Spoilers. It's still difficult to feel truly invested in Jack Bauer's (Kiefer Sutherland) latest dilemma -- mainly because it's a patchwork of old storylines, and we've become inured to the kind of surprises 24 engineers -- but this sixth episode was certainly more engaging now the exposition's been dealt with.In a rather implausible opening, Bill (James Morrison) and Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) arrive at the scene where Jack was forced to bury Renee (Annie Wersching) alive -- they got there in a mere four minutes, and were told how, exactly? Regardless of that contrivance, Renee is soon unearthed, revived, briefed about the covert operation Jack's involved with, then warned she can't tell her colleagues she's alive -- as that will alert the FBI mole to the fact Jack didn't kill her, and must therefore be a double-agent.
Meanwhile, Jack and Tony (Carlos Bernard) find their undercover operation under threat when they arrive at a hangar with the kidnapped President Matobo (Isaach De Bankole) and his wife (Tonya Pinkins), discovering that ringleader Emerson (Peter Wingfield) has suspected their duplicity from the start and holds Jack at gunpoint. This forces Tony to shoot Emerson in the neck; an act that shows us the depth of Tony and Emerson's friendship as Emerson slowly dies from his wound. And we're again reminded us that Tony did become a callous terrorist in the wake of his resurrection -- is all this talk foreshadowing Tony's switch of allegiance again?
The writers also provide a full answer for how Tony's death was faked: it turns out season 5 villain Christopher Henderson (Peter Weller) didn't kill Tony with a lethal injection in CTU, he intentionally made it look that way to allow Emerson to steal him away and cultivate Tony's desire to avenge his wife's death. It would probably have been wiser to just leave everything vague, as I don't really accept that answer the more I think about it. The Tony/Emerson friendship is something we have no feeling for personally -- so Emerson's death, after guilt-tripping Tony over his dishonesty, didn't have much impact either. What did work was Jack persuading the Matobo's to go along with a plan to hand them over to Dubaku's men, so they can trace the terrorist's whereabouts -- as it's always more interesting when people are willingly putting themselves in dangerous positions, without simply being unwitting pawns in Jack's game.
At the White House, the blandness that had started to infect proceedings gets shaken off slightly, with President Taylor (Cherry Jones) showing more grit and resolve in the crisis. A liberal idealist, she's totally against negotiating with terrorist leader Dubaku (Hakeem Kae-Kazim), despite Chief of Staff Ethan's (Bob Gunton) concern that failing to withdraw US troops in Sangala will lead to the death of innocent Americans at home. Ethan himself grew slightly more interesting because of his opposition to the President, although it's still a weak double-act compared to Novak/Palmer or Novak/Logan.
Taylor's character is still a little hollow and matronly for my liking, but Jones handles her scenes very well -- particularly her address to the assembled cabinet, explaining why she's willing to risk American lives to keep their country's ideals intact. A moment when Dubaku phones Taylor on a scrambled line, instructing her to look out her Oval Office window to witness the in-flight collision of two passenger jets above the city, was also one of those blood-runs-cold moments 24 delights in.
Again, the episode's most gripping scenes are with First Gentleman Henry Taylor (Colm Feore), still paralyzed by his turncoat bodyguard Agent Gedge (Warren Kole), who spends the episode preparing Henry's "suicide". His accomplice also delivers Samantha Roth (Carly Pope) back home to her apartment, letting her wander into the situation and momentarily raise an eyebrow over Henry sat motionless on her sofa, before Gedge sticks her with a knife. It was a mild surprise to see Samantha dispatched so soon (a relief, too, if I'm honest), and subsequent scenes of Gedge putting Henry's fingerprints on the murder weapon and hoisting him to a balcony to stage a hanging were drip-fed nicely. Of course, Henry's motor-functions have been slowly returning, allowing him to grapple with his would-be killer at the last moment -- both taking a tumble over the balcony's edge, but with Henry's fall broken by Gedge's body. So, will Henry manage to alert his wife to what's been going on, or will Gedge's accomplice get to him first?
Possibly the best thing about Day 7 has been that every subplot has merit. I'm not hugely interested in the FBI Field Office now, mainly because Agent Moss' (Jeffrey Nordling) team look lost and ineffectual without Renee as a link to the outside world, but neither am I irritated when our attention is drawn there. I just hope those characters get something to do, now that Renee assumedly won't be in touch. Basically, the three major storylines (the White House ultimatum, Jack's undercover mission, the First Gentleman's investigation) are all pulling together well, and the writers have wisely refused to blow their load early -- as it's taken five episodes for Dubaku to set his sights on his next target: the meltdown of a nuclear power station in Ohio.
Overall, I think it's safe to say Day 7 is a big improvement over the atrocious Day 6, but I feel like the series is reaching its natural end. Too many elements of this season's storyline have been done before, and often better. The new characters and a more intricate backstory for the terrorist's are nice additions to the formula, but not enough to have us gasping and gripped like we used to be. But, considering this is the seventh adventure, that's not really surprising. Above all, 24 is still entertaining and relatively unpredictable fun.
2 February 2009
Sky1, 9pm
Writers: Manny Coto & Brannon Braga
Director: Jon Cassar
Cast: Kiefer Sutherland (Jack), Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe), Cherry Jones (President Taylor), James Morrison (Bill), Annie Wersching (Renee), Colm Feore (Henry), Bob Gunton (Ethan), Jeffrey Nordling (Agent Moss), Rhys Coiro (Sean), Janeane Garofalo (Janis), Carlos Bernard (Tony), Mark Kiely (Edward Vossley), Steve Cell (Litvack), Ryan Cutrona (Admiral Smith), Lesley Fera (Angela Nelson), Mark Aiken (Nichols), Dajuan Johnson (Technician #1), David Lewis Robert (Technician #2), Isaach De Bankole (Ule Matobo), Mark Derwin (Joe Stevens), Frank John Hughes (Tim Woods), Carly Pope (Samantha Roth), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Dubaku), Peter Wingfield (Emerson), Tonya Pinkins (Alama Matobo) & Warren Kole (Agent Brian Gedge)
