Episode 17: The Frame
3/28/2004
Vaughn and Syd travel to Mexico City searching for the key
to open the Rambaldi box. Via Vaughn's contact Kishell, they
learn that the box contains a bio-weapon. In 1941, they learn,
two Soviet archeologists found the "map," an etched
crystal revealing the location of the key. The men turned
on each other, however, and died in the Karoo desert. Kishell
has images of Covenant kingpin Kazari Bomani at the site —
with the crystal. In the background is a truck belonging to
Omnifam, Sloane's humanitarian organization. Kishell says
The Covenant refers to the map as The Passenger.
Later, Sloane explains to Syd that the CIA forced him to
partner with Bomani to stay close to The Covenant. If his
pardon is revoked, she says, the death penalty will be reinstated.
He says all Omnifam trucks can be tracked with GPS. He offers
to give her the tracking codes in return for creature comforts.
At a restaurant, Vaughn tells Lauren that he wants to separate.
Lauren says it's about Sydney and storms off — straight
to Sark, who tells her to kill her father, which would compel
Vaughn to return to her out of compassion. Meanwhile, a suspicious
Jack prints out Lauren's phone records. Visiting Senator George
Reed, Jack meets his wife Olivia. He then reveals to the senator
the paper trail leading to his Lauren. Reed is incensed and
denies his daughter's involvement.
Marshal tracks the Omnifam trucks to the Russian consulate
in Gaborone, where the CIA believes Sark and Bomani have the
map. Syd and Vaughn enter a function at the consulate, posing
as a Russian couture designer and a waiter, respectively.
They engage in a firefight with Sark and Bomani and escape
with the crystal. On the return flight, Vaughn tells Syd that
he's separating from Lauren.
Marshal is unable to interpret the crystal's kaleidoscopic
data. Syd gives Sloane The Iliad in return for his help. He
says that there are four disks that fit into the box's carved
slots. He tells them to look under water. With this information,
Marshal is able to use the data to pinpoint a rock formation
off the coast of Okinawa.
Lauren realizes her computer has been accessed by Jack (she
has an intrusion detection program). She calls Sark, who again
advises her to kill her father and then frame Jack. Lauren visits
her father, who's now convinced of Lauren's guilt. He suggests
that he can help her get out of it and they could start over
to patch their relationship. Olivia walks in, takes the gun
from Lauren, and shoots him! She says, "Sark said you might
back out."
During the investigation, Olivia tells Jack that, before
killing himself, George had grown distraught about asking
Lauren to do things that he later regretted. He mentioned
the Covenant, she says.
In the Sea of Japan, Syd and Vaughn scuba to an underwater
cave and locate the keys. Bomani arrives and says The Passenger
is Irina's legacy. Syd fights Bomani while Vaughn battles
Bomani's mercenaries. Syd beats Bomani, but he destroys their
scuba equipment and flees with the keys. They use a tank with
a broken valve to act as a propulsion device to rocket them
to the surface. On the plane back, Syd says Vaughn's problems
are unfortunate, but she's hopeful. He asks her out to coffee
when they get home.
Dixon refuses Lauren's resignation, telling her that she
was acting at her father's instruction with what she thought
was approved government protocol. Jack tells Dixon there's
no reason to believe it wasn't suicide, but Dixon says they
may still have reason to hold Sloane. Vaughn and Syd arrive
and learn of Senator Reed's death. To Syd's dismay, Vaughn
embraces Lauren. Later that night, Vaughn calls Syd to tell
her he's back with Lauren.
Sloane demands to be released after he learns that Senator
Reed was Covenant. But Dixon says the senator's records indicate
he consulted with Sloane about Rambaldi and that Sloane handed
over certain artifacts to him. The pardon has been revoked,
Dixon says, and he'll be executed in two weeks.
- description from ABC.com
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