Percolated Recap: Numb3rs: Con Job (Eppesode 609)

Recapper's Repetitive Reminder: Have you sent your letter to CBS? Apparently flash cards (not like that) with creative messages seem to be the winner when it comes to stuff to send to CBS. While this is a good idea, whatever you send to CBS, in support of Numb3rs, is always a good thing. Also did you go on IMDb and look, or even add to, the Numb3rs page, to have its star meter rating go up? (According to inside sources, CBS actually pays attention to that.) Finally, have you signed the petition?

All right, I admit, I was skeptical of "Jacked" getting a sequel. I mean, sure, we know what good friends Rob Morrow and Fisher Stevens are, (note the restraint in making a directionally challenged joke) but really? "Jacked" was so long ago! Hell, I was still working for the site that shall not be named! I mean, sure it was a fun eppesode, but not like "Spree" and "Two Daughters" which led to a seriously awesome follow-up. Did we really need a comic relief eppesode so soon after "Dreamland," and the annoyance otherwise known as Augie?

Apparently, we did, because, despite my initial meh-ness over Buckley returning, not only did I really like the eppesode, but also thought the Fedcakes got a hilarious practical lesson on pwning , since they're not aware of what it means. It was done in such a way that I wasn't left wanting to throw things at my TV. Who knew that was possible?

We begin with previouslies: Previously, Buckley kidnapped a busload of people, including Marshal Flinkman. The bus could only be saved by both real life, and fictional brothers snarking, and the reality that no one is afraid of Fisher Stevens.
Also, last time, we had a drinking game to go along with Buckley's antics, so I thought we needed one this time too.

• 1 sip for every time Buckley asks for or says something ridiculous.
• 1 shot for every time the massive response to the hostage crisis is panned over.
  
• 1 shot for every time Buckley hits on a female.
• 1 shot for every time Buckley gets meta.
• 1 shot for every person in the room who snickers when scorpions are mentioned. (By this I mean, in your room -- not on the television. If you're watching this eppesode alone, you do count, if you snicker / giggle / snort, etc.)
• 2 shots for every beauty queen on screen.
  

Again, feel free to pick and choose among the above suggestions, depending on your liver. Again, I take no responsibility for how much you choose to abuse your liver during this eppesode. Also, if you're underage -- use pop. It's all the experience of peeing like a racehorse that alcohol inspires, and none of the legal issues.

Prison: Don and David are there to talk to Buckley about why the hell someone would want to copy his style.
By style, I mean criminal activities, which, if they'd worked, were brilliant plans. Not that the Fedcakes think he's in on it. They just think he talks a lot, giving ideas to others. His talking is good, because otherwise, Buckley would get "lonely" and I don't even want to think what that would mean.
The style wasn't exact, because, this time, the criminals got away with it, and according to Buckley, they aren't done. Nope, they're going to hit a jewelry store in LA next. Not that the Fedcakes believe Buckley since he was 100% less than truthful last time and it would be a good idea if they remembered that!

La Maison d'Eppes: Charmita was procrastinating (procrastinating, a word which here means fill in your own definition) and is now desperate to get a lecture on something way too complicated for me to understand, prepared.
As for Alan, he shows an entirely different work ethic. He's really concerned about being late for work, and pays very close attention to the traffic reports. Either that or he's paying really, really close attention to her breasts, which would be hard not to do, considering her outfit.
When the report is interrupted by the breaking news of a robbery at the LA Minerals and Metal Exchange. Well, looks like that lecture preparation will have to be put off a while longer!

Hostage Site: Since TPTB seem determined to have Liz and Nikki together as little as possible, I'm going to let people come to their own conclusions. Anyway, Liz seems to be playing David's role as she fills in the Chief Fedcake on how the criminals got in to the exchange in the first place: dressed as janitors.

Inside the command truck, David shows the video of the hostage taking and how many angles the baddies have covered. The hostages are now dressed like the baddies, there's no way for the Fedcakes to see inside, and even the video feed has been replaced, with what I believe to be an old Woody Woodpecker cartoon.
In fact, the only luck they have was the manager's ability to hit the silent alarm. So now, they have something much bigger than a jewellry store, 26 hostages, and one Buckley to contend with.

Title Flash.

We get a pan shot of the police presence, and it's made up o snipers, and technical equipment, and other such things rented from the standard TV tactical response unit. Inside tactical command, the Fedcakes' viewing of the most unfortunately named cartoon character is interrupted by a phone call from another cartoon character.
Buckley's stolen the prison librarian's webcam to call Don, and deleted all his porn -- the librarians, not Don's. I'm not saying that Don has porn, although, he is a guy and... I give up, there's no way to save that statement. Insisting that Don needs him, Buckley that is, not the librarian or the porn, -- oh hell, I give up on this sentence too.

At least Buckley has one useful piece of information: SWAT is getting too close to the doors, which are wired with bombs. You know what they could really use right now? A sniper, who is capable of crawling through a secured building without being caught (unless he wants to be).

Don's the most popular person to call in this eppesode, as now the baddies want to talk to him. Well, at least the head baddie is wrong about one thing -- he's not Don's best friend. Oh no, that role has been firmly filled by Buckley for the remainder of this eppesode. They might even go out for drinks validating my drinking game. Anyway, the baddie wants a jet, I want a shout out, world peace, and a pony, and Don wants Charlie. Guess which one is going to get what he or she wants?

BTW, is it just me, or does the baddie's voice sound like he's trying to seduce Don, as much as convince the chief Fedcake to hand over a jet, so that people don't die?

Ordering Liz to get Buckley, I'm wondering if a) that's a wise idea and b) if Buckley isn't just a distraction for smooth-talking-criminal-guy. Forget I said that. I don't even want to think about it.

IHOF: Charmita is terribly impressed by the ingenuity of the criminals, but figures they could get control of the cameras back in a couple of hours.
Prison: David and Liz are stuck with the Buckley duty. They must've picked the short straw, because Liz already looks like she'd rather have a tour of the sewers than be in the same room as the man. When Buckley jokes the pair of Fedcakes are "Mom and Dad," only to promptly hit on Liz, not only does it disgust Liz, but also gives us way too much insight about Buckley's sexual fantasies.
As if that wasn't enough, Buckley also wants ice cream. If ever there was a moment for fanfic writers to leave alone, this one would, definitely, be it.

Hostage Site: The camera pans over the law enforcement's response to the crisis. Bottom's up!

Inside the command truck, the bombs are, apparently, easily diffused. This is good, as I don't think anyone would take too kindly to the Fedcakes being in pieces (which, by the way, is totally different from getting a piece of Fedcake).

Because no one takes the attention away from the baddie, he has to call Don back, to taunt him about the snipers who aren't as competent as Edgerton, and how there's one sick hostage. He. also wants food -- good chicken dinners.
We get another pan of the response team (drink!) while the obligatory sick hostage is released.

Charmita's removed the emergency programming and put what was regularly scheduled back on. If only regular TV networks were so efficient.
Now the Fedcakes have had their last moment of peace for the entire eppesode because Buckley, complete with triple-flavour banana split, has arrived. You know, I can just imagine Buckley as a little kid in a grocery store. Imagine getting him through the candy aisle.

While Buckley's offer of vanilla ice cream for Don (like don's vanilla, please!) is refused, Liz has something really, really important to pass on to her boss.
The head baddie is Len Maddux, a former compatriot, a word which here means, Buckley's cellmate. Instead of killing the little twerp, Maddux listened to all the planning and adapted it for this job. At least, that's what Buckley says, so I'm more likely to believe that Maddux has the same power as Kitty Pride, and can walk through walls.

So Maddux is a bad guy, surprise surprise, but the Fedcakes have a bad guy of their own to help. the problem is, said bad guy didn't arrive soon enough to warn everyone not to turn off the power in the exchange. This means that now there's no way to disarm those bombs on the doors. Oops.

Maddux doesn't quite see it as the oops I do and more of an excuse to terrorize his hostages.
He also doesn't buy Don's story of a power outage. I have to say, I can't believe how lame that story sounded. Don, you're usually cooler than that under pressure.

Buckley takes advantage and insists he's not helping any more until he gets a new deal. Hell, knowing this guy, he'll probably ask for world peace and a pony too. Not that he's going to get it either, and he's going to have to take 2 more years and probation.

He's also going to have to live with Maddux stealing every item of his playbook.
Insisting there's an inside woman involved, (and making Liz want to take a shower since he practically drools all over her), and that there are safe escapes routes for Maddux's crew, Buckley, I have to begrudgingly admit, proves his worth. Well, that is until he does something that alienates me from him forever.
Considering the precariousness of the show's future right now, I firmly resent any visions being handed over to guest stars. Plus, it's all about trapping a dot, which we can easily equate to Maddux. It's not even a good vision.

Speaking of Charlie, I should mention that he arrived a while ago, but since Buckley is doing the adorkable professor's job, he's sort of superfluous.

Okay, so Charlie's all impressed by Buckley, getting all excited about "Heuristic learning."

"Sounds incurable," Buckley snarks. I giggle. Damn him for making me do that; I'm trying to dislike him! He also doesn't help by snacking on the hostages' food while ordering caffeinated beverages for everyone and picks a chai latte for Liz. Crap. Now not only do I giggle at what he says, but now I want him to order hot drinks for me.
I shall remain resolute. I will dislike Buckley. I'm in good company.
Maddux is back on the phone, and Buckley warns that he's probably just biding his time to burrow out of the exchange. The easiest way for the Fedcake to test this theory is to ask for more time. Well, that's according to Buckley, and considering I read the title of this eppesode, it frustrates me the Fedcakes can't have a meta moment to know what I know.

Doing exactly what Buckley says, just ingratiates the ingrate to the Fedcakes. Instead, it should've done the exact opposite. Okay, so searching underground wasn't entirely a bad idea, particularly because of what this adds to the show.

IHOF: It's Alan! Oh yes, Alan may always be the font of all things wise and wonderful, but he's not usually so directly useful to the case. He has all sorts of plans to offer.
Hostage Site: Alan's sent along all of his plans, just as Amita pops up via webcam to give Buckley a chance to hit on another woman who would be repulsed by his advances.

Remember what I said earlier about meta? Yeah, well, Buckley seems to have latched onto that one because guess where he had a scholarship? MIT. Wasn't our beloved midseason replacement that could supposed to take place as MIT? Is this a glimpse through the looking glass at what might have happened?

Now that's a moment I'd highly encourage the FF writers to jump all over.

I should also mention that Buckley recommends Costa Rica for Charmita's honeymoon. I've got to say, that it's got to be a beautiful country if his experience with it is drug-running, yet he still likes it. On the other hand, I can't imagine anything more of a mood-killer than a bride turning to her husband and saying, "Aren't you glad Buckley recommended Costa Rica?" Therefore, I have to side against the Costa Rican honeymoon.
The delivery guys take in the food to the exchange and there's a momentary glare on the door. I mention this not only because that glare is important later, but also because there is enough light on the set to actually cause said glare. That alone has got to be worth a mention.

Alan and Nikki chime in via video conference to provide an unfortunate red herring: the easy access to the sewers from the exchange. Just as Don's thanking Alan, Buckley gets all snarky about the number of Eppes men in the FBI.

"Actually, I'm an urban planner," Alan replies, "But I have an FBI file." Oh, continuity gods, you do love this show.

Buckley goes from hilariously meta, to NPAL™. Like we couldn't predict, from the sheer volume this guy talks, that he would earn this week's NPAL™. "Next, you're going to tell me you have another member of the family who's an astronomer sending you satellite images." Yeah, that was a clunker of a line.

Now that the Fedcakes have all they need, like the plan, the location of the bombs, and enough meta to last them until doomsday which is in a little over 2 years, right?, Buckley goes back to saying clever things with a double meaning. Don's supposed to give Maddux a message, once the hostage taker is caught: no one uses Buckley's plan and gets away with it unless your name is Buckley.

And, on the way out the door, he hits on Liz again.
As the Fedcakes prepare for entry, Charlie reassures Buckley that Don hates him. Hee!

A bunch of things happen at once:

1) The Fedcakes find that only hostages are left in the exchange. Hostages were dressed up as the criminals as a decoy.
2) Buckley is taken into custody by a criminal pretending to take him into custody, only to be shot and abducted by the officer and two other men dressed as delivery guys. Guess the tip sucked. I'll let you know when I work up some concern for Buckley's well being.

3) Charlie responds to the shooting and violence the way he always does, hides. Whether it be physically, or emotionally, Charlie's got a record of retreating from violence.
4) The criminals steal the command truck. Oh, that's so not going to look good on Don's service record.

After the commercial we find out that through the use of duplicate delivery uniforms, mirrors, and light (since light would be an excellent weapon considering the last two seasons of lighting on this show) the criminals were able to switch places and escape.
IHOF: Nothing's been taken from the exchange, other than Buckley, which to Don, smells like Buckley trying to escape. I'm trying not to think too hard about what eau de Buckley would be like.

Despite Don's gut telling him that Buckley engineered the whole thing, Charlie's math says otherwise. That looking-glass allusion I made earlier just keeps getting more and more appropriate.

Before I think we've fallen too far down the rabbit hole, Nikki distracts us with the inside woman, one Lola Sacco, who David recognizes as Miss Morro Bay 2005 (drink!). David knows pageants? Awkward.
"The promote world peace," is David's eventual answer. Hee! Yes, but the question for me is, do they also promote ponies and shoutouts?

Security Company: I guess I should've included the information that Lola's responsible for the security cameras at the exchange. Her company still holds the contract, well, at least until the end of this eppesode.

I instantaneously do not like Miss Morro Bay 2005. (Oh yes, and do I sense a meta-moment with that title there?) She's way too glib considering one of the contracts, and group of security cameras she's responsible for, got hacked. You'd think she'd a) know and b) be more concerned.
Thus when she passes off the David and Nikki to her cubicle mate, Gil Harkness, as because she recognizes Maddux as his boyfriend, I'm suspicious. Characters with the last name of Harkness having boyfriends? Never, ever seen that before.
Harkness had a fling with Maddux for two weeks, and clearly wasn't that attached to him. That's good, as it saves Nikki and David trying to explain how, in the middle of a hostage situation, Maddux sounded like he was hitting on Don. Not that I blame Maddux. One's got to take rare opportunities like that whenever they're presented.

Unlike the other Harkness I knew and loved until I was traumatized over the summer, this one can die, and since he wished to avoid that, he gave Maddux all the information and access to the exchange that he wanted.

IHOF: Don's gut is creaming that something is wrong. No, it's not the nervous tick he has of checking his watch, it's the feeling he gets when he knows the whole story isn't true: watching and rewatching video. This time,it's video from "Jacked" when Buckley's screaming about how he's really the one in control. Wow, wasn't that nice of him to foreshadow a whole year earlier.

Speak of the devil, and the devil calls, from the trunk of a car. The devil also tries to convince Don that he had absolutely nothing to do with the exchange hostage situation. I'm proud that Don holds steadfast in his disbelief.
That is, until Don fades under Buckley's persuasion, and becomes concerned the little creep will wind up as roadside litter. Come on, Don, be like me and don't care!

Nope, instead Charlie has to get in on the action, except he can't because Maddux's phone is cloned. For me, the real question is, why doesn't Maddux notice his expensive phone is missing? Could that be because the guy using it, is in on everything?

Now, Charlie's got to figure out the best route criminals could take that would avoid law enforcement, like police stations, and, as Buckley chimes in, doughnut shops. Oh, Buckley, sometimes you're so hilarious, and others you're such a judgmental ass.

In order to help himself be found, Buckley gives Charlie some landmarks, all of which are common, and, well, a flat out lie.
Oh, and now the battery runs out, the classic cell-phone lie and yet everyone believes it!

Sticking a bloody bandage out the window, Buckley's last words are dramatically cut off by the dying cell phone. Oh, it's drama worthy of a Shakespeare company this Shakespeare company.

Abandoned Lot: Nikki and David, because TPTB seem determined to not let me use the names Artemas and Athena as often as I'd like, are sent to examine the car Buckley was traveling in. What they find inside are the unconscious bodies of Maddux's two henchmen.
They also find the phone and a heck of a lot of blood. It convinces the pair of Fedcakes that Buckley's prediction that he'd be disposed of at the side of the road, is true. I'm not so easily convinced.

IHOF: Snow White admits in interview that he didn't see Maddux kill Buckley. He also comments about how Maddux took Buckley "for a walk." Liz, and my BFFedcake severely disappoint me by not asking the most obvious question.
The plan was to use the exchange to launder the money they made form the bus hijacking. The baddies already had account numbers and passwords to get it done, because of one simple reason. They had a spy.
Later, Charlie's found out what the spy (not Theoriginalspy) planted: a thumb drive in a camera that was attached to a something that could read all the passwords off the camera data. Charlie compares the technology to reading braille.
There's just one small glitch in Maddux's plan. Since he didn't take the technology out of the camera, Charlie will be able to find out exactly where and how the money was laundered. Oops.

As Charmita needs time to decipher where the money went, they have time to discuss where they should honeymoon. You know, anything suggested by a career criminal, would be a bad idea. Come to think of it, there aren't a lot of people on this show from whom vacation advice.

For instance, unless one wished to camp, Edgerton would be a back person to ask. Also, Larry probably couldn't make up his mind about what to recommend, while Rosencrantz and Guildenstern would bicker and/or wager about their choices. And don't date much. Don may be one half of my OTP, but since that's his only long-term functioning relationship in the show, and even it has issues, I'm betting Don's not a good choice either. Alan would simply recommend that they go to the nearest hotel to give him grandchildren, ASAP. Nikki -- well, I wouldn't ask Nikki.

Maybe, perhaps, Liz is the only hope?

As for Charlie, considering he dismisses Costa Rica for rain and scorpions, he's not one to pick a honeymoon destination.

Don doesn't help. He only knows about the scorpions. There's only one conclusion I can draw from this.
Luckily, Charmita's found where there money trail ends, thus letting all discussion of a honeymoon go by the wayside. As for the money, it ended where it began, but just in a different form, diamonds. Now, who would be keen to pick up the diamonds?

Exchange: Why, look, it's Miss Morro Bay 2005! And looky there, it's Maddux too!
And now we have two other important people on the scene.
The inside of Lola's bag looks like Edward Cullen's chest: sparkly.

IHOF: Maddux tells David and Liz what the title of this eppesode did: it was all a con job, with the word con holding a couple of different meanings. He's also not too happy about getting screwed over by Buckley, and, conveniently, Buckley's the only one not in custody yet he's the one who started off this eppesode in prison. The Fedcakes, and Maddux, are not amused.
Lola's also feeling betrayed, but unlike Maddux, she never saw it coming. Although, she was trying to cut Buckley out of the deal, but Buckley saw through her: and had 240000 skimmed off the original 16 million, in the form of a transaction fee, to use as a nest egg on the run.

Blah, blah, blah, woman scorned, Lola gives up Buckley's location, Hotel St. Eve, room 301.

Hotel St. Eve: Don and David bust in, guns drawn and I want to whack my head into a wall several times. A few weeks ago, this same pair didn't understand the concept of pwned and now Buckley's given them an IRL example. The only thing in the room is soggy take out, and a message on the computer, which I believe translates to na-na-na-na-boo boo, or, to be more technical.
La Maison d'Eppes: The take out is very soggy, as Alan points out, and even I'll try to make things better by adding at least the only criminal to get away was the one least likely to kill anyone.

Wait, that probably didn't help, did it?

As Charlie's trying to see if there's some hidden message or data on the laptop, a web call comes in, causing the entire Eppes family to crowd around the computer. It's painfully obvious what Don's thinking.
Hey, Buckley's not gone to Costa Rica at all! Instead, he's in front of a green screen in Leichtenstein! He likes the banking laws, and, as I've pointed out before, it's a fun word to say.

Going all meta, Buckley waxes poetic on how He and Don could've been friends, really, I'm so shocked but are stuck on opposite sides, like Sam and Ralph from Looney Tunes. Thus, Buckley, who isn't worried about making more money, leaves Don an open invite to join him for skiing and a beer.

Thus, we leave with everything unresolved. It's like that moment at the end of the cartoon, just as Sam is about to do away with Ralph, and the whistle signifying the end of the day blows, saving Ralph from actually dying -- as opposed to falling off a cliff or something equally as cartoonish. Therefore, I'd like to offer my opinion of what may happen the next time Buckley, the over-engineering mastermind, and Don, the dogged Fedcake, meet.

You can find that opinion, here.

Instacap: Numb3rs: Con Job: (Eppesode 609)

Out of all eppesodes, "Jacked" needed the sequel?

Alan, you old dog.

Hey we've got Liz and Amita!

Okay, it's not exactly a jewellery store. Does Buckley ever get anything completely right?

Okay, Buckley deleted all the man's porn -- in prison? Bad, bad plan.

Charmita is way too excited about the man in the middle attack.

Buckley, Liz will kill you. In fact, after that handcuff crack, she should kill you.

Yeah, well, I want a shout out, world peace and a pony, Buckley. We all have to live with disappointment.

No fair! Buckley got his ice cream!

Okay, apparently Liz agrees with me that Buckley's full of shit.

Liz, punch Buckley, please.

Why does Buckley get a Buckley-vision?

Aya Sumika is so pretty. I might have to hate her more.

Charmita, never, ever, take Buckley's advice.

Oh, continuity and Alan's FBI file. I love you.

I'm starting to think that Fisher Stevens was given carte blanche to do whatever he wanted.

Okay, so the person I wanted to shoot Buckley didn't shoot Buckley, and someone else did. That wasn't exactly how I wanted it to happen.

Dude, even I saw that coming!

Bright light used on Numb3rs! OMG!

Smells like Buckley? I don't want to know what that is.

Yes, David watches pageants because of the world peace aspect. Yeah. Sure.

I wonder, how did Don know that it was you, Buckley? Geez.

Traditional cop and doughnut joke. Not overly original there.

You had a spy, well, not theoriginalspy!

Costa Rica and scorpions, I'm sure that's on their travel brochures.

There has to be some twist coming up here.

Oh, Buckley, you are funny.

Buckley's in Liechtenstein? Hee! That's a fun word to say

Goodnight Sam. Goodnight Ralph.

Percolated Recap: Numb3rs: Ultimatum (Eppesode 608)

Recapper's Repetitive Reminder: Have you sent your letter to CBS? Did you go on IMDb and look, or even add to, the Numb3rs page, to have its star meter rating go up? (According to inside sources, CBS actually pays attention to that.) Finally, have you signed the petition? I do believe that there may be a consensus coming shortly as to what else we can do -- and I'll post about it as soon as it's settled. (Please note that I have nothing to do with said consensus; I'll just be posting it.)

Before I begin, let me shamelessly gush (me, shameless, no!). I love Edgerton. By far, he is my favourite male guest star on the series. (Not that my favourite female guest star is that much of a mystery.) thus, when I finally saw the preview for this eppesode (because Global TV hates me), I was not amused. I was trying to come up with a way to describe my trepidation as to what was about to occur, but them, I remembered, that something like this has been done to us before.

This gave me an idea. I wonder just how many parallels there are between this eppesode and the whole Colby's a spy (not Theoriginalspy) storyline? Let's find out, shall we?

Of course, there are a few different elements between the stories. First and foremost, I never thought Edgerton was a moron of the highest degree. For two seasons, I thought Colby was strictly eye-candy because he didn't have a damn thing between his ears. Also, Edgerton doesn't lie to the Fedcakes, well, continuously lie to the Fedcakes for two seasons. Finally, Edgerton doesn't spend any time running around in tight clothing, which I can attest, having actually watched I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here, because LDP was in it, is a damn shame.

I'm guessing I'm not the only one who thought so, as this season's clearly sensitive grid, went out and got a bit tipsy in despair of the opportunities lost.
IHOF/Street: We get a mix of Charlie and Don teaching a class of feds (not Fedcakes) all about pursuit evasion and how best to catch someone. Hmm, I wonder why Edgerton isn't teaching this class? What about Billy Cooper? Now that I'm on the subject, wouldn't a class taught by Don, Edgerton, and Billy Cooper on how to pursue a fugitive be the best class ever? It wouldn't have to be mandatory for almost all the female (and some of the male) agents. People would be crawling over themselves to attend.
Anyway, apparently, it's all about -- hey, look, there's one Fedcake, Nikki -- behaving like fish, snakes, eagles. If one doesn't pay attention to the other, or gets too focused in the hunt, the snake might become lunch. Now, as I recall the whole pursuit thing, it was a dog chasing a cat chasing a mouse, which is an analogy I prefer. Why? It took me a long time to figure out the way to describe the analogy of the snake, without making it sound dirty. Okay, so perhaps not everyone has the sense of humour of a 12 year-old but you try finding a way to describe a snake and fish without snickering, a little!

Essentially, the whole class is about knowing who it is that you're chasing, so you can control the game of Pursuit Pong. It's a important lesson Don puts into action in this eppesode.

So, while the class is being taught, the best of all man hunters, Edgerton, has just trapped one lowly informant and I managed not to include a snake a fish joke. At first, the informant doesn't want to say anything about what is to become a vital, yet almost entirely unseen character -- Garcia -- until Edgerton reminds him of one very important fact.
Just as Edgerton calls in backup at Wilshire and Bixel I take a moment to reflect how many bloody times this show plans to use the name Bixcel / Bixel in this show and yet still not give me the teeniest of shoutouts!

The CI tries to make a deal: two hours and then he'll have something, and after making sure the CI knows he's dead (as Edgerton should've moved up to third, or perhaps second best shot in the country) if he doesn't deliver, Edgerton lets him go.

Two hours later, the sun arises, and Edgerton falls -- not literally, but since his informant is now dead, and he's surrounded by US Marshals, with only the clue of B17 to go on, definitely metaphorically. Unfortunately, Edgerton doesn't take this too seriously, at first, making some jokes about carrying a gun (not like that) and how the Marshals are morons.
Finally, having enough of the Marshals and their silly arrest games, Edgerton drops Don's name, only to bring out our first parallel between this eppesode and the Colby's a spy (not Theoriginalspy) arc.
Title Flash.

Prison: Edgerton's a little offended, and by little I mean seriously pissed, that he's in prison and not in a detention centre. There's also the little problem of the many, many people Edgerton has captured over the years. As much faith as I have in Edgerton, I don't think he'd have much of a chance if he was released amongst the general population. People might get dead. (Please note I didn't say which people.)
Marshal Thompson even hopes that Edgerton will have time to catch up with his old, um, for lack of a batter word, catches. Wow, I wonder what this douchebag is implying? This just makes me hate the marshal. It doesn't matter what the man says now, I'm going to assume he's wrong.

I'm glad I made that decision, as it's Thompson who accuses Edgerton of helping a drug kingpin, Salazar run a heroine ring, even though Edgerton arrested the man years ago. He then goes on to say Edgerton's allowed Salazar's people to roam free, all the while collecting a nice, fat, 500 grand payday. According to Thompson, the CI was killed because he was going to rat out Edgerton. Of course, because I loathe Thompson, and the writers were kind enough to make sure he gave all the vilifying exposition, there's only one correct response for me here.
Completely content with my theory of the case, I feel smug as anything, until the previously almost silent Don adds some of his own evidence: Edgerton's bloody knife. No, Don! As long as you stayed out of it, and let Thompson do all the talking, I could choose to believe Edgerton was innocent. Why are you adding to my moral conundrum.

Things get worse for Edgerton, and my ability to ever watch Edgerton Eppesodes the same way, when we get the worst explanation of how Edgerton's knife became the murder weapon: someone stole it from his apartment. Hello? Edgerton, come on, you can track a man in the middle of the mountains, (okay, quite a few men) make some seriously impressive shots and yet doesn't have his apartment protected from theft? How long was the knife missing? Wouldn't he have noticed if a dust particle had been moved in his place?

With far more patience than I ever would have shown, Edgerton tries to explain that he's still a good guy. He's tried to take down Salazar through the kingpin's bookkeeper, Garcia.
Even though Garcia, according to Thompson, escaped from prison (therefore, he must be wrong) that's what Edgerton thinks B17 stands for -- Garcia's location in the prison. Apparently, a little paper/plastic bracelet is the prison's foolproof system to keep track of prisoners. Yeah, there wouldn't be a way around that like taking it off?

Because arguing with Thompson is pointless, he turns to Don, clearly playing on both their mutual respect, personally and professionally, by asking, "Have you ever known my instincts to be wrong?"
Don says nothing. I have the sudden urge to slap him silly and I would if a) he wasn't fictional or b) he wouldn't kick my ass.

Don may be taking this arrest and assumption of guilt with his usual stoic angsty silence, but Edgerton isn't. Within 6 seconds (yes, I checked) of leaving the chief Fedcake to stew in his own man-angst, Edgerton's disabled both marshals escorting him, including threatening to use his handcuffs as a garrote on Thompson, and escaped.

Unaware of what's happening, Don and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern discuss how little of a social life Edgerton has. Obviously, as we learned last week, Nikki's taste in men has taken a sudden drop.
Finally, Don expresses some disbelief in the crime's events. I mean, come on, if Edgerton were going to kill someone we'd probably never find the murder weapon, or the body. Hell, we might not even know the victim was missing for the better part of a decade.

The alarms blare, causing a commotion, and some nice views of running Fedcakes -- only to have a great moment of schadenfreude, when they find Thompson and the other marshal handcuffed behind bars. Ha! (With the meanest possible connotation.)

With guns drawn, (WTF -- are they going to shoot their long time compatriot and truly awesome guest star?!) the Fedcakes head up to the roof, only to find no trace of the missing bastard son of Clint Eastwood and Yoda. Is it bad I'm rather pleased by this?

Don takes charge of the situation, wanting the security camera footage, the escape routes, and B17. Sure, these are all very, very rational things for an experienced fugitive recover agent, like Don, to take, but it's David's dismissal of another concept that I find the most believable, given that it is Edgerton they're looking for.
Inside, all they see on the footage is Edgerton running towards the roof and, like Keyser Soze, like that -- he's gone. Of course, my BFFedcake is right in saying that if Edgerton wants to get lost, he'll stay lost. Although, "lost" is probably the wrong term as we all know Edgerton cannot be lost. He's too cool like that.

Marshal Janet Galvin disagrees. She figures Edgerton, with all his loner like ways, and seeing the bad guys live the high life, has flipped to the dark side. I think I could easily refute that point.
Galvin uses the analogy of eating cheeseburgers and wanting fillet, leading to what has to be David's best line this season, "Well, he's more of a venison man and he likes to kill his own dinner." Hee!

Thinking they have control of the situation, the marshals take over, because the Fedcakes are too close to things. Oh, marshals, you just think you have control.

Cal Sci: Charlie and Nikki are watching the news report on Edgerton, both, in their own way, stunned with disbelief. Now this is the type of behaviour I was expecting from Don, because I thought he'd worked out a good part of his trust issues.
From their experiences, which, I assume, are vastly different, both Nikki and Charlie do not see Edgerton as the crazy-killing type. He's more of the calm-killing type.

Nikki wonders if the snake and fish analogy would be appropriate, and I will still argue the dog chasing the cat chasing the mouse theory. Why? It's a similar situation, even though Charlie doesn't make the connection. All he talks about is how irrational people can be when they think they've been wronged. Like Crystal Hoyle didn't think she'd been wronged.

Instead, he gives us the analogy of the Ultimatum game, giving us the title of the eppesode and telling us why we should never, ever, split the check with Nikki. Giving her 100, Charlie only gets back 30, arguing that unless he gets his fair share (which, would be all of it, wouldn't it, since it is Charlie's money) he's going to refuse it. This means neither person gets the money (except Charlie, as it goes back into his wallet). I firmly believe my comparison to Crystal Hoyle, and another type of pursuit, makes way more sense.
We head into commercial break with Nikki thinking Edgerton's out to punish someone, and, at that same moment, we get a good look at who Ian might be wanting to punish.
Prison: Colby and Don are searching the prison rooftop but cannot find evidence of a live Edgerton to a splatted on the ground Edgerton, making the invisible theory a lot more plausible.

Ug, Galvin could take a flying leap off the roof, and I wouldn't care. She's all bitchy about the Fedcakes crossing over the crime scene tape, when there's a really good reason they wouldn't have seen it.
Despite the lighting disadvantage, the Fedcakes still manage to find the small rooftop access way Edgerton used. Well, take that Galvin and shove it!

In the prison, Nikki and David are working in the more standard lighting conditions, which might be an advantage, when David asks Nikki how all this is "sitting" with her. I don't care that he backtracks two seconds later, claiming it was a professional question. He totally meant something else.
David, you know it takes a lot for me to disagree with you, but this time, buddy, you did cross over a line. Don't try to make up for it by trying to justify Edgerton's work with the baddest of CIs and then listening to Nikki's far more plausible theory that when one grows up and works with bad guys, one knows bad guys.

In one small break room that leads off of the air vent, Colby and Don hear some strange rattling. I feel like we've just walked into a horror movie, because I'm expecting Edgerton to jump out of freaking nowhere and scare the crap out of me. Luckily, all that Colby finds in the vent is a rustling potato chip bag. I take a sigh of relief, not even caring, initially to ask the question of how a potato chip bag winds up in the air vent.
Now we have another parallel between this eppesode and the Colby's a spy (not Theoriginalspy) arc.
We have a standoff and there's even a moment of dark humour when Edgerton scoffs at Galvin's ability to shoot. Edgerton says to Don, "You know what I'm capable of," a line with all sorts of layers within layers, being delivered in a chariot of enigmatic coolness. Having now seen this eppesode several times, I've come to the conclusion that this is the most important line in the story.

The Marshals finally realize they are lesser than the Fedcakes and follow Don's orders not to give Colby some ventilation in order to get Edgerton. Sure, they put up a brief pissing contest in the hall, but we all know the Fedcakes are the ones best suited to taking command. Between Don's gut, Nikki's belief, David's talking, and Colby's freakishly absent fear of death, they just need one more thing.

David's confused as to why his partner, and best date ever, isn't safe. He knows Don can make the kill shot. I'm going to translate Don's answer from the actual text, to the more truthful subtext.
Inside the break room, Edgerton's committing his second crime of the eppesode (the first being the escape), destruction of government property, by tearing apart the toaster's electrical cord, to electrify the doorknobs. I know I should be shocked (pun intended) but I'm both amused, and impressed at the MacGyver moves.

What I'm not impressed with is how Colby tries to talk Edgerton down. First of all, we all know that it's David with the silver tongue in that partnership. Secondly, Colby tries to dismiss Edgerton's behaviour as sort of crazy, when we all know, Edgerton included, that Colby suffered from a serious case of hero-worship. Pretending to be all blase now is like advertising that he's playing Edgerton.

We do get some great little details about Edgerton's character, like he's been involved in 57 hostage situations, and has had to clean his gun 16 times. Sure, Colby tries to remind Edgerton that this means there's a good possibility that the sniper will die, but Colby's missing one really important detail.
Oh Colby, now is not the time to be making jokes about Ian being in jail. *headdesk*

In the base of operations, Nikki adds another interesting character quirk to Edgerton's arsenal, that he will get depressed when not on a hunt. Oh, that's a bit more serious, and way more interesting, character-wise than the MacGyvering or the number of times he's killed hostage takers.

I love Ian's demands for the release of Colby: air-escape at LAX and a Beatles reunion. He thinks it's perfectly fair because there's only Paul and Ringo left.
David's answer is pretty clear.
In reality, what Edgerton wants is Charlie (not like that) on a video feed (still not like that) in 20 minutes. That's 13 minutes more than Charlie was given in "The Janus List," yet an interesting parallel, just the same.

OMG, the Edgerton development just keeps coming, as he actually sounds sheepish when talking to Nikki on the phone. Smart move, David, passing off the phone to the woman Edgerton was extremely flirtatious with last season. Bravo!

It even gives us this week's NPAL™, in the form of Edgerton's reason he stopped calling. "Yeah, uh, Fugitive hunt in the Abajo Mountains. Cell service really sucked." This is followed by an even more awkward long pause.
When Nikki switches over from the honest conversation to more tactical hostage negotiator, Edgerton turns on her. He would like to be trusted, but then again, handcuffing Colby to a post and holding him hostage is a sure way to earn David's ire.

On the other hand, everyone's pretty much agreed he's guilty, so Edgerton doesn't have anything left to lose.

IHOF/Prison: Instead of taking Charlie to the prison, where he might be in danger, causing the gnashing of teeth and wails from fangirls everywhere, Don's brought him to the IHOF, and done a quick review of the rules in these types of situations. After all these years, I think Charlie wouldn't need the review.

Now that Edgerton has his first demand met, he's willing to let everyone see Colby's all right. Watching Charlie try to make casual conversation with Edgerton is this situation is hilarious.
So, in another parallel, just like when Colby turned to Charlie, Ian does the same thing. He lays out the problem for Charlie: Find one, incorrectly banded prisoner, amongst 6000 others. It's the same point he was trying to get across to Don (and he makes it more dramatic by showing how quickly cheap paper/plastic comes off) and reminds Charlie how important it is to figure out the problem.
What I find interesting, is how Edgerton distances himself from what he's threatening to do. He uses phrases like Colby's "counting" on Charlie or how things will get "messy." Even during the standoff, he only points out what he's capable of, and says the Fedcakes or the marshals will be the one to kill Colby. Again, he's talking around things, just like Colby did, before he was tortured by Batman.

The video "evidence" of Garcia's escape is quickly discounted, because the supposed escapee is using the wrong hand. Thus, the only three people who have doubts about Edgerton: Nikki, Don, and Charlie, now have to work together to figure out what's really going on, and when the hell the marshals didn't pick up something so blatantly obvious.
As Charlie goes on about how to limit the number of people Garcia's had contact with, I wonder, I know all about budget cuts and CBS's dumbassery and disrespect towards the little midseason replacement that could, but, for once, I really feel like we're missing something when an actor isn't included. Considering how much Edgerton had to do with saving Amita's life, you think she'd be all over this case, spearheading the Edgerton is innocent brigade.

Yes, I just said I'm really, really missing Amita. I'll repeat it too, to anyone who may express disbelief.

AHHHHHHHHH! The pain! The horror! the horror! Please, please don't make me recap this Charlie-vision. Please. I beg of you. Don't make me talk about how Survivor is like prison, unless I get to make sweeping generalizations about the people who go on Survivor having the moral worth of criminals.
So, now Charlie has to figure out with whom Garcia made alliances, in order to switch identities. Now, I will never, ever, mention Survivor again.

Prison: Edgerton is fortifying the break room, before getting sustenance in a unique, television honoured way.
Edgerton, who could probably live inthe forest for weeks without any supplies, rejects the vending-machine food for being stale. Well, I guess when you kill you dinner just prior to eating it, anything would seem stale after that.

Finally, Edgerton appeals to Colby (not like that) about why he was picked as the hostage; Colby knows what it's like. Even David thought Colby was guilty of being a spy (not Theoriginalspy).

"This is nothing like what I went through." Excuse me Colby, with the distrust of the Fedcakes -- even David -- and having to do something drastic in order to prove one's innocence because the only witness was dead, means I have to rewrite your line.
Colby then threatens Edgerton, and unlike most of Edgerton's lines, he doesn't dance around esactly what he's going to do. That is, not that he could dance around being handcuffed to a pole, but, you get the point.

IHOF: Nikki's found a bunch of oddly rescinded orders that would've transferred Garcia to a nother prison, and she's found out she's not the only one with serious doubts about Edgerton's guilt. In fact, Don's not as concerned about Colby, as say, David (for a whole bunch of reasons you can deduce for yourselves).

What I find strange is all the people with doubts, are at the IHOF, meanwhile, all the people would like to have Edgerton shot in the head, are at the prison. I would rather it be the other way around.

In fact, Don seems so not worried about Colby, that he's yet to don his one unconscious action to give away his nerves: check his watch.
Prison: Oh, look, Galvin's so anxious to disprove the lousy shot implication from earlier, that she's not going to wait around "while your boy wonder plays with his abacus." Hey, first of all, Charlie wouldn't euphemistically play with his "abacus" with all this going on and second, Charlie wouldn't need a literal abacus. It's at this moment I peg Galvin as the bad guy. Thompson's just an arrogant ass, but being completely dismissive of Charlie's math and insisting on moving ahead, is a great indication of evilness, in this series.
So Galvin and her team try to get a camera inside, but she winds up with a bit of a shock when she touches the door handle. Sure, Colby's appalled at Edgerton's amusement at this, but I'm firmly on Edgerton's side. Besides the pun on Galvin being galvanized, just tickles my bad-pun part of the brain.
As if to prove he's not as evil as Colby believes, Edgerton finally fives the beefcake Fedcake a chair, and tries to convince them they're alike. This eventually leads into a discussion on Dragnet, and how Edgerton liked the beginning, and the allure of LA law enforcement, whereas, Colby liked the end, when the criminal got his or her sentence. Please, Colby, to give you a like situation -- that's like being a Don fangirl or a Charlie fangirl. The point is you still like the same show. By definition, that would be a similarity.

Edgerton almost weakens, and almost deigns to explain himself to Colby, by commenting that not only will Charlie come through for him, but also how Colby doesn't have all the fact. You can see it, Edgerton wants Colby's understanding, but I am so happy he doesn't go there, as that would mean Edgerton would never quite be the same. He's as connected to the Fedcakes as he is to anyone, but any more than that would be outside anything the character's given us before. That wouldn't be character development; that would be a character 180.

Instead, Edgerton discusses how catchphrases that never were, like "Just the facts, ma'am" come to be taken as fact, because people repeat the lie often enough. It gets the same point across without being so mushy, I'd wonder who has taken possession of Edgerton's body.
IHOF: Don is going through hours of prison footage and Charlie's narrowed down the people Garcia could've switched bracelets with to 53. As there's a difference between mathematical probability, and human possibility, Don quickly eliminates the a few based on human reasons -- like not wanting one's kids to get all deadified.

Now we get of an Eppes brother love fest (not like that, never, ever like that in my recaps), as each is impressed with the other's ability to think clearly. Don can still assess criminals and Charlie can figure out the square root of 2007, despite the fact a friend of theirs could be shot in the head, at any moment.

Don's professional side and personal side are at war in his head. The professional side is chastising him, as he should've killed Ian, but the personal side says he can't sacrifice a friend like that. Charlie likens this to what happened to Oppenheimer, but, considering how his career ended, I'm hoping this isn't foreshadowing for Don.
Prison: Thompson's all angry about the slight frying of Galvin and wants to take action, but, as charlie usually does, he arrives / calls / sends smoke signals, with some breakthrough allowing for a less bloody solution. In this specific case, Charlie calls, having narrowed down the list of potential candidates to 7 -- a more than reasonable number, even for the trigger happy marshals.

Cue a montage of inmate matching. Finally, the last name, Matthew Nunn, turns up a lead -- as the prisoner is at the courthouse.

Courthouse: Wait, that's not Matthew Nunn! That's Tank!
It turns out tank isn't who his bracelet says he is, and there have been multiple switches along he way. Like we couldn't see that coming. If you're going to switch once, why not half a dozen times to prevent being found?

Prison: Ian does not take kindly to Garcia not being found and promises to hurt "this man" and when Thompson suggests Ian might be losing it, somewhere, in the back of my head, I start to agree with him. Thus, David turns to Galvin and Thompson for a solution and that solution is explosives. Unlike Mythbusters, where explosions are always a good thing, this time, not so much.

IHOF: Nikki and Charlie have found footage of Garcia coming back to the prison from the courthouse, but don't know where he would be. Now, after eliminating most of the 600 prisoners, to 7, they're back up to 6000.

Or, of course, not, as we're back to Pursuit Pong -- but his time, instead of the snake and the fish or he dog chasing the cat chasing he mouse, it's now time to think like a kid playing hide and seek. Where would the safest places be in a prison?
Prison: Considering Edgerton was arrested in the morning, and now it's night, either the original time limits are wonky, California has discovered the oddest way for daylight savings, or Colby has the strongest bladder in history. Perhaps it's all three.

Since the whole Dragnet discussion didn't lead to bonding, Colby takes a whole other roue and starts talking about how he and his friend beat up a neighbourhood bully as a kid, and instead of congratulating him from ending the terror of other bullied kids, Colby's dad responded by beating up Colby. The moral here, "It's better to fail with honour than win by cheating."

Um, that's not exactly the moral I see here. To teach our kid not to beat people up, or gang up on people, by beating the kid up? This does not equal good parenting to me.
Ian wonders if all this is Colby's way of saying he should just go to court, instead of say, getting shot in the head by trigger happy marshals but Ian's not done making his arguments. He's saved his best one until now, and it's one that, if he'd used it back in the office at the beginning of this episode, perhaps none of this would've occurred.

What is this brilliant argument that would've prevented all these disastrous events?
While that would totally have averted any mortal peril, it also explains why Edgerton is such a hermit. Really, you know what my idea of a five star hotel is -- it's a five star hotel. I wouldn't scoff at such a thing. On the other hand, that does mean that if I'm ever caught with 500 thousand dollars, I can't argue that I wouldn't have ways to use it.

I'm also a little surprised that Edgerton's so offended by Colby not considering that before. Usually, I would take pot shots at Colby because, let's face it, he may not be the blithering idiot I once thought he was, but he can get himself into some ridiculous situations. This time, I'm feeling a bit more sympathy for him.
IHOF: Team We-don't-totally-believe-Edgerton's-a-nutjob is still working hard and has now recruited David, since there's evidence that Frank Thompson might be involved. Apparently, every time Garcia was supposed to be transferred, he rescinded the order.

Prison: When confronted with this evidence, Thompson tosses back some really weird logic, about David not knowing what it's like to work in a prison. Um, okay, there's the point that no one can really understand a person until they've crawled into someone's skin and walked around in it, but since we learned this all from Atticus Finch, perhaps Thompson might try answering the question.
Even the answer is a bit odd, because, somehow, this is all a part of Salazar's plan to expand his business. I'm still not sure how this works as I don't think minimum security prisons are filled with people who want to get into bed with someone like Salazar. Also, if Salazar may be trying to kill Garcia, wouldn't it then be logical that Garcia would be less than willing to expand Salazar's business?

Just as Thompson and Galvin head off to play at being heroes, Charlie's phone call is just a little too late to stop them. He's learned that Garcia is hiding out in the maximum security wing.

So there's only one thing to do -- warn the par about to be at the centre of the explosion, but in such a ways as to not tip off any marshals about the warning. How is this done? It's done through a code, a safe word (not like that).

While the marshals are putting together the explosives, David offers Colby and Ian some Italian, or Mexican food. Oh continuity gods, I love the fact that you seem to favour Numb3rs, and their safe word, Mexico.

Ian finally put his trust where it should've been all along, and confides to Colby about his plan. Just like I thought, Edgerton totally could've taken on all the marshals at the beginning, and ran, but no, he let himself be arrested. If he'd run, no one would've trusted him, and he's sure that Thompson's working for Salazar. Now, I'm going to point something out, but before I do I would like to say two things. 1) Edgerton, I still love you. 2) Please, please don't hurt me for what I'm about to say.
Colby reciprocates the trust and joins Team We-don't-totally-believe-Edgerton's-a-nutjob, because it's not until he and Ian deduce that there must be a marshal in on it with Salazar, does Colby warn the object of his idol worship, that something is about to go kaboom!

We get the music of "When This is Through" by Rotor Jambecks, and trust me, that took freaking forever to find. (Freaking forever a phrase which here means 3 hours -- well, 3 hours with breaks to play various silly games on Facebook and faff off on Twitter.) It's a strange little bluesy tune that's got quite dark edge to it, and is fairly appropriate since the marshals want Ian dead, the Fedcakes have only a few minutes to find the missing Garcia and stop his murder, and I wonder if Numb3rs is really going to go there and give CBS one big massive screw you by killing off one its most popular guest characters. Considering what Charlie said earlier about people and revenge, if I were in charge I would consider it. Then again, I'm not very, shall we say tactful or, you know, mature.

While the music plays, several things happen at once.

Showing far more trust that I thought Ian had in him, he uncuffs Colby and hands the gun to him, so that it'll be clear upon the marshals' arrival that the beefcake Fedcake had everything under control.
David has to step in to prove that the Numb3rs PTB are not as petty as I am, and make sure Thompson doesn't accidentally shoot Edgerton. By accidentally, of course, I mean on purpose because Thompson's a douchebag.

Galvin, somehow took off from the raid and made her way down to wing where Garcia is hiding, she even brought her little pet with her, to make sure Garcia can never rat her out.
Don and Nikki run down to the cell where Garcia is hiding.
There's half a second where I think they're not going to make it.
As Nikki cuffs Galvin, the most important person in this eppesode, the one upon which Edgerton risked his life to find, Garcia, doesn't say a damn word.

Okay, LA must be turning at a different speed than the rest of the planet. Sure, most entertainment bloggers would agree with me, but I mean that in a literal sense. Edgerton was arrested in the morning, then took Colby hostage, and demanded things done quickly. Suddenly, it's the middle of the night when the final siege and arrests take place, and now it's morning. I thought the play Macbeth had some screwy timing to it, and if one looks at it historically, it takes place over 17 years. I think this eppesode actually beats that play for wonky timing.

Nikki finally gets a chance to talk with Ian face to face, explaining how Galvin had been in Salazar's employ for two years (would that be two years real time, or this eppesode time?) and is the one that set up the phony loaded account. As for Thompson, he was too much of a moron to see he was being played, which, technically, isn't a crime, but it should be.

She promises he'll be out as son as judge can release him, he asks for a conjugal visit. At first, I'm thinking Nikki's taste has improved from last week's little blip, but instead of laughing off the idea of a conjugal and suggesting something after he's out of that hideous prison orange, she responds, "as soon as they get cell service in the Abajo mountains."

Ouch.

On the other hand, considering the bet she lost, she might not want to cut Ian off so quickly. Re-imagine that whole scenario at the restaurant as Colby espouses the virtues of David, of which there are many, to which Nikki could easily respond:
Don waits as Nikki and Ian part ways. Before being escorted back to where ever they keep prisoners who are about to be released, Edgerton nods at Don, letting us all know that at least there isn't going to be any animosity there. Although, if Ian thinks he's getting off scott-free (pun intended), then he'll learn when David holds onto his fishing lure a lot longer than he kept Colby's. Okay, that was supposed to be a metaphor but only reads as dirty.

In a great line, Nikki tells Don that she'd want him on the "other side of that trigger" if she were ever held hostage.

"You I might let him keep," Don retorts. Hee! Yeah, well, I don't think Edgerton would mind that either. Also, if that means Edgerton has to come back, I don't have a problem with it.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern exit together, with Colby appreciating the fresh air, probably as much as he appreciated a washroom when things were said and done.

Colby's teasing David about his concern for his partner. Now, Colby, don't talk to David that way! David has the right to be concerned.

Okay, in truth, David doesn't want to have to fill out the paperwork or lose his promotion over a dead partner. In David speak, that's pretty much, "I love you, man."

A short time later, Charlie and Don head home, with Don bemoaning how he's always going to bed when everyone else is getting up. Fill in your own inappropriate Don/Robin comment here.
Don acknowledges that Edgerton bet his life on Charlie, and Charlie says vice-versa. While trusting Don isn't overly surprising, it tells us how much Edgerton's grown as a character. It's interesting that for a relationship that started outwith such distrust -- Edgerton sketchy about math and Charlie not believing in guns -- that now Edgerton's willing to risk his life if Charlie's on the other side of the equation, just as Don would be on the other end of a gun.

And really, isnt' that exactly what this show is about?