Below The Beltway

When we last left Jack Bauer, he was, quite literally, on a slow boat to China.

Captured by the Chinese in retaliation for a raid on a Chinese consulate some two years previously, he was sent a fate that would mean death for any other man. But, of course, Jack Bauer is not any other man. That doesn’t mean he’s invincible, though.

When we pick up Day 6 nearly three years have passed since our erstwhile hero was captured. The United States, now led by Wayne Palmer, the brother of a hero President, is under siege as terrorist attacks occur on a seemingly daily basis. The new President is being told that it’s time to start consider detaining Muslim’s, and CTU-Los Angeles is in the middle of an operation that will, supposedly, capture the man responsible for eleven months of attacks on the United States. There’s a price to be paid, though, and that price is Jack Bauer’s life.

After paying an unspecified price, which I am sure we’ll be learning more about as the season goes on, the United States has rescued Jack Bauer from the Chinese. This time, though, they don’t want Jack to stop a terrorist. This time, Jack’s mission is to sacrifice himself for the good of the country; because, you see, the source who claims he can deliver the terrorist mastermind, wants revenge against Jack Bauer for the death of his brother.

It becomes fairly clear early on that this is not the same Jack Bauer we’ve been used to for five years. Physically, he’s been devastated by some three years of Chinese torture and, mentally, well, he admits early on that the only thing that kept him alive was the determination that he was not going to die for nothing.

Jack is turned over to Abu Fayed, only to find out while being tortured that it is Fayed who is in fact the terrorist mastermind, and that he’s using the United States to kill the man who had come to stop him. Bauer escapes and, after failing to stop a military strike, proceeds to take matters into his own hands. After all, he’s still Jack Bauer.

But, not the same Jack Bauer.

At one point during tonight’s episodes, Jack says ?I don?t know how to do this anymore.” Rather coldly, Abbas, the terrorist-turned-apparent-peacemaker he helped free, tells him, “You’ll remember”.

But, will he ? As the episode ends, Bauer prevents yet another terrorist attack and continues the search for Fayed, this season’s villian, but he’s still haunted by the demons of the Chinese prison, not to mention the previous five seasons.

For further 24 fun, Rick Moran continues last season’s tradition of weekly episode recaps

Pre-Season Posts:

One Week And Counting
Jack Is (Almost) Back
Welcome Back Jack, We Need Your Help Again
Life Lessons From Jack Bauer
You Don?t Know Jack
24 Still Full Of Surprises