Recap of Fox's "24" - Day 6, 9:00 am - 10:00 am

Maria Niles — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 21:08:34 -0600

"Life's not complete 'til your heart's skipped a beat" plus "naked brainwashing!"

Spoiler alert! Read on if you want to learn what happened in this episode of "24".

Finally some sanity seeps into the Oval Office. Karen Hayes gives 2.0 a casualty estimate for a scenario where a suitcase nuke is detonated and 2.0 snaps "Get me Jack Bauer immediately." First smart thing he's said all day. 2.0 calls Jack and sheepishly asks if he'll take charge of the operation even after the way "the country," err, "I" treated you. Jack's crisis of faith continues but he accepts. Jack has never been able to say no to a president.

Curtis continues to needle Assad and refuse to accept him as part of the operation. They learn that a PDA found at the storage unit has a message that a "visitor" has arrived and Assad fills them in that "visitor" is code for suitcase nuke.

Worried that Curtis is hiding something that causes him to worry more about putting the screws to Assad than finding Fayed and Numair, Jack calls Chloe and asks her check out any connection between Curtis and Assad. And then, oh snap! Chloe pushes back on Jack asking if this is important because she's busy and stuff. Last time they spoke Chloe was all "Oh Jack I though I'd never hear your voice again!" First Curtis and now Chloe?

Soccer dad calls Ahmed and Ahmed orders him to deliver the new package to Fayed. Ray insists that Ahmed release his family. Ahmed agrees to release one and dad requests the son. Ahmed says that now he knows who soccer dad values most and then releases soccer mom instead. Soccer mom flees and Ahmed tells soccer dad where to deliver the new package.

On Ahmed's order soccer mom calls soccer dad to prove that she has safely escaped his clutches. Soccer dad begs soccer mom not to call the police. Soccer mom hangs up and promptly calls 911. Soccer mom is patched through directly to Jack who then rushes the team to soccer mom's house. This isn't going to end badly at all. Right.

An ambassador from an unnamed middle eastern country arrives at the White House to confirm what Jack's been telling them about Assad's peace plan. 2.0 calls Jack and tells him to make Assad part of the team and that Assad will be granted a full pardon for his past crimes in exchange for his help in stopping Fayed. Assad will agree only after he has the pardon in writing. Clearly, unlike the Americans, Assad has learned the lessons of days gone by where the bad people only give it up once they have the presidential pardon in writing.

SPL tries to call her brother again to demand Walid's release and Tom manages to snag the call instead. SPL tells Tom that she can smell his stink all over the detention camp.

Walid stands up for another detainee whom a guard is messing with. The detainee sits with Walid and tells him "they will all pay." The detainee leaves and goes over to another group and the converse in Arabic. Walid eavesdrops.

Ray arrives at Fayed's warehouse, delivers the package and then nicely asks Fayed to go ahead and call Ahmed so that Ahmed will let his son go along his merry way. Oh sweet trusting soccer dad. Fayed keeps soccer dad alive just in case they can later use him as a bargaining chip and then calls Ahmed and orders him to kill geometry boy.

Jack, Curtis, Assad and the team descend upon the suburban house where Ahmed is holding geometry boy. Even though Jack clearly instructs them to take Ahmed alive, they promptly shoot him as he prepares to kill geometry boy. Jack calls for a medic, worried that they won't find out where Ahmed sent soccer dad. Geometry boy however remembers the address where Ahmed sent his dad and Jack heads out to tell Curtis. Curtis however is still not happy about having a terrorist all up in his perimeter.

SPL returns to visit Walid and Walid tells her of the Arabic phrase he overheard and SPL shares the phrase with FBI.

The written pardon arrives at the Suburban house for Assad to sign. This further displeases Curtis. Chloe calls Jack to tell him of the Curtis - Assad connection. It seems that one of Assad's terror attacks killed several of Curtis's men during Desert Storm. Curtis grabs Assad while Jack is distracted by the call and drags him outside and puts a gun to him. Jack orders Curtis to release Assad and Curtis refuses. And so Jack shoots Curtis in the neck and kills him. Wow! First Ryan Chappelle, now Curtis. Jack will do what he has to do to save the world but it's really taking a toll on him. After shooting Curtis he stumbles away, falls to his knees and vomits. Buchanan calls him as soon as he hears what has happened. As his crisis of faith deepens even further, Jack asks Bill to tell the president that he can't do this anymore.

Meanwhile at Fayed's warehouse Numair is installing the detonator that soccer dad delivered into the suitcase nuke. As he finishes, CTU forces descend on the warehouse. In the shoot out that ensues soccer dad has a chance to jump on Numair, whom he has watched assemble the bomb, but no, soccer dad's a wuss and he just tries to duck the gunfire. Numair detonates the device and we see Jack watch the mushroom cloud rise. At CTU Milo gets word of the phrase Walid overheard. Nadia translates - it means "five visitors." In other words there are four more suitcase nukes.

There has been much gnashing of teeth over the portrayal of terrorists detonating nuclear bombs and that it is right wing propaganda from Fox to try and generate support for the Bush administrations' use of torture in the war on terror. Keith Olberman accused the show of attempting "brainwashing." (Hat tip: TV Squad) But I'd point out that 24 previously had terrorists detonate a nuclear plant which killed many people with radiation poisoning (remember the agents with melty faces and Edgar's mom?) so this story line is not that new. The show presents counters to many of the plot devices that could be construed as conservative or liberal and Jack's crisis of faith so far this season certainly belies the notion that torture is only all good in the world of 24.

Agree? Disagree? Do you see 24 as a blatant propaganda tool or just an escapist thrill ride?

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Recap of Fox's "24" - Day 6, 9:00 am - 10:00 am