Episode Report Card Sobell: A- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Lloyd Knows When to Hold Them, and When to Fold Them…
By Sobell | Season 1 | Episode 8 | Aired on 11.12.2009
with the I.M.C. Khamir's the one who took care of Tracy after her Jericho incident, it turns out. Tracy says, "That's why I left. I was so afraid Jericho would kill Khamir to get to me." Aaron falls back on his I-saw-it-in-the-flashforward-ergo-it's-true argument, but Tracy's not fully on board with his theory of predestination. Also, she seems not to be too thrilled about the idea of being back in Afghanistan.And now, the sting, only without Paul Newman or the tinkling ivories of Scott Joplin. Mark and Demetri are outside Ingrid's House of Birds, while Janis is on the inside, eying all the beady-eyed avians with a mix of wariness and curiosity. She breaks the ice by complimenting Ingrid on her "amazing birds," and Ingrid replies, "My babies. The only real family I've ever had. Each one is special to me. I can't believe I ever thought of giving them up." Um, awwww? I think? I'd treat you all to a monologue on the fearsomeness of birdy talons and cruelly-curved beaks, except I voluntarily live with a 20-pound cat who clicks around on his own Fu Manchu-length set of claws and expresses affection by sinking his teeth into any tender, exposed flesh he can find, so really, I have no (toothmarked) leg to stand on here. ANYWAY, Ingrid goes on to share her flashforward: She was blonde, working with birds at the Bronx zoo, and most certainly not with her friends here. "So the next day, I put [the store] up for sale." Janis notes that the market for bird stores appears to have fallen prey to the recession. Ingrid's philosophical: "It was all for the best. I don't know what I was thinking, changing my life for a future that might not even come true." Janis looks very thoughtful at this.
Outside, Demetri and Mark are gossiping about Demetri's relationship with Zooey, and blah blah blah, whatever. We get it, Demetri's facing down murder and grappling with how to best spend his time before he's consigned to the Bureau Invisible.
Back inside Ingrid's Aviary, the lady is generously offering Janis one of her cockatiels as a symbol of gratitude. Janis tries to duck out with, "Ingrid, if you truly loved your birds, you're not going to want to give one to me, but thank you." Before things can get awkward with Ingrid forcibly thrusting a bird into Janis's arms, the power goes out. The mercs are back for Ingrid. Janis raises the boys on radio, and Mark orders some unseen troops to surround the perimeter.
We get a scene -- in the DARK, so it's not like we can see anyone -- of Mark stalking the tattoo-bearing guy and vice-versa, and it's interspersed with flashbacks to previous episodes, but the upshot is, Mark very nearly gets killed by a guy with the stars on his arm, but Demetri shoots the guy first.
Then Demetri is kicking himself for shooting the star-tattooed guy, and Mark tries to console him by pointing out that had Demetri not acted, then he (Mark) would be dead on the floor. Demetri says heavily, "You can't interrogate a dead man." Not on this show, anyway. I can't believe neither of these ace investigators have realized that maybe, just maybe, it's possible for two different people to have the same thing tattooed on some part of their body.
Outside, Janis walks over to a shell-shocked Ingrid and breaks the news that at least one of the men who wants her dead is still out there. Ergo, the best thing to do is to put Ingrid in protective custody, i.e. the witness protection program. Ingrid says, "That's okay. I think it's my future -- I should have trusted my gut all along." Janis looks very thoughtful as she ponders this; perhaps she's realized that the theme of this episode appears to be Destiny just called; She said "Free will is for suckers." Or perhaps Janis is remembering that her own guts were, until very recently, scrambled and fried and as such their little messages may not be quite accurate? There's a Meaningful Look, in any event.
Back at the card game between Simon and Lloyd: as the strings play a tense little number in the back, Simon glares at Lloyd across the table and says, "Judging from your dwindling amount of chips, your pain is almost over." The dealer lays out the next hand: a five of hearts, a king of hearts, a king of clubs. Then the dealer lays down an eight of hearts. Simon begins the smacktalk: "What are you thinking over there, mate? Maybe you got a pair of eights, rocking a full boat. How much do you have left?" Lloyd has "just under 15." I am going to assume that's "thousand dollars" and not "chips." Ah, yes -- Simon and Lloyd throw more chips in the pile, and the dealer lays down a seven of hearts. Simon sips his drink (sadly, it is not a glass of shut-up juice) and suggests that it's time to bring an end to this subplot: the last hand will be winner-take-all. He concludes, "If you win, we'll go public. But, of course, I'll win and you'll keep your mouth shut." Lloyd sighs and looks down at the table unhappily, then spits out, "Fine." Simon pushes his whacking great lot of poker chips into the middle of the table, and Lloyd tosses his few chips out. Simon then says, "As a physicist, you're a genius. But you were never very good at concealing your tells." He flips over his cards: king of diamonds and king of spades. The dealer duly notes, "Four of a kind for Mr. Campus." Lloyd looks drained -- understandable for someone who's spent the last few weeks surviving on hospital food -- then flips over a nine of hearts and a six of hearts. The camera swoops back to Lloyd's face. He looks tired, but also smugly vindicated. Cut to Simon, who looks gobsmacked. The dealer helpfully clarifies: "Straight flush. Pot and game to Mr. Simcoe. Congratulations." Lloyd stands up and tells the dealer to keep the chips: "Call it a tip. I got what I came for." And honestly, I am now wildly curious as to what kind of health insurance Dylan had, because if Lloyd doesn't need that money to cover the deductibles on that kid's hospital stay and procedures ... Anyway, the camera cuts away before we can see the blackjack dealer cartwheeling around the card room in joy, and instead, it's Simon sprinting to catch up with Lloyd, as Lloyd has places to go and people to tell about his role in the blackout. He demands, "How did you beat me?" Lloyd sighs and replies, "Did I tell you Dylan really loves magic?" An ace pops out of his sleeve. Lloyd continues, "Sleight of hand's his favorite." HAAAA. I am really amused that Lloyd cheated! And I bet Simon never imagined it, what with Lloyd playing the part of the gotta-be-honest doctor with a conscience. Lloyd rubs it in some more with, "There are some things even I won't leave to chance. That being said, I'll let you have the first pass at drafting the announcement." Lloyd then pats Simon's cheek -- which does not dislodge Simon's glower in the slightest -- and saunters off. Simon stands there; the thought bubble above his head probably reads: "To Do: 1. Embed Lloyd-targeted insults in the statement. 2. Solve the physics equation that will let me set people on fire with my glare. 3. Take a long, hard look at that cheating cheater who cheated."
We zip from the glowerers to the brooders as Mark thanks Demetri for "backing my play." Demetri would like to know which play he's backing, please? "Is this about taking Tattoo Man off the streets, or putting him under it? ... I know you said if we get this guy, we might be able to change our futures. I wanted to make sure here the plan wasn't to kill him so he can't kill me or come after you in your office." Mark pissily inqures, "Whatever gave you that idea?" Demetri points out that Mark isn't the only one invested in making sure the future doesn't come true. Mark is all, Oh, yeah, you're a little hung up on missing St. Patrick's Day 2010. He tries to glare self-righteously at Demetri -- and fails, as those big, Bambi-esque eyes simply can't summon anything more scalding than "mild confusion" -- and asks if Demetri really thinks Mark's capable of killing someone on the suspicion that it will prevent an unwanted future. Demetri replies, "I would've," and walks out. Mark sits there and tries to look darkly contemplative