TVSquad

(S07E09) "Whatever it takes, I want that son of a bitch found." - President Taylor

I'm not trying to suggest that this season of 24 has been bad so far (the hiatus alone made it better than it arguably is), but this was truly the first really great episode of Day 7. The plot is progressing much faster than it was, some more familiar faces returned, moles were revealed, Chloe ran a diagnostic check (!), and minor characters that had little purpose to this point have been thrown right into the fire. It was vintage 24.

It's all falling back into the place. No one works for CTU anymore, but it doesn't really matter. Jack got his credentials back last week (on a provisional basis of course), Chloe is now working directly under Moss, and Bill has become The President's personal bodyguard. Apparently, it's extremely easy to get a government job when everyone is a possible traitor.

So who came back? While briefly, we got to see what Morris O'Brian and Agent Aaron Pierce were up to. Morris is playing "daddy day care," and Aaron is apparently on Buchanan's short list of trustworthy individuals. With Roger already dead and it looking likely that Henry will die, I was wondering if we'd meet another Taylor (or else The President would have no emotional connections left) and that's exactly what happened.

Enter Olivia, Allison's estranged daughter. She works for a consulting firm and appears to very headstrong and stubborn. Why is she estranged? I'm sure we'll find out and should Henry perish, the reason for the estrangement will presumably be erased immediately. With Olivia employed as a consultant, it would make sense if she somehow became an adviser to her mother.

As for the moles, we met two. First was Mr. Burnett, a dark suit/mahogany office type who was able to get Iké new passports and flight documents. No clue who he works for, but I'm going to assume that it's under Jonas Hodges (Jon Voight). Nine hours into the season - we must be getting closer to him.

As for the second mole? Sean was finally uncovered as the FBI snitch. Not much of a surprise really, as he's been the lanky/awkward creep since the beginning of the season. Besides, if he's willing to cheat on his wife, it makes sense that he'd be willing to cheat on his government. However, his unveiling will be slow I'm sure, since right now all signs point to Janis. She was the one that peeked in on Chloe's system and it's only a matter of time before Chloe figures it out. One other observation? Erika. So far, she still has no purpose, but I'm going to guess that as the smitten co-worker, she'll either help Sean get away with it or die in the process.

While the hour wound down, one thing still bothered me and it's completely intentional - Renee's loyalties. Not to her job or her country, but to Jack. She's been tested all day - how far is she willing to go? It was thrown right in our faces during this hour. First Larry's stern words and then Renee even - wait for it - looked in a mirror! Clearly, she didn't like what she saw.

Thus far though, she still hasn't reached a point where she truly questions Jack's methods. I'm thinking Marika will be the breaking point. If Dubaku goes through with his promise to Burnett ("I'll take care of her myself"), then I don't see Renee dealing with that too well. Especially after Jack shot down her idea about giving Marika an out. It's looking more and more like she may not be cut out for this.

Final question? Does Dubaku actually have a list of all the agents on Juma's payroll, and if so, where is it located? Jack and Renee are trying to catch Dubaku alive and ironically enough, if Dubaku dies, then the Justice Department supposedly just gets that list. If Iké truly means to nail his would be killers, then I doubt it will be sent to someone who's on that very list.