Writers: Joel Surnow, Robert Cochran.
Director: Milan Cheylov.
Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Kim Raver, Tate Donavan, William Devane, Yvonne Strahovski, Benjamin Bratt, Michael Wincott.
Synopsis: Taking place between 8pm and 9pm, Jack and Kate wok together to try and break Navarro. Meanwhile Chloe finds herself in hot water as she aligns herself with Cross.
Jacks back! It’s hard to believe I know, but it has been a whole four years since we watched Jack, now a wanted man, bid Chloe farewell and disappear from our TV screens. You can’t keep a good man down though and everyone’s favourite rogue agent has this time set-up camp on British soil. Though not quite 24 this time around, with only twelve episodes, 24: Live Another Day promises to be crammed full of just as much action. THN will be here every step of the way in our new episode-by-episode Bauer Blog.
First things first, how on Earth did Jack get signal on an underground tube platform?! After his trial to keep pace with the accelerating tube failed he was swiftly on the phone to CIA headquarters requesting back-up. We were all expecting to hear him utter a dammit as he realised that there was no reception but Jack clearly generates his own signal (and battery power). Whatever his secret is I want in.
The Chinese are back. For those not fully up to date with their 24 mythology Jack and the Chinese have a long-standing history. During season four he had to break into the Chinese consulate to extract some information, this mission led to the death of an official, making Bauer Chinese enemy number one. He eluded capture by faking his death, but when he came out of hiding a year later the Chinese captured him, then tortured him in a secret prison. Wayne Palmer helped break him out of that cell, but the Chinese were by no means happy with the decision.
The Russians are also back on the scene, Jack had a run-in with them during the last season and may just have ruined any chances of the override device being captured. What was Mark thinking when he gave over Bauer’s details? Well he was thinking that he didn’t want to lose his wife who it is clearly isn’t over Jack.
Mark and Audrey are drifting further and further apart. We are witnessing the real-life breakdown of a marriage here readers and it isn’t pretty. When she finds out about Mark’s side deal with the Russians I expect we will finally see the relationship implode. Forging the Presidents signature is a pretty big deal, so is selling Jack out.
Navarro is well and truly in the shit. He found himself double-crossed by Adrien who was meant to supply him with a car. The lack of car saw him easily captured by Jack and his back-up team, swiftly followed by Jack racing off in pursuit of the override device. He just wasn’t quite quick enough to board that tube though was he? The amazing part of that sequence (the aforementioned phone signal aside) is how causal the general public were about that tube’s arrival. Speaking as a daily commuter I can confirm that no matter what time of day it is, when people hear/see/spider-sense that a train is arriving at/is on the platform – everybody runs. Kind of like in MINORITY REPORT, but in this case they just want to get home.
Erik is now acting head of the CIA and he is a rather cautious by-the-book leader, focussing on keeping his career for longer than just the rest of the day; a tactic that some of the others would do well to employ. Jack of course doesn’t care for rules, he will interrogate Navarro how he sees fit. When Jack’s way involved breaking the old chiefs arm though, Erik had no choice but to terminate the ‘interview” and ask Heller for an immunity deal.
In a shock development, it was revealed that there is an agent out there who strikes more terror into a traitors heart than Jack. That person is Kate. Yep, Navarro kept his calm around Bauer, right up until he had a bone broken at least, but within moments of Kate entering his med room, the secrets were pouring out of him. He even turned to Jack for help, believing him to be the more rational person. Of course the whole scenario was one big bluff devised by Kate and Bauer to get the captive CIA man to sing. And sing he did, revealing that he wasn’t quite the idiot that he has appeared to be for the last several episodes, with him actually being smart enough to plant a tracker on the override device.
This tracker will come as good news for Chloe who now finds herself a hostage of the Chinese Chen. Silly Chloe, she made an epically wrong decision in cutting Jack off. If only she had paid a little more attention whilst she was on the tube, she might have seen him. Instead she went into default tube-traveller mode – do not make eye contact with anything. The poor computer tech found herself completely caught-up in Adrian’s scheme. Her attempt to escape was admiral, but fairly pathetic as she tried using the old ‘I need to use the portaloo’ excuse. The lorry that she tried to hitch a ride with wasn’t very receptive to her plans, and as soon as the bullets started to fly, the vehicle made a rather sharp exit.
Now a few weeks ago we voiced thoughts that maybe Cross had something to do with the death of Chloe’s husband and son. Tonight’s episode showed that, although we were wrong, we weren’t far from the mark as Cross had been sitting on a rather important secret for the last year; their death was just an accident and wasn”t part of some govermental conspiracy like Chloe’s panornia thought. Cross had taken advantage of her paranoia to get her to become a permanent member of his team. The bastard.
As the series progresses more and more people from Jack’s past are crawling out of the woodworks. This is providing great payoffs for the devoted viewers out there and thus far doesn’t appear to be alienating new viewers. This is helped by the history being explained, for example, tonight Chloe filled Cross in on the history between Jack and the Chinese. New viewers listened as Cross, whilst old faithfuls were Chloe filling in any newbies in their houses.
CIA Blunder: The security to their medical facility seems non-existent, twice now Kate has burst her way into that room and interrogated a suspect. Speaking of, where has Simone gone?..
Badass Bauer Moment: Jack wants to ‘talk’ to Navrro, Erik is not so sure it’s a good idea. He eventually gave Jack permission, to which Jack replied ‘I wasn’t asking for you permission, I was just being courteous’. Jack doens’t care who is the head, or acting head, of the CIA. Jack does what Jack wants.
‘Damnit!’ Counter: We seem to have settled into a regular pattern of one damnit a week with him once more uttering the phrase one time only. This time the need for Jack’s version of a swear came as he saw the override device slipping away from him.
[usr=4] 24: Live Another Day airs on Sky One Wednesdays at 9pm.
