WRITER: Howard Gordon & Manny Coto DIRECTOR: Jon Cassar
CAST: Kiefer Sutherland (Jack Bauer), D.B Woodside (President Wayne Palmer), James Morrison (Bill Buchanan), Paul McCrane (Graem Bauer), David Hunt (Darren MCarthy), Rena Sofer (Marilyn Bauer), James Cromwell (Philip Bauer), Peter MacNicol (Thomas Lennox), Jayne Atkinson (Karen Hayes), Carlo Rota (Morris O'Brian), Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe O'Brian), Eric Balfour (Milo Pressman), Marisol Nichols (Nadia Yassir), Regina King (Sandra Palmer), Harry Lennix (Walid al-Rezani), Missy Crider (Rita), Adoni Maropis (Abu Fayed), Robb Weller (Field Reporter), James C. Victor (Agent Hal Turner), Martin A. Papazian (Rick Burke), Evan Ellingson (Josh Bauer), Chad Lowe (Reed Pollock) & Powers Booth (Noah Daniels)
Jack and Philip are taken away to be killed by Graham's men, McCarthy locates a suitable engineer for Fayed's bombs and President Palmer weights up a controversial decision...24 is torture. Literally. The series often involves graphic moments of interrogation, but season 6 has already seen three in seven episodes! Here, it's Graem Bauer who's at the mercy of Jack's "powers of persuation" (for the second time), now being drip-fed the pain-inducing drug hyoscine-pentothal.
The scene is highly charged and magnificently played by Paul McCrane, while the usually stoic Jack Bauer shows uncharacteristic signs of compassion. Well, it's not every day you have to torture a family member, particularly after having faced months of torture in a Chinese prison yourself. What a life, eh?
James Cromwell makes a brilliant impression on the season, building on his late appearance last week. As Philip Bauer, he's a believable character and his painful history with son Jack is touched upon in a great scene. Cromwell certainly has the acting chops to cut it in 24, made clear with one withering look to Jack mid-torture and the frankly marvellous final scene.
The thing that's characterising season 6 so far is its longterm unpredictability. You can usually guess the general flow of a season based on its threat, but despite the fact season 6 is focused on suitcase nukes, it's difficult to see what the writers will do with them. They've already detonated one in L.A, so how can they top that? Will the story takes a different direction soon? Is the season content to present viewers with its "nightmare scenario" of mounting social prejudice, fear and paranoia?
Episode 7 marks a narrative juncture; setting up three storylines that will most likely govern the next "phase" of Day 6. The Bauer family component looks set to dominate the season, Fayed's need for a bomb specialist finds its mark and there are sinister rumblings from Vice President Noah Daniels...
