24: Season 4, Episode 16: Day 4: 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM Review

Day 4: 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM

Original Airdate: April 4, 2005

Writers: Howard Gordon and Evan Katz

Story: Robert Cochran

Director: Bryan Spicer

After a four episode slump where the writers were desperate to fill time while behind the scenes creating what would become the final arc of the season, 24 seems to be back on track. Many of the elements that hindered the post-override episodes are gone or diminished. CTU’s schoolyard bickering was downplayed from last week’s absurdity. Jack’s story had a sense of direction and moved forward instead of plodding in one element for an hour. For the first time in weeks, I was involved in the story.

From the opening shot, it was clear that Keeler would play a big role in this episode. After fifteen episodes, they finally address that Keeler has been in the air since before the beginning of the season. It makes me wonder how much thought they’ve put into what to do with the president. Last season they had difficulty with Palmer’s storyline so this season they wrote in Keeler’s victory, but had his function has been only to move the story along.

Most people I've talk to can tell that Audrey will go to Paul by the end. Even though she still has feelings for Jack and he is concerned about Paul’s condition, he still tortured him only five hours earlier. Audrey saw how dark Jack could get on the job, and a few hours later, Paul’s heroic gesture deeply touched her. Acknowledging his sacrifice to him certainly added to the inevitable.

Had this been the last four hours, it would’ve taken the full episode to get to the raid of Marwan’s hideout. Luckily, they were smart and moved the pace to get to the action sooner. The shoot out, while fun to watch, was routine aside from the opening and Jack surprising the dumbfounded guy while he was reloading. Blowing up all the hard drives was a good way to end it, but it makes me wonder why Marwan didn’t set the explosives so that nothing could be found afterwards. Marwan seems only concerned about himself as he left the compound without informing anyone of the discovery of the wiring.

Personal politics still abound in CTU, but they kept a far lower profile than prior weeks. Chloe and Edgar have to get together at some point. They bickered pointlessly about trivial matters last week. However, since Chloe was reminded of the suicide of Edgar’s mom, she took the blame for Edgar’s mistake. When Edgar confronted her about it, she dismissed him in her normal fashion. This weird office relationship is destined for romance.

On that note, it was disappointing to find out Michelle rebounded with Buchanan while Tony was in prison. Tony was facing treason charges and the death penalty for her and she goes to another man. It makes her appear shallow. However, most fans still hope they’ll rekindle their relationship by the end of the season. It could happen.

Nicole pretending to be an agent was a great touch, even though it was clear that Jack was suspicious when they met. She wasn’t convincing telling Jack that the ransacked apartment was done as an FBI procedure. However, he still went along. One thing that bothered me was why Jack didn’t inform Agent Hart of his suspicions. Jack could’ve saved his life had he known to be careful when around her. But then again, we got another “stabbed in the brainstem” kill. Nevertheless, there was a great sense of suspense knowing that they’re working with the enemy in a different dynamic from the “mole” storyline.

Now we see another layer to this conspiracy as Marwan contacts someone upon escaping from the CTU perimeter. How they are connected isn’t clear, but I'm guessing Marwan is the subordinate because he gave the person on the line an update. However, the person was ready to deploy, so it could be another one of Marwan’s soldiers. I'm sure we’ll learn more as the season progresses.

This episode’s biggest weakness was how Fox publicized the “twist that would change everything”. Granted, 24 doesn’t have much choice regarding what is used in promo material. They must’ve thought 24 fans wouldn’t know about the intended target until they revealed it. Since Marwan told Anderson three hours before that the president had a tight schedule and they couldn’t be late, it was clear the president was somehow involved in the threat. 24 is one of the most analyzed (sometimes overanalyzed) shows on TV right now. The fans didn’t forget that line, especially since it was placed at the end of Day 4: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM.

Even without the hype, it felt clear Keeler was doomed. When he appeared in season three, the writers probably didn’t think they would let him win and his character since then hasn’t been utilized beyond executive orders. In this episode, they did more character development for Keeler than in all of his prior episodes combined. I did like the addition of his son. He made Keeler more human as they were facing how to tell America about the threat and later with imminent death. You could draw a parallel between Kevin Keeler and Richard Heller. Both are sons of powerful men, but Kevin stayed with his father while Richard rebelled.

What really signaled the end was the introduction of Charles Logan, the Vice President. Why else would they throw in the vice president unless he would become president? It’s similar to when Prescott was introduced in season two. In the end, the impact of the attack isn’t as strong as it should be because of the last minute characterization. Had Palmer been on the plane, it would’ve been devastating even if he were a background character this season. Keeler’s last minute characterization was good, but not enough for a truly devastating loss.

We learned about Anderson’s history as Jack tried to talk him out of firing at Air Force One. Unfortunately, 24’s format doesn’t allow flashbacks to Anderson’s military days, so we have to rely on his background file which has to be brief to keep the action going. However, characterization comes out during Jack’s monologue to him. This is an intense scene as Jack uses his psychological knowledge to try to reason with him, even though it doesn’t work. Anderson doesn’t say a word, but his face expresses so much. Perhaps then he realized what the possible consequences were for what he was about to do, but had to proceed because of the dangerous men with whom he was allied or he may actually believe in Marwan’s cause. While the terrorists are Middle Eastern, they’ve kept religion low key. This could be because of pressure from interest groups or it could mean that there is something else behind their acts.

The terrorists this season have had the highest success rate ever. While last season the virus was unleashed and hundreds died, it was contained before a major outbreak occurred. So far, the terrorists managed to derail the train, take control of the override, kidnap one of the world’s most powerful men, meltdown a nuclear power plant killing a large number of people and now they’ve likely killed the president, his son plus a considerable section of his cabinet and advisors. Killing Heller was the only major thing they didn’t accomplish, and they could brush that off since Heller’s trial was part of the meltdown plot.

Having so many victories adds to the dramatic impact of the show. 24’s never been a show to play it safe and often its risks are rewarding. Most of season three’s best episodes detailed the aftermath in the Hotel of Doom. Seeing people dying agonizing deaths with no cure is devastating, but it worked well on 24. Many of the episodes following the nuclear bomb detonation are among the most underrated. Now we’ll see a country dealing with a presidential assassination or at least an attack for now. I wasn’t born when Kennedy was killed, but I know how much it affected the country since it was compared to 9/11 in terms of how it affected the country.

There were several 9/11-esque moments in this episode. Jack discovering the files of the F117, the detailed blueprints and interior shots, on the terrorists back up drive was scary, but Chloe’s line about how the technology for the stealth fighter is working against them hit the mark. What helps separate 24 from a lot of what’s on TV is their daring to show our worst post-9/11 nightmares and not revolt the audience. Who else would shoot down even the fictional Air Force One during wartime?

The president could’ve survived the initial attack and that the end purpose wasn’t to kill the president, but to bring down the plane. Chloe mentioned that the plane suffered an indirect hit. Also following the cliché rule, since Keeler didn’t tell his son he loved him, they’ll live.

It’s great to see 24 recovered from the mid-season rut, which now feels like a normal phase for a season. Thankfully, they toned down the insignificant fights at CTU and focused more on accelerating the pace of the show, which was lagging. As the final third of the season begins, they’ve established something intriguing and horrifying but still mysterious. I hope that as they reveal the next part of the plan they don’t wait too long to reveal or else most fans will have figured it out beforehand. I can’t wait to see what Marwan has planned next.

Score: 8/10