24

Seems like an episode with less action compared to previous. Things forward to an extent that Tony is back in CTU though I was a bit surprised how smoothly he got inside without Eric not objecting. I really liked it when Jack said "During the past two hours I've watched my friend come back to life!" may be it is because I liked Tony character in the series.

As in "12pm - 1pm," the first act is devoted to the immediate threat that arose in the last episode, and the rest is devoted to the bigger picture. However, "4pm - 5pm" is certainly not on par with the former.
After Navi dies, the episode seems lost on where to go. Jack and Tony still get their next objective and follow it, but it doesn't have the gusto or the sense of direction that was present earlier in the season. It's simply ANOTHER lead to pursue, and it feels like neither the writers nor the characters really care anymore.
The two big stories running parallel near hour's end are: Jack finding out that Paul Raines may be involved with the terrorists, and Curtis and Marianne going to the Rockland Building. In the former, Audrey decides to help out by going to Paul's hotel room and keeping him in one place. Shades of Elizabeth Nash and Alexis Drazen surface, but Audrey thankfully doesn't go crazy and grab a letter opener. And another thing to be thankful for: Marianne's dead. Some of Marwan's men show up at the Rockland Building, pop a couple in Marianne's chest, and proceed to interrogate Curtis.
This episode gets points from the Curtis thing, but it has the same problem that was present two episodes ago; it doesn't feel special, just bland.

Hourly Highlight:
Jack fighting Navi.

This episode was somehow slower than previous one - maybe there was nothing too major happening or was it just me after watching 4 episodes in row.



I loved the Audrey storyline and the way she fooled Paul for some time but I think it was shocking discovery that he might be involved.



And what I did not like - Curtis and Marianne storyline. She just is char I cannot stand and now, she is not making much sense.. she just finds a way to get out and then killed, and the get Curtis kidnapped. It all is going to end bad.

This is now back to back episodes that I felt the writing has been less then optimal on the 24 side. I thought the begining of the episode was good, with Jack trying to capture Navi and Behrooz, using CTU thermal to get a read on there location. The action after that ten minutes though seemed to stop and then everything else for the rest of the episode was pretty much nothing but a filler. Audrey calls Paul to tell her that she wants to walk to him, Edgar is concered about his mother still, and Curtis goes out into the field with Marianne and two guards and they run into trouble. The scene wasnt the best scene in the episode, but it was a little bit better then the rest of the filler parts. In the end, there was way too much time given to the Marianne/Curtis storyline as well as Erin asking Sarah to do her favors. Overall, it was a decent episode, but not anywhere near one of the greats.

Audrey finds herself in a moral dilemma after she learns that her ex husband might have been involved with terrorists. Marianne offers to cooperate with CTU in exchange for a lighter sentence. Curtis' life is placed in danger after he escorts her to an office building. Tony takes charge of the interrogation of Dina and Behrooz. Just as one crisis ends, a new one comes up to make the day complicated. Jack Bauer figures out that there may be a much bigger player running this terrorist attack. Things go really fast, there are twists and turns along the way that makes this episode exciting.

This episode along with the following episode was likely going to be shown as the mid-point two-hour event. But had they not done the two-night four-hour premiere, perhaps this episode would've improved alongside the next episode. Things are culminating. The Araz family and mole storylines wrap up, with mixed results. Suspicion cast on Paul is a bit obvious, but it works to begin disrupting Audrey and Jack's relationship.



Back at the parking garage, Jack tells CTU about the current circumstances, while Navi takes Behrooz into a laundry room. They exchange more hateful words. Behrooz can't stand behind someone who believes in murdering innocent people. Navi believes that Behrooz doesn't stand for anything and that he's weak. Actually, he's the weak one. He supports a cause that allows him to hunt down his family. The only thing keeping him from killing his son is that the plants haven't melted down. He calls Marwan to update him about the current situation. Marwan says that it will take him longer to meltdown the plants since he has to meltdown each plant individually. This assures that Navi will stay there long enough for Jack to find him.



Marianne has regained consciousness. Curtis interrogates her. Although having her car lined for explosives probably told her what was at risk, he wheels in Powell's body to convince further. She tells them that Powell kept a record of names on his computer and only her thumbprint can access them. They have to go downtown to his office where the bad guys will catch them in a trap, as 24 rules dictate.



Jack finds a laundry chute that he can use to rappel into the room. He sees that Behrooz is still alive. Dina calls Navi to distract him. This scene is tense, but could've been tenser if they used the split screen format of 24. Navi yells at Dina, telling him he murdered her brother while Jack sneaks up on him. Unfortunately all we see is Jack with Navi's side of the conversation. If they did it the other way it would've been more complex and exciting.



Of course, the metal device Jack used to rappel down clanks loudly against the chute, prompting Navi to explore the room. Jack waits behind a column, then fights Navi. Navi's gun flies out of his hands and near Behrooz, a set up for Navi's ultimate fate. Jack gets Navi in custody, but Behrooz kills his father before Jack can question him. Normally I'm not an advocate of patricide, but the world got a little bit better when Navi died. Navi wouldn't have been a good witness anyway since he was devoted to his cause. With the situation under control, Jack demands that Dina spill where the override is. She doesn't know. Even when she's ratting out to the feds, she still manipulates them to get what she wants. Jack isn't pleased, but she does know where the men in control of the override have been.



Driscoll doesn't want Curtis to go on site with Marianne, but Heller insists anyway. This was meant to increase the dramatic tension, but it doesn't deliver. They should've used the established characterization and the chemistry Aisha Tyler and Roger Cross have. 24 has done good work having former lovers, one of whom is a traitor, work together to prevent a terrorist attack. They don't make the effort to have Curtis and Marianne's dynamic be half as interesting as Jack and Nina's.



Driscoll finally exhibits some modesty, acting kindly towards a still sluggish Sarah. Although Driscoll offers Sarah the opportunity to go home, Sarah agrees to return to work. Edgar updates her on Marianne's situation. Perhaps Driscoll should've been a bit more apologetic, or 24 should've shown more repercussions of torturing an innocent person.



At the address Dina gave them, Jack and Tony initially only find an empty room. Jack spots an electrical outlet with a cord leading under the floor. They pull up some floorboards to find an underground room. Eerie photos and written plans adorn the walls: pictures of the train, maps and newspaper clippings of Secretary Heller with Jack in the background. He stares at the picture. We know he's angry, but part of his look is more ambiguous. Looking at this episode again I wonder if the terrorists had any other pictures or clippings relating to the threats that occur later in the season or if the writers even though about it.



While checking out the building's credentials, Sarah notices that the building is owned by a company whose CFO is Paul. Audrey has left to assist another DOD branch, but Jack calls her to contact her husband. She does, but he is about to check out of the hotel. Using their marriage as a ploy, she gets him to stay so they can have a serious talk about their relationship.



Jack asks that Tony return to CTU with Behrooz and Dina while he follows another lead. Tony doesn't want to go considering what happened in season three, but Jack convinces him. In the two hours he has been helping, Jack has seen Tony restored to what he was before his arrest. If he goes, he stands a chance to be rehired and claim that redemption.



Less than five hours after almost dying at the hands of terrorists, Heller yells at Driscoll for having Audrey sent to Paul's room. He calls her and pleads to wait for Jack, but Audrey refuses. If she waits, it will convince him to leave. She isn't worried because she doesn't think that Paul would work with terrorists to get revenge for a broken heart.



If only Chloe was around, Tony's homecoming would've been complete. The impact isn't as strong since no one in the office was around during Tony's tenure. We know Chloe would say the most awkward thing and it could've been a nice comic relief moment. Driscoll is nice to Tony, but she still has suspicions. She alerts Sarah to keep an eye on him.



Sarah is concerned about Driscoll's recent toned down behavior. Jack and Tony are a threat to her power (and rightly so considering how useless she has been as a leader) and she needs someone on her side. It comes at a price, as Sarah asks for her arrest removed from her record and a significant pay raise, which Driscoll allows. I still wish more had been done about the aftermath instead of what could be construed as giving the victim hush money.



Curtis and Marianne arrive at Powell's office, which is appropriately understaffed. It is a trap and everyone is murdered except for Curtis, who they keep alive so they can find out what he knows and who he told. Marianne's character becomes a wasted opportunity, reflective of poor planning. When they revealed she was dirty, I was reluctant to roll my eyes in hope that they would deal with it differently from a Nina scenario like they did with Gael. Unfortunately, the producers felt it was better to sweep aside the mole storyline entirely since they likely had no new ideas with this storyline. Mole storylines on 24 almost become an unavoidable necessity due to some oversights in the writing. Curtis' feelings were overlooked too. Although he did have plenty of bad feelings toward her, he just saw her murdered.



Audrey arrives at Paul's room and starts to talk. When she stalls and awkwardly brings him wanting sex into it, he aggressively confronts her about her true intentions. Jack bursts in with his perfect timing and knocks Paul out when he won't give any useful information. This punch is rather symbolic of the change of men in Audrey's life. It's the beginning of Audrey's journey through Jack's dark side.



This episode had some good things, but some bad too. Marianne's death comes off as poor planning. The conspiracy involving her isn't any clearer. Instead, things are further complicated with the introduction of new white terrorists. There is a bit of a brooding feel, like when they find the warehouse the terrorists used to plan the attacks, that would be used in the next episode that concludes the story.