(3:00 A.M. - 4:00 A.M.)
Review/Commentary
Reviewer: J
I’ve often thought about the fact that 24 doesn’t title its episodes, which is kind of a cool feature. Simply using the “Day 4: 3:00 AM - 4:00 AM” is clever and uniform. However, the title of Hour Twenty-One could be easily something like “The Aftermath,” in reference to Audrey and Jack’s slightly awkward relationship now. The hour picks up very quickly after the previous hour and in the same scene – something that 24 doesn’t always do. Jack is still clearly affected by having just pulled a freakin’ gun on the doc, who is sort of put off by it as well. I mean, it’s not enough that he’s a doctor at a “clinic” and has pulled the overnight shift on this night of all nights. But now he’s got a rogue agent pointing a gun at him and ordering him to operate. It got me thinking maybe they should have a protocol in place here and only hire former military doctors, you know? Make sure they understand that government witnesses and national security definitely supercede injured men like Paul.
Anyway, Jack leaves the room after being chastised by the doc, who is just trying to bring up to speed anyone who missed the last hour by saying “You made it clear he was important when you forced me to sacrifice Paul Raines’ life.” Yeah, yeah. Get over it, dude.
Keifer shows his acting talent over this hour, I thought, perhaps more so than in other hours. His immediate scene with Audrey, where after doing the unthinkable, he still manages to have the cojones to try to console her. I liked both of them in this short scene, her wanting to fight him off but being unable to and hugging him searching desperately for comfort in his arms…yet then shoving him away and saying she can’t be near him. So true to life, I thought. Well, not that I’ve ever been in a similar situation, but you know what I mean.
Jack’s subsequent conversation with Buchanan wherein he looks like he’s going to cry (Jack, not Buchanan) was well-played as well. Buchanan tries his best to comfort Jack with his “you made the right choice” comment but Jack clearly is shaken. Just a good job all around.
Now on to the ludicrous stuff.
The Chinese Security Head is PO’ed that the Consul was killed. Well, he ran in front of a hailstorm of bullets. Is that the intruders’ fault? I don’t think so. Instead of pointing this out, the unseen Secretary of State grants the Chinese access to CTU so that they can sort of investigate. Yeah, at 3 in the morning, during a national crisis. Why CTU? Oh, because their security footage caught an image of Agent Bern, last hour’s Random Agent, although Bern should be thanking his lucky stars that all he has going against him is the Chinese government. Most Random Agents are dead within their first hour onscreen.
Back at the White House bunker, Palmer makes noises about wanting to avoid “a serious confrontation” with the Chinese. Um, I think that horse has left the barn, David. They’ve seen an unmasked American agent was involved and even if they hadn’t, you called them 30 minutes before the ambush and asked for Mr. Lee. It really doesn’t take a Columbo episode for the Chinese to piece this together.
Nevertheless, Palmer and Novick set about scheming to come up with a “plausible scenario” to feed the Chinese. Just like old times, eh boys? Good to see Palmer has gotten over his qualms about being upstanding, honest, et cetera. Interestingly, while concocting their story, Palmer notes that since the men were masked they should be able to pin this on an Asian extremist group of some kind. Well, that’s kind of half-asses logic, there, sir. Even if Bern hadn’t been unmasked, his eyes, as well as Jack’s and Curtis’ are not that of the “almond” variety, which is what my Asian friends refer to their eye shapes as. Not only that, but oh yeah, Curtis is BLACK!! Not that it matters in CTUs hiring practices, but come on! I don’t think a tall, broad, hulking black man can pass for an Asian, even with body covering on. But hey, what do I know?
Go On to Page 2
Back to the Unofficial 24 Page
Go Back to Television
Go Back Home!