24: Season 1, Episode 6: 5:00 AM - 6:00 AM Review
5:00 AM - 6:00 AM
Original Airdate: December 18, 2001
Writer: Howard Gordon
Director: Bryan Spicer
I remember when 24 first came on amidst all the hype. At first, I didn't necessarily think it deserved a lot of the praise it received, but was still a worthwhile episode. However, after this episode, 24 became appointment television, a status it still holds today. It is a vital episode to the entire series. Lies are exposed, characters are torn away from each other and things wind up in a place where we're dying for more.
In some ways, this episode is the first of a trilogy. Culminating at the breakfast, you can tell this episode is the start of something big. In this episode, we learn that Sherry has a dark ambitious side, Jack loses all control and one character's dark side is revealed. The next episode complicates these developments and the third episode pays off this mini arc.
As the doctors frantically save a flat lining Janet, Jack calls to tell Teri that he'll be there soon. Until he does, Teri is to make sure no one comes near Janet because her life may be in danger. Teri's confused and scared as to why Janet is a target. Unfortunately, Jack can't say why. This only sends Teri's day further out of control. Unlike Jack, she doesn't know how to deal with situations like this. Of course, this uncomfortable mix of work and home life is a major part of this season.
Jack pulls into CTU and shows Nina the body he recovered in the last episode. Forensics hasn't yet arrived. Their assignment's tough since all of the identifying parts have been removed or badly mutilated. Jack leaves in a chopper to get to the hospital. He want Nina not to mention that he acquired it for personal use. All his favors have been accumulating. In only a few hours, she has put her job on the line because Jack asked her. We're leading towards a place where he'll ask for too much.
Once Jack is airborne, Tony demands to know what is happening, but Nina doesn't give him any answers. Despite all of Jack's broken protocols, she's still supporting him and willing to risk everything. She defensively tells him to back off. Things have been tense between them all night. Although Nina is dating Tony, Jack still plays a major role in her life and that doesn't sit well with Tony.
Rick sits over Dan's body, grief stricken. Gaines comes with a shovel, ordering him to bury Dan. Because of his fear, Rick now answers to a far tougher authority than his friend did. A man who doesn't care about anyone who knew someone he killed, looks down upon him and will likely kill him when the job is over. Kim realizes this, but she can't convince Rick to actively try to escape.
Following the meeting with Maureen and his son, Palmer contacts Carl for the truth. Palmer won't take any more lies, so the crafty aide admits that he did help Keith hide the Gibson death. Although he covered it up, he believed Keith when he told him that it was in self-defense. Palmer is disgusted and claims that he would've gone to the police. However, Carl believes such an action would've prevented him from even running for president. This is enough for Palmer, who orders Carl out of his life.
Before he steps out of the room, Carl drops a major bombshell. Not only did Keith and Carl keep this a secret, but so did Sherry! With this revelation, the doting wife we saw Sherry as died and the manipulative icon we grew to love was born. Palmer initially doesn't believe Carl, but when he reveals that she was the one to contact Carl for help, Palmer knows he's telling the truth. The one person Palmer believed he could trust has been lying to him for years.
Gaines and his entourage are extremely courteous mercenaries. When they kidnapped Kim, they allowed her to roam around free and help Rick bury Dan. Perhaps they had good results with free-range hostages. Anyway, Kim picks up a shovel and digs Dan's grave while Rick takes a break to smoke weed and bask in self pity. He still has a lot of work to do emotionally. Although he apologizes for what has happened, it doesn't change that it did happen. Kim sees that he needs to face this, but Rick doesn't yet.
At the hospital, Jack arrives and hugs Teri. Though it has only been five hours since they've seen each other, their lives have changed significantly since then. All of the frustration Teri had was forgotten in that moment. However, it quickly came back when Jack met "Alan" and began questioning him, accusing him of negligence as a father (even though Jack and Teri don't know much about their kid's life either.) "Alan" had been a good support for her during this difficult time and Jack's suspicion appalled him. However, we now know that Jack didn't push him enough.
Elsewhere, Palmer confronts Sherry when she gets out of the shower. He learns that even Nicole kept this a secret from the police and him. Palmer knew that Sherry was ambitious, but never to the extent that he finds out this day. Sherry even says that their marriage was based on ambition, not love as he believed. Despite this disagreement, she explains that she didn't want to send her son to prison, but her desire to be first lady is still prominent. Now, Palmer is still hesitant about what he needs to do.
This sneaky move was a good for the show. Initially, many may dismiss the original Sherry Palmer as someone the writers threw in without an idea of what her purpose would be on the show. This appears to be anything but true and the result was a phenomenon. Having Sherry and David's philosophies play off each other was great too see.
Last episode featured Teri telling "Alan" about her problems with her daughter. This week we see Kim's side, and both women are in similar mindsets. Despite all their problems they've had, this situation has made them want nothing more than to be together. Like "Alan" to Teri, Rick has been supportive to Kim during this ordeal. Only "Alan" was pretending to be unaware of the escalating circumstances, whereas Rick passively let it happen. Regardless, she still believes that Rick wants to escape as badly as she does.
Gaines interrupts the digging and demands that Kim come with him. He doesn't say why, but he advises that she "leave the shovel unless [she] plans on using it on [him]." Defiantly, she jams the shovel into the ground. Of course, she will be used to blackmail Jack to do Gaines' bidding. Looking at this episode again, we can theorize that "Alan" provided Gaines with his opportunity to take control by alerting him to Jack's pressence. Though having all these pieces fall in place where their plan can't waver an inch is hard to believe, it makes the writing more complex.
Jack calls about the body, who is still unknown. In the next room, Teri apologizes to "Alan" about Jack's behavior. He shrugs it off, but deep down he's thinking that he hopes that Jack doesn't find out his secret. That questioning earlier could've blown their operation.
With everything happening, including Jack attacking a MacGuffin, he couldn't keep the truth from Teri any longer. He takes her to a private area and tells her about Palmer and that this threat is connected to Kim's disappearance. Jack believes that she's gone because someone knows Jack is assigned to protect him. Of course, there is more to it than this, but this summary is a good set up for what we'll learn later.
It's a great scene because it is a rare instance where Jack shows uncertainty and fear. Usually Jack is in control and keeps his emotions to himself, but this situation is too much for him. All he's done to keep his family away from his work hasn't been enough for him. For a powerful man like Jack to be powerless is his weakness. At the end of the episode, Jack loses all control as Gaines exerts his will over him.
Nina takes Jamey off the keycard, which will be handed to Milo, an outside contractor brought in to help. Nina claims that she is needed to help identify who the John Doe is, but it sounds weird that she would assign a data analyst for a forensics case, it works. They find a special orthopedic device that can be traced to the surgeon who implanted it. Such a discovery will let them find out whom it belonged to by the end of the episode, providing a great surprise.
Because everyone in his family covered up Gibson's death, Palmer can only confide in Mike Novick, his Chief of Staff. Unfortunately, his outlook isn't good. The story will be saturated in the media and the spin will destroy his career and family. However, if he deals with this properly, he can salvage his shot at the White House. That entails coming forward before the media does, and having his family by his side. In only a few hours, he needs to reconcile this sudden betrayal at least enough for the media.
Janet is expected to make a full recovery, the doctor tells them, so Jack asks the doctor if he could ask her a few questions about where Kim is. Of course, with Jack so close to the truth, he must be untimely ripped from it. Before he gets to see her, he gets a phone call. He thinks it's Nina; it's Gaines. Now things are getting really interesting. Using Kim, he gets Jack to get away from Teri, leaving her confused as to what is happening yet again.
If that wasn't enough of a satisfying development, we're taken upstairs to ICU where "Alan" is about to see "his daughter". He manages to convince the nurse to allow him to see her alone. He enters the poorly lit room to find a groggy Janet. At first, he appears sympathetic, until we hear Janet mumble some revealing words: "Who are you? Where's my father?" Jaws drop, profanities are shouted. "Alan" caresses her face and proceeds to calmly suffocate her. It's more cold-blooded and fitting this way. This is business to him.
Meanwhile, Jack follows Gaines' instructions, leading him to the parking lot and a planted car. In the car is an earpiece that Jack will now use to receive instructions from Gaines. His next instruction: drive to CTU. Speculation certainly can run crazy as to what Gaines wants Jack to do at CTU. His high ranking offers many opportunities for Gaines to exploit. Whatever Palmer's would be assassins want, Jack plays a role in their plan.
After Kim is used to coerce Jack to obey Gaines' instructions, she's taken back to see Rick start burying his friend. Before he drops the first load of dirt, he apologizes for what has happened. Spending this hour has given him plenty of time to think about what his inaction has cost him. Kim tries to ease Rick's worries by telling him that her father is coming.
"Alan" manages to get Teri out of the hospital on the lie that Janet told him where Kim was. Her calls to Jack have gone unanswered due to him disposing of his phone at Gaines' demand. Nina can't reach Jack either, so she calls Teri with the John Doe's identity. Alone in the car with him, Teri discovers that the real Alan York is dead and an unknown man has been with her all along. This vital twist is a great topper for a great episode.
Man, this was good stuff. The shocking development that Alan York isn't who he claimed he was provided a great standard for shocking twists yet to come in the show. Also, this episode was the first glimpse of Sherry Palmer as we know her. It may be slower paced than previous episodes, but it allows more time for character and story development and this episode had plenty. When the clock ticks 6, you need to see what happens next, which is what you want out of 24.
Writer: Howard Gordon
Director: Bryan Spicer
I remember when 24 first came on amidst all the hype. At first, I didn't necessarily think it deserved a lot of the praise it received, but was still a worthwhile episode. However, after this episode, 24 became appointment television, a status it still holds today. It is a vital episode to the entire series. Lies are exposed, characters are torn away from each other and things wind up in a place where we're dying for more.
In some ways, this episode is the first of a trilogy. Culminating at the breakfast, you can tell this episode is the start of something big. In this episode, we learn that Sherry has a dark ambitious side, Jack loses all control and one character's dark side is revealed. The next episode complicates these developments and the third episode pays off this mini arc.
As the doctors frantically save a flat lining Janet, Jack calls to tell Teri that he'll be there soon. Until he does, Teri is to make sure no one comes near Janet because her life may be in danger. Teri's confused and scared as to why Janet is a target. Unfortunately, Jack can't say why. This only sends Teri's day further out of control. Unlike Jack, she doesn't know how to deal with situations like this. Of course, this uncomfortable mix of work and home life is a major part of this season.
Jack pulls into CTU and shows Nina the body he recovered in the last episode. Forensics hasn't yet arrived. Their assignment's tough since all of the identifying parts have been removed or badly mutilated. Jack leaves in a chopper to get to the hospital. He want Nina not to mention that he acquired it for personal use. All his favors have been accumulating. In only a few hours, she has put her job on the line because Jack asked her. We're leading towards a place where he'll ask for too much.
Once Jack is airborne, Tony demands to know what is happening, but Nina doesn't give him any answers. Despite all of Jack's broken protocols, she's still supporting him and willing to risk everything. She defensively tells him to back off. Things have been tense between them all night. Although Nina is dating Tony, Jack still plays a major role in her life and that doesn't sit well with Tony.
Rick sits over Dan's body, grief stricken. Gaines comes with a shovel, ordering him to bury Dan. Because of his fear, Rick now answers to a far tougher authority than his friend did. A man who doesn't care about anyone who knew someone he killed, looks down upon him and will likely kill him when the job is over. Kim realizes this, but she can't convince Rick to actively try to escape.
Following the meeting with Maureen and his son, Palmer contacts Carl for the truth. Palmer won't take any more lies, so the crafty aide admits that he did help Keith hide the Gibson death. Although he covered it up, he believed Keith when he told him that it was in self-defense. Palmer is disgusted and claims that he would've gone to the police. However, Carl believes such an action would've prevented him from even running for president. This is enough for Palmer, who orders Carl out of his life.
Before he steps out of the room, Carl drops a major bombshell. Not only did Keith and Carl keep this a secret, but so did Sherry! With this revelation, the doting wife we saw Sherry as died and the manipulative icon we grew to love was born. Palmer initially doesn't believe Carl, but when he reveals that she was the one to contact Carl for help, Palmer knows he's telling the truth. The one person Palmer believed he could trust has been lying to him for years.
Gaines and his entourage are extremely courteous mercenaries. When they kidnapped Kim, they allowed her to roam around free and help Rick bury Dan. Perhaps they had good results with free-range hostages. Anyway, Kim picks up a shovel and digs Dan's grave while Rick takes a break to smoke weed and bask in self pity. He still has a lot of work to do emotionally. Although he apologizes for what has happened, it doesn't change that it did happen. Kim sees that he needs to face this, but Rick doesn't yet.
At the hospital, Jack arrives and hugs Teri. Though it has only been five hours since they've seen each other, their lives have changed significantly since then. All of the frustration Teri had was forgotten in that moment. However, it quickly came back when Jack met "Alan" and began questioning him, accusing him of negligence as a father (even though Jack and Teri don't know much about their kid's life either.) "Alan" had been a good support for her during this difficult time and Jack's suspicion appalled him. However, we now know that Jack didn't push him enough.
Elsewhere, Palmer confronts Sherry when she gets out of the shower. He learns that even Nicole kept this a secret from the police and him. Palmer knew that Sherry was ambitious, but never to the extent that he finds out this day. Sherry even says that their marriage was based on ambition, not love as he believed. Despite this disagreement, she explains that she didn't want to send her son to prison, but her desire to be first lady is still prominent. Now, Palmer is still hesitant about what he needs to do.
This sneaky move was a good for the show. Initially, many may dismiss the original Sherry Palmer as someone the writers threw in without an idea of what her purpose would be on the show. This appears to be anything but true and the result was a phenomenon. Having Sherry and David's philosophies play off each other was great too see.
Last episode featured Teri telling "Alan" about her problems with her daughter. This week we see Kim's side, and both women are in similar mindsets. Despite all their problems they've had, this situation has made them want nothing more than to be together. Like "Alan" to Teri, Rick has been supportive to Kim during this ordeal. Only "Alan" was pretending to be unaware of the escalating circumstances, whereas Rick passively let it happen. Regardless, she still believes that Rick wants to escape as badly as she does.
Gaines interrupts the digging and demands that Kim come with him. He doesn't say why, but he advises that she "leave the shovel unless [she] plans on using it on [him]." Defiantly, she jams the shovel into the ground. Of course, she will be used to blackmail Jack to do Gaines' bidding. Looking at this episode again, we can theorize that "Alan" provided Gaines with his opportunity to take control by alerting him to Jack's pressence. Though having all these pieces fall in place where their plan can't waver an inch is hard to believe, it makes the writing more complex.
Jack calls about the body, who is still unknown. In the next room, Teri apologizes to "Alan" about Jack's behavior. He shrugs it off, but deep down he's thinking that he hopes that Jack doesn't find out his secret. That questioning earlier could've blown their operation.
With everything happening, including Jack attacking a MacGuffin, he couldn't keep the truth from Teri any longer. He takes her to a private area and tells her about Palmer and that this threat is connected to Kim's disappearance. Jack believes that she's gone because someone knows Jack is assigned to protect him. Of course, there is more to it than this, but this summary is a good set up for what we'll learn later.
It's a great scene because it is a rare instance where Jack shows uncertainty and fear. Usually Jack is in control and keeps his emotions to himself, but this situation is too much for him. All he's done to keep his family away from his work hasn't been enough for him. For a powerful man like Jack to be powerless is his weakness. At the end of the episode, Jack loses all control as Gaines exerts his will over him.
Nina takes Jamey off the keycard, which will be handed to Milo, an outside contractor brought in to help. Nina claims that she is needed to help identify who the John Doe is, but it sounds weird that she would assign a data analyst for a forensics case, it works. They find a special orthopedic device that can be traced to the surgeon who implanted it. Such a discovery will let them find out whom it belonged to by the end of the episode, providing a great surprise.
Because everyone in his family covered up Gibson's death, Palmer can only confide in Mike Novick, his Chief of Staff. Unfortunately, his outlook isn't good. The story will be saturated in the media and the spin will destroy his career and family. However, if he deals with this properly, he can salvage his shot at the White House. That entails coming forward before the media does, and having his family by his side. In only a few hours, he needs to reconcile this sudden betrayal at least enough for the media.
Janet is expected to make a full recovery, the doctor tells them, so Jack asks the doctor if he could ask her a few questions about where Kim is. Of course, with Jack so close to the truth, he must be untimely ripped from it. Before he gets to see her, he gets a phone call. He thinks it's Nina; it's Gaines. Now things are getting really interesting. Using Kim, he gets Jack to get away from Teri, leaving her confused as to what is happening yet again.
If that wasn't enough of a satisfying development, we're taken upstairs to ICU where "Alan" is about to see "his daughter". He manages to convince the nurse to allow him to see her alone. He enters the poorly lit room to find a groggy Janet. At first, he appears sympathetic, until we hear Janet mumble some revealing words: "Who are you? Where's my father?" Jaws drop, profanities are shouted. "Alan" caresses her face and proceeds to calmly suffocate her. It's more cold-blooded and fitting this way. This is business to him.
Meanwhile, Jack follows Gaines' instructions, leading him to the parking lot and a planted car. In the car is an earpiece that Jack will now use to receive instructions from Gaines. His next instruction: drive to CTU. Speculation certainly can run crazy as to what Gaines wants Jack to do at CTU. His high ranking offers many opportunities for Gaines to exploit. Whatever Palmer's would be assassins want, Jack plays a role in their plan.
After Kim is used to coerce Jack to obey Gaines' instructions, she's taken back to see Rick start burying his friend. Before he drops the first load of dirt, he apologizes for what has happened. Spending this hour has given him plenty of time to think about what his inaction has cost him. Kim tries to ease Rick's worries by telling him that her father is coming.
"Alan" manages to get Teri out of the hospital on the lie that Janet told him where Kim was. Her calls to Jack have gone unanswered due to him disposing of his phone at Gaines' demand. Nina can't reach Jack either, so she calls Teri with the John Doe's identity. Alone in the car with him, Teri discovers that the real Alan York is dead and an unknown man has been with her all along. This vital twist is a great topper for a great episode.
Man, this was good stuff. The shocking development that Alan York isn't who he claimed he was provided a great standard for shocking twists yet to come in the show. Also, this episode was the first glimpse of Sherry Palmer as we know her. It may be slower paced than previous episodes, but it allows more time for character and story development and this episode had plenty. When the clock ticks 6, you need to see what happens next, which is what you want out of 24.
Score: 10/10
posted by Matt @ 1:43 AM
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