24 Recap: The Episode that Sounded Like a Hail Mary or Some Other Football Play

I haven’t been shy about my feelings about 24 so far this season—it had been C+ quality going into last night. The article I had read leading up to last night’s episode touted it as one of the best of the season so far. So excuse me for having been a bit skeptical, especially when the episode had an early section devoted to Denny and FP jr. trading accents and ideas about getting rid of bodies. But what resulted was the best episode of 24 so far this year and hopefully one that marks the turnaround of a show that has been languishing below 24 standards so far this season. Was some of it 24’s equivalent of a “Hail Mary”? Sure. But when you need to score as bad as 24 did with a big episode, sometimes you just need to call an audible, throw it deep for once, and see what happens. Are we going to be using a lot of football terms in this recap? In the words of Sarah Palin: you betcha!

What made this episode work was that it took classic 24 and put an interesting twist on it. It’s still not great (let’s put that out there, too), but 24 took a page from the old playbook and worked it to semi-perfection. But, you ask, what about what Bubba said that “it’s not exactly regular protocol to ferry a dead body across the city?” Well it isn’t…but this isn’t the first time that 24 pretended someone was dead to lure others into a trap. Remember in Season 1 when Jack got the cellphone bomb from Dennis Hopper but didn’t know it was a bomb until he went to go visit President [David] Palmer*? What did Jack and the President do after the bomb went off? They faked President Palmer’s death (mostly to save Kim Bauer who had been kidnapped by the Drazens), much to the protestations of Sherry Palmer. So if faking President Palmer’s death was the Wildcat, last night’s Farhad plot was like Wildcat 2.0.

*Side Note: Wayne Palmer’s presidency is again making my life more difficult. Damn you, Season 6! You’re the football equivalent to the 2000 Super Bowl for me as a big Giants fan. Sure it was great because your team was in the Super Bowl, but the results were painful to watch and look even worse in retrospect.

So how did we get a dead Farhad? Well he decided to get out of his great hiding spot and got two bullets to the chest from a fleeing terrorist. As Farhad was dying, Jack was imploring the medic that he needed to keep him alive. To which the medic replied “let me do my job.” If more people had the attitude of the medic, then I think more stuff would get done in 24-world. But alas, not even the medic can do his job to a man who is shot twice in the chest before CTU can upload a file of all the Fake Islamic Country’s operatives inside the United States. Darn.

Well Jack quickly comes up with an audible to save the mission: let’s pretend Farhad isn’t dead, leak to the press that he’s alive and going to X hospital, and lure the terrorists into a trap when they come to shut him up for good. When Jack tells Bubba his idea, Bubba responds that “it sounds like a Hail Mary” to which Jack responds “it’s the only play we got*.” Hut, hut, hike!

*Side Note: Um, isn't this stolen from Snakes on a Plane when Eddie Kim says "You think I didn't exhaust every other option?" about putting snakes on a plane. It's basically the same thing. Or just a great excuse to reference that amazing line from the movie.

“Keep him looking alive the entire way,” said Jack as he calmed down the Rookie (who looks a lot like Brandon Dubinsky of the New York Rangers) that everything would be OK because they had the whole route covered. Well they got to the hospital fine, but trouble was on the way in the form of “Marcos”.
Marcos and the rest of the terrorists meet at a diner, because everyone in New York from terrorists to the cast of Seinfeld seems to meet in diners. All of a sudden Jack’s leaked story about Farhad comes on the TV in the diner courtesy of FOX 5’s Ernie Anastos*. The terrorists realize it’s time to activate their secret weapon, their Rookie, Marcos.

*Side Note: I live in New York. I’ve never met someone in a diner. I doubt it would be a very good hiding spot. Especially if you’re trying to escape the cops who like to frequent diners. But the one thing we do have in New York? Ernie Anastos and his nightly newscast. Nice job by 24 to use a real newscaster from New York even as they make up hospitals, areas of the city, streets, etc. 

Before heading to the hospital, Marcos calls his other-racial mom (how else do you describe it? Marcos and his mom don’t seem to be the same race. I’m just saying) and tells her to get the heck out of dodge. Rookie mistake right there. Two hands on the ball, Marcos! I have a good feeling this mother is going to come into play at some point. What is Marcos’ mission in the hospital? Not just to attack Farhad, but to blow him up via a suicide bombing. They need to make sure they eliminate him this time (maybe he’s infected? I needed my one LOST reference).

But the facial recognition that CTU uses spots Marcos right outside the hospital and he demands the Rookie bring him to Farhad’s room. We got one rookie vs. another. Meanwhile back at CTU, Chloe and company are trying to remotely disarm the bomb*. They need the Rookie’s help to get Marcos under a camera so they can see the make and model of the bomb. So the Rookie calls a timeout to ice the kicker and succeeds. With only Chloe and Arlo The Horndog working on this (since Denny and FP jr are still with the van down by the river), they dramatically get the trigger disarmed right as Marcos is about to blow up the Rookie, Farhad and himself. So Marcos takes out a gun and shoots Farhad a few more times in the chest. Wait, how is his heart still beating? Because you’ve been tricked Marcos (he’s a quick one to realize this) and Farhad has been dead all along. Jack bursts into the room and Marcos jumps out the window. Jack is right after him and chases him right into a hyperbaric chamber where Marcos locks himself in. The last thing he does is call the terrorist cell and tell them that he’s been compromised. Marcos is going to need to blow himself up they tell him. But he’s not able to do it within the hour before the episode ends.

*Side Note: Of course they can do this but they can’t trace The Good Son’s cellphone. Whatever, I’m just glad to see those billions of taxpayer dollars are actually working. Maybe they can now use the satellites they had tracking the area to figure out where Marcos’ car came from? Or is that too much to ask? And I know I’m jumping the gun here (a proverbial “false start”), but while we’re on the technology bend, are you telling me that the Fake Islamic Republic and the United States CTU use the same format for their files that CTU can just upload them without any issues? Not a chance.

That would have been enough for this episode, but there was more. President Taylor is finally trying to earn that Emmy she won last season and has a great scene with Hassan where she tells him that he either gives up a list of all his operatives in the country or his country gets attacked. The lesbian president from 24 (H/T Scrubs) just grew some balls*! This defensive battle ends with a surprising result: Hassan will give up the operatives without much resistance. Of course, the man who is paranoid and trying to protect his country will give up a list of spies in a foreign nation. Good negotiating tactic, Hassan, right in the middle of a major peace deal. You couldn’t add that into the deal for more favorable terms? I’m throwing the flag on you, “President” Hassan.

*Side Note: This doesn’t even deserve its own recap spot, but the other person who grew some balls/a spine? Bubba who finally stood up to Rahm Weiss (I think that’s his new nickname) and told him that he’s not going to scapegoat Freckles. Good for you, Bubba. Let’s hope you don’t take the bullet for that one. 

I put President in quotes because this man is no president; he’s just another contestant in the game “Who Wants To Be An Islamic Dictator.” Why? He just orders the head of his military to give up the list. Absolute authority, eh? Seems like a dictator to me. But Bill Belichick this man isn’t, as he doesn’t even ask for the files back after his brother dies or evacuate the UN when he’s warned of possible biological attack.

Why? Because his daughter is lost in the city, having rendezvoused with her boyfriend at the Theodore Hotel, where they special in asylum for foreigners. Wait, you say, wasn’t her boyfriend in custody? Yeah, but someone helped him out with a handcuff key and a gun. I still am holding out that either he or the President’s daughter is going to turn out to be bad, but maybe not. The only ominous part of this episode was that it was going to take two hours to get asylum. I wonder what could happen in those two hours…I predict a Pick Six at the goal line. And mother dearest is turning around the private jet to fly back to New York. Sherry Palmer II?

In Really. Really. Really. Bad. Sideplot. Denny’s accent has changed back again so now she’s Dana. But FP jr, who “is already involved”, still has his awful and unnecessary accent. And he has a great idea: he’s going to clean things up so it’s like it never happened. That didn’t work out too well for Michael Vick and I don’t think it’s going to turn out so great for these two lovers. Are they even lovers anymore Denny wants to know? I don’t even think FP jr. cares anymore: he just wants to get back to doing something else at this point. They decide to wrap the guys up in sleeping bags and put rocks in their bodies to weigh them down. Denny sheds a single tear as she holds the Ex’s body under. I also shed a single tear that I had to deal with this plot for another episode. Of course no one is wearing gloves so there is no doubt that they’ll be fingerprints. Hopefully that means they’ll arrest Denny soon. Of course these two selfish assholes don't really seem to care that they've seriously compromised everyone now by not helping out at CTU. Let's hope they just fire them when they get back to CTU. But since the only fireable offense at CTU seems to be treason--and this is just short of that--I think they'll still have jobs next hour.

What else? President Taylor and her team discussing the dirty bomb plot in New York is hitting way too close to home. Do you know who was Taylor’s chief military strategist? We found out via Cisco that it’s none other than Grandpa Gene from Mad Men. It was a great meeting actually because we got Rahm Weiss saying “so we can monitor the Situation.” Another man who likes the Jersey Shore. And Jack meant what he said earlier to Freckles about being there for her—and he’s sending her to his apartment. Do I sense some boom-boom later? Giggity.

For the first time in a long time I enjoyed an episode and I’m excited for the next one. 24 fumbled earlier this season but recovered by falling in the ball right here. Let’s hope they can continue to move this season as they head for the end-zone.

Season grade so far: B. One episode doesn’t make up for an entire season, but if it was all setting up a great end, I’m OK with it. 24 has had better seasons fall apart by the end so if they’re holding all their big plays for the end, I can deal. Really, the grade overall is B/B-, but I’ll go optimistic. 24 works when you hold your breath until you hear the “tick, tick, tick” signaling the commercial breaks, and I felt that’s what happened this episode. But maybe I’m just a sucker for nostalgia.

Best line of the week: “It sounds like a Hail Mary” - Bubba. “It’s the only play we got” - Jack. Amazing line. let me use tons of football references and to quote Snakes on a Plane. A+ dialog right there.

Best moment of the week: Marcos vs. the Rookie. This was real drama. You felt that the Rookie was doomed to die because Jack promised him he'd be OK. Kept everyone in the room watching with me waiting with baited breath until he jumped out the window.

Ari's body count: 36 total. Just Farhad and the Ex this episode which is fine with me because both of them were annoying the heck out of me. The only thing missing from this episode was Jack killing someone.

Thoughts? Comments? Feel differently about this season? Liked this episode?

Picture from TVOvermind