...And So It--ENDS!

I'm debating within myself over which way I'm going to review this last episode this week. The last couple of weeks, I've listened to the episode all the way through once, and then I've started to review it. Then I hear it on our local radio station later in the morning, get some new insights, and then finish the review, scene by scene. But this week, since it's the last show of the season, I'm thinking about reviewing as I listen for the first time. It'd be more difficult, and I think it'd take a little longer, but it might turn out better. But I so badly want to listen to the whole thing and see how it all turns out! I don't know what I'm going to do. I've been waiting for weeks to hear this last episode, even though I could listen at any time now that I have ownership of the CD, so now that I'm finally authorized to listen to Part 12, I think I'll just enjoy, then I'll review it.

Wow. Fast forward half an hour, and I'm pretty impressed. Pretty much all the story lines were resolved, and all without making the episode feel too long. In fact, I think this episode was actually a bit shorter than most of the others, because there was time for an extra-long ending with Chris at the end. But anyway, here's my review:

The first scene of the show takes place apparently an hour or so after the last one left off. Detective Polehaus is reeling and yelling over the fact that after a 20-mile chase with the trucks, not a single dollar was found. He yells to Martin that he wants all the drivers arrested and every single inch of the equipment in the trucks disassembled, because the money has to be somewhere! Duh, but I highly doubt that the counterfeiters would be so dull as to let their money be in such an obvious place. Maybe, detective, you could look for the money in a less obvious place, since criminals usually try not to be obvious? :P Just a suggestion.

Martin gets Mr. Whittaker on the line, at Polehaus's command, and in the next scene, Whit connects him with Eugene in a conference call. Polehaus informs them both about the absence of money in the trucks, and Whit deduces that the only other place they're hoping the money could be hidden is the Old Ross Compound. But Polehaus reminds them that he checked the whole compound and didn't find anything. He says he has a man staked out there now, but it's been quiet. They stormed Dr. Trask's house, but he was gone, and there was no room for millions of counterfeit dollars, so the compound really is their last lead. Whit remembers that Matthew and Emily were researching at the library, and he asks Eugene if they found anything about the compound. Emily jumps in and tells about a layout that she found of the five buildings in the compound. Polehaus stops her and asks if she's sure there are five, because he only saw four. Emily says that yes, there is an extra building that's over to the east of the compound. Matthew found some information that suggests it's a gigantic underground bunker that would be covered over to look like a hill. That's enough information for Detective Polehaus--he decides to raid the place! (But somehow we just know that isn't going to work. :))

So they raid the bunker, but all they find is...hay bales? How is this possible?! Detective Polehaus was so sure that he was going to catch them! He was so sure that the criminals would be dull enough to stay in one area long enough to be caught! How could they have gotten away with Polehaus's men watching all the roads?! Uggh. Polehaus is way too full of himself and way too intent on catching the bad guys. He really thinks that they are going to be dumb enough to stay in one spot so he can catch them and haul them off to jail. I thought he was supposed to be a professional detective. But I guess he is only from Connelsville. Anyway, Whit's concerned about another aspect to this whole thing that has just been brought to light. He sees licorice bags, raspberry soda cans and a Winnie the Pooh picnic blanket on the ground. Was it the criminals taking a quick break to celebrate Polehaus's stupidity? I think not. Whit knows enough to be sure that it was Wooton. And who else would Wooton be having a picnic with than Penny and Connie? This means that the conspirators must have kidnapped the trio! Oh no! I'm so concerned that this could mean the end of Wooton! No, not really.

In the next scene, Monty, as Whit's "one last hope" to find out from Dirk Beggs what the numbers mean, bursts into Beggs's hospital room to make one last interrogation. Of course, the nurse is ticked again, and she runs off to get Dr. Graham. I think Marvin made a perfect analogy when he compared her actions to a little girl running off to tell Mommy that Big Brother is disobeying. :P With her out of the way, Monty threatens Dirk with being left to the Stiletto (even though neither of them yet knows who he really is), and Dirk decides to give in and spill everything, since he guesses that the money is probably long gone by now. He reveals that the numbers in his cell phone were from a text message that Mr. Skint sent to him. He scribbled the numbers down from the cell phone, and he was supposed to pass it on to the Stiletto, but Agent Tanner called, there was a tussle in the plane, and it crashed, and everything went downhill from there. But back to the point, Dirk finally uncovers the key to this whole puzzle: the numbers are freight cars attached to a private train.

Jumping right to the next scene, Mr. Whittaker relays the information to a very surprised Eugene, and Matthew finally understands how everyone disappeared from the compound. There's a line on the map that appears to be a dry riverbed or a road which leads to a railroad track. The counterfeiters must have used it to get the money to the waiting freight cars, and by now they're traveling at high speeds to distribute the fake cash all across America.

Back at the hospital, Monty is getting more information out of Dirk. The train will be taken to Chicago on a track that hasn't been used in years. Along the way, the freight cars holding the money will be coupled off with other engines waiting at places throughout the country, and then they'll be taken to rendezvous points where the money will be collected and distributed. As Monty remarks, it was a great idea. What better way to inconspicuously distribute counterfeit money throughout the entire country but by train. No one but the hardest thinkers would even consider the possibility of using a train, so it could all be done possibly right under the noses of watching policemen and detectives. And you have to give props to Mr. Groat for coming up with this big plan from his station in Korea; it's the perfect way to break America down from the inside, without anyone aware of it. Financial terrorism, Jason called it. Genius. After that explanation, the nurse comes back in and Monty has to leave, but we've gotten all the information necessary to stop the counterfeiters. And now the question is, can we stop them?

In comes the Skint music, along with the sound of a train, and Mr. Skint tells Buck that it's all over now; everything is taken care of. But Buck's concerned about the three hostages in one of the freight cars. Skint assures him that they'll be alright; they'll probably be dropped off and pointed back in the right direction somewhere along the way. However, Buck isn't satisfied, because he remembers that Archie talked about getting rid of those who got in the way. But Mr. Skint says that that isn't their concern, but that they need to focus on the one task they have left to accomplish. To me, it sounded here like Skint meant to get rid of Buck, but as the show progresses, it seems that he really does care for Buck, and the one last job they have to do is to take Katrina as a hostage for insurance.

Then, after a commercial break, we get our first view inside the train where Connie is starting to get into her stressed mood. She doesn't know where she's going, she's trapped, and she's surrounded by millions of dollars she can't spend. (Honestly, the sinful, wicked part of my nature is telling me that I would have stuffed my pockets with some of that stuff. I don't know how the counterfeiters trusted them to do that. But the righteous, godly part of me would have done something like opened all the boxes and dumped them out of the train. :D That would have been fun.) While Connie is stressed, Wooton is care-free and making his annoying wisecracks, and Penny is dejected and doesn't feel like even trying to get out because the man she trusted most in the world has turned out to be a fake. Then Connie makes an amazing revelation and tells us that that is the very reason why she doesn't trust anybody. What? Is she serious?! No, actually. But (and in comes one of the most theologically deep deliveries in the whole season), we have to know where to put our trust. She says that Christians start with Jesus (yes, exactly!), putting our trust in Him, and then everything else comes after that--the Bible, and the Holy Spirit for wisdom and help. The Spirit's illumination using the Scripture is how we discern between who we do and don't trust. Connie tells Penny that although we still make mistakes, she likes to think the Holy Spirit's influence cuts down on a lot of them that she's inclined to make.

I'm so glad that that all was put in there. Yes, we are inclined to make mistakes as part of our totally depraved sinful nature. But we need to first and foremost trust in Jesus' atonement to cover over our sin and to vindicate us before a holy God. And we trust in His perfect life that's accredited to our account to present us as righteous before God. And then the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to cut to our hearts and convict us and give us truth for life. Amen! All that may have almost totally redeemed all of the sketchy stuff about good hearts and good people that Katrina's been spewing out like a hose spurting filthy water. Anyway, Wooton, who is getting really good at ignoring spiritual things, changes the subject to the fact that based on his knowledge of a train that someone he knew from Alaska once owned (could this be the same friend who owned the underground bunker?), there should be a trap door right behind the pile of boxes in the corner. But just before they start to clear the way, a loud banging sound starts to come from a large man-sized crate. They undo the latches, and see a man wearing sunglasses and a hat with a New Yorkian accent who is groggy from drugs used to persuade him into the box. I don't know about you, but I'd be a little freaked out if I came across a shady character such as the Stiletto. He asks Wooton which way will get him out of the train, and as he goes out, he tells Connie by name that she needs to tell Mr. Whittaker that "the plates are at TLC." He then leaves, planning to run along the top of the train because Wooton tells him that it usually gives him inspiration. I'd like to know how many times Wooton has had the chance to run atop a train to know that it frequently gives him inspiration. But my main concern is that I hope there aren't any tunnels coming up any time soon. Yeesh!

Well, I'm sorta out of time for now, so I think that I'm going to do what Marvin did, and divide my review into two parts. Hopefully I can get the second part out by tomorrow morning. But I'd still like to hear your comments on this part! Thank you for reading!