24 Recap: Every Time You Jack It, Another Russian Operative Dies

It’s all come down to this. After a season of Russian mafia, CTU moles, peace agreements, Islamic extremists, a foreign dignitary’s assassination, and a massive cover-up plot, we finally have our end-game: Jack Bauer vs. Charles Logan and the Russian government. In some ways, this all makes sense; the last time we had a great 24 season, we had Charles Logan and the Russians. Three seasons—and a “Redemption” trip to Africa—later, we’re back. We’ve even brought our old friend torture back after trying to be PC for a season and questioning the legality/morality of it. And oh boy have we all missed it. So what happened in this last action-packed hour? Let’s recap, shall we?

Two Things That Don’t Mix? Jack and Cole-a

We open up on Denny’s cold, dead body. Boy they found her quickly. How did Jack get out in that 10 second interval? Invisibility? Go-Go-Gadget Copter? Killed a few guys on his way out? Anywho…FP jr is brought up to ID Denny. The head officer on the scene asks FP jr who she is. Whoa…loaded question, dude. She’s Dana. She’s Jenny. She’s an IRK operative. She’s a Russian Operative. And she teamed up with you to make the worst-acted couple in the history of 24. We’ll go with Dana this time, though, it seems. The officer escorting FP jr says it was like an execution. It actually was exactly that. FP jr does not look happy—he wanted to kill her himself.

Jack is taking a taxi (Times Square Taxi?) and watching the video on the SD drive of Denny and Freckles’ shooter, the fEMT. They are arguing because she wasn’t supposed to contact him and she definitely shouldn’t be asking to speak to other people involved. She said she wants to be with FP jr. Don’t know if it’s genuine. Jack seems to care about as much as I care when the next Dane Cook movie is being released. Jack sends the video to his weapons buddy for an ID on the guy. “The girl?” his weapons buddy asks. “She’s dead,” Jack says.

Back at CTU everyone is being briefed by the Executive Assistant on what’s going on and the fact that FP jr is coming in. Chloe tries to convince everyone that Denny was going to the bank for the evidence. The Executive Assistant wants everyone to concentrate on Jack. After the meeting breaks up, Chloe consults Arlo the Horndog about Executive Assistants’ shadiness and “answering questions no one is asking”. Since no one really asks pertinent questions on this show, this would not normally be a bad trait for someone who works inside CTU. But Arlo says he’s going to do his job. I think he’s after the Executive Assistant’s assistant, the hot female consultant (only in the private sector!).

Jack goes to see his weapons friend and wants an ID. But weapons friend isn’t working for Jack until he gets a straight answer. Jack hems and haws and then finally explains the situation, how Freckles got gunned down, and how he needs to make the people pay. That’s good enough for weapons friend. He gives Jack an ID. Jack says he needs a secure line…to call Meredith Reed (also known as JH’s GF), the reporter who was sleeping with Omar Hassan at the beginning of the season and was framed for plotting to assassinate him. I think we all just forgot about her. She’s shaken up by Hassan’s death but working. She agrees to meet Jack to find out who is really responsible.

The Executive Assistant (forever known as EA) tries to interview FP jr (in the most ridiculous interview room ever created) but FP jr isn’t buying what EA is selling. When he finds out EA works for the President, FP jr says “oh, you’re part of the cover-up.” EA tries to convince FP jr that they were both soldiers and that they’re not that different. EA says that Jack used FP jr to suit his needs. “You really don’t want to be playing with me,” EA warns. With “one last chance” to save his career, FP jr says nothing to EA as he leaves the room. We have a lead. Arlo found something that matches special keywords. But as soon as he tells EA and his smoking assistant, he’s being pulled off the case. Chloe gives Arlo an awkward look (I feel like I should have had that as a macro for this show).

Jack’ing It Could be Hazardous To Your Health

EA, Logan, the Russian delegate (Mikhael) and the hot consultant are talking together via speakerphone (good thing no one records these phone calls). EA tells Logan and Mikhael that he knows exactly where Bauer is going to be and they are going to trap him. Logan is running this operation and is very happy about the development. Logan asks Mikhael for the number of fEMT so he can track the progress of the operation. Mikhael gives him an awkward look (future romance between him and Chloe?). Speaking of Chloe, her and Arlo talk about EA’s cover-up. She needs Arlo who doesn’t seem convinced. She pleads some more. He sighs but agrees. But how are they going to make this operation work? Well, Sprint has a mobile hotspot which really came in handy for those two*. Chloe is going in to talk to FP jr. He tells Chloe that Jack is going after anyone involved. Chloe says that she needs his help. FP jr says that everyone wants him on their side. “Who are we fighting for?” he asks. Good question. But ultimately he falls to Chloe’s side. He gives Chloe a little help about some supplier and Chloe decides to run with it.

Side Note: Amazing how well that worked. Could that have been product placement? Could they not have done a Cisco WebEx Meeting? Maybe driven a Ford F150 right through the building? Computer Associates? Apple? Dell? In 2002 and 2003 24 did shows entirely "ad free" (read: commercial free) when Ford sponsored it and Jack drove around a Ford Expedition all episode. Let's hope that the next three hours are more like that.

FOX News reports President Subarov is coming (methinks that will be important at some point). Logan and the fEMT talk on the phone as the fEMT sets up his sharpshooter equipment in a vent of the store/mall (where exactly is that?). The fEMT wants to know about what to do with Meredith Reed. Logan says that she’s aiding and abetting. She needs to be stopped for the health of both countries.

Speaking of healthy country relationships, President Taylor and Dalia Hassan talk about the peace agreement (we’re still on that topic?). Taylor gets a note passed to her. She leaves to speak to Logan. He tells her they know where Jack is going. Oh, and there’s one other thing. Logan makes his play for a public announcement about his place in the process. Maybe Taylor’s press secretary or Taylor herself could announce it soon. Taylor says that her press secretary will make the announcement. He gives a knowing nod. Slimy doesn’t even begin to describe him.

We’re in the mall/store that Jack and Meredith Reed are supposed to meet at. They’re all tracking Jack but can’t find him. Reed is in and they see her. The fEMT’s snipe sightline is aimed at her but Jack is the target. Where is Jack? Finally, they find him hiding behind a Russian operative. Jack is in the sight of the fEMT who is about to pull the trigger when…there’s a gun to the head of the fEMT…from Jack’s weapons friend! Oh, weapons friends! When EA realizes there is something wrong he sends in the Russian Operatives. Jack is ready and takes them all out and escapes with Reed and the fEMT. It was a trap! People who work in CTU/the government need to realize Jack is smarter than all of them. Failure to do so is becoming hazardous to their health.

Logan is picking out his tie* when EA calls and tells him that, well, they didn’t really get Jack (they got Jack’ed!). EA says that Logan needs to distance himself and deny. Logan doesn’t want to do it with the announcement coming on at the end of the next hour of his place in the peace process. EA keeps on saying that fEMT knows too much and Logan said that he’s (corrected to “we’ve”) worked too hard to give it all up now. Logan says this is his shot to get back into the game and praises EA telling him that he has all the resources at CTU at his disposal to clean up this mess. EA is moving out to clean up the store/mall. He puts the hot consultant in charge saying if anyone gives her a hard time to “invoke the White House”. At this point that carries about as much weight as Lawrence Taylor telling us the girl told him she was 19. Chloe and Arlo are watching the mall feed. They see Jack in there and Chloe says “they’re trying to kill him”. Arlo says “that didn’t work out so well”. Oh Arlo.

*Side Note: Logan has gone from a bumbling Vice President in Season 4 to a mastermind villain in Season 5 to a broken man in Season 6 to an awesome slimeball of a villain in Season 8. Recurring characters on this show sometimes get caught in an acting trap where their characters are static and not really developed. Logan has done an awesome job making sure he didn’t fall into that trap.


Torture Is Back

And that title does not refer to PF jr’s accents returning. Jack, fEMT, weapons friend and Meredith Reed are on the move but find a nice secluded place to stop. Reed doesn’t want Jack to do anything to fEMT. Jack gives Reed the memory card and tells her this is the proof she needs to be OK with it. Reed wants to go to the authorities. Jack wants to find out who else is involved. So he takes fEMT and ties him to a wall. “Go to hell,” yells fEMT. “You first,” Jack retorts.

Jack knows that fEMT shot Freckles so she would suffer. fEMT admits to killing “his bitch”. Jack goes bonkers on fEMT. Bloody pulp doesn’t even begin to describe him. EA is heading up the search for Jack saying that he couldn’t have gone far. Jack is still torturing. This time he decides to take piece by piece off of fEMT. When that doesn’t work he squirts him with a liquid in his open wound (alcohol?). Still not working. Jack brings out the blowtorch.

Jack says that fEMT didn’t need to disturb Jack and Freckles’ happiness. Freckles didn’t mean anything to them. “Why couldn’t you just leave us alone?” Jack asks. When fEMT passes out Jack realizes that this is not working. Jack finds fEMT and deduces that since his SIM card is not in the phone, fEMT swallowed the SIM card. So, not wasting any time anymore, Jack cuts out fEMT’s stomach. There’s the SIM card. Amazingly, it is still working under all that blood, guts, and stomach acid. I spill a drop on my cell phone and the thing is dead in seconds but this SIM card is pretty indestructible. Jack puts in the SIM card and calls the last number. It goes straight to voicemail: “This is the mobile phone of President Charles Logan…” Jack is PISSED.

Conclusion

We have our end game. Jack vs. Logan and whoever gets in his way will become a casualty. I don't think Jack cares if that person is FP jr, President Taylor, Chloe, or anyone else. Jack is out for blood and he's making no qualms about it. The episode was a bit gory but it brought us back to the former Jack who would do almost anything to get what he wanted. In Season One there was one of my favorite scenes where he hijacks a limo and threatens this guy that he's going to roll up a towel and drop it down the guy's throat as part of his torture. Back then no one knew what Jack Bauer could do but even this threat caused the guy to have a heart attack. Now that we know he's super serious, it's tough to watch. This was harsh, yet it felt necessary. It still didn't prevent everyone in the room from becoming quite squeamish. But that's when, I feel, 24 is at it's best--when it pushes your stomach a little. And I have a feeling that the final three hours of this show will do just that.

Season grade so far: A- Ari said to me that he felt it was the best episode in 4 years, but I'm not sure I can quite agree. Really good, but it's still missing something. I think that something will come to fruition very soon as anyone who saw the previews knows that we have a rematch of Jack vs. Logan. The last time that Jack had Logan to himself was Season 5 and that time, it was just to plant a listening device on him. This time, I don't think he'll be so kind. I can't wait. Logan deserves real justice and Jack will deliver it with authority.

Best line of the week: “This is the mobile phone of President Charles Logan…” The message was perfect. The look in Jack's eyes was perfect. It was exactly what you needed to hear to put this season on a silver platter for Jack (who despises Logan). Awesome.

Best moment of the week: Jack cutting the SIM card out of fEMT. 24's best scenes are ones where you go "no, Jack's not going to do that" and then he goes ahead and does just what you thought he wouldn't do. Most of the time, Jack takes some time to think about it so it gives the audience some time. This one, no one had time to digest. Obviously, neither did the SIM card.

Ari's body count: 97.  4 Russian operatives in the mall/store (they really were not good operatives) and then the fEMT. We're almost to the century mark!

Thoughts? Did you hate or love the torture scene? Are you scared of Bauer? Ready for the last two Mondays of 24, ever? Sad to see Jack go? Ready for him to bring Logan to his own form of justice. Leave your comments below and let us know!

All pictures from FOX.com