24 6.18: "Day 6: 11PM - 12AM"

Written by Matt Michnovetz and Nicole Ranadive
Directed by Bryan Spicer

In which Jack struggles to find a way to save Audrey Raines from captivity by the Chinese, while the Palmer administration and CTU deal with internal matters that threaten the operation…

Status Report

The previous episode was one of the best since the premiere, bringing the main terrorist plot thread to an apparent close while harkening back to a seemingly forgotten line from the first installment of the season. With that kind of momentum, the challenge is to avoid a letdown, especially since the focus now involves a character that is largely despised. With two relatively new writers heading the effort, one is left with a number of concerns.

The first issue comes quite early. Apparently Zhang’s gambit with Audrey is not the result of his agreement for Bauer’s release earlier in the season, but a decision to manipulate Jack independently. This is rather disappointing, since mishandling the plot point in this case is worse than letting it remain on the list of several other lingering plot holes.

This causes a great deal of drama back at CTU when Jack calls on Chloe to help him act on his own. Chloe’s scenes fall completely flat, with some truly terrible acting all around. Despite the callback to Morris’ experiences earlier in the day, it lacks the kind of gravitas that used to typify the CTU material. Doyle’s confrontation with Jack is a nice burst of action, but it lasts seconds and doesn’t feel like a moment with much build to it.

President Palmer begins dealing with the fallout from the assassination attempts and Daniels’ pseudo-coup, now that the terrorist threat is over. Since there’s little or no talk about the Chinese, this is another piece of evidence that the writers dropped the ball. Whatever the case, Wayne slaps down the gauntlet with Daniels, and those moments are a lot more interesting than Jack’s situation, even when they linger a bit too long. That’s been true all season, but it’s even more true now. It’s a great payoff for those who always saw Wayne’s potential.

By the time Wayne gets involved with Jack’s plot thread, the writers finally connect Jack’s initial sacrifice play to his proposed action to save Audrey. It’s still not enough, because once again there’s no connection to the conditions of Jack’s release in the first place. Instead, more time is spent on the bickering between Morris and Chloe.

Of course, once it was announced that Wayne would give a press conference, his collapse was a foregone conclusion. At least it was something that the writers had more or less established in the episodes leading up to this point. Having Daniels back in charge puts Jack and his suicide mission in a completely different context, which has the potential to make the final arc a lot more interesting.

Unfortunately, this also makes it a lot less likely that the agreement between the Palmer administration and the Chinese will ever see the light of day. It could also throw a bit of a wrench into Jack’s restoration as the confident hero. Many of the current plot twists don’t quite ring true, the situation at the White House aside, and there’s not much time left for further course corrections.

Final Analysis

Overall, this episode is a step back into the mediocrity that has defined the sixth season. The writers failed to capitalize on the strengths of the previous installment, and in addition to many lingering plot threads, Jack’s character arc seems to be in danger of abandonment. If so, even more fans may find themselves questioning the integrity of the writing staff.

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

Final Rating: 6/10

(Season Average: 6.8)