24 5.11: "Day 5: 5PM - 6PM"

Written by (Unavailable)
Directed by (Unavailable)

In which Jack is forced to hunt down Henderson on his own as Curtis leads a team to prevent another nerve gas attack on a hospital, as Logan deals with the fallout of recent decisions…


Status Report

Coming into this episode, which aired as the first half of a two-part event, the writers had slipped into the usual worrisome waters of episodic improvisation. It’s easy to tell when they are searching for a direction, because plot points begin to repeat unnecessarily and characters start making decisions to service the plot rather than their own agendas. However, that’s not the inevitable outcome. The writers can and do slip into less-trodden territory from time to time.

This episode is a good example, because it lingers over emotional and personal consequences while preparing the audience for the possibility of a successful terrorist attack. Such concepts work best as a progression: a small-scale event, followed by a larger attempt that is foiled, followed by a successful larger event, etc. It builds the tension, because the audience gets to see what the effect would be if the terrorists succeeded and stuck a large population center.

Long-term fans of the series remember how quickly the third season snapped back on track once the viral agent was released in a hotel, taking a largely abstract threat and making it very real. That same logic is being applied more consistently this season, even if the delays between attacks are somewhat artificially extended.

The episode begins with Tony waking up, and immediately, his fans worry that his fate is sealed. Foreshadowing aside, the point here is to get him conscious early enough to justify his activity when it counts. Of course, that also means that he wants to know about Michelle, and that presents a problem. Tony was shot in the neck and running around looking for a chance for payback within hours, so finding out that Michelle is toast is rather likely to lead to life-threatening heroics. (Which means that his doom may only be delayed slightly, not that he has a reprieve.)

Martha, meanwhile, makes it very clear to Pierce and anyone within earshot that Logan allowed the attack against the Suvarovs to take place. This turns out to only be the beginning of Logan’s latest round of troubles. One of the most brutal subplots of the episode is Martha’s cold reaction to Logan’s overtures of remorse, and he deserves every minute of it. More to the point, her attitude has made Suvarov suspicious, which cannot be good.

On a more obvious note, Bierko sends a lackey to get a keycard, which is critical to their plans. Sure enough, this turns out to be Lynn’s keycard. It doesn’t take long to work out where the plot is heading, which is probably why the network wanted to air this episode and the subsequent installment on the same night. Once this obvious scene comes along, it’s just a matter of time before a canister is going to end up in the CTU building.

Before that, however, the writers need to show the audience how bad it could get once that happens. That gives Jack time to hunt down Henderson, which is actually another opportunity to put some characters through the emotional wringer. Jack feels that he must deal with Henderson personally, which eliminates the chance for a tactical team to just take the man into custody and avoid the twisty knife.

Curtis gets enough information from one of the terrorists killed in the motorcade attack to determine that a building will be targeted by the end of the hour. Despite the incredibly convenient nature of this plot point, it does provide a lot of good tension for the rest of the episode. The writers continue to hint at Tony’s possible demise by having him discover Michelle’s fate, but since they have something far better in mind, it’s a nice bit of misdirection.

It takes a while for the action to resume, since the characters need to get into position, but once Curtis arrives at the hospital, things gear up quickly. Jack is forced to place Henderson’s wife Miriam at gunpoint, but that presents a completely different kind of problem. Henderson, at least, he could set behind a professional wall, despite the personal ties; Miriam was just a personal friend and someone who doesn’t understand why Jack is so hostile and frantic.

The writers don’t hit a complete homerun; the subplot involving Martha’s apparent ploy to make Logan suffer by toying with Pierce is a disturbing and unworthy plot thread that should be buried immediately. Far better is the fact that the terrorists clearly planned out this diversion at the hospital for the specific purpose of keeping the focus off CTU as a target. The implication, however, is that the rest of the terrorist plot likely includes plans for something far more damaging, should the US continue to interfere.

That makes questioning Henderson even more important, and as Curtis races to prevent the deaths of dozens at the hospital (including, of course, at-risk babies, since that’s the easiest way to generate sympathy among the masses), Jack tries to use Miriam as leverage against Henderson. Up until this point, Henderson’s success relied far too much on Jack’s sudden decision to ignore his own paranoia.

Henderson tosses out the usual excuse that he’s acting in the best interests of his country by staying silent, something that ties back into the earlier episodes with Walt Cummings. But Henderson seems to indicate that the terrorist plot might touch on aspects of the government and secret policies that would be even more disturbing for Jack. The fact that Henderson would stay quiet, even after Jack shot Miriam in the leg to get the man to talk, speaks to his dedication to cause. And that, more than anything, strikes Jack in the gut.

Jack’s failure to get Henderson to talk makes the last-second containment of the canister in the hospital less than comforting. The audience has every reason to think that the attack will be foiled, but it’s close enough a call to make one think. And that’s exactly why the writers end the episode with the terrorists killing Lynn’s sister and her boyfriend, clearly taking possession of the stolen keycard. It’s all about setting up the unthinkable, and besides a few minor glitches along the way, that’s why this episode works so well.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode is a marked improvement over the previous two installments, with an emphasis on the consequences. That’s one thing that the series avoids too often, yet in this case, it provides a balance to the well-executed action. It’s clear that the writers were thinking beyond just this hour, and that gives events the broader context necessary to make them engaging.

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

Final Rating: 8/10

Season Average (as of 5.11): 7.1