24 Review/Recap

Day Five, 10 - 11 p.m.
What is it with 24 and airing colossally huge episodes during the national championship basketball game? Last year, it was the episode where Air Force One was attacked and this year we have the dramatic revelation that....wait for it...President Logan is the mastermind of this entire plot!

Now this is one of those huge revelations that should have been jaw-dropping but wasn't. The show worked too hard to set us up to dislike and suspect the vice-president so that seemed way too obvious a choice. It did lend some tension to the scenes with Wayne Palmer at the compound, but beyond that, it was a blind alley. Also, I have to bring this up because, well, I can. So, Logan is behind all this and if we follow the logic of 24, Jack Bauer is the only man who can stop him. With me so far?

Now last year Jack really torqued off the Chinese and odds are they'd be really upset to find out Jack is still running about, saving America's collective rear end from the deadly threats of terrorism. So if I'm Logan, I'm calling up the Chinese and tipping them off that, oh by the way, Jack is still alive. Because I would think this would severely complicate things and it might effectively put Jack on the sidelines.

Of course, that assumes we know what Logan's role is in all of this. I think we need some motivation here. Sure seeing him on the other end of the phone talking to Henderson is a nice cliffhanger moment, but we've got to find a way to make it pay off. It can't just be a super cool moment to end an episode and nothing more. If it is, I'm going to be annoyed.

Meanwhile, over at CTU, things are not going well. Audrey has to sell-out the entire staff in order to keep Chloe in the loop. And Homeland Security is playing big bully on the block, taking over and firing everyone in sight. And yet as duplicitious as Homeland Security is, they don't see anything could be suspicious about Audrey suddenly changing her mind and loyalties. She goes from, "Oh, I'm proud of what we've done today" to "No, really where do I sign?" in under five minutes. I think I'd wonder why she had this sudden change of heart.

And in keeping with the finest tradition of not really acknowledging that events are supposed to be unfolding minute by minute, Jack is able to dig himself out of a car covered in burning debris and carry Bierko out on his back in under two minutes. Man, that Jack--he takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

I also had a moment in the episode when Wayne confronted Evelyn about what she knew and Evelyn reveals she can't tell or her daugher dies. Anyone else want to hear Wayne say, "There's only one man who can help us now...Jack Bauer!" I am telling you that would have been awesome!