The Janus List
"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. The episode marked the return of series regular Diane Farr from maternity leave. Farr was pregnant throughout the season and delivered her baby in time for the season finale. "The Janus List" first aired in the United States on May 18, 2007. The episode was very well received by critics. In contrast, the episode left fans outraged at the episode's outcome. Running late to work, FBI Special Agent David Sinclair (Alimi Ballard), encounters a man (Martin Jarvis) who explodes a van on a bridge and asks to speak with brothers FBI Special Agent Don Eppes (Rob Morrow) and Dr. Charlie Eppes (David Krumholtz), who is an FBI math consultant. With the scene closed off, Don and Charlie arrive at the scene, along with FBI Special Agent Colby Granger (Dylan Bruno). The man tells the brothers that he has placed seven bombs under the bridge and will detonate them unless Charlie answers his questions correctly. While David and Colby work to dismantle the bombs, the man asks Charlie questions related to math, including questions about the Bacon ciphers and the Wheat and Chessboard Problem. After Charlie miscalculates the answer to the Wheat and Chessboard Problem, Don grabs a shotgun and shoots the man. The man tells Don that he is giving Don and Charlie the "Janus list." At the office, Don discusses the case with FBI Special Agent Megan Reeves (Diane Farr), who had just returned from her temporary assignment with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). Megan is convinced that the man is a criminal. Investigation into the man's background reveals that their suspect is Taylor Ashby, a former triple agent who preferred old-school cryptography to more modern mathematical methods. Ashby was fired from the company he worked for because of his obsession with the Janus list.