24

So.. I most say when I think back of last season, one of the things I do remember best was Martha and Pierce and that storyline they developed what for me, at least, came as a surprise and I really started to like it. So, you can see why I was so eager to see this episode - they both return.



This episode has two main storylines - one is Logan and his wife and other Jack in consulate. Jack storyline was exciting, action, but nothing new.. I was thinking quite the same about Martha too - she was just like she is - little bit nervous (in order not to say crazy..).. but the moment she took that knife.. I never dreamt that she would do anything like that.. so shock on that part.

Not a lot to rave about in the first half, but the thrills come eventually.

Gotta explain the plot coherently: since Jack's having more trouble with this Consulate than the last one, it's up to outside forces to save him and get Markov. CTU brings in Agent Mike Doyle to potentially lead an attack on the Consulate, and Logan asks his kooky ex-wife to use her good rapport with the Suvarovs to help bring about a more peaceful resolution. I'll try that again: Logan must convince Martha to convince Anya to convince Suvarov to convince Markov to surrender while Doyle…f*** it.

The White House gives us a little reminder of the Arab involvement: Daniels threatens action against [Fayed's country] unless their Ambassador helps find the nukes. That makes two separate war threats. But I can overlook that convoluted bit because both Daniels and Lennox continue to impress.

Besides, the Russian war threat doesn't last long. Markov won't follow suit, so Suvarov throws CTU a freebie and lets them shoot up the Consulate. And here's where it gets really good, though it's over all too soon. It's an orgasm!

This episode is NOT real-time realistic, and with all the other stuff going on, there isn't much room for Jack himself. But it's nice seeing Martha and Aaron Pierce, despite their wastefully brief screentime. And Gredenko and Fayed finally initiate their drone plan; it's all very exciting. I'm sure this won't lead to a stupid anticlimax.



Hourly Highlight:

The orgasm.

This was an explosive episode, especially the ending...Jack manages to keep a low profile in the consulate...CTU decides to lunch an assault on the Russian Consulate, but they also have the low possibility of convincing the Russians to ask Markov to renounce his position...Logan tries to convince Martha to do something that will enable them not to start a war with the Russians, but he gets stabbed..Somehow i don't think this is the last time that Logan will appear, although the final implies it...I found kinda strange that the Russian president was convinced by his wife so fast...Kind of incredible this part.

This episode just rubbed me the wrong way... I liked the ending, but there were too many elements that didn't seem to fit. Mainly regarding the Logans.



For some reason I don't buy the close friendship between Anya and Martha. Where did that come from? Last season they seemed to barely know each other, and for some reason I doubt they've hung out since that day. Now all of a sudden their bestest friends? What I did like about it was the insight we got into the Suvarov's marriage, which was kind of nice. And I also liked seeing Suvarov's role in this episode, he got a few cheers from me towards the end. Something tells me it will have some less than nice political consequences for him though.



The idea of Martha and Aaron really irks me. Though I'm not 100% sure I believe it yet either, Martha could have just been trying to provoke Logan. But in the first seasons Aaron was a devoted family man; it doesn't fit his character one bit to leave his wife and children for someone like Martha. And seeing him in his everyday life was odd to me. He's one of those characters I don't want to picture outside his job. I'm really happy that the character of Aaron is back, but I would have preferred to see him in a storyline with Wayne Palmer. He's always been most loyal to the Palmers, not to Martha Logan.



As for Martha, she was a general pain in the rear end. And what she did to Logan was just stupid, both from a logical standpoint and from a storyline standpoint.



I was rather fine though with Jack not being featured as much in this episode. It makes sense that the guy can't have stuff happen to him all the time, some hours would be slower (even if the slow hours are when he's trapped like that).



As for the new agent in town... not so sure I like him. But it might just be that the actor annoyed me when he was on "Scrubs". We'll just have to wait and see.



Finally, the vice president is really a jerk. I never thought I'd say this, but Logan, come back, all is forgiven!

This episodes main focus was on the Logan story. Once again Logan is brought into the picture to try and help CTU gain access to the Russian consulate to capture Markov and rescue Jack to help prevent a war with the Russian's from breaking out. Logan is sucessful at persuading Martha to help, but she stabs Logan in the process killing him. Martha seems to have gone crazy from what happened last season. AAron Pierce was brought back agaib. we learn that he has been looking after Martha. Jack finally gets out of the Consulate when the Russian president allows CTU access to capture Markov. This episode was great, i hope the next one is even better.

Jack is trapped inside the Russian embassy. He manages to free himself and hide inside the embassy. Buchanan brings in an experienced agent to run tactics at CTU. Logan speaks to his wife in hopes of stopping the raid at the embassy. Gredenko prepares to launch the drones. Vice President Daniels is now in charge of the government, things don't go down well with Lennox who is now questioning that same principles that he supported before the assassination attempt on Palmer. So much happens in this episode, it is action packed, the story was fast paced, it went by really fast. Great episode.

To start off, I need to address the point about Moscow time (or more specifically Omsk, which is where Anya was giving her speech). As I'm writing this review, the time is 04:48 p.m. in Los Angeles. According to the World Clock it is 05:48 a.m. in Omsk (or 13 hours ahead). If this episode falls between 6-7 p.m. then Omsk time here would is about 2 hours later, or between 7-8 a.m. Omsk time. Even adjusting for DST it would be still be between 6-7 a.m., perfectly acceptable type for starting the work day, especially for world leaders. Not middle of the night, as many reviewers here keep asserting.



The paradigm of the force-on-force mentality (VP/Lennox) vs. the asymmetrical warfare mentality (Palmer et al) continues to be nicely drawn out - this reflects our reality as well and proponents of each point of view lock horns constantly. By Palmer coopting Assad to appeal to the extremists, he is securing "key terrain" (i.e., here, Muslims, but more specifically Islamists), since key terrain in counterinsurgency/asymmetrical warfare are people themselves. Looking forward to seeing how the writers depict the effects of the Lennox plan when it's finally blessed off by the VP (and you know it's coming, unless Wayne does a sudden Tony-style recovery from surgery)



Itzin continues to amaze me with his ability to evoke hatred and sympathy (or more likely pity) simultaneously. At first he's despicably weak, then despicably traitorous, and now in Season 6 he's just sort of pathetic - but the whole time you have to watch his character development like watching a broken-down train derail then finally get back on the tracks again with an overhaul at the last minute before the bridge suddenly collapses underneath it. Martha here was shown more like she was in the very beginning, and there's a lot left unsaid about her current condition or the dynamic of her relationship with Aaron. Nevertheless, her final retribution could have been more subtlely portrayed, maybe as seen from Aaron's point of view instead of Martha's (gee, she stabbed him with the knife that we saw 3 or 4 times already? What a surprise!!). She definitely needed a few pills before meeting Logan again. I wish we knew more about Aaron himself, as he does have a son - maybe his wife died some years ago? Or divorced him. Just an impression.



And at least Jack won't have to go to a Siberian Gulag now, since Suvorov authorized the assault. But what was he thinking when he was casually striding towards the consulate office door after interrogating Markov? That security was simply going to let him leave? I wonder if he knew the whole interrogation was under surveillance and that Russian security would be waiting for him to exit (oh and BTW Jack's Russian accent is very American, from the previous episode, he could never have been mistaken for a native Russian)

Lennox and the VP play hard ball with each other and a small middle-eastern country; they decide to lie publicly to deflect blame for the bomb that wounded NewPresident Palmer onto Assad. While Lennox flinches at the idea, he's totally whupped by badBoy VP. Tom knows when his Kung-fu is outclassed.



In the meantime, Buchanan and CTU plan a full-out assault on the Russian embassy in order to get at Markov. The team's being led by newcomer, SilverSpoonsNYPD Ricky. Who's behaving like an a-hole. But every mid-season CTU administrator or team leader is. It's in the job description.



Logan's on his way to see his one and only love, Martha. We find faithful Aaron is still by her side, both of them sleek as seals in all black attire (you can tell great couples: they dress alike) After some convincing by both Charles and Aaron ("a *good* man"), Martha agrees to speak with the Subarovs on behalf of a grateful nation. As the Russians are not immediately available to speak, the odd trio amuse themselves with snide small talk, during which Martha SNAPS and stabs Logan somewhere near his neck. (It was difficult to see on my dimming picture tube.) Babbling something about, "I did it! I did it! He wouldn't stop!" Poor woman, and Poor Aaron! How sad that after finally winning the girl, she's a totally good candidate for the cuckoo's nest. And as Martha goes, so goes the Russian situation, as Markov not only declines to obey President Subarov's direct order to surrender himself and Jack Bauer, he hangs up on him! Well, such insubordination will *not* be tolerated! Subarov greenlights the assault on the Embassy, and Jack tells CTU the next step in finding the crazy bombers.

Largely a filler episode with Gredenko still not being caught and continuing with his plans. Meanwhile, the Vice President is showing his ability to be cowardly and manipulative by blaming the attacks on another party.



Logan tries to get Martha to talk to the Suvarovos to help them free Jack.



This was a decent episode but largely filler stuff. The tension was in all the Vice President's attempt (with out without approval from the Russian President) to launch an attack on the Russian Consulate.



Gredenko has a few scenes in here but his best moment came near the end. I don't mind Martha being back in fact it be only logical that with Logan here that they bring Martha

in to end the storyline from last season with her in the mental season. Of course, she'd be mad and everyone wants Logan dead so seeing him stabbed was an attempt by the writers to give the fans what they wanted.



Jack rescues himself basically while Doyle and the others control the perimeter. Next episode will be better as Gredenko plans to release the other bombs.

Hm. What to say, what to say about this episode?



Let me start at the end. It appears that our favorite President-turned-terrorist Charles Logan, may be dead. And I kinda like it that way.



It's not that I have no love for the character of Charles Logan. I really do. I love Gregory Itzin as an actor, and he really infuses the character of Charles Logan with a certain energy that's hard to deny. Whether he's playing the scared-witless VP-turned-Prez from Seasons 4/5, or the villanous Prez from late Season 5 or the reformed, born again Charles we've seen here, you can't help but buy it. He's just that good.



So why am I so happy for the death of Charles Logan?



Primarily because I really like that Charles reformed, that he found religion. It showed character growth and I feel it was a really good move on the part of the writers. But honestly, I think if Logan had stuck around for too long, the writers eventually would've welched on it and made all of the religon stuff merely an act - for the simple fact of throwing in a shock. If Charles Logan is dead, they can't do that, and his reformation will forever remain genuine, which is what it should be.



I suppose he doesn't have to die - Logan could just vanish into a hospital or a coma or something along those lines. But eventually the writers'll bring him back as a villain, just for that "big shock." So yeah, I kinda hope he's dead.



Speaking of the Logan storyline, I've gotta say that I wasn't too fond of the Martha/Aaron angle. Firstly, the Martha we saw here was the crazy version we saw at the beginning of Season 5 - a version that was supremely annoying on all counts. Don't get me wrong - I understand her mindset because, hey, her ex-husband was responsible for some pretty terrible things, but that doesn't make her any less annoying in this episode. I'm also not a fan of Martha and Aaron being in a relationship. We could all see it coming with the way Season 5 played out, but it just seems a little...false, is the word perhaps? I would have liked to see them perhaps as good friends, since that's something that happens so rarely on this show. Men and women are either in a romantic relationship, or they're co-workers with sexual tension. We never just see platonic male-female relationships, and I think that Martha and Aaron would have been a good way to explore that - a man who cares for this woman and is willing to take care of her, but not necessarily romantically.



I'm not sure this fits with Aaron's character, either. Didn't we hear that he had a son at some point in the Palmer days (Seasons 2 - 3?). If that's true and he does have a son, it seems unlikely to me that Aaron would be divorced. He seems too much of a "family man" for that. Although I suppose his wife could've left him, but come on - it's Aaron Pierce. Who leaves Aaron Pierce? Oh well. I doubt we'll have to deal with the characters beyond next week's episode anyway, but I think there was definitely some unused potential there.



Also, let me point out that the "shocking" stab was telegraphed from a mile away. After about the third time of the camera focusing in on a steak knife, you can't help but wonder, "Gosh, I wonder if she's gonna stab someone? Who could it be?"



Wow, I think I spent a bit too much time talking on that one little subplot, eh? Let's take a look at the rest of the episode, shall we?



Mike Doyle. Don't like him. Okay, that's not true - I'm indifferent to him. If his name were anything else than "Mike Doyle," I'd hate him, but the novelty of this character sharing a name with one of my high school teachers evens things out so I'm merely indifferent. So far his character is mostly uninteresting - he's a hothead, but not the GOOD kind of hothead that Jack is, see? And, honestly, Mike Doyle just seems like an angry version of Nurse Paul Flowers, which doesn't say much for the skills of the actor if all of his characters feel the same. I don't much expect him to hang around for long, though - it seems like Tactical Division heads other than Jack Bauer seem to die off very quickly (excepting Curtis, of course - an anomoly). The stuff with Jack at the consulate was kind of interesting I suppose, but nothing that really got me goin'. There was some good action towards the beginning of the episode but after that, Jack pretty much just hid and snuck around. Honestly, I'm not really sure what Jack was expecting to happen when he stormed into the consulate last episode - did he really expect to just be allowed to leave? And he puts the United States government in a pickle by having to extract him. There should be some kind of consequences, but considering that this is Jack, there obviously won't be. Which is kind of ridiculous, but it's the way the game is played I guess.



Speaking of all the consulate stuff - the writers are aware that if it's 6 pm in LA, it's the like the middle of the night in Russia, right? So why is the First Couple of Russia just kind of hanging out in full dress? And the First Lady of Russia was supposedly on her way to give a lecture? In the middle of the night?! Bad writers. The stuff with Tom and the Vice President (why isn't he President? When Keeler was incapacitated in Season 4 Logan invoked the 25th Amendment within a half-hour) is kind of interesting - mostly just seeing the VP on a power trip - but when you boil it down, it just feels like Season 2, with a bigoted, warmonger of a Vice President itching to start a war with the Ambiguous Middle Eastern Country (AMEC) of the season. Things have gotten better since Phillip Bauer's vanishing act, but it still feels like something is missing and I can't put my finger on what exactly it is. Oh well. Here's hoping next week can rock my socks off.

I did not like this episode. Nothing really happened apart from the end part where blood was spilt. If the character dies do we really care? No! So there was no real action, no real attachment to any character and that kid from 'Silver Spoons' turns up as a special ops guy. Talk about miscasting. What did I like? Ummm...Aaron is back. Russian Embassy staff are not as good as Chinese. The Vice President is really a mean guy. Tom has no conscience and shows himself to be weak willed. The Russian President is easy to persuade. Hopefully we can move on to a better place.

Fantastic, not only have they brought back Logan, they have now brought back one of the most annoying characters in 24 history....his wife (maybe with the exception of Sherry Palmer). Yet another dull episode. I always liked the Aaron character when he was with secret service but he was alway a bit part player and was never that interesting. I don't want to know about how he 'got it on' with Martha Logan and don't care about that particular character triangle. They are not interesting and most definately take away from the enjoyment and excitement of the show. The story line is just plodding along without and direction or pace.



What's that I see? A new character? Hey look, it's Baby Jack! he even has his own tight fitting top, but his is black where Jack's is white. I'm quessing he is the bad guy. May I suggest that they get rid of this Baby Jack and write a proper story for the real Jack Bauer rather than trap him in 'yet another' embassy.



The beauty of 24 in previous seasons was even though it was fairly far fetched, it still had it's feet in reality. With season 6 they are loosing that grounding with characters like the vice-president and questionable and repetative storylines.

Plot: The Cold War heats up when CTU makes a strike on the Russian Consulate. Logan convinces Martha to use her influence with the Russian President’s wife to avoid a head on conflict with Russia. Not being a fan of Logan’s new born self, Marta stabbed the duche.



The Vice President’s evilness continues to amaze me. He seems disgusted by having to deal with Logan and yet, I fail to see any difference between the two of them. He plans to implicate Assad in the attack by having Tom lie to the ambassador. I’m still confused how Assad, Fayd and the ambassador all come from the same country. None of them look like they are the same race. Silly me, I forgot that all Muslims look alike! I know I’m not an expert on diabolical evil plans, but I have enough common sense to know that the fewer people who know about it, the better. The VP’s aid is pretty cute, but I think she could have sat that meeting out.



With Jack held hostage and most of the other field agents constantly getting blown up, CTU turns to agent Mike Doyle for help. You may remember him from Scrubs, where he played a male nurse. It was a surprisingly similar role. In order to get the go ahead to attack the embassy, CTU needs the approval of the Russian President. When the normal channels of diplomacy fail, Logan offers to use his ex wife’s influence with Anya. This plot line was incredibly stupid and made absolutely no sense. Martha hates her husband and is mentally imbalanced. Couldn’t he have just explained the situation to Aaron and had him convince Marta to make the call? No, he had to go over there and do it face to face. Look what it got you Logan, a knife to the neck. Domestic violence is never pretty.



Meanwhile, after MacGyvering his way out of yet another sticky situation, Jack attempts to contact the outside world. He interrupts a young Russian couple and forces the dude to get him a satellite phone. The woman is so overcome by Jack’s manliness that she doesn’t even shed a tear when her boyfriend is blown away.



Parting Thought: Maybe Logan will get born again…

www.lifereviewed.com

I very much look forward to 24 every week, and I have learned to suspend the idea of realistic television, as it severely impedes the possibility of fantastic television. However, there seems to be no explaining how Anya Suvarov managed to convince her husband to authorize an attack on his own consulate. Consider that CTU had already attempted to convince Yuri, with no luck, however Anya took no more than a matter of minutes to swing him around. How is it possible for an institutionalized unstable former first lady to coherently convince this attack?



At the moment, this show is lacking suspense, danger and a fulfilling story line, let's hope it improves.

More drama, on all levels and on every set. That's what the writers must have thought. There's a new kid on the block, one named Doyle, taking over CTU and creating nice conflicts, we just have to see how long this storyline can last. There's Martha, very nice to see this beautiful and brilliant actress again, and she's mentally even worse - and therefor more interesting - than in season 5. She's in a somewhat weird relationship with Aaron Pierce, which probably won't be explained any further.

We've already had Charles for a few episodes and he's excellent.

The new president and Lennox have great chemistry and two great scenes together, it seems working in the White House is even more dangerous than anywhere else.

But once again, Jack is pushed to the background. He gets caught, tries to escape, gets caught etc. '24' used to be the day Jack Bauer saves the world, but has he been in a position to do so this season? No. But other than that, this season could still end with a bang. This is an episode you can build on, carefully. Just put Jack back in the heart of the action.

I think they had to many opinionated writers on this one episode since it was oddly proportioned. And to add Ricky Schroder (Mike Doyle) in to ruffle everyone's feathers was too much. Keep with regular special ops- they can blow people up with out added mayhem. I know they will have a few limp episodes betw. the real meaty ones from time to time so I shouldn't get worked up. My hubby and I record it and watch it the next night and it is funny how many times we stopped it to make comments on what was happening. It showed how some are so involved we don't dare touch the remote. This one didn't hold the normal impact.

As usual, this week's episode was action packed, non stop drama. After last week's episode, which I didn't feel was quite up to standard, this was a great recovery. Although this show has become somewhat predictable after five previous seasons, you can never predict the endings. Also, this show is completely unbelievable...but then again, that's the point right?

I thought this episode was really good, almost every episode of this show is. But Jack Bauer was barely in it. He is the star of the show he should be in a very good portion of the episode. I don't know about anyone else but Poers boothe scares me. he is so big. I bet Tom probably craped himself when he got up and yelled at him. Now there is a new agent at CTU, this Doyle. I don't know about him, I don't think he is bad, he's just a jerk. If i were Morris I think I would have hit him or at least done something when he grabbed him. It really took me by surprise when Martha stabbed Logan with the knife. I hope Jack is in more of next week's episode. Later...

I have been a huge fan of "24", especially since Season 2. With the possible exception of Season 3, I think it has been getting progressively better every year. Until now! What the &*@# was going on in this episode? I can put up with "filler" episodes from time to time (not every hour can be a killer), but this particular one was so full of holes and cheesy acting (and writing), it is starting to make me second-guess this whole season.



First of all, what is with 24 constantly bringing back characters from the previous season and killing them off? It is starting to become a running joke. So far, this season, we have: Curtis, Jack's brother & President Logan, as well as Wayne Palmer (almost), Milo (almost) and Morris (almost!). Of course, we're still waiting for Jack to die and be resurrected again this season . . . .



But the biggest problem with this particular episode is the writing. There are too many plot holes and implausibilities. First of all, why is the director of CTU trying to tell the vice-president of the U.S. (with a straight face) that he honestly believes that the former first lady attempting to contact the wife of the Russian president is a viable strategy? Does anyone believe that? Also, although Charles Logan is credible as a character this season, the visit to Martha Logan's house (institution?) becomes farce. How long was that helicopter ride? 2 minutes? Fancy how quick they were able to (1) secure the chopper, (2) board it, (3), take off, and (4) land at Martha Logan's house. Wow! It must have been about 4 blocks away!



Once at the house, the interaction between Charles and Martha is believable to a point, but the escalation to murder(?) is just completely over the top and is more in line with "One Life to Live" or "General Hospital" than it is with "24".



On top of this, we have the hammy over-acting of the vice-president in his conversations with Tom Lennox (the only thing missing are the horns sprouting out of his head), and a rather anti-climactic race around the Russian consulate. Not to mention the incredible last-minute phone conversation between Martha and the Russian president's wife, who just happens to be able to convince her husband in about 10 seconds that: not only is the Russian ambassador to the U.S. a traitor and a terrorist (despite any credible information), but he should call him "right away" and ask him to turn himself over to the U.S. authorities.



This season started out with a great deal of promise because of the nuclear detonation, the subplot of Jack's family involvement and the unknown history of Jack's imprisonment and torture in a Chinese prison. It became even more interesting when it was found that Jack seemed unable to torture others because of his experience. But then, just like Season 3, it seems to have come off the rails because of a misguided attempt to cram "drama" into every single episode, even if the characters or events don't warrant it.



I sincerely hope that they can find their direction again and follow the lead of season 4 and 5 (which were excellent) . . . . but I guess it remains to be seen.

Just quickly, it wasnt a bad episode its just whilst I have been thinking everything will build up to a climax and plot points will be explained im starting to think they never will and this is bugging me now.



First of all the various themes raised just felt like we had seen then in a different guise in earlier seasons. But Im fine with that if they're done better and are clearly different, 24 works within a pretty restritive genre and by its 6th season it might have to recycle plots, but make them different enough to be pallatable.



The Vice President had a pretty big turn in character and suddnely decided to demand an all out war with the middle east, unless that is Jack finds evidence that places the balme on the Russians. Hmm, very season 2 esque. Next week it looks like someone is feeding information to the terrorits from within CTU, in season 5 they did this well by making it feel very different. But nevertheless this is very season...wait its very 24 esque. We've seen it before and its the biggest re-used plot device in the 24 universe. Why they had to do this again, god only knows. Of course if its something completely unexpected and different all will be forgiven but the twists in Season 6 so far havent shocked at all, bar the nuke exploding.



Jack inside the consulate lacked any tension, the old open door and the hero is gone trick is just, obvious. The taking hostage ploy is just recycled from every season. And the generic action at the end that has no point but to end a story arc never raised the blood pressure. And all it served for was to Jack to say three words, 'Mojave, Shdaow Valley'. But no, they had to spend an entire episode just for Jack to find a way to tell CTU. Its just lazy and theres no escaping the looming feeling of it feeling convenient for the writers; perfectly illustrated in the timely cut off when Jack was talking to Morris.



Plus points were the scenes between Logan and Martha, Aaron is likeabkle but just doesnt have the same atmosphere surrounding him and his acting isnt anywhere near as accomplished. Still, good to see them back. But a minus point was the stabbing scene, would have been brilliant if they didnt feel the need to zoom in on the knife every two seconds. And a scene that should have been very effective, Logan flatlining, lost its edge with some crappy acting by the extras in the ambulance and a poor tone created by pacing, dialogue and camera work.



CTU, well CTU has been pretty bland since Season 2 when the characters all seemed like they had chemistry together and could have actually been working with eachother. These people work together every day but they still act like robots, issuing orders. I like how they have tried to get back to a more personal level with Morris and Chloe and a little bit of character development in episode 5 and 6 but the actors delivery and the dialogue still feels cold. Why not through in a few scenes, quick scenes of natural dialogue between characters. Create characters and as a result twists will spring to mind and be more effective to the viewer. C1: "I dont know how much more of this I can take."

C2: "I know, we're slowly getting a picture of where Grendeko is but this thing isn't going to stop for a long time to come."

C1: "You holding up okay?"

C2: "Everyone here's suffering, I guess we've just got to get through the next few hours."

C1: "If you need anything just ask okay."



This could take place between anyone really, but it brings back those human elements that Nina and Tony had in S1, and Tony and Michelle in S2. MAKE US CARE!



General Pluses:

- Keeping up a certain amount of momentum.

- A twist.

- Chloe with Logan.



General Minuses:

- Overal feeling of amateruish production, shoddy scenes that lacked dramatic impact that should have been powerful.

- Overused plot devices, think of new ways Jack can act when going solo. Writers, put yourself in his shoes, pretend you're there. Dont just choose from the 24 list of what Jack does in a tight situation.

- Twists lacked punch.

- Plot all over the place! Where is Jacks family gone? Still, why is Logan back? Why are Fayed and Gredenko working together? How does Season 5 link with Season 6?



There making the right choices just executing them very poorly. Family, a good choice, very Season 1 esque. Terribly executed. Less superhuman Jack, brilliant, and it still is but he hasnt really been in any interesting combat situations.



It wasnt a bad episode, it just compounded various issues that have been nagging in the back of my head and finally brought them to my attention. Why havent the writers sorted these problems out yet!?

I was so excited to see my man Aaron Pierce come back. The fact that he and Martha have a relationship is just icing on the cake! I really wish that we could see more of Pierce and that they would put him back in action!



I loved that Martha took a knife to disgraced former President Logan. Watching him push her buttons until she just couldn't take it anymore was priceless.



The introduction of the new character of Mike Doyle was interesting. A possible replacement for Jack or just a new right-hand man? He seems to be tough-as-nails like Jack so that is cool. I really hope that President Palmer returns to action because the Vice President is just going to cause lots of trouble. Can Tom Lennox put a stop to that? Let's hope so.

Martha's baaaaack. This average episode of 24 was made twenty four times better by the fact that Martha was well...Martha. Crazy, diabolical, fun Martha. The attack of the Russian consulate? Pshh. Doyle almost choking (well, not really) Morris? Double pshh. This episode totally went to Martha and Aaron.



Where to start? First of all: Oh, word I hope he dies. Logan better flat line the hell off of the show and then we can see Martha smile. And Martha dance. And Martha breathe. And the Martha/Aaron romance to bud into something more than it already is.



Let's get back to all serious. The episode wasn't spectacular. It was a step up for last week but the only real thing it had going for it was the Martha/Aaron/Logan dynamic. Luckily, I stayed away from the promos this week and was pleasantly surprised when Martha sunk the knife into the little vermin of an ex-President.



The stuff with Doyle and him taking charge of CTU was semi-interesting. It was hilarious to see Morris give him some 'tude and then have him be all, "Rawr, I'm going to choke you" and sort of just gently put his hand around Morris' throat. Guess it could be interesting to see this new character dynamic. But it seems, from the promos that Doyle's going to turn out to be a mole.



Jack and the Russian consulate thing. Blah. I don't know. The whole plot line really doesn't excite me much anymore. The most interesting thought when I was watching his scenes was when I saw the girl that he took hostage when he was looking for a phone. I was like, "Hm, she sort of reminds me of Nina." And that was it.



I liked the power Logan still had over Suvarov to get Jack out of the consulate unharmed. That was pretty nifty.



Other than that, it was just an okay episode made better by a wonderful performance by Jean Smart. Hopefully she'll stick around for a few more episodes. ^^

This episode continues the 24 saga but unfortunately there seem to be some all too common themes these days. Trouble at the embassy? Seem to recall that from other seasons. New Jack #2? Check. A few times, I think, in fact. And yet I don't think anyone will be able to live up to Tony as a Jack backup.



The only really fun part of the episode- at least for me- was seeing Miss Logan stab President Logan in the chest with a knife she'd been using for her fruit. I don't recall any fruit knife stabbings in previous seasons, so kudos for this bit of originality.



Overall, 24 still tends to be above the curve as far as TV show quality, so I give this episode an 8, but I'd like 24 to introduce some truly new and refreshing peices to their puzzle for the rest of this season. And it wouldn't hurt to bring Kim back, at least for looks, either!

As with the previous episode, jack is not in the spotlight, more of a backdrop, which I thought was pretty usual for 24, while there is plenty of action; there is also plenty of interesting dialogue.



My only complaint about this episode is that, in general, I feel it could have went out with a better ending, you can probably tell what is going to happen three quarters of the way through the episode, also the episode feels like it perhaps try’s to deal with too much simultaneously within the 40 minutes or so of the episode, the presidential aspect of the story, feels slightly like dinner leftovers, but they are all ultimately tied up and linked to each other, so there is a sense of purpose, which will probably be developed in the next running episodes.



There is a new character, and a rehashed character conflict, which, I personally, having seen in the previous seasons, unless incredibly interesting, don’t really care about to be honest.



Overall I enjoyed this episode it is good to see certain characters back, the main bad guys could do with a little more screen time though, just as a reminder, of that these guys, are really bad and have nukes. :)



But it’s an archetype story; it will all fit together hopefully, with Jack killing many people and having another breakdown.

It was okay but again nothing significant happened and finishing off with logan maybe going to die gave a perfect ending to the already boring trend throughout the episode. And also Rick Schroder acting wasn't convincing.IMHO I think this season is the most boring season going by the first 13 episodes. The first four episodes were really cool but after that i can't really point to one episode which I can say wow, everything going on has been pretty much predictable but well its only 13 episodes so maybe things can pick up again.

With the season entering its second half, the fans of “24” have one expectation: that the shortcomings of the first half will be resolved and rendered moot by a superior escalation and conclusion. Certainly there’s more than enough time, and despite the flaws and plot holes, there’s enough potential left in the season’s premise to finish out on a high note.



Mike Doyle’s planned assault on the Russian consulate is rather ironic, given the price that Jack has paid for roughly the same action on the Chinese consulate in the fourth season. It’s also going to be a little difficult to take Doyle seriously, if only because he’s played by Rick Schroder. In an odd twist of fate, he looks like he could be Robert Patrick’s younger cousin. If he manages to pull off similar presence in the future, the credibility factor wouldn’t come into play so much.



Shaking up the stagnant CTU this season is a great start. Giving him a connection to Milo could be a mistake. It would be a lot more interesting to have someone come in and question Bill and Nadia on their lack of decisive action. That might still happen, but Milo’s grievances might take something away from Doyle’s moral authority.



Logan is taken to CTU rather quickly, given the circumstances, but such travel oddities are hardly new in the “24” universe. Somehow Logan manages to get past Bill’s defenses (not a difficult task these days) and insert his opinion on Jack’s situation. His suggestion is an interesting means of getting Jean Smart back in the spotlight, but such plot contrivances are now a given.



Seeing Martha and Aaron together is another nice touch for the fans of the fifth season, many of which wanted to see them as a couple. There’s a wonderful tension once Logan calls and interrupts Martha’s pleasant day. Against all odds, this particular subplot is actually quite good, reminding the audience that this season is something of a coda for the fifth season. Martha’s methodical breakdown led to one of the more shocking and unexpected moments yet, made far better by the fact that it made sense within the context of the series.



The net result is that Logan’s gambit works. Markov makes the wrong move by refusing to follow orders from his own president, who then gives CTU the go-ahead to storm the consulate without reprisal. That appears to wrap up the rather short involvement from Logan, just in time for Jack to be rescued. If the writers are smart, they’ll keep Logan around long enough for his involvement with Philip Bauer to be revealed and clarified.



In a remarkably uninteresting subplot, Jack doesn’t wait for rescue, either from CTU or Logan. He stages another improbable (yet highly entertaining) escape attempt, taking out Russian security forces in the process. Markov rallies the troops with his overwrought accent, while Jack threatens anyone and everyone necessary to stay alive. That puts him in position to be rescued, after a brief and almost pedestrian holding action.



Tom Lennox’s conversation with Vice President Daniels is an interesting one. It’s possible that Daniels is just an opportunist, but it’s definitely hinted that he was at the top of the conspiracy. That would be a lot less interesting, but the net effect may be the same. Tom continues to be at the center of a massive moral dilemma, because Daniels is more than happy to start the equivalent of world war. This definitely plays into the theory that the conspiracy against Palmer is connected to Philip Bauer and his company’s goals.



Since the writers marked out a two-hour window from the beginning of Logan’s involvement, it’s no surprise that the terrorists are ready to make their next move just as the short-term action at the Russian consulate comes to a close. And that’s really part of the problem with this episode. The outcome at the consulate was a foregone conclusion; it was just a matter of how it would play out. The subplot with Logan, Martha, and Aaron made it work, but it still presented nothing new.



As with many of the episodes since the premiere, the villains are far in the background, which seems massively inconsistent. The season began with the terrorists hitting target after target, and that provided a lot of the necessary tension. It’s hard to remember the intensity of those early episodes. In fact, despite all the reminders, the fact that the nation is under siege is easy to forget. Perhaps the next episode will help bring that aspect of the season’s premise back into perspective.

24 Episode 6.13 "Day Six 6:00PM-7:00PM"

Airdate: Monday, March 12th 9:00PM-10:00PM





Jack almost causes another world war, the return of the former First Lady leaves the former President flatlining, and as the clock strikes seven, 24 appears to hopefully be gearing back to its old form. Fabulous episode. Everything involving the Russian consulate, CTU, the White House and the Logans all intertwined nicely culminating into an intense and powerful episode the whole way through. It definitely had a great impact on the season as a whole, as well as landing itself as a terrific stand alone episode that will still be remembered by day's end.



Not so much Jack tonight. Aside of a quick "Damn it!", some hide and seek inside the Russian consulate, and demonstrating the only circumstances where it's heterosexually acceptable to remove another man's belt, it wasn't a very Bauer-filled hour. But as I've said before, 24 has produced some outstanding episodes that have lacked the Jack factor, and this was one of them. There wasn't much they could show inside the consulate besides failure after failure to kill Jack, and I'm glad they didn't go down that route and throw in an abundance of unnecessary and pointless scenes. Instead, the writers did a great job of creating tension in the consulate through everything that was going on OUTSIDE of the consulate; in particular with Jean Smart's wonderful return.



Now with a new man in her life, the ability to potentially prevent a massive international incident, and finding new places to keep her kitchen utensils, the second half of Team Logan is back in Day Six. But in addition to being a vital part of the story, we were also blessed with a string of incredible scenes with the Logans that reminded me of last year's Itzin/Smart scenes that were undeniably a huge contributor to 24's Best Drama victory at the Emmy's. It was great to see Aaron back too, as he now joins Jack as the only two characters to appear in all six seasons. Better yet though, it's not too often on 24 that characters are given happy endings, and seeing the ex First Lady with Logan's former head of Secret Service was just bitter sweet. But I guess I spoke too soon about happy endings, because before Martha made her anti-World War III call to the Russian First Lady, she proceeded to plunge a kiwi knife into her ex hubby's shoulder and leave him gasping for air on route to the hospital (funny how Fayed basically did the same thing to Jack in the premiere yet Jack was biting out jugulars a few minutes later). No matter how much you hate Logan though, he's just such a great character, an even more phenomenal actor and I really hope we didn't see his last breaths at the end of this episode.



Meanwhile in the White House, the fourth consecutive Vice President to take over the presidency was feeling the heat from the political side of the crisis. I love that they brought the Russian President back from last season to add to the escalating pressure surrounding the decision to attack the consulate. I loved even more when he realized that the Consul was in fact a douche bag working with the terrorists and gave the go ahead to attack his own embassy. That gives Jack a get of jail free card for Russia, and the VP Daniels no longer has to fear the possibility of war... well, a war with Russia at least. After lying to the Ambassador that the responsibility of the assassination plot fell on Assad, he also used the threat of war on the Middle East if they weren't productive in thwarting any further attacks on the U.S. This also put Tom in an untruthful state of mind when he was forced to lie about Assad's role as well. In Tom's defense, he really didn't have any other choice but things are sure to get interesting when Karen returns next week.



At CTU, Ricky Schroeder joined the cast as the new head of Field Ops, Mike Doyle. Despite his seemingly annoying attitude that made enemies of Milo and now the rest of the CTU team, I have a feeling he's one of those characters that will eventually grow on me. Either way, his character was developed more in three minutes than Curtis was in three seasons, so that's always a plus. I can see there being a confrontation between Doyle and Jack somewhere down the line which should have an interesting outcome. All in all though, I think Schroeder's character will serve as a nice addition to CTU this season, which appeared to be back on its game this episode. Everyone got their fair share of screen time, there again wasn't any unnecessary time devoted to the Morris drinking story, and perhaps the best CTU scene of the night was the opening segment with Logan and Chloe. I was really hoping Chloe would mention that she helped in bringing him down last season, but a great scene nonetheless.



So 13 hours into CTU's most recent twenty-four attempt to save the world and things are starting to look up (from the show's standpoint that is, not so much the country's with three nuclear drones about to be launched). But with Jack's family drifting away on the same path as the irritating Sandra Palmer and being replaced with returning characters from last season, it's worked alongside the increasing excitement that's starting to build up again. I absolutely loved the entire episode and I'd even say that excluding the premiere it was probably the best episode of the season so far.



Overall Episode Rating: 9.3

Buchanan introduces Curtis's replacement as head of field ops Mike Doyle played by former NYPD Blue star Rick Shroeder. A very in your face kind of guy who is very aggressive and takes charge in a hurry it would appear. Although that can and does lead him to rubbing his co-workers the wrong way. It appears Milo has a prior history with Doyle and the two don't get along. Doyle even attacks Morris when he doesn't cooperating with him and lets everyone know they better do their jobs. Meanwhile Jack escapes the console member and finds refuge in the basement with a couple and forces the man to go retrieve the emergency phone. Meanwhile Logan convinces CTU he can get through to Martha who can get the Russian President's Wife to convince her husband to surrender Jack and prevent an international incident. Logan goes there and finds her quite happy with Aaron Pierce. It appears Martha is still crazy and Aaron is still the same likeable guy. Back at CTU they are waiting on the outcome of Logan's effort as Doyle has teams in place ready to invade the console if need be. Over in Washington Daniels convinces Lennox to go along with his lie to the ambassador and claim he saw Hassad detonate the bomb that injured Wayne Palmer. I find it kind of funny that in this situation along with Season 2 they never actually say the middle east countries names. Now i don't know if this a legal thing or they don't want to offend anyone after all the bad press from Season 4 or what but i don't know I guess were all to assume it's Iraq or perhaps Iran. I just wish they give us a name is all. That's the end of my little tangent there back to the episode. Anyways Daniels tells the ambassador Hassad was obviously lying and playing everyone and if he doesn't help them locate the suitcase nukes he's going to bomb the ambassador's country. Lennox is obviously uneasy about doing this and is not really behind the idea of lying to the ambassador but still goes through it due to the force of Daniels. Back at Martha's bungalow they wait for Anya to be ready for the call which gives them to talk which only leads to bad things such as Martha yelling at Charles and eventually snapping and stabing Logan right in the chest. Thus he is immediately rushed to an ambulance. However Martha still makes the call to Anya who convinces Subarov to make Markov stand down and surrender Jack. Markov disobeys him and the attack on the consule is launched. Jack is rescued by Doyle and company and tells CTU where Gredenko is. This was in my humble opinion a very great scene and just a classic standing shoot out between two sides. I would agree that Doyle seems like a bit of a younger version of Jack. Meanwhile back in the ambulance Logan begins to slip away and it would appear he is dead. All in all not the most heavy on action episodes of 24 and probably one with the least amount of Jack in it. But let's be fair people with all the other stuff going on it eventually lead to Jack being able to tell CTU about Gredenko and getting out of there. Jack was on his own hiding in a basement. As much as it sucked it was a very Jackless episode most of the time there wasn't much else he could have done in this particular episode. Plus with him being the main character he will obviously be back to being front and center in no time. So for me personally not the greatest episode of the show or even the season but it still moved things along very nicely and for me was by no means a bad episode. I can't wait for next week the trailer looks good.

After watching the preview for this week's episode after last week's installment of "24," I thought that this was going to be one of those classic, non-stop action episodes. Well, it certainly was not that. While I did thoroughly enjoy the episode, I was surprised that the episode didn't really focus that much on Jack. Most of the episode was spent on the Logan and his interactions with his his wife (is it his ex-wife), who is now living in a mental institution and it romantically involved with Agent Aaron Pierce.



When Jack was on the screen, the action was fantastic. From Jack's whipping the gun away from that Russian thug with a belt to his taking hostage of the couple who just happened to be in the basement of the Russian Embassy, it was all great. And, then, to end the episode with a Russian approved United States attack on the Russian Embassy, wow!



Finally, I like the addition of "Ricky Scroeder." His toughness is certainly welcome as I felt that Morris needed a wake-up call.

I still think that the pace of the show needs to pick up. I keep thinking that this will be the episode, that gets it back on track only to let me down.



A decent action scene at the end of the episode saved it a little, but having Martha shanking Charles.....seen that coming a mile away. Where's the suspense?? Where's Jack?? He seems to be getting less and less air time. The show that has always kept me guessing to what was going to happen next is not happening this season outside of the first 4 episodes. I have all the faith in the world it will turn around. Once again the previews for next week are leading be to believe, that this could be a turn-around episode for the season....please don't let me down....I'm craving for it!!!