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24
8:00 AM to 9:00 AM
Written by Virgil Williams
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
This week's episode of 24 pumped up the action meter a bit, as we had a couple of sequences focusing on Jack and his escape from the law. Beyond that, there were a couple of twists and turns that caught everybody by surprise. So without further adieu, let's dive into this review.
We begin were we left off last week - Jack in the custody of the Secret Service who believe that he attempted to assassinate Palmer. Jack, of course, is trying to convince them to let him go, since his family, which was temporarily spared by Gaines, is still in very real danger. Not surprisingly, that wacky Secret Service is reluctant to let a suspect in an assassination attempt go free. They're such sticklers for rules. This, of course, forces Jack's hand. In a nifty sequence involving gas pumps and steam vents, Jack shows why he's bad ass enough to be at the center of this show by performing a very cool escape sequence which ends up with him carjacking a waitress and taking her hostage.
Nina and Nick, meanwhile, are trying to break down Jamie, who claims ignorance as her defense. After that, she lapses into a somewhat cliché, "Single mother trying to make it in a man's world" type story. She refuses to help them find Gaines and the Bauers unless she his granted full amnesty. When Jack gets a hold of her on the phone, she still refuses to aid him, and once again Jack's hand is forced. I think you'll find that happens to Jack a lot.
This time, however, he plays hardball in a really cool way. He knows Jamie's weakness is her love for her son, so he plays on that and has Nina order the son be picked up. If mommy loves her son so much, let's see how she feels when he finds out she's a traitor. It's a particularly ruthless way of getting what he needs, and it fits really well with Jack's character. This is a man on edge whose moral boundaries are becoming murkier all the time.
Jack himself is holed up in a construction site office with the waitress still as his hostage. They bond a little, but nothing of any consequence.
Meanwhile, Kim and Teri are just grateful to be alive, but not for long. The super redneck militiaman that Alex had lied to earlier about raping Kim comes in looking for a peace of his own action. This produces the first truly "Whoa" moment in this episode. It's not that uncommon for rape to be threatened against a heroine in a drama series. But when Teri offers herself up in her daughter's stead and is actually raped, well, that's pretty damn ballsy. Most shows would have copped out and had her fight off the redneck and have someone come to her aid in the nick of time. Instead we see Kim's face as she listens to what's going on off screen, and the true horror of the situation comes home in a way that's all too rare on television. Kudos to the show's writers for having the courage to follow through on this.
There is a brief bright spot to this all though. Teri manages to steal the redneck's cell phone, and calls Nina for help. They're interrupted by another member of the militia before Teri can tell Nina where they are, but Teri manages to hide the cell phone.
Meanwhile, Palmer is having problems of his own. Besides having an assassination attempt on his life on the day of the primary, the fact remains that he still has to come forward with the truth about his son before the reporter does. When Palmer finds out that the reporter is backing off the story for a bit, he immediately becomes suspicious of his wife. With good reason, too, as she is telling the reporter confidential information in order to save her son. Once again, this is such an interesting moral drama. You have Palmer as a man who holds convictions above all things, and his wife who will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves, convictions be damned. It's a credit to the show that this plays off so well, and without being a moral sledgehammer to drive home its point.
Jack and the waitress are waiting for the car that Nina has sent for Jack, and then he promises to let the waitress go. When the police show up, however, he pleads with her to help him save his family and go pick up the car for him. Usually the waitress would go and get the car for the noble hero, but once again the show refreshingly embraces reality. The waitress is pretty much saying "Screw this, that psycho just held me up at gunpoint and I'm supposed to believe that the cops are out to get him?" Which of course prompts Jack into escape sequence number two, which is surprisingly easy for him as he reaches the car and drives away.
Finally, we go back to Nina, Nick, and Jamie. Jamie has found out what Jack has planned, and begs to Nick and Nina to not bring her son in. The pair, however, wisely point out that the son has to be protected, because Gaines will have no problem with harming him in order to get to Jamie. This freaks out Jamie in a whole new way, and why Nick and Nina leave briefly to consult with Milo, Jamie slits her wrists with a jagged piece of coffee cup. This is "Whoa" moment number two. I certainly did not see that coming.
This was one of the most exciting episodes of 24 to date, and managed to encapsulate and progress so many story lines. I'm still looking forward to seeing Dennis Hopper on the show, but if they manage to put on shows like this in the meantime, I'll have no problem waiting.
Episode Rating: 10 out of 10
-- TJarvis
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