When Jack Bauer sets out to do something, he’ll do it. Even if it means shooting a few innocent people in the leg, shooting several marines, and taking hostages, he’ll always be out there, fighting until his last breath. When he’s on, man, is he fun to watch.
Although Bauer’s gone rogue numerous times before, one constant has always been his possession of a support system, whether it be in the form of someone like Chloe O’Brian or someone like David Palmer. He’s always had justice on his side, and for all the people who’ve been up against him, there have also been more who’ve been with him. This year, it’s a bit different; those who believe him–outside of Chloe, of course, even given their strained relationship earlier on–believe in Jack Bauer the terrorist fighter, not necessarily in Jack Bauer the person. Also, that’s not to mention that most people believe he’s a terrorist himself.
All of Jack’s relationships are strained or broken, and this idea is conveyed through his literal boxing in throughout this episode. He’s locked himself in a room, but he’s also trapped in that room, and everyone’s out to get him. Instead of him calling the President to straighten everything out, the President has to call him; when Heller does phone, Jack has to remind him what his administration did all those years back. It’s truly a cold, hard world, but at least Bauer has a goal.
Of course, he’s thwarted at the end, but as expected, he also gains a new ally in Yvonne Strahovski’s Kate Morgan. There’s a connection here through shared ideologies, and because the CIA now has hold of Bauer, this allows Heller, Audrey, and Mark to be brought directly into contact with him. Hopefully, the writers can use the background they share to craft some compelling scenes here, especially with the added presence of Mark Boudreau.
Elsewhere, the episode also continues to explore the twisted, ruthless Margot al-Harazi, who in this episode, follows the old saying “when all else fails, cut off your daughter’s fingers”. I’m just happy we don’t have to sit through another few episodes of Navid and Simone dancing around the watchful eyes of the latter’s mother; rather, we can just get down to the drone action.
We all know Jack Bauer’s ready for it.
GRADE: B+
OTHER THOUGHTS:
– “Because I fired the bullets.” Jack Bauer’s awesome, you guys.
-This is probably the best episode of the season thus far. The show’s at its best when it has a fairly self-contained locale and storyline that serves as a foundation for the episode’s action and character beats; it’s exciting in its simplicity, what with the whole embassy hostage situation.
-Sorry, Jordan. You’re no Chuck Bartowski.
-Well, that’s a quick turnaround for Parliament…anyway, Stephen Fry’s happy.
-So, when exactly is the show going to start utilizing its 12-episode format to its advantage? So far, we haven’t seen much altering of the times, and I’d like to see them change things up a bit.
Photo credit: 24: Live Another Day, FOX
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