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24
Episode 2.09, "4 PM to 5 PM"
Written by Howard Gordan
Directed by Jon Cassar
Damn, talk about hitting the ground running. This episode was non-stop action from start to finish and again managed to convince me that this is the best show on television. From a range of powerful performances to stellar scripting and unexpected twists, this might have been the best episode of this season to date.
The Kim story is kept to an almost bare minimum, which helps the overall story out immensely. Not only that, but we finally are going to be free of Megan who went of with her aunt to Santa Barbara. Now I know psycho-dad is going to return and probably bring that little soul sucking blight back into the picture, but for the time being we are blessedly free of her whining. It was also nice to see Kim turn a corner in regards to her father and the situation from last year. Caught me a bit by surprise though, since I figured she's be somewhat pissed off from the way that Jack blew her off last episode. Still, both Kim and Miguel are on their way back to L.A., which had had to happen in order to keep the tension raised to a higher level.
Things at the Palmer camp are definitely kicking into higher gear as Palmer is confronted with the conspiracy that's seeking to undermine his actions. The same righteous indignation that so permeated the character last year is also back in full effect as well. Although the ironic twist being that the person who betrayed him last year, is also the only one who can truly help him find these new conspirators. Also of note is the brewing conflict between Lynn and Sherry over the conscience of David Palmer. One is the angel and the other the devil, but the question is raised which is which? The other interesting tidbit is that Palmer was prepared to lie and smear the credibility of the reporter who was working against him, and it took Sherry to talk him into being honest about it. There is such a feel of circularity to this that is such a treat to those who have been watching since the first season.
Kate's story might be the most grisly this time out. She's being held captive at the hands of Syad Ali who wants to know what she and Koplin found out from her father's computer. Obviously Kate doesn't know anything due to the auto delete program that was executed upon her fathers computer. Ali obviously doesn't trust her though, and he terrifies her by showing Koplin chained up and being subjected to torture. And it is a grisly torture scene when a sander is taken against Koplin's torso and he's then covered in lye. It was enough to make me flinch just watching it. In the end, Ali decides that Kate and Koplin really don't know anything and he shoots Koplin a couple of times and tells his henchman to finish Kate off. That's my one big problem with this episode. Essentially Ali just pulled the Bond villain maneuver, leaving the heroine alive to be dispatched of in a complicated manner outside of his actual presence instead of just putting a bullet in her head like he just did to Koplin. It comes across as forced, but with so much goodness in this episode, I can overlook that.
Kate's family is also facing interesting times at the CTU. Hoping to jar one of them loose, Mason has Reza and Bob Warner put together into the same holding cell, promising immunity to whichever one comes forward with a confession first. The CTU monitors the two of them from an outside location and seem to be able to pick up the stress levels and heart rates as well. Reza is panicked and scared, but is also truly confused at what's going on. He knows he had nothing to do with it, which means that it has to be Bob Warner who seems to be cool and collected in the face of this interrogation. He says as much and is set free, but is spurned by Marie when she discovers he sold out her father. Now that I've had time to think about this storyline, it occurs to me that I initially fell for the double red herring. When confronted by both Bob and Reza, I immediately assumed it was the subtler of the two men who was the one assisting Ali. After all, Bob practically oozed evil with that goatee and all. But 24 has always tried to take a storyline in an unexpected location, and it suddenly hit me that there was one person in this little drama who has never been suspected. Marie herself. She would have had the access and the ability to get into her fathers accounts and use Reza's passwords to wire money to Syad, the only question is what her motivation would be? Time might soon answer that question.
Mason himself is confronted by Tony later on, and confesses the fact that he's dying to his second. All the bluster and anger seems to leave Tony then, and he seems at a loss about what to do other then be there for Mason. Michelle also deduces what has happened, and is quick to send Mason packing until Tony talks her out of it. Once again I really have enjoyed the more level headed and mature Tony Almeda we've seen this season, as character growth is always appreciated.
And then there's Jack. The plane crash was a neat twist to include and a way to force Jack and Nina to momentarily join forces when confronted by the unidentified commandos. Once again Jack proves his bad ass quotient by ripping a piece of shrapnel out of his leg, shooting a commando in the chest with a flare gun, and killing more then a couple of them in a firefight. Unfortunately, it's also Jack who ends the episode in a compromised position after Nina's betrayal, which totally caught me off guard. The way she hides a clip and gets the drop on Jack is simple and effective, and the bombshell she drops when she gets a hold of Palmer made my mouth drop open. Asking for immunity for killing Jack was a stroke of genius, and really rang true to who the character was. I know some posters were wondering why somebody didn't just snipe Nina in the head after she had given up the information on the bomb, but that can't be done until they know for a fact that the bomb can be found. Which might be why Syad is so upset. Don't forget that Omar who has no clue what to do now is the one whose out there with the nuclear bomb in the van, and he might not even know how to find Syad.
And the acting in the final scenes is just undeniably powerful by all the players, but especially Haybert and Sutherland. The cascade of emotions that cross over Palmer's face when Nina gives him her demands is intense and stirring. Fear, disbelief, disgust, remorse, anger, and helplessness all seem to be vying for dominance as he has no choice but to order his friend's death. And Jack's own attitude towards this situation is inspiring as well. Jack has a better grip on his emotions and does not hesitate to agree that Palmer needs to agree with Nina in order to stop the bomb. Yet when he mentions Kim, once can sense the grief and bitterness barely being held in restraint by him. Two powerful performances that raise the tension of this scene beyond what it might normally be.
And this scene was tense to me, which is kind of shocking to be honest. On some level I know that Nina won't shoot Jack, he's the star of the show and can't die. Yet I'm still caught up in the emotion of the moment and left wondering just what will happen to Jack. I contrast this with another show I watch, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In a recent episode of that, Buffy confronted an uber-vampire that had been kicking her butt all over the place. She was trapped with it and fighting one on one, but the scene left me emotionally empty. I knew Buffy would kill the thing, and there would no lasting consequences because of it. That same isn't said of 24 right now, the consequences of what is about to transpire could be far reaching throughout the entire series. I only hope that Nina isn't killed before we get to see a reunion between her and Tony, as that's an emotional payload that should be delivered on as well.
Episode Rating: 10 out of 10
-- Tim Ritenour
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