Synopsis
The episode begins in France, 1981, when we see Malone
with the NATO Intel forces (see "plot inconsistencies")
trying to catch a terrorist called Phoenix. Malone is just
an observer, leading the team is colonel Alex Stryker. (Phoenix
is watching news that mentions Reagan & Thatcher, just
to set the date). Phoenix realises he's under attack, NATO
forces cannot hit an unmovable target standing still on
a lit door, but they finally get him, and his body is destroyed
as the cabin explodes.
Almost twenty years later, Backup tells Malone that "Carson"
has been tracing money movements, and found a million that
left from the Libyans, and ended on a Swiss bank account.
Malone tells her (see "plot inconsistencies") that it's
a going rate for an intercontinental hit.
Then we see a man, looking exactly like Phoenix twenty
years ago, crossing the canal with a middle-aged couple
(Jennifer & her husband), killing them afterwards. We
also find out later that he took their car, and killed the
parking attendant.
Curtis, Backup & Keel share this info with Malone,
just as he's about to leave on a date. The car has been
found in London, and the killing was done with a long barrel
.9mm gun and home load ammo (the kind that hasn't been seen
since the late 70's), all pointing to a professional hitman.
All this makes Malone think about Phoenix, but when Chris
wants to find the man, Malone tells them he is dead.
Very inspired looking Backup then goes through all the
police traffic control videos between Brighton and London,
but Malone, who just happens to pass by conveniently, is
the one to find the right car. With some really impressive
image enhancement (see "plot inconsistencies") they get
a big, sharp photo of Phoenix's face. We also get a pointless
flashback to burning Phoenix - Woodward's face did tell
us all we needed to know. He wants to get in touch with
Stryker - now a senator.
In the meantime we've seen Phoenix go to an old safe house,
owned by a woman called Margaret Llwellyn. Phoenix gets
Maggie to help him, and she does so, taking flowers to general
Forbes, and the name "Paul Novak" is mentioned for the first
time. Just as Forbes recognises the name as the Phoenix's
real name, Phoenix shoots him.
Stryker is in London, so Sam and Chris drive Malone to
meet him. While Malone is grilling Stryker about whether
Phoenix could have survived, Phoenix shoots Stryker as well,
from the roof of the building in front of the hotel. Sam
and Chris chase Phoenix, and are unable to hit ANYTHING,
Phoenix gets slightly wounded, leaving his weapon case behind,
conveniently branded with blood, and escapes through an
empty elevator shaft.
Malone tells his people Phoenix is back to take his revenge.
He himself is not at risk, because he was only a junior.
Chris and Sam are sent to France to investigate the possibility
that Phoenix survived the fire.
Houses have been built where the cabin used to be, and
Sam decides to check out the local graveyard. Inside Novak's
crypt the agents find an empty coffin (except for some charred
bones) and a landmine. (See plot inconsistencies!) Chris
has stepped on it; it's up to Curtis to save him (Plot inconsistencies).
He estimates their chances to 5-10%, but, of course, they
make it, and decide to skip the frog legs and go for a beer.
(See personal insights)
In London, Backup has located Gaydon - the third man on
Phoenix's revenge list - in Greece, and for once, when Malone
is barking some very basic orders - she has already done
them (contacting Gaydon's family to pinpoint his whereabouts
etc.) Malone is being pressured from above. Gaydon is located,
and Backup and Spencer go to meet him at the airport.
Commander Gaydon does not want protection, which he tells
Malone in no uncertain terms, but Malone walks over him
with his authority (backed up by a president and two prime
ministers).
Sam and Chris have had their findings checked out, and
the forensic confirmed that they indeed found some charred
human bones. Dr Masters says that on superficial research
the bone and the blood sample from earlier do seem to have
similar DNA.
Backup suddenly remembers that the whole thing began with
the million, and Malone decides that the whole revenge aspect
is a decoy. The only active agents seem to be Spencer, Keel,
Curtis and Backup, since they are the ones sitting by the
computers, searching for a possible target. Swedish financial
minister Ingrid Somelson seems to be the Libyan public enemy
number one.
She is also a former actress, and thus visiting a local
film studio. CI5 sets up a fake assassination, and Curtis
- dressed as a cop - "shoots" minister Somelson live on
air, while Backup is interviewing her.
Ingrid is justifiably angry, and only slowly calms down
as Malone explains the situation to her.
Phoenix sees what happened in the news, and since the killer
is supposedly dead as well, decides to claim the hit. Maggie
doubts the wisdom of this.
Sam and Chris have been hunting clues at Scotland Yard,
but when they return to the CI5 HQ, Backup gives them their
only lead. It's an address to an alleged safe house in London.
The blokes reach the door to Maggie's apartment just as
Phoenix shoots her, to get rid of the last witness. The
agents barge in, but Phoenix has disappeared again.
Back at the HQ, Malone and the lads go through the evidence,
and are convinced they are hunting Phoenix. (see Plot inconsistnecies)
They decide Phoenix must be on the run, and wait for his
next move.
Phoenix shoots a guy in the street. He was a Macedonian
diplomat, and as he was a Muslim, he is being flown back
home to be buried within the same day. Chris is familiar
with their customs.
Malone, Curtis and Keel lurk at the airport, looking at
the coffin being loaded into the plane, convinced Phoenix
is in there, but unable to do anything about it. (See plot
inconsistencies) Back at the HQ, Backup gets a fax, and
she immediately calls Malone. The fax apparently explains
everything, and gives them a chance to do something.
They contact the air force (See Plot inconsistencies),
and Phoenix's plane circles the airport until the passenger
thinks he's in his destination. Sam even speaks Serbo-Croatioan
(which is the name of the language, not Serbo-Croat Malone
calls it) to keep Phoenix unsuspecting as they open the
coffin.
Malone tells him they know who he is - the original Phoenix's
son, who has done his best to look like his father - and
tells him they're about to send him back to Libya, and the
Libyans - who by now know that Somelson didn't die after
all - will take care of him for them (they have no evidence
against him, apparently, since all the witnesses are dead.
I guess the blood is only circumstantial, then). When Phoenix
starts babbling about justice, Sam hits him neatly back
to the coffin.
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