Numb3rs: High Exposure (Episode 501)

Welcome to season five of the little mid-season replacement that could.  If you’re familiar with my recaps, I would usually start with the opening grid.  That’s because the show usually starts with the opening grid but not this time.  Nope.  This time, the show starts with a recap of itself and the reasons Charlie lost his clearance.   Excuse me, that’s my job!  Therefore, I’m going to one-up their recap by recapping all of last season in 6 short sentences!

My recap:  Colby’s not a spy or theoriginalspy.  David can fly.   No world peace, pony or shout out for Spy.  Robin said, “Hey, hot FBI!” Charlie was hounded by That Guy.  Megan went bye-bye.

Cliffs of Doom:  We actually begin with an insane person, I mean rock-climber, whose yelling at his friend for leaving him too much slack.  If it were me, I would be yelling because I was climbing at all, but to each his own.  He’s pulled off the rock face by someone other than the guy with whom he is climbing who then demands the pack the climber is carrying.  Once the guy at the top gets the backpack (which he claims “belongs to him”), the climber demonstrates the number 1 reason I will never go rock climbing.

Federal Building:  SQUEE!  Sorry, let me translate that into regular human speak.  Charlie, who’s just come out of the hearing clearing him of all charges from last season, is greeted by my OTP, Don and Robin.

There’s a bit of talk about how lucky he is for not being sent to prison, or federal detention, just like Bug.   Charlie gets self-righteous about how Bug wasn’t that lucky, but Robin’s right, it could’ve been worse.  It doesn’t mean it was right, just that it could’ve been much, much worse.  Plus, I’m a little annoyed at Charlie for his actions last season as I still suspect he did what he did not only because he believed he was right, but also because he wanted to prove to Don he was right.  Until he admits that, we’re going to be at odds over his actions.

Robin’s also shocked that Charlie’s security clearance hasn’t been restored because he didn’t do anything wrong.  Don, on the other hand, is clearly still a little bitter as he comments, “That’s not the way the bureau sees it.”  Replace the word “bureau” with “Don” and we get the true meaning of that line.  Plus, Charlie expects that this is the final goodbye to his work with the Fedcakes.

Cal Sci:  In Charlie’s office, Amita’s also wants Charlie to get his clearance back, but Charlie’s refusing.  He doesn’t want investigators to embarrass him by probing into all aspect of his life and he has plenty of other math to work on, like the “Cognitive Emergence Theory” which has been seriously neglected as of late.  I’d like to sum up the subtext of this particular scene, since both women involved with the Eppes men have similar opinions about Charlie not getting his clearance back.

Cliffs of Doom:  Don, along with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are investigating the deaths of Andrew Tompkins and Bryan Wright, aka, dead climbers².  Wright is the one who dropped and his friend was shot.  

Suddenly, the clouds part and rays of awesomeness beam down from the sky.  On a chariot of enigmatic coolness, one of my wishes from last season is fulfilled.

He’s managed to fit in some Fedcake time in between an escaped convict in Riverside and a stockbroker in Oslo but he’s willing to help save the areas innocent puppies (okay there are kids, families and hikers too, but I’d be most concerned about the puppies) from the dastardly men who committed this evil deed.  It’s even more evil because it involves uncut diamonds.  So my question is, if the climbers have a diamond worth half a million, why not hire a helicopter to fly them to the top of the mountain?  Obviously, they deserved their fate by being so foolhardy.

Title Flash.

International House of Fedcakes or IHOF:  The team and Edgerton congregate for a meeting.  I’d like the first thing on the agenda being a unanimously passed motion for Don to get a haircut.  The second item on the agenda is to introduce the audience, through the medium of Edgerton, to Nikki Betancourt. 

Somebody forgot to send Edgerton the memo on there being a new woman on the team.  Now, this has created a lot of tension amongst us fans because we did love Megan.  It’s going to be hard to accept somebody new and, to be honest I haven’t made up my mind up on Nikki yet.  She’s obviously been there for a while, as the rest of the team is used to her.  She doesn’t cower when Edgerton asks, “Who the hell are you?”  That’s a definite plus.  Also, she’s got a law degree and 4 years LAPD (hopefully none of it with the worst cop on the force, Ivy Kirk).  

Okay, so I’m going to chicken out here and not make a decision on Nikki Betancourt just yet.  I’m going to let Edgerton do it for me.  He’s cool enough that if he declares that Nikki is good, I will accept it.

Oh yes, there’s also some discussion about the case.  They have no idea how two people who don’t have the survival skill of road kill because they willingly climb sheer rock faces, managed to get a hold of an uncut diamond.  The conversation turns onto Charlie, and the Fedcakes have to admit to Edgerton that they forgot to send him another memo: the one explaining how Charlie’s clearance was revoked.  

Edgerton’s response to that, made me laugh.

Don kyboshes the idea of Charlie coming in, and can we say bitter?  Edgerton turns to “Flintstone, Firestein?”  I think he meant Fleinhardt, but Flintstone isn’t entire off Larry’s beliefs in modern technology in his daily life.

One final thing, I know Megan isn’t there anymore, but if Colby had still been the moron I knew and snarked in season 3, I’d have a really important question about why he doesn’t realize he’s met Nikki Betancourt before.

Conglomeration of Suicidal Maniacs:  Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are at a place where people actually practice risking their lives just to climb rocks, to gather some information about the always friendly, never in trouble, dead climbers².  Apparently, they have friends named Pete and Skeet – who were kind enough to rhyme their names, making them easier to remember. The pair of them is off bouldering – Pete and Skeet that is since dead climbers² are more smashed into boulders than climbing them.  There’s a rocks fall, everyone dies joke here somewhere.

For those of you that like trivia, Colby, who is from Idaho, has a cousin who climbs rocks and, apparently, Idaho is a cool place to do that.  Colby also knows all about bouldering because of his cousin.  I, on the other hand, used a safer method of learning about it and looked it up on Wikipedia.

Stony Point:  Montage of bouldering.  Someone’s just asking to get their head split open, but I’ll try not to judge more than I already have.  Oh, and since no one else around her seems to notice, Skeet is a girl, whose real name is Teresa.  

We get to hear all about the tragedy of the death of dead climbers².  Pete and Skeet nicely gloss over the whole “they were drifters” and make them sound more like free spirits.  While Andrew was an only child, Bryan was alone in the world, other than the other climbers.  Without knowing the significance, they also reveal that dead climbers² found something to sell and a new place to climb that they planned to call “Wrecked.”  Geez, I wonder it the thing, the route and “Wrecked” all have one thing in common?

Pete and Skeet bicker about finding “Wrecked,” naming it after dead climbers² and which one of them could actually climb it.  

Cal Sci:  In Amita’s office, Larry is making huge leaps in cosmology, which simply means he’s being Larry, much to the amusement of Charmita.  They’re interrupted by the clouds parting and rays of awesomeness beaming down from the sky into the office.  On a chariot of enigmatic coolness, Edgerton enters, followed by Don – who still needs a haircut.

I love how Ian Edgerton is really used as the vessel of the audience in this eppesode.  First, he does the “Who the hell are you?” thing with Nikki.  Next he does the: WTF – no clearance thing with Charlie.  Hee.  Edgerton, I love you, come back, often.

Don obviously doesn’t find this as hilarious as I do, because he promptly kicks Charlie out, as he doesn’t have clearance, unlike Larry and Amita. I think Don’s on my side of the not entirely forgiving Charlie and / or trusting his altruistic motives from last season.  Once Charlie heads off to get some coffee (which, is one of those rare things, IMOHO, that is as important as national security), the four people left settle down to the true purpose of their meeting.

Squee!  Robin!  As much as I love how Don is on my side, I like how Robin is the mediator.  No matter how annoyed Don is at Charlie, deep down he wants his baby bro back at the IHOF, but Robin’s the one who actually pushes it.  She’s not at Cal Sci to see Don.  She’s there to give Charlie the verbal slap on the forehead telling him to get his clearance back because it’ll be a while longer before Don admits that’s what he wants. Oh Robin, you understand Don, which is why I you two are my OTP.

Of course, it’s not all about Don.  She likes winning cases as an AUSA and Charlie helps win cases.  No matter what Charlie says now, she’s not giving up on getting what she wants either, but she lets it rest for now.  In other words, she can play the Eppes brothers without either of them knowing it.  

IHOF:  In our first math-vision of the season, Amita and Larry explain optic crystallographic analysis.  It’s all about how to locate where the uncut diamond is from, while at the same time, completely confusing the new girl.  Oh yes, and the new Math Vision, with the whole Amita and Larry and interacting and several concepts in one, is a little hypnotic.  

Oh yes, and if Charlie had been giving us the Audience Vision, there’s no way that conversation would’ve ended with the idea of really expensive diamonds being cursed.  He doesn’t believe in those sorts of things.

Math Garage:  Alan is far more upset about Charlie losing his security clearance than Charlie is (at least, as he shows externally; we all know he’s devastated).  Charlie scoffs at the idea of Alan being upset because all of Alan’s 1960s heroes wouldn’t have been able to get security clearance.  Sure, Charlie, but many of those heroes also didn’t make it past the age of 45, and I’m quite certain he’d want that for you.

Charlie also insists that all he needs to do his math is a notebook and a pencil (and lots and lots of chalkboards, Alan adds).  Come on, Charlie, we all know that isn’t the complete list.

IHOF:  Nikki’s found a report of a missing diamond shipment.  A diamond merchant named Bryce was supposed to deliver 50 million worth of diamonds to New York.  It’s a good break in the case, and Nikki can take credit in doing the research.

Hold on.  Did Nikki just do both research and exposition?  Oh, chicky, the best way to win yourself into my good graces is not by doing David’s job!

Airport:  Rosencrantz and Guildenstern find Bryce’s car, unlocked at the airport.  According to David, it’s Colby’s turn to play find the corpse in the trunk, and low and behold, Colby’s a winner!  Bryce is there, but his diamonds aren’t.

IHOF:  Yay!  All is as it should be!  David is giving exposition.  It doesn’t last very long, and all it leads to is Larry concluding that being a diamond merchant is more dangerous than Alaskan crab fisherman.

Jewelry Store:  Bryce’s brother insists that the only two people who knew about the shipment were himself and the dead guy.  Way to make yourself a suspect there, buddy because you don’t exactly leave a lot of other options open!

IHOF:  Larry and Edgerton quickly figure out that dead climbers² found Bryce’s crashed plane, and picked over what was left when they found “Wrecked.”  Wow, what lovely human beings.  They find a crashed plane and loot it.

Downstairs, Don, Edgerton and Larry are pedaconferencing, trying to figure out a quick way to find where the plane crashed, without using Charlie. Good luck on that one.

Cal Sci:  In Amita’s office, Larry is giving us some trivia that more small planes have disappeared in the continental US than in the Bermuda Triangle, according to Mythbusters .  They don’t actually get any farther in finding the plane, but they do show me what is probably going to be my favourite prop, ever, at Cal Sci.  

Stony Point:  Rosencrantz & Guildenstern learn that Pete and Skeet have gone to find “Wrecked.”  Well, they’ll find a wreck all right.

Cal Sci:  Just in case we needed proof of Charlie’s usefulness, he wanders into Amita’s office, while Larry and Amita are at an impasse for finding the location of the crashed plane.  Charlie reminds up of the penultimate episode of the very first season, “Noisy Edge,” which featured the Squish-Squash theory.  Hence, Larry and Amita can now find the plane and Charlie can hopefully remember how much he enjoys FBI work to get over his stubbornness.  

Somewhere East of Civilization:  Cue the montage of searching for “Wrecked.”  The whole team is out in the forest, and so are the state park officials, even though they aren’t in a state park.

After they coordinate the information, they all split off, carrying radios and agreeing to meet in a couple of hours.  What surprises me is why they even had to go around asking people.  Isn’t Edgerton the best tracker ever and the bastard son of Clint Eastwood and Yoda?   Why can’t he find two rock climbers without assistance?  I wouldn’t give Pete and Skeet that much credit.

IHOF:  In what has to be my absolutely favourite scene of this whole eppesode, Robin and Amita are proving not only why they are a great help to the Fedcakes (Robin got Amita all the radar data she needed and Amita’s always been handy on Fedcake cases) but also why they’re well suited to the Eppes brothers.  They both understand that Charlie and Don not working together means something’s not right with the world.  It’s neither of these points that make it my favourite scene in this eppesode.  No, it’s how they’re still trying to figure each other out – how they need to bond beyond their potential of being sisters-in-law.  

In other words, it leads to this exchange of delicious awkwardness:

Robin:  You know, I kid Don that if he’s not working, or having sex, he’s thinking about work, or sex.

Amita:  Yeah, with Charlie, he’s having so much fun working, that he can’t stop working.

Okay, originally, for the TMI-ness I was going to have to pain myself by giving the first NPAL™ (Numb3rs Painfully Awkward Line) to Robin but when you actually sit back and think about what, specifically, Amita is leaving out and her level of frustration as she says it, her line wins by a nose.  (I totally could’ve made a really, really dirty joke there, so please, acknowledge my restraint.)

To be honest, Robin’s line about Don and sex isn’t that surprising.  I mean, it’s Don.  How long after the most traumatizing incident of my fandom life, did Don try to get in Liz’s pants?  It’s Amita’s line, after a few seasons of will-they won’t-they that’s the real shocker.

The two women in Don and Charlie’s life acknowledge the problems the brothers have.  Don is a typical oldest child who is afraid of being overshadowed by his younger, must always be right or he’ll whine, younger brother.  In truth, all they have to bond over is work and food and right now one of those two things has been taken away.  They’re relationship is running on only one engine right now.

Somewhere East of Civilization:  Edgerton is doing what I expected him to do earlier, tracking Pete and Skeet.  While I’m supposed to take this seriously, I accidentally paused this at the wrong moment, and now I have the music from M*A*S*H stuck in my head.

Oh, in case the setting seems even more familiar to you, Planet of the Apes was filmed here too.  In fact, a lot of things have been filmed here.

Except, while the team is checking in with each other, it’s not Edgerton who finds Pete and Skeet; it’s Don!  He can’t call in because the climbers are being held at gunpoint and Don’s not wearing Kevlar.  

He uses a radio he’s found to distract two captors, and takes out the other one, then taking fire, while trying to get the rhyming climbers to safety.  The gunfire alerts the rest of the team, but they can’t reach him as he’s running through the woods because he’s lost his walkie-talkie in the battle.  You know, now would be a great time for Edgerton to remember a) he’s an expert tracker and sniper and b) Charlie to get on the case.  If there’s ever an excuse for the fastest security clearance in history, it’s when Don Eppes is in danger!

The Fedcakes were lucky to have Edgerton in charge, but he’s off to Pasadena (after leaving orders) which is an hour away by car but only 8 minutes by chopper.  

So while Edgerton’s off to Pasadena to get Charlie, the captors are off in search of Don and Pete and Skeet.

Cal Sci:  Edgerton busts into Charlie’s classroom demanding his help.  He’s willing to help Don, despite his inability to work for the FBI.  Besides, if Edgerton says so, it will happen.

Somewhere East of Civilization:  Pete is all excited to find the first 515 in California, but not so excited about the armed captors.  I don’t exactly know what a 515 is, but it’s something to do with nearly killing yourself while climbing rocks, so I don’t want to know.

While looking for a place to hide, Skeet makes a suggestion they hide above the ground.  Cue the group tree-climbing portion of this eppesode.

IHOF:  David knows Don isn’t going to like it, but is willing to accept Charlie’s help to save Don.  Also, Edgerton said so.  That’s always a good enough reason.  They quickly find a place on Icehouse Canyon that must be the spot.  It’s all very quick and there’s nothing remotely funny, so let’s move on.

Somewhere East of Civilization:  Don (and Pete and Skeet) are imitating Ceiling Cat, watching the three armed men go by.  

Personally, I think they’re a little too quick to get out of the tree, but due to the timing of television, and the desire to move the plot forward, I suppose they have to.  As Pete falls, he takes a bad turn on his foot, which, of course, alerts the armed men to their presence.  Epic fail at climbing if you can’t even drop out of a tree there, Pete!  I used to drop out of trees much higher than that all the time when I was a little kid and I never injured a damn thing.

Don sends Pete and Skeet off ahead of him, so that he can hold off the gunman.  Pete rightly points out that the evildoers’ guns are bigger.  Yeah, well, they haven’t met Don Eppes.

Edgerton’s chariot of enigmatic coolness takes 57 seconds (still timing) to get back from the IHOF.  He orders Colby and Nikki to help Don over in Icehouse Canyon.

The gunfight is over quickly because Don’s out of ammo.  You know what would be handy?  If, sometimes, Numb3rs didn’t always remember the realism factor and had one of those infinite ammo guns that every cop show seems to have.  Call to the CBS Props’ department.  I bet they have several lying around.

In a surprising, but oddly heroic moment, Pete willing turns himself over to the gunmen in order to save Skeet and Don.  It’s sweet and all, but I’m a little more self-serving and wouldn’t care if I had a Monty Python version of a flesh wound; I’d still keep moving away from the scary people with big guns.  I guess I know one sport Pete will never participate in.

One gunman is sent off to kill Don and Skeet, but he’s stopped in the most awesome way possible.

Don isn’t happy that Charlie had anything to do with finding him and even tells him to get out of the IHOF (after he gets the plane’s coordinates).  Wow, even the perfunctory thank you doesn’t make that any less harsh.

Once Don and Edgerton find the plane, they don’t find any diamonds but they do find a dead pilot.  Things are looking worse for Pete.

IHOF:  The failed sniper guy isn’t talking, and now the Fedcakes have to figure out how the baddies found out about a supersecret diamond shipment.  A quick scan of the jewelry store’s video reveals both a baddie and the dead pilot.

Jewelry Store: There’s a bug in the store and not the kind the Orkin man deals with.

IHOF:  The bug, in order to escape the electronic shield, was connected to a small satellite dish of the roof.  Thus they’ve got to narrow down which satellite has practically no security, allowing for an anonymous signal, and where that signal was going to afterwards.  It’s a little two complicated for Charlie’s back-up team.

Larry, fortunately, knows how to get it done, which would be really advantageous for Pete.

Cal Sci:  You know how I know my theory as to why Charlie did what he did in “When Worlds Collide” is correct?  This scene makes my point for me.  Larry, by invoking the name of a Doctor Tollanson, someone who’d trashed Charlie’s work in the past and tried to steal Charlie’s space in the faculty parking lot, gets Charlie to do all the necessary equations without once suspecting what Larry is really doing.

And with that, ladies and gentlemen, I rest my case.

IHOF:  Skeet explains that dead climbers² didn’t report the crash because the pilot was already dead.  There wasn’t a rush.  I know she tries to explain the climbers’ mentality and all after that, but really, there’s nothing that can justify looting a dead guy.  When she talks about how brave Pete is, I have to agree.  Willing to sacrifice himself for Don and Skeet is far more admirable than anything dead climbers² did.

Cal Sci:  Charlie’s done all the equations and the only question he has is how quickly Larry’s going to show Tollanson that Charlie is better than he is.  Charlie, you’ve already proven my case, but thank you for adding a little bonus evidence.

Larry runs off, leaving a confused Charlie, who is still without a clue he’s been totally played like a Stradivarius.

IHOF:  For the sometimes flaky Fleinhardt, he does know how to get one over on those around him, as even the Fedcakes think he did the math for this case.  Because of the math, they’ve been able to identify not only the gunman in custody (Nigel) but the other baddies as well (Alex and Keith).  Nikki’s even found out where they live and yet again, here she is giving exposition while David is standing right beside her.

Hideout:  The baddies are just about to execute Pete (and there’s a schism between them as Keith is sure Alex is flaying a fast one) when the Fedcakes – in Kevlar – bust in.  

In a moment I’m not too sure what to make of yet, Edgerton takes one of the diamonds and hands it to Nikki, telling her it might look good on her.  It’s a good moment, but it doesn’t really tell me what he thinks about her, or if he’s just naturally gallant.  Come on, Edgerton, I’m waiting for you to make up your mind so that I can make up mine!

IHOF:  A report on the pilot says he was drugged, which is what caused the crash. 

In interrogation, Don and Edgerton have story time.  It’s the story of how on of the baddies had already stolen the diamonds, prior to take off, so dead climbers² and the beating of Pete accomplished nothing.  You see, I’d read the scene in the hideout wrong.  Keith was the one double crossing Alex.  

A beaten Pete is reunited with Skeet.  One important lesson he learned while his life was in imminent danger, Skeet is a girl.  

Don’s found out that all the diamonds are in Keith’s safety deposit box, and Edgerton reminds him that none of this would’ve been possible without Charlie.  As long as Don does everything like Edgerton (as correctly as possible with a good dash of enigmatic coolness) the FBI will let Don do as he pleases.  Do you hear that Don?  Edgerton, the Ceiling Cat and FSM rolled into one of the FBI, declares Charlie to be good.

I have one last kick at the can to figure out what Edgerton thinks of Nikki.  She loved all the excitement of the case and comments she would’ve signed up for the FBI sooner, if she’d known.

“Yeah, I’m pretty damn great, aren’t I?”  Edgerton responds.  Yeah, only Edgerton could get away with saying that.  That isn’t helping me, Edgerton!  This is now the fourth time I’ve seen this eppesode and I still don’t know what you think of the new girl!  How am I ever supposed to make up my mind?

Although, I’m mildly amused at how Nikki not so subtly checks out Edgerton as he walks out the door.  I got asked in the By The Numb3rs chat last week whether or not we were going to see a flurry of Edgerton/Nikki fics.  I’m sorry, but I still can’t answer that question but if Nikki’s look said anything, that would be a yes.

La Maison d’Eppes:  I’ve been waiting for this moment throughout the eppesode and I get it only in the last few minutes.

Oh yes, and did everyone notice how the first time we see the best lit prop in Numb3rs history, it’s supporting Robin?  Oh, squee!

Speaking of Robin, she’s also not very subtle, pointing out how much work Charlie did on the case.  This is followed by Amita’s lack of subtlety, “More than you know.”

I also love how Charlie lays the blame all on Ian Edgerton.  Come on, Charlie, it was for Don and you were blinded by the rays of awesomeness.  You have no choice and even Don agrees with that.  This just proves Robin’s case that she’s been making because Don’s too stubborn, Charlie should appeal the ruling about his clearance.

Don agrees.  It’s not like it’s difficult to see the reason for his change of mind.

We all know Charlie’s going to do it because Don asked.  The women are astute enough not to point that out.  Now, if only the pair of them could work this quickly on convincing Don he needs a haircut.

Out in the Math Garage, Alan, Larry and Edgerton are playing pool.  I’m pretty sure this entire scene is wish fulfillment for both LDP (who wanted to work with Judd Hirsch) and the fandom.  It’s all about how stubborn both boys were as children.  The story revolves around the pediatrician declaring Charlie the second most stubborn child, placing directly behind his older brother, like we couldn’t see that one coming.

We also see Larry’s lack of skill at pool, as he shoots the cue ball behind the dryer, only to then challenge Edgerton or Alan to make the shot.  (He calls his gaff the Fleinhardt-Boson.) Unfortunately, it’s Edgerton’s turn, and if there’s one thing I can have faith in, it’s that a man who can kill you from 1000 yards away, is not going to be foiled by a pool ball behind the dryer.  Thus, I must end this eppesode with one piece of advice for Larry.

Recapper’s Note:  Next week, there are three major events.  The first is Canadian Thanksgiving so the recap will be up on Wednesday the 15th, while I spend a couple of extra days digesting Turkey.  The second is Numb3rs’ first ever Be Kind To David (Sinclair) Day on October 12th because I gave him my birthday last year.  Watch David-centric eppesodes, read comic books, drink coffee, have a beer or tease Colby, whatever you feel honours our favourite exposition man.  Show your love for David here or here .  
As for that last event, it’s my birthday I can’t remember my birthday.

PS:  Have Facebook? Friend me!

Bonus Content:  You may be wondering what the bolded words were for in the recap.  Well, a quiz was set over at N3.org and those are the answers.  Being the diligent student I am (a phrase that hear means I once protested a paper for which I received only 90%), I’ve collected all the answers here and I want this marked!  

1) Larry and Amita are interacting with and sharing Math Vision.  It’s very weird.  Also, there are a couple of different concepts covered in the first vision. It’s also very, very neon blue.  Of course, that could just be my new TV messing with my head.

2) M*A*S*H: both the movie and the TV series, and Planet of the Apes.  You’re getting more meta than usual, my lovely show.  BTW, if you want to know what else was filmed there, clicky here.  I don’t even want to know how Secretary made the list.

3) Don’s new hair?  Sorry, no, that’s just wishful thinking.  His work at the FBI.

4) In order, Deadliest Catch and Mythbusters.

5) Teresa Coleman.

6) The hats say “state park” when it’s really run by the US Forest Service.

7) Amita’s office!  She has an office!  Yay!  It’s like she’s a grown-up real professor and everything.

8) Work and food.  I would also like to add pig-headed stubbornness to that list.

9) Law (and great hair).

10)   “Noisy Edge.”  I recapped that back when I was still splitting the recapping duties with Nadia at Fandom Talk.  Wow, that was a long time ago.