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| Day 5: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM | |||
| Original Airdate: March 12, 2006 | |||
| Writers: Michael Loceff, Joel Surnow | |||
| Director: Brad Turner | |||
| Following the mass murder of 55 CTU employees, most notably Edgar, the second half of season five was poised to be some of 24's darkest material.� Considering the magnitude of the situation, the episode's action centers heavily on CTU's desperate attempt to save themselves.� The principle survivors are trapped in small rooms while Curtis and the CTU team are too far away to help them.� Avoiding "holding breath" metaphors, this is a tense situation, but there are elements that lower its enjoyment. | |||
| So a corrosive agent in the nerve gas is eating through the barriers protecting the safe zones, OK.� However, wouldn't that affect everything else in the building?� Couldn't it erode the second floor and its supports, which could be a dangerous complication later?� In addition, it could affect their computers.� It's meant to create suspense now, but wouldn't it also affect the rest of the season?� They could've had as much suspense over decreasing oxygen supply and not have to worry about plot holes in the future. | |||
| It was clear that Lynne would have to sacrifice himself to save those in the other containment areas.� However, they didn't explain how the holding room couldn't be cleansed like the safe room Jack went into.� Also, wouldn't it make sense for the guard to go with Lynn in case he accidentally took a breath?� With such a sensitive mission and the guarantee that both men would die anyway, the rest of CTU could've used the insurance. | |||
| The red shirt (a very apt term nowadays) has every right to be furious at Lynn.� It is Lynn's fault that they're in this situation and in the end, he has to die too so Lynn can fix his mistake.� I was expecting that the guard would snap and kill Lynne, complicating the situation.� Instead, Lynn gets to redeem himself, and pay dearly for his mistake.� Unlike Edgar's demise, these deaths are far more unsettling, as they unflinchingly focus on the victims convulsing on the floor. | |||
| Bierko's next strike, using the remaining 17 canisters at once, seems to be the writers' attempt to resolve this crisis quickly.� They don't want to fall in a repetitive rut as they were last season, where most of the action consisted of chasing, but narrowly missing Marwan.� Bierko will want to act fast, because the later it gets, the less likely he'll strike a crowded area.� Ironically, Gardner's obsession with Marshal law won't affect this plan, as they won't be organized by the time Bierko's men will be in position. | |||
| Speaking of the loser president, he is playing right into whatever plans Gardner has, despite their history of him pinning the problems on Logan.� Of course, throwing LA in martial law is a prime plot device to create even more chaos for our heroes to navigate through.� Regardless of how much we hate Logan, he does have a good point about how much they've been through.� This season has been some of the most frenetic 24 ever, and there are still 11 episodes to go this season. | |||
| Since Henderson is on the run or comatose for most of the episode, we're now given another thread for CTU to pursue, as Bierko contacts Collette, who must be Mandy V 4.0 by now (certainly not a bad substitute).� This scene also answers the important question of where Desmond from Lost went after bolting from the hatch.� Luckily he's (now called Theo) able to release some stress with Collette.� Considering Collette won't divulge what she was doing, Theo is poised to be another guy who fell for the femme fatale. | |||
| The new Homeland Security team is going to be nothing but trouble.� It's no coincidence that Logan and VP Gardner signed off on this.� Hayes and her favorite crony are going to be stubborn like every other boss or higher ranking official Jack and CTU have had to deal with.� Inevitably, it will cause Jack and CTU to work covertly on the only relevant leads.� Hayes will find out and butt heads with those involved, only to find out that she is wrong. | |||
| Kim certainly has good reason not to want to be around her father.� No sooner is she at CTU then the bodies start piling up.� Considering how depressed she has been since Chase left her, being with her father can be too much to bear.� Deaths come with the territory.� Although she knows Jack loves her, she can't be a part of this violent life.� The subject of detachment has been one frequently used on 24, and it is Jack's tragic flaw for his personal relationships. | |||
| Now we come to the low point of the episode, and perhaps of the series to date: Henderson's Michael Myers-esque resurrection and Tony's death.� Like last season's "7:00 PM - 8:00 PM", a character who should be beyond incapacitated suddenly springs to life to kill one of the heroes (although Paul didn't succumb until later).� This is far too slasher flick for me; Tony deserved a better demise than that one.� Even if he had died in the car bomb as originally planned, I would've been happy with that outcome because it was a good way to end the characters before they overstayed their use. | |||
| It's ridiculous that Tony, after cold cocking Burke, wouldn't shoot Henderson with the gun in his hand.� Instead, he finds a syringe and loads it with a mystery poison, which is eventually used against him.� This is too contrived.� Perhaps this was meant as security for the writers who weren't sure whether they wanted to kill Tony and a mystery injection was easier to write around than a gunshot wound. | |||
| Since Tony is dead, his survival of the car bomb in the premiere is rendered pointless.� Why did he need to survive if his role this season was to be comatose for the first eleven hours, wake up, find out about Michelle, get depressed, and die?� The more I think about it, the more I wish Tony had a better send off.� Tony is one of the few people Jack could consider a friend.� He has been in every season and is behind only Jack for appearances, and he doesn't even get a silent tick when he died.� Granted, the same problem existed in the first act of the season, but these were different situations.� Although it was used in the last episode, they could use it again because it was appropriate. | |||
| If there was anything Tony's death did, it was refresh the rage Bauer felt at the beginning of the day when Palmer and Michelle died.� It certainly compounds with Kim deciding not to be a part of her father's life anymore.� Jack has lost more this season than he has before, besides when Teri was killed.� However, couldn't Tony have done something that would make his initial survival worthwhile before dying?� Even a silent clock would've improved it.� I'm unhappy with the way Tony died, but what it could set up could make me a little more forgiving of this. �The episode is good, but there are some poor writing decisions.� Had the final minute been redone to fit a major character, this episode would've been a lot better. | |||
| Overall Score: 7/10 | |||
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