24 4.3: "Day 4: 9AM - 10AM"
Written by Evan Katz
Directed by Brad Turner
In which Jack decides to track Kalil, one of the terrorists, rather than bring him in, something that sets him against Driscoll, placing Chloe in a difficult position…
Status Report
Continuing the premiere blitz that began the night before, the third episode of the season began with the reaction to the video of Heller’s kidnapping. President Keeler is understandably displeased, and it doesn’t help that Driscoll has nothing in hand. Her only real lead, at this point, is Jack and Ronnie, and when she speaks to the president, she’s unaware that Ronnie is dead and Jack is operating outside of their temporary agreement.
It doesn’t take long for her to find out, and of course, she wants Jack to return to custody immediately. Apparently she didn’t take a very close look at his file when she fired him, because if she had, she’d know better. That being said, Driscoll doesn’t handle it very well. Instead of finding a way to work around it until after the investigation is over, which would be the logical thing to do, she decides to use up valuable resources to find and capture Jack on top of everything else.
Having already broken any number of laws, Jack takes on the Los Angeles highway system, in what could very well be a normal version of traffic at mid-morning. Did anyone else notice that the traffic would get better or worse depending on the camera angle? It also seemed like Kalil would intentionally slow down at times, so Jack could catch up and resume the chase! All in all, this was a massive editing blunder, and not something that can be attributed to the writers.
As suspected, the writers were holding onto the Audrey card in the previous episode, saving it for this episode. As anticipated, Omar used threats against Audrey to get her father to do what they wanted. Of course, what they wanted in this case was somewhat meaningless, since few nations would pay attention to a confession signed under such duress. The scene is therefore meant to communicate how much Audrey undermines her father’s ability to take a strong stand, something already established well enough in the previous episode.
Despite being completely against every action and decision he makes, Driscoll is more than happy to mention Jack’s name to the president when giving her next update. This is the first real example of Driscoll’s hypocrisy, something that was definitely coming and actually gets worse in the next episode. Here’s a thought: if you are wasting resources to hunt a man down, don’t use his actions as an example of what you’re doing right!
Having avoided the pitfalls of annoying subplots for the most part, the writers dump a couple of them into the mix in this episode. Perhaps the most annoying is the introduction of Marianne Taylor, a woman with career ambitions right out of the Sherry Palmer playbook. Her conversation with Curtis is obviously meant to generate some intrigue within the CTU dynamic, but this sort of thing has been played out over the past three seasons. Wouldn’t it have been more interesting to place the focus on something more complex and interesting?
What does work, based on what has already been established, is Chloe’s decision to help Jack by tapping into the satellite surveillance system. Chloe has become a much stronger character, and even though her personality hasn’t changed, it is far less grating this season. Chloe’s not very good at covering her tracks, however, because colleague Edgar (a very odd casting choice) points out to Sarah (very attractive brown-noser) that Chloe is acting strangely.
This brings up a point that should have already been dealt with. Driscoll is already aware that Chloe stepped over the line and helped Jack in the previous episode. That being the case, why would Driscoll continue to allow Chloe to work without some kind of restriction? It would have been far more logical, since resources are already being inappropriately reassigned, to have someone monitor Chloe’s workstation to see if Jack is contacting her. Of course, that would have taken this subplot and wiped it off the map.
Driscoll’s terrible management skills continue to affect the entire plot when she decides to let a consultant effectively blackmail her way into working at CTU. If Marianne turns out to be a mole, then Driscoll better be one as well, because otherwise, the woman is a freakin’ moron and needs to die. It’s just plain bizarre that Driscoll would go from letting herself be a stooge in some consultant’s master plan to ordering the apparently compromised agent use force on a suspect without due cause. (And wasn’t that essentially what Jack did with Sharek, just without her permission?)
In a nice nod to continuity, the man who assists Curtis in preparing Richard for his interrogation is the same man who was involved in torturing Nina Myers. Of course, his name appears to have changed since his last appearance, but that’s beside the point. As noted in the previous episode, this is an interesting and disturbing look at the potential abuses to American citizens under the Patriot Act. Richard’s civil rights are clearly being violated in this episode and beyond, and it would be a good subplot to explore in the future.
The Debbie subplot is given some unexpected heft in this episode when Behrooz turns to his mother Dina for some support. Behrooz is all too aware of what would happen if he brought Debbie home as his father ordered, and he appeals to his mother for some semblance of mercy. The entire time, it’s obvious that Dina is setting her son up for something horrible, and like the impending attack on Heller in the premiere, the audience is left waiting for the trap to be sprung.
After 30 minutes of chasing Kalil all over the damn place, the terrorist finally takes Andrew to a remote location, where a couple of thugs just happen to be waiting for someone to assault. Kalil just happens to mention that “something bigger” is the order of the day, which seems designed more for the audience to hear than the character. At any rate, Chloe gets to watch her friend get the snot beat out of him, which makes her less than sympathetic for Jack’s overall point of view.
There’s some tension when it seems that Jack will let Andrew be killed in favor of losing track of Kalil, especially since Jack actually needs Chloe to cooperate for his plan to succeed. All things being equal, Jack is rather kind to Chloe, considering that he has buried plenty of people as a result of terrorism. Did Chloe really expect to avoid that, given the history of the CTU over the past several years?
That said, Chloe’s reaction humanizes her in a way that nothing last season could have ever accomplished. Most of the time, she appears to be someone with little or no concern for anyone else’s feelings. Her empathy for her friend runs very deep, and her reaction with Jack is just as scrambled and contradictory as it would have been in real life. It’s not the best scene in the world, but it’s one of the more subtle pieces of character development in a long while.
Chloe’s activities become more and more unbelievable as the episode wears on, since her constant rebuttals for new assignments have to be gaining the attention of the other agents. Even so, it seems rather convenient that she can’t get the satellite access by the time Jack catches up with Kalil, thus forcing him to pose as someone robbing the convenience store that Kalil happens to have entered. While it certainly allows Jack to keep Kalil in one spot while Chloe tries to get the satellite access, it smacks of plot contrivance. Is this really the best idea he could come up with?
As one would expect, each episode thus far has accomplished a specific task in terms of the overall ploy structure. The first episode introduced the characters and ended with the kidnapping of Heller and Audrey. The second episode was designed to get Jack back into the field. This episode was all about Jack chasing Kalil. While there are certainly other subplots in progress, this far, the season is breaking down into the chunks that echo the words written on the little index cards that the writing staff probably used to break the season out a few months ago. This implies a measured advancement of the story threads, but it also seems a bit too obvious.
Despite that fact, and a few lapses in basic logic, this episode is not as predictably written as the previous episode. Only Omar’s use of Audrey and Dina’s intent for Debbie came across as something one could reasonably predict, and even then, those scenes worked for the story. On the other hand, none of the new CTU characters have the presence that Tony and Michelle provided, and Driscoll is exasperating for all the wrong reasons. That amounts to a fairly average episode.
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode was more smoothly written than the last hour, but the mixture of strengths and weaknesses still balanced out to an average episode. Chloe’s work with Jack was very well done, and the Araz family politics are getting disturbing. At the same time, none of the new CTU agents are very interesting, and the related subplots take away from the overall quality.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 7/10
Season Average (as of 4.3): 7.3
Directed by Brad Turner
In which Jack decides to track Kalil, one of the terrorists, rather than bring him in, something that sets him against Driscoll, placing Chloe in a difficult position…
Status Report
Continuing the premiere blitz that began the night before, the third episode of the season began with the reaction to the video of Heller’s kidnapping. President Keeler is understandably displeased, and it doesn’t help that Driscoll has nothing in hand. Her only real lead, at this point, is Jack and Ronnie, and when she speaks to the president, she’s unaware that Ronnie is dead and Jack is operating outside of their temporary agreement.
It doesn’t take long for her to find out, and of course, she wants Jack to return to custody immediately. Apparently she didn’t take a very close look at his file when she fired him, because if she had, she’d know better. That being said, Driscoll doesn’t handle it very well. Instead of finding a way to work around it until after the investigation is over, which would be the logical thing to do, she decides to use up valuable resources to find and capture Jack on top of everything else.
Having already broken any number of laws, Jack takes on the Los Angeles highway system, in what could very well be a normal version of traffic at mid-morning. Did anyone else notice that the traffic would get better or worse depending on the camera angle? It also seemed like Kalil would intentionally slow down at times, so Jack could catch up and resume the chase! All in all, this was a massive editing blunder, and not something that can be attributed to the writers.
As suspected, the writers were holding onto the Audrey card in the previous episode, saving it for this episode. As anticipated, Omar used threats against Audrey to get her father to do what they wanted. Of course, what they wanted in this case was somewhat meaningless, since few nations would pay attention to a confession signed under such duress. The scene is therefore meant to communicate how much Audrey undermines her father’s ability to take a strong stand, something already established well enough in the previous episode.
Despite being completely against every action and decision he makes, Driscoll is more than happy to mention Jack’s name to the president when giving her next update. This is the first real example of Driscoll’s hypocrisy, something that was definitely coming and actually gets worse in the next episode. Here’s a thought: if you are wasting resources to hunt a man down, don’t use his actions as an example of what you’re doing right!
Having avoided the pitfalls of annoying subplots for the most part, the writers dump a couple of them into the mix in this episode. Perhaps the most annoying is the introduction of Marianne Taylor, a woman with career ambitions right out of the Sherry Palmer playbook. Her conversation with Curtis is obviously meant to generate some intrigue within the CTU dynamic, but this sort of thing has been played out over the past three seasons. Wouldn’t it have been more interesting to place the focus on something more complex and interesting?
What does work, based on what has already been established, is Chloe’s decision to help Jack by tapping into the satellite surveillance system. Chloe has become a much stronger character, and even though her personality hasn’t changed, it is far less grating this season. Chloe’s not very good at covering her tracks, however, because colleague Edgar (a very odd casting choice) points out to Sarah (very attractive brown-noser) that Chloe is acting strangely.
This brings up a point that should have already been dealt with. Driscoll is already aware that Chloe stepped over the line and helped Jack in the previous episode. That being the case, why would Driscoll continue to allow Chloe to work without some kind of restriction? It would have been far more logical, since resources are already being inappropriately reassigned, to have someone monitor Chloe’s workstation to see if Jack is contacting her. Of course, that would have taken this subplot and wiped it off the map.
Driscoll’s terrible management skills continue to affect the entire plot when she decides to let a consultant effectively blackmail her way into working at CTU. If Marianne turns out to be a mole, then Driscoll better be one as well, because otherwise, the woman is a freakin’ moron and needs to die. It’s just plain bizarre that Driscoll would go from letting herself be a stooge in some consultant’s master plan to ordering the apparently compromised agent use force on a suspect without due cause. (And wasn’t that essentially what Jack did with Sharek, just without her permission?)
In a nice nod to continuity, the man who assists Curtis in preparing Richard for his interrogation is the same man who was involved in torturing Nina Myers. Of course, his name appears to have changed since his last appearance, but that’s beside the point. As noted in the previous episode, this is an interesting and disturbing look at the potential abuses to American citizens under the Patriot Act. Richard’s civil rights are clearly being violated in this episode and beyond, and it would be a good subplot to explore in the future.
The Debbie subplot is given some unexpected heft in this episode when Behrooz turns to his mother Dina for some support. Behrooz is all too aware of what would happen if he brought Debbie home as his father ordered, and he appeals to his mother for some semblance of mercy. The entire time, it’s obvious that Dina is setting her son up for something horrible, and like the impending attack on Heller in the premiere, the audience is left waiting for the trap to be sprung.
After 30 minutes of chasing Kalil all over the damn place, the terrorist finally takes Andrew to a remote location, where a couple of thugs just happen to be waiting for someone to assault. Kalil just happens to mention that “something bigger” is the order of the day, which seems designed more for the audience to hear than the character. At any rate, Chloe gets to watch her friend get the snot beat out of him, which makes her less than sympathetic for Jack’s overall point of view.
There’s some tension when it seems that Jack will let Andrew be killed in favor of losing track of Kalil, especially since Jack actually needs Chloe to cooperate for his plan to succeed. All things being equal, Jack is rather kind to Chloe, considering that he has buried plenty of people as a result of terrorism. Did Chloe really expect to avoid that, given the history of the CTU over the past several years?
That said, Chloe’s reaction humanizes her in a way that nothing last season could have ever accomplished. Most of the time, she appears to be someone with little or no concern for anyone else’s feelings. Her empathy for her friend runs very deep, and her reaction with Jack is just as scrambled and contradictory as it would have been in real life. It’s not the best scene in the world, but it’s one of the more subtle pieces of character development in a long while.
Chloe’s activities become more and more unbelievable as the episode wears on, since her constant rebuttals for new assignments have to be gaining the attention of the other agents. Even so, it seems rather convenient that she can’t get the satellite access by the time Jack catches up with Kalil, thus forcing him to pose as someone robbing the convenience store that Kalil happens to have entered. While it certainly allows Jack to keep Kalil in one spot while Chloe tries to get the satellite access, it smacks of plot contrivance. Is this really the best idea he could come up with?
As one would expect, each episode thus far has accomplished a specific task in terms of the overall ploy structure. The first episode introduced the characters and ended with the kidnapping of Heller and Audrey. The second episode was designed to get Jack back into the field. This episode was all about Jack chasing Kalil. While there are certainly other subplots in progress, this far, the season is breaking down into the chunks that echo the words written on the little index cards that the writing staff probably used to break the season out a few months ago. This implies a measured advancement of the story threads, but it also seems a bit too obvious.
Despite that fact, and a few lapses in basic logic, this episode is not as predictably written as the previous episode. Only Omar’s use of Audrey and Dina’s intent for Debbie came across as something one could reasonably predict, and even then, those scenes worked for the story. On the other hand, none of the new CTU characters have the presence that Tony and Michelle provided, and Driscoll is exasperating for all the wrong reasons. That amounts to a fairly average episode.
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode was more smoothly written than the last hour, but the mixture of strengths and weaknesses still balanced out to an average episode. Chloe’s work with Jack was very well done, and the Araz family politics are getting disturbing. At the same time, none of the new CTU agents are very interesting, and the related subplots take away from the overall quality.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 7/10
Season Average (as of 4.3): 7.3
posted by John Keegan | 10:08
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