Last year, Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) agent Jack Bauer had to save an African-American presidential candidate from being assassinated and his wife and daughter being kidnapped by the same people trying to kill the candidate. The brutal saga ended with Bauer's wife dying in his arms. This year, Bauer is working against the clock to save Los Angeles from a nuclear bomb threat, and the presidential candidate is now President. He is trying to figure out who, in his administration, is plotting against him to blow up L.A. Bauer's daughter is running from the police, who think she's a murderer. There's also two sisters involved: one is working for the terrorists and killed her fiancé to prove her mettle; the other is trying to stop the terrorists.
Sound real? Well, thankfully, it isn't. This is just the labyrinthine plot to what many, including me, say is the best drama on television, 24, starring Kiefer Sutherland and Dennis Haysbert. It also happens to be the best show you aren't watching. Each week, I'll recap the newest episode, which should remind you why you ought to watch 24.
"6:00-7:00 P.M."
What Happened: It's much easier if we look at each character, rather than the actual timeline, so here goes. Jack, with Kate Warner (one of the sisters) in tow, goes to an L.A. mosque in search of terrorist Syed Ali. Warner goes incognito to the mosque to make sure Ali is there; since he is, Jack and his team get ready to take the madman down. However, he doesn't leave the prayer service, so the team goes inside to an empty worshiping place. Kim, Jack's daughter, is still running from the local authorities through the woods when she gets caught in a trap set for a mountain lion (really). Jack's fellow CTU agents, Tony and Michelle, figure out that Marie Warner (the other sister) killed her fiancé and two other agents. Tony informs an irate Bob Warner (the father of the sisters), who is shocked. President David Palmer arrests NSA chief Roger Stanton for treason; Stanton keeps his lip firmly buttoned. Thus, Palmer resorts to using a Secret Service agent to administer some pretty violent interrogation methods. Finally, Marie is told by Ali (before the prayer service begins) to pick up the trigger for the L.A. bomb at a fellow terrorist's locker, in a mechanic's office. She is forced to get her way through offering her body to the foreman. The episode ends with Jack, Kate, and the CTU team going into the mosque to see a burning body in Ali's clothes, but Jack surmises that it is not Ali, who must still be in the mosque somewhere.
My Thoughts: For most of this installment, I was wondering if 24 would break its habit of having at least one person being killed each episode. When I saw the burning body, I was proven wrong. That's probably not the best way to praise a show like this, but 24 is one hell of an adrenaline high. Even when people aren't being killed or wounded in nasty ways (like Roger Stanton), this is one great show. For once, Kim (a character who most viewers are not a fan of, due to her often-dumb actions) was put in the background; the one time she got in trouble, I had to laugh. Of all things, she gets caught in a trap, literally! Hoo boy, the laughs on this show may be few and far between, but they are big ones. As usual, Kiefer Sutherland, who could carry this show all by himself if he had to, kicks major ass; this is one guy you do not want to make mad. For those of you reading who've never watched the show, the synopsis may sound confusing, but it really isn't. 24 is, without a doubt, a fast-paced, entertaining, wild, woolly, truly amazing action masterpiece. If you didn't watch tonight's episode, a perfect reminder of this show's brilliance, what are you waiting for? An invitation?
Reach the reporter at joshua.spiegel@asu.edu.
