24 fans got one hell of an episode last night. Here's what happened:
Jack Bauer
Jack Bauer begins the episode in the Russian consulate, having just cut off the pinky of the consul with a cigar cutter. Naturally, Markov's men are a tad angry. He is sought after, while on the run in the consulate. He eludes a bad guy (who shoots some Russians who are trying to aid Jack), by wrapping a belt around his wrist and flinging him over his neck. He gets to a phone, calls
Morris at CTU and informs him that he knows the location of Gredenko. Before he can tell him the location, however, the phone dies. Jack, to aid his not being caught, cuts the main power to the consulate.
Cornered in a room in the basement of the consulate, Jack gets into a shootout with some of the bad Russians. He runs out of bullets, but is saved by a grenade from the just-in-time CTU task force.
CTU
We are introduced to Mike Doyle, special agent, who is kind of like a younger Jack Bauer, I guess, except far less likable. He is played by Rick Schroder, and so its a little hard to digest the character's overwhelming badass-ity, but he does a good job. He knows
Milo from some previous work, and the two hate each other. He has no patience for back-talk, and physically gets into it with Morris after he spouts some of his trademark smart-alecky remarks.
Bill Buchanan has Doyle organize soldiers for a siege on the Russian consulate, although nothing of the sort has been authorized by anyone.
Talking to the Vice President, Buchanan gives the update that Jack knows where Gredenko and the nukes are at, and that taking the consulate by force may be the only option.
Charles Logan tells CTU that there is a diplomatic solution, but that it comes in the form of his ex-wife
Martha Logan, because she became friends with the Russian President's wife. Buchanan reluctantly allows Logan to take a helicopter to see Martha and try to convince her to call the Russian First Lady.
Charles Logan
Logan takes the helicopter to see Martha, who is now attempting to regain sanity by living on some sort of resort or retirement community with former secret service agent
Aaron Pierce. Martha is unstable, and she shows it when Charles shows up. The sight of Charles sends her off-balance, but she agrees to make the call to the Russian First Lady. While waiting for CTU to get in touch with the First Lady, Martha, Aaron and Charles Logan sit in the living room and have a very tense discussion. Martha airs her feelings towards Charles. She truly hates him.
After working herself into a lather while talking to the annoyingly calm Charles, Martha stabs him in the right shoulder with a knife she was using to cut kiwi. Hell breaks loose momentarily; she hit an artery with her stab and Charles needs immediate medical attention. Charles is taken out by an ambulance, but Aaron gets Martha to take the call with the First Lady anyway. She talks to the First Lady while in handcuffs, explaining the situation at the Russian consulate, saying that Markov is bad and that they need Jack Bauer.
CTU
The Russian President is swayed by his wife and, after a talk with Bill Buchanan, gives CTU permission to take the Russian consulate by force. Buchanan immediately gives Doyle (who is already on site) the green light to take his team into the consulate and they save Jack Bauer. Before they can get to Markov, he calls Gredenko and informs him that the Americans are onto their plot and know their location out in the desert. Markov won't be taken alive when the Americans show up, and is shot to death.
Presidential Bunker
Lennox and the Vice President have a talk. Lennox is given the option of being exonerated of any wrongdoing in the Presidential assassination attempt if he agrees to go along with the premise that it was Assad who carried out the plot. He is told this is only for the time being. Then, later, Lennox backs up the Vice President in a meeting with the Saudi diplomat, where they tell the diplomat that they have exhaustive evidence that it was Assad who tried to kill the president. The Vice President tells the diplomat that, if he does not fully aid them in finding the terrorists, that the US will attack Saudi Arabia with the full force of its armed forces. Reluctantly, the diplomat agrees to help.
Charles Logan
In the final scene of the episode, it looks as if Logan dies in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer