Episode Report Card M. Giant: B- | 1 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT D.C. Follies
By M. Giant | Season 22 | Episode 11 | Aired on 05.05.2013
The sun sets over the Irish Sea, and as the evening proceeds, we skip right past Liverpool and join the racers as they're getting off the train in London. Team Newlywed and the derby moms seem to quickly find the Euston Tap -- which is hopping tonight -- and order a pint each. The four of them drink to a great race, and outside, Beth & Mona open their clue in first place. It's telling them to fly to their final destination of "our nation's capital, Washington, D.C." Phil repeats that the final destination is "the capital of the United States, Washington, D.C.," because his nation's capital is Wellington. I actually recognize all the landmarks shown in this city, and not just because they drift majestically past over the score of The West Wing rather than flashing by as usual. This is quite the string of capitals they're hitting. If I didn't know better, I'd suspect that their big final challenge is going to have something to do with national capitals. But I do, and it won't. Phil goes on to say that after landing, they'll have to figure out that their next clue is on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, "where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech." That fact is engraved on the spot, so it shouldn't be hard to figure out once they get there. And I'm sure MLK appreciated the Park Service providing him with such an indelible indication of where he should stand. Mona & Beth rush off excitedly, but Max asks Katie, "Want to go finish our beer?" Whether he's serious or not, Katie is serious about saying no. Both teams get into cabs to Heathrow Airport. Bates & Anthony show up at the bar a bit later for whatever reason, sip their pints, and open their clue. "I lived in D.C. for a while," Bates says. "I like the sounds of that." "Sounds"? How much of that beer did he consume?
The show isn't taking any chances at all that anyone will get stranded in London; they've all been instructed to proceed to a marked counter at Heathrow, which turns out to be closed for the night with an Amazing Flag pasted to the grate. And not only does it not open until 5:15 AM, it's been closed since 3:15 PM, when they were scarcely halfway across the Irish Sea. None of them seem excited about spending the night at the airport, but Bates puts a brave face on it as usual. Before the previous leg, I would have said "as always."
There's a little scene as they hang out together late at night in the terminal and talk about being all back together. "Sorry girls," Anthony chuckles about the absent country singers. Cut to them finally boarding a 747 together, however many hours later, as all the teams interview about their confidence and determination. "Max & Katie, we're coming. Coming to getcha," Anthony Napoleon Dynamites. Eventually the plane takes off into the clear, blue, British sky. The Amazing Red line bows out for the season as it crosses the Atlantic and Phil narrates, "All teams are now making their way to Washington, D.C." Yep, there's the Mall, and the Smithsonian, and the Capitol, and the White House, and the plane touching down and six jacked-up, stinky Americans dashing through an airport in their home country. Getting into a cab outside, Max asks the driver if he knows where MLK gave his speech. Seems like that's something he could have researched before now, but lucky for him the driver already knows, like most people do. Beth and Mona say they're going to the Lincoln Memorial as they hop into another taxi. Beth happily grins, "We are back in the U.S!" I hope it's not some Amazing Editor's idea of a joke to cut directly from that line to Bates & Anthony's driver, who turns out to be a turban-wearing Sikh. Bates couldn't care less, telling him they're trying to win a race. All of the teams pause for contemplation of the speech en route to the memorial, and Beth even reads a snippet of it from the clue: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." Bates says that those are "iconic words," surprising both Anthony and himself with his sudden attack of vocabulary.
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