When Worlds Collide (Numbers)

Last updated
"When Worlds Collide"
Numbers episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 18
Directed by John Behring
Written by Cheryl Heuton
Nicolas Falacci
Featured music"Warning Sign" by Coldplay
Production code418
Original air dateMay 16, 2008 (2008-05-16)
Guest appearances
  • Barber Ali as The Real Hassan Mazari
  • Shan Ali as Hadi Rafiq
  • Michael Balsley as Cop
  • Shawn Doyle as Shane O'Hanahan
  • John Hawkinson as Attorney
  • Željko Ivanek as William Fraley
  • Nick Jaine as Benjamin Rajar
  • Ravi Kapoor as Phil Sanjrani
  • Roman Mitichyan as Kaleen Rafiq
  • Paul Vincent O'Connor as Max Flaherty
  • Meera Simhan as Asha Rafiq
  • Tiya Sircars Shaza Rafiq
  • Kevin Symons as CIA Officer
  • David Valcin as Sport Coat #1
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Pay to Play"		Next →
"High Exposure"

"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.

Contents

"When Worlds Collide" first aired in the United States on May 16, 2008. Critics gave the episode positive reviews. One called the episode "intense" while another called it "game-changing". In addition, this episode also marks the final appearance of Megan Reeves.

Plot summary

Two men are kidnapped . Meanwhile, in front of Drs. Charlie Eppes (David Krumholtz) and Larry Fleinhardt (Peter MacNicol), FBI Special Agent William Fraley (Željko Ivanek) arrests Dr. Phil Sanjrani (Ravi Kapoor), one of Charlie's friends, on charges of sending classified information that could assist terrorists to Pakistan. When Charlie, an FBI math consultant, goes to the FBI office to discuss Phil's arrest, FBI Special Agent Don Eppes (Rob Morrow), Charlie's brother, asks Charlie to link Phil to the kidnappings as Phil and the kidnapping victims belonged to the same Pakistani charity. While insisting on Phil's innocence, Charlie suggests using social network analysis to find the connection between the victims and their kidnapper. Don, Fraley, and FBI Special Agents David Sinclair (Alimi Ballard), Colby Granger (Dylan Bruno) and Megan Reeves (Diane Farr) uncover evidence that the kidnapping victims could be planning an RPG attack on a Los Angeles school. Although Phil asserts that he sent research on DNA modification of crops to Pakistan, Fraley insists that Phil has given terrorists a way to create a bioweapon. Megan is not convinced of Phil's guilt. Charlie's analysis reveals that, by the FBI's own criteria, neither Phil nor the charity is linked to terrorism. David and Colby later find the kidnapping victims dead.

At Charlie's house, Don argues that national security should be a priority while Charlie insists that Don should not tell Charlie how to work. Their father, Alan Eppes (Judd Hirsch), asserts that the brothers' individual beliefs are at the heart of their conflict. At CalSci, Charlie, Larry, and Dr. Amita Ramanujan (Navi Rawat), Charlie's girlfriend and colleague, learn that Phil's research most likely could not produce a bioweapon. The team attempts to arrest a man who shares the same name as one of Phil's friends. Phil confirms this when Charlie visits him in prison. Phil also tells Charlie that Phil did not send all of his research to Pakistan. Meanwhile, upon Charlie's suggestion to look at the evidence in a different light, Don, David, and Fraley realize that the men could have been involved in a construction project at the school and that the kidnappers left some evidence behind. Charlie's analysis reveals that the victims were suspicious of how the charity's funds were being spent, confirming what David and Colby uncovered earlier at the charity. At the house, Charlie asks Don if Don would arrest Charlie for having colleagues in countries linked to hostile actions, and Don responds that he would not. Later, while chasing a suspect, Don and David realize that their suspect was not Pakistani.

On a hunch, Megan uncovers a link between the charity and the Irish Republican Army (IRA). David and Colby learn of their suspect's (Shawn Doyle) true name: Shane O'Hanahan. O'Hanahan had posed as a member of the charity to redirect the charity's funds to the IRA. The FBI team arrest O'Hanahan as O'Hanahan goes to the airport. After the arrest, Megan tells David and Colby that she is leaving the FBI and returning to Washington, DC to finish her Ph.D. and to begin a career in counseling female prisoners, something that she had earlier discussed with Larry and Don. At CalSci, with Larry and Amita as witnesses, Charlie sends the rest of Phil's research to Pakistan. Hours later at the house, in front of Alan and Don, Charlie turns himself in to federal authorities. Larry confronts Charlie and Fraley, who now believes Charlie, about the loss of Charlie's security clearance and demands that Fraley return Charlie's clearance. At the house, Alan tries to get his sons to discuss the incident over dinner. Don receives a call about a case and leaves the house without telling his family about the case. Charlie then realizes that he is going to have difficulty in not being involved in FBI work.

Production

Writing

During the commentary for "Protest", series creators/executive producers Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci mentioned that, for early season three, they wanted to have a story that contrasted Charlie's and Don's opinions about academic freedom. [1] Throughout the course of the series, the writers attempted to both explicitly and implicitly show Charlie's attempt to balance his FBI consultation work with his academic work. They also wanted to show viewers to see the repercussions of that conflict. [2] At the end of season four, series producers decided to have the conflict between national security and academic freedom as the season finale. They planned to have the brothers' relationship with each other altered [3] in that they would realize that their work together did not prevent them from having a difference in opinion. [4]

To resolve one of the issues brought up in "When Worlds Collide", the loss of Charlie's security clearance, the writers and producers developed a four to five episode storyline for season five. In the arc, Larry and Amita served as the main math consultants while Charlie attempted to regain his clearance. Carl McGowan (Keith Carradine), a tough FBI agent created by writers to be unlikable, was brought in to investigate Charlie. The arc culminated in the episode "Jack of All Trades", in which Charlie regained his clearance. [5]

Reception

Critically, the episode received positive reviews. Jeffrey Robinson of DVD Talk called "When Worlds Collide" "strong" and "a pretty intense storyline". [6] One of Amazon.com's editors, Donald Liebenson, called "When Worlds Collide" "game-changing". [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Numbers</i> (TV series) American crime drama television series (2005–2010)

Numbers 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 and his brother Charlie Eppes, 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.

<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.

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liz Warner</span> Fictional character

Liz Warner is a fictional character in the CBS crime drama Numb3rs, played by Aya Sumika. A former girlfriend of FBI Special Agent Don Eppes, she has since become a part of Don's team.

"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".

"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.

"Democracy" is the 18th episode of the third season of the American television show Numbers. Written by Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci, the episode highlights a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation into the murder of one of their math consultant's friends while an agent learns that she has been selected for a United States Department of Justice (DOJ) assignment. Heuton and Falacci also brought back fan favorite Oswald Kittner, portrayed by Jay Baruchel.

"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".

References

  1. ↑ Cheryl Heuton (executive producer/co-creator), Nicolas Falacci (executive producer/co-creator), David Krumholtz (actor) (2007). Protest--Commentary by Cheryl Heuton, Nicolas Falacci, and David Krumholtz (DVD (Numb3rs: Season 2)). CBS Studios, Inc.
  2. ↑ Cheryl Heuton (co-creator/executive producer), Nicolas Falacci (co-creator/executive producer), David Krumholtz (actor), Lewis Abel (co-executive producer), David W. Zucker (executive producer), Mark Saks (casting director), Sophina Brown (actor), Navi Rawat (actor), Rob Morrow (actor), Aya Sumika (actor), Alimi Ballard (actor), Dylan Bruno (actor), Judd Hirsch (actor), Lou Diamond Phillips (actor), Henry Winkler (actor), Robert Port (co-executive producer), and Katherine LeBlond (assistant set decorator/buyer) (2009). Crunching Numb3rs: Season Five (DVD (Numb3rs: Season 5)). CBS Studios, Inc.
  3. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (March 5, 2008). "Any cool Numbers info now ..." Today's News: Our Take. TVGuide.com. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
  4. ↑ Fickett, Travis (April 3, 2008). "The Return of Numb3rs: Behind the Scenes". IGN.com. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
  5. ↑ David Krumholtz (actor), Henry Winkler (actor), Stephen Gyllenhaal (director), Andrew Dettmann (writer) (2009). Jack of All Trades--Commentary by David Krumholtz, Henry Winkler, Stephen Gyllenhaal, and Andrew Dettmann (DVD (Numb3rs: Season 5)). CBS Studios, Inc.
  6. ↑ Robinson, Jeffrey (October 30, 2008). "Numb3rs -The Complete Fourth Season". DVD Talk. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  7. ↑ Liebenson, Donald. "NUMB3RS - The Complete Fourth Season". Amazon. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.