In a secret consulting firm office, Hannah is chairing a secret meeting of the company’s creative thinkers, newly in from abroad. Their job: to come up with an ultimately secret way and means to liquidate a mega-amount of people and dispose of the remains. Boss J.D., communicating by voice only from a secret “on high” position, expects a full report in 90 minutes. That Hannah’s completely in charge of Project Senna seems unusual. (Attractive Summer Dawn Wallace, in fact, is seldom as strong and decisive as might be expected of Hannah.) Is her status an Affirmative Action? Though she’s inherited a seemingly affable Scooter, has his powerful father gotten him into the room just to take notes? (Anthony Gullikson skillfully makes Scooter possibly either obsequious or dangerous.) As soon as Brock meets Scooter, he prods Hannah into firing him. Brendan Ragan overwhelmingly brings out Brock’s need to take over. He is always suspicious of everyone, though willing to form partnerships if they benefit him. He contributes to planning his opinions on what not to do (e.g., no use of the “N” word) more often than positive overall suggestions, though he’s first to put forth workable procedural diagrams. Tom Foley’s Ted seems the most well rounded of the group. He’s a family man who continually questions the moral dimensions of every suggestion. He likes to help modify, if necessary, what others initiate. He’s less likely than any other there to arouse antagonisms or suspicions. No doubt Gopal Divan’s definitely-not-WASP SanDeep owes his job to his superior education in the best of universities. He’s quick to point out his acumen but actually offers the fewest suggestions. Deep had arrived separately from Brock and Ted, with whom he may not have been close on their last mission. Is that why he speaks of his concern with social and political implications of their planning? During a coffee break, Deep stays behind to indulge in a tryst with Hannah. It occurs to me that this may be gratuitous, an effort by the author to inject sex into the drama. Hannah seems hesitant about the affair, and not only because she’s married. Is the secret Project Senna affecting the couple? How does his color influence his continuing participation in it? How much more insecurity does Hannah feel when she’s called to reinstate Scooter? Ideation author Aaron Loeb fills the office with teammates who sometimes act as rivals, other times as co-creators or conspirators or each other’s complements. Who leaves? Who returns? Will they find evidence they’re being spied on? Will they meet their deadline? How will J. D. finally react to what they’ve done as well as to them as employees? Director Jim Sorenson gets a great deal of suspense from unfolding of answers to the above questions. He might have worked with Scooter’s actions to inject even more suspense near the end. Creditably, he’s commandeered some excellent technical assistance. Though I wonder a bit about executive Hannah’s sleeveless dress, I thought that her kicking off her high heels was just right for a moment in which she was changing emotionally.
