Back at CTU (our motto: We release every terrorist we catch back into the wild!), Karen asks Chloe if she's having any luck. Chloe says "only the bad kind." And darnnit, the satellites didn't happen to be watching the IED attack site. What are the odds. The satellites happened to catch the helicopter attacking the SecDef, and caught Henderson's meeting with the copilot, and the copilot's trip to the diplomatic flight. Too bad the plot called for no satellite coverage here.
LAPD said there were no witnesses to the IED attack. The curfew and all. Jack thinks Henderson can help find Bierko, but doesn't think he'll talk. Karen and Bill want to offer Buckaroo a deal, but Jack is less than supportive of the idea. Bill tries a guilt trip on Jack and asks "What would David Palmer do?" Great, now FOX is going to hawking WWDPD bracelets on their website.
Jack gives in and agrees that with the time constraints, Henderson should get a deal, but he wants to be the one to talk to Henderson. Henderson immediately sniffs out what is really going on. He taunts Jack. Jack appeals to Henderson's patriotism. Buckaroo huffs about the politics of survival. Buckaroo also knows about Jack and the Chinese.
He says of the people behind all this, "You can't touch them, but they can touch you." He agrees to help Jack, but only if he helps Henderson disappear and leave the country with his wife. (The wife with the shot up gams courtesy of Jack, I might add.)
Jack agrees. Clocks are at :29 to :27.
Henderson coughed up 14 names that CTU might try. 14? What else is he sitting on? Curtis will be in charge of the response team.
Audrey is up and about. And she's dressed. Apparently nearly bleeding to death isn't enough to keep her down. Jack says to Audrey "Karen gave Henderson a deal," conveniently leaving out his role in the deal.
CTU has a bead on one of the names. Joseph Malina, an arms dealer. A call was made at 4:03 from a pay phone in Van Nuys, not far from the ambush site. Uh-huh. Let's bring the logic train to a screeching halt again, shall we?
Bierko left only shortly before 4. He got all the way up to Van Nuys in five minutes? Worse, craziest of all, think about the plan Bierko hatched in the approximately 60 seconds that elapsed between the attack and the phone call to Malina. Bierko instantly put a plan together to use the one remaining gas cylinder. He instantly decided to call Malina, and as we'll see in a bit, Malina provided him with plans to a Russian sub.
Article comments
1 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
It took me 24 hours to read this, but it was worth it--very funny.
2 - Victor Lana
Great job as always, Jeff. You pointed out to glaring flaws (in my opinion) which seems to indicate the writers are either getting sloppy or they don't care.
1. The Bierko escape situation. It was handled like well, we have to do this, so let's get it over with. It makes no contextual sense or any kind of sense.
2. The Henderson-Malina thing was weird. It could be a doublecross, but then again it could be Henderson (who trained Jack) not telling everything yet for fear Jack will get a little trigger happy. Who knows?
Otherwise, a very satisfying episode. Let's hope the finale ties everything up, but I have a feeling we're in for a real cliffhanger!
3 - Jeff
Yeah, that's a fair point about Henderson. Maybe he really was trying to screw CTU, and warn Malina, and made up his story when CTU came busting in.
4 - Mary K. Williams
You always get me giggling Jeff. So, does Paul. Speaking of Paul, he brings up a good point. Where is Wayne?
Next week is going to be a trip!
5 - Jeff
Thanks, Mary. Indeed, there is a whole raft of missing characters!
6 - Paul
Wayne is in a world of his own. With his pal. Garth. (Oh, come on. Don't tell me none of you have at least thought about that one.)
7 - Mary K. Williams
Honestly, I thought of it today, when you posed the question. I started singing...'Wayne's World, party on...excellent..'
8 - Victor Lana
Wayne is in the vast netherworld where 24 characters go when the writers don't know what else to do.
He joins:
Behrooz
Keeler
Erin
Sarah
Mary Kate
Ashley
and many more, including Richie's brother Chuck on Happy Days
9 - Mary K. Williams
Don't forget crazy Eurotrip Inessa from Hour Seven. Remember her? She shot Rossler? What ever happened to her?
10 - Jeff
Ah yes, forgot about the Russkie girl. That hardly seems like it was this season anymore.
Collette, Evelyn and daughter, the bank manager's wife, Old Doc Besson, the list goes on and on.
And Richie's older brother?! Wow, that's going back.