24: Season 4, Episode 3: Day 4: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Review

Day 4: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Original Airdate: January 10, 2005
Writer: Evan Katz
Director: Brad Turner

The second part of 24's season four premiere bonanza wouldn't quite hold up to the first, but still had plenty of good moments in it. We see the difficulty of having to put the interests of many over those of the few, which becomes a theme throughout the season. Though we see it mainly through CTU's perspective, Jack allowing Andrew to be beat up for example, we also see it as Berhooz's crisis of conscience intervenes when he believes his family will murder his girlfriend.

With only three hours until Heller's trial, CTU has few leads. Curtis feels sure that Richard had no direct involvement in his father's kidnapping. The internet broadcast couldn't be traced. On top of this, they haven't been able to hear from Jack and are unaware of Ronnie's recent death and Andrew's subsequent kidnapping.

Keeler meets with CTU and his cabinet to decide what to do. Keeler guesses that this is merely one in a series of attacks planned, which establishes the notion in the audience's mind that unlike previous seasons, it would not be focused on several threats. Since each season dragged through some episodes midway, perhaps they would be better off creating shorter arcs. Unfortunately, this season dragged midway as well, but this could be a learning exercise for season five.

Jack calls Driscoll to update her. She demands that Jack bring in Kalil instead of trailing him. Believing that this could lead him to Heller's whereabouts, Jack refuses to comply. To get off the line, Jack says that his signal is bad. He forgot to make the static sounds with his voice. It's funny that Jack would do something like that. It seems more passive aggressive than what Jack is accustomed to doing. In another of her mistakes, Driscoll declares Jack off the case and assigns CTU to track both him and Kalil. Jack does have a better case, as Kalil is a fanatic and wouldn't likely break under interrogation.

Jack can think like a terrorist, but the most effective terrorists on 24 can think like Jack. Kalil is confident that he escaped the train station without anyone getting to him, but Omar believes that they want him to think that he got away. To throw off whoever may be following him, Kalil whips the car off the highway. Jack frantically drives the other way down an on ramp to find where Kalil went. For a TV show, this car chase is certainly above what I usually expect.

Heller returns to his cell after the webcast, furious that his daughter had to be involved in this. Following him Omar comes to have him sign a form with a list of things he is being charged with. Still defiant, he throws the paperwork on the floor. Omar utilizes his bargaining power. He has his goons threaten Audrey until Heller accepts. While Heller is justified in his anger, his attitude should be a little more subdued for the sake of his daughter, who as we saw can be hurt or threatened to get him to comply.

Driscoll informs Keeler of Jack's situation. Since they are running out of time, Driscoll asks Keeler if they can raid Heller's location if they can find him, but not safely extract him. Decisions where you have to worry about what is best for everyone over a single person's life are the type I would never want to face, but such choices escalate the audience's tension and comprehension of what they're dealing with.

Curtis hasn't had much to do aside from be Driscoll's loyal side. This episode we meet Marianne, his ambitious former lover eager to get to CTU. He doesn't want her there because she would make working there uncomfortable, but she insists that she knows enough and that they need people today. She's more concerned about having the opportunity to impress higher ups than saving lives, which is a good indicator of who she is. Considering she is a black woman, Sherry Palmer comparisons have been thrown about, and they do have weight.

Jack needs more help tracking Kalil. He calls Chloe to get her to steal CTU bandwidth so Jack can use satellite photos to follow him easier. Though he is not officially a part of the investigation, she helps him anyway to save her friend. She knows Jack's track record and he tends to be successful, even while rogue.

Off screen Marianne calls Driscoll and informs her about some things that Curtis may have said when they were together. She has no choice but to bring her in to avoid a massive overhaul of classified intelligence. While they're talking, Curtis mentions that the polygraph was inconclusive in parts. Believing that Richard could be hiding something, she implies torturing him to extract this information.

Desperate to help his girlfriend, Behrooz appeals to his mother, who he feels more connected to than his dad. Dina agrees to help Behrooz by talking to Navi. This is the beginning of Dina Araz's evolution into one of season four's most memorable characters. She talks to Navi and assures him that she'll take care of it. Behrooz takes the more positive side of this ambiguous statement as a sign of his mother's love.

Richard's experience at CTU must confirm a lot of the beliefs he has about government. He has been sequestered against his will, not charged with anything, and questioned about his possible involvement with the kidnapping. Then Curtis returns and threatens to torture him with a potent neurotoxin. Before he can be injected, Curtis stops and asks Driscoll to try a non-invasive method of interrogation. Blocking his sight and overloading his audio has been effective with Curtis' past work. After a half hour, he finds Richard disoriented, but still unwilling to say anything, so Curtis resumes the sense deprivation as Richard screams in horror.

Another hint of what's to come occurs when Kalil talks to the gagged Andrew before pulling over. Today's events are about "something bigger". Although the terrorists keep saying it, they remain silent regarding what exactly is bigger about this day. This tactic can be a problem with the writers. As they feel the need to up the ante with each subsequent Jack faces, the more they face the potential backlash as credibility is stretched.

Jack is following safely behind, and is able to find a place to watch from the view of his sniper rifle. Chloe watches helplessly from a traffic camera as Kalil and his men beat Andrew for information. He gives in, but Jack can't stop them because he still needs to know where Heller is located. As Kalil drives away, Jack follows, but quickly decides to do the right thing and kill those thugs before Andrew dies. Relieved, but still horrified, Chloe goes to the bathroom and silently cries. It's a great little moment of character for someone who hasn't been the most sensitive about personal issues.

Trying to help his daughter, Heller recommends that she try to escape when the trial is underway. They will be focused on him, which will make it easier for her to slip away. Heller wants his daughter to live a long, happy life. This scene could've been overdone. Having no other choice but to leave your father to die so you can live is a situation that leads to heavy melodrama, but both players, still drenched in sweat, play it well.

Andrew's near death experience jeopardizes Chloe's willingness to help Jack. He makes her see that it is an impossible situation and horrible choices need to be made. Unlike Driscoll, Jack is more sensitive toward Chloe's quirks, which helps her realize that she is doing the right thing. She needs some help, so she sends a program to Edgar's computer, which messes it up enough for him to be taken away from his system. Utilizing this time, Chloe gets the satellite shots Jack needs.

Marianne arrives. Immediate tension ensues between her and Curtis, who still doesn't like her being there. He has Chloe place a firewall around her computer so he can monitor it. However, Marianne is able to get some information out of Edgar. If they were able to place the energy they use bickering between each other into finding the terrorists, then they probably could avert everything much quicker.

Behrooz's situation gets much worse as he learns that Dina invited Debbie over under the guise of wanting to talk about their relationship. He knows what this really means, but he can't warn Debbie with Dina around. Though he loves his mom, he believes she's capable of acting out Navi's wishes.

Jack scores a break when Kalil stops at a gas station, however, waiting for the satellite coverage takes too long. He needs to keep him in the store long enough for the feed to work. Taking a bag of tricks from the truck, he stages a robbery of the gas station convenience store. Now this got much flack from viewers, who sometimes roll their eyes when 24 goes overboard. They suggested that Jack slash Kalil's tires, or at least let the air out of them. This suggestion would make Kalil suspicious that someone was following him. He couldn't directly go for the guy. Staging the robbery, while extreme, works also to show how high the stakes are.

I can see why people would rate this episode lower due to the last minute development, but I can buy into it because of 24's manner of hyperactive reality. It's good that they further add to the consequences of when CTU, Jack or even the terrorists decide to place one person above their respective missions if it will work for their greater good. Stakes are established, as we are assured that Heller's kidnapping is only the beginning of this terrible day in American history.

Score: 8/10