WRITER: Joel Surnow & Michael Loceff DIRECTOR: Milan Cheylov
CAST: Kiefer Sutherland (Jack Bauer), Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe O'Brian), D.B Woodside (President Wayne Palmer), James Morrison (Bill Buchanan), Peter MacNicol (Thomas Lennox), Jayne Atkinson (Karen Hayes), Carlo Rota (Morris O'Brian), Eric Balfour (Milo Pressman), Marisol Nichols (Nadia Yassir), Regina King (Sandra Palmer), Harry Lennix (Walid al-Rezani), Paul McCrane (Graham Bauer), David Hunt (Darren MCarthy), Rena Sofer (Marilyn Bauer) & Evan Ellingson (Josh Bauer)
After the nuclear attack, Jack resolves to find the remaining four bombs, the FBI use Walid to infiltrate detained terrorists and CTU's investigation unearths a familiar name...For the second time in 24's history, a nuclear attack on America has reared its ugly head. Back in season 2, it was provocative television when a nuke was detonated in the desert, but season 6's bombing of a major city eclipses that. Mind you, such nightmarish scenarios have since become commonplace in movies such as The Sum Of All Fears, so the impact has deteriorated.
But nuking a city is still a brave twist for the show, particularly as it comes extremely early in the season's run. Let us not forget that season 2 struggled to maintain the quality when its nuke went off mid-season and season 6 has barely started! So will it struggle for he next twenty episodes? There may be four other "visitors" to be stopped, but will the writers detonate another? Who knows.
For now, we're in an aftermath scenario from the Valencia explosion. The President and his cabinet have been evacuated to an underground bunker while the citizens of Los Angeles face panic on the streets. Jack, whose resignation almost seemed to prompt the explosion (is his life cursed, or what?), is quickly thrown back into action to rescue a downed helicopter from the side of a house. It's refreshing to see 24 stage something a bit more original, as the continuous car chases, surveillances and interrogations can become repetitive. The helicopter rescue scene is interesting, original and well-staged.
The subplot involving Walid (Harry Lennix) takes an interesting turn, with the softly-spoken man agreeing to help the FBI get vital information from some detained terrorists. These scenes are well performed and don't drag down the pace. Unfortunately, Sandra Palmer is becoming an irritating liberal presence, completely on the sidelines to Walid's storyline.
Scenes in the White House don't have the level of numbness you'd expect, probably because the nuke came as a quick shock than a carefully-plotted sting in the tail. D.B Woodside is much better than in previous episodes as the President, settling into the role now.
The big news this week is the arrival of the Bauer family. After CTU unearth a connection between the bombing and a company owned by Jack's father Philip, Jack is soon on the phone to his brother Graham (played with calm malice by Paul McCrane). For anyone who saw season 5, the identity of Graham will elicit some gasps, too...
The introduction of a Bauer family is a something the show has managed to steer clear of since the days of wife Terri and daughter Kim in season 1. There are clear signs that Jack's relationship with his family broke down years ago, so this should prove to be an interesting insight into Jack's personal life -- something underused in recent years.
The gorgeous Rena Sofer also appears at Graham's wife Marilyn (you may also recognise her as Adrian Pasdar's wheelchair-bound wife in Heroes). Sofer's limited screentime in Episode 5 doesn't stop her from making a strong visual impression, with the hint of some inappropriate chemistry between her and brother-in-law Jack. Watch this space...
Overall, it's great to see some personal issues injected into the show, as they should give Jack more focus this time. It's great fun watching him run around stopping bombs and gas attacks, but I've missed Jack's personal investment in events. Remember his family's kidnapping in season 1, or wife-killer Nina Meyers' return in seasons 2 and 3?
A strong episode that introduces plenty of new characters and story possibilities. Hitting viewers with a nuke this early may still prove to be a bad decision in terms of seasonal plotting, but for the moment the aftermath storyline is shaping up nicely and the inclusion of Jack's family brings a certain freshness.
