24 Recap: 4/23/07

Recapping Day Six: 12:00 AM – 1:00 AM…

Ricky commandeers a car, which looks to be a new Chevy Impala, and takes off to try and find Jack. Bill announces to everyone at CTU that “Jack Bauer’s gone rogue”–which is pretty much this show’s equivalent to Lou Ferrigno ripping his shirt and turning green–and that all available resources should be focused on finding and bringing him in.

Meanwhile Jack–who appears to be driving a Toyota Tundra, specially equipped with a CTU tracking device. That doesn’t come standard, you know–calls and tells Cheng to meet him at an abandoned motel called the Calderon.

At the White House, Daniels meets with Tom and asks what he plans to do with the evidence/recording/blackmail. Tom says he hasn’t thought much about it and pledges his support for the acting-President. Karen comes in and assures Daniels CTU is doing everything they can to find Jack.

When Tom and Karen leave, Daniels comes up behind his assistant, Lisa, and finally checks her breath. When Lisa suggests that might be inappropriate behavior, Daniels replies, “Well there’s the phone. Call the media. Tell them the acting-President’s a dirty old man.” Ewww! I need a bath! Then he asks her to spend the night, and she agrees. Wow! Who’d a’ thunk that dirty old man line would ever work!

Over at As The Counter Terrorist Unit Turns, Nadia is on the phone with Ricky telling him they’ve lost track of Jack. Apparently, Jack drove under some power lines, completely screwing up CTU’s state of the art high-tech tracking devices. Let me get this straight, power lines interrupt their tracking capabilities? Well it’s a good thing there aren’t many power lines in the world! Meanwhile, Chloe and Morris are bickering like an old married couple. The argument ends as follows:

Morris: “Is there anything else?”
Chloe: “Yes. Don’t arm nuclear bombs for terrorists.” Ooo, burn! I mean, seriously, there’s no comeback for that.

Karen gets called into a meeting with Peter Hawk, from the Department of Justice–aka DOJ, not to be confused with Dojo from Karate Kid. He has been interrogating Reed Pollack over the assassination attempt on Palmer. Pollack is singing, trying to avoid the death penalty. He claims that Bill Buchanan had Fayed in custody, but let him go, and that Karen helped cover it up. Karen denied there was a cover up, but Peter tells her someone will have to take the fall for it, either her or Bill.

Jack arrives at the Calderon, which we’ll refer to from now on as the Bates Motel. There’s no sign of Cheng–or Norman Bates. Jack plants an explosive in one of the walls, then calls Bill and gets his voicemail. Bill’s outgoing message says “if this is an urgent call, press zero.” Jack doesn’t press zero. I don’t get it. This isn’t urgent?? Jack leaves a message explaining that the circuit board will be destroyed in the explosion he plans to set off as soon as Audrey is free. Jack then calls Valley Cab Company.

Karen goes to see Tom about her situation with the DOJ. Tom urges her to let Bill take the fall. Meanwhile after his fight with Chloe, Morris asks Bill for a transfer. When Morris leaves, Bill calls Karen. She tells him she has to fire him. Bill argues to no avail. Then hangs up on her. She calls back, but Bill doesn’t answer.

Bill calls Nadia into the conference room, informs her he is stepping down immediately, and names her acting director of CTU. Nadia doesn’t understand why this is happening, calling Bill “the most ethical, dedicated person” she’s ever known. Bill tells her “It’s just politics.” Guards come and escort Bill away.

Cruising in the Impala, Ricky comes up on the Bates Motel with no clue Jack is there, until he spots Jack’s truck. He is about to scope out the place when he sees a limo pull up. Ricky hides and listens as Cheng enters. Is it just me, or does Cheng seem to be a rather merry villain? Jack asks to see Audrey. She is brought in, gagged. Jack ungags her then gives her standard Bauer line #3: “I’m so sorry.”

Jack tells Cheng he won’t hand over the sub-circuit board until Audrey is safely out of range of his snipers. He then whispers instructions to Audrey to walk to a gas station where a cab will be waiting to take her to CTU. Audrey begins walking. Just as Jack tosses the sub-circuit board to Cheng, Doyle begins shooting. About the same, backup from CTU arrives. A firefight ensues.

Jack appears to get shot and knocked off his feet, but has on a bullet-proof vest and is OK. As they flee, one of the Chinese pulls out a bazooka and blows a CTU chopper out of the sky. Meanwhile, Cheng slips off into the night in a Hummer with the sub-circuit board in his hands. You know, because twenty CTU agents in two SUV’s and a helicopter are just that inept.

Nadia orders Ricky to arrest Jack. Just before he is handcuffed, Jack shows Ricky the detonator and implies that Ricky screwed up the whole thing. CTU agents bring Audrey to safety. Jack speaks to her and tells her she’s safe now. Audrey appears to be confused or brainwashed or something and Jack realizes she doesn’t even recognize him.

The good:
One of Cheng’s men blowing the CTU chopper out of the sky with a bazooka.

Jack realizing Audrey doesn’t recognize him.

A plot twist which seems to come very late in the season involving the Chinese now in possession of the sub-circuit board.

Tom. You’re never quite sure what he’s thinking or whose side he is on, and I think that’s a good thing.

The bad:
The Chloe/Morris bickering.

Daniels and Lisa flirting.

Jack being arrested, again. That’s twice in two weeks. And how many times since the series began? Hey, I know! How about doing something that hasn’t been done to death already?

Best quote:
“I had this handled.”

Worst scene:
The unfortunate Daniels/Lisa dirty old man debacle.

Chloeisms:
“Could you please stop acting like this? I really hate it.”

“I didn’t say it was all your fault. I said halfway. Fifty percent. Point five.”

Did you know…
Tzi Ma is the actor who plays the role of Cheng Zhi on 24. He will reprise his role as Consul Han in Rush Hour 3 later this year.

Zima is a light-colored alcoholic beverage made by the Coors Brewing Company, Boulder, Colorado.

Questions:
OK, why did Bill’s phone go straight to voice mail when Jack called him? Yet when Karen called Bill, his phone rang three times, no voicemail, and she hung up.

What role will Buchanan play now that he’s stepped down as director of CTU?

Will Palmer return this season? Is it possible to come out of a two comas in a twenty-four hour period?

Will we see Jack’s father, Marilyn, Josh, etc. again this season?

“I have run. I have crawled. I have scaled these city walls, only to be with you…”