24 6.11: "Day 6: 4PM - 5PM"

Written by Manny Coto
Directed by Tim Iacofano

In which the plot to assassinate President Palmer comes to a head, while Jack comes face to face with an old enemy and Chloe begins to suspect that Morris is unfit for duty…

Status Report

Coming into this episode, the writers put themselves in a bit of a bind. Philip Bauer’s motivations have been all over the map, and ex-President Logan is now part of the story. With the mid-point of the season rapidly approaching, can the plot be brought back into some semblance of cohesion? With Manny Coto as the primary writer for the episode, there’s at least some measure of hope.

The explanation for Logan’s house arrest is rather ridiculous considering the end of the fifth season, but considering how hard it is to believe that Logan is involved in the first place, it’s an effort that’s appreciated. Unfortunately, no attempt is made to explain why Philip would connect Jack with Logan, which is a gaping plot hole that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

As usual, circumstances are contrived to force Jack to make a deal with this season’s devil, and Logan gets back on his feet after token resistance. Why they couldn’t make a videotape explaining the terms of the deal for Markov’s benefit is hard to reconcile; it would have taken moments, and Logan (and his knowledge) would have remained safely behind Secret Service protection.

The confrontation between Logan and Wayne Palmer was a lot of fun, but it’s quite possible that the writers have missed the mark on why Logan was such a successful character in the first place. It was the mixture of bruised dignity and amorality that kept his character from descending into complete farce. This episode is missing that dynamic, but it’s quite possible that this supposed journey to redemption will transform into something a bit more substantial.

It’s rather nice of Reed to keep Tom Lennox alive long enough to hear every little detail of the plan to assassinate President Palmer. That justification is a bit harder to swallow. The primary weakness of any conspiracy is the human element. Why take the risk, especially if the suspected links to the Bauer company and the conspiracy from the fifth season are valid? They ought to know better from recent history.

CTU continues to be a drain on the season as a whole. Morris’ personal issues are getting old, especially since Chloe should have punted him into a new and better incarnation hours ago. The time being taken to keep Morris’ secret is completely ridiculous. If he’s even a small distraction, he should be removed. And he certainly shouldn’t be given free reign to question Buchanan’s judgment.

As many fans noted after the previous episode, it’s getting very hard to care about the people in CTU when they seem far less interesting than previous CTU teams. In particular, Nadia seems far too soft for her position, and Chloe seems to have lost a lot of her edge, despite the scene in the men’s room. Unfortunately, this subplot is progressing in an utterly predictable fashion, highlighting everything that’s lacking in the CTU this season.

The end of the episode is the attempted assassination of President Palmer, placing Assad squarely in the same crosshairs as the scapegoat. It’s not a bad final act, and it plays out with a good deal of tension. Because it was the inevitable culmination of established plot elements, it came together rather well. With Palmer out of the picture for a while, his enemies could reveal some details about the conspiracy against him, the current terrorism, and Philip Bauer. And perhaps that could finally lead into an explanation of Philip Bauer’s activities since the beginning of the season. At this point, the success or failure of the season could very well depend on resolution of that gaping plot hole.

Final Analysis

Overall, this episode was saved by a final act that managed to deliver on a well-developed plot thread. Otherwise, there are still some glaring plot holes, one in particular, and they detract greatly from the overall quality of the season. It’s not a good sign when the subplots are more consistent than the main storyline.

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

Final Rating: 6/10

(Season Average: 7.0)