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Episode Score

 
9.0 Superb
156 votes

Your Score

Air Date

Friday January 5, 2007

Production Code

312

Episode Summary

Don, Charlie, and the team search for a polygamist who is on the run. The man is on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List for rape and murder.

  •  
    6.6 Fair

    Review hide show

    Coming off a couple of strong episodes in a row, Numb3rs drops the ball big time in the lowest rated episode (using only my rating system as the judgment) of all time. Milly is back in this episode once again being seen with Alan - not my favorite character. She was devoloped for one episode to shake things up between Amita, Charlie, and Larry but then her character makes a random change. I feel like the change is supposed to be symbolic of her being with Alan, but I think its a writers coup-out to use a character just to shake things up for one episode and then let by gones be by gones. I thought the case was the worst to date, I hated the inbreding storyline and I couldnt wait for the episode to be over. I think the lowest I have rated a Numb3rs episode to this point was a 7.5, but this one easily takes the cake. Not my favorite storyline and I hope the next episode is able to pick this season back up because this is a massive fall in my eyes from a season that was just picking up momentum.

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  •  
    9.6 Superb

    The future of numb3rs, may they succed? hide show

    When I put on the TV to watch this episode I became nervous. Numb3rs had never failed me before, but now when Dr. Larry Fleinhardt is gone the show most put some more into it. The episode was great as always. Polygamist cults are always creepy, and the whole plot about the girl who tried to break-out was great. But it was not the episode that got me thinking. It was how great this show really is, how it will survive even if some actors decide to leave, this will not include the family Eppes because if the leave the whole concept will be blown away. The point is in this episode Dr. Larry Fleinhardt and David Sinclair was gone. My two favourite actors were not there and I was getting more nervous about the show, will it survive? How will people respond? For the Dr. Larry Fleinhardt side-kick role to Charlie is tremendous and the three FBI-agents who works around Don has a great chemistry and the chemistry is not whole if David Sinclair isn’t there. But in my opinion it was showing all who watch the show, which potential Numb3rs really haves. All actors in the episode stepped out and were acting flawlessly. So in my opinion this episode was not about the plot, it was handling the future of Numb3rs and it succeeds.

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  •  
    9.8 Superb

    Ripped from the headlines. hide show

    This could be a L&O episode where it is based On an actual true story about someone who is a polygomist and has over dozens of wives. Also he is wanted for murder and rape. As the Feds try to stop the man from murdering again and possibly marrying again. Well-written and well-acted!

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  •  
    9.7 Superb

    This episode was one of the best of the year. The gang has to hunt down a polygamist who is known for rape and murders. He is also the leader of a religion, which makes this episode very intense. hide show

    Character development was great in this episode. Charlie begins the episode on a road trip to a math convention with Amita, even though they end up not going. Don and Millie also deny having a romantic date in this episode, even though you know they are interested in each other. Millie has an important part in this episode that also helps them solve this difficult case. Charlie uses his math knowledge, as usual, to help solve this case also. Although there is not as much math in this "Nine Wives" than usual, you will still love it! This episode was a classic one for Numb3rs.

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  •  
    10 Perfect

    Current Events, Past Events, Interesting hide show

    Okay ... when I was watching this show, I noticed a very odd jumble of comparisons. It seems our antagonist here is a polygamist who embodies the charactaristics of Sadaam Hussein, The Crazy Waco TX guy, and the Man who took that girl in Colorado. What I mean is ... we've got a Waconesque, child snatching, terrorizing polygamist. HOW INTERESTING. I think this eppy took pieces of some past events and some current events to create a really terrifying antagonist. I really thought it made for a very interesting, albeit disgusting (Half sister/mom ... ewww), show. The writing is always well done on this show, and of course the actors are sooo talented. I'm going to miss the references to the colors of food for a while though. Well done!!

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Episode Cast and Crew

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  • Abner Stone (the cult leader) makes reference to Deuteronomy 21:15 in his speach, in defense of his followers using weapons. While the context of the verse does have to do with a man who has more than one wife, it does not have anything to do with what Abner was speaking about, nor are the words he quoted actually found in the Bible anywhere. []
  • Math used in this episode:
    Lévy Flights
    Inbreeding Coefficients
    Kinship Chains []
  • We often see Charlie use his "Charlie Vision" to explain what he's doing, but this is the first time we've ever seen "Amita Vision" where she explains things in layman's terms. []
More Trivia
  • International Air Dates:
    The Netherlands: May 30, 2007 on Veronica
    Australia: June 12, 2007 on Ten
    New Zealand: September 23, 2007 on TV3
    Czech Republic: July 9, 2009 on TV Nova []
  • Music used in this episode included Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash; opening scenes). []
  • Guest star Teri Polo, who co-starred with Rob on Northern Exposure, said she was thrilled to be working on Numb3rs and it was like goofing around with her brothers; lots of fun and roughhousing. She declined wearing any padding for the final scenes at the house and admitted she liked being tough but got lots of scratches and bruises. []
More Notes
  • Charlie: Hey.. so, we're gonna be back sometime Sunday night.
    Alan: In time for dinner?
    Charlie: Well, it is a Math conference at Stanford... so chances are we may be a little late. []
  • (When discussing The Prophet and his motives.)
    Don: What's he want with this little girl?
    Rachel: Most likely, his 73rd wife. []
  • Millie: This bull's got problems. []

Allusions

  • The cult that "Nine Wives" was based upon was the Fundamentalist Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), of which Warren Steed Jeffs was the leader. []
  • The events of the "Nine Wives" episode closely mirror those of the real-life case of Warren Steed Jeffs. This case was featured on programs such as America's Most Wanted and Larry King Live throughout 2006. Steed Jeffs was the leader of a religious cult and a polygamist and, like the cultist in this episode, closely controlled the lives of his followers and taught them to revere him. []
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