24

Hey, it's 1pm! Wasn't that the deadline for Taylor to start withdrawing from Sangala? Well, she ain't budging, so it's time for S7's first mass civilian casualties, a compulsory part of any season. This time, however, it's rather subdued: Dubaku collides two planes, but the crash is seen from a long distance. And it's nothing like that stupid firework in S4, because the scene deliberately focuses less on explosive spectacle and more on Taylor and Ethan Kanin as they witness it from the Oval Office.

The effect is compounded when Taylor addresses her Cabinet. This takes up an entire commercial-to-commercial act, a rare occurrence reserved only for the heaviest of scenes: Paul's death, Jack and Logan's one-on-one, Richard's coming-out, GAAHH THE WEIGHT! And true, Taylor tearing up afterward is a bit melodramatic. But we knew Cherry Jones would have to show off her acting chops at some point. What better time than in the middle of what was already the most tense and dramatic episode of S7's CIP arc?

Yeah, it's not smooth sailing for Jack either. Emerson intuits that he and Tony are up to something, so Tony is forced to kill Emerson. Okay, I should say it's not smooth sailing for Tony, who broods and shows signs that the old, noble Tony may not be all there. But Jack doesn't get off lightly…he has an awkward reunion with Renee after having shot her in the neck and buried her alive…pretty funny. And he also learns of the plane collision and…doesn't bat an eye. Whatever.

You know who's REALLY on the ass end of things? Henry spends most of the hour completely paralyzed and only able to watch as his formerly trusted bodyguard prepares to kill him and Samantha. Let's just say this scheme is only partially successful, but hot damn, are those scenes nail-biting pleasure!

What else is there to say? I know: the Matobos come into their own as noteworthy characters, we get a fantastically contrived explanation for how Tony survived S5, and the stage is set for a thrilling end to the CIP arc. It's episodes like this that made me a drooling fan of "24" in the first place. And women like Annie Wersching that make me drool period.

No, that wasn't…



Hourly Highlight:

Henry rendering Gedge's scheme only partially successful.

First of all, why on earth did that guy try to hang the First Husband?



He could have saved himself a lot of time by just slitting the guy's wrists. Instead he had to carry 150 pounds of dead-weight up to the top of the loft... set up the hanging rope, and try to toss the 150 pound over the railing while making sure the rope stays in place. The answer is simple. Slit the guys wrists. His fingerprints are already on the knife. It would have saved time and energy. I don't get it.



24 is ludicrous.

The mixing of the other main storylines was very well done this episode. Chloe and Bill come onto the scene as they not only save the buried Agent Walker but are key to the plan to hand over the Matobos to Dubaku's men with a tracking device. Dubaku followed through with his 1pm deadline threat by crashing two planes over D.C. and then orders an even larger attack when the President refuses to back down. Meanwhile, the President's colleagues are hoping Henry can convince her to just back out, so they attempt to track him down which plays right into Henry's storyline, as his drug-induced paralysis wears off enough for him to fight off his evil Secret Service agent. The Secret Service Agent's plan to frame Henry for Killing Sam blow up in his face as Henry ends up killing him. Emerson ends up dead after receiving a bullet from Tony for thinking that they wanted the diamonds for them-selves.

The 150th episode of 24 doesn't disappoint. Bill and Chloe on a race against time to save Renee Walker from suffocation, Henry Taylor storyline and Jack's scenes are well written. Tony has to shoot his long-time friend, Emmerson and Jack must convince President Matobo and his wife to go along with the deal after nearly killing them. This episode was a very speical one for me as I have been with 24 from the start and so far Day 7 is one of the best seasons yet (with Season 1 and 5). And for once, the Henry Taylor Investigations aren't boring...

Presentation Phase - » (8/10). Renee being reanimated, Jack wanting explanations about Tony resurrection, very good.



Complication Phase - » (8/10). President Taylor are in a impossible situation, and Jack situation is not easy too. Climax Phase - » (8/10). The exchange was played in nice mode.



Suspense/Tension - » (8/10). Some shootings created little tension but President Taylor is what had more impact here.



Drama - » (10/10). Tony has to kill is best friend, President Taylor has to face the consequences of her decisions, Matobo wife´s wants redemption.



Action - » (7/10). We have gun fights, but nothing great or very good here.



Ending - » (7/10). Normal ending.



Time and Scene Management - » (9/10)*2. With some Jack scenes, the writers bought time they needed but all the interaction was very well explored, Henry situation is now over and President Taylor scenes was very well managed.



Plot Details/Holes- » (9/10). Didn´t notice any flaws in this episode, but it’s strange for me why Emerson didn´t attack Jack before and buried Jack body with Renee, but ok, it is for the sake of the plot. Henry sudden mobility reaction was convenient, but nothing bad here, he can´t die yet.



What I liked -» Tony shooting is best friend, the exchange, Henry Taylor scenes and President Taylor impossible decision.



What I Didn´t Liked -» Hard to say.



Following the last events, this episode continues to deliver great quality.

You'll have to forgive me if this review is, shall we say, a little patchy but I watched '1pm - 2pm' through bleary, sleep-deprived eyes, in two parts no less, over the course of one interrupted evening; an evening in which I intended to lay my weary head down to rest at 9pm but ended up prising my eyelids open until 12.30 in the morning (I had, after all, had the 'out late, up early' experience two days in a row). So if this is a little disjointed, please... show a little understanding. Actually, that's rather appropriate segue into the show itself: 'disjointed' could be the perfect encapsulating term for Coto and Braga's script. The hour feels like it's jostling endlessly between a desire to move the narrative forward and a realisation that there isn't enough plot to go around and so stalling is the only option. Thus, Bauer's thread begins to take on water as we spend a large proportion of our time with he and his cohorts sitting on our hands, waiting patiently for someone to show up and take Matobo. It ultimately happens at the end of the hour, and it's a nicely executed sequence, but does it really need to be dragged out this long, just so that we can get an amusing anecdote from (an admittedly top notch) Chloe about how she's 'a stay at home mom'? Or so that Renee can leer madly at Jack, or stubbornly insist that she should have the right to bring Moss up to speed on the operation, even though any FBI agent worth her salt would be well aware that 'tell no one' MEANS 'tell no one'? To be fair to the writers, there's some good character beats amongst this viewer-baiting: Tony's escape from CTU in season five is well explained and is a treat for continuity freaks, and the killing of Emerson is both unexpected and well woven into the psychological machinations of the characters' motivations. Carlos Bernard has the chance to prove his flexibility, yet again, and he does so admirably.



Things are similar elsewhere: there is an infuriatingly small proportion of narrative time given to Dubaku, whose on-screen presence alone is enough to have you biting the ends off your fingernails; by episode's end, he's still moaning on about Taylor's refusal to remove American troops from Sengala and, while he actually gets to do something bad ass for once, it's quashed somewhat by the promise that there's something bigger coming... the closing seconds almost made me hurl my toast at the screen in frustration: can we not have the revelation as cliffhanger please?! By far the worst offender, however, is the First Gentleman's story. This one drags out (quite literally) for the whole hour; we don't see much of it between 1.15 and 1.50 because, apparently, it takes that long to get someone's fingerprints on a knife. And naturally, by this point, the drugs have begun to wear off and the guy is able to defend himself. Well, what a stroke of luck! Come on... is there a single member of the viewing audience who believed our Colm was ever in danger? Did anyone honestly believe Gedge (poor, poor, beautiful Gedge) would make it out of there in one piece? It just smacks of laziness: writing the obvious, least challenging scenario rather than putting some bleeding thought into it. At least they brutally killed Samantha Roth though.



Things aren't all bad, however: the President's scenes are stunning and it's all thanks to the considerable talents of Cherry Jones. She makes the scene in which the aeroplanes collide outside the White House window, perfectly capturing the desolate horror of the moment with simply her body language and facial expression. The sequence with the Cabinet is also spot on: what could have been a rather stifled scene, bogged down by political ennui, is actually a thoroughly engaging ten minutes of debate and considerably difficult decision making. Mind you, if Ethan and that other guy are going to work against the President to try to push through a withdrawal (or ultimately remove her from office), I'm bloody well jumping ship. A tired episode on the whole, biding time before the larger plot developments occur, and relying on familiar narrative trajectories from seasons past for its drive. There are a number of good moments but the complete package feels a little... disappointing.

After a few slow moments in the first few episodes, the season is picking up steam. Things seem to be progressing fairly quickly now with the death of both Tony's terrorist friend and the guy who tried to kill the president's husband, which usually means that much, much bigger events will probably be around the corner, including the usual twist around the half way point of the season. I expect Jon Voight to start playing a part since i he was in the season's pilot and he'll probably be the main baddie, or one of them anyway.



Some comments. Some commenters below made some criticism that i find baseless. First of all, the guy who tried to kill the president's husband may have noticed he was getting control back in his muscles, but may have thought it wasn't enough to overpower him, especially because he was about the hang him anyway.



Another commenter talked about 'morality', the uselessness of opposing the president's decision not to back down. But first of all, the moralizing lies not with the cabinet but with the president who is willing to sacrifice American lives for her personal ideals about intervention, even though it concerns intervention in a country that had not been threatening the U.S. before the president decided to send troops over. She is imposing her morality and ideals on others over the heads of American citizens. That's where the true moralizing lies. Not with those who oppose her for treating American citizens like sacrificial lambs when she is supposed to protect them.



Secondly, it is logical to argue the way her opponents did, because the terrorists want the U.S. to withdraw. If it does, the terrorists would no longer commit terrorist acts because doing so would make the administration realize they no longer have anything to lose in sending the troops back to the front. COntinuing terrorism after the U.S. pulls back its troops would be counterproductive to their aims. So it *is* logical to withdraw the troops, especially considering that the president took an OATH to protect American lives to begin with. That cannot morally be trumped by a president's personal ideology and morality, or it would be an excuse to sacrifice Americans for any random, supposedly 'superior' ideals a president may have. This president obviously doesn't know that she is a servant of the people, and that the people are not hers to sacrifice to her delusions of ideology or grandeur.

Had the classic plot us fans have grown accustomed to, so it was worth watching. My only problem was the sequence where the terrorists show another "demonstration"...left too much to the imagination. It could've been directed better. I agree with another viewer below: the secret service dude shudda noticed the effects of his muscle paralyzer wearing off when the "First Dude" started speaking. Definitely worth watching..i'm just waiting for the MAIN antagonist to show up and do his thing..and we all know who THAT is ;)



I have to say, I'm not disliking the direction this show is going in..I think the writers have a few tricks up their sleeves. Notice, for example, that unlike season 6..this season didn't rely too much on the big sha-BAANG explosions..like the first few episodes of day 6. Something BIG is coming...and I can't wait for it. Hopefully, we won't be disappointed.

President Taylor is faced with an angry cabinet after an unpopular decision results in the loss of many American lives in a terrorist attack. Jack and Tony convince Prime Minister Matobo to go along with their plan when their undercover mission is revealed in a showdown with Emerson. Meanwhile, Henry is stuck in an unthinkable situation, paralyzed and unable to help Samantha Roth when she returns home to find Agent Gedge in her apartment. Both Talyor's had good storylines in this episode that I was able to watch and not be bored, which is what made this a big improvement over 7x05 last week. This hour logn episode had everything that you could have wanted. Let's begin with the JAck storyline, which has lead to the death of Tony's friend over the last couple of years. Tony didn't want to kill him but had too in order to save the mission. The fact that Tony spent a little bit of the epsiode trying to keep this guy alive was kind of dumb, but it gave him something to do while Jack was trying to talk the Prime Minister into his plan. Jack didn't get him to agree, his wife did and I liked that a lot. President Taylor was forced to watch a horrific event take place outside her window. I like that the event was not as brutal as the attack in season six. It was on a smaller scale, but it still gives her something to be pondering over in the enxt couple of episode. Does she feel responsbile and bad for her actions or are her principals enough to make her stand strong in the future? Mr. Taylor's storyline got the least amoung of screen time, which was good because it means we got the best of his scenes and it didn't throw off th pace of the episode. The informant girl dies a horrible death in this epsiode and Mr. Taylor regains his strengh in order to fight off his driver. The only thing that bugged me is that once the driver realized he could start takling again he didn't kind of see the effect of his drug wearning off? Minor detail, but it did kind of annoy me after the episode was over.

This moralistic rubbish is raising its head again. The president wants to do the "right" thing. However, the simple arguments are being missed for irrelevance. If america is being held hostage, why would moving its troops back avoid the threat? Would those holding the CIP just relinquish it? And if you move troops back today, is it truly impossible to move them back tomorrow? How then could any of the presidents officials seriously think that accepting the demands of those holding the CIP device is a good idea?



But none of the above obvious points are mentioned, its all about moralistic arguments.

This was another top episode of 24 and continues to develop the characters as well as the plot along the way. The biggest thing this season has going for it is that the plot has remained the same unlike the last few seasons where JAck would foil a plot but the terrorists have several backup plots.



This week Jack and Tony compromise their cover by taking out Litvack and Emerson. Once they do that they get Matobo to agree to being taken to Dabaku so that they may find Dabaku and eliminate him as a threat. Meanwhile Jack informs Bill and Chloe that Renee is buried and they must find her and inform her of the situation.



The President is also having some drama this hour with Dabaku acting on his threats by colliding two planes near D.C. She calls in the joint chiefs to inform them that she refuses to pull out troops as long as Matobo still has a chance of being found. Her fellow staffers disagree with her and think that Henry may be able to convince her to pull out the troops.



But Henry is having enough problems with Bryan plotting his death and that of his son's girlfriend. He is paralysed on the couch watching Bryan put the pieces together. Being a reveiwer that doesn't like to give it all away so all I will say is that this particular story arc isn't oing to be done anytime soon.

Every season of "24" requires a certain number of transitional episodes, where the plot threads are advanced incrementally to position characters for the next big moment of revelation. Since the usual pattern places the next shift around episode 7.8, there's still some work to do. The trick is making those transitional moments exciting.



This episode managed that through the use of pyrotechnics, plenty of gunplay, a stabbing, and a resurrection. After starting the season with the threat of slamming two planes together, complete with a long and tortuous build to the near miss, it's a nice touch to have it actually happen. Why they would spend more time (and detailed attention) on the near miss, yet sugar-coat the real thing, is a bit of a mystery? Perhaps they simply didn't have the budget for those special effects.



Tony's moral moment of truth came far more quickly than one might have expected, but the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Did anyone really think Tony would remain on the side of the terrorists for long? At least there was enough time to explain Tony's miraculous survival, even if it doesn't quite track with the events of the fifth season. Perhaps it would have made more sense if the sixth season had provided a more compelling rationale for why so much seemed to target Jack over the years.



Less effective was Samantha's murder. Frankly, this was a waste of Carly Pope; why not just cast a relative unknown in such a short-lived part? Her death is only shocking in terms of its relative brutality. This is only mitigated slightly by the realization that the First Husband was supposed to meet a similarly gruesome fate. His survival was highly unlikely, but should serve to give more life to that side of the story.



At least Agent Walker survived. As many noted in response to the previous review, there was plenty of reason to believe she would live. It seems a little convenient, especially Bill and Chloe's timely arrival. In point of fact, she did stop breathing and could have been dead for a little while before being revived. That makes her activity in the rest of the episode, however slight, all the more Bauer-esque. Add to that her quick acceptance of the situation, including Bill's completely illegal "CTU", and she's in definite Bauer territory.



With another major terrorist attack on the horizon and the president digging in her heels, things don't look to get any better any time soon. The true villains still seem to be waiting in the wings, and there's still plenty of time left for further complications. Hopefully, the writers won't try to one-up the action in this episode in the future, even if it helped keep this one interesting.

Mm.. that one was exciting - it had all the action you would wish. First it was dealing with Emerson and it was great how the showed Tony's affection to him.. and then, he had to take the shot.. but still he tried to save him..



And then the whole thing with Matobos. And it was great to have Chloe and Bill in action again.. and ofcourse, noone believed Renee is going to die, so she is back too.



The whole other things going on - Henry Taylor's storyline developed quite as expected - no change they will get read of him so early. And Dubaku and those plains.. And his new big plan.. We will see what it is..

-SPOILERS------



This was a very powerful and emotional installment of 24. Once again each character faces difficult internal struggles that pit them between sides. One example is Tony Almeida, who ultimately kills David Emerson despite his bond with the man. It is obvious that this action was very hard on Tony, because Emerson was as close to a brother as he had.



My favorite part about the episode was when Henry Taylor was staring at his son's girlfriend, trying to tell her to leave but unable. I was very happy to see later on that the drugs were wearing off and he was able to get back at the agent. All in all, I enjoyed the episode very much because of its exceptionally exciting and emotional quality.

Words cannot describe how amazing this episode was. In what was by far the best episode of the season, Emerson realizes that Jack and Tony are undercover. He subdues Jack and Tony is forced to shoot and kill the man who rescued him from the dead. Tony is clearly troubled by this, while Jack convinces Matobo and his wife to hand themselves over to Dubaku. Meanwhile, Bill and Chloe are able to rescue Agent Walker and inform her of their undercover mission. At the White House, President Taylor is still steadfast with her decision to move US troops into Sengala, to the chagrin of her staff. Dubaku decides that it is time to use the CRP device and he crashes two planes into each other right outside the window of the White House. The President orders an urgent cabinet meeting and in a stunning showcase of emotion, is able to convince her cabinet that staying the course is the best action. Her husband, however, is having his own problems. Agent Gedge kills Samantha on her arrival. He is about to hang Henry Taylor, but Taylor is able to regain some strength and he seizes Gedge. The two men struggle and Taylor ends up throwing Gedge off the balcony to his death. The show ends with Matobo being taken to Dubaku, who is ready to move on with the next attack, somewhere in Ohio. This episode is simply stunning. It is because of episodes like this why 24 is considered the most well written show on television. After watching it, it is difficult to find one flaw, or one thing that would have been better had it been done differently. One thing that is becoming more and more apparent from episode to episode, is that the creators and writers of the show struck gold when casting Cherry Jones as the President. She delivers some of the finest acting that the show has ever seen, and is already being considered for Emmy recognition next year. Her speech to the joint cheifs of staff is heartbreaking, yet uplifting at the same time. Easily one of the most silent, yet powerful moments in 24 history. In classic 24 form, the episode ends on a deadly cliffhanger. Dubaku is proceeding to commence with another attack. What seems to be probably a nuclear power plant in Ohio. He is also talking to an unknown voice on a cellphone, someone whom he seems to be informing as if he is working for this person. My personal theory is that it is Jon Voight's character, yet nothing is certain yet. The refreshing thing about this season is how REALISTIC it is. Well, in 24 terms. It seemed before that year after year the writers had to think of a threat bigger and better than the previous seasons. They have pulled back the reigns slightly, and have come up with something here much more real, and all together chilling. The threats in this seasion, while still epic, are toned down in a way that any post 9-11 American would be scared of. It just seems to much more real than any other season yet. This time last season, a nuclear bomb had already been detonated in Los Angeles. Come on now. Anyone who still thinks that this season will be another Season 6 is off their rocker. The bottom line....this episode was stellar. Its a season defining episode and i know that this will not be the only episode like this. Heres to Season 7...shaping up to be one HELL of a ride.