for the money, not to get maimed for some higher cause. Although there are worse places to shoot a laptop jockey than the leg; if anything, having a shattered femur would make me more productive, not less. Kiefer thanks Command and pistol-whips him into a nap. The guys on the roof are on their way back by now. With Cole in his wake, Kiefer stomps into the torture chamber, where Bledsoe has cranked Dana upright again and is using her body as a shield while holding his gun to her head. Kiefer threatens to kill Bledsoe, who isn't buying: "You won't take the shot, it's too risky. I'll kill her before--" Yeah, that's Kiefer taking the shot. Looks like Bledsoe called that one wrong, big time. He's dead now. Kiefer tells Cole to release Dana and take her out the back, toot-sweet. Cole hurries to comply while Kiefer takes up position at the door. He shoots the first two guys who pop around the corner, Lethal Enforcers-style, and a moment later Dana is free. Cole drags her out while Kiefer stays with them. Switching to a revolver for some reason, or maybe just to show off, he pops another guy in the next hallway and sends Cole on down the stairs: "Get going, I'll be right behind you." Kiefer empties his revolver at two more guys, then lobs a flash grenade and takes off. It's 11:15:32, and it looks like they could have done just as well if Cole had been carrying blanks after all.At 11:19:43, Arlo interrupts Chloe's vital busywork to report that one of Cole's agents from the laundry just managed to get free and call in, after Kiefer failed to fall for the trap and, according to the agent, took Cole hostage. Chloe turns to a desk jockey named Devon (who's certainly benefiting from CTU's growing shortage of mid-level speaking roles) and tells him to pull up satellite on 14633 12th Street. "Why?" Devon asks impertinently, apparently already bucking for a demotion. Instead of giving him one, Chloe explains that that's where Dana's being held, and thus where Kiefer is going. Arlo's a little slow on the uptake, so Chloe has to explain that Kiefer didn't fall for her trap; "He probably knew what I was going to do before I did." She turns to everyone and announces, "Jack Bauer's no longer in custody of CTU." Which he actually hadn't been since he stole that helicopter almost an hour and a half ago, but never mind. "Agent Cole Ortiz is with him, most likely as a hostage. Our priority is to find them now." Devon puts the satellite picture up on the big screen, and there's a shot of corpses being loaded into ambulances. Chloe takes one look and immediately decides, "We're too late." It doesn't seem to occur to her for a moment that one of those bodies might be Kiefer's, and indeed, why would it? She reissues the APB on Kiefer and orders, "Get me the White House." I think she means the U.N., because nobody's actually at the White House right now. Dingbat.
In the now-officially-stolen CTUmobile, Dana, in the back seat behind Kiefer with Cole next to her and holding a gun on her, asks where they're going. "You tell me," Kiefer says. He wants Dana's video file. Dana reminds him that she agreed to trade it for immunity, like the events of the past hour didn't tip her off that maybe that part of her plan had maybe gone a tad sideways. Kiefer tells her what's what: "The president's decided the peace agreement's more important than the truth. As far as she's concerned, that file can never see the light of day. But I still want it." Dana asks what the deal is now, and Cole says, "You give us the file, we let you go." Kiefer even gives her his word to that effect. Dana gives a cynical laugh and says she doesn't believe him. Pissed off, because he is so not accustomed to having his word questioned, Kiefer throws the truck into a turn, and they instantly go from a busy street to an abandoned spot under a bridge. Kiefer screeches to a stop in front of a concrete support pylon at 11:21:48, gets out, and drags Dana out with him. As Cole follows, looking like the third wheel he currently is, Kiefer roughly throws Dana up against the pylon and demands to know where the file is. "That file's the only thing keeping me alive!" she manages to choke out, despite the fact Kiefer's fingers are back in the old grooves they've already worn in her throat. Kiefer says no, he is. And then he pulls his gun and presses it to her chest. If it's true that he's the only thing keeping her alive, he's doing a shitty job of it, and is about to get worse. "I'm gonna count backwards from three, and then I'm gonna kill you. Three!" Dana desperately appeals to Cole, ("Two!") who yells Kiefer's name. "Back off!" Kiefer screams at Cole. "One!" "Safety deposit box!" Dana cries, and adds that it's specifically at First Unity Savings. She has a joint account there with Cole, but the box is in her name. "Which means I'm the only one who can access it." It also means she's a pretty sloppy spy, keeping her top-secret materials at the same bank she was sharing with her fiancé. Cole says that's at Lexington and 59th. Unsolicited, Dana insists, "I had nothing to do with Renee's death, Jack. I didn't even know she was a target." Kiefer interrupts, yelling at Cole to put her in the car while she's trying vainly to remind him she was in a CTU holding room when it happened. While Kiefer turns his back, suddenly looking very distraught after the fact, Dana works on Cole's mind, saying Kiefer's using him. She would know about using Cole, and to his credit, he basically says that. Dana doesn't agree with Cole's claim that Kiefer's just going to expose the conspiracy: "He's gonna assemble the evidence, make a list of the guilty, and then he's gonna execute them one by one, starting with me." And he's got a whole four and a half hours left to do it. Cole stuffs her in the car as she says this is not about the truth, but revenge. Then he stomps over to Kiefer, yelling, "I can't do this!" and shoving Kiefer to the ground. Whoa! Nobody pushes Kiefer around. Maybe that's why when Kiefer sits up, he's got his gun leveled at Cole. They pant furiously at each other until Kiefer lowers the weapon, saying, "She's just trying to get inside your head." Cole knows that, dammit, and Kiefer gets up and tells Cole to speak his mind. "Were you gonna pull that trigger?" Cole demands. "I needed her to think I would," Kiefer says, which is not the same as no. Furiously flexing every muscle in his entire head, Cole finally spits, "Yeah, okay." He gets back in the car, this time in the shotgun seat. Kiefer gets in behind him and starts it up. There's going to be so much hate sex later, and I don't even know who's going to be having it.
At 11:23:57, Dalia is taking questions. One reporter begins with condolences on the death of her husband and asks what the reaction is back home to recent developments. As she gives a serviceable answer, Taylor's assistant enters -- with Tiny Tim from Homeland at her side -- and hands her a note. After unfolding it, Taylor looks stricken and walks right off the podium, in front of God and CNN cameras and everybody. In the privacy of the adjoining Council Chamber, Tim confirms that Kiefer took Dana, and all he can tell her about his current whereabouts is that a search is underway. And we all know how well searches have been going all day. Also, Logan is so insistent on speaking with Taylor that he's the one who wanted the press conference interrupted. That's certainly the highest priority, so Tim hands her a phone and tells her to hit redial before he withdraws.
So in this room full of microphones, any one of which could be live without her knowledge, Taylor calls Logan back and demands, "How in God's name could this have happened?" "Madam President, the important thing is not to panic," Logan responds in his most infuriatingly conciliatory tone. Taylor reminds Logan that he said Dana would be more secure with his guys. "We didn't move her out of CTU solely for security reasons," Logan reminds her in turn. Taylor asks, "Do you have me on speaker, Charles? Pick up the damn phone." Chastened, Logan picks it up and admits he wasn't thinking. "Apparently neither was I," she retorts. Now she realizes. Logan correctly says, "It's a little late for buyer's remorse, Madam President. "Especially because I was calling with a solution to our current problem." Oh, awesome, because he's certainly been Mr. Fixit all morning. He wants to put someone into CTU whose loyalties are certain. Taylor protests that she can't replace another director today, but Logan hurries to say he's just thinking of someone who'll be in charge of the search for Kiefer -- namely, his own man, Jason Pillar. Logan rattles off Pillar's impressive resume, but says he's open to any better ideas Taylor might have. Here's a better idea: don't listen to Logan. Seriously, every recommendation he's made to her since showing up just a few short hours ago has blown up in her face, and she's going to let him get in even deeper? Unfortunately she has to go, because just then Taylor's assistant pokes her head in to say Dalia's almost done. So Taylor tells Logan to go ahead. "But that's it, Charles. No more excuses." Yes, Charles, if you end up destroying the peace process and getting Taylor impeached and jailed, she is going to be so mad this time. Logan commences smarming, until Taylor hangs up on him. Logan tries to play it off for Jason before hanging up, which is such a telling character note; even in front of his most trusted guy, Logan feels the need to