24 6.7: "Day 6: 12PM - 1PM"

Written by Howard Gordon and Manny Coto
Directed by Jon Cassar

In which Jack escapes Graem’s trap, leading to a difficult and revealing interrogation of his wayward brother, while Wayne struggles with Tom’s proposal for national security…

Status Report

This episode was co-written by Howard Gordon and Manny Coto. This is an unusual combination, but perhaps a good one. After all, Gordon is infamous for bringing good ideas to the table, but falling short on execution. Coto has gained a great deal of respect for his ability to take good ideas and make them better. The question is: which side of the partnership will dominate?

The Bauer family politics are still convoluted and astonishingly weak. The writers appear to be asking the fans to accept that Jack has always been the favorite son, but his withdrawal from his family after Teri’s death in the first season led to Graem’s rise as the Bauer heir apparent. So how many of Jack’s incredibly bad days were orchestrated behind the scenes by his own brother? Will this finally be the glue that ties the series together, given all the hints and innuendo of such connections?

Allowing Jack to question members of his own family, even under the time-sensitive circumstances, is a ludicrous idea. The personal relationship between Jack and Graem makes the interrogation incredibly hard for Jack, and that dynamic is mined for all its worth. It’s also precisely the reason why it would never be allowed. Jack might be on hand, but someone else should have been leading the effort.

Things get a lot more interesting when Graem starts confessing for his implication in the events of the fifth season. For just a moment, there’s a glimpse of the loss and grief that should have been more consistently depicted in the fifth season, and it’s entirely genuine. But it leads to the anticipated moment when Jack steps over the line, in essence, proving Graem’s assertion that he and Jack are willing to do whatever it takes from what they believe. Had the writers taken more time to build up Graem’s rationale, making him less of a two-dimensional villain, that might have held more water and generated stronger drama.

Thankfully they didn’t have Jack interrogating Graem with the rest of the family in earshot. Of course, no one thinks to keep Phillip Bauer from walking into the middle of the situation, which is rather hard to believe. One might suspect that Phillip’s silent role in stopping Jack was evidence of Coto’s superior writing ability, giving more credence to Gordon’s likely idea of the interrogation. Unfortunately, nothing was going to salvage the predictable scene at the end. Phillip’s involvement, and his decision to take out Graem, was telegraphed from the moment he walked back into the house.

One problem with this plot twist is the lack of proper build-up to the reveal. This episode cements the idea that the multi-national interest Graem was running in the fifth season was, in fact, the Bauer family legacy, masterminded by Phillip. Yet there’s not one shred of detail in previous episodes to suggest such a thing. It all seems very contrived, as if scribbled out on the back of an envelope. In fact, it’s hard to internalize the implications, because the audience was never given the time to process the possibilities. This is one of the worst plot progressions on the show in quite some time.

For all the faults in the characterization of CTU agents this season, in just a handful of episodes, there is a solid core of competence. Bill is canny enough to recognize when things aren’t adding up with Jack, and he didn’t question Jack’s advice (though he could use those instincts more often). The rest of the team is also working together well, at least before the personal issue retread. The situation with Morris’ brother is remarkably similar to the situation with Edgar’s mother in the fourth season, and it was played up in much the same manner. Thankfully, the final result was far more interesting.

The revelation that Morris is the engineer with the skills necessary to assist Fayed with the next stage of the plan is relatively predictable, but it does offer the potential of some dramatic twists in the next few episodes. Certainly Chloe should be in a different frame of mind than usual. Hopefully this won’t lead to any accusations based on the silly love triangle theatrics in the premiere.

It’s surprising that some in the TV critic community have chosen to disparage DB Woodside as President Wayne Palmer. No, he’s not David Palmer, but he shouldn’t be. He manages to project his own set of strengths and weaknesses without seeming like a simple copy from his brother’s mold. It may have been an unlikely choice for president, but I think it gives the writers interesting material to work with, and that’s a necessary element at this point in the season.

For once, Sandra Palmer’s subplot is placed in reasonable perspective. Instead of foaming at the mouth, Sandra makes a good argument for why Tom’s initiatives violate the principles of the nation. Wayne makes an interesting call, and it will place him in direct conflict with the Vice President and Tom’s other allies. Wayne may not be the best speaker in the world, but he has plenty of gravitas in his own way.

The first major turn in the season arc usually comes around episode 8, and sure enough, the next installment is a two-episode event. Most likely, this will focus on saving Morris and preventing the next nuclear attack. One would also expect the fallout from Graem’s death to play an important part in the story. Given how easily Phillip seems to manipulate Jack, it would be interesting to see if Phillip starts to play on Jack’s lack of confidence, something dropped since episode 4.

More to the point, if the writers manage to salvage this plot thread, they will have to keep Phillip alive and in the middle of the action for as long as possible. The writers need to establish a clear and reasonable rationale for why Phillip would sacrifice Jack and Graem for the sake of the family business. They also need to develop a strong conflict for Jack within that context. The elements are there, but so far, they haven’t been developed as well as they could have.

Final Analysis

Overall, this episode continues the disappointing trend of the previous two installments. The current direction of the plot does not feel earned, and it already feels like the writers are making things up as they go along. Despite some interesting ideas, the execution falls short of expectation. One can only hope that this is a momentary lull and that the excellence of the premiere can once again be achieved.

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

Final Rating: 6/10

(Season Average: 7.3)