24 5.12: "Day 5: 6PM - 7PM"

Written by (Unavailable)
Directed by (Unavailable)

In which Jack finally gets a chance to talk to Kim about his “resurrection”, but things go from bad to worse when the terrorists launch an attack on CTU itself, and casualties are high…


Status Report

Having set the stage for an attack on CTU, the real question was whether or not the attack would actually come to pass. The fact that the attack on the hospital in the previous episode was foiled strongly suggests that the attack on CTU will, in fact, succeed. With that in mind, the bulk of the episode is spent wondering whether or not the major characters will survive. This being the mid-point of the season, there’s every reason to expect at least one death.

Henderson continues to be the only lead, and he’s not talking. The fact that he’s not talking, despite being wheeled into CTU, suggests that he’s either willing to die for his cause or he has no idea that the next target is CTU. It really doesn’t matter. There’s no chance of a reprieve; it’s just a matter of lining up the victims and seeing where they fall.

Tony’s revival in the previous episode was a nice first step in the misdirection initiative. Kim’s arrival in this episode is another good step. There are some fans who will inevitably tear at clothing and hair, gritting teeth in indignation at the thought of Kim Bauer’s return, but it makes perfect sense. More than that, but her character’s turn is completely understandable, and her reactions and emotions (while admittedly annoying) are hardly out of bounds. Sometimes even an unpopular character has every reason to come back around.

Audrey gets to drop the news to Kim, and she’s visibly stunned. This is astonishing, because one would think that her shock threshold was raised considerably by constant exposure to C. Thomas Howell’s character, Barry. Barry looks like Jordan Collier from “4400” after a very bad heroin addiction/liposuction combination. He’s actually more frightening than the prospect of a nerve gas attack.

Following that with the arrival of Ray Wise as Vice President Hal is a nice touch. Fans of “Twin Peaks” had to be universally terrified at the very thought of Leland Palmer with that much power. Sure enough, there’s reason to be worried. Hal apparently learned civil defense from the “shock and awe” school, because he wants pre-emptive martial law. Novick gets Logan to admit that declaring martial law without first getting Congressional approval or telling the public that something is wrong would be ill-advised, but Logan, as usual, is worried about his legacy and covering his actions.

Continuing with the ongoing theme of “consequences”, a highlight of the previous episode, Jack must face Kim about his decision to feign his death. Apparently he had no idea what Kim was going through, or that Henderson was trying to take care of her in the process. The fact that she barely held it together can’t be easy to accept. Nor can Barry’s idiotic interjections. Considering what Jack’s day has been like, Barry’s lucky to still be alive (and countless fans wouldn’t have blamed Jack one damn bit). Then again, Jack might have been completely unnerved by the sheer sight of the man.

The fact that Kim doesn’t know how to react to her father’s return (and looking damned hot in her confusion) implies that she will either be a victim of the attack or survive long enough to follow up on that lack of thought. Logic dictates the latter, so it’s easy to eliminate her from the cut list early in the proceedings.

Cut to Tony, who is in clear agony (it’s rather tough to watch), demanding to know who was involved in the terrorist plot that killed his wife. Once he learns that Henderson was involved, it’s not too difficult to figure out that he, too, will survive. After all, Henderson is now on the premises, and that means Tony should get a shot at getting answers on his own. So killing him (and for that matter, Henderson) with the nerve gas would make little sense.

With the two most obvious candidates out of the way by the end of the first half of the episode, the tension begins to rise. Henderson continues to resist torture, which annoys Jack to no end, while Novick tries to enlist Martha to moderate Hal’s influence over Logan. (On that note, how often has Martha been the most rational guide for Logan’s conscience, despite her apparent mental issues?)

The first hint regarding the victim of the terrorist attack on CTU comes when one of Edgar’s techs, Carrie, looks into a problem in the room where the terrorist has been setting up the nerve gas canister. Sure enough, Carrie is quickly dispatched, giving Edgar reason to look into her whereabouts later in the episode. At this point, it’s possible to guess that Edgar is the victim, but the question remains: who else would join him?

Kim gets a bit of a reality check from Chloe, but it’s easy to forget that Kim wasn’t aware of the fact that people died just for knowing that Jack was alive. At the same time, it’s easy to see why Chloe would give Kim a piece of her mind. In Kim’s absence, Chloe was effectively Jack’s surrogate daughter. She has a psychological aversion to the idea that Jack acted incorrectly.

Lynn’s personal pain is likely overshadowed by the realization that he could be implicated in the terrorist attack, simply by the fact that he allowed his card to be stolen without reporting it. It certainly isn’t going to make his case for mental stability any easier. It’s unlikely that he’ll be fully prosecuted, but should he survive the day, he probably won’t be working for the government anymore. (It’s also convenient that he’s suddenly aware of his unusual paranoia and bad decisions, now that they are no longer necessary for the plot to proceed.)

Henderson begins to crash physically from the torture, so he needs medical care. Since CTU goes on lockdown as the hunt for the terrorist begins, he’s apparently taken into the same medical bay as Tony. This should be a fun plot thread going into the next episode! Jack, of course, takes care of the terrorist, just in time for the episode to go completely insane.

The final minutes of the episode are very well done. Random CTU employees start dropping like flies, major characters running for their lives, minor characters may or may not die off-screen, and all of it takes place at a believably chaotic pace. The initial death of the female technician sets up the audience to realize just what’s about to happen to Edgar. That scene is a bit overdone, but it’s still very effective.

The fate of some characters is still in doubt. Other than the characters outside of CTU, the ones in the room with Jack, and those in the medical bay, the rest are fair game. Did Lynn survive the attack, for instance? No matter how one cuts it, however, the next episode is going to be a horrific scene. There are other obvious questions (such as, how much air these people have in the sealed rooms, since they don’t have ventilation, or how long the nerve gas would remain in the building), but there’s time for them to be answered.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode continues the impressive rebound that began with the previous installment. Building on that episode’s conclusion, events proceed with an inevitability that ratchets up the tension to an amazing degree. This is an episode that will be discussed at length for weeks and months to come, and while it’s not perfect, it more than accomplishes its intended goal.

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

Final Rating: 8/10

Season Average (as of 5.12): 7.2