24

CJD is a hell of a prion, as evidenced when Jack begins shaking and seizing around the Office. Hilarious, a bit overdone with that stack of stuff he unnecessarily knocks over, and not that important compared to the shenanigans at Starkwood.
Board chairman Douglas Knowles betrays Hodges (for real) and helps Tony enter the subterranean levels, where the canisters are being held. And Taylor gets the photo evidence she needs to order an air strike on the compound.
But of course, Hodges has an ace up his sleeve, and whips it out right after losing his marbles and killing Knowles. Scenes like that make me wonder why this show so rarely features bat**** psycho villains.
And Olivia has to keep some horny reporter quiet. This…is just terrible. It's an unnecessary subplot that barely follows up on a minor thread I didn't even care about, and it sadly brings the episode down a notch. Let's just be thankful it's only contained to this hour, which drops it and ends with Hodges putting Taylor at perhaps the lowest point of her character arc (this season, that is). With him calling the White House's shots and holding the entire East Coast hostage…yeah, that's pretty low.

Hourly Highlight:
You wanted to see Jon Voight lose marbles? Well, now you see!

Ah, so it's Kim who's going to cure our budding anti-hero, fixing him with her genetically compatible Bauer blood/stem cells/ah, God knows what as I don't understand science. Well, I suppose it's preferable to the ludicrous deux et machina of having Hodges whip an antidote out of his back pocket in the 24th hour. It does mean we will probably have to endure Elisha Cuthbert attempting to act for a few episodes of course, but Kiefer's so good, he'll undoubtedly be able to disguise her woeful inadequacies. While the decision to infect Bauer remains questionable, some good has certainly come of it here as not only is Kiefer particularly adept at making the illness seem believable and horrifying, but the scene between he and Renee when he discusses his daughter is absolutely stellar, striking at least four out of a possible, um, four for emotional believability. Elsewhere, the Starkwood storyline continues to move at a refreshingly intense pace as Tony infiltrates the compound once again, this time with a guy who looks a hell of a lot like Joey Potter's dad from Dawson's Creek, and all hell seems about to break loose as Jonas reveals he's got some bad ass looking missiles pointed at several American cities. The explicit marriage of this story with the Presidential one works very well, giving Cherry Jones the chance to do more than simply react to events and get into the thick of the action (well... for the first time since she was kidnapped by Juma at any rate). And how about Hodges committing murder eh? The scene in which he confronts the Starkwood chairman is simply excellent as both actors give it their all and Voight demonstrates his incredible ability to move from lucid, logical businessman to sociopathic loon in the blink of an eye. It's a deliciously creepy sequence that sends shivers down the spine, lending further credence to the character as a legitimate threat. The only disappointment here is Olivia's storyline which is predictable in the extreme and only serves to further illustrate just how much of a waste of space she is. No one cares, bump her off please so we can get back to the real storyline. A solid effort on the whole though and proof that perhaps, just perhaps, 24 could actually survive without Kiefer Sutherland. Just a thought, you know.

Complication Phase - » (8/10)*2. Since Jack is sick, the writers gave tony the opportunity to be the focus and Tony has a very important mission. This creates the necessary tension because Tony is not necessary for the main cast, so he can be killed. Before that Larry situation was critical and interesting. I didn´t buy how Tony was not seen by anyone, but this was for the sake of the plot.



Ending - » (8/10)*2. This type of twist is nice, when you think for the third time that the canisters will be destroyed or found, and then a new situation arises and change everything or put things in the same position.



Time and Scene Management - » (8/10). Jonas partner provided some scenes that bought time, but all the rest was fine. Even Olivia situation can be considered filler, since it is irrelevant for the main plot.



Plot Details/Holes- » (10/10). Nothing to point here.



Surprises/Shocks/Twists - » (8/10). Olivia filler had a nice twist.



Suspense/Tension - » (8/10). Here Tony can´t be caught or he will die for sure and 24 writers don´t have a problem in killing 24 main cast characters.



Drama - » (7/10). Jack illness create a nice interaction between him and President Taylor, it seems that Jack have easiness in becoming friend with almost any president. Olivia drama was nice too.



Action - » (7/10). Some action, but was light compared with some previous episodes.



What I liked -» Tony scenes was nice.



What I Didn´t Liked -» Didn´t care for Olivia Scenes.



This episode makes a nice transition for the next episode, where a big event should happen, even so this episode had some scenes with quality.

This episode was great.....I'm just mad because jack is dying and there really isn't any cure VS nuclear weapon.....what they will do...Nice question...but where is answer?....I'm sure that even producers doesn't have answer....I don't like that Tony is trator....I liked him a lot...Jack has to kill another his best friend this is sad story....yeah an it's funny that Jack is forgetting some things when he is talking :D.....He has to save country again...when they will leave him?...i guess after this season because it seems that he is dying ((((....and it was shame that John Voight died I wanted him in this TVshow

Excellent episode with less action and more suspense and plot building. The mercenaries at the Starkwood compound make the FBI stand down, but not before Tony slips into the background to do some investigating.



Back at the FBI Jack is showing pretty serious neurological systems of the pathogen and the CDC doctor gives him and injection of something that masks it. Jack is given a supply of the drug to take every 2 hours or less if needed. He is told by the CDC doctor that there is a chance of curing him by using stem cells from a relative, but he refuses to bring his daughter into this.



Tony is stealthily moving his way around the Starkwood compound when chairman of the board for Starkwood approaches him and tells him he knows where the canisters of the bio-agent are. As they are on their way to the building housing the weapons, he gets caught but Tony gets away. And eventually finds his way down to where the weapons are at and communicates the info to Jack and the FBI.



Meanwhile Olivia Taylor is being blackmailed to give the story to a reporter and she meets with him. He convinces her to tell him what the story is with some kind of blackmail. He says they can "work something out" for him not to run the story. Afterwords he say he is going to run the story anyway but, Olivia had taped the whole "session" between them and tells him that if he runs the story or ever blackmails her again, she will show the video to his wife and let everyone know how he gets his stories.



Jonas goes to talk to the Chairman of the Board after he was captured earlier snooping around. He gives him a long speech then kills him. After Tony relays the info to Jack and the FBI about the location and conformation of where the bio-weapons are at, the President calls for a air strike to take out the building and its contents. Jonas calls the President and informs her that if she doesn't call off the air strike that he will launch three missiles that have been armed with the bio-agent at 3 cities on the eastern seaboard. The President has no choice but to call off the air-strike.



Wow what an eventful episode. Questions I have. Will Jack continue to refuse the stem cell treatment and die. Will Starkwood launch any of the missiles. Can't wait for the next episode.

Except for a few exceptions in which Tony was in the field (every time Tony was in the field = phenomenal), Tony spent most of his time at CTU running tactical while Jack handled things single handedly. Guess what?





Things have changed my friends, Tony is the new Jack while Jack rots away doing the boring (to him) computer work at the FBI. I absolutely loved how Tony simply came back from the dead, was the spotlight of focus for the first few episodes, then disappeared somewhere and we saw very little of him, then he comes out like a hero. Until Kim was mentioned, I thought Jack would have gotten Tony to kill when the time came. I love Tony!!! And I have never liked him THIS much although he had magical moments in every season he was in. Example, season 3, gets shot in the neck and season 4 pops out of nowhere saving Jack's life and is taken hostage. TONY ROCKS and this show could live on with him if Jack was sacrifice, although I would loath the writers to make either die!!! Long live 24!!!!!

With Jack out of commission and the FBI retreating from Starkwood's headquarters, Tony took centre stage during this hour as he went solo in searching for the Bio-Weapons. Tony was in top form this week, taking out Starkwood security guards and nonchalantly riding elevators with evil scientists. We also learned this hour that there's an experimental treatment that could, just maybe, possibly cure Jack. He'd have to talk to estranged daughter Kim, let her know that he's dying, and see if she'd donate some stem cells. Olivia played a messy game with a reporter, she slept with him to stop him revealing the latest scoop on the white house but after that didn't pan out well she had videotaped them having sex and threatened to send it to the press and his wife, the president called on the air strike as Tony I.D'd the bio weapons but when Jonas threatened to use the explosive device, Madame President had to back down and call it off. Right now everything's playing in Hodges' favour.

I looked at one review of last week's Hour 16 of Day 7 and agreed with what the reviewer said. It was so far-fetched, one of 24's trademark time mistakes, how at the end of Hour 15 Jack was all by himself outside the lorry on the road, and yet two minutes later in Hour 16 (11.02 pm) there were loads of CDC vehicles and people there with him (including a blast from the past, Dr. Sunny Macer). Thankfully there was no far-fetchedness (is that a word?) at the start of Hour 17 and the last third of the season.



There was some exciting stuff going on in the first half of the hour, which made a change from several episodes this season. The scenes with Tony were great but it was a shame that Chris Mulkey's character was killed off. Although I had a sneaky feeling that would happen. Yet it happens too many times in "24", people helping out the good guys and get killed in the same episode, the next one or not long afterwards.



What I thought was strange, and it only came to me after the episode ended, was where was Larry and the other FBI people? It only took him and them 5-10 minutes to get from the FBI headquarters in Washington DC to Starkwood's headquarters in Virginia before the closing few minutes of Hour 16. Yet after they left Starkwood after being told to leave or be shot at by the armed units from Starkwood, Larry and the other FBI people weren't seen again in this episode. And I'm sure nothing was said about where they were going to if they weren't going back to FBI headquarters in Washington DC.

I thought this episode was AWESOME!! Best of the season. A lot of drama, action, suspense.



Jon Voight stole the show. I guess I could have done without the Ken/Olivia story, but I LOVE how she double crossed the slimy reporter. I loved how when she got the call at the end she smirked and said "I gotta take this."



And it's an interesting way they're going to bring Kim back, the stem cell research. i'm a firm believer in ADULT stem cell research. Kiefer played his reaction so well.



Very often in 24 a character says so much without saying anything at all. Last week it was Renee listening to Larry tell her that Jack was infected. She says so much while saying nothing. Last night, after President Taylor ordered Admiral Smith to stand down for the last time, Taylor says nothing for the rest of the show, and walks out. But her expression says so much.



This is really about to surpass season 5 as my favorite season of 24. 10/10.

I'm sure this episode (as well as others) will get Erik Prince's and Al Clark's (The founders of the private mercenary army Xe Worldwide. Formerly known as Blackwater.) blood boiling, but I think it is keeping the "24" winning streak going. The show has continued to keep coming up with clever ways to end each respective hour that makes the viewer all the more anxious to tune in next week. As each episode passes John Voight seems to be playing the exact character he played in "Anaconda." However, Voight plays his part on the show very well. Another good episode.

His ep keeps the story moving without adding anything new to keep one wondering what will happen next. All the same, the pace is great with some nice set pieces that makes it more than worth watching.



This week Starkwood have Larry's FBI team surrounded and demanding that he leaves the facility. In the meantime Jack finds the CEO's file that shows that he was working with the Senate inquiry in the hope that Hodges would be found out. Jack gets him onside so that Tony can use him to get the real location of the weapons.



All the while Jack is getting worse as the symptoms of the virus begin to make his job difficult. Jack is now on meds that mask the symptoms but don't cure him. His doctor suggests a very experimental study that uses stem cells to cure similar diseases to his. The doctor says if he could get a genetic match then he can participate in the study. This would mean informing Kim (his daughter) that he is dying which he refuses to do. One gets the feeling that things may change on this matter.



In other arcs, Olivia is trying to supress the story of the WMDs in Starkwood by sleeping with the man she worked with to get Ethan to resign his post. She doesn't realise that he is playing her all the while Olivia is playing him.



The only reason that this ep doesn't stack up to ones before it is that the story wasn't delivered in the cracking pace that 24 fans have become accustomed to. But still there is no doubt that 24 is one of the best shows on TV right now.

After last weeks cliff hanger ending I was really, truely hoping for a great episode this hour. While it was still fairly good, it wasn't nearly as good as I was hoping for.



The standoff between the FBI and Starkwood ends with Moss and his men forced to retreat or risked being fired upon. It made sense to do this, but I would still have prefered some sort of big firefight. Tony however stays behind and tries to locate the weapons by help by the founder of Starkwood. It really felt like too much of a retread from the previous episode where Seaton helped Tony escape and offered to help. This time however, it worked out very well...well for Tony anyway.



I would like to go out on a limb and say that Hodges is the best villian 24 has ever had, even topping Drazen and Logan. Hodges was a big character in this weeks episode and Jon Voight nailed every single line. We know have a better idea of what Hodges is up to and what his motivations have been and seems fairly realestic. I actually find it ironic that he and Jack seemed to be in the same place, the government caring about the way the two of them do things. While Jack continues to try and do the right thing, Hodges has actually taken it to the other extreme, trying to harm the country that he once proudly served.



What reall bugged me about the episode though was that Jack's ailment gets worse, which leads me to believe that we will have one of two evils to deal with. First, that Jack will be unactive for a good part of whats left of the day. The other would be that we will see the inevitable return of Kim Bauer. I haven't really been a fan of her since season two, and I really kind of feel that there is no real need for her to come back. The whole treatment thing just felt like an excuse for her to come back on the show. It was a decent episode but in all honesty, I was really hoping for more. The ending was nice, but really the President aborting the attack only will leave Hodges with more time to get more of the virus into the missles. It kind of really felt like even though the story moved forward, it didn't really go anywhere. It's still the same situation as before, the only difference is now some of the virus is ready. I hope next week returns to the momentum that the last few episodes had. That and Jack needs to get back into the action.

This is by far the best showm on TV. Still manages to surprise after so long. The whole sub plot with Kim is great, the mini plot with Olivia is great, its exactly the type of things that keep you on your seat with 24 when you are dying to see what happens where the action is and in the mean time you have somebody being blackmailed...

John Voight is the best villain ever! The way he blackmailed the president in the end of the epsiode really keeps you at the edge of the sitsand we can look forward to the Hodget president meeting in the next episode. Good work 24 writers!

This season of "24" has been interesting because it is the first time that the writing staff has had the luxury of advanced planning. Nearly everyone involved with the production has been outspoken in their pleasure at the extra time and thought that has gone into the season arc, and it shows on the screen. While there have been some bizarre plot turns here and there, the buzzword for the seventh season has been "consistency".



Consistency, in the sense that there haven't been many episodes that have soared, nor have there been many episodes that have failed. The majority of the season has been a bit above average, which is better than most seasons of the show thus far. The main problem has not been shock for shock's sake, or retreads of the familiar as an antidote to last-minute scripting. Instead, it's been some of the choices along the way.



First, the good elements. It would have been easy to postpone the effects of the bioagent until the end of the season, thus leaving any explanation for Jack's survival to a later date. Instead, Jack begins suffering immediately, and it's clear that he doesn't have long. The short-term solution was a good way to keep Jack in the story for now.



The long-term solution is a bit less elegant. It seems a bit convenient that research just happens to be available for Jack's particular case, and that it would only require bone marrow donation from a living relative. This is obviously going to be the basis for Kim's oft-mentioned return, and sets the stage for a reconciliation between father and daughter. Given that this season is the beginning of Jack's restoration, this is hardly surprising.



Another good thing is the continued philosophical exploration within the context of the season arc. The season began by asking if someone like Jack Bauer was acting appropriately in the defense of his country. The main question was one of tactics; quite often, Jack must act outside of the strict letter of the law to protect the interests in the nation. Much of this season has been designed to demonstrate why someone like Jack, and an organization like CTU, is a necessary evil.



Starkwood, and Jonas Hodges in particular, stands as Jack's moral opposite. They were willing to conduct extra-legal operations on behalf of the United States government, but they have lost sight of who and what they were fighting to preserve. Jonas is Jack without the patriotism and sense of honor. If Jack is the reason why some agents must stand outside the law, Jonas is the reason why the line must be carefully drawn.



If there is one thing that continues to be a problem, it's the decision to make Olivia the acting Chief of Staff. Not only are her qualifications completely lacking, so far as has been revealed, but her various entanglements and reputation compromise her suitability. It does not speak well for President Taylor that she made such an emotional choice, even under such strained circumstances.



It's also unfortunate that the writers further undermined Taylor by forcing her to violate her own pledge, earlier in the season, not to negotiate with terrorists. Of course, that kind of zero tolerance policy is almost impossible to maintain, and whenever it is seriously challenged, it never fails to imply the weakness that the pledge is meant to deny.C

You'd have to be really gullable to believe all that's happening within the world of 24. First of all; this day would go by so slow. Second of all, why is Cloe still out of the picture? Where is the intel coming from, just leads and Eyes On Information? The emphasis is to much on action and suspense and to little on politics and solving the puzzle between federal security forces, like oldtimer CTU, the FBI and the CIA. I can't help but to get a little bored with the script of late, its like the writers or producers rely to much on personal conflicts and medical problem to provide the audience with cheap drama. Instead of letting us slowly sink down into an unknown abyss of intelligent terrorism we get threat after threat after threat, i lost count! I guess this would be the fourth threat to national security!? In twenty four hours! Impossible? Yes. This season is incoherent and highly fictional and unbelievable but still somewhat entertaining. Dome points of improvement would be; get Chloe in, some firmiliar characters and please stop sidetracking Jack like he's some kind of marter for all of mankind, like all of a sudden when he's dying and weak he gets recognized as a hero. Pease get a grip on what 24 really is. An dynamic, action packed, intelligent and high tension thriller with multiple points of view and unexpected situations (deaths, abductions, covered missions and infiltrations). Ah you know what I mean. Don't get me wrong it's not all bad, I'm just slightly dissapointed with this one because it doesnt reach its own standards.

It was a really good episode with not a lot of Jack in it. I wrote last week that I could count the number of episodes where Jack wasn't the best storyline on one hand. I think I might have to give this one to Tony. Jonas is a good character, but he's starting to wear out his welcome. Which is why I was thrilled when he said he was going to transfer over to the White House to talk things out with Taylor. He reminds me a lot like Kate in Lost. Good character, but needs to be around others to be really effective. Jack is sick and the doctor gave him a little hope in this episode for a cure and a possible Kim return, which I'm sure that Renee will do behind Jack's back. I'm a sucker for a happy ending for Bauer, which is why I want Renee and Jack to be together and go into happy season eight. At the same time, getting together this season means that a lot of things could go wrong next season. Either way - this season has been amazing and I really can't say anything bad about it other then the early troubles keeping me interested with Mr. Talor.

They just keep it going - the situation just has no time to settle - the danger is still on and even if FBI have to withdraw, they manage to leave Tony behind and he is man alone in mission - and it is getting so exciting - when he gets down there and sees it all... and then the strike that does not work because president is blackmailed.. what a developments and then ofcourse Olivia getting into hard situation but it looks like there is nothing to stop her..



And Jack's health.. the way there is hope but he is never going to get Kim involved.. mm.. but by they way it looks, Renee will get her involved anyway.. so.. much excitement, action.. and high stakes..

That is 24 for you, and that is the way I felt at the end of this installment; delved into every detail, anticipating that the good nature of man would prevail and men like Hodges are put away!



24 officially has the formula for a good adrenaline rush. It's hard to imagine the days Jack Bauer has had in his lifetime and this day seems to be sucking his life out of him... literally. I eagerly anticipated this installment after last week's hanger... military turning on the government (A President's nightmare), especially when the hand you fed for decades finally decides to bite your finger or the entire hand in the process.



So how were government officials going to defend themselves against and entire army; threatening to fire if they didn't leave their premises? They really had them cornered and defenseless. I applauded Jonas Hodges for his stage performance ranting on about the empty building, abusing his military power; it always takes the ravings of a madman to make you glare at the screen. Everything he 'claimed' made sense. 'The President ordered the search of the empty building for weapons that did not exist' (at least not in that building), as he rambled making a mockery of the federal officers, I only nodded and kept thinking he was right... the President did order the search of the building that Tony was falsely led to...it was amazing how tricky the English Language was if you just twist it a little you could make anything sound exactly the way you want.



What makes Hodges an appalling character is his ability to justify attacking his own government. As twisted as it sounds he comes off realistic that it makes you loath him much more.



What would Jack do if he was there, if he wasn't infected? I shed a saddened moment for Jack's agony, watching him suffer as we all knew his fate... I kept hoping for some enlightenment; maybe Hodges had the cure just maybe... Then there was mention of the experimental treatment and the ties to a family bloodline and I knew that Kim Bauer would gain some onscreen time. I loved the way Renee held Jack in her highest concern, almost like she'd form some sort of connection even after the length Jack put her through the past few hours; in his weakened state I felt her compassion towards him.



Still the Biological Weapons maintains priority and the President had to make it her primary mission to prevent an attack. When Hodges felt cornered and revealed that he had the bio-weapons threatening to release them if the President didn't comply to his demands... and the President complied I kept thinking 'What about the President doesn't respond to threats? What about all the people that died earlier on because she wouldn't respond to threats? I guess that only applied to terrorists, but aren't they committing terrorist actions, threatening the government? ... a dangerous game to play! Or maybe Hodges caught the President off guard, she would not have expected a threat close to home.



I knew that reporter was trouble from the beginning, threatening Olivia. After the façade and shenanigans she put forward; pushing Ethan out of office, I thought she could handle 'anything'. I imagined she would've threatened to kill him (but that would be messy) or even used some sort of back-up plan in case he went rogue, but she kind of disappointed me. The leash she kept on the reporter wasn't tight enough; giving into his sexual come on. I nodded distastefully at his attempt. 'Sleep with me and I would keep my mouth shut'. I actually imagined Olivia would have better taste. *How did Olivia hold her cell phone in place to tape every juicy detail? (Do I want to know?)



*That reporter being married came off as a shocker, I couldn't imagine anyone saying 'I do'. *I knew Kim Bauer had to show her face this season, the question is how would they twist the story to bring her in... what better than saving your dad's live, he's dying.



*Really and truly, did Olivia have to sleep with that reporter, it really made her seem cheap and I really liked-disliking her, now I don't know how I view her anymore.



*Does Hodges really think the President would rollover, sit, play dead (well you know what I mean). Hasn't he seen how the past 24 episodes paid off. Playing God only gets you killed, it doesn't ever work out the way you want... then again there's a first time for everything... and that's what the other malignant groups believed.



My fists are clasped together and I am ready to watch the bad guys go down. At least that's the way I anticipate the next installment. Until then I imagine different ways of the twist in the storyline, but still come up empty. Leave it to 24 to surprise you a mile away.



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Four out of Five Stars



Grade B-

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The episode continues straight where the last one left off, with Jack still infected and the FBI unit still on the base, and without giving too much away, it does get very exciting. The episode featured quite a few twists and turns, although I found the whole story with the Presidents daughter and the reporter to be rather tiresome and boring. However apart from that I can safetly say that I had no real problems with it. Jack remained on the side once again for the majority of the episode, which was sad, however it does make it rather agonising that he isn't the main person leading the team or even out in the field (I really hope that he gets in on the action at some point soon). However there was a lot of Tony centred action and Jon Voight's character further centres himself as one of the best 24 villains.