TNMC

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Episode 2.07, 2 PM to 3 PM
Written by Virgil Williams
Directed by James Whitmore Jr.

"If I go in there the first thing he's going to do is turn his gun on me, and then on himself." - Nina
"Don't worry, we'll make sure that he doesn't turn the gun on himself." - Jack

Before I begin this review I'd like to point out something to Fox executives, showing the viewing audience the twist ending of the episode in a preview before the show begins, usually not a good way to keep fans interested. What could have been a fairly shocking revelation was guessed by everyone with a brain beforehand when they saw Kim looking shocked as she stared into the trunk of the car.

And since I've already mentioned Kim, we'll start with her this time. There's actually very little of her in this episode, as she and Miguel are driving for the most of it. Of course nothing can run smoothly for the characters in the 24-verse, because otherwise there would be no drama. This time that drama stems from the fact that Kim and Miguel are pulled over for speeding. This makes sense, if I knew that a nuke was going to go off in Los Angeles at some point, I'd be getting the hell out of dodge as well. All goes fairly well, the cop is going to let them off with a warning when he notices blood dripping from trunk of the stolen car the duo is riding in. When they open it up, Miguel and Kim find the bruised and broken body of Megan's mother Carla inside. Hence the spoiler Fox showed in right before the show started. Dumbasses.

This is fairly good twist, as it keeps Kim in L.A. which raises the tension for Jack and overall tension in the show. It also elevates Kim's plotline from Lifetime Movie to B Level Thriller. Still not gold, but at least a good step better then what it was. Best of all though, it means Megan will be in protective custody and out of the storyline for at least a couple of hours. And praise the Lord for that, as the little girl is just a black void of suckitude that threatens to engulf the whole show. She makes Dawn, Connor, and every other Cousin Oliver ever conceived appear like strokes of genius. Or, in layman's terms, she sucks very very hard.

Kate's storyline is also minimilized for the most part, but actually picks up the pace as well. There's a nice confrontation between her and Reza over the truth of the situation, and Kate is clearly in the wrong. This is a bold choice to make with the character, and it actually strongly echoes with an almost subconscious undercurrent of racism and suspicion that was spawned upon 9/11. It's also a nice touch to see Marie siding so strongly with Reza, even if he has implicated her father. I don't know, this storyline started off as cheesecake filler to me in the beginning, but gradually has engrossed me into it. It's a nice character conflict that echoes subtly behind the more advanced action conflicts of Jack and the political conflicts of Palmer. Kate does seem willing to open her eyes a bit though, as she seeks help into breaking into her father's confidential files.

Things are really moving in Palmer's office as they seek to find out just who might be working against Palmer himself in regards to his moves to stop the terrorism. With the recent death of the foreign diplomats and people making orders behind his back, Palmer has realized that he does not rule his administration the way he believed he did. There is a kind of circular irony in the fact the person he turns to help him unravel this mystery is the very same person who worked against him last year, his estranged wife Sherry. Also returning this episode is Mike Novick, Palmer's Chief of Staff. Off all the people who surround Palmer, Mike is the one person who is implicitly trustworthy and provides a nice medium between David and Sherry. Palmer's suspicion is mostly centered upon Roger Stanton, the head of the NSA right now. This is blunted by Lynne though, who insists Stanton is on the level. There's also building tension between Lynne and Sherry, as both seek to be the premiere voice whispering in David's ear.

The other problem lies over what to do about the reporter that Palmer placed in holding in the beginning of the day, Ron Weiland. Novick points out that there is presidential precedent for temporarily restraining a reporter, and he suggests leaking a story that will defer questions for the remainder of the day. It's nice to see that this storyline hasn't been forgotten, and it will actually having further bearing on the future of the Palmer storyline.

Things are fairly quiet at the CTU, but I have to admit that I'm kind of disappointed about something. The destruction of the CTU seems to really not have affected all that much really. Paula's dead, and it was a nice dramatic moment, but as of yet there seems to be no real lasting repercussions. However, there was an unexpectedly powerful dramatic moment this episode between Mason and his estranged son John. To be honest, I've seen the "I'm dying" speech delivered time and again on television and film to the point where I've really became jaded to the whole thing. It's usually one big melodramatic moment that becomes so grandiose and self important that it loses touch with the humanity that should be driving it. So imagine my surprise when I was generally touched at the moment between father and son. The writers of this episode were exercising restraint, and it makes the scene far more powerful because of it. The genuine fading of petty resentment and anger on John's face to speechless grief was well done and all credit should be given to the actor playing him. Mason's gradual descent has really became the tragedy of this show, making one think of how one really copes with the idea that they have less then 24 hours to live.

Finally of course, there's Jack and Nina. To begin with, Jack receives a new foil in the form of FBI agent Phillips, who some might remember from Band of Brothers. It's nice to see an FBI agent to begin with, as a situation like this would naturally mean more then one agency working towards its resolution. Phillips almost seems unnaturally interested in protecting Nina, which of course instantly raises my own suspicions towards Philips. After making her strip on the plane and put on civilian clothes (revealing an absolutely nasty scar on her back) Jack makes her the point contact for Faheen, her contact to the terrorist organization Second Wave.

On a personal note, I want to point that the street this scene was actually shot less then a hundred yards from my apartment building in North Hollywood. Guess I found it kind of neat that my favorite show was filming near me, granted I didn't know because I was busy slaving away at my soul sucking coma inducing corporate drone job, but that's a different angry rant.

Nina enters the building, but things quickly turn violent and a massive gunfight ensues. The strike force led by Jack quickly subdues the terrorists, but Nina looks to have made her escape in the midst of the bedlam. Jack does find her as she's about to blow a lock off the back exit and escape and a moment of tension ensues before she drops her gun and lifts her hand in surrender. Seeing the look on Jack's face, Nina quickly drops to her knees and faces away from him in a position of submission.

Now you can truly see the tension playing across his face, as Jack battles his own conflicting desires. Part of him would love nothing more then to put a bullet in her head right now, since they now have Faheen, Nina might not be necessary any more. And with no one around at the time, Jack can easily claim he shot her in self defense. Eventually though, Jack's better side wins and he takes her back into custody.

This was one of the stronger episodes of the season, due to the fact that everyone's story has truly become fleshed out and more character driven. The action itself remains intact, and the characters dilemmas continue to intensify. It's not perfect yet, but its getting there.

Episode Rating: 9 out of 10

-- Tim Ritenour

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