One of the things the writers of 24 get right more often than not are the tertiary characters in subplots that affect the main storyline. Last night we had just such a case in the strange but wonderful Hauser brothers, Mark and Brady. With inevitable yet sweetly subtle references to the film Rain Man starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, Mark is the selfish brother and Brady is the idiot savant whose brilliance is masked by autism. Mark obviously loves Brady, but he has struck a deal with the devil, in this case Gredenko (Mr. Dirty) that involves having Brady hack into Mark’s company computer to get the specs to some power company.
How Jack Bauer comes to meet Brady and subsequently use him as a go-between with Gredenko is handled quickly and sensitively. Jack immediately recognizes the obvious ramifications of using a handicapped person in such a situation, but since Jack has already shot brother Mark there are no other options. Jack is conflicted and yet he deals with Brady in such a compassionate way, showing (as has been the case all season long) the true depth of Jack’s humanity as well as the ever-expanding range of his emotions. In fitting the description of Aristotle’s classic tragic hero, Jack Bauer has the inherent goodness that makes the viewer identify with him and support his actions, even when they are sometimes questionable.
Another new character named Johnson comes onto the scene in a flurry. Having connections to Mike Doyle from their days in Denver (as does Milo), there is something like bad blood between them. That Denver office must be a happening place. Nevertheless, Johnson uncovers some sort of rerouting chip that enabled the terrorists to tap into Nadia’s computer at CTU and monitor the goings on. Johnson brings this to Doyle’s attention, saying that Nadia is obviously not the mole. Doyle takes the chip and pockets it, so now we suspect that he will be a bad guy after all.
Across the country at the White House, VP Noah (Jim Jones) Daniels is chomping at the bit to attack the unnamed Middle Eastern country in a “tactical nuclear strike” as payback for the events earlier in the day. Tom (Twitchy) Lennox is now the only dissenting voice, but he is stammering worse than Ralph Kramden trying to explain himself to Alice when asked if he has problems with the plan.
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Article comments
1 - Mary K. Williams
Good job V! Nice Rain Man comparison. Yes, it's funny how Logan was just forgotten about. Maybe he can be brought in and out of a coma for a while. What fun!
2 - Victor Lana
Thanks, MK. I'm not sure about this Logan thing. He was there so briefly and it may be something that comes back toward the last episodes, where on his death bed he does something to help Jack and thus is somewhat redeemed. Who knows?
By the way, is Martha just getting away with it? Hmmm.