24 5.13: "Day 5: 7PM - 8PM"

Written by (Unavailable)
Directed by (Unavailable)

In which the survivors of the nerve gas attack on CTU must race against time to stay alive, requiring additional sacrifice in the process, while Logan struggles to retain control…


Status Report

One recurring topic when reviewing “24” is commentary on the writing process itself. The writers and producers proudly note that they work out the initial plot elements for the first few episodes, now essentially the opening week’s worth of material, and then improvise from there with only a general idea of where the season arc should go.

To be fair, most shows operate on a similar basis. The writers have a basic structure in mind, usually breaking a season into thirds, and as the season progresses, plot elements and character arcs clarify and gel in unexpected ways, leading to changes and revisions to the plan. Shows like “Battlestar: Galactica” and “Lost” excel at taking the basic blueprint for a season arc and adjusting it to capitalize on what works and what doesn’t.

The difference is that “24”, by its narrative conceit, cannot jump around in time and setting to cover the process and make it relatively seamless. The story has to hang together by some logic, since one episode must lead directly into the next, all while being consistent with previous installments. Much of the time, this struggle results in episodes bereft of layered meaning yet capable of the intended purpose. Sometimes, however, in the attempt to provide shock and awe, the writers betray their lack of vision.

It’s unfortunate, because for 59 minutes or so, this was an interesting and unusual episode. “24” rarely spends the majority of an episode focusing on a handful of characters in a single location, so this was a diverting change in perspective. And given the situation at the end of the previous episode, it made sense for the action to be relatively confined to the “safe zones”, surrounded by the bodies of their co-workers outside.

The setup is relatively simple. The emergency response teams, diverted to the hospital in an earlier episode, are now too far to clear out the CTU building in a timely manner. That makes it very difficult to continue with the interrogation of Henderson, which is the initial source of angst. Jack has only two options for continuing the counter-terrorism work: hack Henderson’s chip and get Henderson to talk.

Unfortunately, Chloe is a mess, which just gives Barry, Kim’s incredibly disturbing psychologist (and possible lover, to make thing worse), a chance to show off his technique. It seems to work, if only because Chloe decides it’s ridiculous and annoying and the only way to stop it is to just get back to her job. Whatever the case, it serves the purpose of annoying the hell out of Jack.

As predicted, once Tony realizes that Henderson is trapped in the same room, violence ensues. This scene is actually quite reasonable, since Tony has only recently learned of Michelle’s death and has plenty of reason to want Henderson dead. The fact that he backs off, at least provisionally, would have logically led to the conclusion that he would be involved in the subsequent interrogation. However, this does not happen.

Trouble arrives in the form of Karen Hayes, a high-ranking Homeland Security official who seems to have the favor of Vice President Hal. In a logical (if aggressive) move, Hal realizes that CTU is no longer a viable organization for the current investigation, but they also have the most recent intel. With Hal also pushing for martial law in Los Angeles, it’s clear that Hal had a plan in place, waiting for an opportunity. The question is why he would have a plan in place, and how that plays into Martha’s fear that Hal wants to take control.

It doesn’t take long for Barry to demonstrate his ignorance by pointing out the flaws in Jack’s crisis management style. Kim makes a point of the fact that Barry helped her through some dark moments, and while it’s not enough to make the haters stop bashing her character, it’s enough to point out all the things that Jack must be held accountable for. Whatever else is true, Kim has every right to feel and act the way she does.

Before the episode can stay completely logical, however, the plot goes into territory that defies even the strongest suspension of disbelief. Apparently, the nerve gas is suspended in a corrosive agent that is eating through the partition seals. Fair enough, but in a matter of moment, Chloe has a gauge (in pretty graphics) detailing to what percentage the seals are broken down. Thus sparks a plan that shouldn’t work in a million years.

For one thing, it’s very hard to believe that the containment zone reaches into the crawlspace and storage areas behind and above the conference room. The door out of the storage room is not sealed, which means that the gas such have been able to reach right into that storage room, into the crawlspace, and probably into the conference room itself. But taking gas dynamics out of the equation, things just get worse.

Buying, for a moment, that Jack could survive simply by holding his breath (ignoring, for instance, the soft tissue of the eyes, ears, and nose as vulnerable points for injection), he doesn’t create an airlock. As soon as he opens the door, the storage room fills with nerve gas. He fails to find a way to vent it out, and so he must return to the storage room. Somehow, with no explanation at all, the storage room is vented of nerve gas (complete with a gauge on Chloe’s computer, measuring something with no detection device!) and Jack survives. It makes no sense whatsoever, especially in light of what happens next.

Lynn (and an unfortunate red-shirt) are the only ones close enough to get to the room and turn off the program, thus allowing the air to be vented from within the conference room. All well and good, except Lynn is informed that the holding room can’t be airlocked, thus there is no way for Lynn to survive. It’s all about the self-sacrifice and a heroic end to an annoying character.

Here’s the problem. What’s the difference between the storage room and the holding room? If the conference room (and thus, the storage room) were under positive pressure, which is the only viable means of explaining how the storage room was vented after exposure, the whole problem is moot and they can wait it out. The gas shouldn’t be able to enter a room under sufficient positive pressure. If not, even if the holding room and storage room were otherwise difference, why couldn’t Lynn and the red-shirt make a break for the storage room once the program was disabled?

That said, Lynn’s death scene was quite a piece of work, especially since he got to watch the red-shirt (who rightfully pointed out that Lynn is the one responsible for everyone getting killed) die horribly first. Sean Astin did a great job in that scene, and it reminded the audience that Edgar died in exactly that manner. It almost made up for the ludicrous business about airlocks.

Logan is a horrible president, but as noted in previous reviews, there is a certain Shakespearean bent to the portrayal. He’s completely unlikable, and yet it’s easy to relate to the situation. He’s a man completely out of his depth, and he lets that come out around Martha. It’s something that seems to be overlooked; Logan, as a weak man in the presidency, gives the drama added depth.

While things go bad at CTU HQ and Hayes plans out the takeover of CTU with her favorite lackey Miles, Bierko prepares for the next wave of attacks. Curiously, Bierko now wants to use all the remaining canisters on the next target, which doesn’t seem to mesh with his previous intentions. At least he fulfills the “24” villain obligation of getting a highly sexual woman, Collette, involved in the plot. It’s not Mandy, but it will do for now!

This is the point where the episode goes from challenging suspension of disbelief to violating all sensible expectations. Henderson is said to be in a coma. Tony takes the upper hand, and is about to inject the traitor with a lethal chemical. Just as Tony struggles with his own conscience, Henderson wakes up, stabs Tony with the lethal injection, and runs off with little coordination trouble. Jack arrives just in time to embrace his friend in his dying moments.

Setting aside the extreme disapproval with the misapplication of the silent countdown from this episode to the previous episode, this is just plain bad writing. Why bother letting Tony survive in the first place? He remains unconscious for hours on end, wakes up just in time to know who killed Michelle, only to die before really getting to do more than issue a couple of threats at gunpoint. Even if the point was to space out the deaths so the losses would affect Jack more often, there’s no reason why Tony had to die in such a meaningless and non-heroic manner. It’s a complete waste, especially since the two previous seasons provided a more logical and consistent opportunity to give the man a proper exit.

All of which betrays the desire to shock the audience with the unexpected, even if it makes no sense in the process. Instead of surviving long enough to go out in a meaningful way, Tony is transformed from a character with motivations to a pawn to be sacrificed to maintain a level of mindless tension and shock value. It’s the perfect example of what happens when the writers don’t trust their own ability to make events consistently interesting.

The sad thing is that this episode could have been simply a good mindless source of entertainment without the senseless appeal to the cheap seats. Cut out the last minute or so, knock Tony to the ground instead of killing him, and the script doesn’t suffer at all. Unless there is an unlikely resuscitation in the next episode, this season has suffered a major blow to its credibility.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode could have been memorable for stretching the willful suspension of disbelief of its audience, but some of the events strayed into territory that goes far beyond poor plotting choices. The cast and director are hardly to blame, as they made the best of a bad situation, but this is the kind of episode that will be referenced as among the least favorite for a sizable majority of fans.

Writing: 0/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 0/4

Final Rating: 4/10

Season Average (as of 5.13): 6.9