24: Season 5, Episode 9: Day 5: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Review

Day 5: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Original Airdate: February 20, 2006
Writers: David Fury and Howard Gordon
Director: Tom Iacofano

While some enjoyed this episode, others felt that this episode was the beginning of the mid season slump, a typical and unfortunate part of 24's writers to plan arcs in advance. I'm not willing to call it a slump since I did enjoy this episode because of the love to hate attitude I have toward Lynn and Logan. However, I will concede that there a few things wrong with the writing that may make me declare a slump in the future.

In a previous review, I wrote that it was difficult to believe that Erwich was the master of this plan. Now it is clear why: he was never the one in charge and he stupidly overstepped his boundaries. It does explain why he wasn't on top of the changing mission as he should've. It could be the product of the writers making the show up as they go along, but why didn't Erwich call Bierko to formulate plan B?

Bierko (Julian Sands) reminds me physically of Gaines from season one. He does have a similarly ruthless nature, shown as he guts Erwich within the first minutes on screen. Although he wants to attack Russia by way of assassinating Suvarov, he ultimately wants to return to Russia to use the nerve gas in Moscow. He will want Logan to facilitate them ignoring their departure from LA, which is surprisingly absent from their phone conversation. Logan putting his foot down is likely going to cause Bierko to go for Erwich's plan, making Erwich's death ironic.

One thing that felt weird was that it took the terrorists two hours to get to Nathanson's hideout of doom. It is a considerable head start for their loose threads. However, this fit the narrative better (not the first time "24" has taken liberties with the real time format) so Jack would be available to pursue this lead. Why no one at CTU (except Lynn) even mentioned tracking Nathanson in the two hours between is beyond me.

Nathanson's call to Jack serves as the catalyst for CTU's drama. Jack rogue is always fun, and Lynn being cranky makes it better. While Lynn is wasting time, Jack manages to get a significant lead, something that helps explain how the nerve gas was made and how it fell into the terrorists' hands. It also has an unknown connection to Jack's past, which makes Jack's involvement necessary again.

He also brings up another mole storyline. It would make sense that there would be more people involved in this conspiracy besides Walt, Nathanson and Spenser. Considering what happened to the man at Nathanson's hideout and the guy Nathanson called after bailing from the hideout of doom, the other mole is likely going to face similar pursuits from Bierko's men.

Lynn and Logan are closely competing for most annoying character on 24, not that they don't make for good drama. Lynn's first mistake is following orders from the useless Logan. Second is his inability to keep his private business that. Earlier, I've mentioned that this behavior was caused by his fight earlier. Lynn is the kid at school who is endlessly frustrated that he isn't cool that when he gets some power he seeks to make everyone else miserable. Lynn is more interested in getting the Jack, who happens to be following a lead, and his associates in trouble than following the break Jack gives them. Hopefully, Audrey will call up Heller (who apparently kept his job when the power shifted) to get CTU back in shape. Since William Devane is on "Crumbs" now, I wonder how much of a role he'll play if or when he returns.

One confusing thing is why Audrey didn't alert anyone at CTU to Nathanson's phone call. She doesn't know that anyone else in the government was conspiring with Nathanson's men. Yes, Lynn is giving everyone a hard time, but maybe learning that there is a lead would make him less cranky over being beaten. She was making it far worse for herself, especially when she got Chloe to erase all the phone logs from her station. Although she knows Jack, she didn't suggest that he go rogue or anything else.

Whatever Dwayne wants out of this keycard, it can't be good. The first theory would be that he is working with the Russians and getting involved with Jenny was a part of the plan. It wouldn't be surprising if Lynn's troubled sister wasn't in his file. The second would be that Dwayne is just trouble and will barge in at an inopportune moment. I hope that this isn't the case, but is the most probable.

There are certain comparisons to Palmer's situation with Saunders in season three (interesting how many parallels to season three there have been) to Logan's situation with Bierko. However, Palmer backed into Saunders' demands because he was backed into a corner, but eventually yielded. Logan is weak, however, and can't stand up to Bierko. We saw that when Bierko called them and Logan all but told Novick to tell Bierko he was in the shower.

Logan's weakness also stands to void the treaty he signed five hours earlier. When the terminal crisis was underway, all Logan could think about was how this was going to blemish his administration and the accord he would sign. Now he is willing to do something much worse. Even explaining that the terrorists were holding the US hostage with the nerve gas, it wouldn't justify Logan aiding terrorists in assassinating a head of state. While releasing the nerve gas would cause huge casualties, aiding the terrorists would trigger an international crisis that would make the Chinese problem last season insignificant.

Again, we're given another reason to love Martha. Considering Logan is too much of a coward to stand up to the terrorists, Martha has to give Logan enough motivation to rethink his decision. Luckily, she is able to do this without creating a scene or giving the terrorists' notice. This plan does make me worry about our beloved Pierce because he is only a guest actor and they seem to be eager to kill off characters this season.

While this episode is enjoyable, some flaws are apparent upon a second viewing. Considering how little Jack appears, this script could've gone through some last minute rewrites before or during filming. If this is the case, the last minute tweaking didn't bother me enough to hinder my rating significantly.

Score: 7/10

24: Season 5, Episode 8: Day 5: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Review

Day 5: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Original Airdate: February 13, 2006
Writers: Evan Katz and Robert Cochran
Director: Brad Turner

After last week's episode, which a bit sluggish, this one was a much more welcome installment. Although both dealt with the issue of whether it is right to do morally questionable things for the greater good, this one felt more focused and is a good stepping stone for the showdown with this nerve gas, which must be coming soon. It didn't suffer from lame side stories, like Lynn's sister, which is addressed quickly, even if that means we'll have to deal with it later.

If Lynn's impromptu beat down did anything, it made him cranky. He is flexing his district muscle a lot more, in an effort to prove himself as effective. Perhaps his insistence on letting the terrorists release the nerve gas is a way for him to unleash that frustration at being rendered helpless less than an hour earlier. Only we know what happened, but that will likely be revealed soon.

It would've been funny if they had a scene with Lynn impatiently waiting outside CTU's entrance for someone to let him in while trying not to look suspicious because he lost his ID card, but instead he gets back in easily. No one asks why he looks disheveled, something more noticeable on repeat viewings.

The central problem of this episode is a common one for "24": how many need to be sacrificed to prevent a larger scale slaughter? How many casualties are acceptable? In addition, is there a way they can avoid loss of life and still be able to avert the attack? "24" has answered that question several different ways during its run, most notably with the Saunders situation at the end of season three. It is even more important now as they have this single lead to use, although they are forgetting one that I mentioned in the previous review.

Though Lynn and Buchanan believe that this would help, Jack and Audrey don't. Although following this canister lead is the best lead they have, there is no guarantee that the tracker on the remote will lead them to Erwich or the other nineteen canisters, which could easily be en route to their new target if not there already. It is a huge gamble, and Audrey can't use the lives of the people in the mall as collateral.

It's not surprising that Jack disobeyed Logan's order to allow the terrorists to release the nerve gas. While Jack is willing to help avert the crisis, he doesn't respect Logan the way he respected Palmer. Seeing how he reacted after discovering Walt's deception alerted Jack to Logan's inability to lead. Logan wasn't much to offer help during the warhead or hostage situations, so Jack would logically defy Logan when he had an order. Also, considering they know how to activate the canisters on site, the remote activation lead is moot.

The release of the canisters is a lighter version of the hotel saga from season three because only a small portion of the people succumbs to it. It also gives Jack an opportunity for some heroism. Because there were no puppies or little old ladies nearby, he saves a little girl from the nerve gas. This is worth noting since they don't go for these moments on 24. He has helped civilians before, but not to the degree where some may cry manipulative.

What surprises me is how long it took Erwich to realize that CTU is onto their mission. Only two hours earlier, he learned that Walt was going to betray them. In this episode, he arranges the meeting with Jack as Rossler with Jack only saying one quick word and only suspects something when Jack surprises Pulakov and the other henchman. Considering Walt was a high ranking government official and the fact that his operation has been changed at the last moment, it seems sloppy of him not to be aware of potential government intervention.

Logan reverts to being a little twerp. Walt's suicide gave him the opportunity to escape from a potentially long and embarrassing trial, something that would damage his much coveted legacy. Of course, it fits his character to take this route, and it still sets Logan up for a more tragic fall. Although they hope the potential scandal would die with Walt, it won't be that easy.

Logan's plan relies heavily on CTU's ability to keep the Russian threat under control. Since this is only the third way point, this attempt to cover up will cause considerable fall out, and that will be interesting to see. Martha warned Logan that the public wouldn't forgive him if he lied, so this statement about Walt's "heroism" is irrevocable. Evelyn knows the truth, and considering her job performance, this should be on every major news outlet before the evening news comes on.

When Martha confronts Logan with the lie, he manipulates her by trying to get her to tell Walt's widow the truth about her husband. We're rooting for Martha to do the right thing, but Logan's request is kicking Mrs. Cummings when she's down and we can understand why she wouldn't want to go there. Thankfully, Martha doesn't lie, but it isn't entirely the truth: Walt claim of patriotism is what got him in bed with terrorists, who in turn set forth to attack America. Logan's decision also cuts down the hour he spent with her trying to work on remedying the situation, further splitting these two. You have to wonder if Novick is comparing the Logans to the Palmers.

This episode moves a lot faster than the predecessor. The moral question of CTU's actions remains a strong part of this season and we see that dilemma over "the greater good" paralleled with Logan's storyline. I'm not sure what to expect after the nerve gas problem is solved, but I like 24 that way.

Score: 8/10

24: Season 5, Episode 7: Day 5: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Review

Day 5: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Original Airdate: February 6, 2006
Writer: Manny Coto
Director: Brad Turner

Unfortunately, as 24 isn't planned extensively in advance, we have episodes that don't add much to the plot, essentially setting up the next big pay off. Such episodes are transitional, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Most of the storylines this episode are fine. However, they find themselves stuck using a lame plot device for some unknown reason. There are some cracks evident in this episode, but nothing too crippling, which isn't hindering this season yet.

As they talked about the ramifications of Jack's survival in the last episode, it makes sense that they would explore how this would affect Kim. Jack is right to keep Kim unaware of it because she shouldn't have to deal with the loss again. However, mentioning how much Jack wants to keep his faked death a secret from his daughter is obviously setting us up for Kim finding out in the least comfortable and appropriate way possible.

Having Kim on his mind sets us up for the raid on Rossler's penthouse suite and the discovery of Rossler's sex slave, an underage girl named Inessa. They teased at a surprise behind Rossler's bed both on the show and in the previews, making some fans believe it was someone we know. Thankfully the woman behind the bed wasn’t Mandy, because that would’ve been too obvious, or Kim, because that would've been too absurd even for 24. Instead, it is something unexpected and sleazy, which revolts Jack beyond words and places him in an unusual position.

It starts when Rossler remains tight lipped despite the torture, and Jack is forced to put that poor girl in a situation where she has to be near that scumbag, even though Jack would intercept Rossler once he served his use. Jack clearly despises Rossler for what he has done to Inessa, and that adds to the savagery of his torture, evidenced in his line "you're gonna wish you felt this good again" after Jack jabbed Rossler's fresh bullet wound.

What I do wonder is why Jack didn’t assure Inessa that he would make sure that Rossler would never get away with her. We know how Jack wouldn’t do that to an innocent person. In season two, when Wallace demanded Kate go with him, Jack had a tracking chip so they could track him and make sure she never got away with him (not that that mattered with the following gunfight). All of this is to get Inessa to gun down Rossler, destroying the one link they had since they apparently aren't too concerned with Nathanson anymore and to make Jack's return to obscurity harder to do.

Nathanson's role, now that Cummings has been exposed, should've been explored more in this episode. Since Cummings no longer has anything useful to offer the investigation, wouldn't it be fitting that they aggressively pursue where Nathanson is? Nathanson actively contacted the terrorists so he would've been CTU's closest connection to the nerve gas before Erwin contacted Rossler. All Walt says is that Nathanson went dark and that is that. It leaves something to be desired, even if CTU finds Nathanson's body in that black void he operated.

Unfortunately, we’re stuck with another side story that doesn’t add to the plot; Lynn’s encounter with his sister Jenny whose male friend mugs him. What is this doing here? Every season has their share of lame plotlines (Michelle and Carrie fighting, Chase’s baby, Maya Driscoll, etc.), but it doesn’t make it any easier when they pop up (and somehow we're never prepared for them). I thought Lynn’s storyline was fine with the generation gap between him and Buchanan. Perhaps this will pay off later, but like many of these subplots, it doesn’t fit in well with the rest of the show.

Apparently, the rest of Spenser's storyline wasn't about his guilt at helping a sociopath connected to terrorists as much as it was another step in the Edgar/Chloe dynamic. However, Edgar getting a kick out of Chloe turning Spenser away was a highlight of the episode. Edgar and Chloe are the new Tony and Michelle.

Initially, Logan is willing to accept responsibility for his actions, but during the hour, he learns that coming clean won't be as easy as he thought. We can see why Martha was friends with David Palmer; coming clean to the media is exactly what Palmer would do. Logan didn’t do anything wrong, but he would be if he tried to cover up the truth. However, when Walt commits suicide, the situation becomes more complicated. Such a shock may cause Logan to revert to his old ways instead of finding redemption. It'll be tough to explain the death of his chief of staff, much less keep it concealed for long. Logan's situation now places him in a situation where the need to confront this issue is extremely important.

Who hasn't wanted to slap Logan at some point during his tenure on 24? Thankfully, Martha is now able to prove that she is a capable member of Logan's inner circle. Both she and Novick can give Logan the Cliff's Notes on David Palmer and what it takes to be a great leader. We can only hope that she'll steer him in the right place now that they have to deal with Walt's suicide.

As custom with traditional episodes, the characters are usually doing something that could be contained in an act or so, an odd change from last week's charged episode. For our terrorists, they spend it coercing a hapless mechanic to cut open the canisters so they can reset the detonators or something (poor Cal; you have to feel bad for the civilians who are caught in the crisis on 24). Why didn't Erwin find out how to reverse what Schaeffer did from Schaeffer before they killed him? He was at Erwin's mercy before he died, it could've been easy to find out, if there was a way.

Having Erwin take on the role of head baddie feels a little awkward to me. This stems from when we first saw him, as the plant among the hostages in the airport terminal. Had the airport terminal situation not played out in his favor, the operation would've lost their leader. He may be willing to die once their attack is done, but to die before they can achieve their endgame doesn't feel right.

This episode is a typical transitional episode, a showing of the shortcomings the show has with the real time format. While it helps create suspense and intensity, when they make mistakes with storylines, they have to stick with them and write their way out of it. However, I have been enjoying this season a lot to cut the show a little slack (see my rating). In addition, they're heading towards something big soon because of the terrorists have almost everything they need to release the canisters in America. I hope that this episode earned the grade I'm giving it.

Score: 7/10

Show notes: 3X3

Season 3, Episode 3: "I've Lost My Show"

Well wasn't that an interesting show last week? Adam, our former GM called up and totally derailed the show, but it was still fun. Usually when I get callers they are other members of SCAN who sneak out of the room. This one caught us all by surprise. Other than that we talked about the Super Bowl, including my vivid reenactment of the robot and lizard having sex. I've seen other shows, primarily podcasts, do this before, so here are the first ever show notes, with links to various things we discussed/featured.

1. Watch All the Super Bowl Ads
2. Prince Shreds on SNL
3. PLUM-TV (Nantucket Cable Access)
4. Dave Chappelle on Oprah
5. Wikipedia on Sweeps
6. Sample IMDB page, recently modified to better accomodate TV shows
7. DVD Pick of the week: Chappelle's Show on DVD (Season 1) (Season 2)

Birthday!

Hi Everyone (assuming anyone read this),

It is my 22nd birthday, and I'm spending it the way everyone would spend their birthday, hanging out online blogging. Where is everybody? Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes, I appreciate them all.

Well I have been busy with school, but still I'm trying to crank out my reviews. We're expecting a blizzard so hopefully I'll have 24's "Day 5: 1-2 PM" done by Monday night and Lost's "The Long Con" by Wednesday.

Also, I have been listening to Harvey Danger's new album "Little By Little". It's really good stuff. The best part is that they are offering it for free. You can download it here.

That's about it. I'll see you later.

Matty

24: Season 5, Episode 6: Day 5: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Review

Day 5: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Original Airdate: January 30, 2006
Writer: David Fury
Director: Jon Cassar

Having David Fury on the show certainly adds to the artistic integrity of the show. With experience on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and the first season of Lost, he knows how to build seasonal arcs along with character development, both important to the show. Some may worry since those other shows were much more fantasy than 24. However, 24 is an escapist fantasy as well, except they don’t have monsters or fictional creatures. His influence on the show has been apparent in these first five episodes, as the show’s dialogue and character development has improved immensely. Now we have his first credited script, and he certainly put a brick on the gas pedal with this one.

Walt’s end game wasn’t quite as nefarious as initially speculated, which works a lot better. 24 couldn’t pull off Walt having some secret Russian lineage like Alias could. In the end, why he did it is similar to Spenser’s reason. Unfortunately, Walt is a sociopath who hides behind the flag. Walt’s lack of moral integrity, along with the fact that he wasn’t smart enough to play this chess game with the terrorists, opens a new problem for everyone. Many wondered where this season was heading as the end game didn’t concern America, now we know.

Although Walt’s explanation to Logan made sense, there had to be more to it than that. It would be rather anti-climactic to have him as a mole since the second episode only to have him reveal it easily. There was no way they’d let the man responsible for Palmer’s death get off like that. They don’t, as his treason makes the terrorists turn the tables on him and America.

Seeing Schaeffer “checking” on the cases raised suspicions to what was really going on, and Walt lets us know that this is a part of their plan, to get the nerve gas to the terrorist camp and release it, killing all the terrorists and exposing them as having weapons of mass destruction. This sting operation draws comparisons to Jack’s infiltration of the drug cartel in season three. There were obvious moral problems with both, but this one was obviously worse. Jack’s plan didn’t entail flat out killing innocent people. Cummings’ plan is responsible for eight deaths in the first five hours alone: Palmer, Michelle, five people at the airport and the doctor at CTU.

Walt’s scheme parallels Kingsley’s from season two. Conservatives may moan over this as being “too liberal”, but then again, they must remember all the conservative friendly stuff from last season and we can’t forget Jack’s threat to gouge out Walt’s eyes and continue to mutilate him until he gave him what he wanted to know right in front of the president, which the audience cheered for.

Logan’s character is poised for an interesting arc this year. Palmer’s final words to him (“See no evil”) were awfully prophetic, and they have finally caught up to him. Thanks to his blind eye, his chief of staff conspired with terrorists and as a result, the terrorists have the US in their cross hairs. While he needs to forgive himself and deal with the current situation, it is truer for his character, who has focused more on how the future will see him rather than the present.

We still love Martha, even if her running away in the last episode wasn’t nearly as big a story point as we may have believed. She is finally vindicated, but the news isn’t as sweet as it should be. The price of this situation is the state of her marriage. It is in shambles, no matter how much he tries to gloss over his lack of trust earlier. Logan didn’t help either by not visiting her before she left for the institution. There are certainly similarities between this marriage and David and Sherry’s, which fell apart due to lack of trust. Is there any chance that this marriage can be saved?

Aaron rocks! He has had a decent sized following among 24 fans because of his loyalty to Palmer, and this episode let him shine. His involvement, along with Novick’s, helps Jack get to Walt without having the situation be too contrived or over the top. Aaron is a man of loyalty and honor, so it is fitting that he would break his protocols for Palmer, and accept responsibility when it was over. I loved when he put his badge and gun on the table with Jack! They had to be bluffing, because that makes it so much cooler.

After hinting at it since the premiere, they addressed the reason why Jack went into hiding and how they’ll deal with it when the crisis is over. It would be very bad if they had Jack go back to living an ordinary life as if the Chinese incident never happened. This certainly brings to question Jack’s fate when 24 ends, if he doesn’t die. Since 24 is coming back for season six (the renewal came out last spring), what are they going to do that will bring Jack out of hiding next year? Is there any way the Chinese would grant him clemency (24’s done less absurd)? They still have eighteen episodes to explore this issue, which will be important one for a while.

Buchanan and Lynn’s relationship hits a new point as Buchanan makes an unprofessional snap at Lynn’s age and its affect on his performance. This is likely to continue to be an issue throughout the season, as it was indicated when Lynn came on the show. Jack’s return must’ve influenced CTU’s decision to continue with their investigation despite White House orders otherwise. Considering the assumptions they were operating under, this rule breaking is fitting.

Audrey needs to learn about timing. Learning that Jack still loved you is a big deal after the revelation that he is still alive, but why couldn’t she wait until after he was through with his mission to deal with the on going issues? Also, she must realize that they can’t be together unless she wants to give up everything and go into hiding with him. The Chinese will want justice and the faking of Jack’s death would likely lead to an international incident.

This was one of the most satisfying transitional episodes in a long time. With the plot in overdrive, 24 is a blast to watch. Although I'm not at the stage of many of my friends who gushed about how good this episode was, it was still a well made, fun episode with many good character moments, especially from the beloved Aaron Pierce and Martha.

Score: 8/10

Lost: Season 2, Episode 12: Fire + Water Review

Fire + Water
Original Airdate: January 25, 2006
Writers: Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis
Director: Jack Bender

Many people dumped on this episode for three primary reasons: the overall story of the island wasn’t advanced, they didn’t care much for Charlie, or both. I'm on the side for the episode. While there wasn’t progression of the mythology like the last two episodes, the character development as well as the allusions made it worthwhile and could be an interesting episode to watch again once these storylines have played out further.

We’re given a glimpse into Charlie’s childhood, even if it is a dream. Like the typical English rock star story, Charlie grew up in a working class family. Like Jack, Charlie has a desire to save people, in Charlie’s case it is to use his musical talents to raise his family from their modest origins.

For consistency, Charlie has daddy issues too. His are Jazz Singer-esque (a dad disproving of his son’s choice to become an entertainer, but this time the dad’s a butcher). His dad is a scary, faceless human, slamming the cleaver on the meat and the doll’s head (a reference to The Beatles “Yesterday and Today” album). It makes you wonder what the full story is.

This episode highlights how Liam was the screw up and Charlie was the one everyone counted on (as indicated when Charlie got a piano and Liam just got toys). Liam was busy getting high while his hot wife was giving birth, he gets them fired from a diaper commercial (which itself was embarrassing enough) and asks for drugs when Charlie has a new song. Charlie tries constantly to help his brother, but ultimately the choice comes to Liam, who wants to clean his act enough to save his new family. Unfortunately, Charlie’s need to save people leaves him alone, much like it does on the island when Claire decides to save Aaron.

Could Charlie be infected with the sickness Rousseau told Sayid about? She told him that it hit her group two months in, a milestone the Lost castaways are quickly approaching and Charlie’s behavior could be one of the unmentioned symptoms. This obsession with saving someone is similar to Michael’s and Shannon’s regarding Walt, both of whom may have been sick. However, it could undercut the character development in this episode if it could be written off as the sickness.

Thankfully, they didn’t resort to the cliché storyline of the addict who plunges into his addiction worse than ever. Charlie’s fall from grace in this episode is far more interesting. He’s driven to the point where he starts a fire to steal Aaron and baptize him (did he really think that would work?) It’s rather shocking and makes us rethink where Charlie is going.

Charlie does have some right to be mad at everyone who doesn’t believe him. Many people have had visions of things on the island, including Locke spotting Eko’s plane and Claire’s worries about her baby, but no one believes Charlie. The drugs are the central reason why, but Charlie doesn’t appear to be using.

What is most surprising about this episode is how aggressively Locke reacts to Charlie’s behavior. Locke had a history of anger as we saw in “Orientation”, but like Sun, we had never seen him lose his temper, until now. This episode shows a side of Locke we haven’t seen since early in the first season, one who we suspected could be evil. It is strange that despite Locke’s emphasis on faith, he isn’t willing to forgive Charlie, unlike Eko, whose spirituality must allow forgiveness considering his past. Perhaps Locke has a history with addiction, something that affected him personally.

He has gotten much closer to Claire (who hasn’t looked better) and her baby this season, but it was apparent back in season one when he made a crib for Aaron. Locke is a father/uncle figure to Aaron and we can see why Claire finds him good to be around, but we must ask why Locke is so interested. It may be similar to how he befriended Walt and the possibilities he has on this island.

Aaron’s place in the mythology has been largely unexplored since “Raised by Another” last season. From that episode, it appeared that Aaron’s upbringing was scary enough to have the psychic arrange for Claire to be on Flight 815. This episode offers some allusions for the future, namely the relation between the bird in Charlie’s fantasy with the story of the dove in Eko’s story of Jesus’ baptism, even if it wasn’t entirely true to scripture.

The last time we saw him, Eko had a religious epiphany. A few days later, he is marking the trees he “likes”. Some thought that Charlie burned those trees, but there was a lot of brush there that wasn’t earlier. My thought is that Eko’s next step in his spiritual journey is to build a church. If so, he may have already started followers with Claire and her baby.

Jack deals with Sawyer and Kate’s coupling by employing Ana-Lucia’s help in designing an army to combat the Others. They don’t explain what they’re doing, but it’s apparent that they’ve been alone in the jungle together several times. What exactly they’re doing is unknown, and it leads some of them to believe they are hooking up. If more noticed this, it may be interesting to have Sayid return to a prominent role because he has been friends with Jack, and his friendship with Ana-Lucia would cause friction with that dynamic.

Regardless of how you feel about Ana-Lucia, she has a good point regarding the relationships on this island. They have been on this island for almost two months and yet few couples have gotten together. There isn’t much to do on this island: they have a few books, no TV, no movies or music aside from what’s in the bunker, and that stuff wasn’t discovered until a few weeks ago. Boredom must be rampant on the island.

Kate and Sawyer are a couple, let’s get that across now. They act like a couple of teenage kids who just went steady. This relationship allows us to see the lighter side of Sawyer, as he pushes Hurley to act on his crush on Libby. Although some of his interactions with Hurley have been a bit rough, Sawyer is getting a kick out of helping Hurley’s crush, even if it is awkward (did that laundry double entendre actually make it onto prime time TV?)

Libby’s conversation with Hurley was great in its awkwardness, but as she awkwardly dismissed his “Do I know you” question, there has to be something beneath it. Diligent viewers blasted her quick explanation full of holes. What could she be hiding? The most popular theory is that she was one of the doctors at the clinic where Hurley stayed. While possible, this seems far too obvious. People who believe that have come up with the theory that she was a patient at the mental hospital, which would be an interesting way to play against our expectations. The third major theory is that Libby was a model, porn star or prostitute. Considering how they made sure we knew Cynthia Watros is hot, it isn’t too hard to believe. His recognition made her uncomfortable.

This episode got a lot of grief; most of it I believe is unwarranted. Since so much of this episode focused on Charlie, how the audience feels about him is paramount to the enjoyment for many viewers. Considering the darker turn of events, this episode may be a pivotal moment in the season.

Score: 8/10

24: Season 5, Episode 5: Day 5: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Review

Day 5: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Original Airdate: January 23, 2006
Writers: Michael Loceff and Joel Surnow
Director: Jon Cassar

The first four hours were designed to set up the season and put it in gear. It was apparent early that they wanted to reclaim their reputation of being a high stakes show where anyone could go at any time. Appropriately, this episode is transitional, allowing them to develop the next major threat while dealing with some of the fall out of the previous one. There isn’t anything too phenomenal (aside from the last five minutes), but there isn’t anything really bad either.

Having nerve gas near the hangar certainly helps explain why the hostage situation was a step bigger than assassinating Palmer. I wonder how Palmer came across the bombshell that they were planning to use nerve gas on the Russians. It’s interesting that despite what has happened so far, the current end game is an attack on another country. That certainly doesn’t mean that the US isn’t going to be attacked (this is hour five, we’re far from safe).

We have hints that there is a lot more to this, as the terrorists were able to find this (or hold it) at this terminal. Lynn, as the rare by the book CTU Officer who shows some competency, lets us know that this isn’t some government surplus, but some non government agent manufactured it. Who are they and how did the Russians find out? Or are they responsible?

One minor plot hole concerns those rats. If they were dead, then wouldn’t it be possible for Curtis and the squad (along with Yellow Tie and his team) to be infected with said toxin? Having the rats dead implies that the containers were leaking, yet there is no mention of quarantining them or having the forensics team wear protective outfits. I guess Curtis had to find out what they had somehow.

Logan is such a schmuck, which makes having a mole in his midst fitting. Walt is able to remain on his good side because he reaffirms Logan’s perspective that his wife is unstable (of course she is, she’d blow your plan if anyone cared to listen to her) and how important his “legacy” is without him coming off as a suck up, not that that nitwit Logan would notice.

It certainly isn’t helping Martha. Despite being attacked on what is supposed to be highly secure land, she can’t get anyone to believe her. Logan refuses to look at any evidence that doesn’t support the “she’s crazy” idea in his head, most notably the fact that none of the medication Martha is on could’ve caused her blackout. Isn’t there surveillance anywhere here? She needs someone to believe her and time is running out, no wonder she bailed.

This is the first time Jack has been involved in a love triangle since Nina and Teri back in the first season. There are some parallels between Diane and Audrey. Both women thought Jack was someone else, literally and figuratively respectively, until one of these fateful days entwined them in the crisis. What makes these women different is how they react to this other side. Because there is character, it saves these scenes from being cheesy melodrama.

Audrey certainly has a lot of baggage from her relationship with Jack. She experienced the good when Jack rescued her and Heller, but within hours he was torturing her ex-husband. Then Jack had to choose the witness’ life over Paul’s and that choice was felt through the rest of the season. Believing Jack was dead certainly intensified all those feelings, something she has been dealing with ever since Day 4 ended. Unlike Audrey, Diane saw the good side of Jack’s nature, with his heroism saving the terminal full of hostages including her son. Since this happened over a half hour earlier, her gratitude is still fresh.

The fact that Diane is able to forgive Jack for keeping this from her (even though she was able to benefit) is a major difference between them and it doesn’t sit well with Audrey. She still has feelings for Jack, and during her interrogation of Diane, she starts to feel that perhaps she isn’t the woman for Jack. Audrey initially appeared to be only a one off character, but this season is proving otherwise.

The other triangle is between Edgar, Spenser and Chloe. Chloe and Spenser were intimate, but fans of the Edgar/Chloe ship from last season are certainly relating to Edgar’s jealousy. Both characters are so socially awkward, Chloe defensive and Edgar sensitive, that they are a great match for each other. Out of the ashes of Tony and Michelle comes the new great 24 pair!

It was great to see some hand to hand combat on 24. Although I do love a great gunfight, fist fights allow a bit more suspense and action. Yeah, seeing the reflection is a bit cliché, but the fight was well choreographed. Plus we get a special kill for scissor neck. So what Jack has a broken rib, he’s had worse on this show.

Spenser’s story sounds true. If he was a hired man, it’s hard to believe that the people who killed Palmer and Michelle within fifteen minutes would hire someone who was as amateurish as Spenser was. Leaving the computer active was the mole equivalent to leaving porn in the VCR. When he was confronted with the dead assassin, he sang quicker than any previous mole. It certainly explains why Cummings would want to bring someone else in CTU to kill Jack instead of having Spenser do it.

This revelation is reminiscent of Alias, whose main character Sydney Bristow believed she was a part of a deep cover operative unit when she was really aiding a deadly enemy. It’ll be interesting to see how Spenser deals with this and how the fall out will affect his relationship with Chloe, who took another page from the Jack Bauer book during his interrogation.

Jack “I'm not CTU” Bauer heading to Logan’s compound is a bit absurd, but boy is it exciting! This is where the personal nature of the threat really benefits the show. Considering Jack is still a non-person, he doesn’t have to follow CTU’s rules. Besides, we really want Jack to get this guy. Plus there is that shot at the end it seems that Walt knows that Jack is out for vengeance.

It does bring to question about Jack suddenly being alive. Since Jack faked his death to avoid being killed by corrupt secret service, wouldn’t that reactivate the case he faced (of which he was guilty)? This could come in play later if someone at CTU has a grudge with the way Jack operates (which certainly is a staple of every season). The lack of coverage of that aspect is a bit lacking in the writing, which considering that it is done by the same guys who wrote the last episode, could be simply the result of them scrambling to write this script after the original writer bowed out (this is speculation, I don’t know).

Overall, this was one of those episodes that is made by its climax. We get some good character moments as the new threat starts. They clearly want to go quickly through this season, apparent as two moles are unveiled in one episode. Just as one crisis ends, we’re plunged into the next one, which is great for 24.

Score: 7/10

24: Season 5, Episode 4: Day 5: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Review

Day 5: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Original Airdate: January 16, 2006
Writers: Michael Loceff and Joel Surnow
Director: Brad Turner

This is the 100^th episode, a huge feat for any show, especially one like 24, which almost didn’t live beyond its first season. Many shows like to offer some major event or events to coincide with their milestone, but this one didn’t have that “event” punch to it. Of the episodes this season, the premiere was most like a 100^th episode, with two major deaths and tons of action. This episode is a lot more restrained, partly because our hero is on his knees for most of the hour (not that the rescue sequence wasn’t fun). With the four hour premiere event, the 100^th episode’s significance is downplayed to the point where none of the promotional ads bothered to mention it.

Considering the terrorists could’ve blown Jack away to end the last episode, they needed to explain why they kept him alive, especially since he is highly trained and eager for some payback for what has happened so far today. As the only person inside with access to CTU, he has control over where to direct the agents and for the terrorists that is a major advantage. It is lost on repeat viewings since Jack knows how to maneuver around this dangerous situation. In the past, we’ve seen some good dramatic results when Jack is in a position where he doesn’t know how to proceed.

Derek isn’t nearly as annoying as would be expected of some younger actors. He has had a rough morning, learning the truth about Jack and being plunged into that world. It’s tough for him to let go of the guilt he has of making Jack, their best hope, give up and become a hostage. Accepting that guilt helps us sympathize with him. Jack, despite whatever bad blood Derek had against him, forgives him because the situation is far greater than anything they expected. When it’s over, Derek’s sobbing testimonial to his mother fits in with a boy who feels guilty about pegging a guy as a jerk when he proved to be something truly heroic and clever.

Sean Astin, as boy wonder Lynn McGill, adds an interesting piece to Jack and Buchanan’s characters. His introduction is more profound on Buchanan. Since Lynn is half Buchanan’s age, Buchanan resents having him as his boss, especially when Lynn flexes his district muscle into Buchanan’s office and second guesses the plans Buchanan has authorized shortly before they were to be executed. Even when Lynn attributes part of the victory to Buchanan, it doesn’t do enough to gloss over their differences.

Lynn seems to be an overachiever whose ambition paid off early for him, but he must deal with people who think he is too young for his role. Perhaps Buchanan and Lynn have spared in the past over this issue. Although I don’t think Lynn is taking over CTU full time as Spenser hinted, his comment about firing 20% of his staff fits that character.

Lynn also seems to be Jack’s match at CTU. While Jack breaks every protocol possible, Lynn remains by the book, but both get results. Because Lynn is the only one aware of the duress code, they work together in a way to foil the terrorists’ plans. It’s interesting that the first major thing he does is prevent a major blood bath, since many CTU Directors have shown bouts of incompetence.

Speaking of incompetence, Logan shows the same character that quickly took all the credit for preventing the warhead from going off when the hostage crisis was averted. One may not be ready to admit it, but Beresch assertion that Logan was weak was accurate. Logan is being set up as a type of tragic figure. His incompetence, his obsession with legacy (something he has in common with Suvarov, who also has a lot invested in this) are all heading towards a very unpleasant conclusion. Whether he falls entirely or tries to redeem himself would be a good candidate for the rest of his storyline.

Since the first episode, Martha’s instability has been toned down from a woman who dunks her head into a sink full of water to a woman strategizing on how to tell her husband about the Palmer phone call. This works to help us be willing to believe her story, especially since it is true. One thing I mentioned in the last review is that I would hope that Martha would have made some back up copy of this crucial piece of information. With her concerns this would be an appropriate action.

I wonder when Evelyn will be fired. Considering the facts that she hasn’t been able to keep Martha in her room and was unaware of Walt coming in and attacking the first lady, this doesn’t bode well for her performance. Anywhere the president or anyone close to him go should be extremely safe.

I almost thought that when Derek was being handed over that Jack would inadvertently hand him over to Yellow Tie Man (this was before I recognized YTM from his work on Firefly), who happened to change into one of CTU’s uniform’s during the raid. Now I know that would be too ridiculous even for a show that pushes suspension of disbelief like 24. There is no way that Jack would hand Derek over to the man who he stared at for some time. Derek is in some ways similar to Kim, but 24 has thankfully tried to distances themselves from the infamous Perils of Pauline plotlines as often as possible.

The endgame for this hostage situation was to pass this access card to Yellow Tie Man, who was among the hostages. If they raided the terminal and the terrorists killed themselves, then how would the card find its way to the terminal containing the canisters of doom? There is some fault there, but we must remember that there was an inside man. Since he was away from the terminal when they hit, he was in perfect position to head to the canisters of doom because everyone would be focused on the hostage situation. However, there is a small fault as far as what they would do if they were attacked and all of them detonated their vests. Whether they had a back up plan is unclear, but had it played out differently, the crucial piece of their plan would’ve failed.

This episode wraps up the introductory arc fine, but there are some errors in the writing that make the episode fall short, such as the reasoning behind the hostage situation to Martha keeping a valuable piece of information in a place where it could be easily jeopardized. It is also a bit odd that despite the sensational route often taken by 24, this episode doesn’t hype up its milestone status.

Score: 7/10

24: Season 5, Episode 3: Day 5: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Review

Day 5: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Original Airdate: January 16, 2006
Writers: Manny Coto
Director: Brad Turner

With the first two episodes setting up the crisis, this episode now sets things in motion. Although the bigger picture is still mysterious, this one episode is another entertaining installment. Manny Coto, in his writing debut for 24, proves to be a useful addition to the crew. His first assignment is an exercise in one of 24’s main themes: the clash between personal problems and national security crisis. Of course, we’ve seen Jack in these situations many times on the show, but this time it is a crash course for those involved in his new life. Unfortunately, the situation has Derek in grave danger while Diane can only sit and watch, hoping that Jack can save him.

The stakes are raised quickly, as the terrorists shoot the yuppie with the cell phone and the man with the wife without hesitation, dragging their bodies away and making Derek kneel in one of the victim’s blood. Derek survives such a quick demise via the “he’s not an extra” rule, but considering what they did to Michelle and Palmer, they don’t want us to forget that they are confident in killing off anyone. Nevertheless, why they didn’t just shoot Derek once that guy’s vest blew up? Later they justify it because he’ll make Jack cooperate, but that doesn’t explain the time in between the terrorist exploding and Walt telling the terrorists about Jack.

It’s forgivable since keeping Derek alive keeps Jack’s personal interest invested in the crisis. Although he probably would behave similarly if Derek was replaced with a random hostage, it makes it resonate deeper with the audience. Jack simply can’t go running in guns blazing, even though it would be fun for the viewer. Like real life hostage situations, he has to proceed with caution or else he’ll have sixty civilian casualties on his hands.

One thing about 24 that may set off nitpickers (aside from the liberties of the real time format) is that despite being away from the field for at least a year and a half, he shows few signs that he’s out of practice. While it doesn’t hurt perhaps if he was a bit rusty, it would make situations like the ones in this episode more intense because they have the added dilemma of whether Jack still knows how to get it done.

However, they decide to focus on having Jack and CTU work together. Because Jack isn’t CTU, he doesn’t have to obey their rules, and can pursue the hostage situation any way he wanted. Bill Buchanan seems to be one of the many CTU directors who doesn’t like the way Jack operates, but his character development has come along nicely since then.

There is a problem with how quickly Jack’s innocence is proved. Yes, CTU found the body where Chloe told them it would be and they do have her testimony (and eventually Derek’s), but that doesn’t prove that the dead guy was the gunman, maybe if they found the rifle with his prints on them. Maybe Chloe could’ve found that the video was forged. They could talk to the foreman at that construction site. Even though he knew Jack as “Frank”, he could place him there when Palmer was shot.

Since Chloe has been so loyal to Jack, it’s fitting that she borrowed a page from his book to get back on the floor. What could’ve been annoying is rather cool now. What type of punishment Chloe will receive will likely amount to a wrist slap or less, but she is a great example of how Jack has influenced CTU.

Considering he can’t get the media to stop broadcasting the Russian terrorists’ feed, a feat the media obliged his predecessor when Heller was kidnapped, Logan is a useless idiot. But what is really troubling is that he is more concerned that the hostage situation is ruining his photo op than saving those people. Not negotiating with terrorists is a good policy, but Logan needs to look at it realistically. There is a crisis going on and he needs to solve it. His dream of somehow solving it with little media fall out is harming that process.

This episode is largely devoted to the hostage crisis, but the other major storyline advancement is from Martha. It confirms that she there is more to her than anything we may have thought. Knowing that Palmer’s assassination and the hostage situation are linked, she is determined to get the proof she needed. Martha is in the position where she is desperate to be taken seriously. It was a bit shocking for her to barge in while the techie guy was peeing, but she kicked it up by threatening to scream rape if he didn’t give her what she needed. I think Jack would respect that.

Thanks to her cunning, she was able to get the transcript, of which we still don’t know the contents. Considering Walt is dirty, she would be wise to make copies of it or perhaps fax a copy somewhere safe. It’s risky to have the only piece of evidence validating your information in one place, especially when no one believes you.

There is something about these terrorists’ plans and motivations that do require some exploration. These guys are ready to kill themselves, as we saw that they aren’t bluffing when Jack blew up one of them. Beresch and his men must know that the best scenario they have is life imprisonment, so this is clearly one step (evident since we’re still early in the season). The signing of the treaty is a big point, but that is only a small portion of the day. It could be that this is merely a good time so that their attack’s profile will be lifted.

I’ll go into more detail about this in the next review, but from what we can guess from this episode is that the terrorists have been inspired partly from events going on in Chechnya. It’s probably best that they don’t mention this directly like they did in season two with the three countries, but thankfully the connection to Russia makes the deliberate vagueness less likely to annoy.

Although I was expecting more of a Die Hard story, they thankfully decided to avoid that and have the two sides (terrorists and CTU) operating independently. This episode is another example of what appears to be a great season so far. The emphasis on character development is definitely appreciated, as it is what reels us in. Though I wish there was more explanation about the terrorists’ motives, I know it will be explained later.

Score: 8/10