As the excitement and conflict continue to escalate on 24 this week, we can see a brilliant use of drama and action to facilitate the move up the ladder toward an inevitably bloody Shakespearean kind of climax and resolution. This season more than ever has revolved around the head of state and, just as Old Will focused his tragedies on kings and queens whose flaws were their undoing, we see President Lowguns and Lady McDeath moving along a similar path. Now, since their underlings either know the truth or are starting to surmise that there is indeed something rotten in the state of things, we can look for a stage no doubt littered with corpses before the final act is over.
Last night’s episode revolved around “the tape” that would incriminate old Lowguns, who has suddenly grown a temporary spine this week. Evelyn has the tape hidden in a safety deposit box, thus Jack and Wayne Palmer decide to kidnap the bank president (how Evelyn knows his home address is a mystery) in order to infiltrate the bank, enter the vault, and recover the tape. As soon as Jack and Wayne kidnap the Bank Dick, we know for sure he is toast (this is a consistent formula in the world of 24: any minor character who helps Jack is almost certain to end up dead).
Back at the funny farm, Lowguns talks to Robo Henderson on the phone, and by now it is obvious that the President has known about everything that has happened this day and is behind most of it. Robo Henderson has been driving for the last two episodes without ever being stopped despite a curfew; damn, either his car has the Klingon’s Cloak of Invisibility contraption or he is just a very fast driver. Despite his being behind the wheel, Robo has managed to assemble a team to hunt for Jack and gets his opportunity when Evelyn’s daughter calls 911 because her mother has collapsed in a hotel room.
Over at CTU things are not going so well. Miles, the Touchy Feely guy, and his boss Karen Cruella Mean-to Bill are not happy with the Homeland Security takeover of the agency. Cruella starts doubting whether they are right to be doing this so quickly and inefficiently, but Touchy Feely is certain they are on the right track because he has lots of women he can harass in the office, most especially Chloe and, hey, the Twitchy Girl is somehow back (didn’t all of CTU get fired and sent home like Bill?). Cruella also indicates that Jerko Bierko is in the house and soon to be interrogated (probably by Burke who has the shakes because he needs his fix of hurting someone real bad). Of course, this also means that Jerko will somehow escape a la Robo and lots of other bad guys in the past who always manage to punch their way through CTU’s paper bag security.
Article comments
1 - S.Rod
I love these 24 recaps...
- Evelyn only gave Jack the name of the bank. Wayne was the one who came back with the manager’s name and address. I guess the motel lobby has internet access or a very detailed phonebook.
- As for Henderson driving around w/o getting stopped...I had the same questions...but I thought I saw something on his windshield that could have said "authorization" looked like a piece of paper...did anyone else see it?
2 - Victor Lana
S. Rod, these little inconsistencies make watching 24 such an intense experience. For more of those, check out Jeff's piece on this episode posted today.
3 - Jeff
Love the Shakespeare angle. Tragedy usually ends with the hero dying by the consequencs of his own mistakes for failures. So, is Logan going to die a choking nerve gas death? Maybe Henderson has one saved away.
4 - Jeff
(that should be "or failures")
5 - Mary K. Williams
Yes, there is a special place for Behrooz, Diane and Derek - too many to mention here -
And speaking of Shakespeare - when I tuned in (late) I saw hands washing blood away. For a moment I thought for sure it was Martha -
Funny eh?
6 - Victor Lana
Thanks for all the comments. Yes, Mary K., that was a literal scene, but I believe that Martha is going to have her moment, like the legendary scene in Macbeth when Lady Macbeth imagines the blood of their victims on her hands. It is an amazing Shakespearian moment and certainly it is moving in that direction on the show.
Oh, by the way, three more years of Kiefer & 24 were announced yesterday.
7 - Mary K. Williams
Yes, I gotta go read EO's thingie on that. Very cool!
8 - Joanie
Congrats! This article has been placed on Advance.net
9 - Victor Lana
Thanks, Joanie, I appreciate this kind of recognition.