"The Brink" Recap: "Just a Little Crazy Talk"

Written by Scotty

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

After being told to turn in his resignation by the President, Walter Larson has to pull out the big guns to fend off a military strike on Pakistan.  After reaching Alex Talbot, Walter is able to talk to the general in command, Ahmed Ali and get a couple of minutes alone with him on the Ambassador’s private line.  Listening to the general’s demands, Walter is able to provide him with everything that he wants and will back him with the overthrow of Zaman and Alex will have to be there to prove that the overthrow has been accomplished.  With the psychiatric file in hand, General Ali knows that Zaman has gone over the deep end and is ready to assume his position as President of Pakistan.

Zeke and Glenn are suited up and ready for action, but when the officer of the deck sees them he has bad news.  The two have been grounded since they have been POW’s and need to go through their psychological review before being allowed to fly again.  Knowing that this is just some red tape, Zeke tries to convince the Admiral to let them fly, but finds out he will be out of the Navy when the carrier returns to port.  Filling the time and trying to come up with a plan for what they can do when they get off of the carrier and return to civilian life, the two take shots at each other, but the pain may have been worth it when they decide to take the mail plane and fly south to Zimbabwe.

After Alex and Rafiq have been captured by the Pakistan army, they find that they have a little bit of time to talk.  When Rafiq finds out that his sister and the girls are safe at his uncle’s cabin, he finds a little bit more respect for Alex once again.  After Walter gets off of the phone with General Ali, he talks to Alex and puts one final plan into motion, the possible assassination of General Zaman.  With gun in hand, Alex does not think he will be able to go through with what is being asked of him by putting a bullet in Zaman’s head if things go south, but Rafiq is there to keep an eye on him and talk him up when the moment is right. 

With his next plan fully in motion, Walter has to ask his wife for help one more time.  Needing to inform Pierce of his plan and recall the bombers before they blow Pakistan back into the stone ages, he is able to get a meeting.  While General Ali is directing his fellow commanders to arrest Zaman, Rafiq is translating as fast as he can so Alex knows what is going on and when to shoot.  As the power shifts between Ali and Zaman several times, the psychiatric file comes out and now the other generals understand how crazy their leader actually is.  With Zaman in handcuffs, Alex sends photos to Walter to share with the War Room to call off the attack.  But before Zaman can be removed completely from his former position, he has news that might change everyone’s outlook on a job well done.

Action packed episode without a shot fired.  Walter is still doing his duty to keep the world from ending while everyone else thinks that his plans are worthless.  With his only shot of getting Zaman out of power is installing Ali who is also crazy, he is just changing the level of it.  As Joanne helps him get time with Pierce, she is fired, and although she is pissed off, she has done the right thing.  Zeke and Glenn are the only two pilots left on the carrier when word filters down that a nuclear devise is being sent toward Iran on a plane and they could be the world’s only hope in stopping it.  Even with the change in power, the world is on the brink of war and who knows how it will end…if it will end.

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