As always, I’m liveblogging reaction to tonight’s episode of 24. Kids in bed and DVR queued up. SPOILERS after the break.
Hassan’s daughter Kayla tells her imprisoned boyfriend Tarin she’s told her father about their forbidden love. Tarin tells her that his crony Bashir is still loyal to him, and that he wants her to run away with him when he escapes. I predict trouble will ensue.
Dana and Cole are trying to figure out what to do at the crime scene. Cole: ”What’s done is done… We’ll put the bodies in the swamp… no one will miss them.”
CTU Director Hastings talking to the President. He updates her on Hassan losing control of the nuclear rods, and his plan to enlist Jack to recover them. Hastings tells WH advisor Weiss he won’t be helping to prosecute Renee and suggests Weiss should stay out of his way.
Jack is briefing the CTU team en route to pick up Farhad. Cut to President Taylor and President Hassan. She tells him about the underlying plot and requests intelligence files on all of Hassan’s intelligence assets within the US. Predictably, he doesn’t think this is a good idea. President Taylor gently suggests if there is an attack on the US she would authorize a strongly worded response be sent to his country. Predictably, he relents.
Tarin is being driven to the embassy by President Hassan’s security goons. In the shadows of the back seat he is trying to pick the lock. Tarin engages in chit chat with one of the goons in the front seat who says he doesn’t believe Tarin is guilty of treason. He is understandably surprised when Tarin gets his cuffs off and pulls gun, then forces all the goons out of the SUV. Hassan calls on the goon’s cell and gets frustrated when no one answers.
Cut back to the SUV. Tarin locks the goons in the back of the SUV and calls Kayla with a plan to rendevous at the hotel.
1:17 Hastings talks to hipster Hassan on the phone and tells him the cavalry is on the way. Farhad seems panicky and starts to run, immediately drawing fire from one of Samir’s guys. Jack arrives right away and tells Chloe he needs files immediately. Samir gets a report from the shooter about Farhad being shot.
The CTU team spreads out to look for the rods. Jack is talking to Farhad, desperate to keep him alive until the files arrive. Plans to show him pictures of agents in the country to determine who he was working with.
President Taylor in the ready room, getting casualty estimates on a potential dirty bomb detonation in NYC.
President Hassan gets a report from the goons about Tarin’s escape, and they tell him about the phone call with Kayla. She meets up with Tarin at the hotel and they embrace.
Farhad is dead.
Jack’s plan is to leak to the press that he survived to draw out an assassin to have someone else to interrogate.
1:29 Dana and Cole are weighting down the bodies to drop them in the lake. Wonder if they dug the bullets out to prevent ballistics evidence? Haven’t they seen CSI? Or even Matlock? Why isn’t anyone from CTU wondering where these guys are? They must take enough unscheduled nooners together that their coworkers just overlook their absences.
Samir finds out that Hassan is alive and will be at the hospital where he will be questioned. Samir plans to send Marcos, a different goon, who has an American mother who won’t be suspected. Marcos calls his mother (Mare Winningham!) from the truck where he’s guarding the rods. He pleads with her to leave the city, and tells her he will meet her at his Aunt Shelly’s. Samir comes in to give him his mission.
Jack and Hastings plan for an ambush on the way to the hospital. Jack takes a moment to motivate one of his nervous newbies.
1:39 President Hassan tells President Taylor he won’t be evacuating the city due to his missing daughter.
The CTU team arrives at the hospital. They enable facial recognition software within the hospital to scan for assassins. The facial recognition software helpfully focuses on non-Middle Eastern appearing men in an attempt to not inappropriately racially profile. How do they get software to be politically correct?
Renee calls Jack, telling him she’s been released. Jack: “I meant what I said earlier. When this is over I want to be there for you.” Renee: ”I’d like that.”
The facial recognition software identifies Marcos as a terrorist. He had been shown in the parking lot with what is presumably a suicide bomber vest. Chloe notices the trigger in his hand as he approaches and warns Jack. Chloe starts to work on a remote disarming feature but isn’t sure if she’ll have the right codes to do it. Jack warns the new CTU guy he had given motivating words to on the way over that Marcos is on his way in. I think I can see a red uniform under his body armor. The CTU guy, Owen, is visibly nervous. He stammers as he confronts Marcos. Marcos isn’t nervous at all. Owen gives him his weapon and leads him into the hospital.
1:51 Mrs. Hassan is on a plane and receives a call from the President. She tells him she’s leaving. He tells her that Kayla is missing. Surprise! She knew about the forbidden romance. He asks her to call Kayla since she won’t respond to him. Mrs. Hassan agrees.
Owen leads Marcos upstairs. Chloe tells Jack she can’t disarm the vest without a visual on it, Jack relays the info to the doomed red-shirt. He turns around and tells Marcos he doesn’t believe he has a bomb. He demands to see the bomb. Marcos opens his jacket, revealing the configuration to Chloe. Arlo enters the disarm code but isn’t doing it fast enough. The vest is disarmed and Jack moves in. Marcos tries to blow the vest and Owen jumps into action, but is knocked back by Marcos. Marcos shoots the dead corpse of Farhad. Jack comes in, tries to talk Marcos down, but Marcos jumps out the window presumably to his death… but he not only lives after dropping a couple of stories, but limps away. Marcos barricades himself in a pressure chamber.
Marcos calls Samir from his hideout. Samir tells Marcos he needs to set off his vest manually, and insists that Marcos can’t be taken alive. Jack tries to talk to him through the door, but Marcos breaks the camera with a determined look on his face.
Next week: Marcos attempts to arm the bomb. Kayla and Tarin engage in forbidden love. Some random guy is talking to Dana trying to locate her ex, Kevin Wade. Jack tells Marcos if he detonates the vest that his mother will also die, and maybe some kittens too. A teary Mare Winningham pleads with Marcos not to do it.
Hope next week has a little more action, and a little more crazy-Renee. Somebody holding Dana accountable for her poor work ethic would be good too, if only as a cautionary tale for others not to slack at work. Also, at some point my red-shirt prediction must come to pass.
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