Like a man on death row being saved from execution by that last minute call from the governor, Charles Logan was granted a reprieve from taking his own life by a bureaucratic slimeball not fit to lick Jack Bauer’s running shoes.
The betrayal by Miles – predicted here and everywhere – was nevertheless a shocking event thanks to the sheer nakedness of his power grab. Not for country, not for loyalty, not for love did Miles sell his soul and cast his lot with the traitors. He did it for his own personal aggrandizement, for advancement, for a seat at the table with the big boys.
It certainly was a tempting opportunity. After all, how many times in your life can you force the President of the United States to become beholden to you? What Miles doesn’t realize, of course, is that the President is never really in your debt – especially in life and death matters. Because once that tape is destroyed or in Logan’s hands, Miles becomes just another loose end to tie up, a man with a great big bullseye on his back. Henderson realized this and made the appropriate arrangements. But Miles does not appear to have that self-preservation instinct that separate true predators such as Henderson from other species. In short, Miles is living an illusion, a fact that he will probably realize before he dies a horrible, deserved death.
It was typical of Logan to take the easy way out and then try to justify his suicide by thinking that he was sparing the country a traumatic Presidential trial. When we first witnessed his transformation from simpering fool to evil conspirator, I thought that he might exhibit more of his darker side, the stubborn, ruthless manipulator. Instead, we see Graham (Mr. Big) running him like he was a mark, a grifter’s plaything, with the shadowy mastermind knowing exactly which emotional buttons to press and when to press them. Graham has always been the one in charge as he has played on Logan’s grandiloquent view of himself as super-patriot to advance the plot along. It appears now that the conspiracy was about oil after all, kind of a let down but typical of the venial nature and personality of Logan that he would see himself as some kind of savior rather than the tool he so obviously is.
Logan’s reprieve will be shortlived. One gets the feeling that even if Miles succeeds in destroying the evidence, Jack will find a way to mete out the rough justice that this jellyfish of a man so richly deserves.
SUMMARY
Even though he has the tape, Jack is hardly out of the woods. He realizes that with the plane landing, he will be vulnerable to being picked up by Logan loyalists and “disappeared” rather easily. Conferring with Bill and Granny Hayes, they all agree that Curtis should go out to the airport to meet him and bring him back to CTU. Jack asks about Audrey who is in the CTU infirmary being treated for her sliced vein.
And this is where we find Audrey when Curtis bursts in to inform her that her father Secretary Heller survived a 60 foot plunge off a cliff into a lake – upside down no less. Or, Heller bailed before the car went over the cliff. Curtis doesn’t say and frankly, we don’t need to know. It appears that the Secretary is either in negotiations with Fox or has already been signed for next year. One wonders if Jack will find it in his heart to forgive his future father in law for betraying him at the warehouse. Come to think of it, he had his own daughter hogtied to that pole as well. Wonder how Audrey feels about that?
Mr. Big gives Logan his marching orders about the shootdown. The plotters (who seem to have access to all sorts of technical wizardry) will fake a “VCI Distress Signal” which lets air traffic controllers know that a plane is hijacked and the pilot is planning on using the aircraft as a weapon of mass destruction. Logan seems to be having second thoughts until Graham reminds him of the consequences if that tape were to fall into the wrong hands.
Back at CTU, now that Jack has the tape, Granny releases Bill from custody. This is getting to be too much for Miles whose bureaucratic sense of protocols is being horrifically violated. His lower lip quivers at the impropriety of it all and one gets the sure sense that the tipping point for the lickspittle is coming soon.
At the ranch, Mike rushes in to tell Logan what he already knows about the VCI signal. In a pretty convincing act, Logan appears reluctant to shoot down the plane but with the Admiral in charge of air defense (?) egging him on, he appears to finally give in and order the plane shot out of the sky, much to Mike Novik’s displeasure and disbelief.
Almost immediately, CTU gets word of the shoot down order and Granny phones Jack to give him the bad news. Henderson’s pilot informs Jack that he needs at least 5,000 feet of runway and Jack gives Bill the task of looking for a landing area on the freeway. In the middle of this, Chloe walks casually back into CTU which really doesn’t sit well with Miles at all. In the situation room now with Bill and Granny, Chloe and the gang work to bring Jack safely down with that tape.
It’s not going to be easy. An F-18 is zeroing in on the plane while Bill finds a stretch of freeway that will just have to do – even though it’s only 4,000 feet – a thousand feet short of what the pilot requested but what’s 1,000 feet more or less for a 737? Jack phones Curtis who is somewhere in the Los Angeles metropolitan area to tell him of the landing zone.
Things are getting dicey on the plane. Chloe informs Jack that the F-18 will have missile lock shortly which spurs Jack to order the pilot to nose the plane over and go into a steep dive. The frightened pilot obeys as the passengers experience the absolute terror of an airplane about to crash. In a great series of cuts, we go from the cockpit of the plane, to the radar showing the proximity of the F-18, and back to the cockpit as the ground starts coming up to meet the diving plane. As the ground proximity alarm goes off, Jack and the pilot attempt to level the airliner off.
The F-18 pilot informs Logan that the plane is trying to land and that he’s got missile lock. For the briefest of moments, we hang suspended in mid-air as Logan frantically orders the shootdown to continue only to have Mike talk him out of it. Instead, he orders Marines to cordon off the area so that Jack can be picked up.
But Jack’s not on the ground yet. As the plane touches down, passengers are thrown all over the cabin as the jet fights to slow down before it runs out of freeway. Coming to a dead stop just yards from an overpass, the passengers begin an emergency disembarkation hurried along by Jack who ducks out the door over the wing and tries to disappear into the night.
Mr. Big doesn’t sound very confident as he hears the news that Jack and the plane made it down safely. Logan assures him that the Marines will pick him up and that all is well. We know better. Logan only sent two battalions of Marines to handle Jack which everyone knows will turn into a slaughter – of the Marines that is.
We’ll never find out because Curtis arrives precisely where he needs to; on the other side of the freeway. Jack hops in and things are starting to look up for the boys until they run into a roadblock of some very mean looking Marines. But Curtis is able to bluff his way through and Jack heads to CTU with the tape that will bring Logan’s political career to an end.
Before Jack arrives however, Miles has had enough. Watching Bill and Chloe walk around scott free after helping Jack, who he believes to be a federal fugitive, violates every rule he’s got crammed into that bureaucratic brain of his. He threatens Granny with exposure unless let in on the secret. Hayes realizes she has no choice and fills in her long time assistant who is shocked, just shocked at the lapse in protocols. After telling him “It’s imperative this stay between us,” Granny gets back to work while the rest of us know full well there’s not much chance Miles will keep his promise.
Hayes moves on to the transfer of the terrorist Bierko who after politely informing the thug he will enjoy the hospitality of CTU’s main holding facility, makes his way to the van where we see significant looks of recognition exchanged between the driver of the van and Bierko. One begins to wonder if CTU recruitment posters are plastered all of the walls of terrorist hideouts worldwide, so easy it is to infiltrate this organization.
At the ranch, Mike gives Logan the good/bad news about Jack escaping the Marine dragnet. Looking like a little lost boy, Logan realizes the jig is up and immediately begins to think of a way out. Only one door appears to be opening and we all see it – suicide.
Jack’s reunion with Audrey at the CTU infirmary is too tender, too affecting not to set off warning bells in our heads. Since Jack is destined not to be happy in his life, we can only surmise that the clock is ticking on Audrey and it’s only a matter of time and the manner of her death that are in question.
The President’s conversation with Mr. Big is not very revealing. We already know his decision to kill himself has been made. I found it interesting when he said that “a trial would expose certain ‘harsh realities’ that should never see the light of day.” Typical politician who doesn’t trust the American people with the truth. After hanging up, we see the nice, shiny, silver automatic pistol that Charles has brought to his desk in a beautiful wooden box.
With Logan resigned to his fate, he makes one last visit to Martha in order to ask her forgiveness. Martha ain’t drinkin’ that Kool Aid:
LOGAN: I want to tell you how sorry I am for everything.
MARTHA: When you forget to give me something for my birthday, that’s when you say you’re sorry.
She congratulates him on being such a good liar; “If I wasn’t so horrified by the fact that I’m married to you, I’d actually be impressed.” And with that, Charles goes back for the gun.
Sitting at his desk, he looks perfectly comfortable with his decision. A last look around. A last drink (Single malt scotch? Good choice.) And then Miles oozes over the phone with his offer of salvation that Logan grabs onto with the gusto of a shipwreck survivor being tossed a lifeline. We don’t wonder about what motivates Miles to turn traitor when Logan says “Miles, I won’t forget this.” To which the snake replies “That’s all I wanted to hear.”
Reprieved indeed.
BODY COUNT
I’m very glad I didn’t add Heller to the body count which means I don’t have to take him off. And Mr. Death is certainly well rested as for the second week in a row, nary a soul is sent packing.
JACK: 30
SHOW: 184
SPECULATION
I apologize for neglecting to post the speculation on Sunday night as I promised but real life briefly intruded and I had to forgo the pleasure.
We’ll try it again this week.
UPDATE
It’s Jack Bauer Appreciation Day at Blogs4Bauer. Stop by and appreciate Jack! And while you’re there, check out the best summaries and photoshops in the 24 universe.
8:59 am
One of the annoying tactics the writers take is when they’re desperate for a new plot twist, they go in a direction that is totally unsupported by anything that had happened so far that day. For example, in year 1, Nina is revealed as bad towards the end of the day when she tries to screw Jack… yet, if she was bad, why didn’t she screw him any of the other 25 times she had the chance that day? This year, it’s Miles going bad… here is the perfect bureaucratic munchkin, following protocols and orders to the T, the guy who has been seemingly content for years to follow in Hayes’ shadow, who just 10 minutes earlier was pissed off because the rules weren’t being followed… and he’s the guy who goes freelancing?
9:03 am
To be more true to actual historical events, you should refer to Miles as Miles “McCarthy”.
9:20 am
Each episode prompts further questions: whatever happened to Wayne Palmer, the wounded gal (vital tape retriever) & her daughter? We assume they’re at CTU. Where has the Veep been hiding? Will Aaron re-surface for the 2 hr. finale? Was I the only one who forgot Bierko was being held at CTU? How did Bierko’s terrorist buddy end up driving the CTU van? How many more of those evil ones are out there? Are they loyal to Henderson(H) or to Mr. Big? If they are still linked with H, will they spring him from CTU? Will Miles aid in H’s escape? Will Audrey be killed in that fray? Here’s hoping Miles is. With the tape probably destroyed, how will H ensure his survival? Did he have time to make a copy? Does H know of Mr. Big’s existence? Will Mr. Big manipulate Logan & H so that they kill each other, or arrange for a dual elimination? I don’t believe Logan would have killed himself. His is the heart of a chickenshit, but his wife would gladly pull that trigger. Thought for sure we’d learn more about Mr. Big, but no, not yet.
9:20 am
Just for once I would like to view the show as it should be seen, everyone SITTING down at their monitors. Does anyone but 24 people stand up at their computors? I can’t ever just pass by and think I’ll click on email and take a look, NNOOOO, my little arrow darts all over the place so I bend down lower to steady it and finally am able to point and click! These super clickers do it all in a days work, 24, hell I would need 48 to just read Drudge!
9:24 am
I wonder where the President, Chief of Staff, etc. have the time, what with GS-nothings regularly calling to report nefarious goings-ons in their local office. Maybe LA just really is that important, but somehow I figure if the Agent in Charge of the LA office of the FBI called the White House he’d get about as far as anyone else, but whatever.
Obviously the tape is blank, hence Miles repeatedly asking Karen if she’d listened to it, and of course the previews suggest that he was able to destroy it when he visited Chloe. My assumption is that the Sec. Def. will recover sufficiently towards the end of the next episode to be able to verify what was on the tape and rebut the presumption that everyone is going to have for the next 30 minutes that Jack made up the whole thing.
As for Audrey, no unfortunately I don’t think they’ll knock her off. The painful (and long) moment Jack spent with her would in years past have been time he spent with Kim, and unfortunately they haven’t managed to kill Kim off yet, so I don’t think we could be that lucky with Needlenose either.
9:28 am
Sorry, folks, I forgot my Main Question: if the incriminating tape was the MIT, Most Important Thing, why wasn’t Chloe in a room surrounded by armed guards with a Nobody Gets In Without Authorization standing order?
9:44 am
I’m rather surprised that after Miles’ outburst towards Granny that Granny didn’t demand to hear that tape the very second that Jack walked into CTU —never mind that whole “clean this tape up” crap.
And ONE F/A-18? Never happen. You ALWAYS send two—in case one has problems.
9:46 am
Once CTU finds out the tape has been destroyed and they find out it was Miles, Grandma Hayes will step aside and Bill will start running CTU again. The last two hour show he will be in charge.
I said before this season is about two people. Jack and the President. They are going to meet and I think Jack will kill him. Maybe the president will somehow catch Jack and pull out his fancy automatic and get ready to shoot Jack, but his wife shoots the president. She is in really bad shape. It doesn’t help to just sit there and watch President Palmers death coverage on TV either.
I also think they have enough evidence on Loagan without the tape. To many people know stuff now. I think Mr.Big is getting worried. He is starting to drink. maybe Logan will rat him out in the end. These people can’t get away with what they have done.
9:56 am
I just want to pay respect to Gregory Itzin and the writers for giving us a real treat – the shoot-down order was the first time, in my estimation, that we got to see President Evil Jellyfish do his dithering act while having all the information that he had. Very well done.
10:02 am
Yeah, I know family and all but Jack does not let his family impair him when duty calls! ggggggggeeeeeezzzzzzzzsssssssssss and now my Chloe and laptop doesn’t work and it’s all your fault!
Maybe Chloe has done all work necessary on tape and CTU Team is setting up an informer that they feel is there (after all they always have a rat inside)
Audrey is still not out of the woods yet, she could of been turned by Henderson, in her grief in losing Jack last season she turns to a traitor. Audrey finds in the after action of last season she has a NEED FOR SPEED and the humdrum daily bordem was
1“sapping the life out of her.” Also she was apparentely not working for ole daddy with all the glitz. Plus working for daddy cost you plenty in the pretty dress department, not to mention matching purse and shoes, sometimes gloves and hat. The very idea of going back to the cocktail circut grated on her nerves so she chose to work at CTU (one comfortable outfit required)Grated on her nerves, now there is a group of words that brings Audrey to mind!
1too late, she showed up last season already SAPPED!Is it posssible to allow a Spell Check at this site? It would inhanse ur vocabeularry…........really
and yes, I am still whinning regarding my Chloe predick
10:06 am
i always await with baited breath for the night’s “chloe-ism” and alas, i was sorely disappointed. she was silent throughout. mrs. logan somewhat made up for it, though.
i can’t believe it’s all coming to an end. i hate it when that happens.
10:11 am
24 Update
By Rick Moran at Right Wing Nut House
Like a man on death row being saved from execution by that last minute call from the governor, Charles Logan was granted a reprieve from taking his own life by a bureaucratic slimeball not fit to lick Jack Bauer’...
10:13 am
Defense Geek observations on the “admiral”—technically I think this op would be run from NORAD, and as a joint command there are admirals on that staff, in fact the current commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command is Admiral Keating (4 Star). So… the question I have is why the President isn’t talking directly with that commander, not a measly two star (Remember “WarGamesâ€, back in 1983 the President got to talk with a full general)? In view of the events of the day it is most likely that himself would be at Cheyenne Mountain, even at 4AM (mountain time). As far as using an F/A18 (typically a Navy or Marine Aircraft) NORAD would task the op to whichever “alert†base was in the best position to respond. It probably should have been an Air Force asset out Cannon AFB New Mexico or perhaps Nellis AFB Nevada. An F/A18 would likely have come from MCAS Miramar or if Navy, North Island San Diego. Since scrambling from these bases would have created a tail chase situation (when Jack was east bound), it is not likely this would have been NORAD’s first choice. On the other hand the F/A18 is shown on CTU’s radar repeater approaching from the East… so where did he come from? My guess is he was on a training flight out of MCAS Yuma AZ (Training site not usually tactical). But of course there is still the tail chase problem, now that Jack is West bound….
10:25 am
John @ 10:13 am
you are correct, we bad!
11:00 am
who else thought that logan was going to shoot his wife and make it look like she killed him then killed herself?
11:09 am
Brent I thought Logan was going to kill his wife first then kill himself. But she did a good job of cutting him down.
11:48 am
I still want to know why a) Jack didn’t listen to the tape when he got it from Evans b) why (I agree) Karen and Bill didn’t listen to the tape before Chloe started working on it and c) WHY THE HELL DIDN’T CHLOE MAKE A BACK UP OF IT
!!
11:49 am
I love the accuracy in 24, their attention to detail, their neverending search for authenticity….
“Give me the coordinates….”
“3450.2n 110 11030.4w…..”
which puts us east south east of Winslow AZ….so much for the 118!
I’m just poking fun folks, I do love the show…..
12:13 pm
I am almost as much of a religious reader of Blogs4Bauer as I am for watching 24, hence my dissapointment this morning when there was no typically hilarious blow by blow of last evenings episode. Whatupwitdat?
Thank you for at least filling that void (even though yours is not funny) in my Tuesday morning!
Great job on the play by play.
12:38 pm
I still say that Martha shots Jellyfish dead.
2:17 pm
brent said:
who else thought that logan was going to shoot his wife and make it look like she killed him then killed herself?
I did as well. As soon as he opened the portable gun cabinet (why would the Secret Service allow a loaded handgun in there?), I told my wife that it looks like it could be a murder-suicide and he’ll make it look like she killed him. (After all, is it not required for viewers to think of the unthinkable as do the writers?)
To speculate or not to speculate?—that is the question! I would not be surprised to see Kim and her psyco-therapist companion return for a command performance. I don’t believe he “made” her aquaintance by accident (he could be keeping track of Kim in case Jack contacts her). Remember that Henderson and his wife visited Kim during Jack’s “Rip Van Winkle interlude” and Kim’s new friend could be working for H.
If the show was named “25”, Logan would have been able to enjoy a fine cigar along with the single-malt scotch (If you gotta go, go in style).
2:29 pm
I failed to mention that I am not too pleased with Audrey’s lack of modesty. Shows lack of character as well. This continues to worry me,....sorry – going’dark for now
4:14 pm
I could not believe that Weasel was actually prepared to blast his empty head all over the place.
And Miles damaging the tape was so predictable!
4:21 pm
Apropos of nothing, here’s a couple more observations on last night’s episode:
1) I dunno about you guys, but I’m a little suprised at Logan’s choice of a manly .45 as his personal sidearm. It just seems out of character to me. I would have thought a cute but wimpy .22 or .25 auto would have been more his style…assuming he wasn’t a total Gun-Fearing Wussy. Or that Logan’s preferred method of suicide would be slitting his wrists in the bathtub after taking an entire box of Sominex.
2) At least next week’s previews gave us an idea of what happened to Aaron the Super Secret Service Agent. And we also got to see Henderson telling Jack that while he (Jack) couldn’t touch the criminal masterminds behind this season’s events, they could certainly touch Jack.
Which sounds to me like poor Kimmy is about to return to the show…as, yet again, a hostage. Arrgh.
...On the bright side: she does look cute in duct tape…
4:36 pm
If Kim comes back please include the menacing mountain lion.
4:38 pm
Poor Kimmy, she can’t put two thoughts together so if she is swept up off the streets she will think that she is being auditioned for American Idol!
Jack, maybe less then vigorous (spellcheck,humm?) in his fatherely response to this threat, can’t blame him. Unfortunaly Jack knows his duties and never fails to address it, she may be the death of him. Think about it.
“A new can of worms”
9:20 pm
Wes S., talk about previews: did anyone else see the OTHER preview, tonight, toward the end of House, in which we see Bierko (who hasn’t been mentioned much here, OMG) with a URP GAS CANISTER?!? A huge surprise was utterly spoiled by this dastardly preview. Damn, I hate previews.
Or would it really be a surprise to think our Russian terrorist buddy was just running off to the Bahamas for a wee bit of RnR?
9:21 pm
Uh, that URP was supposed to be “asterisk URP asterisk”, not boldface… whatevah.
4:31 am
the 118 fwy is a smallish freeway that runs along the north side of the San Fernando Valley, from Burbank to Simi Valley, and just south of it, between Woodley and Balboa a bit west of the 405 is Van Nuys Airport, which lands jets, and a few miles east is Burbank Airport, which lands jets, so, living in teh valley about two miles from Van Nuys Airport, the “we’re a hundred miles from an airport, but there’s the 118 really made me say “HEY…DO SOME EFFIN HOMEWORK AND MAKE “EM AT LEAST LAND IN THE DESERT.’ Fact is, it’s hard to fly in SoCal and not be within a hundred miles of an airport that can handle a jet….lots of old bases still being used for air cargo and such.
9:35 am
Maybe the landing on the expressway was a “tip of the hat” to our president IKE who charged all highways in America to have so much of the road in a straight line so as to help out planes in distress. IKE was responsible for our inter-states. Actually it has worked well for years, especially in the small RV industry. Just thought I would add this info on planes landing on roads.
10:46 am
Been thinking about Heller’s part in this, his grand-standing with the tape. He goes to the prez and demands, single-handly, that he leaves office because he has the goods on him, how well did that work for him? That nimble tongued devil got the best of him. Got his ass handed to him, thought that Heller was forced to hand in his resignation. What happended to that part of the story?
But apparently he is still on the job, flying gov.plane, gov.aides and all. Now he pulls this other heroic stunt, “I goin’ to drive off the cliff, in car” That showed’em. BUT apparently he didn’t really go thru with that duty either. HE LIVES, HE LIVES ! How the hell did that happen?
7:52 pm
I’m also curious why SecDef Heller is still alive. I suspect his role in the 2-hour season finale will be one of the loose ends to tie up. Maybe William Devane is signed on for next season.
4:20 pm
If Kim gets kidnapped by her therapist/boyfriend/Zen Breathing master, rememeber I said it in last weeks blog.