24- Season 7: 4 pm – The Six Degrees of Back in Jack

4 pm

So much to talk about, so little time. Tonight was simply a humongous episode of 24, on so many levels. We pick up with the paramedics whisking the First Hubby off to the hospital as Jack and Agent Lohan scour the scene for clues as to Dubaku’s location. Jack checks the PDAs of Dubaku’s dead goons while Renee gets another lecture from Boss Moss about her brutal behavior, or should I say “Bauerhavior.” Renee looks in the mirror, wondering if the reflection is actually hers or Jack Bauer’s.

Back at the White House, Madam President decides to head to the hospital, despite the objections of her staff. Finally, Bill “Rico Suave” Buchanan convinces them that he is the only trustworthy person that can escort her, and he also get’s himself and Chloe reinstated. Chloe will be brought into the FBI to handle the computer ops, setting up a confrontation between her and Janice Garofalo. But wait, it gets even better. When Chloe is dropped off at the FBI, Morris is driving her, and we meet their kid, Prescott. Morris does not stick around, but tells Chloe to call him if she needs him. Hopefully we will see more of the O’Brien clan.

The scenes of Chloe at the FBI were so good, I think they should do a spin-off show about it. Time after time she knocks the condition of their network, much to the chagrin of Boss Moss… the guy who set it up in the first place. It’s a lot like Jimmy Fallon’s SNL character Nick Burns, Your Company’s Computer Guy, who will fix your computer and make fun of you. I kept hoping Chloe would say “MOVE!” to someone before she logged in.

Another priceless moment is when Chloe objects to being put in a conference room with huge windows. She has learned that sitting out in plain sight is not conducive to running covert operations. It didn’t work at CTU and it’s not working at the FBI either.

Meanwhile, Dubaku arranges to get out of the country with a guy named Burnett. Dubaku knows that Burnett’s people probably want to assassinate him, so he threatens to turn over the names of all of those involved with today’s shenanigans if he is harmed. He also insists that his girlfriend be picked up and driven to the airfield. Naturally he has to convince his girlfriend to leave the country with him, and can only do so by promising to bring her sister with them. He sends a car for her.

Dubaku’s girl, Marika, is caught packing by her sister Rosa and as the two of them bicker, the door crashes open and they meet Jack and Agent Lohan. They quickly convince the two sisters of who Dubaku really is and naturally, Jack enlists Marika to help them by getting in the car and leading them to The Butcher of Sangala.

Meanwhile, Madam President asks Bill to send someone trustworthy over to pick up her estranged daughter Olivia and tell her about her father’s condition. Here’s where we really go nuts. You thought Morris was the big new tonight? Well hold on a second, because the person who Bill sends is none other than everyone’s favorite redheaded Secret Service Agent, Aaron Pierce. No word about whether he is living happily ever after with the former first lady, but it’s good to see the big lug. But that’s not all. It gets better. Olivia Taylor is played by Sprague Grayden, who is actually a friend of friend of mine. So folks, this blog is now also a Sprague Grayden fan club. (Among other shows, she was on Sons of Anarchy, a show I plan to watch when it comes out on DVD.)

But wait, that’s not all. When Madam President arrives at the hospital, the first person she speaks with is Nurse Mitchell. Guess what… Nurse Mitchell is also a friend of a friend. (A different friend.) She’s played by Heidi Wallace, and so we are also now a Heidi Wallace fan club. (And we give a shout out to her pals at Schlesinger Associates in NY.)

Can you believe this? We are so close to two people on the show. Of course, if you read this blog last season, you know we had close ties to Karen Hayes (Jayne Atkinson). Speaking of Karen Hayes, I sure hope she pops up this season.

Okay, I’d better wrap this up. Jack and Lohan follow Marika’s car with help from Chloe. But Janice, who is threatened by Ms. O’Brien, practically blackmails Sean to get a gadget that will allow her to break into the system. When the cops suddenly stop Jack and Renee, we think Janice is the mole, but she’s not. It’s Sean. And Sean tips off Burnett, who tips off Dubaku that Marika has been compromised. So now Dubaku prepares for her arrival while Jack & Agent Lohan are held up by the cops.

Next week, Agent Lohan smacks Jack. Will Jack smack back?
And will Dubaku attack?
Y’all come back.

And in closing; Sprague & Heidi, we love ya. Keep up the good work.

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Drop me a line at jack@backinjack.com or post a comment below.