Wednesday, May 26, 2004
12pm - 1pm
Well this is it, my last recap for the year. When I started this site, I did it because I rented a few DVDs and became hopelessly addicted to this wonderful show - moreso than any other show I've ever seen. I had no friends or family IRL with whom I could share this addiction, and because of the generosity of my best friend who graciously gives me great hosting, I devoted a site to it to add to the plethora of fansites already out there.
I've been overwhelmed with the response 24addict has had and wanted to take this brief moment to profusely thank each and every one of you who surprised me by actually coming back again and again to read what some mad chick in Nebraska thinks about '24.' I never thought anyone would give a toss :)
Ok enough mushy stuff. On with the recap!
Still in the subway station which is in the process of being locked down, Jack phones CTU and we find Michelle back in play and working to help coordinate everything. Jack lets her know that Rabens has not been found yet. Michelle tells Jack that they still don't have a good enough description from Saunders so Jack tells her to bring him out to Chloe's station because they're going to feed her computer images taken of everyone in the station. He then has agents and police break everyone off into groups of ten with a stern warning that no one is to leave their respective groups without Jack's say so.
As Michelle sets up the floor to accommodate Saunders and his entourage of armed guards, Brad Hammond, AKA Chappelle with a bigger salary, listens as Tony gives his debrief. He interrupts Tony's statement to point blank ask him if he put his wife's life above national security. With poignant honesty and a heroic acceptance, Tony says, "Yes I did." I loved that. After Jack, Tony is my favourite character on this show and his quiet dignity in this scene was so moving. There were few words exchanged between he and Hammond after that. I don't think Brad knew what to say. He probably expected more of a fight or an attempt at coverup from Tony. But no... Tony's willing acceptance of the consequences of his actions was truly amazing.
As Michelle continues to make arrangements to bring Saunders out, Theresa Ortega arrives at CTU. Who you ask? Theresa is Gael's wife. She's been informed of her husband's death in the line of duty, and the nature of his death and has come to CTU for his things, and maybe for some answers. She's understandably distraught when she's brought over to Michelle. Michelle leads her into the main conference area and answer her questions. Mainly she just wants to know if Gael suffered. Michelle, honouring Gael's request to tell his family that he died quickly and without pain, tells her that he didn't suffer. She also tells her that Gael was a hero who worked to help his country right up to the very end. This comforts Theresa.
But now Saunders is being led out to Chloe's station and Michelle has to leave Theresa so she asks Kim to help her with gathering her husband's belongings. They head to Gael's desk upstairs near Jack's office but as they leave the conference area, she glances up at a screen with Saunders' image plastered all over it. We get one of those patented '24' moments where the camera lingers just a moment longer on Theresa's face and she has an odd look on her face. I began to wonder if she was really Gael's wife for some reason. I thought maybe she worked for Saunders and was about to help him escape. It was that kind of weird look. Anyway as you'll see, my prediction streak of one came to a very quick end.
Saunders is situated in front of a bank of monitors. He looks suitably beaten yet somehow still arrogant. He doesn't have Syed Ali's pathetic shuffle. Instead he keeps his head up and walks as best as he can while in leg chains. Chloe phones Kim and orders her to come and help her with this, leaving Theresa with a CTU agent as she sadly cleans out Gael's desk.
On each of the monitors in front of Saunders there are images filling in a spot as they are transmitted by agents at the subway station. Each group of ten travelers are told they will have to have their photo taken and their belongings searched before they're allowed to leave. We focus in on one man nearing the cameras. He's a little twitchy and anxious about having a photo taken (remember he probably does not know that Saunders - his boss - has been taken down.) This must be Rabens. Nervous, but trying not to show it, he steps in front of the camera. Back at CTU Saunders sounds somewhat bored as he glances at the images. We pan over to find Theresa being led out of CTU carrying a box of her husband's things. As she passes Chloe's station, she pulls out a gun and plugs Saunders - just as the image of Rabens comes up on the monitor. She's screaming at everyone, her overwhelming grief for Gael evident as she's taken into custody for shooting Saunders. "He killed Gael! He killed Gael!" She shrieks over and over.
Jack asks for an update from Michelle only to be told that Saunders is dead, shot in the chest. Jack is dumbfounded. How the hell could that happen?? But it would take to long to explain to him why Theresa was there and why she shot him. For now Jack needs to just concentrate on alternative methods of getting Rabens.
Back at District, a very shaken Wayne enters David's office and breaks the news about Sherry and Julia. David is in shock. I don't think he's even registering half of what Wayne is trying to tell him. He backs up and just sort of falls onto a nearby sofa, unable to remain standing. With tears in his eyes he tells David that despite the pain they're both feeling, they're both politically free and clear. Unable to believe the fact that Wayne's even thinking about politics when he's just been told that the mother of his children has been murdered, he sends Wayne away. I think it was very interesting in this emotional scene to see remnants of some of the feelings David probably still has for Sherry. I think it was easy for him to despise her for the things she's done, and had been doing, but I don't think he was ever able to lose the feelings he once had for the woman he'd known nearly all his life, and once truly loved. So her death was a shock for him. David has his secretary get Keith and Nicole on the line to give them the bad news.
At the station, Jack and Chase have a quiet moment and a cup of coffee while the passenger search goes on. Chase tells Jack that he's transferring out of Field Ops. "I can still serve my country." he says. He'll just do it on the CTU floor instead. He tells Jack that he thinks Kim wants to make their relationship work, but only if he's not in the field anymore. And Chase also tells Jack its what he wants as well. He doesn't want to be detached from Kim or his daughter. In essence, he's telling Jack that what he as told the day before on the ride back from the prison was true, and he believes it now. Jack simply tells him that he will support whatever decision he makes, and walks away.
As Jack patrols the groups of passengers, his 'we've got a dodgy character here' radar is on full power and he sees a man at the back of the line in one of the groups. He's a little fidgety. It's Rabens, but Jack doesn't know it yet. Rabens has pulled a switchblade out of his bag and slipped it, open, into his pocket. When Jack looks away briefly, he takes off. Jack looks back and realizes the man is gone. As he and Chase race through the station they discover two policemen down, lying in rapidly spreading pools of blood. They had been stationed at an exit. Jack and Chase run up the stairs to the street to find a civilian stabbed on the ground with witnesses milling about. They tell Jack it was a carjacking and Jack calls for transportation. He and Chase leap into an arriving SUV after getting the direction the carjacker headed from one of the witnesses. Jack has also nicked the downed civilian's wallet, gotten his driver's license and ordered Michelle to get him a description of the man's car.
Michelle quickly goes to Hammond to update him, and to try and get him to release Tony for just a little bit because he's the best source they have for coordinating the search for Rabens. Hammond reluctantly agrees and Tony's back in play. Chloe follows traffic cams and spots Raben's car. Tony has several teams take off to intercept as Jack follows in pursuit. They soon have Rabens cornered so he leaps out of the car with his briefcase and runs into a building - a building full of junior high kids. It's a middle school full of kids my daughter's age. Eeesh.
Jack and Chase quickly enter the building while the rest of the agents lock it down. They begin a room to room search for Rabens while we hear an overhead announcement to the students and teachers to remain in their classrooms and lock the doors. Jack proceeds through several rooms, including a sort of lounge area, and he scares a class full of students as he whips around a corner in true Jack-and-Gun fashion. He settles them and moves on.
Meanwhile Chase has entered what looks like a science room and brings back unpleasant memories for me of the day we dissected the frogs in 7th grade, but I digress. As he checks the room, Rabens bolts out and flicks his knife at Chase, cutting him. A fight ensues between them and the bag with the device is flung across the room. The virus detonator slips out of the bag and both men desperately try to reach it. But as Rabens manages to get the drop on Chase who is nearly unconscious on the ground, he sees that Chase has clamped the device to his own wrist. The same wrist of the hand that has a bullethole in it. Unable to carry out his plans, Rabens activates the device and prepares to shoot Chase. But Jack shows up first and takes him out.
He rushes over to Chase and sees the device clamped to his wrist. Jack tries to open it , but the casing is titanium and impossible to break. Chase tells Jack that Rabens had no intention of trying to remove it which probably means there is no key per se. Jack radios Tony and has him connect with another group in the country who have already disarmed a device from one of the other couriers. Tony does, and soon Jack is being walked through the steps to disarm. There are only a few minutes left on the countdown. The other CTU agent tells Jack he needs to cut the green wire. The only problem is there is no bleedin' green wire. The agent tells him they will have to get back to him while they try and posit a solution. Chase valiantly tells Jack to get out of there but of course Jack refuses.
Chases sees Jack glance up and across the room momentarily, and I think Jack saw Chase look at him so he glanced back at the device. Chase follows Jack's glance and sees an axe behind glass across the room. Time is ticking down. The other agent still has not responded. "Do it Jack... It's okay." he says. Brave man. Jack obviously does not want to chop Chase's arm off but they are running out of time (I had to use that phrase at least once in this blog :D ). He goes to get the axe as Chase removes his own belt and fastens it around his arm as a tourniquet. As he squeezes his eyes shut and breathes heavily, Jack swings the axe and DAMN if he didn't chop Chase's arm off! I was hiding behind my fingers just then but I definitely heard the sickening 'thunk' as the axe came down. Chase screamed and passed out. He stuffs a nearby towel around Chase's bloody stump and grabs the device, heading back to a teacher's lounge he'd been in before and noticed a refrigerator. Refrigerators are air-tight and with just seconds to go, he shoves it in there and slams the door shut. With a 'poof', the timer goes off and smashes the vial where the virus floats harmlessly inside the refrigerator.
It's over.
Word has reached CTU of the successful containment of the virus because Jack had radioed for help for Chase as he was running with the virus. At CTU, Tony is taken back into custody. He's allowed a brief, passionate moment with Michelle where he tells her that he doesn't regret what he's done. She is alive and safe and that's all that matters to him. They have a great kiss and then Tony is led away. Goodbye Tony Almeida. Don't drop any soap.
Back to Jack who has arrived at a hospital (rather quickly if you ask me. I know I have to fanwank distances a little bit, but he was only at the school 5 or 6 minutes before and now he's at a hospital and Chase is in surgery... *chants to herself 'Literary license. Literary license. Literary license.') and his ringing cell phone. It's the President. David thanks Jack for his work and says the usual stuff about how the nation is safer because of him. He also tells Jack how sorry he is about making him kill Chappelle. Finally he informs Jack, out of respect for everything they've been through, that he will not be seeking re-election.
"Sir I think that is a mistake." Jack quietly says.
"Mistake or not, it's my decision." Palmer replies.
After hanging up with Jack, President David Palmer stands, puts on his jacket, and quietly walks to the elevator with Wayne and the red door closes on a brilliant character and wonderful actor who breathed life into him. Take it easy Mr. President.
Jack spends a moment pondering what he's just been told when Kim walks into the waiting room. They share a relieved hug and Jack relays info about Chase, who is undergoing surgery to reattach his hand. They hug once more and then Jack asks if she'll be staying there at the hospital. She is, so he tells her that he has some things to do but he'll be back later.
Outside, Jack hurries to his SUV and quickly gets inside. As he fumbles for his keys, the sheer force and weight of everything that happened during this day comes crashing down on him and he cries. He cries for Gael and for his sacrifice. He cries for Tony and the sacrifice he's about to make, and for Michelle and the nightmare she faced; first at the hotel, then at the hands of Saunders, and finally as she faces losing her husband. He cries for Claudia and her senseless death, and for the innocent prison guard forced to blow his own head off in front of him. He cries for the hundreds of people who died a horrible death at the Chandler Hotel and for the innocent girl he nearly purposely killed in the same horrifying manner. He cries for Ryan Chappelle who, though he was a bit of a prick, didn't deserve the death he was dealt. He cries for his daughter who loves someone just like him - the daughter he tries so hard to shield from harm but ends up in danger anyway. Mostly though, he cries for his own lost soul.
Suddenly there's a blip of static and a voice interrupts Jack. It's CTU asking him to come and help interrogate one of Saunders' couriers. Jack doesn't answer at first. A moment of indecision seems to be the vibe I get here. Should he answer and carry on serving his country? Or should he ignore it and quietly slip away... Wiping the tears from his eyes, Jack's broken voice answers.
"I'm on my way." Tick boom, tick boom.
I've been overwhelmed with the response 24addict has had and wanted to take this brief moment to profusely thank each and every one of you who surprised me by actually coming back again and again to read what some mad chick in Nebraska thinks about '24.' I never thought anyone would give a toss :)
Ok enough mushy stuff. On with the recap!
Still in the subway station which is in the process of being locked down, Jack phones CTU and we find Michelle back in play and working to help coordinate everything. Jack lets her know that Rabens has not been found yet. Michelle tells Jack that they still don't have a good enough description from Saunders so Jack tells her to bring him out to Chloe's station because they're going to feed her computer images taken of everyone in the station. He then has agents and police break everyone off into groups of ten with a stern warning that no one is to leave their respective groups without Jack's say so.
As Michelle sets up the floor to accommodate Saunders and his entourage of armed guards, Brad Hammond, AKA Chappelle with a bigger salary, listens as Tony gives his debrief. He interrupts Tony's statement to point blank ask him if he put his wife's life above national security. With poignant honesty and a heroic acceptance, Tony says, "Yes I did." I loved that. After Jack, Tony is my favourite character on this show and his quiet dignity in this scene was so moving. There were few words exchanged between he and Hammond after that. I don't think Brad knew what to say. He probably expected more of a fight or an attempt at coverup from Tony. But no... Tony's willing acceptance of the consequences of his actions was truly amazing.
As Michelle continues to make arrangements to bring Saunders out, Theresa Ortega arrives at CTU. Who you ask? Theresa is Gael's wife. She's been informed of her husband's death in the line of duty, and the nature of his death and has come to CTU for his things, and maybe for some answers. She's understandably distraught when she's brought over to Michelle. Michelle leads her into the main conference area and answer her questions. Mainly she just wants to know if Gael suffered. Michelle, honouring Gael's request to tell his family that he died quickly and without pain, tells her that he didn't suffer. She also tells her that Gael was a hero who worked to help his country right up to the very end. This comforts Theresa.
But now Saunders is being led out to Chloe's station and Michelle has to leave Theresa so she asks Kim to help her with gathering her husband's belongings. They head to Gael's desk upstairs near Jack's office but as they leave the conference area, she glances up at a screen with Saunders' image plastered all over it. We get one of those patented '24' moments where the camera lingers just a moment longer on Theresa's face and she has an odd look on her face. I began to wonder if she was really Gael's wife for some reason. I thought maybe she worked for Saunders and was about to help him escape. It was that kind of weird look. Anyway as you'll see, my prediction streak of one came to a very quick end.
Saunders is situated in front of a bank of monitors. He looks suitably beaten yet somehow still arrogant. He doesn't have Syed Ali's pathetic shuffle. Instead he keeps his head up and walks as best as he can while in leg chains. Chloe phones Kim and orders her to come and help her with this, leaving Theresa with a CTU agent as she sadly cleans out Gael's desk.
On each of the monitors in front of Saunders there are images filling in a spot as they are transmitted by agents at the subway station. Each group of ten travelers are told they will have to have their photo taken and their belongings searched before they're allowed to leave. We focus in on one man nearing the cameras. He's a little twitchy and anxious about having a photo taken (remember he probably does not know that Saunders - his boss - has been taken down.) This must be Rabens. Nervous, but trying not to show it, he steps in front of the camera. Back at CTU Saunders sounds somewhat bored as he glances at the images. We pan over to find Theresa being led out of CTU carrying a box of her husband's things. As she passes Chloe's station, she pulls out a gun and plugs Saunders - just as the image of Rabens comes up on the monitor. She's screaming at everyone, her overwhelming grief for Gael evident as she's taken into custody for shooting Saunders. "He killed Gael! He killed Gael!" She shrieks over and over.
Jack asks for an update from Michelle only to be told that Saunders is dead, shot in the chest. Jack is dumbfounded. How the hell could that happen?? But it would take to long to explain to him why Theresa was there and why she shot him. For now Jack needs to just concentrate on alternative methods of getting Rabens.
Back at District, a very shaken Wayne enters David's office and breaks the news about Sherry and Julia. David is in shock. I don't think he's even registering half of what Wayne is trying to tell him. He backs up and just sort of falls onto a nearby sofa, unable to remain standing. With tears in his eyes he tells David that despite the pain they're both feeling, they're both politically free and clear. Unable to believe the fact that Wayne's even thinking about politics when he's just been told that the mother of his children has been murdered, he sends Wayne away. I think it was very interesting in this emotional scene to see remnants of some of the feelings David probably still has for Sherry. I think it was easy for him to despise her for the things she's done, and had been doing, but I don't think he was ever able to lose the feelings he once had for the woman he'd known nearly all his life, and once truly loved. So her death was a shock for him. David has his secretary get Keith and Nicole on the line to give them the bad news.
At the station, Jack and Chase have a quiet moment and a cup of coffee while the passenger search goes on. Chase tells Jack that he's transferring out of Field Ops. "I can still serve my country." he says. He'll just do it on the CTU floor instead. He tells Jack that he thinks Kim wants to make their relationship work, but only if he's not in the field anymore. And Chase also tells Jack its what he wants as well. He doesn't want to be detached from Kim or his daughter. In essence, he's telling Jack that what he as told the day before on the ride back from the prison was true, and he believes it now. Jack simply tells him that he will support whatever decision he makes, and walks away.
As Jack patrols the groups of passengers, his 'we've got a dodgy character here' radar is on full power and he sees a man at the back of the line in one of the groups. He's a little fidgety. It's Rabens, but Jack doesn't know it yet. Rabens has pulled a switchblade out of his bag and slipped it, open, into his pocket. When Jack looks away briefly, he takes off. Jack looks back and realizes the man is gone. As he and Chase race through the station they discover two policemen down, lying in rapidly spreading pools of blood. They had been stationed at an exit. Jack and Chase run up the stairs to the street to find a civilian stabbed on the ground with witnesses milling about. They tell Jack it was a carjacking and Jack calls for transportation. He and Chase leap into an arriving SUV after getting the direction the carjacker headed from one of the witnesses. Jack has also nicked the downed civilian's wallet, gotten his driver's license and ordered Michelle to get him a description of the man's car.
Michelle quickly goes to Hammond to update him, and to try and get him to release Tony for just a little bit because he's the best source they have for coordinating the search for Rabens. Hammond reluctantly agrees and Tony's back in play. Chloe follows traffic cams and spots Raben's car. Tony has several teams take off to intercept as Jack follows in pursuit. They soon have Rabens cornered so he leaps out of the car with his briefcase and runs into a building - a building full of junior high kids. It's a middle school full of kids my daughter's age. Eeesh.
Jack and Chase quickly enter the building while the rest of the agents lock it down. They begin a room to room search for Rabens while we hear an overhead announcement to the students and teachers to remain in their classrooms and lock the doors. Jack proceeds through several rooms, including a sort of lounge area, and he scares a class full of students as he whips around a corner in true Jack-and-Gun fashion. He settles them and moves on.
Meanwhile Chase has entered what looks like a science room and brings back unpleasant memories for me of the day we dissected the frogs in 7th grade, but I digress. As he checks the room, Rabens bolts out and flicks his knife at Chase, cutting him. A fight ensues between them and the bag with the device is flung across the room. The virus detonator slips out of the bag and both men desperately try to reach it. But as Rabens manages to get the drop on Chase who is nearly unconscious on the ground, he sees that Chase has clamped the device to his own wrist. The same wrist of the hand that has a bullethole in it. Unable to carry out his plans, Rabens activates the device and prepares to shoot Chase. But Jack shows up first and takes him out.
He rushes over to Chase and sees the device clamped to his wrist. Jack tries to open it , but the casing is titanium and impossible to break. Chase tells Jack that Rabens had no intention of trying to remove it which probably means there is no key per se. Jack radios Tony and has him connect with another group in the country who have already disarmed a device from one of the other couriers. Tony does, and soon Jack is being walked through the steps to disarm. There are only a few minutes left on the countdown. The other CTU agent tells Jack he needs to cut the green wire. The only problem is there is no bleedin' green wire. The agent tells him they will have to get back to him while they try and posit a solution. Chase valiantly tells Jack to get out of there but of course Jack refuses.
Chases sees Jack glance up and across the room momentarily, and I think Jack saw Chase look at him so he glanced back at the device. Chase follows Jack's glance and sees an axe behind glass across the room. Time is ticking down. The other agent still has not responded. "Do it Jack... It's okay." he says. Brave man. Jack obviously does not want to chop Chase's arm off but they are running out of time (I had to use that phrase at least once in this blog :D ). He goes to get the axe as Chase removes his own belt and fastens it around his arm as a tourniquet. As he squeezes his eyes shut and breathes heavily, Jack swings the axe and DAMN if he didn't chop Chase's arm off! I was hiding behind my fingers just then but I definitely heard the sickening 'thunk' as the axe came down. Chase screamed and passed out. He stuffs a nearby towel around Chase's bloody stump and grabs the device, heading back to a teacher's lounge he'd been in before and noticed a refrigerator. Refrigerators are air-tight and with just seconds to go, he shoves it in there and slams the door shut. With a 'poof', the timer goes off and smashes the vial where the virus floats harmlessly inside the refrigerator.
It's over.
Word has reached CTU of the successful containment of the virus because Jack had radioed for help for Chase as he was running with the virus. At CTU, Tony is taken back into custody. He's allowed a brief, passionate moment with Michelle where he tells her that he doesn't regret what he's done. She is alive and safe and that's all that matters to him. They have a great kiss and then Tony is led away. Goodbye Tony Almeida. Don't drop any soap.
Back to Jack who has arrived at a hospital (rather quickly if you ask me. I know I have to fanwank distances a little bit, but he was only at the school 5 or 6 minutes before and now he's at a hospital and Chase is in surgery... *chants to herself 'Literary license. Literary license. Literary license.') and his ringing cell phone. It's the President. David thanks Jack for his work and says the usual stuff about how the nation is safer because of him. He also tells Jack how sorry he is about making him kill Chappelle. Finally he informs Jack, out of respect for everything they've been through, that he will not be seeking re-election.
"Sir I think that is a mistake." Jack quietly says.
"Mistake or not, it's my decision." Palmer replies.
After hanging up with Jack, President David Palmer stands, puts on his jacket, and quietly walks to the elevator with Wayne and the red door closes on a brilliant character and wonderful actor who breathed life into him. Take it easy Mr. President.
Jack spends a moment pondering what he's just been told when Kim walks into the waiting room. They share a relieved hug and Jack relays info about Chase, who is undergoing surgery to reattach his hand. They hug once more and then Jack asks if she'll be staying there at the hospital. She is, so he tells her that he has some things to do but he'll be back later.
Outside, Jack hurries to his SUV and quickly gets inside. As he fumbles for his keys, the sheer force and weight of everything that happened during this day comes crashing down on him and he cries. He cries for Gael and for his sacrifice. He cries for Tony and the sacrifice he's about to make, and for Michelle and the nightmare she faced; first at the hotel, then at the hands of Saunders, and finally as she faces losing her husband. He cries for Claudia and her senseless death, and for the innocent prison guard forced to blow his own head off in front of him. He cries for the hundreds of people who died a horrible death at the Chandler Hotel and for the innocent girl he nearly purposely killed in the same horrifying manner. He cries for Ryan Chappelle who, though he was a bit of a prick, didn't deserve the death he was dealt. He cries for his daughter who loves someone just like him - the daughter he tries so hard to shield from harm but ends up in danger anyway. Mostly though, he cries for his own lost soul.
Suddenly there's a blip of static and a voice interrupts Jack. It's CTU asking him to come and help interrogate one of Saunders' couriers. Jack doesn't answer at first. A moment of indecision seems to be the vibe I get here. Should he answer and carry on serving his country? Or should he ignore it and quietly slip away... Wiping the tears from his eyes, Jack's broken voice answers.
"I'm on my way." Tick boom, tick boom.
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