I’m scared that if I go out there I’m gonna have to kill this kid …
Summary: Buck Winters breaks out of jail and comes after Don for revenge
Original air date: January 9, 2009 (US)
Written by: Ken Sanzel
Directed by: Ken Sanzel
Opening numbers:
5’9″: Height
156: Weight
19: Age
250: Year sentence
Family Concepts: (character development)
- Charlie, Amita and Larry decide to start a monthly “think tank” group to toss around interesting ideas. Amita and Larry suggest Charlie invite Alan to join the group.
- Both Charlie and Alan remember the moment when Alan had nothing else he could teach a seven year old Charlie about mathematics
Episode Quotes:
- Liz: You guys find new and special ways to freak me out all the time.
- Colby: A hand, please!
Nikki: Punch her!
Colby: She’s a girl! - Amita: Yet again male communication tests the limits of Shannon’s source coding theorem.
Episode Synopsis:
Buck Winters along with two others, Rafe Lansky and Gray McClaughlin, break out of prison using a rope made from dental floss. They make no secret about heading for LA and Don’s entire team is convinced Buck is out for revenge and Don is the target. Don however seems to be completely detached from the case. He shows little concern that Buck is out leaving David and Colby to tell Nikki and Liz about the Crystal Hoyle case. Charlie and Larry don’t know about Buck’s escape until David tells them, David had assumed Don had called Charlie.
Nikki and Colby are able to track down Gray’s girlfriend at the docks and she tells them she arranged for a car and changes of clothing to be in place, but she didn’t know anything about the dental floss used to make the ladder. Charlie is about to figure out it took the three men roughly seven to eight months to construct the ladder. He also points out the ladder was engineered, not simply built. David and Colby find Tim Pynchon, Gray cell-mate who was let out after DNA evidence cleared him. Tim claims he came up with the dental floss rope and other details of the escape as a thought experiment, when he was released, he sold the ideas to Gray.
Colby and David have a hard time believing most of Tim’s story and stake out his apartment. Liz and Nikki arrive to relieve David and Colby and Tim is spotted heading for another apartment. A shootout ensues and Tim is killed, however, Gray is caught and arrested. Gray admits he strung Tim along with a fantasy story involving a hidden stash of drugs. He’s willing to make a deal to tell Nikki where Rafe and Buck are, and spills everything when Robin Brooks reminds Gray he is culpable in every and any crimes Buck and Rafe commit while one the loose. Gray tells Nikki Rafe and Buck are at a motel.
The FBI and US Marshal converge on the motel room only to find Rafe dead in the bathtub and Buck gone in a stolen car. Nikki finds a cell phone in a nearby dumpster that matches the cell phone Buck has used to call Don through the FBI switchboard. However the phone also shows an incoming call from Don to Buck.
David confronts Don to find out what the story is, and Don tells him to trust him and let Don call the shots. Don has arranged a meeting with Buck and David is to lead a tactical team with orders to wait for Don to signal before doing anything. The meeting is at Don’s synagogue. Buck says he is there to kill Don that he’s planned out everything that’s happened to reach this point. Don doesn’t believe him and refuses to play Buck’s game. He had to kill Crystal, he doesn’t need to kill Buck; Buck however wants to commit suicide by cop. Don is unarmed and calls in David’s team to show Buck he has no options. Buck surrenders without any shots fired.