24 – Day 8: 1:00am – 2:00am

Another solid episode where the action kept moving and we thankfully got to see more of the President. I’ll take it.

Before we get started, can I say that my distrust has shifted from Arlo to Rob? Arlo was on my radar, but after his peculiar reaction when he found out that Jack would be running point on rescuing Farhad, I’ve put him in my doghouse. Who knows what his motives would be, but not having had the job until recently reeks of a “24” plot twist later on.

Debrief

• Farhad is still hiding as Jack leads a team to rescue him. As the terrorists get closer, he foolishly tries to escape and is shot. They fail to save him. Jack decides to fool the terrorists into thinking Farhad is still alive to draw them out.

• Dana and Cole decide to destroy the van and get rid of the bodies. That’s about it.

• Kayla finds Ali, who has been arrested by President Hassan. Ali knows someone who will help him escape and plans to meet with her later. They run off together eventually and Hassan calls his now-estranged wife to come back and help find them.

• The terrorists enlist Marcos to finish off Farhad at the hospital where he’s been transported. He called his mother first, asking her to leave the city. Jack leads an inexperienced tactical team in apprehending Marcos and disarming the bomb he had strapped to his chest. He flees into a hyperbaric chamber where he will attempt to detonate the bomb manually and kill himself before he killed his chapter.

Agent Philboy’s Assessment

I feel like this was the fastest moving episode of the season, with a lot of time spent in the right places to keep you on the proverbial edge of your seat. I was very thankful that we got to see more of President Taylor tonight. Overall, Cherry Jones has been underutilized this season and hopefully as the possibility of an attack on U.S. soil grows, she will play a much bigger role in things. Also, since her Chief of Staff is probably the mole working against her, that will have to come to the fore as well.

I loved the idea of Jack leading a ragtag group of young, naïve CTU agents into battle. Perhaps it’s a precursor of what could come next season. Even though I have a very hard time believing that Marcos would fall for showing his vest to the security camera, it worked in 24-Land, the place where high-pressure chambers are just chilling on the way to the exit of the hospital.

One point my girlfriend raised: Would setting the bomb off in the chamber really isolate the explosion? I find it hard to believe, but, then again, I’ve never been in a hyperbaric chamber. Of course, this could fall into the annals of implausibility that “24” has accrued over the past nine years.

I’m glad that Hassan has snapped out of his paranoia a little bit and, I believe, will become a great character to watch. He has a lot of different plates spinning right now and it seems that one wrong move could send them all crashing down, destroying both his personal and professional lives.

All in all, this was a fantastic episode and, after seeing the scenes from next week, I am back with renewed energy into “24.” I just hope you guys are as well.

What I Learned

• Always have a hyperbaric chamber sitting around for tough situations.

• Even if you have the gun and the bomb strapped to your chest, you should still respect the badge.

• Even if Jack Bauer and the wrath of God is about to save you, you should still run like an idiot if you get scared.

• Jack Bauer can resurrect the dead.

This Week’s Kill Count = 1 Totally Kill Count = 26

Did this episode feel like old times to you too? Is Rob the bad guy I’m assuming he is?