So, it's been months now since Recapist officially ceased recapping, but some of us (a phrase which here means, me, Theoriginalspy) have continued on in our own venues. Others who have continued are Annie (who has nicely posted some teasers here) and Travellingone, who hadto finish Life on Mars and give Castle a shot.

Just to make sure I'm easily found, I'm posting master lists (thanks to Michael, my former boss) of everything recapped since Recapist shut down.  This one, features the rest of the season of Numb3rs.

Wow, this is so weird.  It’s my very last recap at Recapist.  I figure I’d better get that out of the way now, to avoid any confusion.  My fellow (soon to be former) co-workers, Annie, Nova, Ran and Gemma have already explained the situation in their recaps.  To repeat it here is just redundant.  Really, all I have to say on the matter is that our parent company is now getting the equivalent of what they are paying.   

Therefore, I had just five days to come up with something with which to end my run and I’ve included it at the end of this recap. As for the coworkers I mentioned above (and the others), as well as Michael – the original site runner – you are all awesome.

Enough of the maudlin parts and let me move on to what you really came here for, the recap!  While I was writing this I realized that the screencaps tell an entirely different story.  Really, I should worry about it, but what could possibly happen to me now?  Never leave a recapper in a situation that lacks almost all possible consequences!

Oh, one other thing.  I feel like a drink.  I deserve one as this is the end of an era, so for this recap, we have a drinking game.  It goes like this:

1 sip for every shot of someone on the phone
1 sip for every shot of the bus.
1 shot for every pedaconference in the eppesode
1 shot for every time a main character appears on a computer / TV screen
1 shot for every time a pair of brothers (real or fictional) appears in the same shot.
2 shots for every time Don appears with an FBI symbol behind him.  (The FBI shirts don’t count.)

Now, if you make it through the eppesode conscious, you may have the highest tolerance for alcohol ever but you may need a new liver.   Therefore, I suggest you only pick two of the options.  You will still be unconscious but your liver should still be working.

It’s the return of Buck Winters. Considering he’s a teenager with serious anger management issues (and hot for teacher), who was injured in some way by Edgerton and Don (and I refuse to use the other word for it) into giving up his wife (see the aforementioned teacher) which wound up with her being shot in the head by Don, I don’t think he’s returned to bring Don a bouquet of Gerber daisies.  

If ever I needed proof that the Numb3rs PTB were trying to kill me with continuity, this eppesode would be it.  Now, I’m not talking continuity like the connection between “Thirteen” and “End Game”, or “When Worlds Collide” and the Twitter arc, or “The Janus List” and “Trust Metric.”   No, TPTB pull out an unfinished storyline from two freaking years ago (about two years, four months) which was the cause of Don’s downward spiral into therapy, or Donnie!Darko, as he came to be known, as well as, arguably, one of the factors that led to the tragic break up of my OTP (and my need for therapy).   Considering the depths Don went psychologically, you can’t blame a girl for cutting and running and taking a major case in Miami.

Unless Horatio Caine was involved, that would be unforgiveable.  Fortunately, Robin is awesome, so we know that isn’t the case.

We begin with a montage.  Said montage flips back and forth between images of Don at temple, Charlie reciting his lecture on the title of this eppesode, and Buck Winters, along with two accomplices, escaping from prison.  There’s a distinct contrast in the questioning of Don, the determination of Buck and the peacefulness of Charmita curled up on the couch together.  It’s a weird meshing of the spiritual, the academic and the physical.

An eppesode like this makes me all nostalgic.  Colin Hanks causes me to reflect on a time when I was a newbie recapper, given the opportunity to jump into the world of snark, Fedcakes, the first ever NPAL™ and the official titling of the David and Colby partnership as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.  Why does Colin Hanks make me feel all nostalgic?  The first time he appeared as Darth Vader to Charlie’s Obi-Wan, was the first ever eppesode I recapped.  Sure, I later recapped eppesodes that had aired before “Convergence,” but it all started with Marshall Penfield, Charlie Eppes, and a “Math Fight.”  At that time, I only wanted to do two things: 1) not suck and 2) one day be as funny as Annie, whose recap for “Uncertainty Principle” is still the funniest thing I’ve read, ever.  Ah, the memories.

We begin at Southwestern Charter High School where there’s a robbery in progress. I’m thinking I’m going to get to be even more nostalgic because all the computers have been left on overnight; therefore, the robbers must be the ELM since this school has such a terrible time being eco-friendly.

We begin already enmeshed into a case.  Someone blew up a meeting of the Global Enhancement Organization – a charity that helps a whole bunch of worthy causes from health care to wildlife.  I’m glad Liz clarified it for me because with a name like Global Enhancement Organization, I automatically assumed it was something to do with boob jobs.

The best picture of the unidentified suspect, who was acting as a waiter at the meeting (and somebody epically fails at security checks), is both unhelpful and really grosses me out.

There comes a time in the life of a select few shows, where they find themselves with a conundrum.  The problem is that prior to a tragic event, their writers have come up with a storyline that is eerily close to said event.  Not wanting to appear that they are taking advantage of that tragedy (unlike the show that produces shows reflecting the tragedy, which is usually just tacky), the episode is postponed for a respectable period of time. Thus my little midseason replacement that could, finds itself in the company of the classic Buffy episode, “Earshot,” Bones’ “Player Under Pressure,” and Criminal Minds’ “Doubt.”  I could’ve included a lot more but the list is depressingly long.  In short, I would totally prefer if these fictional scenarios would stop coming to fruition in reality.  I like my fourth wall nice and secure.

Originally, this eppesode was supposed to be 504 – a spot taken over by “Jack of All Trades.”  Because of this, let me put in my own disclaimer; I will not pick on Nikki’s bitchiness, or Donnie!Darko, more than in the context of this eppesode’s proper place in the season.  Speaking of disclaimers, Numb3rs understands the sensitive nature of portraying a train crash so soon after Chatsworth and made a disclaimer of its own. (Hence the first screencap.)

We begin with a bunch of lunatics who nearly drown just to look cool.  I believe the technical term is “surfer.”  If you’re a surfer and I’ve just offended you, I’m sorry.  Okay, I’m not really since surfing is diametrically opposed to my very important life philosophy of not dying.  If the media has taught me anything, surfing can only lead to bad things.  First, it can lead to cheese.   Later, it might lead to becoming involved with all sorts of drugs or the enjoyment of sand in all the wrong places.  Eventually, you could change your speech patterns so that every other word is “dude!”  Finally, you might start acting like Keanu Reeves.

We begin at a magic show which shouldn’t be successful.  Reason number one, the magician, Susanna, is gratingly fake.  Reason number two, both Susanna and her assistant, Talma, spend way more time gesticulating with their arms than necessary.  It’s actually distracting and not in a good way.  Reason number 3 is one that involves vocabulary.

Before I begin, I’d like to say that I’m going to get a little persnickety on things throughout this eppesode, due to Emerson Laidlaw.  It’s not a bad persnickety, as I found fewer things to get persnickety over in this eppesode than I usually do in portrayals of the Autistic on television.  Blame my IRL job and training.  Seriously, there were a couple of moments that made me tear up and all of them were due to one man, my pal, David Sinclair.

David, I love you and I’m so glad there is more depth to your awesomeness than I ever imagined.  My desire to make “Be Kind To David Day” bigger and better next year just trebled in the space of one hour.

Okay, I hate it when the opening grid gives me false hope.  *sad face*

We begin in the middle of an operation.  I hear the dulcet tones of David, as we watch some guy eat a sandwich from the POV of a sniper.  Okay, I’m five seasons into Numb3rs and there’s one important detail I’d like to point out about snipers.