Oh, Jack. How I have missed you, my beloved. The past TV season has been a lonely and desolate place without your knife-to-the-eyeball threats and you velvety growls of "Who are you working for?" I waited for you for a year and a half. It was hard, and sure, I had a few flings, but among my harem of TV boyfriends, you are my one and only TV husband. The boys don't like that you're back - they get so jealous, bless them - but they can deal. None of them will ever come close to what we have together.
Keifer tells us “The following takes place between 8 am and 9 am. Events occur in real time.” Day 7 has begun. (Note: This season branches off the November TV movie "24: Redemption". It's not necessary viewing to understand what's going on, as the boatloads of exposition in this episode will pretty much get you caught up, but I highly recommend it.)
Washington, D.C. In a car, a girl is texting someone while her dad nags her that the phone is for emergencies only. Dude, to a teenage girl, everything is an emergency. I hope your plan has unlimited texts. She reluctantly puts the phone away just as the dad answers his own cell. He doesn’t get much time to talk as a black van t-bones the car as they cross an intersection. Once the car stops spinning, the van comes back for more and rear-ends the car, pushing it on top of a parked car. Men with masks and guns get out of the van and grab the dad out of the car. As the dad and daughter scream at each other, the men shove him in the van and drive away. Inside the van, the dad says that he has money. A vaguely familiar voice says, “We don’t want your money, Mr. Latham. We just need you to fix something for us.”
Senate Building. It’s the third day of a hearing about human right violations committed by CTU. The head senator asks the witness to state his name, as if we don’t already know it. But my love is forgiving of their ignorance and tells them it’s Jack Motherfucking Bauer. He also states that he has chosen not to have legal representation at this hearing. When Head Senator asks about Ibraham Hadad and whether Jack detained him without due process and used extreme interrogation methods, Jack answers simply in the affirmative. Head Senator looks down on Jack judgingly, while he calmly sits there. This is a man who killed a guy with his teeth. You don’t scare him. Jack elaborates that Hadad was planning an attack on a bus carrying 45 people, 10 of which were children and he was able to stop it. “So basically what you’re saying, Mr. Bauer, is that the ends justify the means and that you are above the law.” Jack replies that terrorists don’t care about the rules and he adapted to his enemy to complete his mission. “In answer to your question – am I above the law? No, sir. I am more than willing to be judged by the people you claim to represent. I will let them decide what price I should pay. But please do not sit there with that smug look on your face and expect me to regret the decisions that I have made. Because, sir, the truth is….I don’t.” Call me when your conjugal visit comes up, baby.
The hearing is interrupted when redhead FBI Agent Renee Walker comes in with a supoena for Jack. Head Senator doesn’t want to share, but he relents when Renee hands him a file supposedly detailing what she needs him for. Jack leaves with the agents. The music during this whole exchange uses a drum that sounds like a heartbeat. It would have been cool during an action sequence, but here it's just distracting. Renee refuses to explain what's going on, saying that Jack will be debriefed when they get to the FBI office as she calls someone named Janis.
We cut to the FBI field office and Janis turns out to be Janeane Garofolo! Love. Her. She will be playing our snarky tech girl for this season. Janis informs Renee that their boss Larry is in a briefing with another group, so Renee has her take a message that she has Jack and is bringing him in. Janis is glad because the situation is heating up. She passes along the info about the kidnapping we saw earlier. Turns out the guy they abducted designed homeland security's firewall. Uh oh. Renee hangs up and Janis goes over to a minion named Sean to bitch at him to get Jack cleared. Sean snarks back at her. Janis tells him, "As someone as close to a friend as you are ever gonna get, let me give you some advice; most people don't like sarcasm. I, myself, have no problem with it because I'm cheerful. I'm a cheerful person." All this is in a perfect sarcastic tone. Hee. You can come hang out with us recappers any time, Janis. You're our kind of cheerful.
Briefing Room. Larry exposits that the FBI has been investigating a bunch of technology thefts all done by the same crew. He uses a nifty touch screen to bring up Latham's picture and explains that he was kidnapped by the same crew responsible for the thefts. They're assuming that the kidnappers are having Latham build a device to hack the CIP firewall. Janis comes in and tells Larry that Renee is on her way in with Jack and he concludes the meeting.
In a dingy hideout somewhere, one of the kidnappers types away on a computer and says that they're online with GSA117, represented on the screen with a little airplane icon. That...can't be good. He says they only have a control of a couple systems and they need all of them. He sends a guy to go check on Latham. He's all bloody and roughed up, putting the finishing touches on the device. He hands it over to the random goon and we see GSA117 taking off as air traffic control guides them. And of course we get a brief shot of a child on board, because if there isn't a kid in danger, it's not worth caring about.
FBI Field Office. Larry greets Jack and introduces himself as the head of the office. He explains that Jack is here because Renee thinks he can help with their current crisis. He rather snottily adds that he doesn't think this is the case and softens the blow just a bit by saying he'll be happy to be proven wrong. Ass. "Well lucky for you, I'm not here to apply for a job Agent Moss. And personally, I don't care what makes you happy," Jack replies. He is escorted to Renee's office while Agent Ass warns Renee that Jack is dangerous and could "go off" if she says the wrong thing. Renee heads into her office, where Jack is standing around awkwardly. I forgot to mention before that Jack is dressed is a sharp black suit and holding a tan trenchcoat and the Jack Pack, which has morphed into a briefcase for the purposes of the senate hearing. I love my man when he's down and dirty, but damn does he clean up good. Renee gives Jack the spiel about the firewall situation. He protests that he's not active and the DOJ is about to file criminal charges against him. Renee explains that Jack knows one of the people behind the attack and shows Jack a computer screen with a blurry security camera image on it. She hits a button and a closeup of the image is cleared up to...OMFG IT'S TONY! Jack is as shocked as we are and needs to sit down. Renee tells Jack that Tony was rushed away by EMTs right after he supposedly died in Jack's arms. She had his grave exhumed and DNA showed the body wasn't his. I guess it just goes to show you; main characters on 24 are not officially dead until they've gotten the silent clock.
Dingy Hideout. The familiar voice asks the guy at the computer, Masters, if they're in the system and Tony steps out of the shadows. And damn is his face is a testament to what a life of evil does to your looks. Although, to be fair, I think it's the haircut and the scar above his left eyebrow that are really making him look, like, ten different kinds of awful here. Tony comes over to the computer and suddenly the device starts beeping. It's not working anymore. Tony decides to take this to Latham. I think the CIP device just doesn't feel like working. Technology does that sometimes. Even my laptop, Victor, has his moody days. Why, just the other day he was absolutely opposed to importing P!nk's new album to iTunes, but was perfectly happy with a Battlestar Galactica marathon. I think he has a thing for Six. Latham insists that he didn't do anything and Tony tells him he better fix it in the next few minutes or he won't have any use for him. 08:16:58.
08:21:49. The White House. The new, female President Taylor who was sworn in during Redemption is watching a news broadcast about the ethnic cleansing in Sangala being carried out by a General Juma. She tells an abnormally tall, imposing older man that she wants to use military action due to the U.N.'s uselessness. "General Juma has to be stopped," she declares as we see his face on the news. Hey, it's the Candyman! Lurch says that the joint chiefs are gathering in the situation room and will call when they're ready. Then a tinier man (and by tinier I mean normal sized) comes into the Oval Office and reports that some journalist is going to continue to voice his opposition to military interference in Sangala. He offers to hold him off, since the piece could hurt them. Lurch doesn't like that idea, calling the man Henry. While he goes to answer a call on his cell, Taylor tells Henry to talk the journalist down if he can. Lurch announces that the joint chiefs are ready. Taylor grasps Henry's hand affectionately before leaving for the situation room.
In the elevator, Lurch says that he doesn't think that Henry, who also happens to be the First Man, is capable of controlling the journalist situation. Taylor assures Lurch that Henry is fine and that it's going to take a few months. After all, he lost a son. Lurch points out that it was her son too and she can still do her job. They get off the elevator as she explains that she thinks about her son all the time, but she can't afford to grieve right now. They enter the situation room and sit down.
Dingy Hideout. For once, couldn't the bad guys get a nice, clean hideout? Maybe a couple throw pillows, some track lighting - anything to make the place feel a little more homey. Being evil doesn't mean you have to completely ignore good interior design. Anyway, Latham's gotten the device to work again. It was overheating, but he fixed it. Tony takes it back to Masters and it is indeed working. As they use it, a few air traffic control room computers go wonky for a second, wigging out the controllers.
FBI. Jack is trying to explain Tony's involvement with the home-grown terror cell as an undercover operation. Renee says that she's checked with every government agency and there's nothing. She thinks Tony's gone against the government to get revenge for the death of Michelle at the hands of the government he served. "But you'd know better than me how that feels. How far a man might go." Watch it, Renee. You're wading into some dangerous waters here. Jack maintains that there has to be some other logical explanation and Renee offers to let Jack ask Tony about it if he helps her find him. He thinks about it for a moment, then says he needs access to all of their files on the situation. She leaves him with the computer as Agent Ass calls her out into the Cubicle Farm, where he fills her in on the breach of the air traffic control system.
Up in the sky, GSA117 experiences some minor terror-related turbulence.
FBI. Renee sets Jack up with Sean to go through all the files on Tony's crew. Jack wants to start with the reports from the original technology thefts. Sean sarcastically says, "Fantastic." With Sean, I think it's a safe bet to assume that anything he says is in a sarcastic tone of voice.
Situation Room. The joint chiefs lay out the plan for interfering with General Candyman's coup. Taylor is all for it and will give the green light as soon as she gets the post-invasion plan from Secretary Steven, who takes this moment to voice his objections to the invasion. Steven is played by the creepy and inappropriate dad from Secret Life of the American Teenager. If you haven't seen it, go out and rent the first season, like, now. It's a trainwreck of epic proportions and I am simultaneously disgusted and fascinated by it. Anyway, back to the land of good television. Taylor basically tells Steven to shut up and get on board or be replaced. Lurch leans in and tells Taylor that a man from Homeland Security is outside waiting to talk to her.
In the hall, the Homeland Security Guy catches us up on what's going on in case you missed any of the previous five summaries. Taylor wants to ground all flights, but that would take up to 12 hours and could create a panic. HSG suggests quietly decreasing air traffic while letting the FBI follow leads. Taylor doesn't like the timing and thinks that it could be related to her decision to intervene in Sangala. She asks if the FBI will be able to stop the terrorists in time. HSG remains silent. The FBI thanks you for your vote of confidence. 8:33:16.
8:38:07. The First Man is arguing with the troublesome reporter he mentioned. The reporter is concerned that the cycle of violence will continue and the United States will be stuck there indefinitely. Henry offers an exclusive look at Taylor's post-invasion plan. A handsome blond Secret Service agent comes in and tells Henry he has a phone call. Once the reporter is gone, Handsome Secret Service Agent tells Henry it's Chuck Tollin. Turns out Chuck is a private investigator and he has information on Henry's son's death that is suspicious; three days after Roger's suicide, his girlfriend received $400,00 in an off-shore bank account. Henry is quick to correct that his son allegedly committed suicide and it's clear he thinks Roger was murdered. He decides to go confront the girlfriend about this himself. He hangs up and tells HSSA that he needs him to take him somewhere and to keep it off the manifest. He asks HSSA is he thinks that Chuck is taking advantage of him. HSSA frankly says that the police and FBI both ruled Roger's death a suicide and that Chuck's leads have all led nowhere.
FBI. Renee asks Janis if the FAA has reported any other disturbances. They haven't, so she thinks that the glitch was caused when they penetrated the system. Janis says that if they're in the system, she can't find them. She then takes Renee aside to have a minor panic attack about the ramifications of Tony breaking through the firewall. Renee tells her to pull it together. Jack is staring at a report on Sean's screen as he takes off his tie. Whee! Take it off! ...Wait, just the tie? And only the top button undone on his shirt? It's been almost two years, and you reward my fidelity with no tie and one button? Don't play with me like that, 24. It's just cruel. Jack spots something and has Sean pull up the report he was just looking at. Renee stops by to see if they found something and Jack says he's looking for an entry point. When Renee says they had access cards, Jack points out that no one reported an access card missing and they're very hard to forge. Really? A whole field office and no one noticed that? I believe in the elite skills of Jack as much as anyone else, I just don't like it when people have to be this stupid in order for him to be smart. Jack has Sean pull up a CTU case from 1999 and points out the name Gabriel Shecter. When they look up Shecter's information, they learn he came to D.C. nine weeks ago, when the thefts first started. Renee and Agent Ass head off to get a warrant and a tac team, but Jack tells them that Shecter will just get lawyers and stall. Agent Ass, earning his title, snits, "So, what's the alternative, Jack? Break in and torture the guy like you used to do?" Uh, yeah. What show do you think you're on buddy? Jack gets up and calmly saunters towards Agent Ass as he continues to dig his own grave. "Oh is this how it starts? Get in my face, tighten your jaw...then if I say something you don't like you slam me against the wall?" For someone who was warning Renee about Jack's temper not thirty minutes ago, you seem awfully intent on pushing his buttons. Jack says that Agent Ass has no idea what he does, and points out they asked for his help; it's their choice whether they want to take his advice or not. Renee pops her head into the testosterone cloud to confirm that Shecter knows Jack and then asks to speak to Agent Ass alone. She wants to bring Jack with her to talk to Shecter to play a game of good cop/bad cop where the bad cop is so scary that all he has to do is be in the room and Shecter will talk. She promises to keep him under control and Agent Ass agrees. 8:45:04
8:49:55. En route, Renee has Jack tell her about Gabriel Shecter. He shares Shecter's criminal record and says that when he and Tony arrested him, they turned him and used him for information. Renee is surprised that CTU didn't mind letting him staying in business and Jack says they didn't know, it was just him and Tony. Renee asks if he and Tony were tight. Jack: "Yeah, we were totes BFFs." Renee reiterates that Jack doesn't believe that Tony's dirty. I think it shows how Jack will never completely trust anyone again when he merely says that he believes Tony is alive, doing something dangerous, and they need to find him.
Situation Room. Steven is going over the plan to meet up with the Sangala government's troops after the invasion. Taylor wants it made clear that the priority is maintaining order in the streets. "What happens when Matobo's men execute General [Candyman] without a trial? Should we intervene or let the mob tear him apart?" Taylor responds that she's meeting with Matobo in a few minutes and will ensure that he keeps his men in line. She also apologizes for yelling at Steven in front of the joint chiefs. He accepts and says he'll keep his doubts about the invasion to himself. Lurch comes in and tells Taylor that the journalist has agreed to hold his story for 24 hours and that the FBI is about to question Shecter.
Shecter's Apartment Building. In the hall outside the apartment, Renee takes a moment to make it clear that they will be not be torturing Shecter. Her face is really close to his as he says, "Understood." You know, I hated all of Jack's love interests on the show, especially Audrey, but if they worked it right, I could get behind Jack and Renee. She's kind of cool and I wouldn't mind sharing Jack with her. Renee goes to the door, which is answered by a random thug. She flashes her badge and Shecter comes to the door. He's got these Joker-like scars on either side of his face. He sees Jack and says he didn't know Jack was FBI. Jack says, "Nah, I'm just along for the ride" in a delightfully cheery manner. Gabriel lets them in and they sit in two armchairs while Shecter takes the small sofa opposite. He mentions the senate hearings and says he heard CTU was dismantled. "Don't tell me... it was your fault, wasn't it?" Jack just grins. Oh this is going to be good. Renee starts to question him, but as soon as she mentions being charged with accessory to terrorism, he shuts down and says they can speak to his lawyers. He has his goon come over to escort them out. As soon as he touches Renee, she takes him down. Jack draws his weapon and points it at Shecter, who was going for a gun under the sofa cushion. He gets closer, still holding his gun, and asks again where Tony is. He still refuses to answer, so Jack turns to Renee and asks her what she wants him to do. She stares at Jack and says "Do whatever it takes." Renee, I understand that you were trying to tell Jack via pained-facial-expression communication that you didn't really mean that, but this is Jack. You don't say those words to him unless you mean it. She learns her lesson quickly as Jack holsters his weapon and says, "I'm gonna enjoy this." He then picks up a pen and basically sits on top of Shecter in order to bring the point of the pen towards his eyeball. Whee! Jack is back, baby! Shecter relents and as Jack pulls back, two shots come through the window and hit Shecter in the chest. We see the sniper on top of the roof before he takes out the thug too. Renee gets on the radio and tells the backup team to seal off the building across the street as the apartment's phone begins to ring. Jack picks it up and it's Tony. He warns Jack to stay away from this. Jack yells at Tony to explain what's going on but he just hangs up.
Air Traffic Control. A controller is trying to guide GSA117 when he suddenly loses radio contact. The guy in charge yells to get the FBI on the phone as we cut to Tony guiding the plane posing as an air traffic controller. He tells Masters to set the course change. Masters is nervous about really doing this and Tony just tells him to do as he says.
9:00:00
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