24

Lets face it;first one was the longest day of jack bauer, and although all the following days were great,they were never as ground breaking as the first one.Although they spesificly throw some life altering event towards the ends of each they;the contents of the days feel more and more like the "hard day at work" for a great agent.They include any personal thing for Jack himself less and less,and the things they throw in to avoid that;like him killing the husband of his lover,or torturing her,or losing a great friend;just feel alittle too...pushed in.



And i dont know if anyone has noticed but the show doesnt take the real time thing as serios as before anymore,they dont even think how much time it takes to go up from some ladders or whatever.



The latest shock was great,and i guess it was something we all needed. dont get me wrong the show is exciting but not as nerve wrecking as before;since we've seen it all.

Where one crisis ends and the next begins, this is the middleman. That's correct: the takedown of the Vice President of the United States. That's gotta be it, right? Who else could Henderson possibly be protecting?
Jack's alive, and Bierko's done with (though also alive). This episode focuses on Henderson (and definitely Gardner, yep yep yep). Turns out that Evelyn, in keeping with many fan speculations throughout the season, does have something to do with the day's events—she knows who's behind the conspiracy, and the only reason she's kept quiet all this time is that Henderson kidnapped her daughter. But who needs Evelyn anyway? It's so obvious that Gardner's our guy!
There's more bureaucratic stuff at CTU when Homeland Security officially takes over and kicks Buchanan out with Audrey's help so that she can keep Chloe onboard in order to help Jack and Wayne shoot their way into a coal plant where Henderson's meeting with Evelyn to give her back her daughter in return for the evidence that she doesn't actually have and that nobody needs since we all ******* know it's Gardner!
This episode is engrossing enough, though keeping the audience in suspense for a near hour is pretty cheap when we've practically known for years that the VP's our new Bigbad.

Hourly Highlight:
Boy, Gardner sure looks a lot like Logan in that last scene. Must be the lighting.

What I liked -» The episode itself was entertaining, the best part of course, was the ending, filled with tension, gunfight and a shocking surprise.



What I Didn´t Liked -» CTU scenes wasn´t specifically necessary, it is incredible that in the middle of a crisis this happens, but ok, it is because of the plot.



Time and Scene Management - » (9/10). All the scenes itself was entertaining and only one or two scenes could be considered filler, but it is hard to notice the filler scenes.



Plot Details/Holes- » (9/10). Surprising enough, this episode should be slow and all about finding a new mission to pursuit, however, it was all about finding who is the man behind the all conspiracy. Even Wayne Palmer was also part of this episode actions. Didn´t notice plot holes in this one.



Beginning - » (9/10). We start things like a classic movie, where Jack is alive, but then, news evidence arrive and Wayne Palmer has a very strong clue.



Complication Phase - » (8/10). Evelyn plays a important role here, in think her inclusion was improvised by the writers, but this doesn´t mean that this is a bad thing, since she have a daughter and Henderson is keeping her captive, because of the tape (season 2 direct copy storyline), the classic storyline played in the movies. The situation is very complicated, because in this episode CTU is absorbed and now Chloe and Audrey are working undercover, and this make the tension in this episode.



Suspense/Tension - » (9/10). The action by the last scenes was superb., really suspenseful. You have some tension in CTU too.



Climax - » (10/10). The best part and with the high tension here was when Jack and Wayne Palmer take out some snipers and then we had a suspenseful gun fight.



Action - » (10/10). There is no way that you will not like the action in this episode.



Drama - » (7/10). A mother that has her daughter captive.



Surprises/Shocks - » (10/10). The last scene says all.



Ending - » (10/10). A rare ending that will caught you by surprise.

So.. we are getting closer to the conspiracy and it feels it is big but until the final seconds, we have no idea how big it is.



So, the main plot goes around Jack who runs alone now with Wayne and trying to get Evelyn's child to her so she would talk.. With much action and some desperate moves, they do.. she gets hurt but that does not matter. What they learn is shocking.. I had no idea.. I did not even dreamt about it.. I would almost say it was as shocking as Nina Myers.. no.. there is nothing what can get close to Nina but it was shocking..



And the whole thing in CTU.. the choice Audrey has to make.. and Chloe.. oh.. I hope they can help Jack..

Well that was interesting. The fact that the president of the united states has been in this thing since the beginning makes absolutly no sense to me whatsoever. He'll now start acting differently in the episodes to follow which is retarded in my thoughts. If they can somehow explain how he tried to stop the terrorists and then all of a sudden hes on there side....they have a lot of work to do in explianing his story.



Jacks infultration to rescue Evelyns daughter was nicely filmed. I liked when he disabled the radio to talk into the muffled sound system. I thought the episode was very good, I just expect a lot of answers in the episodes that finish up this season.

Homeland Security finally formalizes their control over CTU. Audrey sign a document that will get Bill Buchanan out of his position as head of CTU. Audrey recruits Chloe as she tries to give Jack a helping hand from CTU without the knowledge of homeland security. this is another great episode. jack and wayne finds evelyn hoping to find the evidence that could incriminate the mastermind of the terrorist attacks, but as it turns out henderson have kidnapped her daughter. Jack and Wayne must mount a rescue her. this is another great episode, the fast paced plot is so relenting, it's very engaging.

Audrey actually has a backbone, who’d have guessed? It was a nice move though, when she won’t co-operate, to threaten not only her but the DOD. Felt sorry for Chloe and Bill when told Audrey signed the document, she didn’t get a chance to warn them or explain, instead she looks like a traitor.



Replacing Chloe is insane, she’s been with CTU a long time and she’s the best they’ve got. This is a terrible time to replace personnel, in the middle of the hunt for Henderson, they’re not even being briefed by people, just straight getting rid of them, which means additional time getting up to speed. I could understand reducing their responsibilities or phasing them out slowly but this way is just stupid. Gardner is clearly trying to circumvent Logan and blaming CTU which has vastly reduced the terrorist attacks. His agenda definitely is not the security of the country, but instead his own career.



An interesting development with Evelyn. I’ve liked her since the season started, standing up to those more powerful than her, including the president. I am relieved that she’s not a traitor and she certainly delivers unexpected, if unbelievable news. The idea that Logan is behind all of this borders on ridiculous. We’ve seen what an idiot he is, incapable of simple decisions, making the correct choices – how exactly does he mastermind a plot on this scale? Not to mention why is he attacking his own country? To give himself more power, make himself the hero, what? I’m having real trouble with this revelation, they better know what they're doing, because it doesn't make sense.

The situation is more serious than we thought.

Evelyn has her daughter kidnapped(Damn it, Henderson!)

While she's the only one knowing for sure who's behind everything.



Wayne's excellent as usual, he's so great to watch, you can see in his eyes, in his movements, he wants revenge on the people who murdered his brother.



At CTU, Audrey has to make a decision. It's not really a decision, though. It can be only done 1 way - Keep Chloe to help Jack. OTherwise, Jack can go and have a hamburger - he won't save anything or anyone today.



It was really sad to watch Buchanan being forced to leave CTU.



The ending, I would like to talk about it a little.



Up, until this episode, (Including S4 episodes he was in) Logan was, not too..how I say... sure in himself. He always wanted his advisors to decide things, he couldn't. This episode, the last scene, Logan's character took a huge, 180° turn. Suddnely he turned out to be a villain, and a very sure-in-self kind of person.



Not neccesserly good. I think this was an unplanned twist. If we think a little...If Logan is bad, why he let Jack rejoin CTU at the beginning? come on..



A bit disappointing, how the writers qucikly came up with a twist like this. Not logic in this. Just like in season 1. Nina is the traitor? She could have killed Jack and his family 10000 times. She didn't. Up until episode 24 where she suddenly wantedt o kill everyone.lol.



Anyway, 24 is great. But if really Audrey was the traitor..mmm... that would have been... really surprising.I always thought Logan's hiding something....Audrey? No..

I have for some time predicted who would be the bad guy... I was pleased to see that I was right! It's going to be very interesting to see what will come of this storyline and it gives the character a whole new dimension. A plot twist I really liked!



I am glad to see more of Wayne Palmer in this episode. DB Woodside is a good actor and I hope he will stay on the show. It was nice to see Jack teamed up with someone again, someone other than Curtis. I've never really felt much chemistry between those two actors.



The storyline with the kidnapped daughter felt kind of old... I hope Evilyn won't kick the bucket or anything before she can help Jack more. I do wonder though how come she didn't say something to him (or anyone else at CTU, or Aaron) earlier in the day before her daughter was kidnapped.



I kinda' still don't like Audrey... I get the feeling the writers are trying to make us really like her after the fiasco of last season but it's not working for me.



Glad to see that Chloe is still on board though!



Anyways, looking forward to the next episode. I can't wait to see where this villain storyline will lead.

I\\\'ve been watching this show from the beginning & I have come up with 2 simple rules that this show has followed since the beginning: Don\\\'t trust anybody & Expect the unexpected. That second rule has been used extensively throughout this show especially the final scene of this episode. I kept guessing everyone from Jack to Mike, but never in 1,000,000,000 years would I have seen that coming.



I don\\\'t know what will happen, but just remember: Expect the unexpected.

With no more nerve gas, 24 had to continue the urgency frequent in the 15 episodes preceding it. Luckily, they have a major conspiracy to topple in 9 hours. The final minute reveals the deepest layer behind the conspiracy, one that may be considered a cheat, but has largely been seen as a genuinely good surprise and an interesting angle to finish the season.



It's no surprise that Jack survived the blast (albeit without some cool burn on his face). Bierko surviving is different. While this could indicate that the writers have something planned for him, they could easily have spared him because of what they could possibly do with him later.



Since the gas crisis is over, Homeland Security now feels ready to absorb CTU. While to some degree this makes sense, overhauling personnel is going to be costly to CTU's operational capability. The nerve gas attack was a devastating blow, but as Buchanan said earlier, they want to fight back. Considering Henderson is still on the run and Jack knows that there are higher ranking conspirators at large, it would make sense to keep those who can work on so they can work alongside Homeland Security.



The absorption is made worse when Miles tries to get Audrey to turn against her friends by signing the incriminating form. Obviously, she wouldn't betray those she's worked alongside all day and those she's known for some time unless she was forced. Audrey is in an impossible situation, and ultimately has to betray Buchanan so Chloe can stay and work with Jack. This tactic seeks to divide and conquer CTU and it appears to have worked for now. But still, why wouldn't Audrey get her father involved?



The lack of continuity from Wayne being incapacitated last episode to functional with a mild wound to his hand this one is frustrating, but considering what they do with his character, it is forgivable. Since Tony died, there hasn't been anyone else (besides Jack) closely connected to those who died in the beginning of the season. Wayne's presence reminds us of what has been lost, refreshing our desire for them to get justice. It's stuff like this that shows that what happened at the beginning of the season wasn't just a cheap stunt.



Wayne reveals that Evelyn, of all people, knows the truth about what killed David Palmer. This seems a little weird considering how she probably should've been fired several time from being Martha's assistant. Logistics (including why Evelyn would have a house in LA) aside, it's unclear how long Henderson has had Amy and whether that has affected how she's worked today. Wayne and Aaron are right in assuming that Henderson will kill them after they have the evidence and of course, the only person they know to call is Jack. Having these three working together to avenge Palmer is great to see.



After the wackiness of his season three plotline, DB Woodside, like many cast members, is getting time to shine this season. Jack and Wayne play off each other very well. Wayne wants justice/revenge, but Jack knows that it takes something to kill someone (if anyone knows that, it's him). Of course, Wayne is in position where he has to kill someone for the sake of their mission. It turns out that he does have it.



Gardner does about everything possible in the suspicious red herring playbook, from lurking in the shadows to his surprise that Wayne made it to the compound (despite authorizing it, perhaps this scene was originally written for Logan) to gutting CTU to the editing choice at one of the act breaks that made it look like Henderson and Gardner were talking. Considering all this sneakiness, it would be too obvious to have him be the one behind what's happened today.



Evelyn refuses to divulge what she knows to Jack and Wayne, giving us the cliffhanger at the end of the episode. What could've been a simple rescue mission becomes more complicated when Evelyn is shot in the leg. Since they know at the end that Logan is behind the conspiracy, they can't drop her off at a hospital while they pursue whatever leads they can to get Henderson. It places them in a difficult position where almost all of their allies are dead or unable to provide significant help, while the leader of the country is the least trustworthy of all.



Of course, the final twist has been the most dissected bit of the episode. Having Logan be the mastermind behind it all saves us from the obvious Gardner angle, but does this twist really work or is it another instance of the writers pulling something out of their hats? Throughout the season, Logan has been a character who couldn't make a decision about what to watch on TV, much less anything involving national security. How could he be behind the American conspiracy?



There is a way to explain it without throwing out all the characterization we've seen so far. From the beginning of this season, Logan has been obsessed legacy. As Walt said earlier, the nerve gas was never meant to be used on Americans, but specially activated later. Averting a major attack would be a significant boost to his standing as president. However, things didn't play out that way: the Russians found out they were being set up and turned the tables. Since then, Logan has been doing damage control. They won't have to rewrite much of his character. Logan has always been weak, and that can lead to cutting corners and they have dire consequences. Is also explains why Palmer wouldn't want to speak with Logan directly about what he knew.



The hierarchy of this conspiracy is worth discussing, since those at the bottom (Walt) didn't know who was really in charge (Logan). Nathanson hinted that he may have known, but only Henderson directly contacted Logan about their plans. Clearly, this is meant to protect Logan.



While some may cry foul over the latest development, this season has been so well done, they can clearly handle it in a way that continues the intrigue and suspense we've seen so far. It is frustrating how some of the characters are behaving, but it fits well for the show, giving us more reason to root for our heroes.

This one was a kind of a filler with the biggest twist since season 1 with nina been the 2nd mole.



the best quote in this one was:

\'Bill I\'m scared. I\'m think it\'s bigger than anyone could think of.\'



This hour 10pm-11pm has always been a big hour for twists:



Day One- Palmer assassaination attempt 2 was foiled by Jack and then Nina revealed as the mole.



Day Two- The nuclear bomb goes off with Mason taking the plane down



Day Three- Nina kissing Jack



Day Four- Air Force One hit



Day Five- Logan behind todays events



A good filler episode!

this is the best show ever i think its really cool it has everything you need in a show!! Kiefer Sutherland is an amazing actor!!! he\\\'s my fav. i am so obssed with this show!!! this epsiode was Great!!! i can\\\'t wait to see tonights and the next weeks and the next.... and so on!! i really think that everyone should watch this show!

This is a memorable episode. We all fell in love with this show in it's first season, and probably the main reason for that, was the really unexpected twists and surprises. Sadly I haven't been that shocked since season 1. This episode brought me back to that long missed sensation. Plus, they did it in a quite clever way. They pont the arrows at the VP, and just in the right time we found out, the one we allways thought of as an incompetent excuse for a potus, turns out to be a real %$·". kudos on this one

Jack: Bill, I\'m scared



OK, if Jack is scared, what the hell should we be?



Up to the last fifteen minutes of the show, I had a feeling we were going to see who was on the other end of Robocop’s phone calls, I just was prepared for someone different. Not the VP, he was becoming too much of a red herring. I was thinking it was Mike or maybe even the First Lady. But not President Logan. That was a shocker.



But after I got over the shock, I realized that this is a ballsy choice and I applaud it. If we’re going to go for it, let’s go for it all. I don’t have much stock in Logan as a president or as a character, so why not? Let’s see how this ends.



Overall this was a much improved episode from the last few weeks. The more I see of Peter Weller, the more I want a Robocop 4. He’s extremely good at this bad guy stuff. And kudos to Wayne for surviving another week. I’ve got him pegged next in the death pool, so get your bets ready.



O and don’t forget…the Chinese are still out there. Wonder if they are going to get wind that Jack is alive? Hey, if the Prez is the bad guy, why not just call up the Chinese and take out Jack that way?



It looks like next week’s episode will be the make or break episode of the season. The writers are going to have to convince all of us that President Logan, the mushy little nothing who couldn’t tie his shoes by himself only hours before, is the mastermind behind the entire thing.



I hope they are up to the challenge.



Bauer threat of the week:



Evelyn...right now, I am your last chance.

don't really see the president pulling a stunt like that off. not like how he handled the entire situation in the last season. It doesn't match his character at all. I think it would have been better if the traitor was actually the vice-president or Mike who was working to undermine him. But that would have just continued the trend of the previous seasons. It's interesting to see how they run season 5 now that everyone in the US is looking to take out Jack. Not to mention that German who got screwed over by Jack in the earlier episode. It's looking like there are only a couple people who are going to help Jack out now.

What a twist ! Logan is behind all that...

why? only time will tell. Anyway , people say that maybe the writers flunked here because why was Logan suprised when Cummings confessed and now we see the Logan is behind all that?

First of all , Logan didnt give green light for Palmer`s murder... it was Cummings. He even told Logan that.

In My opinion... Logan probably wanted to kill Palmer in order to continue his master plan but in order to keep his hands clean , he saw an oppertunity when Cummings planned his little plan and that`s why he played dumb and suprised.

Cummings was probably a pawn in Logan`s plan. Logan probably told the terrorists that the Sentox contains a detonator and thats how they knew AND that`s why Cummings was shocked when his plan backfired.

The end of this episode gives this season of 24 the potential to be an incredibly wild ride! This could end up being even better than last season.

Who do you trust? How do you fight the president? What was \\\"president weenie\\\'s\\\" (my daughter and my pet name for him) agenda in the first place?

The tension at CTU and the revelation that Logan is behind everything brings so many intense options to mind that it will be interesting to see what course the story takes.

I originally feared that Aaron was part of the plot, and was relieved to see he is still one of the good guys.

President Logan...I mean they pulled out all the stops this season, but this is one time I want to keep driving. First of all, nothing made you suspect that this guy was \"the head honcho\" but instead we see him giving the order in the end while sitting in that big leather chair like he\'s Dr. Claw or something. I wasn\'t impressed in the slightest and I really think that last episode \"Jumped the shark\" for this season.

Nothing beter then see a episode with an evocation to the actuals days...

Sometime we just wonder what is the world of power, the biggest of the world... We call them big because they seems to be really distant from us.

Of course is a fictional serie.. but...

Could be something real??? Anyone is absolute sure that know all true?

I am not!

And why not??? Because each day we hear news that told us "the true is not what you thing... always there are something more..."

And what we can do??

Honestly??? I HAVE NO IDEA!!!

The power change the person, really few beens doesn't have this kind of tentation... I waiting to meet one...

Am I the only who is completely confused. Having the president be evil throws me off completely. The president seemed genuinely surprised when walt cummings explained the situation. But if the president is behind this whole attack, then why does cummings not know.



I think a lot of explanation has to happen next ep before we can continue with rediculous Jack Bauer kills.

i watched season 1 , 2 , 4 and partly 5

but yesterdaY i just watched season 3

some good stuff there ! ! !



Yeah, but i tend to wonder watz it gonna b like

when season 5 ends ? ? ? If thez gonna b

another season "6" its gonna b cool.



But, but , but i HOPE if this is the final

season, the show is not gonna end with Jack

DYING..........



Season 5 is good, but i expect some old

characters to filter in such as

Mich Anderson, the guy who gunned Airforce one

in season 4....



Im a lil bit behind though, but gushh

this t.v show seems real if u follow it..



brace up as the day draws to an end----

Nice. Wow I think nobody expected this. I didn't.

A really fabulous episode. To the very end we think the vice president is a traitor but then... BOOOM: President of the United States! Charles Logan! A TRAITOR?!!

Well I think now will be interesting to see what will happen.

An interesting episode, because we don't really expect something like that. We just watch the epizode like an ordinary one. We are interested what evidence does the assistant of Mrs. Logan have against the vice president or perhaps someone else that is not so important. And then the end. I literally cried of joy at the end, knowing that now the show will really be unstopable to watch.

I know we all think it sometimes, what if the person the highest up had a hand in one of the lowest things to happen to his country? Who\'d have thunk it as weak as he played up all day to this point? Makes for more interesting situations and even more unanswered questions. Oh I can\'t wait until next week.

Well I have to say that this episode had it all. The reason that 24 is still going strong... "Jack:... I am your only chance", and Jack carrying Bierko from the explosion, to a pivotal revelation as to the person behind it ALL!!!!



OK, so the last episode wasn't that much of a cliffhanger, 'cause you know, if Jack had died in the explosion it would have been kinda stupid (to state the obvious!). So I was kinda disappointed at that.



In THIS episode, when Jack walked through the wreckage carrying Bierko... that was like what you might expect from a superhero (movie/comic book/cartoon). It wasn't a bad thing, but it was kinda too much for me.... (ep 15) running through the gas plant with the clock ticking down; running in FRONT of the exploding gas mains; spectacularly diving for cover when a explosion nearby; then getting up and catching up to the bad guy; a quick fight with him.... then take him to safety with you as the whole place goes KABOOOOM!!!! (*phew that was tiring*). That was all a bit too much for one man to go through.. and that man has to be Jack Bauer.



And it continues in this episode with Jack claiming to Evelyn, "I am your only hope", then successfully taking out 7-10 armed men and saving the little girl.



The little girl by the way could have done a bit better in the acting department. In the first shot of her, I was like, "cry little girl, cry, you've just been kidnapped. At least look like you're crying or sad. Dont just sit there and not be scared".... alright maybe that was bit too much on my side, what with all the heroic scenes I had just witnessed. All I am saying about the girl is she should have at least LOOKED like she wanted to be saved. To me, she didn't.



Now onto the major, MAJOR, revelation of the guy behind it all. I had hoped it would have been the Vice President, 'cause he had been given the reight setup, (by Mrs. Logan and Mike claiming he was gunning for the presidency and giving the authorisation to take over CTU etc etc.). The fact it wasn't him was a bit of a disappointment and... at the same time a good thing. (Does that even make sense?).



It was a disappoitment cause I expected him to be the guy, and it was a good thing that he wasn't cause... I expected him to be the bad guy (!), and in true 24 fashion it turned out that it wasn't him at all.



And the revelation that its the President HIMSELF who's doing all this is a great cliffhanger for this episode (much better than the last one!!). But lets not forget that there are still 8 more episodes to go.



Now we can begin on the "why is he doing all this?" and "is it really him, or is he also being manipulated?".



I am hoping that he is being manipulated by someonw else... ohhh maybe the Chinese have something to do with this.... that would be great. Wait. That WOULD be great. Because in the last series (if I remember correctly), Jack went into the Chinese embassy and killed some guy :/!.. and they could want revenge for embarassing them and, and.... okay I'm thinking WAY too much now. I'll leave that to the writers of the show.



I'll leave it at this.... I hope President Palmer is being either manipulated or has no choice in the matter of all that is going on today. He doesn't fit the bill of "the evil mastermind who's acting like he's a total idiot to fool everyone so that he could take over world"... well not to me anyway.



There better be a good follow up to this episode to all the question in everyones minds. If it turns out that all of this happened for some some stupid reason then the 24 series could end right here.



We'll have to wait and see next week..... can't wait.

Holy Crap! I'm staggered, I just didn't see that coming.



OK so let me get this straight - Charles Logan, The President of The United States of America is ..... a traitor. No way, not even 24 can seriously pull this one off. This is a pretty unimaginable situation and one I just cannot bring myself to believe. Logan is an odious scumbag but this is too much. I have too many questions:



Why is he colluding with Henderson? And to what end? How involved is he with everything that happened at CTU today (from the arrival of Lynn to the attack)? Is the President a bumbling idiot or an evil-genius? Who is the Vice President really? To what extent is Henderson involved? When is Audrey going to call in a favour from her father 'Secretary of Defense' James Heller? Is Aaron Pierce authorised to takedown his boss in the name of democracy, freedom and all that bollocks?



Crazy days, bis Montag.

Oh my god.



I don't know where to start because I saw Epsiodes 1 - 16 in a row and I am still shocked.



I didn't see that coming. The president is the bad guy. Why is he doing all this?



What proof does the witness have?



I can't wait to see the next episode.

Logan's complicity was planned from the very beggining. The whole script and plot was processed very well they did not just make it up as they went along. This is regarding a previous review. The plot is not simlple but if I remember correctly, the terrorists only found out about the canister trigger reconfiguration after Walt confessed to Logan becuase Jack was on his way to tell Logan dirty stuff about Walt. So Logan + the terrorists are on one side, CTU the other, and Walt and his friends with their own agenda. Correct me if Im wrong please (if you actually know what you are talking about).

I believe Logan was doing everything he could to make it look like he was concerned about the terrorists. Giving Jack to the chinese when he had just found out Walt was dirty might look a bit suspicious. I dont know if some of you are still confused but it all makes perfect sense to me, call me crazy...

Instead of going through the episode blow-by-blow, since the FOX site once again dropped the ball on their rundown for the latest installment, this review will focus primarily on the stunning revelation in the final minutes. The question to be answered is this: does it make sense, based on the episodes to date, for President Logan to be the mastermind behind the terrorist plot?



A few other items first. It’s great to see Agent Pierce and Wayne Palmer take a more prominent role, especially given that there’s every chance that they could be fodder for the body count already mounting this season. This is one consequence of David Palmer’s death that works beautifully; both men have a vested interest in honoring David’s memory and giving his death meaning. That makes them natural allies for Jack, and especially in Wayne Palmer’s case, it lends a strong heroic layer to the characters.



Audrey’s decision to screw over Bill to ensure Chloe’s assignment to her work was a bit contrived. Considering the fact that Karen had just tortured her despite evidence of her innocence, she could have threatened to get her father involved to get her way. For that matter, she could have used her own clear desire to get CTU back online as another reason to call Daddy. One hopes she contacted Bill during a quiet moment to let him know what went down, but since the entire issue will likely be wrapped up in the fallout of the main terrorism plot (assuming Logan’s allies are exposed and prosecuted), it’s not a necessary measure at this stage of the game.



Turning back to the matter at hand: is Logan’s complicity with Henderson a logical progression of the plot thus far? In other words, are the writers playing fair with the audience by maintaining consistency over the course of the season? There’s always a certain extent to which the brain must be turned off when watching “24”, given the contrivances required by the format and the pacing, but there are also limits that need to be kept in mind.



This turn of events, if accurate as portrayed, requires a new look at Logan. Instead of the weak and even incompetent character that dominated the first half of the season (and much of the final stretch of the fourth season), one must look at Logan as “master manipulator”. In essence, he has been manipulating people into making decisions for him, all the while making certain that those decisions align with his true agenda. It’s the ultimate exercise in plausible deniability.



So he conspires to have terrorists strike on the day of his presidency-making accord with the Russians and allows everyone else to stumble around, playing the fool while others make the choices “for him”. This would go back to eliminating Palmer and blaming Jack, with the assumption that he knew about Jack’s survival and purposefully used that to his advantage. (Which, in turn, brings up a serious plot problem, that will be addressed shortly.)



What exactly was the plot? The problem is that some of the activities have been terrorist-related, and others have been designed to protect this “black project”. Walt’s plot was directly related to the terrorism, and it makes sense (based on Logan’s reactions at the time) that Logan was letting Walt run the show to shift the responsibility. And that leads to serious plot question: why would Logan task Jack to the investigation and resolution of the nerve gas threat, if he wanted the terrorists to get away and the conspiracy to remain intact?



That simply doesn’t make any sense. Logan could have easily tossed Jack into a cell, or worse, given him over to the Chinese to be done with it. Instead, he puts someone with no great love for his administration on his own trail. It only makes sense if Logan was expecting Jack to get nowhere or get killed in the process. The fact that Logan gave Jack autonomy (never really used, oddly enough) strongly suggests that Logan’s complicity was not on the table when that episode was written.



Logan’s particular plan is still not clear (if it indeed his plan), but one could argue that the attack on the shopping mall was not part of it. That was outside of Bierko’s plan as well, so it’s quite possible that he was thrown off his game, and defaulted to allowing Novick to make the call so his ability to divert blame would remain intact. Once Bierko took control of the nerve gas again, it becomes more likely that Logan’s plan was back on track.



Logan must have chosen Hal Gardner as VP because he knew that the man would take an extreme approach, thus providing him with what he wanted without direct responsibility. This is strongly suggested in the treatment of CTU. Karen and Miles may not be in on the conspiracy, but they would have been selected because they would execute their orders. Logan seems to have been prepared for CTU being wiped out. Perhaps Logan was expecting Jack to be a victim of that attack.



If Bierko’s targets were chosen based on an overall plan that Logan initiated, then another question is brought to the table: why would Logan want so many Americans dead? Was he planning to use the terrorist attack as a pretext for some wider agenda? Perhaps he was hoping to implicate as many political enemies as possible in the conspiracy, using them as scapegoats or victims, so he could implement his political agenda with less resistance and seem more powerful and effective in the process.



It would be easy enough to assume that Henderson was working directly for Logan, and everything else was “sub-contracted” out from there. One big question is whether or not Logan was using anyone else to implement his plans. Since much of the manipulation seemed to be indirect for the purposes of deniability, the key would still be Henderson. Any other questions would require more explanation for Logan’s motivations, which obviously aren’t yet available.



So Logan, at a minimum, used Henderson to coordinate the turnover of hidden nerve gas to Russian terrorists. Henderson then set up a second layer to the operation, involving Walt Cummings, to use the terrorists against themselves. In the event that the plot was uncovered by CTU, arrangements were made to eliminate the investigation and ensure a solid cover-up. It seems to hang together, except for the fact that hundreds of thousands of people would have died and the reasons are still very unclear.



It still doesn’t necessarily add up. There’s the entire situation with the Suvarovs, after all. One could argue that Logan wasn’t dealing directly with Bierko, and so the terrorist had no idea that he was talking to the person who facilitated his terrorist ways. But given how easily Logan gave up the Suvarovs, it’s quite possible that it was part of the plan, and his reaction to Martha’s endangerment would therefore be genuine.



That is the other aspect that doesn’t quite track. Two people get in the way of the plot in a major way: Jack and Martha. Logan had two clear opportunities to remove the two of them from the situation, and in both cases, it would have been completely understood and accepted. Jack could have been imprisoned or taken into custody (and he was even prepared for it), and Martha could have been sent back to the institution. Logan specifically chose to keep them in the game, and as a result, the conspiracy has continued to unravel.



On the other hand, even if this plot twist doesn’t quite make sense, it does achieve something that hasn’t been seen in a while. Jack suddenly has very few resources, and he doesn’t have anyone in the administration able to help. He’s got Audrey and Chloe, who still need to work in secret, and beyond that, Wayne Palmer and Agent Pierce. One might count Martha, but she doesn’t really have control over anything.



Considering how much the producers have been tossing out the idea of “24” without Jack, and what would be done if Jack were to be killed, there’s easy possibility that this is the mechanism by which it happens. All of Jack’s allies could be systematically eliminated, leaving Jack to expose the conspiracy on his own in a final act of heroism. Granted, it’s very unlikely (especially if the network has anything to say about it), but considering what the writers have already pulled off this season, it wouldn’t be impossible.

A vintage 24 episode! Jack doing his best with other supporting characters emerging as strong allies. The one-one assault on Henderson's men reminds me of D4 when Jack rescued Heller - exciting staff (but the D4 scene were more elegantly done and showed Jack in his best elements with Heller providing a perfect rapport.)



I have wondered since 5x01 why was Sandrin Holt wasted in a baby-sitting role. Now, we know and the plot thickens!



Whining Logan, it seems has been behind the whole scheme. A premise I find tough to swallow. He has been whining since Day 4 and his behaviour has been consistant throughout Day 5 so far. I hope the writers have somebody more sinister in store for us - I would be very disappointed otherwise. The plot development just does not jive with the character and don't crap about whining Logan being a superb actor conning everyone, just doesn't cut it.



My favorite heroines are at it! Superb moments for Audrey and Chloe. I don't understand why some people still believe Andrey is a mole - the plot so far doesn't seem to point that way.



A well deserving 10 for all the drama and intrigues. The writers need to be very careful how they develop whinning Logan thread though - that may be the only sour taste in an otherwise top-notch series.