Well here we are, the one we’ve all been waiting for, the 150th episode. Was it the milestone episode fans were expecting? Susan Schoppe once again recaps it for us and this time the admins added a point of view about a very important part of the episode.
Our opening scene shows Steve in the kitchen cooking at what looks to be a beautiful fish dinner including dessert. [Boy can that man cook.] While dinner is simmering Steve dresses for the evening in a nice suit. He also had previously set up a nice table for two with candles, flowers, and wine. The doorbell rings and his date for the evening has arrived. He opens the door, to Lynn and after some playful banter, Lynn comes in and she is looking great.
Our next scene is at the Grover residence where Grover’s son Will and Grace are studying with a tutor. When seeing Grace, Grover asks her how her grandfather’s surgery went which is the way to explain where Danny is in this episode. She said it went well and her dad should be home soon. Grover asks Will for a few moments alone where he admits that Danny wants Will to find out if Grace has a boyfriend. Will protests but agrees to try to find out.
Now we’ve moved to Chin’s house where he is telling Sara a bedtime story about his fishing days as a young boy. Sara asks Chin if she will take her fishing one day and, of course he says he will. Sara is really happy living with Chin and their relationship is always sweet to watch.
Meanwhile, Kono is in the kitchen doing the dishes as she was babysitting until Chin got home. Chin and Kono discuss the appeal efforts that day for keeping Sara and it seems the court wants more evidence that it would be in Sara’s best interest to stay with Chin. This is not the best news and his chances are not looking good but he is staying hopeful.
Back at Steve’s place he and Lynn are enjoying the dinner he cooked and some nice conversation. Lynn is telling Steve just how good dinner really is and Steve tells her to save room for dessert. He also likes her new hairstyle and her bangs are really cute. [I think so too.] When Lynn goes to get more wine she stops to give Steve a few well deserved kisses.
While she’s retrieving the wine Steve’s phone rings and it’s Catherine. Steve is looking more than shocked. She asks him if he can talk and that she will see him in a few minutes. Lynn comes out of the kitchen with the wine and seeing that Steve looks upset, she asks him if he’s ok. Steve quickly fills her in about their unexpected guest as head lights shine in the window. There is a knock at the door and Catherine is there for the first time after leaving a year ago. A very uncomfortable Steve opens the door and Catherine enters. See seems a little surprised to see Lynn and Steve introduces them. Catherine apologizes for interrupting their evening but she’s there about Doris.
Steve and Catherine are on the lanai without Lynn when he hears that Doris was captured trying to break out Wo Fat’s father, Yao Fat, from a black ops site. She says she does not even know where the site is however, Steve shares he does as he realizes he was used again by Doris to reveal the location when he met Yao a few months ago. Catherine tells Steve they have to help her. Steve says no way and tears up slightly but Catherine changes his mind. After all, she is his mother and he will always regret it if he does not help and something happens to her.
While Steve is upstairs packing to go save Doris, Lynn and Catherine are sitting in the living room making awkward small talk. Lynn accidentally spills the beans about Steve’s intention of proposing before she left. Steve comes down packed and Catherine waits outside while Steve and Lynn say goodbye. Lynn makes Steve promise her that he will be OK. Lynn is being very understanding about this whole situation.
While on the plane, Catherine breaks into Steve’s thoughts (the first flashback of the episode when he was younger and his Mom was teaching him how to ride his bike). Catherine tells Steve she never wanted to lie to him and Steve asks her when she was recruited. It was while she was in Afghanistan which he seems to have known already but needed verification. Steve also immediately knows that when she came back to Hawaii she knew then she wasn’t staying with him.
Next morning at Grover’s place, Kono shows up asking when he last heard from Steve. She says she talked to Danny and that Steve left him a message saying something was up and he was leaving town for a while. With this information, they go to HQ where Chin arrives asking for any updates on Steve. Grover tells them that he spoke to Lynn who relayed as much information as she could and that Steve left with Catherine the night before. Grover updates Chin on Steve, Doris and Catherine. They have a location on Steve’s phone and are making plans to find him and help.
In Morocco, Steve and Catherine abduct a man that knows where Doris is being held. They get the information and begin forming a plan. As they look over the area that Doris is in seeing the strong security, Catherine asks Steve why Doris would even attempt this. Steve explains that she has tremendous guilt over what she did to Yao Fat and his family and she’s never gotten over it. At this time there is another flashback that shows Steve finding his Mom crying on the lanai when he was younger.
Suddenly there are noises outside and although Steve takes Chin down thinking he was an intruder, to his relief it’s the whole team (minus Danny). While preparing to leave for the rescue mission, Chin tells Kono that he heard from the judge, that he lost the appeal for Sara, and that when they get back home she will be gone. Clearly Chin and Kono are both upset. [so am I].
Now at the compound, Grover shuts off the electricity and Steve, Chin, and Catherine climb over the fence making their way into the compound’s camera and security room. They overtake the guard and Catherine and Chin watch the cameras while Steve goes to free Doris. As Steve enters Doris’ cell she jumps him and a mother/son fight breaks out like most you do not see in any traditional family. Just before she hits him in the face, she sees who it is, to which Steve says “hi Mom”.
While waiting for the guards to pass, Doris and Steve have one of their famous talks where Steve gets angry and Doris tries to explain that everything she did, she thought was the right thing to do at the time. Steve says he knew she was going to leave again as she did it the exact same way she left him when he was a teenager. (a flashback to this time is shown) After not wanting to come to rescue her at all when he first heard of her predicament, he seems to forgive her really quickly. Maybe it is because he has gotten used to the same story, maybe it is because she actually seemed more genuine this time, or maybe it is just because the show did not have enough air time to delve in any deeper. That is unknown, but he does seem to be more willing to accept her as she is as he now calls her “Ma” throughout the mission compared to “Doris” as he has numerous times in the past.
With the coast clear to leave, Doris tells Steve she not leaving without Yao Fat, Steve protests but Doris won’t budge and now they are off to free Yao Fat as well. Moving down the hallway to Yao Fat’s cell Steve and Doris free Yao and now begin there exit only to learn that it has been discovered that Doris is missing by the guards. The entire compound is on alert and looking for her.
As all three make their way to a safe area guided by Catherine and Chin, Lou and Kono watch from an outside vantage point where once again Lou makes the obvious observation that “this is bad” [got to love Lou]. They split up and just as Steve, Doris, and Yao seem as if they might make it out of the compound, they are captured and taken to a room. Once in the room, it looks as if once again Steve is about to be water boarded (sound familiar?) unless he gives information on how many people he has with him. Steve seems to be taking this fact lightly when just as they are about to begin, noises outside the door distract the captors and Steve and Doris get the advantage on them taking control of the room. Catherine enters and now on the move once again they meet up with Chin. They place an explosive [that Doris had hidden there earlier] on the outer wall of the compound and they blow their way out through a tunnel.
We are then taken to an airstrip where with a plane waiting. Doris tells Steve that Yao is considered a threat to the CIA and as long as he’s not their prisoner there is no longer a threat to her or Steve anymore. She jokes with Steve about coming home and moving down the street from him. [of course she won’t be able to do this anytime soon even if she wanted to). She tells Steve that the rest of all the answers about her and her life before as his mother are in a locked box under a floor board in his house. With that, Steve tells Doris that being a spy wasn’t the only thing she was good at. The moment was touching and Steve seems at peace with his mom at last.
As Doris walks away Catherine walks over and tells Steve she is leaving with Doris and Yao on the plane. Steve asks Catherine to tell him if she is now happy doing what she’s doing. She answers yes that she is. He says good and she hugs him goodbye telling him that just because she’s not in his life anymore that it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t care about him.
Before boarding the plane, she turns to Steve and says she knows he was going to propose. She tells him it was a total accident on Lynn’s part that it wasn’t intentionally shared. Steve asks Catherine that if he had actually asked her what would she have said? Catherine told him that her answer would have been yes. [And we see that look of combined pain and relief on Steve’s face again.] She also gives Steve her blessing (not that he needed it) saying that Lynn seems like a nice girl and that she hopes that it works out for him and he deserves to be happy. He closes the plane door and there it is, on Steve’s face the realization that his relationship with Catherine had been like that of his mother and his fathers. This was the realization he needed to bring closure to, a relationship that he can now truly move on from.
Arriving home Chin goes into Sara’s room and finds the book of drawings she left behind for him. Flipping through the pages, he remembers the times they had together. He looks heartbroken.
Back at Steve’s, he finds the lockbox and one of the things inside is Doris’ journal. The first few pages are of when she found out she was pregnant with him. It says if it was a boy they we’re naming him Steve after John’s father. In this poignant scene it looks like there may be more closure for Steve and peace ahead coming for Mother and son.
I would rate this episode a 8 because finally there was some closure. Not just for Steve, but for us as well. There was some good integration of the team unity but Danny was truly missed especially with opportunities to face Catherine and Doris who surely he would have an opinion about. After all, they have both lied to him too. It also fell a little short for a milestone episode and opportunities were missed.
Footnote: Although it is not typical for the admins to add to the recap with an opinion we thought this week called for it especially being such a milestone episode. Although there are probably lots of ways fans took the proposal conversation at the end, we took it as just further closure for Steve. It seems to be a normal reaction to want to know that the love he felt for Catherine was in fact returned in the same intensity.
It is obvious they are going their separate ways for good as they say goodbye. She loved Steve but it wasn’t enough to fulfill her and she made her choice to find something else that would. He has had a year to move on which he has with Lynn who he truly cares for. Catherine has had a year to move on too and she has left the past behind telling Steve she is happy with what she is now doing.
It was important for him to know he was not going to be turned down if he had asked in order to feel confident if he ever decides to propose again to someone else.
In our opinion, the relationship is truly over (and the ring box can be now closed for good). There still could be times Steve and the team might call on Catherine and her new resources to help them with a favor. Sound familiar? The difference is, there won’t be any more missed dinners.
What did you think about the episode and the proposal answer?
