Survival

This is a great episode. Jim and Blair are together almost every second, and Simon is highlighted, something that doesn't happen very often in our world of TS.

The episode opens with Jim and Blair walking together down the hallway of the police department. Blair is wearing a green paid shirt over a grey henley and jeans. Jim is wearing a heavy grey cable knit sweater over a dark grey t-shirt and dark pants. They wear these clothes through the entire episode. They have a great exchange in which Jim gives his young friend some sage advice.

Seems that Blair Sandburg, anthropologist extraordinaire, had given his current babe his diaries to read. Those kinds of diaries, kiddies. Sex, sex and more sex. Apparently, the disillusioned anthro major thinks that true honesty would bring the couple closer, but the woman has apparently dumped Blair and his very explicit wandering ways.

Jim tells Blair that every woman likes to think she's the first and what was he thinking? I love when Jim lightly smacks Blair's head and tells him to get a clue. LOL! Jim explains that he burned all the love letters from old girlfriends when he and Carolyn got together. Preemptive strike, Jim says. Very cute.

Simon calls Jim into the office and explains that Dawson Quinn, a cop killer, needs to be transported and he needs Jim to ride with the escort. Jim is none too happy. Apparently, Quinn killed a rookie that Jim had taken under his wing a couple of years ago, and he hates the guy. Simon manages to convince Jim to take the assignment. What I can't figure out is why Simon has to talk Jim into taking Blair along. Blair always goes along! Guess it was in the script. <g>

We next see the boys in Jim's Expedition. Jim explains about his background with Quinn to Blair. Jim is wearing his Jags cap, a dark green coat with a brown collar. Blair has on a brown jacket.

Then it happens. Quinn's cohorts have set up the convoy. They shoot everything up and Quinn takes off toward the helicopter with Simon as a hostage. Even though Simon tells Jim to shoot Quinn, Jim doesn't do it. Quinn is quite pleased and utters one of the “famous” TS lines, “All you need's a cape, Ellison.” Jim is our super hero, and Quinn knows it. When the helicopter flies away, we see that it has a bullet hole in the oil compartment. Big trouble, I'd say.

What I can't figure out is the sheriff in the next scene. The FBI show up and an old friend of Jim's, Marla, is there. The local sheriff calls out his search and rescue team. When Jim explains that the kidnappers and Simon went north, the sheriff gets all huffy and says several derogatory things to Jim. When Marla explains that Jim was a Ranger, the sheriff quips, space or lone? Mean guy, I think. Oh, and Blair is out in the rain without a hat. Silly boy. He does have gloves, though.

Jim and Blair go the opposite way of the search party. When Blair asks, Jim says he can smell Simon's tobacco and he trails Simon with the scent. Meanwhile, Quinn finds a cabin, breaks in (oh, and his girlfriend, Lisa, is along for the ride, too) and steals supplies. Convenient that miles and miles from anywhere the cabin has power. Must be a generator somewhere. When the owners return, they discover the theft. Wade and Dale are introduced. We never know who they are, but I figure they're some sort of survivalists, living way out this far with automatic weapons.

Wade is the leader of the strange duo and he's pissed that his stuff is gone. On the television, they hear about Quinn. They also have a two-way radio and know that Jim and Blair are the only ones on the right trail. Wade tells Dale that the five mil that Quinn has stashed is now his, and off they go to get rid of anybody who stands in their way. Or I should say, Wade's way. Dale is not happy about his partner's idea but trails along. Stupid Dale.

In an exceptionally great scene which spawns the wonderful blooper where Garett gives Richard that great kiss by the river, Wade finds our boys and opens fire on them. Jim hears them and manages to save his little guppy. Unfortunately, the only way out for Jim and Blair is dooowwwwnnn. They jump off a cliff and into a raging river. Damn, but that has to be cold!!!

The frozen pair make it to shore (of course) minus all of their supplies and with only one bullet left in Jim's gun. Jim and Blair drag themselves off after Simon once again. Meanwhile, Simon is being none too cooperative to Quinn and Lisa, earning him a couple of good beatings and quite a rough time. There are a couple of scenes of the confrontations. Quinn has made him pack all of their gear and keeps yanking him along by a rope. In one of the more important scenes, Quinn finds Simon's cigar holder and after taking out the last cigar, he tosses it away. Simon tries to get Quinn to return the holder, as it is a gift from Daryl, but Quinn smirks and leaves it. (Ah ha, for Jim to find!)

Blair has a hard time keeping up with Jim's fast pace since he got whacked on the head pretty hard diving into the river. Jim tells our little guppy to rest while he follows the trail ahead. Blair agrees, and in a very cute and well known exchange, asks Jim if he'll think less of him if he stays behind. Jim smiles (God, he is gorgeous!) and says he'll think Blair is a spineless goober. Very cute. After he tells Blair to stay awake and no campfires, he leaves. Blair utters another well-known line, "cold and wet is my world". (Hey! I wrote a story by that name!)

I'm afraid I think the Blair scene is kind of silly. He hears a twig snap. He thinks it might be Jim. He knows bad guys are in the woods, so what does he do? He finds a lighter in his pocket, lights it and calls out for Jim. Surprise! It's Wade and he whacks Blair a good one right on the face with the butt of his rifle. Blair is down for the count. In reality, by now, after the bonk in the head from the river, you'd thing this would have given him a concussion, the poor baby.

Jim is off tracking Simon when Blair wakes up and Wade is looming over him. Wade decides since Blair doesn't have any useful information, he's dead meat. Dale, the kinder one of the duo, isn't happy killing Blair so he and his buddy have a fight in which Wade accidentally shoots Dale, killing him. Blair, being a smart fellow, runs like hell -- right into Jim's arms. Woohoo!!!!

Lots of touching ensues while Jim calms down his Guide and listens for the evil Wade. He even gives Blair's face a look when Blair explains what happens. Man, I love when their hands are on each other... anyway, onward.

Things move along. Quinn, Lisa and Simon get to an abandoned mining camp where they proceed to drop Simon down a mine shaft on a cable to retrieve the cash. Jim and Blair show up right when Quinn refuses to pull Simon out until Simon hands over the bag of cash. Jim orders Quinn to pull him up. He does and Jim is now in control -- for about two seconds.

Wade shows up shooting, and in a horrible, devestating moment Blair is shot! Poor baby! It's really cool watching this in slo-mo. The director was very good making this authentic. You can see the little explosive pack on Garett's jeans making a hole and “showing” the bullet passing through his leg and exiting. Very nicely done. Slo-mo is fun.

Jim and Simon drag injured Blair into a mineshaft. They hunker down and Simon tells Jim he still has the cash. Outside, Quinn and Wade join forces to get the cash from Simon. Jim and Simon do emergency first aid on Blair, putting a tourniquet on his wound. Blair is none too happy! He can't believe he's shot. Wade and Quinn try to shoot their way to where the guys are hiding, but Jim starts tossing out wads of burning cash, threatening to burn it all if they don't get lost. Wade and Quinn leave to regroup.

Meanwhile, Jim goes down the mine shaft to find another way out, leaving Blair in Simon's care. Quinn and Wade decide to smoke them out and Simon and Blair are soon choking in the smoke. While Jim is working his way out the mine shaft through another tunnel, Blair and Simon surrender to Wade and Quinn. Right before they come out of the mine shaft, Quinn kills Wade. Surprise! Yeah, right.

Jim smells the smoke and hightails it to the camp where he sees Quinn ready to kill Blair and Simon, who are choking and coughing from the smoke. He uses his sight and sees old dynamite in a nearby shed. Using his last bullet, he blows the shed, knocking everybody to the ground. He rushes in and proceeds to pummel Quinn into the ground. Go, Jim! Simon tackles Lisa and even brave Blair manages to hobble over to a rifle and hold Lisa at bay while Simon goes to where Jim is making Quinn a spot in the ground. A very concerned Simon barely mentions Jim's name. Jim refocuses and decided not to kill Quinn, even though he deserves it. Jim is a responsible cop, after all.

The tag is okay. The rescue team is getting ready to airlift our injured guppy to the hospital. In an apparently drugged state, Blair makes a date with Marla, the FBI agent. Jim hunkers down besides his partner and asks if Blair actually just made a date. Blair smirks that he can't help himself. Jim remarks that he shouldn't show Marla his diaries. Blair says no more diaries, he'll wait until he's old and write his memoirs. The episode ends with a screaming Blair being airlifted hundreds of feet through the air, apparently not happy at the height. Remember, Blair's is afraid of heights on occasion. <smirk>

All in all, a great episode. I always enjoy this one.

Next up, His Brother's Keeper.

Back to Episode Review Main Page