(S07E05) "If you trust me, I will get you through this alive." - Jack
Over the span of any given season of 24, it's inevitable that as different plots emerge, the "real time" aspect of the show forces them to jockey for the top spot. One week, Plot-X might be the most exciting part of the hour and the next week, Plot-Y is.
With all that being said, this season of 24 is shattering that expectation. For six seasons that's been the norm, but not so for Day 7. All three major threads (Jack and Tony, Sangala, Roger Taylor) have been thrilling since the clock first started ticking and this episode was a prime example.
We last left Jack, Tony, Emerson, and Token Fourth Man in Terrorist Group as they attempted to kidnap Sangala's former P.M. Matobo from his Washington D.C. consulate. With Matobo and his wife caged inside a concrete reinforced panic room, it didn't look as though they were going to succeed - until Jack pulled out his best MacGyver move and made some ammonia gas from what appeared to be Clorox, Mr. Clean, and a spray bottle of Scrubbing Bubbles. They pumped the gas into the panic room's air ducts, and before long, Matobo and his wife emerged.By then, Renee (on her coerced tip from Tanner) had made it to Matobo's home just in time to be captured. After Emerson's boss Nichols verified with his FBI mole that Renee only knew about the Matobo job, they agreed to kill her. Naturally, Jack got stuck with the task. The whole situation reminded me about two previous incidents: when Jack "killed" Nina in season one, but actually gave her that flak jacket first, and when Jack really killed Chapelle in season three. He gave Walker a heads up, just grazed her with the bullet, and she played dead perfectly ... right up until Jack and Tony had to bury her. If anything, that plastic tarp Jack threw on her first will make it easier when she has to dig herself out.
After all that, how could this hour have been even more exciting? Three words - Agent Brian Gedge. I knew there was something off about him, but I really didn't think he was part of the conspiracy. Of course, the obvious question would be to ask who he reports to. However, as of right now, it seems like he's calling most of the shots. He admitted to killing Roger, and now he's going to kill Samantha and Henry. Or at least try. I'm guessing his plan to frame them both in some sort of double murder/suicide mess isn't going to work out. I assume that will lead Gedge into a meeting with his boss. I said from the beginning that I though Ethan was too obvious, but he could still be who Gedge is reporting to. It would certainly fit.
A few more thoughts on hour five:
- What exactly is the point of revealing that Sean is having an affair with Erica? How else are we to interpret, "I can't stop thinking about last night?" Feels like a lot of filler right now. Unless...
- ... who does everyone think is Nichols' (Emerson's boss) FBI mole? It has to be someone we've met already. My guess? Erica. That would be the only value to revealing the affair with Sean. It'll make her unveiling more dramatic.
- The attorney general is on top of his shit! Renee tortures Tanner and 15 minutes later, there are two reps from the AG's office, with an opened case docket, ready to interrogate her about her methods. Even in the world of 24, that came together way too fast.
- So what does everyone think about Moss? Did he date Renee? Are they dating now? Or is his worry just the result of a serious cubicle crush?
One final point: the clock was silent, save for Renee breathing. But the "no ticking?" That's usually reserved for an episode when someone major dies. But no one died ... yet. Three possibilities though - Samantha, Henry, or Renee. I don't see Renee kicking it or Henry either. Samantha? Well, we got the info she had. Not really seeing any more value to her character. Then again, all three of them might live. The whole silent clock is very confusing to me. Was it merely to add ambiguity to Renee being buried alive?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1-20-2009 @ 7:05AM
Nomorecrap said...
I am having a hard time trying to figure out why Jack and Tony couldn't kill the 4th token terrorist and then arrest Emerson and then torture the heck out of him to find out what they need to know. It's like in every season of 24, there is always a chase for information or device. Very formulaic.
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1-20-2009 @ 10:20AM
Eludium-Q36 said...
Yeh, with "24" you have to guard against over-thinking these things. Similar caution against people trying to guess who's behind Roger's death and who the FBI mole is. My plot problem of the night though was when Renee was being buried alive let Tony see that she was alive. That should've earned her a fatal bullet for sure and possibly done Jack in as well. But now she knows that Tony is in alliance with Jack in whatever covert thing they're doing so that might end up saving Tony at some point, but still, she had no reason to think that before. See, this is what over-thinking "24" gets you!
1-20-2009 @ 7:06AM
MERVE-THE-PERVE said...
I'm gonna go with Moss as the mole. Renee told him what she knew on the phone so nobody else should know that she didn't know anything else besides the kidnapping plot. He just seems fishy to me.
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1-20-2009 @ 11:36AM
D-Bo said...
I am thinking the same thing, and that the personal relationship he has with Renee makes him all the more conflicted about his activities.
1-20-2009 @ 7:06AM
Val said...
Anyone else think Emerson should be a little more ruthless? He should have killed Matobo's body guard with them watching and attempted to kill Renee (y'know like squeeze a round off then just at the last second Jack pulls down his arm making the bullet narrowly miss Renee) This guy isn't cold blooded enough.. I want to hate him.. You can tell a good villain when you're yelling "You Bastard!" at the set.
"So what does everyone think about Moss? Did he date Renee? Are they dating now? Or is his worry just the result of a serious cubicle crush?"
Bet you Dollars they are Married.. cant wear the ring on the job because the baddies will take advantage..
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1-20-2009 @ 7:07AM
Diego M said...
oh i liked this episode, great accuracy by jack missed her arteries just knicked her enough to be believable.
all the storylines were movin forward. the affair thing kinda peeved me but i figured there will be some blackmail or some death threats on sean soon.
the Attourney general thing was a lil too fast i figured they show up around the end of the hour but damn they took 15 minutes to send lawyers.
as far as jack and tony, well they can't just torture military hardened dudes and expect a clean answer, u torture him and they send you to a wrong place and then dubaku is tipped that something is wrong and all shit breaks loose. u gotta play them. although they always gotta do some undercover work in every season... that is formulaic but damn does jack makes it entertaining.
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1-20-2009 @ 7:07AM
Brian said...
I'm actually a bit surprised they went with the overused "Jack needs to kill a good guy" storyline when they had the more obvious and practical setup waiting in the wing - have the FBI mole reveal Moss' relationship with Walker and therefore expose that the FBI head has a huge weakness; great method of establishing leverage.
Plus, it was kind of obvious she wasn't going to die. She's too pretty, plus they've pretty much been developing her as the female counterpart to Bauer (that conversation she had in the car - I'll deal with the consequences later - in addition to the torture is textbook Jack).
And, about what someone said, what's stopping Jack and Tony from killing Emerson and the Adam Levine lookalike and reporting directly to Emerson's boss? They could explain away the kill by blaming an FBI agent, and it would enable them to have more control of the situation and not have to get into dilemmas like they did at the end of the episode.
Don't like the Roger storyline at all, mainly cause Carly Pope and the Colm Feore are absolutely horrible in their roles.
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1-20-2009 @ 10:20AM
Picviewer said...
They can't kill him since he's immortal.
1-20-2009 @ 3:29PM
Nomorecrap said...
Your line of thinking is even better than mine. Jack and Tony could killed Emerson and the token terrorist and just take over the situation.
1-20-2009 @ 10:20AM
Mack Swift said...
I think Moss is the mole. Whether he is because he wants to or whether he is being forced is another question. But his behavior of sending Walker, and anyone else into what's going on seems like he's taking it too close to the chest.
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1-20-2009 @ 10:20AM
Derek said...
Am I the only one that noticed that the clock WASN'T silent at the end of the episode? If you DVR'ed the episode, go watch the last moments and turn the TV up. You can hear Renee breathing, which means that either she's not dead, and will come back later on, or they are dragging her death out and then its really creepy! That was my favorite part of the episode, even with all the other great plot points.
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1-20-2009 @ 10:20AM
jasahl said...
Great catch!!
1-20-2009 @ 2:09PM
Jonathan Toomey said...
Derek -
Perhaps you didn't read the whole review? I addressed this in the final paragraph...
1-20-2009 @ 3:46PM
Derek said...
What I'm saying on it though is that the clock wasn't actually silent if you consider the breathing. That's what I question about the ending, because complete silence would have been a different story
1-20-2009 @ 3:50PM
Jonathan Toomey said...
Derek, I'm not trying to sound argumentative here, but are you even reading the full post? I mentioned all of this, including the fact that Renee was breathing (albeit briefly) in the final paragraph of the review...
1-20-2009 @ 10:31PM
Derek said...
Yeah definately I read the full post, and I do know you addressed it, but what I know is do you and the other commenters think that her breathing counts that clock scene as Renee's death, or does it mean that she'll live. My confusion comes in with yes, the clock ticking was silent, but the scene was not. I loved the review honestly, I did, but I just wanted clarification
1-21-2009 @ 12:48PM
alexi said...
those of you who dont have DVR, just watch it online
(http://www.fox.com/fod/play.php?sh=twentyfour)
1-20-2009 @ 10:20AM
m lewis said...
I am blogging / analyzing the torture acts in each episode. I don't know if anyone here would be interested.
http://www.nifftystuff.com/blog/2009/1/20/24-day-7-torture-count-hour-5.html
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1-20-2009 @ 12:31PM
MERVE-THE-PERVE said...
I'm thinking they either have something on Moss or they kidnapped someone close to him or he is just doing it for the money and he is feeling guilty about Renee because he has been working with her for while and has feelings for her and doesn't want anything to happen to her because of his treason. I just can tell by the way he is acting that he is the mole. Plus the best mole is someone who is high up in the organization who has higher clearance levels. Another reason I think this is because he told the Tac teams to bring Almeida in alive no matter the casualties to the rest of the team. He needs to keep the terrorists alive so maybe he can break them out alive later. Moss being the mole will make a good twist later on in the season. And Renee wil be the one that gets to bring him down. Thats my guess and why.
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1-20-2009 @ 2:07PM
Manuel Reis said...
"One final point: the clock was silent."
Not quite that. We can hear Renee's breath. In other "death episodes", the clock was fully silent. But in this one, we had a "Darth Vader" effect.
No one is going to die. If someone dies, it has to be Samantha, but she's not in the main cast.
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