24 Review/Recap

Day Five, 3 - 4 p.m.
Every season on 24, there's always an episode where the limitations of events unfolding under the normal laws of time and space are thrown out the window. I've gone on and on before about how everything in L.A. is as far apart by car, helecopter or transporter beam as is necessitated by the script. But there are times when I think the producers use the fact that we, the audience, are going to forget that only about six seconds have elapses in 24 time while we've had to wait a week to pick up the events. This week starts off that way with terrorist who used the centox gas on the mall being offed by head honch evil terrorist Julian Sands. The funny thing is--last week, we just saw flunky terrorist driving off with the canisters of gas and here we are two minutes later with him defending himself in the secret headquarters and getting killed.

Which I've got to think is going to frustrate Jack no end when he finds out--dang nabbit, the terrorist base was a minute from where I was and I could've ended the threat then!

Of course, this is one of those episodes where it's like a greatest hits of Jack's previous exploits. Jack has inspired the loyalty of those around him--to the point that they will erase phone records (how much you want to bet that's a plot point later?) and go to jail to shield him becuase--dammit, he's Jack Bauer. Now, I know that Audrey loves Jack and I do get that she may be conflicted about her feelings, but surely she and Buchanan must have some lingering doubt and resentment because Jack lied about his own death and only cropped back up becuase he needed something. I'm just saying the blind loyalty our heroes have to Jack might not play in as much. I mean if I'm Bill, I might say--you know, that guy did fake his own death and lie to me about it...I ain't going to jail for him.

But since Jack is the only man in the free world who can stop terrorists (and knock people out with his incredible arm pit of doom!), they let him get away with it. Everyone but Lynn McGill who's cracking under the pressure of being the whipping boy for Logan. Which in some ways it's good to know that the dookey runs downhill in CTU just like it does in any other job. Logan yells at McGill, McGill yells at everyone else and everyone passes the blame around. And woo-hoo, I knew it! The key card was important. I am telling you right now that sister's boyfriend is somehow in on the plot becuase that's how far-reaching this plan is by these terrorists. Either that or they buy the key card on E-Bay between 9 and 10 p.m. and use it to invade CTU later in the day. And you know if Jack's armpit of doom is really that pungent now that it can knock out Curtis in five seconds flat, imagine how it's going to be with him running around for the next few hours....yeah, those terrorists have no chance!

Meanwhile, back at the White House, Logan is put under pressure to give up the route of the Russian president's motorcade back to the airport. And the thing is--Logan does it. I realize that he's between a rock and a hard place, but damn in the man doesn't get more weasily by the minute. He's less concerned with keeping a treaty that he earlier in the day called a defining moment of his presidency than with the public opinion numbers should the gas be released on American soil. You almost get the feeling that Logan imagines scenarios in his head and figures out how long things should take and then expects everyone to meet those standards. And he seems to think putting pressure on those under you who are trying their best to stop this threat is the way to go. It's certainly lead to CTU being diminished because now Lynn is playing games with Audrey and Buchanan is in a holding cell when they could be do something significant like--oh, I don't know, finding the centox gas.

Of course, if the characters were to put aside all this petty bickering, there wouldn't be ways to ratchet up the tension.

And is it just me or is Martha Logan the Jack Bauer of the White House. Follow me here...she has a clearly defined set of what is right and what is wrong. She's also impulsive and she doesn't care about fall out so much as she cares about fighting the bad guys and the greater good. I kept expecting her to blurt out that the motorcade would be attacked in front of the press and with cameras rolling. Heaven help me, but I'd have loved to see Logan's reaction to that...

Instead, she jumps in the limo and tells Secret Service to inform her husband. She's raised the stakes and called Logan's bluff as it were. And heaven only knows where it will all go next...