24

This episode was simply amazing. It contains the biggest surprise of the season so far, and the most spectacular tension that the show hasn´t offer me in a long time. Tony is really undercover, under Bill Buchanan and Chloe O´Brian instructions, and now the need Jack to get them out from the FBI, while they discover that the menace is deeply inside the government this time.

Another episode that deserves a higher note: it´s awesome. Season 7 has one of the best premieres ever yet!. Kiefer Sutherland is terrific in this episode and his chemistry with Carlos Bernard is truly remarkable!. One of the best of 24 Ever!!.

The season zigzags as Tony reveals to Jack that he's actually working undercover with Bill Buchanan and Chloe O'Brian, and Jack must now break Tony out of the Office. Eh, it's alright, but besides Jack's over-the-top exit from the parking garage, it doesn't excite much. Dunlop Plaza is one example where I was galvanized by Jack stealthily maneuvering through a place, and that's because the darkness raised the tension considerably. What are the FBI's brightly lit hallways supposed to do?

Dubaku tells Taylor to withdraw her troops from Sangala or he'll raise some CIP hell. And like an actual good Commander-in-Chief, she doesn't give in to this demand. Not to say that she's outright refusing, but it's a step up from certain flexible Presidents in the past, wouldn't you say? Henry's storyline also gets moving when Samantha decides to reveal the truth about Roger's murder. Intriguing, but so far, he's no Martha Logan.

Oh, Janis and Sean get some focus, that's nice. Looks like Sean's a mole until it turns out he's apparently not. Maybe the writers should have stuck with their original plan to just have everyone in the Office be a mole… Nah, that might've been excessive. *snicker*

The Tony-being-a-good-guy thing kinda bores me. Making him a villain seemed like the only legitimate reason for resurrecting him, but I guess that idea's dead now. As dead as Tony once was… Oh well, we've still got unconscious Renee to look at.



Hourly Highlight:

"This is gonna hurt."

Must I elaborate?

Well we get the main reasons behind Tony's involvement with Emerson and Colonel Dubaku he is undercover or is he?



I did like the way they played around with Tony being a bad guy for the first couple of episodes. I thought they had made it too easy for Jack to apprehend him but here we learned why that is so. Tony is undercover. However, as he said in this episode he actually had ties with Emerson before he was undercover meaning Tony did have an axe to grind with the government that let President Logan with a slap in the wrist.



By now the writers have established that everyone in the show has broken the rules so it's interesting that all of the characters (good and evil) have more in common than we'd like to think. For example, Agent Walker or whatever her name is and her supervisor were berating Jack for his use of torture in CTU but later in this episode we see her illegally threaten one of the suspect (Tanner) until for information (what a hypocrite).



The way Jack broke Tony out of prison was exciting and amazing stunt work with the car flying out of the parking level so Jack could shield himself from the FBI agents. 24 never seems to lose its intensity. Carlos Bernard is a great actor all the attention gets put on Kiefer Sutherland but nice to see that Tony has a major part in this season with his connections. This back to back episodes were great can't wait for next week.

(Note: This review covers the first half of the Monday night seventh season premiere event. The second half will be covered under a subsequent review.)



"24" is always full of twists and shifts in loyalties, and this season is already proving to be a bit confusing. The previous episode had set up some intriguing character dynamics, and had they kept to that initial formula, it might have worked better. That said, the essentials haven't necessarily changed; a lot of questions need to be answered before the philosophical basis for the season can be declared DOA.



Frankly, there's not much time in this episode to discuss or explore the implications of anything. So Tony is apparently working undercover for Bill Buchanan, with tech support from Chloe. That's enough for Jack to break Tony out of FBI custody, essentially undermining any sympathy he had in the Bureau, but should it have been? CTU has been disbanded, and Bill and Chloe looked like they were working out of someone's den.



Which means that Jack's decision to trust Bill, Chloe, and Tony may be a complete mistake. If nothing else, they can't possibly be working in some official capacity, which makes them something of a rogue vigilante agency. And if they are, in fact, going after the vast government conspiracy undermining the Taylor presidency and supporting General Juma (stretching back all the way to "Redemption"), then wouldn't those elements of the government happily declare them as a terrorist organization?



At the same time, this probably explains why CTU was disbanded in the first place. Considering how instrumental CTU has been in uncovering the wrongdoing of corrupt officials over the years, why not use public distaste with extreme methods to justify taking them out of the equation? That puts most of the cards in the hands of the conspiracy.



There's no doubt there is one, of course, because at this point, Taylor's adviser (Chief of Staff?) Ethan might as well be twirling a handlebar mustache. Subtlety is not exactly the word of the day. He's pushing Taylor to withdraw and give General Juma the run of Sangala, and we know from "Redemption" that the information he gave the First Husband is entirely false. So this is once again a corruption that leads to senior members of the White House staff.



Meanwhile, President Taylor is wringing her hands over a zero tolerance policy for terrorists. As contrived as the "CIP firewall" is, that little plot device does highlight the problem with zero tolerance. It demands a response that may not fit the circumstances. If Taylor sticks to her guns and orders the invasion, hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of Americans die. If she backs down, her Democratic principles are violated, hundreds of thousands of Sangalans will be slaughtered, and the international standing of the United States will suffer immeasurably.



Jack's decision to trust Bill might negate one of the more interesting aspects of the season thus far: Agent Walker's wavering stance on extreme measures. Walker seems more than ready to authorize a little torture when it seems prudent (and in the face of a presidential deadline), and she was well on her way to becoming another Jack Bauer acolyte (with all the potential death that comes with the honor). It would be a shame if Jack's apparent betrayal eliminated that opportunity to explore such a rationale.



Ultimately, the episode is slightly hobbled by the gambit to break Tony out of the FBI building in the first place. Despite some of the challenges, it still felt way too easy. How hard could it have been for the FBI to track a bright blue van in the wake of a prisoner escape in the middle of DC? The Janice/Chloe battle was a nice touch, since Janice is a Chloe clone in the first place, but that wasn't enough to overcome the head-shaking implausibility.d

i absolutely loved this episode from Tony being "good" afterall to Jack helping escape from the FBI. This whole situation is like having an adreline rush with its super speed pace, heartstopping tension and unbelievable suspence, car crashes, gun shots, building locked down and even comedy with Chloe and Janice. Their attempts at overridding one another which was starting to piss Chloe off was so hilarious. The adreneline rush that is this whole episode makes this episode fly by, it is absolutely excellent. It is just great all round and its only the third hour, another twenty one hours to go

Presentation Phase - » (10/10). The presentation had good and necessary dialogues, this phase ends when Jack listen to Bill Buchanan. The interrogation was very interesting and Bill and Chloe appearance was nice.



Complication Phase - » (8/10). This phase began when Jack has to figure out a way to free Tony from the FBI building. Henry discover that he son´s was murder.



Climax Phase - » (9/10). This phase began when Jack and tony are being pursued by the FBI inside the FBI building.



Suspense/Tension - » (8/10). We had good tension inside the building.



Drama - » (8/10). Henry Taylor drama is not bad. Also President Taylor is in a impossible decision, nothing that we didn´t saw before, but is good material. But the best was Jack and Tony interaction, that was great.



Action - » (9/10). Expect action near the end.



Ending - » (7/10). Jack and Tony escaping, nothing great for a ending, but it’s a good ending.



Surprises/Shocks/Twists - » (9/10). Some character made their return, wasn´t a surprise, what was a surprise it’s the fact that they are working with tony against this new conspiracy.



Time and Scene Management - » (8/10). I am starting to think that this mole in FBI is a filler, that will be tied to the main plot, because in this episode this allowed the writers to buy time. Henry Taylor scenes also allowed that. If they are relevant to the plot, we will see later, at least, they are very well tied, so for some people, it is very hard to notice that. Jack and Tony scenes is always welcome. Tony being caught was necessary for Jack to join Bill, Chloe and Tony.



Plot Details/Holes- » (10/10). Escaping from the building isn´t impossible, but what Jack did with the car, it is necessary to suspend your logical brain and enjoy the ride.



What I liked -» Jack and Tony interaction and the escape.



What I Didn´t Liked -» Sean as an mole.



This episode continues to deliver quality, building tension, making more setups and moving forward.

10am- 11am discovers more clues thatll unfold more twits futher on this season. So Tony isnt a bad dude anymore hey. He is actually an undercover agent working outside the government, working with Bill Buchanan and Chloe O Brian. Jack knows of this, and he must break out Tony out of FBI custody, back to Buchanan so his secret plans will unfold as planned. During these several minutes of Jack trying to break out Tony, it became the most exciting this season so far. More great plots unfold inside the Fbi bureau, introducing some great characters to use.







Killer episode, best so far.

Good episode with great moments..the bad thing about 24 is when it gets good, my mind starts working again, I start caring about the characters and start figuring out who's who and what's what. It's an anoying habit I have. So Janis has been on my radar since day 1(no pun intended). The other tech guy who has been acting suspicious is also still on my list, just like Sam the girlfriend of the presidents dead son. But my paranoia aside, a good episode with great moments. Like the Chloe 1 vs. Chloe Clone (janis)geek-off. How cool was that? But it was predictable that Tony was undercover, however I'm too happy about Jack and Tony teaming up again I don't really care. So the episode was good, predictable, but that's the reality of 7 seasons of 24, and had some really great moments in there!

Let's just take a moment to appreciate the unquestionable brilliance of Brad Turner's direction, shall we? Jon Cassar's good and all that but Mr. Turner, he knows how to push my 'squee like a fan boy on heat' buttons, and it's all in the presentation. The boxes. Yes, that may sound pedantic but they are one of 24's key features and something that sets the programme apart from every other two-bit terror fantasy on our screens. And sure, Cassar uses in 'em in his episodes but their appearance is sporadic, usually confined to telephone conversations or the post-break act openers. Turner, on the other hand, harks back to the 24 of old and throws split-screen everywhere: in the middle of scenes, during chases etc. etc., to give you either two simultaneous views of the same sequence of events or reveal what others are doing while the main action is occurring. It's wonderfully off-putting stuff, forcing the viewer to really pay attention and making your eyes look like they're dancing the world's most erratic jig. This used to be a particular favourite of season one executive producer Stephen Hopkins' and it works a treat: it is, after all, a completely unique viewing experience. *sigh* I suppose I should put aside production technicalities and talk about the episode. Bloody good, methinks. Jack and Renee get Tony back to FBI HQ and into an interrogation room and sparks bounce off the walls and straight through your television set. Seriously, how utterly excellent is this scene? Just put Keifer and Carlos in a room together for 24 hours... I'd happily watch the carnage that ensued. The dialogue crackles with venom and resentment and is fantastically written: kudos especially to Coto and Braga for including lines that take us way, way back through the mists of time to season one. And then, of course, it turns out he's not a terrorist after all. I'd normally be pounding my fists off the table about something like this but, well, we didn't really want Tony to have gone 'dark side' (to quote another favourite show of mine) did we? And this does mean we now get to see the fabulous James Morrison and Mary Lynn Rajskub again which is alright by me. Elsewhere, Sean turns out not to be the mole (probably), bringing the count of surprised viewers to a nice round zero and Dubaku makes a more than welcome return to our screens, threatening the poor President and everything. Another strong episode then, with the minimum of distractions to the central narrative. Things are looking good. Especially that Agent Gedge, he looks yummy.........

This was the greatest 24 episode in a long long time.I think Jack's interrogation to Tony was the greatest scene in the show tied with when Jack kills Nina. I was in the edge of my seat the whole hour , the action , the suspense it's like a whole renovation and a 360 turn from last season which was kind of boring. I like the idea of the team with ex CTU agents making justice in their own way , because at the end of the day that's what this show is all about. This three first episodes where absolutely incredible I hope they keep up this pace the whole season. I can't wait for the next episode I am happy to say with episodes like this there is 24 for a while.

Gotta love 24. Personally, I was unlucky enough to start watching this show on season 6. But after watching the previous seasons, now I have a good idea how good this show can be. I`m enjoying this start of day 7. I really liked Redemption and the first two eps were pretty good too. Good to have the no ctu setting for a change and hacking the traffic system is interesting...not new but still ingenious. This hour was definitely the best out of the first 3 eps..classic 24.

Having Tony suddenly come back from the death and turning into the evil guy was quite odd, so I`m happy he was just under cover. It`s great to see Jack and Tony work to together. Breaking out of the FBI quarters was exciting, suspenseful with some great actions. Good to see Bill and Chloe back too.

Great start for Day 7..am hoping they keep the level up.

After a rocky sixth season, the producers of "24" felt changes needed to be made to get the show back on track. In this early time in the season those changes seem to be working. This is no doubt one of the best and most exciting episodes of "24" I have seen in quite a long time. There are a number of reasons why this is so. A very well written script, terrific suspense and the return of two of the show's best characters. Cherry Jones is terrific as President Taylor. Take that DB Woodside! Season seven is looking good.

Tony is captured and ready to be interrogated, Renee lets Jack do the honours after almost suffocating him; Tony whispers a code to Jack. After Jack is taken out of the interrogation room, he calls a number and gives the code, and it turns out that the person on the other end is none other than Bill and it turns out that Tony is working deep undercover to expose corruption in the government so Jack needs to get him out, Chloe's also in on it and helps the pair get out by hacking in to their surveillance system. This was one of the great escapes in the shows history.

This is what I was looking for. An action packed episode to kick off the season. Sure it`s three episodes in but it still delivered. Although I thought Tony was captured fairly quick, but It still played out all well. The interrogation was amazing, especially when Jack flips up the table and slams Tony against the wall and says `So help help me, I will kill you and you`ll stay dead this time.` That was the best line of the episode. We soon find out though that Tony isn`t bad he`s just deep undercover, and working with Bill and Chloe! It`s good to see them back. We need to have some familiar faces from the past. The scene where Jack drives the car through the concrete wall was awesome, and it was funny because he was yelling the whole time. But I guess he did get shot. Great episode.

This was basically THE episode I've been waiting for. 1.5 years without 24 was difficult, but the sad part is that S6 was kind of... bad. So it was, more like, 2 years without proper 24! Yup, since season 5, this was the best episode, IMO.



The reason Tony was brought back is clear now. To Work with Jack. Oh gosh, I almost forgot how well they fit together! Their escape from the FBI HQ was amazing, one of the most suspensful things I've witnessed on TV.



This was an amazing hour of 24, and definitely turned me into a beliver ; Season 7 is gonna kick ass!

It was a good show, but now...... :( So many things don't make any things. FBI headquarter is too easy to be broken through. When Chloe takes the control of surveillance system, no FBI agency can locate Jack and Tony. Do you really believe all the FBI security system is based on surveillance cameras? If so, why not just cut the electricity lines and take care of their backup power? The ultimate way Jack broke through the FBI building is very very CREATIVE....breaking the window glasses and getting on the top of an adjacent parking building....I think the script writers should be more creative.

Order was given to FBI agents that Tony and Jack should be caught ALIVE. Agencies and SWAT still shot those two runners with handgun and submachine guns. Obviously, FBI just want them dead....

When Jack tried to hit 24-inch cement blocks with a sedan car (that is very hard to achieve too), I was wondering why the safe bag was not popping out. With Jack's position in the car, he much tried very hard to squeeze his body to avoid the bullets. Remember, he needed to protect his head from injury as well. If you don't believe me, try to position yourself in your car.

Oh, after one day break another two episodes and I most say I love the way this episode is starting.



First Tony - I think it was little bit too obvious that sooner or later will come out that Tony is good guy undercover but I did not expected it to come out so soon - maybe little disappointing on that but.. what came out of it - we got Bill Buchanan and Chloe back.. Jack had to break Tony out.. out of FBI building - sounds almost impossible and with that chloelike computer girl on FBI side against Chloe on security cameras - that was good one. Really had the excitement out..



And I most say the change they gave Jack to interrogate Tony and managed to get all the past out - Michelle, Terri, Kim.. that was great too.



Action.. oh.. loved that action.

The second part of the season 7 premiere starts off with Tony in custody (that was fast!). The White House is told that he is working for Ike' Dubaku, a colonel under General Juma's command. This information forces Jack to have a heart to heart with Tony in the interrogation room.



This scene is one of the better scenes that have happened for a while on 24, with Tony ending up breaking Jack by claiming his hate for the U.S. Government and his referral to what they have taken from Jack such as Teri and Audrey. Their acting is top notch here, and it leads to a simple, yet predictable (for most. I personally believed he was genuinely bad) plot twist. It reveals he is working with familiar faces (Bill and Chloe) and is actually undercover with the terrorists. This prompts Jack to break Tony out of FBI custody and get him back undercover. Their escape ends with a nice stunt as Jack drives through a concrete wall and out of the parking garage. Bill picks them up and they get out.



A tense episode, with a red herring thrown in (the almost robotic Sean Hillinger), but all the focus is on Jack and Tony. And it works.

Didn't take long for Bill and Clo to come back in this episode and they did so in a big way. Tony is working with Bill and Clo undercover to try and stop the attacks from happening! Everyone was predicting it when they were trying to figure out what role Bill and Clo were going to play in the season and it came through huge here! Bauer and Tony scenes were amazing, A+ quality for the first time in season seven and a big time A+ since the first episodes of season six. The FBI office is in a race to find Jack and Tony now as they let the two of them slip out of their control and into Bill's van where we assume we will learn more about the undercover operation that has brought Tony over to the good guys. The White House scenes were also pretty solid in this episode. They kept the president's husband away from the girl in this episode: simply giving him an assignment to meet her in the next episode. Alison also did a good job in this episode, really playing the role of the president well. Overall - Have to say that THIS was the episode that got me back to heart-pounding 24 action that I missed so much.