The 24 episode we watched last night was one of those inevitable, mid-season hours where the action wanes a little bit, Jack Bauer fails to kill anyone, and the characters talk more than they fight.  These episodes are necessary.  Exposition and story has to be told; it can't all be killing and torture and terrorists being ruthlessly thwarted.  It may not please audiences to have to slow down every now and then, but 24 needs it.  It all led to a big moment at the end of the episode that, while not surprising (it had been long in the offing), we had been building up to for a few episodes.

Kiefer Sutherland's workload was noticeably low this episode, Jack's only major screentime being his interactions with ex-President Logan.  For the recap below, we'll go through each major plot line separately, as to keep things as simple as possible.

Jack Bauer:

Jack informs CTU that his father is a bad guy, and is involved in the nuclear explosion in Valencia.  He talks to Charles Logan, who he learns struck a deal after the events of last season, putting him on house arrest, and keeping the knowledge of his involvement in David Palmer's death a secret to the national public.  Logan tells Jack that he has information that can lead them to Gredenko.  Jack goes to Logan's retreat, where he's on house arrest, to talk with him.

Logan tells Jack that a Russian consul is the link to Gredenko.  Only he can get the information from the consul, says Logan, because he can blackmail him with information that implicates him in the conspiracy of season 5.  Jack calls Wayne Palmer, asking the president to allow the temporary release of Logan to go to the Russian consulate with Jack.  Palmer reluctantly allows it.

Logan has become quite creepy, and it is insinuated that he may have some ulterior motives.  He recites bible passages and claims to have restored his faith while on house arrest.  He has also grown a silly, bushy beard.


Presidential Bunker:

Lennox is still tied up.  Reed's bomb guy gets through security.  The bomb they intend to use to kill Palmer is in the form of a tape recorder.  Reed's bomb guy wants to kill Lennox, but Reed talks him out of it, saying that they're not cold-blooded killers.  The guy finishes making the bomb, and gives it to Reed to place and then detonate. 

Reed takes it to where Palmer and Assad will be giving their address to the nation.  He places the bomb within the presidential pulpit.  He activates the detonator, but seconds before the bomb is about to go off, Assad notices fluid running from the tape recorder, realizes it's a bomb, and jumps away.  We don't see if Assad is alive or not, but we do get a glimpse of Palmer, who lies unconscious on the ground. 


Morris/Chloe:

The third and most unimportant of all the stories this episode involves Morris and his relapse into drinking.  Chloe wonders if Morris is fit to work, yet defends him whenever the issue comes up with other CTU employees.  Nadia, especially, thinks that Morris shouldn't be working anymore.  Buchanan allows Morris to continue performing high-leverage tasks after Morris gives an impassioned speech during a meeting. 

The alcohol thing is pretty vague and seemingly unimportant.  Maybe something will come of this later, but mostly it boils down to this: Morris may have relapsed a little bit, taking a few sips of whiskey in the bathroom stall.  But we don't know for sure.  And Chloe is worried.


As you can see, not a whole lot of things going on, but it really sets the story up well for next week, where we should get some good Jack/Logan action, as well as the aftermath of the bomb in the presidential bunker.


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer