TV Review: 24 - Hour 21: Smoking Guns

Soon after last night’s episode started, I was reminded of that great disaster parody, Airplane. Was it the perspiration all over Evan’s (our traitorous co-pilot) face? Was it the pitching and rolling of the plane? The dangling of air masks? No.

Just a few minutes into hour 21, Logan is on his cell again with evil Dr. Romano (Graham). Romano tells him that he can cause a VCI distress code to appear to transmit from the airplane. Logan asks, “What’s a VCI distress code?” Romano explains that with government protocol (had to use ‘protocol’ at least once) being what it is, when an airplane transmits this kind of code, the military can legally shoot the plane down. Nice trying to wrap your mind around that one, eh? Anyway, Graham coaches Prez into how to act hesitant and so forth.

In one of the many silly scenes from Airplane, Leslie Neilson’s doctor character visits the cockpit and reminds the substitute flight crew that ‘everyone is counting on them.’ It’s not all that hilarious, except for the fact that that it’s a déjà vu moment – the doctor just did that about 5 minutes ago, with that same half sincere, half blank expression.

Before you know it, Mike Novick pops into see the Prez:

“Hey, that plane that Jack Bauer is on, is now transmitting a VCI distress code.”

Prez: (half sincere, half spineless expression) “What’s a VCI distress code?”

Déjà freakin’ vu.

So Mike explains. Prez fakes concern and then hesitancy. They patch through an Admiral Kirland from Mugu Command Center (or, as I like to say “Captain Kirk from Mr. Magoo”). Kirk explains that they can shoot the plane down, to keep the hijacker (Jack) from turning it into a 9/11 type missile. All they need is the Prez’s permission. A confirmation from Starfleet Command would be nice too, but mainly they need Logan’s OK. Mike listens to the briefing, and as the F-18 approaches Jack’s plane, he advises, nay, implores Logan to not shoot the plane down. “C’mon, we know Jack is the renegade agent with a heart of gold – he wouldn’t do anything like this!”

Prez is having none of it, such a man of conviction. Yeah right! If this were about seven hours ago, he would have been second guessing all over the place!

Anyway, when Jack and Evans realize they are F-18 fodder, Jack commands Evans to begin descent. Through the magic of CTU, they find a bit of freeway that just might serve as a landing strip. Of course, since the plane is traveling like, super fast, descent at this stage is dicey. Evans makes this observation; Jack just keeps the gun pointed at his head. The plane lurches, passengers scream, oxygen masks pop down – and soon Scotty reports up from engineering, “She can’t take much more Cap’n, she’s a gonna shit-the-bed in three minutes.” Jack’s response is to shoot out the intercom.

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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