Episode:A Matter of Life and Death

A Matter of Life and Death
Season:	One
Episode number:	104
First aired:	October 11, 2010
Written by:	David Schulner,; Lisa Zwerling
Directed by:	John Badham
Previous episode:	Protect Them from the Truth
Next episode:	Casualties of War

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Summary

FBI Agent Collier and Sean stumble upon Vicky's secret life.
The White House deals with a threat that strikes close to home.
Vicky and Carter move Leila and begin a plan to capture Sean.

Story Development

Adam • Mrs. Larson • Snyder police station

Synopsis

In the parking garage, as Sean Walker and Agent Collier escape in the stolen SUV, the gunman who posed as a U.S. Marshal shoots out their window. Sean is driving, and Agent Collier tells him to just get them out of there. The gunman then calls Vicky, tells her what happened, and recommends that she move Leila. After disconnecting, he shoots an unknown man in the back and head, and steals his car. The gunman crashes the car into another car, wrecking the left headlight and part of the bumper, as he drives out of the garage.

Sean suggests tracking down Vicky to Agent Collier.

On the road, Agent Collier searches the glove compartment but does not find any information on the owners. Sean then notices a car approaching from behind, which Agent Collier notices is driven by the gunman, who begins shooting at them. Collier directs Sean to slow down and swerve, so she can get a shot at their pursuer. She manages to hit the gunman in the right shoulder, and he drives his vehicle off the road into a ditch. Later, they have parked somewhere and Sean disconnects the car's GPS so they cannot be tracked. Agent Collier asks Sean how she can find the people responsible for the attack, and Sean suggests they start by tracking down Vicky Roberts.

Five years earlier, Sean drives up to a dormitory, knocking the dashboard a few times to get the radio unstuck. He gets out and kisses Leila as she approaches. They both then gets into his car out of the rain. As he drives them away, she asks him to come with her to her parents' house. When he notes that he cannot afford a plane ticket and does not want her to buy him one, she recommends that they drive there. She notes that it is a 16 hour drive, but they should make it in time for Thanksgiving dinner. Sean agrees to do so, and they drive off; with this time Leila knocking the dashboard to fix the radio.

Meanwhile, Vicky and another man bring Leila down some stairs into an unknown basement. They remove a hood that was covering her head, so she could not see, and place her on a mattress. After Vicky removes masking tape from Leila's mouth, the other kidnapper empties a white paper bag with some snack food onto Leila's lap. He notes the beer is for him, but kicks it over shattering it retrieving a metal bucket for Leila to use to go to bathroom. He picks up most of the pieces of glass from the floor, and he and Vicky leave Leila locked there. Leila overhears Vicky talking with the man, who takes another bottle of beer from the fridge and notes that they are just waiting for the word--that Leila will be dead in two hours.

In a bio quarantine facility in Fairfax, Virginia, the passengers tell their stories about what happened on Avias 514. The air marshal, Dan Taylor, seat 10c, notes that he knew something was not right when another passenger stood up with the seatbelt light on, and asks to be told what is going on. Carla Garcia, seat 20a, asks where is she, notes that she has not had anything to eat, and asks for her mom. Amanda Gibbons, seat 24b, says she was going to Brazil, and the last thing she remembers is taking off from Miami International. Daniel Chao, seat 5a, says he is still trying to figure out what happened, and notes that no one will tell him where he is. Jackie Granados, seat 39c, says she shut her eyes, willing herself to get there, then opened them to find herself at the quarantine facility.

A doctor then tells President Martinez and Vice President Jarvis that results from a high-frequency CAT scan showed some mitochondrial activity was going on when the passengers were assumed to be dead. However, she does not know what was done to them and they cannot remember what happened past their takeoff from Miami. Vice President Jarvis suggests to the President that perhaps it was a display of their power, but the President wonders to what end. A lady then signals to the Vice President and he leaves to talk with her. She informs him that the pilot, Michael Buchanan, is awake, and Director Sterling is already questioning him. The Vice President responds that Buchanan may hold the key to whomever is behind the plot to kill the President, and notes that Sterling is the last person they want talking to him about it, and leaves to Michael's cell.

Director Sterling interrogates Michael.

Director Sterling is in the adjoining room to Michael's, talking to him through a microphone setup on a table facing a fenced glass window into his cell. Michael explains about his wife's murder and how his daughter's were kidnapped and their lives threatened to get him to do what they wanted. The Director promises to look into finding the girls, and asks what Michael knows about the kidnappers. Vice President then arrives to the hallway outside both rooms, and takes an extra headset from a soldier to listen in on Michael's statement. Michael continues that Leila knew the girl who threatened to kill her--that her name was Vicky, but that's all he knows. The Director then leaves into the hall and notices the Vice President was standing there. Jarvis tells Sterling he has been there long enough to know that he has been keeping things from him. Sterling explains that he is running the investigation, not the Vice President, and he chose not to be offended by the Vice President's insinuation that he could have been involved in the assassination attempt. He continues that the idea itself is absurd, because that would put the Vice President in charge.

In the White House, President Martinez, his wife, and son are alone in a room together. The President explains to his wife about what he witnessed at the quarantine facility while their son, David, is writing in a notebook. Then, a cell phone begins buzzing inside David's backpack. David pulls out the phone and says hello. As the President rushes over to his son, and David hands the phone to him, saying the call is for him. The President tells his wife to notify the secret service, and asks into the phone who is calling. As the First Lady phones the service, Thomas greets the President, saying only that he is the person that pulled the plane out of the sky to save his life. Thomas adds that what happened to the passengers was by design, and asks the President to release the Sophia and the rest of the Inostranka detainees as he promised or this time people will die. Thomas then ends the call.

On the road, Agent Collier is driving and Sean asks her to slow down as he has located an unsecured wi-fi signal. She pulls off into the parking lot of a small liquor store, and Sean logs into the National Intelligence database to search for information about Vicky. He discovers that Vicky has been using a credit card to pay rent on a home in Lubbock, Texas, and Vicky was last seen in Miami. Thinking that Leila has likely been moved, they decide that the Texas house is the better lead.

Five years ago, Sean and Leila arrive in time for Thanksgiving dinner. Leila hugs her father, and introduces him to Sean, before they head inside her parents' home. Later, they are having dinner together at the table. Mrs. Buchanan is serving food, and notes that Michael flew international until Leila was about 10, and then switched to fly domestic and took a job at Avias. She tells Leila that Samantha is fine, and just fell asleep for her afternoon nap. Sean complements the food, then answers Michael's questions about his parents. Sean notes that he has not really spoken with his parents since he left high school--that his parents split when he was a kid, that his mother was not well, and his father fell apart and began drinking after the separation.

In the present, Leila tries to pry open a boarded-up window without success, then discovers a piece of the shattered beer bottle on the floor and picks it up to free herself. She sits on a crate and begins working on the rope restraining her hands. Upstairs, the other kidnapper arrives back with some food and Vicky is looking at a television set. He notes that he talked to Lana, who told him it appears that Sean disabled the GPS signal from the SUV and figured out a way to jam his cell phone. Vicky replies that she told him that Sean would not make himself easy to find--that he is smart.

Elsewhere, Sean and Collier spot the home they are looking for. Collier instructs Sean to drive past it and park nearby, noting the curtains are closed so she cannot see what is going on inside.

Vicky loads her gun and prepares to kill Leila.

In the home where Leila is being held captive, Vicky gets a call while the other kidnapper is eating. She says she understands, and disconnects, telling the other kidnapper they are "good to go on the go" and that she will handle it. She answers that it is not personal; she just likes to finish what she starts.

Still in the SUV, Agent Collier notes it is against what she has been taught to go in alone. Sean responds that they do not have a choice, as they are likely monitoring the FBI and local police, and Collier reluctantly agrees to proceed, but without giving him a gun. They head to the door and knock.

Meanwhile, Vicky loads her gun and heads downstairs. The other kidnapper heads to the door and unlocks it.

An older lady answers the door that Agent Collier and Sean knocked on, and Agent Collier asks if she is alone in the house, stating she is FBI. The lady says she is alone, and asks if she can help them.

In the kidnapper's home, Leila is still working on her when Vicky reaches the basement door and peeks in on her.

In the White House, Agent Simon Lee and Director Sterling are walking with President Martinez, who asks how someone managed to slip a cell phone into his son's bag. Lee responds that they are still looking into it, and the bag may have been left unattended. The President notes that is still a mistake, and asks for his son's secret service detail to be replaced and security around his family increased immediately. He tells Simon he doesn't care how he does it, but he is going to find the man who made the call. Simon acknowledges the order and leaves. Reaching the Oval Office, the Director tells the President they have upped the threat level to orange and doubled security at international checkpoints. He adds that those responsible must have some limits, such as they cannot transport the detainees out of their custody or they would have already done so; but why they can't is just guess work until they get real intelligence--like if they could get Sophia to talk.

12 months earlier, the President and his wife prepare to go to speak with Sophia and have dinner together. President Martinez notes that she is a vegan, and the First Lady jokes that they have nothing in common. Later, Sophia is talking with them and asks how they met. The First Lady notes that their mothers set them up. President Martinez explains that his mother and Christina's came over on the same boat from Cuba--that his mother was pregnant and her mom took care of her. Christina adds that they got separated when they got to Miami, but reconnected 30 years later at La Rosa Bakery. Sophia likes the story, and hopes that her people can eventually get the same welcome as immigrants to their country.

In the present, President Martinez tells Sophia he knows she had one of her own killed because he was going to talk to them, but asks Sophia to tell him about the caller, if she still considers him a friend. She tells the President that the caller's name is Thomas, and he is an intelligent, charismatic, natural leader, but they have always had different ideas about how to adapt to their presence here. Sophia continues that he is not as patient as her, and is very impulsive. She asks the President to give him whatever he asks for. The President responds that Thomas wants Sophia and the other detainees released, and that is not going to happen. Sophia replies that he should, though, for the safety of his people.

The Avias 514 passengers begin to exprience nosebleeds.

In the quarantine facility, Michael wakes up from a nap and finds he has a nose bleed. Then, suddenly, the other Avias 514 passengers have nose bleeds as well and Michael begins coughing up some blood.

Inside the home Vicky is paying for, Sean and Agent Collier are talking with the lady who lives there. Agent Collier show her a printout of Vicky's known driver's licenses, but the lady claims to have never seen Vicky in her life. Sean responds by asking why she is paying for her to live there, but she claims to not know what he is talking about. She then notes seeing Collier's credentials but not Sean's, who replies that he is "Agent Walker". Collier notes that Agent Walker must have left his badge in the car again, and asks for Sean to talk with her in private.

In the next room over, Agent Collier asks Sean to wait outside so she does not figure out they are not there on official business and stop talking. Agent Collier goes back in to talk with the lady, and Sean opens the door to leave. However, he spots a music box before he does so and closes the door without leaving. While Agent Collier shows the lady a document that shows that Laura Roderick paid her last month's rent, Sean finds the bedroom of a young boy. Sean gives the boy back his music box, who says his name is Adam. Sean claims to be a friend of his mother's, and shows Adam the photo of himself with Vicky after scuba diving. Adam identifies her as his mother, and tells Sean he is lucky as his grandmother told him they could not keep any photos of his mother. Adam asks Sean to take a picture of him to bring to his mother, so Sean snaps a photo of Adam with his phone and shows it to him. His phone displays a 10% battery life warning along with the photo.

In the other room, Agent Collier continues to talk with the lady, who still denies knowing Vicky and claims there must be some mistake. The lady asks Agent Collier to leave, when Sean arrives and claims to know why she will not talk--that she's Vicky's mother, and is trying to protect her along with her grandson, Adam. The lady then admits to it, saying no one is supposed to know. Agent Collier then threatens to call Child Protective Services, but the lady, Mrs. Larson, insists she really does not know where she is. Sean says she must have some way to reach her, and she gives him a paper with a phone number she is supposed to call only in an emergency.

Back in the basement where Leila is being held, Leila pleads with Vicky to let her go while continuing to work on the rope. Vicky grabs some more masking tape and sticks some of it to a wood support beam, before asking Leila to turn around and pointing her gun at the back of her head. Leila then finishes freeing herself and knocks Vicky to the ground. While Vicky collects herself, Leila grabs the gun and heads through the door and up the stairs, locking the door at the top of the stairway behind her. As Vicky catches up and smashes out the window of the door to get through, Leila points the pistol at Vicky and fires a shot. Vicky recoils backwards and rolls down the stairs.

Leila escapes out of the house, exits the fence, and runs down the street. It is night, and she spots a police car, forcing it to stop. The police officer, who is alone in the car, gets out of the car to talk to her. She asks for him to take her with him, stating that she was kidnapped, just shot someone, and expects that a man is coming for her. The officer radios Snyder dispatch that he is Unit 7, coming home with a possible code 1096. Dispatch radios back that they copy that, and Officer Snyder lets Leila into his car.

At the police station, the officer talks with the police chief while Leila listens several feet away. He tells the chief that she claims to have shot one of the kidnappers in self-defense, but there were no reports of gunshots in the area. The chief tells the policeman that they can get a psych counselor there, but not until the next morning. The officer notes that there is one person she wants to call, and the chief says to let her do so and see if she can give a description of her kidnappers. The officer then turns around a phone next to Leila and says she can call.

Leila leaves a tearful message for Sean on the phone.

Near Mrs. Larson's home, Sean and Agent Collier get back into their SUV. Collier says that the phone number is a 720 area code, Colorado, noting her ex-husband did a stint in Denver. Sean notes that none of Vicky's known aliases had access to Colorado, so it could be a new one where she actually is. Just then, Sean's phone buzzes with a call from Leila, but when he pulls the phone out from his pocket, it notes only that it is at 4% battery and is powering down; so Sean puts it away and begins driving. Meanwhile, Leila leaves a message on Sean's voicemail that she is safe at the Snyder, TX, police station, and for him to come and get her.

Five years earlier, Leila sneaks away from cleaning up in the kitchen with her mom, and asks her for a verdict. She replies that Sean has her seal of approval--that she picked a really good one and is happy for her. Meanwhile, Michael talks with Sean and says he only asked about his family earlier so he could know who his daughter was dating. Michael says he only asks for Sean to make his daughter happy and treat her with respect, and pours some scotch for them to share. He adds that it is very rare stuff, a gift from a friend, and welcomes Sean to the family as they drink up.

In present-day Snyder, the police chief offers to get Leila some tea or water. Leila says she will have some water, and he leaves her to get it. The chief walks out of the room and down a hall past another officer to a room with vending machines and a coffee maker. Vicky and the other kidnapper are there, and the chief notes that Leila made the call but Sean did not pick up. Vicky guesses aloud that she left a message.

On arrival to the basement where her kidnappers held Leila, the other kidnapper purposely left the piece of the glass bottle on the floor. Later, the television set Vicky was watching showed Leila trying to free herself, and the ammo Vicky loads into her gun comes from a box of 9mm flash blanks. When Leila shoots her with the gun, Vicky rolls down the stairs, but is able to pick herself right back up and chase after her.

Back in the present, the other kidnapper peeks into near the next hallway, where a policeman lays face down on the ground. He says that they should hope that Sean gets the message or he is not sure how may ever find him. Vicky says that he will get it, and when he does, they should trust her that he will come. Meanwhile, Agent Collier is driving with Sean towards their latest lead in Colorado.

At the Snyder police station, Vicky pulls out her cell phone and calls her contact, who answers that he hopes she is calling with good news. Vicky replies that the plan worked, and Leila left Sean a message to come get her. The contacts says that when Sean gets there, to take care of him for good. Vicky says she will, staring at a nearby black-and-white television that shows Leila still sitting by the desk of the officer that saved her.

Memorable Quotes

"That's amazing. A refugee comes to this country pregnant, poor, alone, and a generation later, her son is the President. This is why your country is truly great."

"I couldn't agree more."

"So you understand why I'm hopeful that you will welcome my people the way that this country welcomed yours."

- Sophia, President Martinez

Episode:A Matter of Life and Death

From The Event Wiki

Contents

Summary

Story Development

Synopsis

Memorable Quotes

Character Appearances

Trivia

See Also

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