This very early hour opens with Tony and cohorts setting the scene at the apartment of Jibraan Al-Zarian, an Arab innocent they plan on having take the fall for the upcoming attacks. Cara stocks his computer with propagandized websites, all time-stamped to appear as if he’s been at it for a while. Younger brother Hamid is sound asleep, courtesy of the chloroform dosing from the previous hour.
Chloe goes through the old CTU servers, Chloe who has the special touch that only temperamental old government servers respond to, Chloe who scowls and snipes her way through life, Chloe whose brain and mouth run faster than a Cray computer. Yes, the magic touch is at play again, Chloe begins to sort information regarding racial and ethnic demographics and the like -- as Janis complains about racial profiling. This time Jack does not bite her head off, nor does he invoke anyone’s name, or refer to sitting President Bugs Bunny, or call out for FBI Chief J. Edgar Stiles. This time Jack agrees with her. We don’t know which is scarier.
But then Jack’s old friends Wince ‘n Grimace show up for a visit, and Chloe muses that something might be wrong. And she knows she’s onto something when Jack repeats himself, again, and then excuses himself to go shoot up. Janis and Renee pull her into the girls’ room, light cigs and unload the gossip that Jack has been exposing himself -- to bioweapons — and “like, there’s no cure -- freaky, huh?”
Chloe confronts Jack. She tears up. She sniffles, she’s a wreck. Can you blame her? Jack pleads for her to help him make his death mean something by catching the Sinister Cabal (the what?) and/or Tony, or whoever needs catching. Poor Chloe looks like she needs to be caught before she melts into a puddle. But she has absorbed the shock for now, and needs to really, really bring it.
Meanwhile Jibraan is ready for his close-up. Tony is forcing him to read an inflammatory political statement that admits his culpability in the upcoming mystery terrorist attack. If he refuses, Tony will kill his brother Hamid while he sleeps. While Jibraan makes his broadcast debut, the police show up, evidently the neighbors heard “shouting.” Jibraan calmly tells them it was his drunken imaginary friends who left and will not be back. He spits on the ground. Psppsht! The police leave. Better than a Jedi Mind Trick!
Article comments
1 - Dr Dreadful
Despite what the producers say, they must have been in an almighty rush to finish shooting this season because the al-Jibraan brothers are just about the least Pakistani-looking people they could possibly have cast in the roles.
Next week they'll no doubt have guest appearances from Samuel L Jackson and Aretha Franklin as Larry's parents, demanding the handover of their son's remains so that they can conduct a traditional Tibetan Buddhist funeral.
2 - Mary K. Williams
I feel like I'm in an episode of Sliders where there's an alternate universe mash-up of House and 24!