Rubicon Keep the Ends Out (2010– ) Online

I'm sure the episode is quite good, but the bit about bears not urinating during their hibernation is untrue. Well, partly untrue. Yes bears do recycle urea, no it is not unique, and all that does is allow them to hold their bathroom breaks for longer than other species. Species that hibernate still wake-up to relieve themselves, just infrequently.

I mean, they could have easily Googled that, come on!

Also, I take issue with how the main character deals with his tail when he decided to overtly confront it. Not how operators are trained to deal with those problems, and I think a brilliant analyst would have a better plan. (Note: I could excuse this if he was using the opportunity to pickpocket his tail, but, he wasn't.)

Rubicon continues its methodical pacing in this episode, as intel analyst Will Travers picks up more clues from his deceased mentor David Hadas. He has to contend with David's estranged son, who resents Will's surrogate son status in David's life. It's a plotline that could get tired and soapy, but here it's played with sensitivity and restrained writing that doesn't overwhelm the episode. Other standouts include Arliss Howard as Will's boss Kale Ingram and Roger Robinson as Ed Bancroft, David's brilliant but disturbed former colleague.

For those who enjoy the ingenious riddles and ciphers this show traffics in, this episode's got even more - and one of them involves baseball.

In response to the previous reviewer's issue with the bear factoid, which is literally one line of dialogue in a conversation between Will and his assistant Maggie - yes, it's true that bears aren't the only ones who hold it in during hibernation (other mammals like squirrels and mice do it), but it's hardly egregious to single out bears as the poster child of such an ability. In an NPR article from 2011, a scientist says bears don't eat, drink, urinate, or defecate for six or seven months. My issue with the scene was more how silly it was that Maggie didn't just Google the answer herself - though obviously the writers are trying to imply that Maggie likes Will and just wanted an excuse to ask him her daughter's silly question.

As for Will confronting his tail, there's a scene in the episode itself where a character admonishes Will for doing just that - warning him not to challenge someone who he thinks is following him in the future. It's meant to be a learning experience as Will gets more security clearance. He did it because the pressure of a conspiracy he knows is there but can't yet prove has been building and building over the previous two episodes; it's a plausible reaction given the way the character has been written. A common misconception with this show, I think, is that people think the characters at the API are spies. They're not; they are intelligence analysts who do the paperwork FOR the spies (CIA, NSA, etc.). They're really just office workers. But perhaps Will, as the conspiracy mounts, will find himself increasingly entering the world of spycraft, where the stakes are a lot higher - I'll have to wait and see.

The show has lost none of its momentum so far and I'm looking forward to what's next.