Upon confronting Peng, Chandler is surprised to learn that the Chinese President is not working with Takehaya. Rather, he has spent much of his presidency trying to eradicate China's pirate problem. Choosing to adopt an "enemy of my enemy" philosophy, Peng gives Chandler a map that indicates places where the pirates have not set up shop. Despite this win, the crew still finds themselves at a disadvantage by the end of the episode. When they hit the seas to go look for their crew, they realize they have become trapped in a minefield.
Elsewhere in the episode, Slattery learns that the Vampirates are draining the crew members' blood in order to survive the effects of the virus (the cure was never distributed to them, so they are using blood transfusions to keep the virus at bay). Back in the States, President Michener must contend with the media firestorm that erupts after the release of Takehaya's video in last week's episode.
The most glaring issue with this week's episode concerns the characterization of President Michener. Throughout this season, Michener has not been portrayed as the fearless leader he should be, but, rather, someone who is easily pushed around by the likes of people such as Chandler. As the media and the world at large turned against Michener this week in light of his handling of the Takehaya situation, this issue was only magnified. It would be all well and good if the character had made any overtures toward making himself seem sympathetic despite his faults, but he has come across so ineffectual this year (and this week especially) that it is hard to side with him. The end of this episode indicated that Michener has been energized to do better, as he mobilizes other politicians to back his plan to deal with the Takehaya issue. Hopefully this is a sign of changes to come, as this character definitely needs some work.
Although Michener's storyline left a little to be desired this week, the revelation that Peng and Chandler share a common enemy was a novel one. This complicated dynamic is certainly one worth mining. Kudos to the writers for choosing to go down this avenue. Hopefully viewers will be treated to a number of rich scenes as the pair continue their unwilling partnership.
Overall Episode Grade: 8 Anchors Out of 10
