Numbers (TV series)

Last updated

Numbers
Numb3rs Insignia.jpg
Genre
Created by
Starring
Music by Charlie Clouser
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes118 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • John Forrest Niss
  • Michael Attanasio
  • Christine Larson-Nitzsche
Production locationsLos Angeles, Pasadena
Running time43 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseJanuary 23, 2005 (2005-01-23) 
March 12, 2010 (2010-03-12)

Numbers (stylized as NUMB3RS) is an American crime drama television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 23, 2005, to March 12, 2010, for six seasons and 118 episodes. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes (Rob Morrow) and his brother Charlie Eppes (David Krumholtz), a college mathematics professor and prodigy, who helps Don solve crimes for the FBI. Brothers Ridley and Tony Scott produced Numbers; its production companies are the Scott brothers' Scott Free Productions and CBS Television Studios (originally Paramount Network Television, and later CBS Paramount Network Television).

Contents

The show focuses equally on the relationships among Don Eppes, his brother Charlie Eppes, and their father, Alan Eppes (Judd Hirsch), and on the brothers' efforts to fight crime, usually in Los Angeles. A typical episode begins with a crime, which is subsequently investigated by a team of FBI agents led by Don and mathematically modeled by Charlie, with the help of Larry Fleinhardt (Peter MacNicol) and Amita Ramanujan (Navi Rawat). The insights provided by Charlie's mathematics were always in some way crucial to solving the crime.

On May 18, 2010, CBS canceled the series after six seasons. [1]

Cast and characters

The show revolved around three intersecting groups of characters: the FBI, scientists at the fictitious California Institute of Science (CalSci), and the Eppes family.

Temporary characters on the show were often named after famous mathematicians. For example, in the episode "In Plain Sight" (season two, episode eight), one of the criminals is named Rolle and Charlie's father mentions a meeting with a man named Robert Peterson.

Episodes

Opening: (Voice-over by David Krumholtz) We all use math every day. To predict weather, to tell time, to handle money. Math is more than formulas and equations. It's logic; it's rationality. It's using your mind to solve the biggest mysteries we know.

Season 1 (2005)

The first season aired between January 23, 2005, and May 13, 2005, at 10:00 pm on Fridays. It started the working relationship between Los Angeles' FBI field office and Charlie Eppes. The main FBI agents are Charlie's brother, Don Eppes, and Terry Lake, as well as David Sinclair. Don and Charlie's father, Alan Eppes, provides emotional support for the pair, while Professor Larry Fleinhardt and doctoral student Amita Ramanujan provide mathematical support and insights to Charlie. Season one was a half-season, producing only 13 episodes. Sabrina Lloyd played Terry Lake, an agent, in this season; she was later replaced by Diane Farr, who played Megan Reeves.

Season 2 (2005–06)

The second season aired between September 23, 2005, and May 19, 2006, again at 10:00 pm on Fridays. Season two has several changes to Don's FBI team: Terry Lake is reassigned to Washington and two new members join Don and David Sinclair: Megan Reeves and Colby Granger. Charlie is challenged on one of his long-standing mathematical workpieces and starts work on a new theory, cognitive emergence theory. Larry sells his home and assumes a nomadic lifestyle while he becomes romantically involved with Megan. Amita receives an offer for an assistant professor position at Harvard University, but is plagued by doubt as her relationship with Charlie is challenged, and her career is in upheaval. Alan begins work and dating again, although he struggles with the loss of his wife and Charlie and his dream of her.

Season 3 (2006–07)

Numb3rs was renewed for a third season, [2] which began airing at 10:00 pm on Friday, September 22, 2006, and ended on May 18, 2007. Charlie and Amita intensify their relationship, as do Larry and Megan, especially after Megan's kidnapping. Amita has trouble adjusting to her new role as a CalSci professor, and Larry announces his leave of absence; he will be on the International Space Station for six months, which greatly distresses Charlie. Charlie and his colleagues are troubled by Dr. Mildred Finch, the newly appointed chair of the CalSci Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy Division, whom they learn has begun dating Alan. Meanwhile, Don dates Agent Liz Warner and questions his ethics and self worth, and receives counseling. Charlie sees Don's therapist, and the two understand one another more. Despite Don's concerns, Alan engages in some FBI consulting with his engineering knowledge, and Larry returns from the space station, disillusioned. The finale wraps up with a revelation that Colby was a double agent for the Chinese.

Noticeable changes from previous seasons include removing the opening-credit sequence (credits are now done during the first segment of the show), the absence of Peter MacNicol's character for much of the season, and the absence of Diane Farr's character for a few episodes. Peter MacNicol appeared in the first 11 episodes before leaving for the television show 24 , but returned to Numbers for the 21st episode of season three ("The Art of Reckoning"). His character's absence was written into the show by becoming a payload specialist on the International Space Station. Diane Farr, pregnant for most of the season, left the show for maternity leave in episode 18 ("Democracy"); her character's absence is explained as a particular assignment to the Department of Justice.

Season 4 (2007–08)

The season premiere aired on September 28, 2007, in the same time slot as in previous seasons, 10:00 pm Eastern Time. [3] Because of the writer's strike, only 12 episodes were initially produced. However, once the strike ended, CBS announced the show's return April 4, 2008, with six episodes. [4] The season ended on May 16, 2008.

As this season starts, Colby Granger escapes from jail and is revealed to be a triple agent. He then rejoins the team. Don and Liz break up halfway through this season after Liz has trouble with Don's trust issues. Amita's parents come to visit, which becomes a secondary theme throughout most of the season. Due to her work at the DOJ, Megan is conflicted by her work and turns to Larry. Near the end of the season, Don's girlfriend from season two, Robin Brooks, returns. Don and Robin then continue their relationship. Charlie attends FBI training camp because he has been working with Don for several years and wants to understand better what his brother does. In the season finale, Megan leaves the team to move back to Washington, DC, and Charlie goes head-to-head with Don about a case. This causes Charlie to send information to scientists in Pakistan. He is subsequently arrested and has his security clearance revoked to no longer help Don on cases. At the end of the episode, Don drives away to another case, and Charlie admits that giving up FBI work will be more challenging than he expected.

Several characters from previous seasons did not appear in season four, most notably Mildred Finch and Ian Edgerton.

Season 5 (2008–09)

The fifth season premiered on October 3, 2008, and the season finale aired on May 15, 2009. The season premiere was moved back one week to accommodate the 2008 presidential debates. [5]

Season five opens three weeks after "When Worlds Collide" (season four's finale), with the government dropping the charges against Charlie. Charlie gets his security clearance back after Don and he fight FBI Security Officer Carl McGowan. Don begins to explore Judaism. The team adds new agent Nikki Betancourt, who arrives shortly after Megan Reeves' departure. Robin is offered a promotion but turns it down. Buck Winters (from the episodes "Spree" and "Two Daughters") breaks out of prison and comes after Don. Alan suddenly finds himself coaching CalSci's basketball team. David becomes Don's primary relief supervisor. DARPA tries to recruit Charlie, but he turns down their offer. Toward the end of the season, Don is stabbed, and Charlie blames himself for it. The aftermath of Don's stabbing causes Charlie to focus more on his FBI consultation work. Amita is kidnapped, and the team races to find her. After she is rescued, Charlie proposes to Amita. Her response is left undisclosed.

"Disturbed" marked the 100th episode of Numbers. [6]

Season 6 (2009–10)

The sixth and final season premiered Friday, September 25, 2009, at 10:00 pm ET [7] and the season finale aired on March 12, 2010, 3 days before Hirsch's 75th birthday.

The season starts with the engagement of Charlie and Amita. Soon after, Larry turns down an opportunity to meet with mathematicians at CERN, in Geneva, and drops his course load for the following semester. This leads Charlie to realize Larry is once again leaving and leaving all of his work to Charlie. Don learns that his former mentor is crooked, causing Don angst to shoot his mentor. Charlie and Don realize that Alan has lost a substantial amount of money in his 401(k). After some delay, Larry leaves Los Angeles to find a vacant piece of land for sale within driving distance of the city. Alan decides to return to work and finds a job as a software technical consultant. David asks Don for advice about career paths within the FBI. Larry returns from the desert with a new theory about the universe's fate. Charlie and Amita begin planning their wedding and decide to join the Big Brother/Big Sister program to practice parenting skills. They get married before their move to England to teach at the University of Cambridge. Don loses his gun, recovers it after it is used in some vigilante murders, and gets engaged to Robin. He also decides to leave the team, taking an administrative position within the FBI. Before leaving, Charlie and Amita decide that the family garage should be converted to a guest house so Alan can continue living with them. Leaving Colby, Liz, and Nikki behind, David departs for Washington, DC, to a position as an anti-corruption team leader.

Home media

CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment) has released all six seasons of Numb3rs on DVD in Regions 1, 2, and 4.

On June 2, 2017, CBS DVD released Numb3rs: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1. [8]

Season #Release DatesEp
(#)
Length
(min.)
DiscsRegion 1 Extras
US, Canada (R1)UK (R2)Australia (R4)
Season oneMay 30, 2006 [9] October 2, 2006 [10] October 5, 2006 [11] 13 [9] 544 [9] 4 [9] Cast and crew commentaries for five episodes, "Crunching Numb3rs: Season 1," "Point of Origin: Inside the Unaired Pilot," "Do The Math: The Caltech Analysis," and "Charlievision: FX Sequences 1.0," blooper reels, and audition reels. [12]
Season twoOctober 10, 2006 [13] July 9, 2007 [14] June 7, 2007 [15] 24 [13] 1037 [13] 6 [13] Cast and crew commentaries for six episodes, "Crunching Numb3rs: Season Two," two "behind the scenes" videos (one with Nicholas Falacci, the other with David Krumholtz), and a blooper reel. [16]
Season threeSeptember 25, 2007 [17] February 9, 2009 [18] July 10, 2008 [19] 24 [17] 1029 [17] 6 [17] Cast and crew commentaries for five episodes, "Crunching Numb3rs: Season 3," a mini-documentary of the Eppes house, a blooper reel, and a tour of the Eppes' house set. [20]
Season fourSeptember 30, 2008 [21] July 13, 2009 [22] July 2, 2009 [23] 18 [21] 767 [21] 5 [21] "Crunching NUMB3RS: Trust Metric," featurettes for two episodes, "The Tony Touch", pre-production, and post production. [24]
Season fiveOctober 20, 2009 [25] June 21, 2010 [26] August 4, 2010 [27] 23983 [28] 6 [29] Cast and crew commentaries for three episodes, deleted scenes for "Thirty-Six Hours", "Crunching NUMB3RS: Season Five" featurette, "Celebrating 100" featurette, Blooper reel. [29]
Season sixAugust 10, 2010July 18, 2011July 21, 2011 [30] 166604Coming Full Circle: Numb3rs the final season, The women of Numb3rs, Pixel Perfect:the digital cinematography of Numb3rs, Production Photo Gallery
Complete seriesJune 6, 2017N/ADecember 1, 2011 [31] 11831

Awards and nominations

Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, the show's creators, have won several awards for the show, including the Carl Sagan Award for Public Understanding of Science in 2006, [32] and the National Science Board's Public Service Award in 2007. [33] Also, the show's stunt coordinator, Jim Vickers, was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Stunt Coordination in 2006 for episode 14 of Season 2, "Harvest". [34]

Representation of mathematics

We all use math every day. To predict weather, to tell time, to handle money. Math is more than formulas and equations. It's logic; it's rationality. It's using your mind to solve the biggest mysteries we know.

Several mathematicians work as consultants for each episode. [35] [36] [37] Actual mathematics are presented in the show; the equations on the chalkboards are mathematically valid, and are somewhat applicable to the situations presented in each show. This mathematical validity and applicability of the equations have been asserted by professional mathematicians. [35] [38] [39]

A book entitled The Numbers Behind NUMB3RS: Solving Crime with Mathematics ( ISBN   0452288576; published August 28, 2007), written by Keith Devlin and Dr. Gary Lorden, a consultant to the show along with Dr. Orara, a physics consultant, explain some of the mathematical techniques that have been used both in actual FBI cases and in other law-enforcement departments. [40] [41]

Since the premiere season, the blog edited by Prof. Mark Bridger (Northeastern University) has commented on the mathematics behind each episode of the show. [42]

Wolfram Research (the developers of Mathematica ) is the chief math consultant, reviewing scripts and providing background mathematics for the show. Starting with season four, their website in collaboration with CBS is entitled "The math behind NUMB3RS". [43]

Alice Silverberg, a mathematician consultant to the show, expressed concern with its use of mathematics, asserting that the math is inserted after the initial script and written to provide plausible-sounding jargon, rather than having consultants involved at all stages of story development. [44] The same part-time consultant offered criticism of the show's portrayal of female mathematicians and expressed concern over the appropriateness of the relationship between Charlie Eppes and his graduate student Amita Ramanujan. [44]

Production

The idea for Numbers was generated in the late 1990s when Nick Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, the show's creators, attended a lecture given by Bill Nye, a popular science educator. [45] The premise of the show is similar to that of author Colin Bruce's reimaginings of the Sherlock Holmes character, [46] and to the "Mathnet" segment on the children's television show Square One .

Gabriel Macht was originally cast to portray the character of Don Eppes. [47] Also, the original concept for the show had the events take place at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; [48] this was later changed to the fictional California Institute of Science, commonly called CalSci. Scenes which take place at CalSci are filmed at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) [48] and the University of Southern California. One of the most frequent campus locations at Caltech is the vicinity of Millikan Library, including the bridge over Millikan Pond, the Trustees room, and the arcades of nearby buildings. At USC, locations include Doheny Library and the Town and Gown dining room. Exteriors for the FBI offices are on the distinctive bridge at Los Angeles Center Studios. [49]

Another common location is the Craftsman home of the Eppes family. The house shown in the first season is real; it is owned by David Raposa and Edward Trosper, [50] although a replica set was used from the second season onwards. [51]

Title of the show

The show uses the number three in its title instead of the letter "e", in which is found in Leetspeak. In the interviews with Tom Jicha of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and with Alan Pergament of The Buffalo News , Heuton mentioned that the use of the number three in the title derives from leet, a form of computer jargon that replaces letters with numbers. [52] [53] Dr. Gary Lorden, a California Institute of Technology mathematics professor who served as the show's mathematics consultant, told NPR's Ira Flatow that it was created on a normal computer keyboard. Lorden also mentioned that the use of the number three in the title can serve as a restriction in Internet searches about the series. [54]

Both entertainment reporters and psychologists noticed the title's spelling. Some reporters, such as Joanne Ostrow of the Denver Post , [55] the staff members of People Magazine , [56] the editors of The Futon Critic, [57] the staff of the Scripps Howard News Service, [58] and Mike Hughes of USA Today [59] acknowledged the presence of the number three in the title. Lynette Rice of Entertainment Weekly asked Krumholtz about the three in the title; his response was, "Isn't that annoying? I think it should be the mathematical symbol for sigma, which looks like an E. I've been fighting that for weeks." [60] (The sigma (Σ) stands for summation. [61] ) Others used varying adjectives to describe the title. The TV site Zap2it.com called it "their typographical silliness, not ours". [62] Brad Aspey of The Muskegon Chronicle , stated, "No, that wasn't an ugly typo you just read - "NUMB3RS" (pronounced numbers) is the idiosyncratic title of filmmakers Ridley and Tony Scott's astute and crafty psychological drama which shows that even math can make for edge-of-your-seat entertainment." [63] Ellen Gray of The Philadelphia Daily News , said, "Some of you may have noticed that in promoting "Numb3rs," which premieres Sunday before moving to its regular 10 p.m. Friday slot, CBS has chosen to put a 3 in place of the "e" in the title....I won't be going along with this particular affectation, which slows down my typing and seems to be the graphic equivalent of the reversed "R" in Toys R Us. So there." [64]

Still others had a more positive view of the title. When NPR's Flatow asked both Lorden and Dr. Keith Devlin, NPR's mathematics reporter, about the title, both men denied creating the title; Devlin believed that executive producer Tony Scott originated the title. Lorden stated that he initially thought that the title was "kind of hokey", but later saw it as "brilliant" and a "catchy logo". [54] Jonathan Storm of The Philadelphia Inquirer , in his review of the series stated, "You'd think CBS's new Numbers, which premieres at 10 tonight after the Patriots-Steelers football game, is just another one of those shows with numskull titles trying to draw attention to themselves. But the '3' substituting for the 'e' is actually based on a real thing".... He later said that the show was "written by people familiar with the Dead Cow Cult". [65] David Brooks of The Telegraph (Nashua, NH) devoted the majority of his entire review to the use of leet in the series title. [66] In addition, three psychologists, Manuel Perea, Jon Andoni Duñabeitia, and Manuel Carreiras mentioned the television series in their 2008 article for the American Psychological Association's Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance . [67]

American television ratings

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Numb3rs on CBS. [68]

Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.

SeasonTimeslotSeason premiereSeason finaleEpisodesTV seasonRankingViewers
(in millions)
1stFriday 10:00 PMJanuary 23, 2005May 13, 2005132004–2005#3610.77 [69]
2ndSeptember 23, 2005May 19, 2006242005–2006#3211.62 [70]
3rdSeptember 22, 2006May 18, 2007242006–2007#3810.5 [71]
4th [71] September 28, 2007May 16, 2008182007–2008#559.14 [72]
5thOctober 3, 2008May 15, 2009232008–2009#3710.29 [73]
6thSeptember 25, 2009March 12, 201016 [74] 2009–2010#468.45 [75]

International broadcasting

Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia: Network Ten

Flag of Austria.svg  Austria: Paramount Network

Flag of Spain.svg  Spain: Calle 13

Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands: NET 5

Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark: 13th Street

Flag of France.svg  France: Universal Channel, M6, 6ter, RTL TVL

Flag of India.svg  India: AXN

Flag of Japan.svg  Japan: Fox Crime

Flag of Poland.svg  Poland: Hallmark Channel

Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa: Universal TV

Flag of Italy.svg  Italy: Rai 4

Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary: Viasat3

Flag of Russia.svg  Russia: Universal Channel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Eppes</span> Fictional character

Charles Edward Eppes, Ph.D., is a fictional character and one of the protagonists of the CBS crime drama Numb3rs. He is portrayed by David Krumholtz.

"Pilot" is the first episode of the American television show Numbers. Based on a real-life serial rape case, "Pilot" features two brothers, an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and a mathematics professor at a Southern California university, using their individual skills to capture a serial rapist who has begun to kill his victims. "Pilot" also introduces the theme of mathematics being used to solve crimes.

"Guns and Roses" is the 20th episode of the second season of the American television series Numbers. Written by Robert Port and filmed around the Los Angeles Center Studios, the episode features a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent investigating the apparent suicide of a former girlfriend while beginning a new relationship. Port based his story on real-life instances. He also was inspired to include acoustic testing and genomic research in the script.

"Uncertainty Principle" is the second episode of the first season of the American television series Numbers. Based on a real bank robbery case, the episode features a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) math consultant's prediction being incomplete after FBI agents find themselves in an unexpected shootout with suspected bank robbers. Series writers Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci wanted to explore the emotional effects of the case on Dr. Charlie Eppes. For the mathematics used in the case, they included several mathematical and physics concepts, such as the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, P versus NP problem, and Minesweeper game.

"Provenance" is the third episode of the third season of the American television show Numbers. Inspired by real-life instances, the episode features a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation into a stolen painting which may have a tainted provenance. Gena Rowlands, who works as an advocate for Holocaust survivors, portrayed a Holocaust survivor who claimed that the painting was originally her family's painting. Within the series, the episode also depicts the Eppes family as Jewish.

"Scorched" is the 11th episode of the second season of the American television series Numbers. Marking the first produced script for series writer Sean Crouch, the episode features Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and mathematicians investigating a series of arsons that may have been started by an ecoterrorist group. Bill Nye "The Science Guy", who is a fan of the show, guest stars as a colleague of scientists Dr. Charlie Eppes and Dr. Larry Fleinhardt.

"Spree" is the first episode of the third season of the American television show Numbers The episode features Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents pursuing a couple of spree killers. Series writer Ken Sanzel drew inspiration for the episode from pursuit curves. "Spree" also launches a more general trend toward the serialization of the series.

"Two Daughters" is the second episode of the third season of the American television show Numbers. The second half of a two-episode storyline, the episode features the aftermath of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent's abduction, which results in the search for not only the agent and her kidnapper but also for the true motive of the spree killings in the previous episode. As a character development, one FBI Special Agent's actions during the case created a story arc for that character for season three. Series writer Ken Sanzel used the trawler problem, a real-life application used to find traveling boats, as inspiration for the mathematics included in the episode.

"Nine Wives" is the 12th episode of the 3rd season of the American television show Numbers. Paralleling the Warren Jeffs and David Koresh cases, the episode features Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and mathematicians attempting to locate and arrest the leader of a polygamist cult in which members marry young girls. Julie Hébert, a series writer, incorporated slave quilts and Levy flight into her script. She also included two explosions in the script.

"The Art of Reckoning" is the 21st episode of the third season of the American television show Numbers. In the episode, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents investigate the confessions of a mob hit man before his execution. Written by Julie Hébert, the episode also highlighted the return of series regular Peter MacNicol as his character, Dr. Larry Fleinhardt, returned from space.

"The Janus List" is the 24th episode and the season finale of the third season of the American television show Numbers. In the episode, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) team investigate a former triple agent's claims of someone poisoning him.

"Trust Metric" is the season premiere of the fourth season of the American television show Numbers. Written by series writer Ken Sanzel, "Trust Metric" is set five weeks after the events in "The Janus List". In "Trust Metric"'s story, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) team attempts to find a pair of double agents, one of them a former teammate, who have escaped from prison. The story continues the events that began in "The Janus List".

"When Worlds Collide" is the 18th episode and the season finale of the fourth season of the American television show Numbers. In the episode, two brothers, one a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent and the other a mathematician, disagree with each other on the issue of academic freedom after one of the mathematician's friends is arrested on terrorism charges. Series creators Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci, who wrote the episode, first mentioned the idea for the brothers' conflict during a season two commentary. When Heuton and Falacci wrote the episode for season four, their episode launched a story arc that was later resolved during season five.

"The Fifth Man" is the 20th episode of the fifth season of the American television show Numbers. In the episode, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and mathematicians attempt to find a group of home invaders while dealing with the injury of the agents' boss. For FBI Special Agent David Sinclair, the case is his first as team leader. The art department built a new office for Dr. Charlie Eppes, which reflected his own professional growth within academia. Brought in several times before to audition for various guest appearances, Debbon Ayer, Rob Morrow's real-life wife, guest-starred as the victim of a home invasion.

"Disturbed" is the 21st episode of the fifth season of the American television show Numbers. In the episode written by series creators/executive producers Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci, skeptical Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents track an undetected serial killer while their math consultant copes with his brother's recent injury. After FBI Special Agent Don Eppes's injury, FBI Special Agent David Sinclair, who was the newest member of the team at the beginning of the series, served as team leader. Falacci and Heuton also included Easter eggs from the "Pilot" and from some of the previous 99 episodes.

"Angels and Devils" is the 23rd episode and the fifth season finale of the American television show Numbers. In the episode, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents search for a mathematician who has been kidnapped by a cult leader. The episode ended with a character's priorities changed and a marriage proposal left unanswered. James Callis guest-starred as the cult leader, Mason Dureya.

"Cause and Effect" is the 16th episode and the season finale of the sixth season and series finale of the American television series Numbers. In the episode, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and mathematicians attempt to find one agent's gun before it is used in a violent crime. When series creators/executive producers Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci learned that the number of episodes airing during the season was reduced, they felt that they needed to finish storylines in case the series was cancelled. To do so, they wrote an open-ended story to serve as either a season finale or a series finale.

"Thirty-Six Hours" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the American television show Numbers. In the episode, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and mathematicians attempt to determine the cause of a fatal train accident while several agents attempt to rescue survivors. When it was originally scheduled to air as the fourth episode of the season, "Thirty-Six Hours" occurred in the middle of a story arc launched by the season four season finale. When the real-life Chatsworth train derailment occurred two weeks after filming the episode, the accident forced a revision of the script to include episodic events that occurred after the end of the story arc.

"Arrow of Time" is the 11th episode of the fifth season of the American television show Numbers. In the episode, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents track an escaped prisoner who is seeking revenge against one of their own. Written by series writer/executive producer Ken Sanzel, the episode continued two storylines. The first storyline continued one that began with two episodes shown very early in season three. The other was originally launched in the season four season finale "When Worlds Collide".

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