TV Review: 24 - Hour 16: Holy Jack!

At the risk of appearing sacrilegious, it’s the Lenten season, and I’m going to draw the obvious parallel between Jack Bauer and Jesus Christ. Ok, the man cannot turn water into wine, nor feed many with a few loaves and fishes – but the things he can do with a PDA – someone better call the Vatican! And this week, Jack rises from the dead once again. Okay, he wasn’t dead to begin with – but he made us worry, damn it! Bill was worried, Audrey, Chloe, Curtis was almost biting his nails – no, he wasn’t really, but what an image, hmm? But as he was squinting through the smoke and haze of ashes, what did he see? (Cue music) Like a scene out of Backdraft, Jack emerges alive and heroically carrying his enemy, Snakehead.

As Curtis runs to his aid, Jack barks out, ‘Gimme a hand!” It actually sounded more like…”Grmaaahh!” I suppose a lungful of smoke, mixed with bits of C-4, Sentox, and natural gas might make me sound a bit off, too. They lay Snakehead down and start yelling at him to wake up. He stubbornly remains unconscious. A medic-type person gives a brief, somewhat dire diagnosis and Jack responds that he needs to be taken to the CTU medical facilities, where he will not be heard from again for the rest of the episode. So there.

Jack calls CTU and asks about Robocop and is told that he’s still an “active protocol”. Um, does that mean he’s still on the loose? At large? Not f*&king caught? Then Jack does something so unthinkable, so bizarre, I had to keep rewinding to make sure I heard it right. In his conservation with Bill, they ponder who is behind the events of the day, who is the master puppeteer – and Jack confesses: “I’m scared.” Uh huh. Yeah, he said that. No lie! But, when you think about it, didn’t Jesus confess to a little confusion? Some apprehension that last night in the Garden? So, I suppose we can allow Jack to cop to ‘being scared’.

Back at CTU, while most rejoice that Jack is fine and the canisters are rendered useless, Karen and Miles start plotting and planning their next move.

Karen: “Damn, CTU looks good; we have to render them useless. But how?”
Miles: (Rubbing hands together and whispering à la Montgomery Burns) “Oh, we can use Audrey Raines for our evil purposes. Excellent!”

Before you know it, a cadre of suits arrives at CTU. Though they are walking just like regular folks, you imagine an execution style drumbeat, a cadence of grim certainty. Of course, Chloe starts a bit of a freak-out and the rest of the staff murmur their concerns. And Karen Hayes addresses the confused masses from on high.

Article Author: Mary K. Williams

Mary K. is a freelance entertainment writer living in the Greater Boston area. She has written CD reviews for Metronome Magazine and is a former Features Editor for Hot Psychology Magazine. Mary K. has also contributed to the anthology, Brewed …

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