SYDNEY BRISTOW
Episode 8 – Breaking Point
“Thanks for Caring”

This episode was exciting. We see a non-glamorous Sydney who is a prisoner of the NSC. Captured in Rome, she is transported back to the U. S. and then by helicopter to an isolated prison, Camp Williams, where the NSC has its interrogation headquarters. We see her with a black sack over her head, presumably to keep her from knowing exactly where she is. She has four guards who hurry her from the helicopter. She is shackled and her wrists are manacled to a chain around her waist. She certainly had more room to move than her mother did in “Trust Me.” However, she is no less constrained.

No matter, both women were respected for their capabilities. They remove Sydney’s black head cover as she is led to her cell at the far end of a corridor lined with cells on one side. The only empty cell is one at the end facing her. The soldiers say nothing as they roughly remove the shackles and wrist chains, shoving her into the cell. There are no other women in the cellblock that I could see.

Back in Los Angeles, Lindsey takes over the CIA headquarters. Dixon hands him his badge and everything else walking out of the room. Vaughn and Weiss are in the room. Lindsey advises that they too will be interviewed. Vaughn leaves, telling Lauren he wants to see her. They meet and have an argument. Lauren tells Michael she did the right thing and the more he tells her, the more suspicious she gets. Then she accuses him of being the one who got Sydney out of LA before the NSC could capture her. She reveals she will write a report to the White House on the treatment Sydney gets while being questioned and ignores his arguments that Sydney will be ill-treated.

There is a short scene with no dialogue as Jack stops and stares at Lindsey who must feel slightly intimidated by that stare. As Jack continues walking, Vaughn interrupts him saying he wants to help. Jack tells him if he does, he will be breaking at least a dozen Federal Laws. Vaughn insists, saying, “If something happens to Sydney…”

Back at Camp Williams, Sydney meets her fellow prisoner. She is looking over the cell presumably for some clue to help her escape. The man in the cell next to her tells her he’s “Campbell” and if she is looking for candy, he would like some too. Then he says:

“Don’t go away. It’s been a long time without someone to talk too.”

Jack and Vaughn are waiting for a contact that will help them make the break out seem like it is the Covenant’s action. Sloane drives up. Sloane tells him that Brill (ex- CIA and now a mercenary) is available and that they will need at least eight men. Vaughn volunteers that FEMA in LA will have the blueprints to Camp Williams on file that they need. Jack tells them both to meet back here in three hours to get the blueprints. Sloan’s final words:

“I told you, Jack, we’d work together again.”

The manuscript Sloane read in Tibet revealed this would happen and it has, but not for the reason any of us suspected.

Lindsey and Lauren approach Camp Williams by helicopter. Lindsey tells her, “The report must be concise so that no one on the Hill questions our ethics,” so that is why she is there to give a fair and impartial report on Sydney Bristow’s interrogation.

At that moment, Sydney is wheeled on a gurney into the medical room where a doctor is applying electrical shock to her. This we can see is very painful. He shows her a few pages on which there are numerals listed. He wants her to translate for him. She refuses. We see Lindsey behind blinds and he tells the doctor to up the voltage. Sydney screams in pain as her body shakes.

In the lobby of the prison, Lauren wants to see Sydney’s interrogation, especially since she has to write an unbiased report. Lindsey says he will tell her all about it, but that the questioning does have national security implications and she cannot watch. Lauren says she cannot give a fair report. Lindsey blackmails her by without actually naming names that he knows someone had to get Sydney out of the country (meaning her husband, Michael Vaughn, was responsible). He implies then that he wants a whitewash report from her.

The guards dump Sydney in her cell. She suffers from the effects of the electric stimulation. She looks in the palm of her hand and in it is a large paperclip she pilfered from the papers the doctor had shown her with the code he wanted her to decipher. Campbell gives her a blanket telling her it gets cold at night. It seems that the NSC is questioning him regarding a source he had in Iran and he refused to tell them. He had been assigned there as a journalist.

“Don’t give it to them,” he says pleading, his eyes tearful.

Jack and Vaughn find Brill in a park playing chess. Jack challenges him to a match, saying he will checkmate him in ten moves. As they play, Jack tells Brill what is at stake. Brill lists what he will need and what are the rules of engagement. In ten moves, he is checkmated. Jack and Vaughn leave with Brill’s assessment of the money involved in obtaining the right men for the job. As they do, Vaughn figured two and a half million; Jack says no, three million dollars for the operation.

They enter Jack’s “storage” facility. He opens a large safe where stacks of money fill it. Along the walls are various guns, rifles, and boxes of ammunition. Vaughn is impressed and says, “Since you are showing me this, I assume it’s not your only one.” Jack responds, “You’re smarter than you look.” Boy did I get a chuckle at that repartee.

Back at Camp Williams, we see Sydney wheeled back into the medical room. She inserts the paper clip, unlocking her right cuff as the MP is unlocking her left preparatory to lifting her onto the table for another session of shock therapy. As he does, Sydney pulls her right arm out and hits him, then kicks the MP at the end of the table, kicks the doctor down, then takes on the other MP. The doctor gets up swinging what looks like a pipe. Sydney ducks then hits him. The other MP grabs a tranc gun, but she knocks it out of his hand and kicks him again. At that moment, the doctor sees the gun on the floor as does Sydney. They both go for it, but Sydney comes up with the butt end and fires the dart into the doctor. She runs out of the medical room, down the two ramps as the warning blares throughout the prison a prisoner is trying to escape. Lauren hears the noise and sees MPs rushing by her window.

Sydney runs for an open door but a guard hits her with a staggering blow with a nightstick across her chest. She falls and kicks the MP into the wall as three come racing toward her. Two grab her and throw her into the wall, another uses his nightstick striking her in the kidney and another triggers his taser and she screams. They drag her away crying in pain and frustration. Watching is Lauren, who now knows that Sydney is not being treated in a humanitarian manner just as Michael warned she would not be while under Lindsey’s “care.”

At that moment, Jack, Vaughn, and Sloane go to the FEMA building. Infiltrating as a computer technician, Jack locates the blue prints. Vaughn photographs them thru a binocular eye he has wormed into the building. Don’t ask. Jack finishes without interruption. He leaves the building just as suspicions are aroused and the guard shoots. The bullet meant for Jack hits Sloane. Jack drags him into the van and Vaughn speeds off.

Back at Jack’s storage depot, Sloane is going to be injected with morphine for the pain as Jack intends to remove the bullet. He tells them that he will go into anaphylactic shock and die before they can take it out. Therefore, Jack straps him down and gives him a belt to bite down on as he starts probing. Sloane passes out before he gets to it. Jack sews up the wound, wearing glasses similar to those worn by the clock maker Giovanni Donato in Season 1’s episode, Time Will Tell

Sydney wakes up in pain and Campbell tells her to think about the ocean. He talks about his son, Benjamin. He is not too coherent and rambles. You can see Sydney is touched by his words, or attempt to string his thoughts together.

Jack sends Vaughn back to the CIA rotunda to get the security codes for Camp Williams from Marshall. There Vaughn has Marshall intercept the NSC’s computer. Marshall knows he is going to be doing something to break Sydney out of the prison and approves. He finds that all the access codes have been deleted and there is no Camp Williams mentioned anywhere in the files. Lauren enters the room wanting to speak to Vaughn. Marshall leaves. She tells Michael that she believes him now and wants to help any plan they have to break Sydney out.

Jack finishes with Sloane who tells Jack that only Sydney and he are Sloane’s detractors; that only they believe he has a hidden agenda. Jack says the only reason he and Sydney are still alive is that “you need us for something or something only we can provide.”

At Camp Williams, two MP’s enter the cellblock and go into Campbell’s cell, pulling him out. One of them hits him in the stomach, much to Sydney’s horror. She tells them to stop it. Lindsey saunters down the hall and tells her it will be up to her. Tell him what he wants to know and it will stop. One of the MPs hits Campbell with a knife and blood spurts out of the wound. Sydney is horrified.

“You son of a bitch, I will kill you for this.” She promises.

Again, Lindsey wants her to tell him, she refuses and again, Campbell is struck in the stomach this time and blood seemingly spurts from the wound. Sydney yells for them to stop. She will tell him what he wants to know and Lindsey sends the MPs away. She tells Lindsey that the numbers are coordinates. She rattles them off, ending with the fact she does not know what they mean or where it is. She cannot remember.

Lindsey smiles, and then looks at Campbell, saying, “Well done.” Sydney is horrified now because she’s been tricked. Campbell gets up, looking at her, satisfied in the job he did.

“My name’s not Campbell, it’s Shafter. You should know your profile says you have only one fault, empathetic suffering is harder for you to sustain than torture.” He smiles, “thanks for caring.”

Lindsey looks at her and tells her she’ll soon know about the two missing years. She will be undergoing the neurostimulation procedure in an hour.

Jack, Vaughn and the extraction team are outside the gate. Lauren is inside and is at the office station with Miller, an NSC guard. Another guard goes to find Lindsey and tell him she’s there. Lauren sits on the desk, and unseen, places a disrupter that will close down the gates keeping guards inside their own perimeters and making it impossible for them to come to the aid of their fellow guards under attack. As the disrupter starts up, Shafter comes inside asking for a helicopter to take him to Fort Lewis. The screens go down. Shafter tries the door, then turns on Lauren accusing her of being responsible then hits her hard enough to send her crashing to the floor.

In the medical ward, Sydney is prepped for the neurostimulation procedure with Lindsey watching. Outside, Jack and the others, their faces covered with black head masks, knock out the guards with tranc guns and head inside to find her. They blow open the door, enter and send tranc darts into both the doctor and Lindsey. Vaughn and Jack hurriedly unbuckle her from the table. The doctor struggles up and goes after her. She takes a scalpel from the table beside her and throws the scalpel into his throat. That makes him the first bloodied casualty of the breakout.

They hurry out of the prison. They are stymied at the door near the entrance by Shafter who fires his gun at them. It looks as though he might have stopped then until help arrives, but suddenly from another direction he was not thinking about, a shot is fired, and he is dead. Lauren kills him. They rush out to the courtyard where a helicopter picks up Sydney, Jack, Lauren, and Vaughn. The rest of the team leaves in an army truck. Sydney is stunned when she sees Sloane, but Jack tells her “he is one of us.”

As the helicopter flies off, Sydney looks at her Dad, saying that all of this was because of the code. She tells him she gave Lindsey the wrong coordinates. She looks at Lauren, who is still in shock, and Vaughn who has his arm around her. Jack holds his daughter close. She puts her head down on his shoulder and her eyes slowly close. The two days of terror are over—for now.

DISCUSS

A few questions came into my mind as I watched the show four times preparing this column.

Where did Jack accumulate the money and the weaponry in his “storage?” Did he steal it? Did he get the money from Irina? His government salary certainly did not add up to what we saw in that safe. Is there something more about Jack we do not know?

I watched the scene where Jack was sewing up Sloane. Vaughn mentions he’d never seen him with glasses. If you have a copy of the tape, look at it carefully. The lighting seems to make Jack look much different than he does ordinarily. (It is almost if J. J. were giving us a clue.) Then look at Time Will Tell and the scene with Sydney and Giovanni Donato. Are the glasses the same?

What about the death of the doctor at Sydney’s hands, did it remind you of an episode in Season 2? She was quick and fast. Was this “Julia” reacting?

Do you think Lauren thought ahead enough to bring the gun with her? Did she think about the consequences? Or did she act without thinking when she knew Michael was being shot at by Shafter?

Sydney underwent some terrible punishment at Camp Williams. Do you think she will be better when she heals or has she been psychologically damaged? Explain.

Finally, does this mean the four are fugitives? Remember Sloane has not been seen nor connected to the break out and probably will not be unless something happens to make Lindsey suspicious.


I like to hear your feedback on this episode. Perhaps there's a question bugging you...put it in your reply. B)

Lenafan,
Can you tell us a little about yourself, your a gem.
wottamom

your're not the only one, that was really funny.

interesting you mentioned that, it seems like he had the"storage" facility for quite a while to me, i'm thinking years?but I highly doubt we'll find that out anytime soon.

I thought she probably just stole it from someone but that doesn't matter you still wouldn't erally expect her to kill anyone.

no she'll be okay eventually but it will take time, that's just the way J.J. deals with his characters in cases like this.

that's was I was wondering I mean they can't all just waltz back into C.I.A headquarters right? and I'm kinda starting to like Sloane, but one wrong move and i'll change my mind.

Beautiful column as always, though I had been waiting for this all week I wasn't able to reply until today, but it gives me the time to comment and discuss on your brilliant work. Can't wait for the next episode and column of course, thanks for the pm and I really like the whole questions at the end thing, if you have time you should think about making that a regular thing. anyways great job as always.

LightTraveller Posted on Nov 29 2003, 12:45 PM

I didn't want to copy other columnists on other sites, but there's so much going on that I do like to give the readers a chance to respond with their own thoughts. B)


wottamom1 Posted on Nov 28 2003, 10:10 AM

You are one of the nosiest fans I have. But I love you anyway, any writer would. Thanks for asking...but I remain anonymous and famous at least to my fans. B)

Who ever would have thought that you can be de-badged and yet still be cocky about it!

Actually, I think Vaughn insists by saying "The fact that you are even telling me this means you have something planned. Let me help." :lol: That was funny! I'm glad Vaughn is getting some life into his character!!!

Grrrrr...

I should have been suspiscious right now...where did he get the blanket from?

Grrrr...prick!

Man, that was funny! I'm glad Vaughn isn't such a loser prick he used to be! I still don't like him though.

She was a real bitch at the beginning of the episode, but I know she is only trying to do the right thing, so I forgave her when she did, and I was screaming at the TV when that prick hit her!

He is a freelancer...or maybe it is money he made while doing some sort of undercover op...like the money Julia got from Simon?

No...I think it was Sydney...but I don't know if Sydney would have been quite so cut throat (pardon the pun! :P)

Once she has healed physically, I think she will be fine. Like 'Campbell' said, she can sustain physical torture pretty well!!! So I think she will be all right. Besides, I'm sure it has happened before. This wasn't her first time, and we all know she was tortured as Julia.

I have something to say...how did they make that break out look like it was the Covenant?

Where does Sydney go now? I'm sure Jack and Vaughn are in the clear, Sloane is probably good also, but Sydney can't just walk back into the CIA now can she...

Your #1 Fan! :P

Who ever would have thought that you can be de-badged and yet still be cocky about it!

Actually, I think Vaughn insists by saying "The fact that you are even telling me this means you have something planned. Let me help." :lol: That was funny! I'm glad Vaughn is getting some life into his character!!!

Grrrrr...

I should have been suspiscious right now...where did he get the blanket from?

Grrrr...prick!

Man, that was funny! I'm glad Vaughn isn't such a loser prick he used to be! I still don't like him though.

She was a real bitch at the beginning of the episode, but I know she is only trying to do the right thing, so I forgave her when she did, and I was screaming at the TV when that prick hit her!

He is a freelancer...or maybe it is money he made while doing some sort of undercover op...like the money Julia got from Simon?

No...I think it was Sydney...but I don't know if Sydney would have been quite so cut throat (pardon the pun! :P)

Once she has healed physically, I think she will be fine. Like 'Campbell' said, she can sustain physical torture pretty well!!! So I think she will be all right. Besides, I'm sure it has happened before. This wasn't her first time, and we all know she was tortured as Julia.

I have something to say...how did they make that break out look like it was the Covenant?

Where does Sydney go now? I'm sure Jack and Vaughn are in the clear, Sloane is probably good also, but Sydney can't just walk back into the CIA now can she...

Your #1 Fan! :P

K. Ackles posted on February 26, 2004

Well I thought about it too, unless they were masked. However, they used tranqs to take down the guards at the front gate. The Covenant would have killed the guards. They missed the boat on that one. The only one who got killed was the bad prisoner Shapner, by Lauren.

No she can't...you're behind of course. Some interesting chapters coming up 9 and 10!....

Love those comments!