24: Season 5, Episode 13: Day 5: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Review

Day 5: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Original Airdate: March 12, 2006
Writers: Michael Loceff and Joel Surnow
Director: Brad Turner

Following the mass murder of 55 CTU employees, most notably Edgar, the second half of season five was poised to be some of 24’s darkest material. Considering the magnitude of the situation, the episode’s action centers heavily on CTU’s desperate attempt to save themselves. The principle survivors are trapped in small rooms while Curtis and the CTU team are too far away to help them. Avoiding "holding breath" metaphors, this is a tense situation, but there are elements that lower its enjoyment.

So a corrosive agent in the nerve gas is eating through the barriers protecting the safe zones, OK. However, wouldn't that affect everything else in the building? Couldn't it erode the second floor and its supports, which could be a dangerous complication later? In addition, it could affect their computers. It's meant to create suspense now, but wouldn't it also affect the rest of the season? They could've had as much suspense over decreasing oxygen supply and not have to worry about plot holes in the future.

It was clear that Lynne would have to sacrifice himself to save those in the other containment areas. However, they didn't explain how the holding room couldn't be cleansed like the safe room Jack went into. Also, wouldn’t it make sense for the guard to go with Lynn in case he accidentally took a breath? With such a sensitive mission and the guarantee that both men would die anyway, the rest of CTU could’ve used the insurance.

The red shirt (a very apt term nowadays) has every right to be furious at Lynn. It is Lynn's fault that they're in this situation and in the end, he has to die too so Lynn can fix his mistake. I was expecting that the guard would snap and kill Lynne, complicating the situation. Instead, Lynn gets to redeem himself, and pay dearly for his mistake. Unlike Edgar's demise, these deaths are far more unsettling, as they unflinchingly focus on the victims convulsing on the floor.

Bierko's next strike, using the remaining 17 canisters at once, seems to be the writers' attempt to resolve this crisis quickly. They don’t want to fall in a repetitive rut as they were last season, where most of the action consisted of chasing, but narrowly missing Marwan. Bierko will want to act fast, because the later it gets, the less likely he’ll strike a crowded area. Ironically, Gardner’s obsession with Marshal law won’t affect this plan, as they won’t be organized by the time Bierko’s men will be in position.

Speaking of the loser president, he is playing right into whatever plans Gardner has, despite their history of him pinning the problems on Logan. Of course, throwing LA in martial law is a prime plot device to create even more chaos for our heroes to navigate through. Regardless of how much we hate Logan, he does have a good point about how much they've been through. This season has been some of the most frenetic 24 ever, and there are still 11 episodes to go this season.

Since Henderson is on the run or comatose for most of the episode, we’re now given another thread for CTU to pursue, as Bierko contacts Collette, who must be Mandy V 4.0 by now (certainly not a bad substitute). This scene also answers the important question of where Desmond from Lost went after bolting from the hatch. Luckily he’s (now called Theo) able to release some stress with Collette. Considering Collette won’t divulge what she was doing, Theo is poised to be another guy who fell for the femme fatale.

The new Homeland Security team is going to be nothing but trouble. It’s no coincidence that Logan and VP Gardner signed off on this. Hayes and her favorite crony are going to be stubborn like every other boss or higher ranking official Jack and CTU have had to deal with. Inevitably, it will cause Jack and CTU to work covertly on the only relevant leads. Hayes will find out and butt heads with those involved, only to find out that she is wrong.

Kim certainly has good reason not to want to be around her father. No sooner is she at CTU then the bodies start piling up. Considering how depressed she has been since Chase left her, being with her father can be too much to bear. Deaths come with the territory. Although she knows Jack loves her, she can't be a part of this violent life. The subject of detachment has been one frequently used on 24, and it is Jack's tragic flaw for his personal relationships.

Now we come to the low point of the episode, and perhaps of the series to date: Henderson’s Michael Myers-esque resurrection and Tony's death. Like last season’s “7:00 PM – 8:00 PM”, a character who should be beyond incapacitated suddenly springs to life to kill one of the heroes (although Paul didn’t succumb until later). This is far too slasher flick for me; Tony deserved a better demise than that one. Even if he had died in the car bomb as originally planned, I would’ve been happy with that outcome because it was a good way to end the characters before they overstayed their use.

It’s ridiculous that Tony, after cold cocking Burke, wouldn’t shoot Henderson with the gun in his hand. Instead, he finds a syringe and loads it with a mystery poison, which is eventually used against him. This is too contrived. Perhaps this was meant as security for the writers who weren't sure whether they wanted to kill Tony and a mystery injection was easier to write around than a gunshot wound.

Since Tony is dead, his survival of the car bomb in the premiere is rendered pointless. Why did he need to survive if his role this season was to be comatose for the first eleven hours, wake up, find out about Michelle, get depressed, and die? The more I think about it, the more I wish Tony had a better send off. Tony is one of the few people Jack could consider a friend. He has been in every season and is behind only Jack for appearances, and he doesn't even get a silent tick when he died. Granted, the same problem existed in the first act of the season, but these were different situations. Although it was used in the last episode, they could use it again because it was appropriate.

If there was anything Tony’s death did, it was refresh the rage Bauer felt at the beginning of the day when Palmer and Michelle died. It certainly compounds with Kim deciding not to be a part of her father’s life anymore. Jack has lost more this season than he has before, besides when Teri was killed. However, couldn't Tony have done something that would make his initial survival worthwhile before dying? Even a silent clock would've improved it. I’m unhappy with the way Tony died, but what it could set up could make me a little more forgiving of this. The episode is good, but there are some poor writing decisions. Had the final minute been redone to fit a major character, this episode would've been a lot better.

Overall Score: 7/10