Arrow of Time (Numb3rs)
Encyclopedia
"Arrow of Time" is the 11th episode of the fifth season of the American television show Numb3rs
. 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
".
"Arrow of Time" first aired in the United States
on January 9, 2009.
(David Krumholtz
), a CalSci math
professor/FBI math consultant
, rehearses a lecture on entropy
and his brother, FBI Special Agent Don Eppes
(Rob Morrow
), is at temple, federal prisoner Buck Winters (David Gallagher
) escapes from prison along with two other prisoners. As Winters and his fellow escapees are federal prisoners, the Los Angeles Police Department
calls FBI Special Agents David Sinclair
(Alimi Ballard
) and Nikki Betancourt
(Sophina Brown
) to the scene of an abandoned car and hands the FBI agents a rope made from dental floss. David explains to Nikki that, two years prior, Buck's wife, Crystal Hoyle, kidnap
ped fellow FBI Special Agent Megan Reeves (Diane Farr
). Don allowed Buck to be tortured in order to learn Megan and Crystal's location. At a briefing at the FBI office, Don acts as though he is not bothered by the news of Buck's escape. Don's girlfriend, Assistant United States Attorney Robin Brooks (Michelle Nolden
), becomes worried about Don as the case should be personal to him. FBI Special Agent Liz Warner
(Aya Sumika
), who knew only about Megan's kidnapping and had learned about Don's actions from FBI Special Agent Colby Granger
(Dylan Bruno
), confronts Don about his actions. David and Liz take the rope to CalSci to be analyzed by Charlie and Drs. Amita Ramanujan
(Navi Rawat
) and Larry Fleinhardt
(Peter MacNicol
), Charlie's friends and fellow FBI consultants. When Charlie and Larry learn of Buck's escape, Charlie is surprised, as Don had not told Charlie about the escape. Larry is visibly upset as Megan was his girlfriend at the time of her kidnapping.
Charlie's calculations reveal that the prison break had been planned for months and that someone outside of the prison had to supply the dental floss. Colby and Nikki bring the girlfriend of one of the prisoners in for questioning. The girlfriend points to a friend of the prisoner's cellmate. David and Colby question the friend, who denies any knowledge of Buck or the floss. Meanwhile, Robin confides to Larry that she wishes that Buck would be found dead, and Larry tells Robin what he was thinking when Megan was kidnapped. Don and Charlie's father, Alan Eppes
(Judd Hirsch
), confronts Don about his recent behavior. Don confesses that he fears having to kill Buck in a confrontation. Charlie analyzes Buck's movements and realizes that Buck is after Don. At the FBI office, Charlie confronts Don, who is reviewing a tape of the Crystal Hoyle shooting. They discuss the ability to control a situation. Charlie tells Don that Don has to focus on the present since he cannot change the past. As Charlie leaves, Don receives a phone call from Buck.
David, Colby, Nikki, and Liz find one of the escaped prisoners dead at a hotel. While discussing the development, they learn that Don had called Buck. Later, David, Colby, Nikki, and Liz arrest the accomplice. As Don and David prepare to arrest Buck, David confronts Don about Don's recent actions. Don gives David two options: report Don or trust him. Unarmed, Don confronts Buck at Don's synagogue. Don learns that Buck, thinking that his arrest disappointed Crystal, wants Don to kill him. Don explains that he had to shoot Crystal and that the decision has haunted him for some time. The team, who has been positioned around the synagogue, arrests Buck without firing a shot. Robin, who has been outside during Buck's arrest, enters the synagogue and finds Don leafing through a copy of the Tanakh
. Meanwhile, Alan, Charlie, Amita, and Larry discuss Don's predicament during a discussion about forming a think tank. Charlie realizes that he contradicted himself while at Don's office; Charlie felt that the situation was irreversible. Larry uses Maxwell's Demon
as a metaphor for outside circumstances forcing a change in the situation.
and Cheryl Heuton
demonstrated that the Eppes family was Jewish in the episode "Provenance
". They and series regular Rob Morrow
wanted to explore the topic of religion. Falacci, Heuton, and other writers felt that discussions about mathematics tend to lead to existential discussions. Morrow felt that a law enforcement officer finding purpose in his work through religion was a rarity on television.
During season five, the writers finally felt that CBS would allow them to explore the topic of religion. The writers thought that Don's spiritual journey would be a natural progression in the storyline. Series executive producer Ken Sanzel decided to use the storyline started in "When Worlds Collide" as the springboard into Don's spiritual search. In the arc, Charlie lost his security clearance when he sent classified information overseas at the end of season four. Season five began with the brothers dealing with the consequences of Charlie's actions. Charlie requested for the FBI to reinstate his clearance. While investigating Charlie, FBI Security Officer Carl McGowan decided to investigate Don. In "Jack of All Trades", Don worked with FBI Special Agent Roger Bloom (Henry Winkler
), an agent who stole $10 million (USD) from various banks in order to catch a petty thief who stole $2000 (USD) from Bloom's sister. Since Don had previously violated policy himself in several previous cases, Don's investigation into Bloom paralleled McGowan's investigation into Don. When the assistant director in charge of the Los Angeles FBI field office refused to accept McGowan's recommendations for disciplinary action against Don, Don felt "lost". He then decided to explore Judaism.
For "Arrow of Time", Sanzel continued the story arc about Don's spiritual journey. Sanzel wanted to show the audience that Don was considering religion as a source for some answers to his questions. He set the story against the escape of a prisoner, Buck Winters, portrayed by David Gallagher
, who was interrogated by Don in "Two Daughters
". In "Two Daughters", FBI Special Agent Megan Reeves (Diane Farr
), one of Don's teammates, was kidnapped by Winters' wife, Crystal Hoyle (Kim Dickens
). To learn where Crystal took Megan, Don allowed FBI Special Agent Ian Edgerton (Lou Diamond Phillips
) to use violent interrogation tactics during Buck's interrogation. Megan was found alive, and Crystal was later killed. Don's actions during Buck's interrogation affected Don throughout season three. In writing "Arrow of Time", Sanzel decided to use Don's decision to arrest Buck at the synagogoue as a way of showing that Don was contemplating the effects of religion on his life. According to Morrow in the "Crunching Numb3rs: Season Five" bonus feature, Don's spiritual journey gave Don a new outlook.
NUMB3RS
Numb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes...
. In the episode, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(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
When Worlds Collide (Numb3rs)
"When Worlds Collide" is the 18th episode and the season finale of the fourth season of the American television show Numb3rs. In the episode, two brothers, one a Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent and the other a mathematician, disagree with each other on the issue of academic freedom...
".
"Arrow of Time" first aired in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on January 9, 2009.
Plot summary
While Dr. Charlie EppesCharlie Eppes
Charles Edward "Charlie" Eppes, PhD is a fictional character and protagonist in the CBS crime drama Numb3rs.Dr...
(David Krumholtz
David Krumholtz
David Krumholtz is an American actor best known for playing Professor Charlie Eppes in the television series Numb3rs. He appeared as Seth Goldstein in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and its two sequels, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas...
), a CalSci math
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
professor/FBI math consultant
Consultant
A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
, rehearses a lecture on entropy
Entropy
Entropy is a thermodynamic property that can be used to determine the energy available for useful work in a thermodynamic process, such as in energy conversion devices, engines, or machines. Such devices can only be driven by convertible energy, and have a theoretical maximum efficiency when...
and his brother, FBI Special Agent Don Eppes
Don Eppes
Don Eppes is the main fictional character in the television show Numb3rs. He is played by Rob Morrow.Don is an FBI Special Agent who runs the FBI Violent Crimes Squad in Los Angeles. Don recruits his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes, to help him and the Bureau solve some of their most...
(Rob Morrow
Rob Morrow
Robert Alan "Rob" Morrow is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Don Eppes on Numb3rs and as Dr. Joel Fleischman on Northern Exposure, a role which garnered him three Golden Globes and two Emmy Award nominations for "Best Actor in a Dramatic Series."-Personal life:Morrow was born in...
), is at temple, federal prisoner Buck Winters (David Gallagher
David Gallagher
David Lee Gallagher is an American actor. Beginning a prolific career as a child actor and model at the age of two, Gallagher is a five-time Young Artist Award nominee and Teen Choice Award winner, best known for his role as Simon Camden on the long running television series 7th Heaven, as well as...
) escapes from prison along with two other prisoners. As Winters and his fellow escapees are federal prisoners, the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
calls FBI Special Agents David Sinclair
David Sinclair (Numb3rs)
David Sinclair is a fictitious FBI agent in the TV show Numb3rs. First introduced in the Pilot episode, he has become the usual partner of FBI Special Agent Colby Granger and has also become the primary relief supervisor for the Supervisor of the FBI Violent Crimes division, Don Eppes...
(Alimi Ballard
Alimi Ballard
Alimi Ballard is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as FBI agent David Sinclair on the CBS drama television series Numb3rs....
) and Nikki Betancourt
Nikki Betancourt
Nikki Betancourt is a fictitious character on the American television show Numb3rs. Developed as a replacement for a regular who had left the series, she joined FBI Special Agent Don Eppes' 's team at the beginning of season five...
(Sophina Brown
Sophina Brown
Sophina Brown is an American actress who had a starring role on the CBS drama series Numb3rs where she played Nikki Betancourt, an "adrenaline junkie" and former LAPD officer....
) to the scene of an abandoned car and hands the FBI agents a rope made from dental floss. David explains to Nikki that, two years prior, Buck's wife, Crystal Hoyle, kidnap
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
ped fellow FBI Special Agent Megan Reeves (Diane Farr
Diane Farr
Diane Farr is an American actress. She is known for her roles as FBI agent Megan Reeves in the CBS television series Numb3rs and Laura Miles on Rescue Me.-Life and career:...
). Don allowed Buck to be tortured in order to learn Megan and Crystal's location. At a briefing at the FBI office, Don acts as though he is not bothered by the news of Buck's escape. Don's girlfriend, Assistant United States Attorney Robin Brooks (Michelle Nolden
Michelle Nolden
Michelle Nolden is a Canadian actress. She has appeared in numerous films and television shows including ZOS: Zone of Separation, Numb3rs, Street Time, Earth: Final Conflict, The Time Traveler's Wife, Men with Brooms, Republic of Doyle as well as directing and writing a film called Loonie...
), becomes worried about Don as the case should be personal to him. FBI Special Agent Liz Warner
Liz Warner
Liz Warner is a fictitious character on the American television show Numb3rs. A former girlfriend of FBI Special agent Don Eppes, she has since become a part of Don's team.-Evolution over the series:...
(Aya Sumika
Aya Sumika
Aya Sumika was born Aya Sumika Koenig on August 22, 1980 in Miami, Florida. She grew up in Seattle, Washington.She is an American actress best known for her semi-recurring role as FBI Agent Liz Warner in the television series Numb3rs.Her mother is Japanese-American and her father is of European...
), who knew only about Megan's kidnapping and had learned about Don's actions from FBI Special Agent Colby Granger
Colby Granger
Colby Granger is a fictitious FBI agent on the American television show Numb3rs. First introduced during the second season, he has become a part of the team led by FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and is usually partnered with David Sinclair...
(Dylan Bruno
Dylan Bruno
Dylan Bruno is an American actor and former model. He portrayed FBI agent Colby Granger in the CBS series Numb3rs.-Personal life:...
), confronts Don about his actions. David and Liz take the rope to CalSci to be analyzed by Charlie and Drs. Amita Ramanujan
Amita Ramanujan
Amita Ramanujan is a fictional character from the TV series Numb3rs. Over the course of the series, she has become a professor at CalSci and has since become romantically involved with her former thesis advisor, Dr. Charlie Eppes . First introduced in "Pilot", the character of Amita has received...
(Navi Rawat
Navi Rawat
Navi Rawat is an American television actress, known for her roles as Theresa Diaz on the drama series The O.C. and math prodigy Amita Ramanujan on the drama series Numb3rs. She is the niece of Prem Rawat....
) and Larry Fleinhardt
Larry Fleinhardt
Larry Fleinhardt PhD is a fictional character in the television show Numb3rs, played by Peter MacNicol.Dr. Lawrence Fleinhardt is a professor of physics at CalSci and best friend and colleague of Charlie Eppes...
(Peter MacNicol
Peter MacNicol
Peter MacNicol is an American actor. He may be best known in films for his roles of Janosz Poha in Ghostbusters II, Stingo in Sophie's Choice, Thomas Renfield in Dracula: Dead and Loving It and David Langley in Bean...
), Charlie's friends and fellow FBI consultants. When Charlie and Larry learn of Buck's escape, Charlie is surprised, as Don had not told Charlie about the escape. Larry is visibly upset as Megan was his girlfriend at the time of her kidnapping.
Charlie's calculations reveal that the prison break had been planned for months and that someone outside of the prison had to supply the dental floss. Colby and Nikki bring the girlfriend of one of the prisoners in for questioning. The girlfriend points to a friend of the prisoner's cellmate. David and Colby question the friend, who denies any knowledge of Buck or the floss. Meanwhile, Robin confides to Larry that she wishes that Buck would be found dead, and Larry tells Robin what he was thinking when Megan was kidnapped. Don and Charlie's father, Alan Eppes
Alan Eppes
Alan Eppes is a fictional character on the television show Numb3rs, played by Judd Hirsch. Alan is the father of the main characters, brothers Charlie and Don Eppes...
(Judd Hirsch
Judd Hirsch
Judd Hirsch is an American actor most known for playing Alex Rieger on the television comedy series Taxi, John Lacey on the NBC series Dear John, and Alan Eppes on the CBS series Numb3rs.-Early life and education:...
), confronts Don about his recent behavior. Don confesses that he fears having to kill Buck in a confrontation. Charlie analyzes Buck's movements and realizes that Buck is after Don. At the FBI office, Charlie confronts Don, who is reviewing a tape of the Crystal Hoyle shooting. They discuss the ability to control a situation. Charlie tells Don that Don has to focus on the present since he cannot change the past. As Charlie leaves, Don receives a phone call from Buck.
David, Colby, Nikki, and Liz find one of the escaped prisoners dead at a hotel. While discussing the development, they learn that Don had called Buck. Later, David, Colby, Nikki, and Liz arrest the accomplice. As Don and David prepare to arrest Buck, David confronts Don about Don's recent actions. Don gives David two options: report Don or trust him. Unarmed, Don confronts Buck at Don's synagogue. Don learns that Buck, thinking that his arrest disappointed Crystal, wants Don to kill him. Don explains that he had to shoot Crystal and that the decision has haunted him for some time. The team, who has been positioned around the synagogue, arrests Buck without firing a shot. Robin, who has been outside during Buck's arrest, enters the synagogue and finds Don leafing through a copy of the Tanakh
Tanakh
The Tanakh is a name used in Judaism for the canon of the Hebrew Bible. The Tanakh is also known as the Masoretic Text or the Miqra. The name is an acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Masoretic Text's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah , Nevi'im and Ketuvim —hence...
. Meanwhile, Alan, Charlie, Amita, and Larry discuss Don's predicament during a discussion about forming a think tank. Charlie realizes that he contradicted himself while at Don's office; Charlie felt that the situation was irreversible. Larry uses Maxwell's Demon
Maxwell's demon
In the philosophy of thermal and statistical physics, Maxwell's demon is a thought experiment created by the Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell to "show that the Second Law of Thermodynamics has only a statistical certainty." It demonstrates Maxwell's point by hypothetically describing how to...
as a metaphor for outside circumstances forcing a change in the situation.
Writing
Earlier in the series, series creators Nicolas FalacciNicolas Falacci
Nicolas Falacci is a television writer and producer. Along with his wife and writing partner Cheryl Heuton, he co-created the television series Numb3rs. His only directing credit is the season 6 finale of the program. Falacci also wrote the story and screenplay for the 1991 horror film Children of...
and Cheryl Heuton
Cheryl Heuton
Cheryl Heuton is an American television writer and producer. Along with her husband and writing partner Nicolas Falacci, she co-created the television series Numb3rs.-External links:...
demonstrated that the Eppes family was Jewish in the episode "Provenance
Provenance (Numb3rs)
"Provenance" is the third episode of the third season of the American television show Numb3rs. Inspired by real-life instances, the episode features a Federal Bureau of Investigation investigation into a stolen painting which may have a tainted provenance...
". They and series regular Rob Morrow
Rob Morrow
Robert Alan "Rob" Morrow is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Don Eppes on Numb3rs and as Dr. Joel Fleischman on Northern Exposure, a role which garnered him three Golden Globes and two Emmy Award nominations for "Best Actor in a Dramatic Series."-Personal life:Morrow was born in...
wanted to explore the topic of religion. Falacci, Heuton, and other writers felt that discussions about mathematics tend to lead to existential discussions. Morrow felt that a law enforcement officer finding purpose in his work through religion was a rarity on television.
During season five, the writers finally felt that CBS would allow them to explore the topic of religion. The writers thought that Don's spiritual journey would be a natural progression in the storyline. Series executive producer Ken Sanzel decided to use the storyline started in "When Worlds Collide" as the springboard into Don's spiritual search. In the arc, Charlie lost his security clearance when he sent classified information overseas at the end of season four. Season five began with the brothers dealing with the consequences of Charlie's actions. Charlie requested for the FBI to reinstate his clearance. While investigating Charlie, FBI Security Officer Carl McGowan decided to investigate Don. In "Jack of All Trades", Don worked with FBI Special Agent Roger Bloom (Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler
Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
), an agent who stole $10 million (USD) from various banks in order to catch a petty thief who stole $2000 (USD) from Bloom's sister. Since Don had previously violated policy himself in several previous cases, Don's investigation into Bloom paralleled McGowan's investigation into Don. When the assistant director in charge of the Los Angeles FBI field office refused to accept McGowan's recommendations for disciplinary action against Don, Don felt "lost". He then decided to explore Judaism.
For "Arrow of Time", Sanzel continued the story arc about Don's spiritual journey. Sanzel wanted to show the audience that Don was considering religion as a source for some answers to his questions. He set the story against the escape of a prisoner, Buck Winters, portrayed by David Gallagher
David Gallagher
David Lee Gallagher is an American actor. Beginning a prolific career as a child actor and model at the age of two, Gallagher is a five-time Young Artist Award nominee and Teen Choice Award winner, best known for his role as Simon Camden on the long running television series 7th Heaven, as well as...
, who was interrogated by Don in "Two Daughters
Two Daughters
"Two Daughters" is the second episode of the third season of the American television show Numb3rs. The second half of a two-episode storyline, the episode features the aftermath of a Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent's abduction, which results in the search for not only the agent and...
". In "Two Daughters", FBI Special Agent Megan Reeves (Diane Farr
Diane Farr
Diane Farr is an American actress. She is known for her roles as FBI agent Megan Reeves in the CBS television series Numb3rs and Laura Miles on Rescue Me.-Life and career:...
), one of Don's teammates, was kidnapped by Winters' wife, Crystal Hoyle (Kim Dickens
Kim Dickens
Kimberly Jan "Kim" Dickens is an American actress and model.-Early life:Dickens was born in Huntsville, Alabama, graduated from that city's Lee High School, and attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she majored in communication...
). To learn where Crystal took Megan, Don allowed FBI Special Agent Ian Edgerton (Lou Diamond Phillips
Lou Diamond Phillips
Lou Diamond Phillips is an American film, television, and stage actor and director. His breakthrough came when he starred in the film La Bamba. He earned a supporting actor Golden Globe Award nomination for his role in Stand and Deliver and a Tony Award nomination for his role in The King and I...
) to use violent interrogation tactics during Buck's interrogation. Megan was found alive, and Crystal was later killed. Don's actions during Buck's interrogation affected Don throughout season three. In writing "Arrow of Time", Sanzel decided to use Don's decision to arrest Buck at the synagogoue as a way of showing that Don was contemplating the effects of religion on his life. According to Morrow in the "Crunching Numb3rs: Season Five" bonus feature, Don's spiritual journey gave Don a new outlook.
External links
- Numb3rs: Arrow of Time at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
- Numb3rs: Arrow of Time (2009) at Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...