24: Season 1, Episode 5: 4:00 AM - 5:00 AM Review
4:00 AM - 5:00 AM
Original Airdate: December 11, 2001
Writer: Chip Johannessen
Director: Winrich Kolbe
We're starting to see more. The next few episodes make up probably one of the best arcs 24's had and it's clear by this one that we're in for good stuff. Things are tense between Teri and Jack, Palmer confronts his parental skills and we learn the difference between being dead and not dead. Also we see how clever Jack can be when he needs to get information out of a suspect.
As the doctor's prep Janet for surgery, Alan and Teri burst in asking about her. None of the help is helpful. When they learn that a Jane Doe was brought in, they run down to the OR to find Janet. Jack calls for an update, but he can't come to the hospital because he's pursuing Penticoff, who was arrested minutes earlier. The lack of sleep is getting to Teri, who crankily calls Jack out, unaware of the circumstances. Their situation has gotten to the point where they'll need to address it soon.
Gaines prepares to return to the compound with Kim in his car. Dan and Rick will meet him and receive payment there. When Gaines drives away, Rick suggests they split. With $20,000 on the line, Dan refuses and reminds Rick that he owes him. Still, Gaines' presence spooked the hell out of Rick and we can see why. Dan knows Gaines, since he's clearly the one who made the deal to kidnap Kim. Gaines isn't a person you'd want to threaten.
Palmer contemplates telling Nicole about the allegations. Sherry doesn't want to bring it up because Nicole has been doing so well. However, if she hears this before it breaks, Palmer may be able to help her face the demons again. Palmer changes his mind when he sees how happy Nicole is about her father's chances in the primary. She'll still need to find out, but now isn't the time. No time is right in this situation though.
Jack arrives at the police station demanding that he see the suspect, but the officer in charge refuses because Penticoff killed one of their own. There's no denying Jack has undying respect for people who serve, but he should've pulled rank. This is a federal investigation, and it's not like he would let a cop killer go. Although, had they done it clean, Penticoff may have demanded immunity for help, so Jack would have to give the illusion that he was complying completely. He manages to get a few minutes with Penticoff. Since things are going so smoothly, a wrench has to be thrown in. This wrench of course is Mason, following the lead he found last episode.
Mason grills Jack about his behavior since Walsh's death. Jack asks him why he would want to take down his best and highest ranking ally. Since the mole information must remain confidential, Jack can't divulge everything. This only raises Mason's suspicions. Jack does reveal that Penticoff is somehow connected with the hit on Palmer. Mason still insists on interrogating him first.
En route to the compound, Rick beats himself up for not doing anything for Kim. Dan knows that Kim will likely be killed if she hasn't already because she saw Gaines and the guys. Throughout this season, Rick deals with his own cowardice and reluctance to admit responsibility for his actions. Unfortunately, he hasn't yet done what he thought was right and by the end of the hour, he'll pay a grave price.
For now, Kim is still alive in Gaines' backseat. He must've thought there wouldn't be much traffic at four in the morning, but he was wrong. They pull up next to a truck driver and Kim kicks the window to get the driver's attention. Gaines quickly stops that. To ensure no further problems, he throws her in his trunk. Probably would've been easier to throw her in there at first, but then again, his nonchalant "stop, please" was cool.
At the police station, Jack calls Teri. He updates her about the possible lead he has. Why didn't Teri theorize that perhaps whoever has their daughter is connected to what Jack was investigating? Perhaps we should cut her slack since we know something is wrong. Despite her crankiness that he isn't there, she must know that Jack's work must be more important than a routine meeting. He promises to be there soon, but until then, she should wait to speak to Janet.
Jack is an incredibly skillful planner. In a matter of twenty minutes, he has already devised a plan to get what he wants from Penticoff. To do this, Jack will need to gain his trust and make him believe that he will break him out of jail to help the investigation. Luckily, he won't speak to anyone but Jack. When he does, Jack tells him that everyone else is still listening in. Then he leans over and whispers something. Obviously, he wants to earn Penticoff's trust so he'll go with his plan. Penticoff and Jack start fighting and are separated, just like they wanted. The suspect demands his phone call. His call is to Jack, whose number he got during the fight. Jack needs to break him out because the people behind this are going to call him within the hour.
Jack gets another opportunity to talk to Penticoff when he sees Hampton's partner, Phillips. He appeals to Phillips' desire for his partner's death to mean something. Phillips grants Jack's request under the condition that he goes in with him. Jack accepts this offer, but when they return to the holding room, things become hostile again. He provokes Phillips and all three men wind up in a fight, just like they wanted. In the chaos, Jack steals Phillips' ID card and gives it to Penticoff, who escapes.
Palmer contacts Maureen, and they meet privately in a hotel conference room. She's still patted down as if they weren't friends before. He tries to make Maureen feel guilty about her involvement. We usually don't see this manipulative side of Palmer, but this works because he is convinced that Maureen is lying and trying to profit from it. However, this changes when he finds out her evidence. In addition to Dr. Ferragamo's testimony, she has a hospital record of a boy who came to a hospital hours after Gibson's death. He had similar injuries to Gibson and the boy's handwriting on the hospital forms matches Keith's. To save face, Palmer dismisses it, although he's sure that she's right.
This must be dealt with immediately, so Palmer wakes up his son and asks about the accident. Defensive, Keith calls his father on being too focused on his work to deal with the situation. Starting in this episode, we see more about the bad side to David Palmer the father. It becomes a vital piece of his character throughout the season and his tenure on the show. He is an honorable man, but his work has kept him away from his family and that has created distance between them. Some of their motives and secrets remain unknown to him and as he discovers them throughout this season, he has to come to terms with them.
Palmer deals with his family parallel to the Bauers. Teri tells Alan about how guilty she has been feeling since they fought over Kim's falling grades. Of course, she never wanted something like this to happen, but the fact that she said it still hurts. This isn't any different than any other parent and Alan tries to reassure her of that. At this point it seems like Alan may be more compatible for her.
This police squad must be clueless considering that the culprit of a cop killing was able to sneak out of the building unnoticed for fifteen minutes. However, it still is fun to see Jack outsmart everyone. CTU still has the upper hand as Mason uses satellite photos to identify Jack and the van he took Penticoff in. Meanwhile they're back at the phone Gaines said he would be call. Unfortunately for Nina's trace, the call is from a hidden cell phone. Jack listens in as Gaines instructs him to dispose of a body in a car's trunk. Jack assumes as we do that the body is Kim's. The last place we saw her was in the trunk because she was giving Gaines a hard time. This is a great example of the misdirection they do well.
They manage to find the car and Jack is horrified to see a dead body in the trunk. Although it is horribly mutilated, it is a man's body so Jack is relieved. Mason and the LAPD return and Jack freely gives Penticoff up (as if he would let him go). Since he has the information Penticoff had, Jack decides that he has to tell Mason the truth if he wants to continue investigating. It works and Jack is allowed to deliver the body to CTU to identify.
Here comes the scene this episode is noteworthy for. At the compound, Rick and Dan await Gaines, who arrives with Kim still in the trunk. He was considerate enough to pop it once they got there, since it must be stuffy. Dan asks for the money and Gaines demands that they be clear about what really happened to Janet. Reluctantly, Dan confesses that they didn't quite kill her. In a lesson Rick won't forget, Gaines shows them that "there's no such thing as 'sorta dead'" by shooting Dan dead. Rick was right, but his failure to act on it cost his friend's life.
Although I know, it is clear that this is just the beginning of the first payoff of season one. It's follow up, one of 24's best, overshadows this, but 4-5 AM is still an impressive piece of work. Rogue Jack is also good to see early so we can use this as a reference. This episode is most comparable to the top of a roller coaster, and you know what that means.
Score: 9/10
As the doctor's prep Janet for surgery, Alan and Teri burst in asking about her. None of the help is helpful. When they learn that a Jane Doe was brought in, they run down to the OR to find Janet. Jack calls for an update, but he can't come to the hospital because he's pursuing Penticoff, who was arrested minutes earlier. The lack of sleep is getting to Teri, who crankily calls Jack out, unaware of the circumstances. Their situation has gotten to the point where they'll need to address it soon.
Gaines prepares to return to the compound with Kim in his car. Dan and Rick will meet him and receive payment there. When Gaines drives away, Rick suggests they split. With $20,000 on the line, Dan refuses and reminds Rick that he owes him. Still, Gaines' presence spooked the hell out of Rick and we can see why. Dan knows Gaines, since he's clearly the one who made the deal to kidnap Kim. Gaines isn't a person you'd want to threaten.
Palmer contemplates telling Nicole about the allegations. Sherry doesn't want to bring it up because Nicole has been doing so well. However, if she hears this before it breaks, Palmer may be able to help her face the demons again. Palmer changes his mind when he sees how happy Nicole is about her father's chances in the primary. She'll still need to find out, but now isn't the time. No time is right in this situation though.
Jack arrives at the police station demanding that he see the suspect, but the officer in charge refuses because Penticoff killed one of their own. There's no denying Jack has undying respect for people who serve, but he should've pulled rank. This is a federal investigation, and it's not like he would let a cop killer go. Although, had they done it clean, Penticoff may have demanded immunity for help, so Jack would have to give the illusion that he was complying completely. He manages to get a few minutes with Penticoff. Since things are going so smoothly, a wrench has to be thrown in. This wrench of course is Mason, following the lead he found last episode.
Mason grills Jack about his behavior since Walsh's death. Jack asks him why he would want to take down his best and highest ranking ally. Since the mole information must remain confidential, Jack can't divulge everything. This only raises Mason's suspicions. Jack does reveal that Penticoff is somehow connected with the hit on Palmer. Mason still insists on interrogating him first.
En route to the compound, Rick beats himself up for not doing anything for Kim. Dan knows that Kim will likely be killed if she hasn't already because she saw Gaines and the guys. Throughout this season, Rick deals with his own cowardice and reluctance to admit responsibility for his actions. Unfortunately, he hasn't yet done what he thought was right and by the end of the hour, he'll pay a grave price.
For now, Kim is still alive in Gaines' backseat. He must've thought there wouldn't be much traffic at four in the morning, but he was wrong. They pull up next to a truck driver and Kim kicks the window to get the driver's attention. Gaines quickly stops that. To ensure no further problems, he throws her in his trunk. Probably would've been easier to throw her in there at first, but then again, his nonchalant "stop, please" was cool.
At the police station, Jack calls Teri. He updates her about the possible lead he has. Why didn't Teri theorize that perhaps whoever has their daughter is connected to what Jack was investigating? Perhaps we should cut her slack since we know something is wrong. Despite her crankiness that he isn't there, she must know that Jack's work must be more important than a routine meeting. He promises to be there soon, but until then, she should wait to speak to Janet.
Jack is an incredibly skillful planner. In a matter of twenty minutes, he has already devised a plan to get what he wants from Penticoff. To do this, Jack will need to gain his trust and make him believe that he will break him out of jail to help the investigation. Luckily, he won't speak to anyone but Jack. When he does, Jack tells him that everyone else is still listening in. Then he leans over and whispers something. Obviously, he wants to earn Penticoff's trust so he'll go with his plan. Penticoff and Jack start fighting and are separated, just like they wanted. The suspect demands his phone call. His call is to Jack, whose number he got during the fight. Jack needs to break him out because the people behind this are going to call him within the hour.
Jack gets another opportunity to talk to Penticoff when he sees Hampton's partner, Phillips. He appeals to Phillips' desire for his partner's death to mean something. Phillips grants Jack's request under the condition that he goes in with him. Jack accepts this offer, but when they return to the holding room, things become hostile again. He provokes Phillips and all three men wind up in a fight, just like they wanted. In the chaos, Jack steals Phillips' ID card and gives it to Penticoff, who escapes.
Palmer contacts Maureen, and they meet privately in a hotel conference room. She's still patted down as if they weren't friends before. He tries to make Maureen feel guilty about her involvement. We usually don't see this manipulative side of Palmer, but this works because he is convinced that Maureen is lying and trying to profit from it. However, this changes when he finds out her evidence. In addition to Dr. Ferragamo's testimony, she has a hospital record of a boy who came to a hospital hours after Gibson's death. He had similar injuries to Gibson and the boy's handwriting on the hospital forms matches Keith's. To save face, Palmer dismisses it, although he's sure that she's right.
This must be dealt with immediately, so Palmer wakes up his son and asks about the accident. Defensive, Keith calls his father on being too focused on his work to deal with the situation. Starting in this episode, we see more about the bad side to David Palmer the father. It becomes a vital piece of his character throughout the season and his tenure on the show. He is an honorable man, but his work has kept him away from his family and that has created distance between them. Some of their motives and secrets remain unknown to him and as he discovers them throughout this season, he has to come to terms with them.
Palmer deals with his family parallel to the Bauers. Teri tells Alan about how guilty she has been feeling since they fought over Kim's falling grades. Of course, she never wanted something like this to happen, but the fact that she said it still hurts. This isn't any different than any other parent and Alan tries to reassure her of that. At this point it seems like Alan may be more compatible for her.
This police squad must be clueless considering that the culprit of a cop killing was able to sneak out of the building unnoticed for fifteen minutes. However, it still is fun to see Jack outsmart everyone. CTU still has the upper hand as Mason uses satellite photos to identify Jack and the van he took Penticoff in. Meanwhile they're back at the phone Gaines said he would be call. Unfortunately for Nina's trace, the call is from a hidden cell phone. Jack listens in as Gaines instructs him to dispose of a body in a car's trunk. Jack assumes as we do that the body is Kim's. The last place we saw her was in the trunk because she was giving Gaines a hard time. This is a great example of the misdirection they do well.
They manage to find the car and Jack is horrified to see a dead body in the trunk. Although it is horribly mutilated, it is a man's body so Jack is relieved. Mason and the LAPD return and Jack freely gives Penticoff up (as if he would let him go). Since he has the information Penticoff had, Jack decides that he has to tell Mason the truth if he wants to continue investigating. It works and Jack is allowed to deliver the body to CTU to identify.
Here comes the scene this episode is noteworthy for. At the compound, Rick and Dan await Gaines, who arrives with Kim still in the trunk. He was considerate enough to pop it once they got there, since it must be stuffy. Dan asks for the money and Gaines demands that they be clear about what really happened to Janet. Reluctantly, Dan confesses that they didn't quite kill her. In a lesson Rick won't forget, Gaines shows them that "there's no such thing as 'sorta dead'" by shooting Dan dead. Rick was right, but his failure to act on it cost his friend's life.
Although I know, it is clear that this is just the beginning of the first payoff of season one. It's follow up, one of 24's best, overshadows this, but 4-5 AM is still an impressive piece of work. Rogue Jack is also good to see early so we can use this as a reference. This episode is most comparable to the top of a roller coaster, and you know what that means.
Score: 9/10
posted by Matt @ 4:32 AM
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