24 5.5: "Day 5: 11AM - 12PM"

Written by Michael Loceff and Joel Surnow
Directed by Jon Cassar

In which Jack arrives at CTU, only to find that his return is more complicated than he bargained for when his enemies emerge, while Martha must deal with her husband’s lack of belief…


Status Report

As one would expect, coming off a four-episode introductory arc, this episdoe is largely transitional. Even so, the plot threads move forward at a blistering pace. Elements that once would have extended over several episodes, like the search for a possible mole or determining the traitor within the administration, both come to fruition in less than an hour. In a way, this is good, since the writers would otherwise be accused of retread, but it also betrays the casual logic of the story as a whole.

It wasn’t immediately obvious in the previous episode that the nerve gas had been held underground in a building near the terminal where the hostages were held, but it makes a lot more sense for that to be the case. Now the specific location of the hostage incident seems more reasonable. There’s the obvious question, however: how was the floor excavated without anyone knowing about it, and why stage such an intricate plan to divert attention if the wide open space in the empty hanger could be found within hours?

It’s a question that still hasn’t been answered. If the goal is to commit a terrorist act without warning of the scale or timetable, quietly passing on the keycard would have been the better move. Otherwise, it’s just going to bring down scrutiny, which robs the element of surprise. Granted, the terrorists weren’t counting on anyone identifying the keycard swap, but it still doesn’t make sense. Unless, of course, the goal was, for some reason, to bring attention to the site.

The dead rats also bring up a disturbing issue. It probably seemed like a good way to pass that information on to the authorities, plot-wise, but the dead rats are a sign of leakage or exposure. Which, according to the end of the previous episode, was checked for and determined not to be the case. So how were the rats exposed? Wouldn’t that imply, since the canisters were underground, that the chemical agents were leaching into the air and groundwater prior to excavation?

Supposedly the plan is to expose the population of Moscow in retaliation for the Russian occupation of some Slavic nation or territory. All right, that’s all well and good, but it leads to the obvious question: how did Russian terrorists gain knowledge of weaponized nerve gas that wasn’t created and maintained by the US military? Where did it come from, and how did the terrorists know about it?

Martha just can’t catch a break. She’s drugged and assaulted in the middle of one of the most well-secured parts of the planet (thanks to the summit), and still no one bothers to run a blood test or check on her claims in any credible fashion. They just want to ship her off to Vermont. Just what has she done in the past to be dismissed so often? Still, how hard was it to figure out that she would manage to escape?

Walt is not the smartest conspirator on the planet. Then again, neither is his friend Nathanson. Killing Jack in the middle of CTU is not even remotely a smart move, since all it does is expose an asset and prove that the scope of the conspiracy is exactly as big as Martha keeps claiming. It would have been far more logical to wait until Jack left the building, use the “assassin” to monitor the progress of the investigation, and then make the attempt on Jack once he was on the move.

This being a transitional episode, relationships were at the forefront. It’s about time that Edgar’s jealousy rose to the occasion, and unlike some annoying relationships in past seasons, this one is actually a bit cute. They really are made for each other! It’s a bit too easy for Spenser to be the mole, since in retrospect it made his affair with Chloe a bit too convenient, but the main problem is that the actor plays Spenser like Hayden Christensen played Anakin Skywalker.

Lynn, He of the Unfortunate Name, is quite the bastard. Tossing Audrey into the same room as Diane, just to find out how Jack might have been exposed? Deliciously evil. The scenes with Audrey and Diane were cringe-inducing. As much as Audrey was the victim of some unfortunate writing choices in the fourth season, her role this season makes a lot of sense, if only for scenes like this. At least the writers had Audrey admit that she was a complete pain in the ass last season!

As usual, Jack gets his security clearance back more quickly than any bureaucracy would ever allow (getting his actual identity reinstated ought to be a lot of fun…there’s a season unto itself!), which eliminates one of the more interesting possibilities. Why let Jack off the hook so easily? There are still several questions left unanswered about the whys and wherefores of the whole terrorist plot, and why Jack was targeted so specifically. Walt is part of that connection, but why would Lynn assume Jack is completely innocent? (And why hasn’t anyone mentioned the Chinese?)

One of the more amusing (if ridiculous) scenes in the entire episode comes well after Jack’s touching moment with Chloe when he walks in. Once again, there’s the father/daughter vibe. But imagine what he would have thought if he heard her style of interrogation! Bill looked like her head had just exploded! It’s a very good thing that Spenser is a bad liar and Bill’s in a sour mood over Lynn’s arrival. Otherwise Chloe would look a bit hysterical.

Lest anyone think Jack is softening up, there’s that scene at the end. Ignore, for a moment, the elements that will give Jack/Tony slash writers more material than they can handle; Jack’s inner turmoil is written all over his face when he takes his first look at Tony’s condition. The writers balance the manly emotional content with scissors to the throat in a wonderfully excessive moment, so all remains right in the world, but there’s little doubt that Jack continues to tally up the cost.

Spenser caves rather quickly when confronted with a seriously wounded Jack (just how is he supposed to act like his ribs are grinding together for 18 more hours?), but the real leap into the realm of absurdity comes at the very end. So Jack is going to hunt down the Chief of Staff like some kind of vigilante, only hours after a major political event and terrorist attack. Against a Chief of Staff, no less, who serves under a president who was more than happy to toss Jack to the Chinese wolves 18 months earlier.

There’s little doubt that the plot will dwell on the insanity of this little plot twist in the next episode, since events will typically spiral out of control. But is this the first example of the writers flying by the seat of their pants? They’ve already started with the excuses of how impossible it is to plan out the season ahead of time, so one has to assume that the story is already in freefall mode. If this is the level of absurdity that’s already on the table, this could be the most improbable season arc yet.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode is an interesting mix of the usual transitional elements and some absurdly-paced plot developments. Oddly, some of the relationship scenes are the most disturbing and effective, while the now-standard plot devices are rushed to keep the audience from getting frustrated with repetition. The season is settling in to a familiar rhythm, though there are indications that the pace will be even more frenetic.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Season Average (as of 5.5): 7.6