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