Hostages: The One Containing a Bazillion Questions (S1:E4)

Episode 4, entitled “2:45” starts off pretty much where episode 3 left off, with Helen and her husband David (forever known as Josh-OOOOOO-aaaaa from Friends to me) debating in the bathroom about escaping.  If you ask me, Helen is being AWFULLY calm and civil for just having found out her husband’s having an affair.  She flashes back to 4 years ago when they bought the house and seemed quite happy.  

Back to today, Helen’s removing cupcakes from the oven when she burns herself and asks for medical kit that they took away.  Carlisle nurses her little burn and turns his head for just enough time for her to grab her scalpel from the medical bag & hide it back of her skirt

When Helen arrives with the kids at the high school to drop them off, she tells them that they’re escaping to canada, TODAY, and that they should go in to class like normal in the morning but that after lunch, they should leave and she will meet them at bus station 2pm so they can catch a 2:45 bus to Montreal.  When Morgan asks about the GPS chips inside them, Helen removes the scalpel she swiped and gives it to her daughter.  Apparently Morgan is versed in being able to safely remove GPS chips from her & her brother.

Arriving at the hospital, Helen sees there’s a little vigil set up for Nurse Angela, and she flashes back (again) to 5 months ago when Angela came to her office to congratulate her for getting the “President’s surgery” job and Helen informs Angela that she has already told them that she wants Angela on her surgical team.  Hugs.

Back at the Sanders house, Maria asks Kramer about his hand injury from beating Nico up (already knowing the truth, she eyes him suspiciously when he lies about it).  Carlisle comes in, Maria leaves and Carlisle tells Kramer (who he calls Brian) that he’s going to see his wife at the hospital, who Kramer/Brian says to tell her he loves her…. so….. apparently Kramer/Brian is Carlisle’s brother in law or something?  

Meanwhile at the Sanders’ bank their safety security box is being handed to Josh-OOOOO-aaaaa, who then asks for $9000 from their checking account, but is informed that it, along with all their other accounts, are frozen.  Before he leaves, he asks the banker for an envelope, which is a good thing because when he steps out of the bank, Kramer approaches him about how long he took in the bank, spies the envelope and only finds loan papers as Josh-OOOOO-aaaa’s reason for being there.

Back at the kids’ school, Morgan’s in the nurse’s office and manages to obtain the supplies she needs when nurse steps out for a moment, but gets caught searching around by said nurse and is therefore asked about it being the second time in 1 week that Morgan had been there for nausea, asking if there was something going on?  Could she be pregnant?  Morgan evades the nurse and leaves, assuring her everything is FINE.

Carlisle goes to hospital, and when he walks in, his wife “Nina” is up and dressed and healthy as can be so - I am a bit flummoxed at this point that in the last couple episodes she was practically on her death bed.

Meanwhile at Josh-OOOOO-aaaaaa’s work, he receives a delivery of passports from his bank.  At the same time, Helen calls the same coworker she got in touch with her husband through last week, and confirmed he obtained the passports.  He informs her that he was unable to access cash, but assures her he will take care of it and that it will all be in his desk at the Helmond Building which is only 5 blocks from bus station. 

At the hospital, Nina informs Carlisle that she’s stopping chemo, the leukemia is getting worse, she’s done and has already talked to doctor. He tries to talk her out of it but she wants to enjoy her life NOW while she can and not deal with chemo and getting sicker while stuck in hospital.  She says “I need to get outta here”  and I’m imagining Carlisle is thinking “FUCKING FUCK how am I going to explain my absence for the next 2 weeks so I can terrorize the Sanders family???”

Back at Josh’s work he searches a desk and only finds $75, so he asks Samantha for more from petty cash.  At this point we discover that he owns whatever company this is (I never picked up on this previously….. not sure if this is new info..?)  She gives him 300 from petty cash.  At the same time, Helen pawns her wedding ring for a measly $500.  

Upon arriving back to office, Helen has yet ANOTHER flashback, this time to 5 months ago again, to her arriving home to tell Josh-OOOOOO-aaaaa that she got the President’s surgery job.  All of a sudden after congratulations, he seems concerned and it turns out her once in a lifetime opportunity is going to be so inconvenient for him, what with them going thru their entire history, tax records, phone records, etc.., (oh, and, uhhhh - THE FACT THAT YOU’RE HAVING AN AFFAIR Josh-OOOOOOO-aaaaa??????)  He tries to tell her its a huge commitment, that she’s already busy as it is and they barely see her (oh, ok, now going the guilt route. I really don’t like this guy at all.)  

Meanwhile at the high school field house Morgan sets up supplies to perform surgery on herself and brother, only her brother doesn’t show and she can’t reach her own chip so she goes to hunt jake down.  She finds him in smokers alley with all the potheads, duh…. and gathers him up hastily. 

Joshua asks Samantha to deliver the package of passport, money, etc.., to his other office, and she agrees hesitantly, wondering why the urgency.

Back at the FBI building Carlisle’s on the phone telling Kramer that Nina wants to stop chemo and go home.  Kramer says that this will all be for nothing then and that if Carlisle could convince Nina to marry him, he needs to convince her to continue treatment.  We then find out he was cleared of any wrongdoing from the bank robbery in first episode and that they’re even giving him a commendation. He is then told that they have a new assignment for him and he is introduced to the guy in charge of the President - -Stan Hoffman, Secret Service who’s heading up an inter-agency task force and has requested Carlisle specifically.  

Carlisle is informed that the job is to find the body of Nurse Angela!!  Hoffman shows him a sketch of who we all know is Archer and….rut roh…. methinks Archer’s going to be in trouble.  Carlisle is told that he was highly recommended from someone in the White House.  That DAMNED Quincey, wtf? 

Just as the kids are successful in removing their GPS chips, back at the hospital Archer confronts Helen that she’s supposed to be surgery.  She tells him it was  cancelled, he asks where she’s going, she says to get a latte, he asks where, she says at a cafe a block away, he says why not get it here?  I MEAN JESUS with the questions in this show!  Then he notices her wedding rings aren’t on her hand and she says she took them off before surgery.  He instructs her that for rest of day, she’s to check in every 15 minutes.  

Helen calls Cheater McGee to tell him to call off plan for the day, to go to the school & let kids know but he said that by now they’ve cut their chips out and why the hell is security suspicious suddenly?  Helen tells him she pawned her wedding rings and Josh-OOOOO-aaaa seems asTONISHED by this.  He tells her to leave the hospital at 2:15 and pick up passports, but she’s concerned that she told the kids to meet at 2:00 at the bus station, and he says “so be a little late, the bus doesn’t leave until 2:45.”   He assures her he will make sure no one is following her.  Because, you now, he’s super trustworthy.  

At the high school, Morgan and Jake are discussing how they’re going to get out of there when an alarm goes off.  Morgan asks Jake what he did and he replies that he got a friend to call in a bomb threat.  She asks why the kid would do that and Jake tells her the kid owed money.  She asks for what (THERE IS A LOT OF QUESTIONARY DIALOGUE IN THIS SHOW) and he says “I’m not smoking week, Morgan, I’m selling it.”  Dun Dunnnnn Dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!  

Carlisle returns back to Nina’s hospital room where she’s packing:  He tells her that he thinks he’s figured out a way to continue treatment, he found someone who can help, a doctor who specializes in experimental therapies and that it’s complicated why he’s just now telling her about it.  He tells her it’s dangerous and risky but it’s a chance, their only chance, only if she stops chemo now, the treatment won’t work. He pleads with her for HIM and for SAWYER for her not to give up.

Meanwhile at the Sanders home, Josh-OOOOO-aaaaa is packing his lacrosse shit and Kramer asks why the rush, practice isn’t for awhile, so Josh-OOOOO-aaaaa says he’s going early to let off some steam.  Josh-OOOOO-aaaa asks Kramer his name, but Kramer turns around and is pummeled with a lacrosse stick (I just Googled what a lacrosse stick is called and… guess what?  It’s called a lacrosse stick!)  A fight ensues, Josh-OOOOO-aaa wins, knocking Kramer out.  

Archer’s stationed in his car at the hospital when he sees Helen’s car flying by at 70mph sp he takes off after her. He informs Carlisle of this, Carlisle tries calling Kramer and gets no answer, so he calls Maria who tells him about bomb threat at the school, so Carlisle says to find the kids NOW.  Much to her dismay, her tracker leads her to 2 kids that Morgan and Jake left their chips with, Kramer wakes up & tells Carlisle that Josh-OOOOO-aaaaa jumped him, and Carlisle orders him to find Mr. Sanders immediately.

Meanwhile, Archer catches up to Helen and runs her off the road, walks up to the car and - —- it’s Joshua.  Carlisle pulls up 2 seconds later, asks where his wife is and joshua just says GONE.

Helen’s at his office looking for the envelope Samantha was to deliver.  As she’s looking, Samantha walks in. She asks Helen what’s going on and instead of Helen saying “Just give me the envelope Samantha and be glad I’m not bitch slapping your ass” she just says the first part.  Samantha says she was just wondering when Cheaty McCheaterson was going to be back in the office and Helen replies that she doesn’t know and she has to go.  Persistent Samantha asks if she could just tell her why they’re all are going to montreal, the money & the passports, and that Cheaty didn’t mention it, (SEE what i mean about all the fucking question dialogue JESUS!!) to which Helen responds, “That’s because it’s NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.  I know about the 2 of you Samantha, he told me.”  Helen walks away from a flabbergasted Samantha.

At the bus station Helen arrives, sees her kids at another entrance, tries to her husband but gets his voicemail so she leaves a message that confirms the 3 of them are there, thanks him, and hopes he’s ok.  When she hangs up she gets a video chat request from her Cheaty McCheaterson husband, only no it’s not - it’s Carlisle, who tells her that he told you not to test me.  Helen asks where her husband is at and Carlisle pans the phone around to Cheaty on his knees, all the while saying she should stick to the plan sweetheart, he doesn’t know anything when BAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Carlisle shoots Cheaty in the stomach and she sees the whole thing on her phone. He zooms in on Cheaty’s agonizing face and stomach wound, looks back into the phone and says, “He’s still alive but I have no idea how long he’ll last, that’s up to you doctor.”  Call ends and the episode is over.

So…. Hostage fans…. what would YOU do if you were Helen Sanders?


 Have a tutti fuckin frutti day,
-BZ