24: Season 4, Episode 17: Day 4: 11:00 PM - 12:00 AM Review

Day 4: 11:00 PM – 12:00 AM

Original Airdate: April 11, 2005

Writers: Duppy Demetrius

Director: Jon Cassar

Following last week’s episode was an easy task because they didn’t need to live up to the hype Fox generated for 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM. It would have to answer why they would target the president, but it didn’t have to deliver on a promise of a mind blowing twist. It looks like they are finishing preparations on what will be the season’s final act.

Hearing the transmissions from Air Force One made me think that while it was powerful in itself, it would’ve provoked a more potent reaction had Palmer been on the plane. Even the resulting search for the president (poor Kevin) would’ve been agonizing if we were awaiting Palmer’s fate.

By replacing Keeler with Logan, they’ve reset the role of president as the season prepares for its climax. Keeler was at best a background character who kept the plot moving when necessary. They must have big plans for the president since they have gotten a new guy to fill that role as opposed to throwing Keeler to the center suddenly. Also having the president switched in the middle of a crisis adds to the stakes involved. They should utilize this opportunity to develop Logan’s character.

In a rather unceremonious return, Mike Novick comes back after being gone since the season two finale. This reentry should’ve been better prepared. He hasn’t been on 24 for so long that having a casual return hurts the dramatic impact. Only Mandy has been away from 24 for longer, and most fans remember seeing her pop up to give Palmer a handshake, as anticlimactic as the aftermath was. Granted Novick doesn’t have the cult following of Mandy, but even not showing his face as he walked into Logan’s office and playing a dramatic sound when they did would’ve worked effectively.

Another problem with his comeback is the logistics involved. When we last saw him, Palmer had fired him for conspiring with the vice president to throw him out of office. Now he is in a new administration and it seems as if nothing has happened. Sherry also has been dead since before Keeler’s election, so he didn’t have that card to help him. He does have an ally with Walt, the suspicious aide we saw at the end of the episode. Maybe Keeler really hated Palmer and wanted Mike on his team. I hope that they clear this up in the next episode. This does help if or when Palmer returns to the show.

Novick never learned the consequences of his deceptive actions from the second season and Logan must not know about them either. Assembling the cabinet without Logan’s knowledge isn’t much different from what he did in season two. While he paid dearly, losing his position and Palmer’s trust, he never faced the penalty for Lynne’s fall. They need to address this, even if it is the only reason they brought him back for.

My first impression of Jason and Kelly, the couple camping out who find the football among the wreckage, wasn’t good. Considering 24’s history with stories involving civilian lives, notably Maya’s arc this year, this had some weight. The sound of Anderson’s missile striking Air Force One would’ve been unmistakable. Even the crashing debris must’ve made a loud noise. They wouldn’t have second guessed that something big happened. Second, these people on 24 tend to have a lifespan of about 2-3 minutes. However, this became the best portrayal of ordinary people caught in a terrorist situation since Andrew Paige at the beginning of the season. Both actors and much of their dialogue were believable. Jason reading about, but not knowing the Football’s name and his casual language talking to Jack (“You know those terrorists…they’re here”), made me sympathize with him.

Paul needing follow up surgery starts another look into Jack and Audrey’s psychologies. Audrey has been thinking a lot about her relationships with Paul and Jack and what men they are. Jack knows well that to do his job, he needs to remain detached while he’s doing it, which is something Audrey can’t do. Not to say Jack doesn’t care. Hours before Paul took a bullet intended for Jack. Jack will be grateful for that for the rest of his life, but he has to think about the job now.

Their relationship draws parallel to the camping couple. Kelly can’t think Jack’s way when her husband is cornered by Marwan and his thugs. I can’t blame her. She’s not trained to handle a situation like that, few people are. Though she is handling a major piece of the terrorists plans with her, seeing her husband be shot and to have them put pressure on the wounds is too much to ask for. Thankfully, Jason kept quiet figuratively about the location of the Football. Both acted out of love for the other. Jack showed his compassion by not giving them a hard time for doing so. Her scream did help lead him to them.

The personal drama has been toned down to the point where it is hardly noticeable. Two weeks ago, it reached excruciatingly annoying heights with Chloe and Edgar’s pointless bickering. Jason and Kelly weren’t overblown and it worked as a personal story of average people in impossible situations in addition to contrast between Jack and Audrey. CTU was brief in personal drama when Buchanan told Tony Michelle still had feelings for him. Many fans have been disappointed with whom Michelle and Tony rebounded. I hope that the writers and the lovebirds can make amends.

One of the more frustrating things was Jack being caught in a shoot out with a gunman for ten minutes of the episode. This is more realistic than prior Jack gun fights, but for dramatic purposes, it’s best to keep these brief and exciting. I liked how Jack cleverly threw some of his bullets into a coffee can and started a slow burning fire to make it sound like he was firing back, giving him time to sneak up on him. His line “Hey” before killing him almost feels like Jack wants to branch out into one-liners.

The unmanned plant set was great. I loved the coarse yellows featured throughout, and since it looked uniform throughout, aside from a few corridors, the main set could’ve doubled for various other places in the plant. It really felt like it was the middle of the night in a scary, empty power station. You couldn’t account for where any of them were, which added to the suspense. Some could argue that Jason and Kelly could’ve rerouted their path to be near the station in case they were already tracked (which we knew they were), but they are not professionals, and it did lead to an ominous locale.

Marwan’s becoming the Road Runner of 24. He has escaped from CTU’s clutches 3 times in 5 hours that I count. Since he has part of the Football, he should find a stationary hideout of doom to conduct the next phase, because constantly getting close to Jack, but narrowly escaping is getting old. Of the villains of 24, he has some of the most wasted potential. Maybe that will change since he is no longer constantly running around grabbing the tools he needs to complete his operation (at least for now).

With some of the nuclear playbook in Marwan’s possession, they now have set us up for the final arc of the season. This should end some of the sillier elements we saw in the episodes following the end of the override plot. The lack of mystery about what the terrorists wanted helped after last week’s mystery most of the viewers knew about hours earlier. Only seven hours are left. While this episode may have been only a point A to B exercise, it seems to approaching the level it was in the beginning of the season.

Score: 8/10