TNMC

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Episode 2.04, 11 AM to 12 PM
Written by Remi Aubochan
Directed by James Whitmore Jr.

Damn, he shot the dog. In fact, Jack shot the dog in the face with a shotgun. I don't know why that stands out so harshly in mind, considering the sheer number of people he has murdered over the course of the series. But the dog does stand out, I wonder what that says about society where the death of a dog has more impact then the death of a human.

Regardless, this episode continued the trend of pretty incredible second season of 24. I sometimes find myself wondering if I'm too generous when it comes to rating this show, but then I look around at the rest of the craptitude that surrounds television these days and am reminded of just how special this show truly is.

One thing is for sure though; the writers are definitely gunning to get Jack the badass of the year trophy. This episode has him killing the three mercs in a very John Woo style gunfight, trying to smash his way into a panic room with an axe, and once again shooting an attack dog in the face with a shotgun. That's just quality viewing right there. And Keifer once again gets to show his acting chops with an implored and frustrated monologue he delivers to Joe Wald, the mastermind behind the mercenary crew. At this rate I don't see how they can not give him an Emmy for his performance this year.

Kim's story once again switches into the realm of Lifetime and is really the weak point of this show so far. So in that regard I guess Kim really has become like her mother Teri, who was the bane of last year's show. It has nothing to do with Elisha's acting ability which stands out even in the midst of the drek she's in, but the quality of the storytelling. It seems odd that somebody can write such compelling scripts for Jack and Palmer, but come up with utter crap for Kim. The nurse suspecting her of the physical abuse and the return of the psycho father just don't bode well at all.

Kate on the other hand is really beginning to intrigue me. I can begin to see how her storyline will fit into the larger context of this series, and her scenes provide a nice but compelling change of pace to the intensity that so defines Jack and Palmer. At this point though, I dare say that everybody and their dead grandmother has managed to deduce that it's not Saed who's the terrorist, but her own father. He might as well be wearing a sign that says "I'm an evil mastermind, ask me how."

Palmer's scenes once again make me wish that he was our real life president. It speaks well of him that he's able to deduce what happened between his NSA advisor and his State Department advisor without anyone's help. Then again I'd say he's got practice in seeing through deceit and cover-ups thanks to his ex-wife Sherry. He's taking a definite moral stand, as he once again sends somebody else to the little room of people working against him. I can't help but feel that this is going to blow up in his face soon, but for now he's doing his best to keep things as balanced and sane as they could be in a situation like that.

Finally we have the goings on at the CTU. Both Carlos Bernard and Xander Berkeley turn in strong performances this week, and are kind of the unsung heroes of this show. They're always there to provide strong background support to the storyline. Tony's guilt and frustration at the helplessness that he feels at Paula's situation is palatable, as is his rage at Mason for not being there. Mason himself is really becoming a tragic figure, and the defeat in his voice as he talks to Tony over the phone can't help but make you pity him. He's discovered that he's about to die, and that there's no who one will truly mourn his passing.

In an effort to alter that somehow, he comes back to head the CTU and begins making the truly hard decisions such as waking up Paula even though it might kill her. Tony states it best that it's cruel and amoral, but it also might be the right decision as well. In a situation as drastic as the one that they deal with, how much must you sacrifice in order to prevent nuclear disaster? The stakes are too high to be anything less then ruthless it appears.

And then there's the ending, and what an ending it is. Joe kills himself, but not before giving Jack a lead to follow in getting to Second Wave. The lead is a batch of photographs that show Joe's contact in infiltrating the CTU. It's Nina Myers. The only person who can give Jack the information he needs to prevent nuclear disaster, is the woman who betrayed him and killed his wife. You can be damn sure that I'll be glued to the television next week to see how this all works out.

Episode Rating: 10 out of 10

-- Tim Ritenour

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