Two more hours, and yet more opportunities to ask just how much Jack Bauer can be expected to do for his country. Over the past five seasons, he’s put his family and his life on the line more than once, watched friends die, and even killed them himself on orders from superiors. Now, after more than two years undergoing what was clearly unrelenting torture, he’s being asked to do it again.
The other question that these first four hours raise, though, is what heck is up with Wayne Palmer ? From the beginning, he’s been willing to negotiate and give in to the demands of terrorists, and last night’s episode was no exception. Even after known that Fayed had double crossed him once, Palmer agrees to release terrorist prisoners being detained at a military base, which we quickly learn is simply a ruse to engineer the escape of a specific prisoner with knowledge of nuclear weapons.
But Jack too is willing to make compromises. He is working with a man who has committed acts of terrorism across the world for twenty years, but who now claims that he wants peace. Jack believes him, but Curtis Manning doesn’t, and that’s when Jack’s latest dark moment arises.
After uncovering the location of Fayed’s hideout, Manning tries to kill Assad, forcing Jack to kill Curtis. It’s reminiscent of the time in Season Three when Jack was forced, and ordered by David Palmer, to kill CTU Agent Ryan Chappelle to satisfy a terrorist’s demands. Jack’s revulsion at what he’s been forced to do is apparent.
“Tell the president I’m sorry,”
“I can’t do this anymore.”
But there isn’t time to stop and think. The unthinkable has happened. A nuclear weapon has been detonated outside Los Angeles and intelligence has determined that four more such devices are in the country.
It’s going to be a long day.
And, here’s another great summary from Rick Moran
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January 19th, 2007 at 10:05 am
It’s nice to know that even Jack Bauer can surrender to his demons.
‘Course, it only lasted ’bout three seconds….
January 23rd, 2007 at 9:44 am
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