24, 7.8 - "3:00PM - 4:00PM"

Taylor
You resigned from government service. And the Senate
regards you as having been a renegade agent. How am I
supposed to know where your loyalties really lie?

Jack
With all due respect, Madam President: ask around.

Spoilers. The winds of change blow across 24 this week, as Day 7's storyline ditches many of its prior elements (the covert op, the CIP firewall device) and marches on with a new arsenal of ideas up its sleeve. Chief amongst them is the kidnapping of First Gentleman Henry Taylor (Colm Feore) by traitorous Agent Vossler (Mark Kiely), who delivers the President's husband to Dubaku's (Hakeem Kae-Kazim) goons -- holed up inside a greengrocer's basement...

Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) and his team arrive with President Matobo (Isaach De Bankole) at the White House, to explain themselves to President Taylor (Cherry Jones), before hearing about Henry's capture when Dubaku himself calls Taylor and threatens to kill the First Gentleman unless US forces withdraw from Sangala. In a neat example of how effective 24 can still be with small, personal moments of shock and tension, Dubaku's men chop Henry's finger off to frighten Taylor into towing the line. Jones was particularly good during this phone call scene; mixing the revulsion and fear of a loving wife, with the grit and sagacity of a Commander-In-Chief.

Taylor is soon persuaded to let Jack and Renee (Annie Wersching) go after Dubaku alone, believing their story that her government has been compromised. Renee decides to bring Agent Moss (Jeffrey Nordling) into the circle of trust, as they need Federal help in locating Agent Vossler's family (their only link to Henry's kidnap.) Jack plans to threaten the life of Vossler's wife and baby, to get the location of where Dubaku is keeping Henry, but this again sends Moss' morality compass spinning. Of course, Renee has become more toughened in recent hours, so agrees to frighten Vossler's family, as Jack tries to locate Vossler with Moss's assistance.

For my money, "3:00PM - 4:00PM" was the most gripping episode of Day 7 so far. It didn't progress the overall storyline too much, and even included a new subplot that caused me great consternation (the wheelchair-bound sister of Dubaku's waitress girlfriend prying into his affairs here), but it was a mostly taught and exciting hour's entertainment. I'm really enjoying all the location shooting, too (even though it's just L.A with CGI'd Washington monuments, amazingly), and the season's attitude to the ethics of Jack's actions is providing some good character moments. Even though they made their point about the morals of torture weeks ago! In particular, a scene between Jack and Moss (arguing over the need to target an innocent woman just to scare her Secret Service husband into talking) was a really nice clash of opposing viewpoints. "Rules are what make us better," implored Moss. "Not today," came Jack's stiff reply.

Renee is also becoming one of 24's better supporting characters, and it's nice to see the writers aren't just turning her Jane Bauer (as threatened early in the season.) She's a by-the-book protégé of Moss, realizing that Jack's controversial methodology does get more immediate results -- but can't help feeling guilty and sullied by her actions. Desperate times call for desperate measures, no?

I never believed for one second that Renee would physically torture Mrs Vossler (Jacqueline Pinol) -- mainly because there was no video-link for Vossler to watch it happen as proof -- but a screaming baby and a sobbing wife were enough to get him talking. And this was still home invasion and intimidation by a government agent, that ultimately led to the death of a poor woman's husband and her baby's father, so it remained a very touchy issue.

As Jack and Renee rush around (doing a remarkable amount of work in less than an hour!), the White House make arrangements to outwardly comply with Dubaku's demands -- ordering their forces to withdraw from Sangala, then driving a President Matobo lookalike to an industrial site rendezvous -- all so Dubaku doesn't start to smell a rat. Of course, the deception becomes clear when fake-Matobo won't step out of his vehicle, meaning Dubaku's men destroy the car with a RPG -- the resulting fireball beamed via satellite to the Oval Office plasma. Fortunately, at the exact same moment, Jack and Renee get to the greengrocer hideout and mount a successful two-pronged attack on Henry's kidnappers, although one assailant manages to fire a round into the First Gentleman's stomach before he's taken out. Cue the ticking clock...

Overall, while not a particularly essential episode (given the fact things return to hour 7's status quo, ignoring Henry's condition), it was an invigorating and briskly-paced hour. I had grown tired with the secrecy surrounding Bill's (James Morrison) covert operation, so it was nice to see Jack helped by some of the other regulars, and gain the support and approval of another President. 24 has a better vibe to it when there's a sense of interconnected teamwork, and when good people are being victimized or killed in the line of duty for their country. Seemingly insurmountable odds, tough decisions and thrilling action are the key ingredients of 24's recipe.

The fact season 7 stops to comment on its hardline style is a welcome sign of conscience, too. This season has been less vulgar when it comes to handling the tough decisions Jack makes for the greater good. The only real complaint right now is how marginalized the likes of Sean (Rhys Coiro) and Janis (Janeane Garofalo) are becoming at the FBI Field Office, but hopefully they'll get bigger roles to play soon.


16 February 2009
Sky1, 9pm

Writers: David Fury, Robert Cochran & Evan Katz
Director: Milan Cheylov

Cast: Kiefer Sutherland (Jack), Cherry Jones (President Taylor), James Morrison (Bill), Annie Wersching (Renee), Colm Feore (Henry Taylor), Bob Gunton (Ethan Kanin), Jeffrey Nordling (Larry Moss), Rhys Coiro (Sean), Janeane Garofalo (Janis), Treva Etienne (Elemu), Mark Kiely (Edward Vossler), Jacqueline Piol (Carol Vossler), Derek Basco (Cashier), Brian Bolter (News Anchor), Clint Jung (Secret Service Agent #2), Kurt Mayer (Secret Service Agent), Maurice McRae (Dubaku Man #1), Andi Chapman (Rosa), Enuka Okuma (Marika), Isaach De Bankole (Ule Matobo), Ever Carradine (Erika) & Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Dubaku)