Simon and Eugene discuss the emerging love polygon within the Bureau of Weapons Technology, why Beckett is being written as a bit of a jerk as well as a bad boss, and they speculate on the identity of the mole within the agency.
Episode Synopsis
Ed and Alex are out on the racetrack, about to test a device that shall henceforth be called, the Engine Killer. Alex will shoot Ed’s bike’s engine while in motion to find out if it works. Does it work? We may never find out because two armed men storm the track, gas Alex, steal the device, and leave a couple signature-Bugs boom boom devices behind. Ed charges in on his steed and rescues Alex.
Back at the Bureau, Beckett is a bit of an A-hole to Ed about losing the device. He accuses him of having his mind on Alex instead of the work — an allegation Ed denies. Some people are not cut out to be supervisors.
It’s time for Beckett’s weekly password change for the ominously-named Project Darkling, but before he can, he has to go to the front desk and pick up a very important package: A security card for Van Straaten. The card is absolutely necessary for Beckett to even talk to Van Straaten, a diamond-industrialist-turned-peace-negotiator who is in town for a major peace accord. What Beckett does not know is that the courier is none other than one of the two who stole the Engine Killer and that the card has a tracker on it.
Van Straaten is a big deal, and Ros is a huge fan. Beckett is going to his exclusive reception and Ros is jealous. Beckett lords it over Ros and smugly says, “there are some things money can’t buy.” Some people are not cut out to be supervisors.
Beckett and Jan meet Van Straaten, and Van Straaten is placed in Beckett’s care, and they head off, surreptitiously in Beckett’s Jeep.
Meanwhile, Channing shows up with two tickets to Van Straaten’s exclusive reception, and all Ros has to do is go to Barbados with him for a technology expo and a spot of cricket in return. It’s the cricket that cinches it, and she agrees. I knew I liked Ros for a reason.
On the road, the baddies, Trozek and General Chenlov use the Engine Killer (I guess it works) on Beckett’s Jeep and kidnap both Van Straaten and Beckett. Trozek, Chenlov, and Van Straaten are all acquainted with one another. Van Straaten recently used information provided by the Bureau to humiliate Trozek and get him removed from the peace negotiations. It looks like it might be pay-back time.
Jan takes active control of the Bureau in Beckett’s absence and she is not a happy camper, they’ve lost the Engine Killer, Van Straaten, and Beckett. It’s a trifecta of bad. Then the £10,000,000 ransom demand for Van Straaten comes in.
Beckett and Van Straaten are being held in a mobile command and control van, moving around. Beckett tells Trozek that the Bureau will never pay the ransom, but he reveals it’s not about the ransom. It’s not even about Van Straaten. They were kidnapping Beckett so that they could force him to give them the password to Project Darkling, a satellite-based missile deployment system that only Beckett can order to launch nuclear annihilation from. They plan to use it to destroy the opposition, making the peace talks moot. It takes very little persuasion to get the password from Beckett.
I bet that whole “you need to change your password weekly” thing will save the day this week!
Alex and Ros figure out where the C&C van is and put Ed on its trail. Meanwhile, Beckett uses Van Straaten’s cute little toy computer device to hack into the van and send Ros a warning that they’re really after Project Darkling.
It turns out Beckett’s password works just fine. Things are looking bad for the gang. Working them against them: pretty much everything. Working in their favor: the satellite can only be contacted every 90 minutes.
Ed runs the C&C van off the road just as Beckett stages an escape with Van Straaten and the Engine Killer. Things don’t go well. The General retakes Van Straaten, and Beckett drops the Engine Killer. In the end, the baddies escape with everything except Beckett and Ed.
Beckett takes a few moments to exercise his supervisory skills by reminding Ed that it’s his fault the Engine Killer was taken. Some people are not cut out to be supervisors.
The baddies did, however, miss the communication window and must wait 90 minutes to re-establish contact with Project Darkling. They changed the password, so Beckett is now completely locked out.
They hatch a new plan. Ros will pretend to be a high-tech thief and convince Trozek to use Van Straaten’s irises to rob his diamond business. Chenlov doesn’t like the idea, he wishes to remain focused on his ideologically-motived need to slaughter people, but Trozek goes for the idea anyway.
At Van Straatens business, Beckett has a cleverly designed plan. Lock Trozek in a lift while Ed disables Project Darkling from the C&C van. It doesn’t go well. Alex is spotted by Chenlov and prevented from shutting down the lift, Trozek has actually transferred the firing controls to a remote device on his belt, and Ed is completely locked out of the controls in the van.
Trozek is going back for the diamonds, but Chenlov has had enough of this distraction from the killing and pulls a gun on Trozek, who promptly kills him, and heads back to the lift.
It’s Ed to the rescue; using the Engine Killer, he disables the lift, the power, the remote firing device, and, apparently, the manual lift emergency brakes because it plummets to the ground floor, killing Trozek.
It’s all is well that ends well, and Ed and Beckett are mansion-sitting for Ros as she prepares to leave town for Barbados. Ed mentions to Beckett that it’s pretty odd how well-informed Trozek and Chenlov were about all the Bureau’s security and top-secret projects and suggests a mole. Beckett dismisses the idea out of hand. Alex wouldn’t do it, and Beckett’s got Jan wrapped around his finger. (Forgetting, apparently, how he got roped into this job in the first place.) Some people are not cut out to be supervisors.
Ros is off with Channing, and Beckett is a sad little puppy.
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