The following takes place between 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.
24, Episode 5.06: 12:00-1:00
Written by: David Fury
Directed by: Jon Cassar
Before we begin, a note of thanks: I watched this week's episode with my dear friends Ben and Wanda. Thanks in large part to me, they are 24 fanatics of the first degree (they borrowed my Season One DVDs a couple of years ago, and the first night they watched, Ben sent me a memorable e-mail: “It is 2:30 in the morning. We now hate you.”). They are big fans of defibrilation, as I am, and they are also as spoiler-adverse as I am. We enable each other in our weekly addiction whenever possible, through on-the-phone recap and speculation and voluminous dispatching of text messages. Occasionally we are able to meet and watch an episode together, and thanks to their generosity this week, I was able, for the first time, to view 24 in high-definition with Dolby surround, while eating Wanda's famous turkey chili. Thanks, guys. Now, on with the show.
(As is usual when we gather, the “graphic violence” disclaimer gets an enthusiastic cheer. The more graphic the violence, the happier we are.)
CTU Exposition Briefing kicks us off. Jack, Ferret-face, Audrey, and Samwise gather. Jack intently lays out the points against Walt (the mole) Cummings in the murder of David Palmer, the theft of the nerve gas, and the infiltration of CTU. Ferret-face reminds him there's no proof except Spenser's word and that isn't enough to build a case. Jack says there's not enough time to build a case. He offers to meet with Mike Novick in a move to isolate Walt the mole. He states that Mike will listen to him, and the President will listen to Mike. Oh, poor, naïve, idealistic Jack. He convinces Audrey and Ferret-face, but Samwise has to make the final call. He is hesitant because Jack lacks official CTU capacity, but agrees in the end. He tells Jack, though, “This is about finding the nerve gas; not revenge for David Palmer.” Jack nods. It's all the same to him, as long as he gets to shoot someone in the leg at some point.
Jack and Audrey have to work together to establish Jack's protocols for the meeting with Novick. It's hesitant and awkward, and she confesses that she's still getting used to his being alive. As he leaves to call Mike, she stops him. She takes off her glasses so she can clearly convey her concern that when Walt the mole finds out Jack is still alive, he'll come after him again. Jack nods again. Again with the shooting in the leg, I'm thinking.
Terrorist Exposition Call! Bluetooth (whose name is really Nathanson, according to the captioning, but that's boring so I'm not changing) calls Walt the mole to express displeasure that Jack isn't dead yet. Hank's report is overdue. Walt pooh-poohs it, saying he may have had to alter his strike window. Yeah, it got altered, all right. He asks about the nerve gas, which Bluetooth says, is just reaching the port. We go to the port, where Curious George arrives in a truck driven by Flannel Shirt Guy from last week. The exposition continues as FSG tells George the gas will arrive in his country in eight days. George tells him in turn that it will then be transported to Moscow. Very efficient expositioneers, these terrorists.
Presidential briefing! President [BLEEP] and Mike Novick discuss the Secret Service's search for Mrs. Logan. Walt the mole comes in, and Mike then screens a video captured from a terrorist training camp showing the effects of nerve gas on a subject. The video is quite graphic, showing eyes rolling back in the head and foaming at the mouth, as Mike verbalizes the effects in a detached, clinical manner. It's quite chilling, actually. In fact, I daresay it's the most chilling thing we've seen on the show in five years, with the possible exception being the Internet video from last year with a bound William Devane being flanked by masked gunmen. When this show goes for the throat in terms of realism, more often than not, it takes a bite.
The President is quite sobered by the video. Mike then goes on to say that the gas stolen at the airport is more lethal then the gas in the video. Mike's Blackberry then buzzes, with a message from Jack to call him on a secure line. “Tell no one.” it says. Mike excuses himself to "return a call to the State Department." What a little dissembler. Funny how it's cute when Mike does it, but pisses me off when it's the President blowing off his wife. Go figure. Ethics are fickle.
Mike calls Jack. Jack tells him he has a lead on the gas, and it concerns Walt the mole. Mike agrees to meet outside the Presidential compound in 15 minutes. Jack then meets Derek and Diane, soon to be going home. He speaks briefly to Derek, then asks for a moment with Diane. He sits back, collects his thoughts for a moment; scratches his head and does his best James Dean. Diane asks if he's coming back. He says no. She confronts him about Audrey, he admits to his past with Audrey. She asks if he still loves Audrey. He says, “Yes.” Quietly, simply. Her eyes widen. She asks if Audrey still loves him. He doesn't know. They share a tender kiss, he tells her, “Thank you,” then, as always, he has to go. The chemistry between these two isn't quite as good as Kiefer's with Kim Raver, but it's still a poignant scene.
Bluetooth and Walt the mole commiserate over a recording of Mike's conversation with Jack. Nice secured line there, Mike. Walt is concerned because Bauer is alive and coming after him. He whines, “What am I supposed to do?” Bluetooth tells him, “At this point, there's only one thing you can do.”
Aaron the Secret Service agent finds Mrs. Logan in a stable, hiding behind some saddles. She appeals to him to help her, to not let them take her. She is starting to tell him about David Palmer when other agents step up. She again appeals to Aaron for help. He steps aside and lets the agents take her. She walks away, shooting Aaron one last withering glare. He has the decency to look sheepish, at least. In the living room, we sigh, our hopes that Aaron would save the day having been dashed. We're all big Aaron fans, from his days supporting Jobu in Season Three.
At the port, FSG is diddling with the nerve gas canisters with some sort of device that has a LED display that mentions the “Unlock Code.” He not-at-all suspiciously emerges from the cargo module where the canisters are being stored. Curious George confronts him, and he says he was just making sure the canisters were secure. He gives George the device (the remote trigger), telling him it has the arming codes, expositions that the ship is leaving in less than an hour, argues with George about when he will get paid, then walks away. George looks like he's not quite sure what just happened, but he also looks like he wants to find out.
Derek and Diane are leaving CTU. Diane speaks with Audrey, and stakes her claim for Jack. She asks Audrey if she still has feelings for Jack. Audrey demurs, and Diane says that Jack has been living with her and Derek, they are starting to become a family, and that she cares for him. She tells Audrey that Jack still loves her, but tells her, “If you don't love him, let him go.” Score one for the redhead.
Then, though, score one for the blonde. Jack is en route to his meeting with Mike. Audrey calls him on the phone and asks him straight out of he is going back to Diane. He says no, then says doesn't know yet what he's going to do. She asks him if it's true what Diane said—that he still loves her. He says, “I never stopped loving you. Not for one second.” She tears up and again I am blown away by the chemistry between these two. Also, yet again, Jack has to go. It's time for his meeting with Novick. He exits the car and walks into the woods.
Aaron brings President [BLEEP] news of his wife. He then hesitantly broaches the subject of what Mrs. Logan was saying about David Palmer. The music swells ominously as Walt the mole walks in as the President says, “I've heard her conspiracy theories, Aaron. I've heard them all.” So he blows Aaron off too, and Aaron walks out, not looking as convinced as President [BLEEP] thinks he is, I'm sure. The President tells Walt, “They found my wife.” Walt tells the President, “We need to talk.”
At this point, we in the living room had no idea what was about to transpire. Wanda (or maybe Ben) was thinking maybe Walt would shoot the President. I was thinking perhaps he had some sort of bomb strapped to him and might blow the compound sky-high. Someone suggested that perhaps he was going to implicate Mike, try to tar Mike with his own brush. Instead, he does the one thing none of us expected him to do: he tells the President the truth. He tells the President that Jack is on his way to meet with Mike Novick to try and implicate him (Walt the mole) in the nerve gas theft. The President says, “That's ridiculous!” Walt says, “No sir. It's the truth.” In the living room, three jaws drop. Curse words are uttered. Several of them.
The President goes for the phone. Walt stops him telling him it's in his “best interests” to listen to what what Walt has to say. In the living room, more curse words, but this time not so incredulous in tone. Walt tells the President that the gas will never reach its target in Russia, that the canisters have been tampered with (presumably by Flannel Shirt Guy) to be set off prematurely and kill the terrorists. He tells the President this will give the U.S. a “smoking gun” showing WMD's in “Central Asia” and will allow them to increase their military presence in the region to protect the oil. Ben and Wanda begin hurling invective at the television (they're not Republicans). Showing some backbone for once, President [BLEEP] gets in his face and calls him a traitor. Walt comes back, “NO! I am a patriot! Doing what needs to be done for the continued safety and well-being of this nation!” The President puts two and two together and realizes that Walt ordered the assassination of Jobu. Walt says so, saying Palmer knew too much. The President tells Walt to call his people and get the nerve gas back before it leaves the country. Walt says he can't. He doesn't know where the nerve gas is. He then hits President [BLEEP] right where it hurts him most—his image--telling him to let things play out, or “your administration will be implicated. Your Presidency will be destroyed.”
Mike finally arrives to meet with Jack. They barely have time for a handshake before a pan and zoom sort of camera shot (reminiscent of the (in my mind, anyway) famous “get off the road!” shot from The Fellowship Of The Ring) presages trouble for Jack, as it almost did for Frodo (and Samwise! And just look what's happened to poor Peregrin Took since then). The Secret Service chopper that rises dramatically, in grand 24 tradition, from behind the hill, confirms it. Carload lots of Secret Service agents storm the woods. Mike shouts that Jack is there at his request, but the agent says they have orders from the President to take Jack into custody. Again, I ask, where were these guys when Walt the mole was chloroforming Mrs. Logan 90 minutes ago? And ohhhh, what a look Jack gives Mike.
Walt the mole gets off the phone and tells President [BLEEP] that Bauer and Novick are in custody. The President can't believe they're locking up Mike Novick too. Walt gives him some verbiage and soothes his weenie feathers. Tchah. The President wants reassurance that the detonators will work and kill the terrorists, and Walt gives it to him, then tells the President to allow him to order CTU off the case. The President rolls over and says, “Scratch my belly when you get done, will you?” Well, he may as well have.
The Secret Service armada arrives back at the compound with Jack in handcuffs. Aaron sees Jack and they make intense eye contact. Aaron calls another agent over and asks, “Why is Jack Bauer here, why is he under arrest, and why wasn't I told?” The first time I saw this I wondered why he felt like he should have been told, but we find out later he's “lead agent,” so this makes more sense in retrospect. The agent tells him the order came from the President. Aaron asks, “Directly?” He's told, “No. It came through Walt Cummings' office.” Aaron squints thoughtfully. In the living room, we plead for Aaron to cogitate.
At CTU, Edgar, Ferret-face and Audrey are doing some cogitating of their own (and it's not as dirty as it sounds, you deviants) in a briefing room, when Samwise walks in and tells them they have been ordered off the case. They raise a hue and cry, Ferret-face saying if they hand the case off they won't find the nerve gas. Samwise is like, well, what can we do? We got an order. Ferret-face says, “We can disregard the order.” Incredulously, Samwise says, “We're not disregarding the order!” He says that sending Jack to talk to Novick privately is one thing, but to disregard a Presidential order is something else entirely. Ferret-face says, “That's because you don't have the experience to know any better.” Samwise snaps a look at Ferret-face and orders “Mr. Buchanan” to speak to him in the hall. Uh-oh, he's not “Bill” any more, and the living room is going crazy. In the hall, Samwise starts getting all “Don't talk about me like that in front of the troops” but Ferret-face isn't having it. He repeats his advice to disregard the order and says, “If we're not doing everything in our power to stop these terrorists, we're not doing our job.” In my opinion, Ferret-face's finest moment to date on the show. Samwise says, “OK. Disregard the order.” He then gives a great look—a sort of blink and double-take combo that says, “What the hell did I just do?” We cheer for Samwise.
Evelyn helps Mrs. Logan pack for her “trip.” Mrs. Logan reflects on her marriage, how she had once been a confidante but is now “less than an afterthought.” Evelyn lamely tries to cheer her up, saying “I'm sure the President would be here if he could.” Mrs. Logan looks pityingly at her and says, “He's the President of the United States, Evelyn. He can do whatever he wants. If he wanted to be here, he would be.” I see those years of Lifetime movies have served Jean Smart well.
Jack is being held. The door opens and Aaron walks in, to transfer Jack to a “class three detention facility.” Jack recognizes him as having served under Jobu and appeals to him for help. At first, Aaron doesn't want to listen, but Jack is insistent. Jack tells him about Walt Cummings and his role in the day's events. He tells Aaron, “Walt Cummings ordered the assassination of David Palmer. I know that's hard to believe, but I can prove it. It's true.” Aaron says, “Actually, it's not that hard to believe.” and tells Jack of Mrs. Logan's suspicions. Jack tells Aaron that his duty as a Secret Service agent is to protect the President and that the President is being undermined, which is tantamount to a coup. He is playing on Aaron's integrity, and judging by Aaron's face, it's working. It might have been here, as we were going to commercial, that Wanda screamed, “Aaron! Follow your instincts!” Best words of encouragement I've ever heard directed toward a Secret Service agent.
Back from commercial, Aaron approaches another agent guarding a door, and sends him off to call in a Jack Bauer escape. The agent asks why Aaron didn't call it in. “My comm's down,” says Aaron, his eyes downcast. Nice poker face, Moneymaker. Still, the guy buys it, so off he goes. The door is the President's door. Behind it, he and Walt the mole are arguing about CTU not handing over jurisdiction of the search, when Aaron walks in, Jack right behind him, his hands unbound. Jack calls out Walt the mole, and Walt makes a move for the phone. Jack cuts him off and starts beating the hell out of him. We're screaming (“DEFIBRILATE HIM!!!!”), the President is screaming (“STOP THIS!!!”), and Aaron? Aaron's just standing there watching it all unfold, not doing a thing. President [BLEEP] tells him to do something! Aaron says, “I am, Mr. President. I'm upholding my oath to protect you.” (“YES!!!” we all shout.) The President goes for the phone. Aaron tells him, “That won't have any effect, sir. I've overridden the distress line.” Go Aaron, it's your birthday! Jack pauses from the beating to tell the President just what his Chief of Staff has been up to. The President says he knows, but there's an explanation.
Jack gives him a look that would have made me faint on the spot. “What do you mean, you know about that?” he growls. They go back and forth, and Jack tells him they have to find the nerve gas. The President says it's too late, that it's already on its way out of the country. Jack starts beating on Walt again. (“DEFIBRILATE HIM!!!”) Between licks, Walt continues to protest that he doesn't know. Jack goes for the gusto, pulling a knife and pressing it against Walt's eye. “I'm done talking with you, do you understand me?” He proceeds to tell Walt just what he's going to do with the knife, and Walt caves. He tells them about the Port of Long Beach and the ship leaving at 2:30. The President looks stunned and calls Jack off.
Jack calls CTU and gives them the skinny. The President rescinds the order changing jurisdiction and Ferret-face and the gang get to work planning an interdiction of the freighter to get the nerve gas back. Jack lays his cell phone on the table, and Aaron lays down his badge and his gun. Jack tells the President, “Agent Pierce and I are prepared to hand ourselves over to the authorities now.” The President tells Aaron, “Take back your shield and get Walt Cummings out of my sight.” Pandemonium in the living room. As they trundle Walt off, I have this image of him in my head, and he's saying, “I'd've gotten away with it, if it wasn't for you sneaky kids!” Not sure why, but there you go.
The President shows his gratitude to Jack first by rationalizing his own behavior (“I was coerced!”), then by telling Jack that his being alive is a problem. Jack asks to stay on until the nerve gas is retrieved, then gives his word that he will “simply disappear again.” The President agrees, “for the good of the country.” Putz. I think, for the good of the country, Jack Bauer should run for President. Aaron could be his Veep. I can see it now: Bauer/Pierce 2008: “Defibrilating the World for a Better America.” I'd vote for 'em.
The First Lady is about to be driven away when the President stops the car. He tells her there was a conspiracy, that Walt Cummings lied to him. Sending her away was Walt's idea! She snaps, “And you went along with it.” She's pissed. He has to leave to monitor the CTU operation. He leans in for a kiss, and she turns away (Wanda claps and giggles) so he plants one on her cheek instead. She doesn't look pleased. He walks away, leaving her, fuming, beside the limousine.
CTU is preparing to storm the ship. By the way, has anyone else noticed the sort of funky bass tracks in the score this year when things start to get froggy? It's pretty cool, wot? Customs agents under CTU directive perform the actual raid as CTU watches, with Jack and President [BLEEP] watching the feed from the compound. “Agent Finn” is leading the operation on the ground. Huh! I guess he got tired of killing demons in Belize. Actually, given the writer of this episode (David Fury, a Buffy and Angel veteran), that had to have been intentional; if so, it was a nice touch. Customs opens the cargo module we saw earlier and go inside. They find a body. Aw, it's Flannel Shirt Guy. He just wanted to get paid! The boxes are opened. They're all empty! The nerve gas is GONE!!! Is anyone else surprised? No? Me neither. Jack suddenly starts giving orders and bellows for Walt the mole to be brought in as the President stands around slack-jawed. Walt comes in and protests ignorance. He sees the image on the screen of dead Flannel Shirt Guy, and recognizes him as “our man on the inside.”
Montage! Jack! CTU, scrambling! Walt, confused! President [BLEEP], worried! Mrs. Logan, pissed! Some guys, driving! Derek, doing...something! His mom, driving! The “some guys, driving” shot again—there's Curious George! He's on the phone!
Walt's cell phone rings. He recognizes Flannel Shirt Guy's number. Jack shouts for CTU to monitor the call, and Walt answers the phone. Curious George is on the line, and tells him that FSG confessed everything. Walt offers to negotiate to get the gas back. George says, “I don't negotiate with my enemies. Your country is about to pay a very. Steep. Price.” They all look concerned.
12:59:59
I know this was a long recap this week, but so much happened, I couldn't help it. Get used to it. Once this show gets going there's no way to be brief. Man, so much happened! Defibrilation! Aaron is the hero of the living room, and we still think President [BLEEP] is a maroon. If he gets a spine now, maybe I'll rechristen him again. We'll have to see what happens with his wife, first, though. Looks like things are about to get wiggly. Again. I love it.
See you next week.
Sam Brady remembers David Fury singing about mustard. That was silly.
