24

Yes, I just made a Paul McCrane character reference and I feel quite ashamed.
Disorder has reached LA. We don't see it for very long, but it'll apparently last for a while. Jack's spirit is rejuvenated and ready to continue fighting terrorism. Curtis' death actually did serve a purpose—the still-alive Assad gives CTU a lead: Jack Bauer's father. Sort of a contrived purpose, but a purpose!
After that comes the twist to end all twists: Jack's brother happens to be none other than our beloved mysterious S5 mastermind Graem. Oh, brother! …sorry.
Wayne gets a change of scenery as he moves down to the redecorated, ballsier-looking White House bunker. This new warlike atmosphere certainly doesn't convey the same feel as the Oval Office; as far as the DC storyline goes, the environmental semiotics are in full swing.
The writing here seems willy-nilly. And that's barely taking into account the reveal of Graem's identity, which I guess even makes sense in a way (what way? Tell me what friggin' way!!). But watching Jack interrogate his own flesh and blood is among the pluses. Hmm, unfriendly helicopters and Jack Bauer; McCrane's life is difficult indeed.
Please get Sandra Palmer off my TV screen.

Hourly Highlight:
Speaking of helicopters…

Ok.. We have seen Paul McCrane's char before but we had no idea that he was Jack's brother.. that was a shock, I most say.. And with the last episode nuclear plast and Curtis.. they are really turning everything upside down.



Other than Jack and his family - it was chaotic episode. I most say some of the create rythm was lost and the whole thing going on in president office - it did not caught me.. ok, the speech in the end was nice, but that's all.



It was much better in Jack side and we saw him getting his will back and start helping CTU again.. the helicopter was great visual effect..



And bad guys are still out there.. so much to do..

Great! ack's back on hour 5 of 24. He has new incentive to fight, which is great. So after helping a couple of civilians get their helicopter out of a house he is back on the road with CTU. Back at HQ Assad is being questioned about his knowledge of all the situations that are going on. I mean there are still four nukes out there we think. A few names are thrown around and we finally have a lead for Jack.



Here's the twist. Our newest suspect happens to be Jack's father, Phillip Bauer. Wow! I didn't see that coming. It's far fetched to believe that now the only guy who can really fight terrorist was brought up by one, but we'll have to wait and see if the writers can pull it off. Jack gives a ring to his Dad and gets stonewalled. But it turns out Jack has a brother. And it's someone we know from season five. Graham "Gray" Bauer was given to us in the late hours of Day 5. He leads a group of Bluetooth Bandits in the basement of some facility. An odd fact about the brothers are that they are both on opposing sides of good and that during season five Graham Bauer had a telephone relationship with, then president Charles Logan, the same way that Jack Bauer does with the current president, Wayne Palmer.



We find out that Jack's brother and father both regret not killing Jack and that they are responsible for him behind kidnapped by the Chinese. With the chance of Jack's father being a suspect in a terrorist plot Jack has all he needs to get even with his kin because I'm sure he is wise to their disloyalties. The show ends with a torture seen in the office of Graham and leaves us wondering what does Jack's estranged family have to do with the purchasing of nukes. Even more will Jack kill his brother? I think not yet. But he will. I'm sure Phillip Bauer will show up soon. Hopefully we can close the gaps soon.



Not a whole lot else went on tonight. Fayed needs a new part for his bombs to work and we find out who he is dealing with to get the hardware. Walid al-Rezani is now an FBI insider while being incarcerated. I believe that to go sour real soon. The president is in a bunker and has sent for Assad to go there. So I guess next week we will have a very calm flight from LA to Washington. Even in the fighter jet it is like a half hour. No? That's one of the problems with show. Continuity needs all the integrity it can acquire. Although they do not leave many questions they do make it far less believable. That is fine because I'm not looking for someone I can relate to in 24. I will leave that up to The Office.

How long can people keep watching this trite? As the action grows emptier and the drama grows campier the viewers throw their arms up and celebrate how "riveting" it is.



Ever since season 2, the writers have been operating on borrowed time. All we are left to wonder now is who is Season Six's version of Kim "Oh S--- a mountain lion" Bauer is and will sexual tension once again allow this season's CTU mole in(CTU has got to be the most easily infiltrated government institution).



This last episode does nothing to eschew the suprisingly minimal amount of critics. Even after we were subject to a nothing but laughable hour where a hopelessly enraged federal agent suddenly goes "vigilante" allowing our Wonderagent to be burdened by another hollow and impromptu moral dilemma. That's the problem all these moral choice and moral consequences are tied up too neatly, have little impact, and are wholly hackneyed. We find ourselves sitting and having all our irrational suspicions affirmed again and again while our Christlike hero stumbles into another situation that always leaves him decidedly right, even when he is very, very wrong. Heil Bauer!

i think this episode is prepering the ground work for a much high tension seasson. The actors are doing a good job filling in their roles and they are developing into key roles to uncover the plot that has benn given to them. Jack is struguling in coming back into CTU standatr form but the nuclear blast has renuew his valor and has gone after his brother to find his father. Only time will tell how deep the father is into thio terror operation

This episode presents the desperation in which the people finds itself after the nuclear bomb was detonated...Jack goes and helps to save a man in a fallen helicopter...Assad is transported to CTU where he helps with the efforts to capture Fayed...Due to him we find out that even Jack's father and brother may be involved in some meetings with a Russian general who had the nukes and who gave them to Fayed...Also we find out that there are still 4 nukes that maybe detonated...Jack goes to his brother's house to find out where his father is and due to a suspicion he has he decides to do whatever he must in order to find that information...Even to appeal to torture...Wayne decides to speak to the people and to send then a strong signal...Walid Al-Rezani is playing a very dangerous game by trying to obtain information that would help capture Fayed.

Fresh off the crazy ending of the premiere with the death of Black Jack and America getting nuked, no less than 12,000 are estimated to be dead and a big scary mushroom cloud looms over LA. The Prez and crew have moved to the underground White House and panic ensues the streets as the just retired Bauer looks on in shock... till someone asks him to climb on his roof and save the helicopter pilot that just crashed into his house. Little does this random man know what he's just contributed to...



Jack: You need to come pick me up.

Bill: I thought you said you were out.

Jack: Not after this.



So Jack's back (again) and the search for Fayed now includes tracking down four more suitcase nukes, information that came from the Muslim detention center in D.C. thanks to my favorite new character of the season, Walid. Locked up in what Karen Hayes considers one of Tom Lennox's concentration camps in his plan to arrest all Muslims in hopes that if they're all locked up there won't be any left to attack us. Too bad it hasn't dawned on him, or the real Muslim community for that matter who of course are already in outrage of 24 yet AGAIN portraying them as terrorists (yes how unrealistic...), that as in just about every other season, the day's events are probably being masterminded, financed, and/or conspired by rich white people for their own beneficial reasons.



In any event, Walid is one of many innocent Muslims locked up, but his presence there has paid off after overhearing the Arabic phrase of five "visitors", code word for weapons and is now being wire tapped in an attempt to gain more useful information. This of course has his attorney/girlfriend/President's sister even more outraged over all the rights being violated. I'm still not sure how I feel about the Sandra Palmer character. Yea, she's got David's determination to stand by what she believes in, but she's also incredibly annoying making me think she's Sherry's sister.



But onto the more present leads, despite being denied a handshake by Big Bill upon entering CTU, Assad provided the name of a Russian general (uh oh, Season 5 tie in, maybe?) who supplied Fayed with the nukes. This of course brought about a longer list of names who have contacted him, one of them causing Milo to say "wow." It's... DUN DUN DUN... Jack's father! The biggest surprise wasn't that Jack's father may have a connection to the attacks, at this point it seems almost everybody has had a family connection to the terrorists one time or another, but rather just that Jack HAS a Dad. Not hearing about Jack's family at all for the past five seasons had be convinced that Jack was in fact just sent down to Earth as a God-made creation of amazingness.



But we're still not at the biggest WTF moment. As Jack calls his brother (yes he has a brother too apparently, still not the WTF moment though) to locate Daddy Bauer, we discover that Brother Bauer is Graham! Or as most people called him last season, that Bluetooth Guy who Logan was always talking to! Of course for this to make sense, we have to assume Graham didn't want Logan to know he and Jack were brothers, as he always just referred to him as "Bauer." But either way, crazyness.



Jack: Chloe, it's Jack. I need you to look up the current address of Graham Bauer.

Chloe: Why didn't you just ask him when you were on the phone with him?

Jack: Just give me the address.



Apparently being a Chinese prisoner for nearly the past two years hasn't effected the Jack-senses, as he already knows something is up with his brother (who like his father he hasn't seen in nine years). So Jack shows up at the bro's house, who's wife apparently has a romantic past with Jack (please God don't soap opera the show and make the kid turn out to be Jack's). After some quick catching up with the family, you know, how China went, how it feels to not be considered dead anymore, the usual, Graham dismisses them to talk to Jack, and soon enough... it's torture time!



Probably nothing new for Graham. I could see Jack as a kid beating him up with Sock 'Em Boppers to find out where he hid Mr. Potato Head. But under the threat of a massive nuclear attack, not to mention a more pissed off than usual Jack, I think the stakes are raised just a little bit.



"If you don't start telling me the truth, I'll rip your tounge out," Jack truthfully yet unknowingly also lies to his brother. Cause let's face it, if Graham were to divulge that he was pulling Logan's strings in the giant conspiracy last season, I don't think he'd even be conscious long enough to also add in the fact that he was responsible for Jack being abducted by the Chinese.



But I guess that's a story for Jack to find out another hour. Right now, he needs to know where their father is so he can stop Fayed and four more nukes going off. Graham still isn't cooperating in giving up information, but is definitely cooperating in setting up Jack for one of the most awesome lines ever.



Jack: This is gonna start to hurt.

Graham: Actually, you're hurting me now.

Jack: Trust me... I'm not.



Too classic for words. But nope, still nothing useful for Jack. So let's see what fun objects are around the room to play with? Eh, I guess this will have to do. Plastic bag over the head! Probably shouldn't have left those groceries down there...



So with a week to think about whether Jack's never heard of yet extremely evil brother will give in or just choose to suffocate to death, we'll find that out soon enough. Episode wise, it wasn't quite as intense as the whole four hours of the premiere, but was definitely an interesting episode that should bring about some fun storylines to come.



Overall Episode Rating: 8.5

So, Graem of the Bluetooth Gang from Day 5 is Jack's brother. After all of the rumors swirling around the interweb weeks before this episode aired, I was ready for the big reveal. The whole time, however, I was really hoping that it was a red herring.



I get that the writers wanted a more personal story for Jack this season. They wanted to introduce his family. I get that, and having Papa Bauer's company on a list of possible terrorist contacts was a fine way to do it.



But is it really necessary to reveal not only a heretofore unmentioned brother (sort of like Morris from last season), but reveal that that unmentioned brother is none other than Graem, Logan's accomplice from Season 5? I do like that the writers are following up on the dangling plotthread of the Bluetooth Gang, as I was hoping they would this season. However, I don't see the point in making one of those men a relative of Jack aside from some cheap emotional resonance and melodrama.



I suppose one could argue that this will allow Jack to eventually discover Graem's role in David Palmer's death and get revenge for his friend. Jack already got revenge, though - he took down Christopher Henderson and Charles Logan. That's enough.



Not to mention the fact that Graem is also apparently responsible for tipping off the Chinese? Did we really need to know who it was that couldn't keep their mouth shut? Now, last season's ending, which showed Jack's past finally catching up with him, is no longer about the irony that Jack's life is taken away again just after he recovered it - it is now about a grumpy sibling holding a grudge and tattling to Momma China.



I'll wait and see where this takes us, but I'm very skeptical. Hopefully something interesting will be done to make up for this.

Wow. I didn't think I could be wowed any more by this Television phenomenon that is 24. In this episode we see Jack come back from his vulnerable, lost state back to reality. We find out two shocking things. One that Jacks Father was linked either directly or indirectly (we don't know yet) with a man who supplied Fayed with Nuclear Weapons. And two, that Graham, THE Graham (which was one of the antagonists (including the president) in the 5th season) Is Actually Jack's brother. Woah! I again made the assumption that this would be one of those things which is unraveled right near the end of the season. But I was wrong. Maybe I should stop making assumptions on 24. Because anything is a possibility. Jack confronts his Brother and seeing right through his act of ignorance begins to interrogate him. At this stage we can assume Jack may only suspect Graham on knowing where his father is and on a low level, but not to any extent of the truth. I can't wait to see how this unfolds.



To episode 6!!!

I wasn't too excited to find that Gray was Jack's brother. In fact, I wasn't too excited about him being back at all seeing he was about the only dull thing that turned up last season. I liked him better as a bad guy on Robocop and even then his best performance was only when he ended up as windshield juice.

The helicopter scene was a little over the top and tough to swallow. First, the guy who found Jack didn't have a clue as to what was going on? What did he think all those people (all 10 of them) were running around in the street about? "Help us! Help us! A helicopter just crashed!" Also, the helicopter just hugely explodes and Jack makes a phone call from the roof? Are these jiggly handheld cameras gettin' too heavy for the cameramen to follow Jack running and hopping of the roof while he makes the call?

Believe me, I've wracked my brain trying to figure something about this episode that I found intriguing. Even if I had, however, I'm afraid it might be overshadowed by some of these blatant stetches of reality.

Are the writers looking for new ideas? I'm sitting over here in the corner with my hand raised.

Wayne Palmer deals with his nationwide live address. Sandra Palmer deals with the FBI as they recruit Walid to spy on his fellow inmates inside the detention center. Abu Fayed searches for a new engineer who can create a trigger that can detonate the remaining nuclear bombs he has in his possession. Assad provides some information that may help stop the remaining bombs from getting detonated. Jack learns that his dad may have some connection with the terrorists. This episode is just as exciting as the other episodes. Some revelations are revealed in this episode that heightens the tension of the drama, it's a great episode.

I have to say I'm a bit impressed that they chose to have a nuclear device go off. I wasn't sure they would actually take it so far, usually they have some deus ex machina thing happen right in time.



Nice to see Morris a bit more gentle. He seems to be very gentle with Chloe, and less so with the rest of the world. Poor Chloe. I was touched by her asking why people she knows keep dying. She has lost a lot of friends. Edgar, Tony, Michelle, Curtis...



That helicopter guy was kind of clueless. You'd think the giant mushroom cloud would tip him off. But at least now the Jack Attack is back.



Wayne Palmer keeps growing on me as president. I'm glad he's not taking the "some other country must die" approach. That admiral though is one seriously sick person. "One of these several countries might have done it, so let's demolish them all". Just sick... Suddenly I was glad Lennox was in the room. And honestly, he started to grow on me in this episode. I don't like his anti-civil rights ideas, but he seems like a decent character.



I must admit... those FBI guys know how to make their plan work... Let's just hope it leads to something good, and that Walid won't end up in too much trouble. And I really hope Sandra Palmer will keep her mouth shut soon, she is annoying the heck out of me.



The plot thickens... soap opera style. I'm not sure how I feel about this new connection to the Bauer family. It seems like a risky path to take for the writers. But I couldn't help but love the twist that good old Romano is Jack's brother. Paul McCrane is a brilliant actor, I sure hope we'll get to see a lot of him this season! One thing's for sure. This year's villain will be tougher than the ones from previous seasons put together. This one's a Bauer!



I wonder if Kim's cousin has the same talent for getting kidnapped as she does...



Speaking of family, has anyone else noticed that Palmer has a wedding ring on? I wonder when the first lady will appear.



I guess by the end of the episode we can understand why the Bauer brothers don't exactly get along anymore... I have a really hard time picturing them grinning for a photo by the Christmas tree, if you get my drift.

The show still to shivers me as it progress. I adore the scene where Jack begin to torture his own brother to get information on the location of their father ("If you raise your voice, I'll rip your tongue"). The revelation about Graham is good but I hope it won't turn the show into a family affair. I wonder if Jack will fail about tracking the four others nuclear bomb and letting America dying. That will be great but the show risk to lost audience but we never know. Jack Bauer is going to have another "most longest day of (his) life".

This episode had a tall order to meet as it comes following one of the most amazing episodes in series history. Coming off that, it seems to handle itself just fine and present a rather interesting twist that turns season six as well as what we thought about season five completely upside down. It's revealed that the sinister bad guy who was telling President Logan what to do at the end of last season and pulling the strings was Jack's brother Graham! Is he responsible for this year's chaos, or is Jack's father the real mastermind pulling the strings around here? This family reunion is only going to get more interesting as more is revealed. Think Jack will be impressed when he finds out Graham was one of the people responsible for his 2 year haitus in the People's Reupublic of China? That's not going to be pretty... I can't wait to see it! Peter

Plot: The administration deals with the fallout from the nuclear strike. Walid plays undercover brother with a gang of incredibly gullible terrorists. Jack has a typical Bauer family reunion, complete with strangulation. Bauer’s are all about tough love.



The following takes place between pretty cool and total F*ing awesome! The pretty cool part of the show being the commercial breaks, as they provide a much needed lull to slow my adrenaline down. Viewers are literally advised not to watch this show on DVR as skipping commercials could lead do cardiac arrest. Wayne isn’t having the easiest Presidential term. So far we haven’t gotten to see much of his Palmer style. I can’t see him emerging from the long shadow his brother casts. Damn you All State auto insurance! We could have used another four years of David Palmer. Say what you will about a man willing to do auto insurance commercials, but David Palmer would never run and hide in a bunker. It isn’t a stance that inspires trust and confidence.



Walid is beginning to emerge as a nice little side character. Usually the side plots, not directly involving Jack or the Goddess known as Kim (spawn of Jack), tend to drag a bit. Walid is so going to get killed. He has prison shank to the gut written all over him. Why would these terrorists risk bringing in a stranger in the midst of their operation based solely on the fact that the FBI is questioning him? Have they learned nothing of our Western high school social structure; brutally exclude everyone that isn’t in your clique. Also, make fun of kids named Walid. While following up on a lead from Asad, Chloe discovers a link between a Russian general and Jack’s father. Clearly, she must be mistaken as the Messiah has no Earthly father. Not only does Jack, have a dad, but a brother as well. The big shocker being that Jack’s brother is the villain from season 5. Unable to track down his father, Jack seeks information from Graham. He barges in unannounced, makes it known that he could have his wife whenever he wants to, and then strangles him with a plastic bag. And you wonder why they don’t have him over more often.



Parting Thought: Ten to one, that kid is really Jack’s. His sperm is unstoppable!

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I only hear the tune, because the show is starting to draw dangerously close to that point of no return, where the plots go from being that good kind of unbelieveable (nuke going off in the middle of California) to that bad kind (Could Jack have had a son with his brother's wife?)



But there's still time for the show to right itself. Hopefully it'll get there soon. But for now, let's discuss the episode at hand.



After Jack's behavior near the end of the last episode...am I the only one who's surprised by how quickly he recovered? I mean...he was just throwing up not but a few minutes ago and now he's BAM back into pulling people from a chopper. That's a bit of a swing considering he's just killed one of the last people he can trust. (I've made a list in previous reviews, it's shorter now with Audrey away and Curtis gone)



I'm excited that there's some issues with Jack's family that will be introduced...however the whole "Jack's bro is the baddie from last season" is a bit of a stretch. But then to throw in the potential angle of Jack having an affair with his wife...ouch. And I REALLY hope Jack's nephew doesn't turn out to be his son. That'd be a little too much.



I'm curious though as to what the causes for Jack's bro being evil (Is it Greg, Grahm...am I spelling Grahm wrong?) could be. I really do hope his motives are more than just "Jack slept with my wife."



And I understand that we the audience know he's a baddie. But why was Jack so quick to torture the guy? Did he find out something in China...or did he just jump the gun and will wind up getting lucky?



Whatever the case, his brother asked a good question. What DID they trade to get Jack back from the Chinese? Maybe I missed something, but this is a good question.

holy crap! bluetooth guy from last season who was ordering the president around is jack's brother!! what? & jack used 2 sleep with bluetooth's wife! that is nuts. but of course, it's genius because the wife back-story explains bluetooth's actions last season. bluetooth screwed up when he kept telling jack what the old guy told him because jack knew that there was no way that the old guy called bluetooth in so short a time. so jack totally punched him, which was great & put the bag over his head. he had trouble torturing the terrorist guy but after a nuke goes off, he is ok torturing his own brother!! while the family is upstairs! jack: u r going 2 tell me what i want 2 know or i'm going 2 start hurting u

bluetooth: you're hurting me now

jack: trust me...i'm not.

i was a little annoyed that they moved out of the oval office 2 the bunker (even though it made sense) because i think this is the first time we've ever been in the oval office on this show. i totally agreed with the admiral "they want 2 live in the stone ages? let's help 'em" & how kewl was "the president is speaking, admiral. do NOT interrupt." much respect 2 "the biscuit". the president's sister was annoying but at least her boyfriend is going 2 b useful. & after the questioning, col. mcqueen shook hands with dr. bashir. bluetooth is around so of course a helicopter fallS off a roof.

I feel it in the air.24 is losing its viewers lack of not caring about ridiculous plots and is starting to wake us up to how silly it can get. This episode is a step to just that.

we find out that the mastermind from last season is really Jacks BROTHER!?! yeah ,i dont belive it either.So,let me get this straight , Jack has the worst life ever? whats next a grandmother comes in for the kill?

Overall this was a decent episode which contibuted a huge deal of family intrigue.



First off, I don't remember Jack having a brother. I could be forgetting something from the many hours of seasons 1 through 5, but honestly I can't recall Jack mentioning having a brother. So finding out in this episode that Jack does have a brother, and that Graham (the brother) was the guy giving orders to President Logan in season 5 was quite a mind blower. I'm jumping the gun though. The first act of the episode was pretty fantastic. Jack was on the verge of calling it quits by the end of the previous episode, so of course everyone was left wondering what'll happen to make Jack get back to work. Turns out, he saves some innocent guys whose 'copter was crashed due to a shock wave given off by the bomb. I'm assuming that in that rescue, Jack realized that he can't give up. He can't let the terrorist's - whoever they may be - get away with anything.



Not even his brother. The fact that he was torturing Graham proves that watching that nuclear bomb go off had a huge impact on Jack. He had said that he "can't do [that] anymore" a couple times in the other episodes of this season; he couldn't do what he usually did to get information out of people. It was too much, but so was watching that bomb go off. So, he's back. It's as if the nuc' flipped a switch in Jack, which is good news for the viewers. The ending was pretty intense too. Smart as well. Some people have complained that the bag/suffocation torture was a bit unbelievable for Jack to do, but like I said it was a smart move. It was quiet, didn't leave any marks. It may be unpleasant, but he wasn't cutting Graham, wasn't making him bleed, etc.



Honestly I need to watch this one again. I got interrupted by a phone call halfway through, and couldn't follow the dialogue. All in all though this was a good one.

How do you top setting off a nuke in LA? Firstly you brilliantly show the reaction and terror of the nearby neighbourhoods and go on to show how the series will probably continue this season.



Seeing all of the local residents running around trying to get out of town looked excellent. There were enough people seen trying to escape the fallout from the blast that it gave a real sense of ergency and fear. Added with shots like the crashed helicopter on the roof just gave a complete appearance of panic.



Having quit a the end of the previous episode Jack changed his mind here. It kind of worked because the danger of nuclear attacks outweighs his feelings for killing Curits, but it did seem a bit iffy. That said it wouldn't be 24 without Jack Bauer and so we accept that he's back on the clock.



I didn't think they'd introduce the guy Graham from last year until later this season, but having him be Jack's brother was a stroke of genius. It gave a perfectly good reason to re-introduce him and hopefully as the season progresses explain what the deal was with his team and the President last year, and if he's still pulling the new Presidents strings! Of course that's unlikely.



Another thing that I've liked about this season more than the previous ones, and that was present in this episode is the many different parts of the story being explored. In stead of just Jack and CTU against the terrorists there are scenes from the perspectives of many different characters that all link in some way. The President's sister for example or even some more character based stuff for the CTU members.



All in all this episode has kept the very high quality of the first four keeping 24 the best show this year!

I love 24 and I can generally accept a lot of the willing suspension of disbelief the show has made its trademark. That said, the whole idea that somehow Jack's brother is the one behind being taken prisoner by the Chinese....yeah, that really stretches credibility. I know the 24 writers often say they don't plot out every little twist and turn of the season and show and I can accept that. That said, I think we needed a better plan than the evil guy behind the plot last year turns out to be Jack's brother.



Also, I have a hard time believing that Jack would go from someone who was heistant to using his usual interrogation techniques a few hours ago to full-on torturing his own brother here. And that whole thing with the plastic bag over the head as the cliffhanger. Man, I can see why the Bauer family doesn't get together that often for family dinner.



One more thing before I move on past this. If it turns out that Greg's kid is really Jack's from an affair with Greg's wife (who apparently loved Jack but it didn't work out), I will go Jack Bauer on the show. That said, I have a bad feeling that is where this is all headed since the kid looked a lot more like Jack than Greg. And did no one tell 24 that Rena Sofa is the female equivalent of having Ted McGinley on your show? That said, 24 was still ten times more satisfying than Heroes. Seeing Jack rescue the guys from the helicopter was nice. The reaction to the attacks was good--esp. in the Palmer camp. I had to laugh out loud at the scrolling text on the bottom of the FOX news report--that Palmer had already issued a statement and the press was running. Man, that White House press office is good. Or did they have a press release for in case the country got nuked by a suitcase bomb ready to go? I know--I make this complaint every year about how they forget that only a minute or two has passed between episodes. But you have to admit that was kind of amusing.



I did like how Wayne reacted and his wanting to appear presidential to the people. The debate over what to include in the speech and what the country needed to hear was superbly done. And as much as of a toad as the Peter McNichol character can be and was, it's at least nice to see why Wayne might have hired him to be on the staff. The scene between the two about not showing how scared he was but not being too confident or unconcerned about the attacks was great. And it was nice to see the terrorists scrambling from the attack. I like that this wasn't planned and it's set things back a bit. Hopefully this will give Jack a chance to get back on his trail and maybe we can forget this whole Jack's brother thing ever happened

Wayne is trying to reassure the nation for prepartion of

A nuclear war with the terrorists and to not take

Prisoners as Jack gets mad about the terrorists messing with his family. It is one thing to mess with Jack but mess with his family and you will get it. Meanwhile the CTU vs the FBI as the latter wants one of their informants to wear a wire to get some info from his prison gang.

This was some episode man! Lots of action and suspense and SUPRIZE! We Find out the guy who was behind the Syntox chaos from the 5th season is Graham/Gray BAUER! Jack's Brother. I wonder if that was payback for all the childish things Jack did to him? man Christmas and thanksgiving might not've been fun at their house because jack would interrigate them all into finding out who Stole The Wishbone from the Turkey or maybe where did his parents by his christmas gift and how much it costed. Either way this was a Fantastic Episode and I can't wait until next monday!

A lot was revealed in this episode. I got more excited by this one then the 2-day, 4-hour premier. And, didn't that son of Graham's look a lot like he could be Kim's half brother?



I'm still keeping my eye on Assad -- I don't know if he is like the Trojan Horse or not. Fayed doesn't seem capable to pull the strings on this operation and I think it goes further than Graham Bauer.

One thing I personally noticed in this episode, was how brilliantly filmed it was. Some shots which included the Nuclear bomb cloud were worthy of being used for an oscar winning film!



The initial shots of Jack outside in the neighbourhood with that helicopter were very adventurous for 24, clearly not set work and very expensive to film.



I was surprised that such a revealing twist was shown halfway through the episode, the mastermind who gave the president orders in the previous season is infact Jack's brother!



As soon as Jack knocked on his door, you knew there would be trouble! The episode ended quite shockingly with him suffocating his brother with a plastic bag, this looked very realistic and is another step up in the "violence factor" for 24, the last 5 episodes have been more violent than the previous 5 seasons! Bring it on!

It is already odd to me that Wayne Palmer is the President, since his character is not Presidential, in my opinion.



But, now we are supposed to believe that this little, bald, twirp Grey is Jack's brother? And, then we are supposed to believe that 5 minutes into their reunion, Grey is tied up and his life threatened by his long lost bro Jack...



This show has always been so tight, and so believable. But, this plot line is a little absurd. Jack's father is now involved in this terrorist plot too? Give me a break. I'm not buying it. This was my least favorite episode since the beginning of this series 5+ years ago. What were the writers smoking over the holidays?



I just watched the show again, and have a prediction. Josh, Grey's son, will actually turn out to be Jack's son instead.

Back at HQ Assad is being questioned about his knowledge of all the situations that are going on. I mean there are still four nukes out there we think. A few names are thrown around and we finally have a lead for Jack.



Here’s the twist. Our newest suspect happens to be Jack’s father, Phillip Bauer. Wow! I didn’t see that coming. It’s far fetched to believe that now the only guy who can really fight terrorist was brought up by one, but we’ll have to wait and see if the writers can pull it off. Jack gives a ring to his Dad and gets stonewalled. But it turns out Jack has a brother. And it’s someone we know from season five. Graham “Gray” Bauer was given to us in the late hours of Day 5. He leads a group of Bluetooth Bandits in the basement of some facility. An odd fact about the brothers are that they are both on opposing sides of good and that during season five Graham Bauer had a telephone relationship with, then president Charles Logan, the same way that Jack Bauer does with the current president, Wayne Palmer.



We find out that Jack’s brother and father both regret not killing Jack and that they are responsible for him behind kidnapped by the Chinese. With the chance of Jack’s father being a suspect in a terrorist plot Jack has all he needs to get even with his kin because I’m sure he is wise to their disloyalties. The show ends with a torture seen in the office of Graham and leaves us wondering what does Jack’s estranged family have to do with the purchasing of nukes. Even more will Jack kill his brother? I think not yet. But he will. I’m sure Phillip Bauer will show up soon. Hopefully we can close the gaps soon.



Not a whole lot else went on tonight. Fayed needs a new part for his bombs to work and we find out who he is dealing with to get the hardware. Walid al-Rezani is now an FBI insider while being incarcerated. I believe that to go sour real soon. The president is in a bunker and has sent for Assad to go there. So I guess next week we will have a very calm flight from LA to Washington. Even in the fighter jet it is like a half hour. No?



That’s one of the problems with show. Continuity needs all the integrity it can acquire. Although they do not leave many questions they do make it far less believable. That is fine because I’m not looking for someone I can relate to in 24. I will leave that up to The Office.



Get all the links to this review and read others at www.MikeonTV.com

wow I can not believe what this show revealed jack and his brothers wife jacks brother being behind it all last season and that he handed him over to the chinese and what about his dad being involeved oh my how can one brother be so bad and one so good the whole cain and able story oh the writers have given me the most shoking of all six days to date i was so in ah of this episode it was so great and shockingI can not wait to see what happens next this season will be thee best yet if this episode is a tell

Okay last night I was tired long day at work, but I perked up when I realized something was brewing, and the family tree was about to be shaken!!! Graham Bauer from last season, is Jack's brother!!!! Man talk about me waking up, and really paying attention. Talk about family reunion. So of course now I have to wonder, will Jack have to end up killing his own brother to save the world? Only time will tell. Wayne Palmer, can't help but wonder if he is having second thoughts about being President. Poor thing. So much going on, and so much to look forward to. 24 never ceases to amaze me, and just keeps getting better and better.

At the end of the season premiere, the writers changed the landscape of the “24” universe by setting off a nuclear bomb just miles away from Los Angeles. By allowing the terrorists to succeed on such a level, the writers gave themselves quite a job. Not only did they have to pick up the pieces of Jack Bauer’s psyche, but they had to give every single character a distinct but logical reaction to that event. More than that, the plot had to keep moving forward.



In the initial moments, Wayne Palmer presents the characteristics of a strong if shocked leader, recognizing the needs of the country as well as the needs of the government. Considering that this would be the fourth use of a nuclear weapon in history (the two in WW2 and the bomb detonated in the second season), it shouldn’t be hard to recognize that Wayne is keeping things together rather well. His brother would no doubt be proud.



As one would expect, the immediate suggestion is a show of force to likely Middle Eastern states supporting Fayid. Wayne keeps the response rational and measured. Most surprising is Tom’s open support of the president, despite his own feelings on the matter. Granted, his actions are designed to gain support for his hard-line security agenda. Wayne thankfully keeps a strong and steady course, despite his apparent inability to deliver a speech with conviction.



Fayid’s plans are held up by a relatively logical plot issue: the man meant to reprogram his bombs died in the nuclear blast. This takes the writers off the hook in terms of moving that plot thread forward too quickly. They get the chance to concentrate on the introduction of co-conspirators and the inevitable fallout (no pun intended). McCarthy and his annoying partner represent the worst elements of American society: the ones who would happily watch fellow Americans die for a little cash.



Jack is shocked back into action by the most noble of causes: the preservation of a single life. Considering the chaos all around him, it would have been easy to turn away and wallow in his self-pity a bit longer. Staring up at that expanding mushroom cloud (nicely kept within realistic proportions over the timeframe of the episode) would have been a simple enough excuse. But Jack fell back on instinct. It might have been a little too easy for him to get back in the game so quickly, but it’s reasonable to think that seeing the impact first-hand made him realize how much worse it could have been and might still be. One only hopes that his lack of confidence remains intact, so that the character can be meaningfully explored.



The tension between CTU and Assad is well played. After all, the agents at CTU had been tasked with Assad’s capture for weeks before the beginning of the season. Assad clearly has his own agenda in mind, and it’s quite possible that he will be revealed as a villain. But for now, his earnest complexity is one of the highlights of the season. It would have been a lot more fun to see him work with Jack, however, considering their chemistry.



Assad’s intel puts Jack on an unlikely collision course with his own family, which was an unexpected but welcome touch. We’ve had a very limited exposure to Jack’s personal world, and considering his recent history, this is a shocking development. Equally shocking is the off-hand revelation that Jack’s brother is one of the men responsible for sending him to China and, more importantly, manipulating Logan into everything that took place in the fifth season. This is a major plot revelation, and it was neatly underplayed by the writers.



For all that, the writers fumbled some of the introductions for the Bauer family. Graham is a lot less imposing outside of his fifth season enclave, and the dialogue with his wife is about as painful as it gets. And it’s ridiculous for Graham to have married a woman that was, of course, in love with Jack years earlier. Considering how guilty Graham acts throughout the episode, it’s no surprise that Jack immediately suspects him of holding back information.



Similarly, Sandra Palmer continues to be a liability to her cause. As the FBI agent said quite plainly, she’s more than happy to abuse her relationship with the president while crying about the liberties taken by others. For all the rough treatment of Walid, he does the right thing by acting as a mole for the authorities. It should be interesting to see if Walid starts to disagree with Sandra and her theatrics.