24 6.21: "Day 6: 2AM - 3AM"

Written by Manny Coto
Directed by Bryan Spicer

In which the operation to stop Cheng goes badly as the Chinese operative stages an attack of his own, while Daniels is placed in a difficult position when Lisa is involved in a sting operation…

Status Report

As the episode begins, Jack has been ordered by Secretary of Defense Heller to leave Audrey alone, and the legal documentation necessary to enforce that order is in the works. Jack is looking for a way to clean up his mess, despite Daniels’ order to keep Jack out of it. Nadia, already worried about her authority, sticks with the presidential order. It’s not the kind of situation Jack typically finds himself in, and it leaves him feeling helpless. All in all, a good start. With Jack still in custody, Doyle is once again placed in his typical role as Jack’s stand-in.

Out of nowhere, Marilyn and Josh return to the story, after disappearing for a huge chunk of the season. Josh is disgusted with being a Bauer, especially after watching endless footage of the near-forgotten nuclear blast from the premiere. Why Chloe would choose to tell Marilyn about Audrey is hard to understand; it’s a fair guess that it was a way to weave them back into the story to tie up loose ends.

Similarly, Marilyn is given access to Jack, despite the fact he’s in custody, and she’s even allowed to bring Josh into the detention room. Why this is permissible is hard to reconcile. Considering how the rest of the episode plays out, it’s clearly a plot convenience, designed to explain why certain characters are in certain locations when the time comes.

Back at the White House, Lisa is used to draw her ally, Mr. Bishop, into a sting operation. Daniels feels betrayed by Lisa, which is certainly understandable. The sting operation itself is a bit overlong, especially since there seems to be little point to it all, beyond making things difficult for Daniels and sexing things up a bit.

The episode was going strong until, once again, things get ridiculous with a horribly written scene between Morris and Chloe. The writers have all but butchered her character this season, and right now, it’s hard to imagine how that mistake will be corrected. The only thing more awkward is the ridiculous mess between Nadia and Milo. As usual, the agents at CTU pick the worst possible time to resolve their personal issues. Perhaps it would be harder for terrorists to assault CTU if more time was spent on national security instead of the dating pool.

It’s hard to care when Milo is killed, because his character was poorly established and his role this season has been all over the map. It’s certainly not on the same level as Michelle, Edgar, or Tony, and this is practically the definition of “shock tactic”. It serves no purpose other than to make this plot twist appear edgy.

The return of Philip Bauer, in association with Cheng, could lead to some answers to lingering questions from throughout the season. At this point, the various confusing interconnections are so vast and contradictory that a satisfying set of answers may be impossible to provide. At this point, the writers should have the chance to use the final three episodes to explain themselves and attempt a reasonable conclusion, even if there’s little chance that it will happen.

Final Analysis

Overall, this episode is a relatively solid attempt at giving the season a reasonable conclusion, at least until the final act descends into needless shock tactics. The sex and violence is a clear sign of desperation, even if it seems to be designed to give the writers a chance to tie up loose ends. There’s little time for that to happen, which means the writers have effectively painted themselves in a corner.

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

Final Rating: 6/10

(Season Average: 6.8)