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Liam Carey summarises
Broadcast on
BBC2, Sunday, 10pm
BBC Choice, Friday, 10.30pm (rpt)
- Running time: 45 minutes
- Year: 2001-2002
- Sound: Dolby Surround
- Languages: English
- Widescreen: 1.77:1 (16:9)
- 16:9-Enhanced: Yes
Directors:
Stephen Hopkins, Jon Cassar, Davis Guggenheim, Winrich Kolbe, Bryan Spicer
Producers:
Michael Loceff, Andrea Newman and Cyrus I. Yavneh
Creators/Writers:
Joel Surnow & Robert Cochran
Music:
Cast:
Jack Bauer: Kiefer Sutherland
Teri Bauer: Leslie Hope
Nina Myers: Sarah Clarke
Kimberly Bauer: Elisha Cuthbert
Senator David Palmer: Dennis Haysbert
Sherry Palmer: Penny Johnson
Rick: Daniel Bess
Tony Almeida: Carlos Bernard
Carl: Zach Grenier
Mandy: Mia Kirshner
Jamey Farrell: Karina Arroyave
District Director George Mason: Xander Berkeley
Milo Pressman: Eric Balfour
Alan York: Richard Burgi
Dan: Matthew Carey
Alexis Drazen: Misha Collins
Andre Drazen: Zeljko Ivanek
Ira Gaines: Michael Massee
Janet York: Jacqui Maxwell
Ryan Chappelle: Paul Schulze
Keith Palmer: Vicellous Reon Shannon
Alberta Green: Tamara Tunie
Elizabeth Nash: Kara Zediker
WARNING: Spoilers are contained
throughout this season one synopsis.
When does a day last 6 months? Answer: in "24",
the latest import from the USA that serves up an action-packed, conspiracy-fuelled
political drama. Each weekly dose covers 60 minutes in the crucial day of the
California Presidential Primary. Why these particular 24 hours should be of
such importance soon becomes clear, as a carefully-orchestrated plan to assassinate
a prominent US senator is discovered by the CTU (Counter-Terrorism Unit) just
after 12.00am on the fateful day.
When does an hour last 45 minutes? Answer: in "24", the programme's much-trumpeted
concept, which it immediately spells out in the minimalistic opening
to the series, of playing out the entire timeline quite literally minute by
minute. However, due to the demands of US television, "24" has to allow for
the inevitable commercial breaks during a 60-minute slot, losing a quarter of
the supposed real-time action in the process. These gaps are reflected by
onscreen displays that the time in the show has also elapsed during the interim.
The early episodes of "24" are directed by Stephen Hopkins, he of the
1998 remake of
Lost In Space,
as well as
The Ghost & The Darkness,
Under Suspicion and Blown Away. Here, the oft-maligned Hopkins
creates a taut, tense and sometimes explosive experience, heavy on detail and
atmosphere, while unafraid to treat the subject matter with a stylish faux-realism.
Think of the X-Files with Michael Mann behind the camera, and
you're getting warm.
This summary tracks the episodes broadcast weekly on BBC2. Note that digital
viewers can keep one week ahead of this action by watching BBC Choice straight
after the BBC2 episode has finished in a marketing ploy to make people watch
their little channel.
Background information:
None presented upon entry. "24" throws the viewer straight into the action,
right on the stroke of midnight. Information is revealed over subsequent installments
on a strictly need-to-know basis. Concentration therefore recommended, but
helpful summaries are offered prior to every new episode.
Central Personnel:
- Jack Bauer, head of Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU), Los Angeles branch. Military
training and experience. Father of teenage daughter Kimberly, and recently
reuinted with estranged wife Teri.
- Senator David Palmer, on course to make history by becoming the first Afro-American
US president. Married to Sherry. One son.
- Nina Myers, chief-of-staff at CTU, and loyal assistant to Jack Bauer. Pair
rumoured to have had relationship during latter's split with spouse.
- Tony Almeida, professional (and possibly personal) colleague of Myers.
- Jamey Farrell, highly regarded computer security expert. Entrusted with
extremely sensitive material.
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Information transmitted from an agent based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia reports
that an attempt on the life of Senator Palmer is to take place in Los Angeles
within a matter of hours. A senior CTU officer visits Bauer's department,
but the reason for his presence is kept secret from all but Jack himself.
There is evidence to suggest that someone from within the bureau is in on the
hit. Bauer, with his previous record of successfully weeding out "dirty" agents,
is felt to be the only trustworthy means of finding who is behind the
assassination, and foiling them.
Meanwhile, just prior to Jack's summoning from his bosses, he and wife Teri
discover their teenage daughter Kimberly has snuck out of the house. A
secret rendezvous with her best girlfriend and the promise of some serious
partying beckons, but all is not as it seems...
The final thread of "24"'s unfolding drama begins on an overnight flight
headed for L.A., where a foreign photographer appears to be finalising some
suspiciously conspiratorial plans for the following day. His calls to Senator
Palmer's office concerning their meeting for breakfast are overheard by an
attractive young woman sitting in the adjacent seat, who then ellicits as
much information as possible before seducing the photographer and later
stealing his ID. With the passengers and crew unaware of her movements, she
coolly detonates a bomb located on the plane, having just seconds before
jumped to parachuted safety.
When news of the doomed flight reaches the CTU, concern is raised over its
possible connection to the planned attempt on Palmer.
STATUS UPDATE: Attempt on Senator's life already set in motion by unknown
assailant(s), who may also have been responsible for mid-air explosion of
commercial plane. CTU immediately on the case, but efficiency undermined by
suspicion of a mole within bureau.
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The need for absolute secrecy surrounding Jack's beat-the-clock mission
starts to cause problems amongst his staff, particularly Tony. An emergency
meeting at a neutral venue between Richard Walsh (the CTU agent who was
originally tipped off) and a colleague with crucial hard evidence is ambushed,
leading to Bauer's arrival on the scene. Managing to get away unscathed and
in possession of said evidence, Jack has to entrust Nina with covering-up his
absence, and enlist Jamey to helping decrypt the CTU keycard which has
suddenly become of paramount importance in the Palmer case. To further
complicate matters, the keycard is then revealed to be Nina's.
On the other side of town, Kimberly realises she and her friend Janet are
part of a kidnap organised by "other people" besides the two drug-addled
frat-boys holding them hostage in their van, who are simply following the
orders of someone called Gaines. Her reluctance to follow the boys' orders
results in violence and a fraught phone-call to Teri, wherein she attempts to
pretend everything is fine.
Mandy, the consummate femme-fatale who blew up an aircraft while still in
the sky herself, returns to base with the first part of her mission
apparently accomplished. The pilfered ID card was necessary for a fellow
terrorist to convincingly assume the photographer's identity with the aid of
plastic surgery.
As yet, David Palmer is utterly oblivious to the escalating chaos. His
main worry is a phone-call from a promient newscaster an hour earlier, which
involved an allegation of some sort which the Senator is reluctant to discuss
with his family. Only when he has already gone AWOL from his campaign HQ to
meet a trusted aide, is the truth about the planned assassination mentioned
to his wife by recently-arrived security personnel.
STATUS UPDATE: The potential dirty agent is Nina Myers, identified from CTU
keycard responsible for death of two agents within an hour. Bauer's daughter
still missing, with foul play now suspected. No closer to tracing assailants
due to arrive in town at any time. Investigations still hampered by mutual
mistrust among senior CTU staff.
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Jack suffers the embarrassment of falsely accsuing Nina of being the mole
when it transpires her computer terminal was hacked into, as the keycard's
data was created when she was on vacation with him.
Gaines steps up his activities, and everything continues according to plan
despite a botched double-cross by Mandy's lesbian lover. Janet is almost as
fatally removed from the equation after she and Kimberly make a desperate
run for freedom. Just before the latter's recapture, they manage to contact
Kimberly's mother from a borrowed mobile phone.
The underground car-park meeting between Senator Palmer and Carl addresses
their need to cover-up the allegation brought forward earlier during Palmer's
phone call, which claims to implicate his son in a murder.
When news of Walsh's death is leaked via a CTU memorandum, it's seen by an
increasingly suspicious Tony who then decides to take some drastic measures
against Bauer.
STATUS UPDATE: Identity of dirty CTU agent still a mystery, now Nina Myers
has been exonerated. Kimberly Bauer's latest phone-call confirms her disappearance
is a genuine kidnapping. Senator Palmer's family now fully aware of the
situation.
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The whole CTU office is "locked down" by Distrtict Director Mason as a result
of Tony alerting him to Jack's covert activities, but not before Bauer has
time to leave the building in persuit of a new lead in the Palmer case. Mason
uses all his wiles during his interrogation of Nina and Jamey, trying to
find out where Jack has gone.
Upon his return to the campaign HQ, the Senator is initially dismissive when
briefed on the impending attempt on his life. Eventually convinced of its
seriousness, he then confides to Sherry what he knows about their son's
alleged misdemeanour.
Kidnappers Dan and Rick's control over their particular situation loosens
further, as Janet's body is picked up by an ambulance just before they can
recover it themselves.
Jack intercepts someone in the vast warhouse complex that matched an address
contained on the CTU keycard, and in the aftermath of a prolonged chase, he
succeeds in capturing them... but only at a price.
STATUS UPDATE: Jack uncovers a link between his daughter's abduction and the
Palmer conspiracy. Gaines not told about loss of Janet, who may prove vital
in giving incriminating evidence against his operation...if she is still
alive, of course. Senator Palmer nows doubt his son's innocence.
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While Jack strives to obtain access to Pentikoff, the arrested suspect now in
the LAPD's custody, Alan York (father of Janet) and Teri finally make it to
the hopsital where they had been told an unidentified young girl was taken..
Their attempts to get there sooner were delayed by a jobsworth Police officer
who caught them speeding to the area given by Kimberly in her last, frightened
phone call.
Senator Palmer arranges an impromptu tete-a-tete with Maureen Kingsley, the
newcaster about to go public with the story of Palmer's son Keith. Despite a
friendship going back to the start of their respective careers, the private
meeting reaches an uneasy stalemate when Kingsley refuses to back down.
Palmer's subsequent confrontation with Keith only causes further bad blood.
Pentikoff's escape from the police station - now under the watchful eye of Director
Mason - is ingeniously masterminded by Jack, after details of his link with
Gaines - and ultimately Kimberly - necessitate the ability of Pentikoff to
take an all-important phone call at a pre-arranged location. Failure to do so
would have had dreadful consequences for the Bauer family. Pentikoff's
rendezvous is completed, but just as he and Jack find the abandoned vehicle
left by Gaines with instructions to dispose of the trunk's contents, Mason
intercepts again. Backed into a corner, Bauer tells the District Director the
truth behind what's been going on, and why he has acted so covertly during the
last 4 hours. Mason opts to take Pentikoff back for further questioning
himself, and lets Jack continue his mission unhindered, with the parting shot:
"this conversation never happened, okay?".
Regular updates from Teri to Jack via his mobile phone report the latest
developments at the hopsital, where Janet - unconscious and barely alive - continues
to require extensive emergency surgery. Ira Gaines has, by this point, also
been informed that Janet is not in fact dead after all. The hapless Dan,
oblivious to Gaines' clearly-psychotic tendencies, agrees to a sudden change
of plans despite Rick's warning that it might be wise to get out while they
can. When they meet Gaines as instructed, there are inevitable consequences
for the boys' bungled kidnapping.
Just before 5am, Janet York flatlines while still on the operating table.
STATUS UPDATE: Director Mason finally aware of Palmer assassination plans,
and of Jack Bauer's designated role in preventing hit by uncovering dirty agent
inside CTU. One of the kidnappers executed by Gaines after failure to recapture
both girls, one of whom may now be dead anyway. Senator Palmer powerless
to prevent impending crisis over son's alleged murder of the man who raped
his sister. Mutilated body of unkown caucasian male found in trunk of car
left for Pentikoff.
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As the hospital's surgeons continue their attempts to save Janet, the
unidentified corpse found by Jack is delievered to a waiting Nina at the CTU.
An immediate and complete autopsy is carried out at Bauer's behest, while he
goes to meet Teri and Alan.
Senator Palmer summons Carl to his suite for a showdown over the covering-up
of Keith's alleged guilt without his knowledge, only to discover the truth
is even worse than he feared. All Palmer's family, including his wife, had
decided to hush the matter up so as not to jeopardise his poiltical career.
The Senator tells Carl to get out - and never come near him again - before
confronting Sherry with this latest revelation. She admits everything, but
insists that coming clean would not only end his chances of getting elected,
but would mean Keith going to jail. Palmer tells her it's too late to stop
the truth becoming public knowledge.
Meanwhile, at the scene of Dan's killing by Ira Gaines, Rick is told to bury
the body in the woods. Gaines then disappears, with a defiant Kim in tow.
Upon Jack's arrival at the hospital he finds that Janet is finally out of the
operating theatre, although still too fragile to answer any questions.
Teri, until she's made aware of the bigger picture shortly after, voices an
objection to her husband's line of questioning to Alan York, not realising that
there is more to the situation. But no sooner has Jack confided the enormity
of the night's events to her, than he gets a call on his mobile from Gaines
who despite the tightened Hospital security somehow has control of the building's
CCTV cameras.
Forced to obey Gaines instructions or lose Kimberly forever, Bauer leaves the
hospital - all the while on his phone - without an explanation to Teri.
In the underground parking lot, a designated car is waiting. "Prove to me my
daughter's still alive before I go any further", he tells Gaines, at which
point Kimberly is briefly given the line. Satisfied, Jack follows yet more
orders to drive back to the CTU with Gaines in permanent contact via a small
device inserted in Bauer's ear.
Palmer's chief-of-staff is awoken by the Senator to discuss the best course
of action, as the scandal is bound to break in a matter of hours. He offers
reassurances that all is not necessarily lost, that voters forgive and the
main presidential election is still 6 months way... time for the public's
confidence to be restored, but only if Palmer immediately confesses he was
never told of his son's part in the rapist's death until tonight and does so
with his family beside him.
Both Teri and Nina find they cannot get hold of Jack on his mobile, which was
discarded at Gaines' insistence. With Bauer otherwise occupied, Alan York
is able to visit the stricken Janet alone in the Intensive Care Unit. However,
she doesn't know who he is. "Who are you? Where's my father?" she breathlessly
enquires between gasps of oxygen. A struggle ensues as York forcefully
tries to suffocate her and despite the girl's initial resistence he quickly
succeeds. Leaving the ICU without suspicion, he fends off the waiting Teri's
enquiries about Janet with lies ("she's doing okay... in a couple of hours
she'll be out of danger") and some false information which Janet supposedly
gave him concerning Kimberly's whereabouts.
The mutilated body is identified through a unqiue surgical pin found in one
of the legs, but Nina - unable to locate Jack - has to relay the information
to Teri, who is on her way to a Bel Air address with York in his car. Nina
asks her to tell Jack they've got a name for the victim: Alan York.
STATUS UPDATE: Janet York murdered in hospital bed by imposter masquerading
as her father since 23.00pm the previous day, an hour before the girls'
disappearance. Gaines, having cornered Jack Bauer, using surveillance equpiment
to control and monitor his activities. David Palmer bracing himself for the
most crucial test of his whole life; to publically reveal the details of his
son's part in a murder and the resulting cover-up by the rest of his family...
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The sun is up, and the streets of LA begin to stir with morning activity. Gaines
tells his surgically-altered assassin with the dead photographer's ID to head
out to the Senator Palmer breakfast meeting. Palmer, meanwhile, tries one last
time to convince Keith to appear with him for the planned announcement. Jack
nears the CTU, and is given more instructions by Gaines through the earpiece.
A new keycard is to be switched with the one recovered earlier by Bauer, which
is now tantalisingly close to being decoded after several hours.
On the road to Bel Air, Teri - having feigned travel sickness - successfully
escapes from "Alan York"'s car. Unfortunately, her emergency mobile phone call
to the CTU backfires. Expecting to be rescued, she is instead picked up by more
of Gaines' men, and taken away with them. Somebody has tipped them off, but
the only person who Teri spoke to was Jamey. Surely not...?
At Gaines' HQ, Rick's request to leave (now his part of the agreement has been
fulfilled) is refused, prompting the latter to finally agree with Kimberly's
plans to escape. Despite a couple of close-calls, the pair make it to the
perimeter fence. No sooner have they dug a shallow trench underneath, than
Kimberly overhears her mother being forcibly led into the compound. She decides
to return to her cell, abandoning her bid for freedom.
The pressure's on Jack to find a way of switching key cards without drawing
attention to himself at the CTU. Using the oldest diversion trick in the book,
he manages to pull it off just as an exasperated Gaines is losing patience. By
the time Milo, a freelance decoding expert brought in by Nina Myers when Jamey
couldn't crack the code quickly enough, figures out what's happened, it's too
late. Bauer, confronted by Nina about the alleged switch and informed of the
Alan York situation, appears to lose his nerve. With Gaines calling the shots,
he escorts her from the complex at gunpoint, hiding the firearm beneath a
jacket.
After an emotional conversation with his daughter, and then another showdown
with Sherry, David Palmer starts to have second thoughts over the long-term
wisdom of going public with his side of the murder story. Against his natural
instincts, he contemplates his wife's idea of finding something on Maureen
Kingsley that will force her to back down. "Everyone's got a past....", she
tells him.
Nina is ordered by Jack to drive them to a disused industrial site. The location
is gradually revealed by Gaines as they travel through the early morning
traffic, tailed by another car. Upon their arrival, Gaines instructs Bauer to
kill Nina, or else his wife and daughter will die. After a frantic few moments,
in which an unbelieving Nina fears everything Jack's told her is a lie, the
deed is shockingly done. A series of bullets to the chest, and Myers' body
falls backwards and plunges down an embankment. Satisfied she's dead, Gaines
lets the two vehicles drive off, leaving Jack to complete whatever the next
awful task may be.
Tony, reduced to a peripheral figure and still excluded from the truth behind
everyone's actions, once again expresses misgivings over the latest sequence
of events. In the absence of both Jack and Nina, he now holds the superior
rank and uses his temporary status to demand CCTV footage from Jack's office
for the 10 minutes leading up to his departure. Initially stunned by what he
sees, his curiosity is aroused when he notices the coat Jack wraps around Nina
to disguise the gun) is in fact a bulletproof jacket. Why?
Nina, battered and bruised by both the fall and the bullets' impact, regains
consciousness. Somehow she's still alive....
STATUS UPDATE:
Teri joins Kimberly Bauer as prisoner/hostage at Ira Gaines' HQ, after
Jamey Farrell at CTU tipped him off. Farrell now appears to be the dirty agent.
Senator Palmer reconsidering his options over how to handle the story of his
son's part in the murder after more consultation with family... Jack Bauer
deceives Gaines into thinking Nina Myers has been killed.
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Voting for the California Presidential Primary election is now officially underway.
The abandoned Nina Myers, having realized that Bauer knowingly gave her the
flak jacket to save her from the apparently fatal gunshots, staggers off to
find help.
With less than an hour before his televised address to the public, Senator Palmer
confirms to Sherry that he will go ahead and confess Keith's "accidental"
involvement in the death of their daughter's rapist. Her frosty response merely
highlights the widening cracks in not only their own relationship, but that of
the whole family to one another.
The final stages of Ira Gaines' meticulous plans begin to take shape, as another
of his team hands Jack a suitcase at a preordained drop-off point. Jack's
destination finally becomes apparent: it's a power plant hosting the Senator's
morning speech. Jonathon, the surgically-altered assassin given the ID of dead
photographer Martin Belkin, has already arrived there, and waits for Jack to
make his ordered rendezvous. Both men have the neccessary identifcation to
gain access through the secret service's tight security measures. Once inside,
Bauer is recognised by Palmer's press assistant. She's an old highschool flame.
Before Jack can pass her a hastily scribbed "GET PALMER OUT" while pretending
to give his phone number, Gaines sends in a heavy to intercept, urging Bauer
to continue moving through the crowd to meet with Jonathon/Martin Belkin.
Kimberly and Teri have an emotional reunion at the complex, but the prospects
of their survival look grim. There is plenty of catching up to do, as tearful
explanations and confessions follow. Teri keeps the worst details from her
daughter, but lets Kimberly know that it's not all her fault.
Meanwhile, Nina gets to a phone and unsuccessfully attempts to contact Jamey..
Instead, she has to call Tony Almeida's number, whereupon his suspicions over
Jamey are aroused. She contradicts the information Nina's provided, leading
him to conclude that Jamey clearly cannot be trusted. He sends a car for Nina,
and sets the building's CCTV cameras on a 20-second loop to afford them enough
time to move safely around the complex.
At the power plant, Jack hands over the case to "Belkin" in an empty first-aid
chamber. Beneath the laptop computer, which so easily deceived Pierce's security
check, is a gun which will be used in the Palmer hit. Jack has to assemble the
weapon, so that his own fingerprints will be left on it, thus completing Gaines'
plan to frame Bauer for the assassination. In the main hall, Palmer is midway
through his speech, and time is running out.
Unbeknown to Gaines, however, are two key things. Nina Myers is not only alive,
but she (in partnership with Tony) has identified Jamey Farrell's secret communication
link with Ira Gaines. Using the 20-second CCTV timescale, Almeida follows her
to the CTU restrooms where she regularly makes contact via messages on her
mobile phone. Caught in the act, Jamey denies any involvement, but eventually
confesses she had no choice, and that she was assured nobody would get hurt.
Agent Pierce is told, through Tony, of Jack's compromised status, and ordered
to take any appropriate action. Bauer is officially announced to all security
personnel as the suspected assassin. Belkin takes aim from the sidelines,
targeting Senator Palmer's right temple. Bauer makes his move, lunging for the
nearest guard. Chaos ensues, during which time Palmer is swiftly led away from
the podium to safety and Jack is floored (losing his earpiece in the process).
The moment has passed, and Gaines is apopleptic. "Kill the wife and kid!!" he
screams to his HQ henchmen.
The dramatic pictures of Palmer's hasty escape have been seen on television
by Nina and Tony, who force Jamey to make an urgent call to Gaines informing
him that Bauer was apprehended at the behest of the CTU hiearchy for insubordination,
and so wasn't to blame for the operation's failure. It's a call which came
just in time for Bauer's family, as Gaines changes his mind at the very last
second. He still needs Kimberly and Teri alive.
STATUS UPDATE:
Assassination attempt on Senator Palmer failed. Jack Bauer arrested at the
scene. Bauer's wife and daughter given reprieve after Ira Gaines loses contact
with Jack and realises they are now the only link to him.
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In the aftermath of the thwarted assassination attempt, Senator Palmer is whisked
away from the power plant by a Secret Service team led by Pierce. Meanwhile,
Jack is led to Agent Frank Simes, who gave clearance for Bauer to gain entry
to the Palmer breakfast. Simes initially dismisses the conspiracy theory, that
an unnamed terrorist has compromised Jack by holding his family hostage.
Without the authority to release a pleading Bauer even if he thought his
claims were true, Agent Simes orders Jack to be taken to the District office
for further questioning.
Yet, before a team of agents have managed to escort him from the building, Jack
engineers an escape. Then, after flagging down a car at gunpoint, he looks for
somewhere reasonably safe that will have a telephone. Thus, the office of a
nearby construction site becomes his base for the next 45 minutes. He's not
alone, however - the waitress whose vehicle he stopped has been forcibly brought
along.
Palmer is informed by his Chief-of-Staff about Bauer's alleged role in the bungled
hit, and of his subsequent getaway from the Secret Service team. Suprisingly
calm in the midst of such a crisis, the Senator turns his immediate attention
back to Maureen Kingsley and her imminent breaking of the covered-up murder
story.
At Gaines' hideout, Kimberly and Teri try to recover from their near-miss. Eli,
the senior henchman at the compound who took the 11th-hour orders to keep them
alive, is diverted from his unambiguous advances towards Kimberly, but only by
Teri offering herself instead. To her daughter's horror, she demurely leads
Eli into another room.
Nina and Tony continue their interrogation of Jamey Farrell at the CTU, who is
insisting on written assurances of immunity before confessing anything. She
does, however, reveal the sum she was paid ($300,000) and the name of the person
she's working for (Gaines). Milo is handed all Jamey's duties with immediate
effect, but not told of the reasons. To buy some time, Gaines is told - through
Jamey - false information about the need to shut down the CTU security system.
He reluctantly accepts her explanation.
A call comes in from Jack, desperately working against the clock to save his
family as he knows Gaines' patience is running out. He apologises to Nina for
shooting her, at which point she updates him on the discoveries concerning
Jamey's involvement. Bauer is visibly and audibly shocked, because she was the
one person Walsh said he could trust. Told of her admissions, he realises the
gravity of the situation. "Oh my God, she had access to everything.....".
Jack asks to speak to her, but nothing he says or promises can alter her stance,
so he opts for the last resort: on his orders, Jamey's young son Kyle is to
be brought to the CTU.
Teri returns from her time alone with Eli, to find a distraught Kimberly. Reassuring
her everything will eventually be okay, that they will be reunited with Jack
and "get our life back", she also flashes a mobile phone stolen from
Eli. She calls Nina at the CTU, but at that moment someone enters the room
and her call has to be aborted without a word spoken. When mother and daughter
are on their own again, an agreement is reached that Jack must never know what
happened at the compound, especially Teri's sacrifice to save Kimberly's
honour.
The Palmer Campaign HQ is buzzing, but Keith is nowhere to be found upon David
and Sherry's return. Another confontation between the couple concerning Maureen
Kingsley results in stalemate once again, as he refuses his wife's pleas to
fight to supress the allegations. In a last-ditch attempt to prevent the story
coming out, Sherry calls Kingsley as the reporter is preparing for her show.
A deal is offered : if the story is put on ice for a few days, exclusive and
sensational details of the morning's assassination attempt will be passed on.
Kingsley accepts. When the Senator's Chief-of-Staff informs him shortly after
that Kingsley has elected to hold the story back for a while, he instinctively
knows that Sherry is somehow involved.
Sceptical of Bauer's behaviour and highly dubious of his activities, Lauren
- the waitress holed up with Jack in the office - tries to escape, but without
success. She's sent down to get the car he asked Tony to send for him, complete
with various weapons and ammunition, when the Secret Service are spotted
arriving at the site. Unfortunately for Jack, she instead goes across to the
agents and tells them of his presence, neccessiating another swift escape via
the back door.
Jamey, left alone and shackled to a desk while Nina and Tony are finding out
what they can on anyone under the name "Gaines", becomes overwhelmed by the
ramifications of her betrayal. Upon their return, she is found lifeless on
the floor next to a broken coffee cup, her wrist bleeding from self-inflicted
wounds. Their efforts to revive her are interrupted by a call from Gaines
on Jamey's mobile...
STATUS UPDATE:
Jack Bauer now at large again, having escaped from Secret Service's custody.
Sherry Palmer strikes secret deal with Maureen Kingsley to temporarily silence
the story about her son. Jamey Farrell discovered unconscious after trying to
take her own life.
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Paramedics attempt to revive Jamey Farrell as she lays unconscious, but her
chances are slim after losing so much blood. The whole CTU team are shocked
to see her stretchered through the complex, as Nina explains to them that it
was a suicide attempt.
Senator Palmer's schedule continues despite the morning's drama, an appearance
at a local school the next stop. Yet, the disagreements with wife Sherry
continue to rage over his decision to publicly confess their son's past misdemeanour.
The ruthless streak glimpsed earlier in the day now characterises her
responses to the escalating situation.
Looking for a route out of the city, Jack phones Nina for details on how to
avoid the myriad of police blockades set up to prevent his escape. As she works
on this, with Bauer holding on, Teri also calls from the mobile she stole from
Gaines' henchman. In a fraught fifteen minutes, Nina connects her with Jack
while Milo simultaneously tries to trace the signal and so idenitfy Teri's
location. Things get complicated when Jack is spotted by a patrol car, and
Eli returns to Teri and Kimberly's cell searching for his missing phone.
Tony Almeida receives a call from the hospital Jamey was taken to. She didn't
pull through. She's dead.
A tortuous passage ensues, as Bauer and Myers listen helplessly to his wife
and daughter's confrontation with an enraged Eli. His initial efforts prove
unsuccessful, but a second visit soon after coincides with the mobile's fading
batteries. The resulting bleeps give the game away, and - still audible to both
Jack and Nina - Eli snatches the phone from its hidden position and puts it to
his ear, only to hear Jack's voice at the other end. When Bauer warns him not
to harm his family, Eli hangs up. The signal was cut off before a trace could
be pin-pointed, although a vague area was at least determined from information
given by Teri during the short time she was able to talk.
An email on Jamey Farrell's hard-drive is found by Tony. The encrypted message's
subject line includes the name "Ted Coffell". The details are passed on to
Jack as he drives away in a hot-wired car from the parking lot where he'd
been hiding from the LAPD's close attentions. Bauer's focus turns to tracking
down Coffell, aided by background info from the CTU. A high-flying finance
mogul with a personal fortune of several millions, Coffell appears to be
transferring funds into a Swiss bank account held by Ira Gaines.
Sherry Palmer, still desperate to preserve Keith's innocence, contacts her husband's
former aide Carl. She is told, somewhat menacingly, that everything
will be taken care of, but Carl refuses to divulge exactly how.
Gaines is revealed to be merely a mercenary acting on behalf of a third party,
two brothers from a family with very personal reasons for wanting Palmer
killed. One of them calls Gaines while their private jet is flying into L.A.,
unhappy with the bungled hit at the Power Plant and unconvinced of his contingency
plans. "When Plan A fails, you're supposed to go to Plan B, not Plan A recycled..."
The CTU bigwigs send in a replacement Director Of Operations for Jack Bauer,
who arrives at 09.45am. Alberta Green had worked under Nina Myers in the past,
and immediately their frosty relationship becomes apparent.
Senator Palmer's talk with the school children is interrupted by an urgent call
from one of his major backers, Frank Ames. After a meeting with Carl and
fellow donors, the impression is that Keith's therapist will be permanently
silenced... and Ames wants to wash his hands of the whole affair.
Ted Coffell is due to leave his office on business at 10.00am, according to
his personal secretary. Posing as an old Business School friend, Jack enters
Coffell's HQ just as he is leaving for his chauffer-driven limousine via the
main elevator. Typically quick-thinking, Bauer stalls the lift's descent by
triggering the fire alarm, buying him enough time to descend the staircase
and reach the parking level first.
Back at the CTU, Nina is quizzed by Alberta Green over Jack's whereabouts. She
denies any knowledge of his activities since he was last seen at the complex,
but Green is visibly sceptical.
An anxious-looking Ted Coffell heads to his waiting car, unaware that the driver
taking him to the airport is in fact Jack Bauer....
STATUS UPDATE:
Jamey Farrell, the apparent mole, is dead after fatally slashing wrists. Ira
Gaines actually employed by a powerful and rich family to carry out Palmer
assassination. Jack Bauer closing in on latest lead, having eluded the clutches
of LAPD yet again, while his replacement is introduced at the CTU. Palmer
election campaign undermined from inside by dirty cover-up tactics.
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Alberta Green, the CTU's temporary replacement for Jack Bauer, informs staff
that Martin Belkin has been identified as a prime suspect in the botched Palmer
assassination. Before long, Nina Myers deduces that Belkin was the occupier
of that unaccounted seat on the doomed 747 which crashed just after midnight,
and an imposter using his ID must have gained entry to the Palmer breakfast.
In the back of his limousine, Ted Coffell receives a private call on his mobile,
instructing him that there is a change of plans. He is now to meet someone in
an underground carpark prior to arriving at the airport. Coffell then relays
the new destination through the partition to his *chauffeur* , but suddenly
realises something is wrong when he gets no response and the rear doors are
locked down. Panicking, Coffell reaches for his phone again but Bauer breaks
cover, turns around and pulls a gun on him.
Even with a loaded firearm pointed at his temple, the businessman refuses to
admit any knowledge of Bauer's situation, or involvement with Gaines and the
kidnapping of Teri and Kimberly. Frustrated, Jack calls Nina for an interrogation
file on Coffell to find out the best way to break him down.
Myers is midway through compiling a rushed dossier of background info when Green
approaches her. Having safely hidden evidence of this latest work for Jack,
her efforts are nearly in vain when Bauer calls back for an update with
Green in earshot. Attempts to pretend it's an FBI agent prove fruitless, since
Green asks to speak to "Bill". In the nick of time, Tony - sensing a troublesome
situation - comes across and diverts Green's attentions elsewhere.
Nina's advice to Jack, based on the details she could gather, is to use the
threat of pain as Coffell's profile suggests an ambitious, highly-strung control
freak with a heart condition. However, even an extravagantly-suggested
torture method - which removes the stomach-lining while the victim is alive
- fails to elicit any confession, leading Nina to question whether he is the
right Coffell. Jack remains convinced, since he has no other leads to follow.
David Palmer and his entourage are still at the school, going through the motions
of public duty. His chief-of-staff, Mike Novick, has managed to get Carl on
his mobile, and interrupts the Senator's conversation with the Head Teacher.
Palmer wants an urgent meeting, but Carl only agrees when threats are
made to disclose details about his past. The Senator then breaks off at the
first opportunity to grill Sherry over the insinuations Carl made about removing
all evidence against Keith. Once again, she attempts to placate her husband,
but he is angered that she didn't tell him of her own recent conversation with Carl.
At Gaines' desert HQ, Teri Bauer continues to suffer from the mystery stomach
pains that have dogged her since her time alone with Eli. Kimberly's concern
is interrupted by a visit from Rick on information-extracting duty. He begs
them not to tell him anything at all, as the less he knows the less Eli or
Gaines will be able to get out of him. Clearing a section of the cell's
blacked-out window, he quickly exits. From this vantage point, Kimberly and Teri
are able to view Rick getting a severe kicking from a displeased Eli outside.
Shortly after, Drazen arrives at the compund to pull the plug on Gaines' operation
and switch to a previously unmentioned contigency plan that will ensure both
Palmer and Bauer are wiped out before the day's end. Ira begs his boss for
more time, and he's afforded just 30 more minutes to achieve some results.
Then Drazen will take over.
Jack tries again with Ted Coffell, and at least finds out the name of the man
he's due to meet in the carpark. Kevin Carroll, a "machine-tool businessman".
Assuming this to be a bogus identity, Bauer gets Nina to run "Kevin Carroll"
through the CTU database for verification. Six results show up, one indeed
fitting the particular occupation. Jack decides he has no option but to
drive to the rendezvous with Carroll.
Mike Novick raises the subject of Jack Bauer again with Palmer. He's looked
into the agent's background and discovered most of the files are classified.
Palmer's reaction isn't what Novick expected... the Senator asks if any of
those classified "gaps" date from two summers ago. It's apparent that some link
between Palmer and Jack exists, but Novick is told that there are more pressing
concerns to deal with, and the conversation ends.
In the underground carpark, Jack and Coffell wait for Kevin Carroll to turn
up. As Bauer opens the rear door of the limousine, Coffell attacks him with
a Micro Tech Halo II knife he'd discreetly removed from a hidden compartment
in the seating while on their journey. A tussle ensues during, which Jack perhaps
unsurprisingly gets the better of his assailant. Pinning him down, Bauer
delivers a blow to the man's chest. Coffell responds by suddenly cursing in
Serbian. Bauer had served in Kosovo and Belgrade on CTU field operations,
and the links and consequences begin to become clear to him.
This is not just about Palmer after all. It's personal. But before Jack can
find out more, Coffell suffers a fatal heart attack after he spits out the medication
forced down his throat. Jack, more distraught than ever, gets Nina to search
for any connection between Ted Coffell's background his own CTU assignments
overseas, specifically one called Operation Nightfall.
A badly-bruised Rick returns to Teri and Kimberly's cell, giving them a gun
the hapless Dan had left in their van. The unspoken inference is clear - this
time Gaines really will order the women to be shot. They need all the assistance
available.
Tony Almeida suggests to Nina that they come clean with Alberta Green, as she
almost certainly suspects them of hiding information. Nina's rationale is
to continue the deceit, as involving someone who plays by the book as much as
Green would only exacerbate an already delicate situation, and potentially
unearth more CTU moles. Somewhat reluctantly, Tony accepts her argument.
Palmer meets with Carl in a corridor at the school. Defending himself, the Senator's
former aide claims no part in the decisions being made to ensure Palmer wins
the election. Those with an interest will do whatever it takes. Palmer is
disgusted, and subsequently tries to contact Keith's psychiatrist, who holds
the incriminating evidence and is thus top of the hit list.
The corpse of Ted Coffell is propped up in the back, then Jack returns to the
driver's seat and waits for Kevin Carroll. Eventually, he arrives... it's the
man who posed as Alan York, and who earlier murdered his "daughter" Janet
in intensive care. Carroll/York gets in beside Coffell's body, unaware he's
dead, at which point Jack locks the rear doors again. Carroll draws a gun and
fires off a round in Bauer's direction, but the partition screen is bulletproof.
Out of ammunition, Carroll is then thrust back and forth forward as
Jack puts his foot on the accelerator and proceeds to speed and swerve around
the carpark. A sudden slam on the brakes manages to knock Carroll unconscious
from the impact against the partition. Jack ties him up.
When he comes to, Carroll repiles to Bauer's questioning by telling him his
family are safe, but not for very much longer. He's not lying. Drazen's deadline
has expired, so back at Gaines' HQ Eli is about to be dispatched to kill Kimberly
and Teri. The two men eventually strike an uneasy deal : Carroll will direct
Jack to his wife and daughter, but only if he is then allowed to go free.
11.00am approaches. The women try to apprehend Eli. Unfortunately, the gun from
Rick has an empty chamber, but in the scuffle that follows Teri knocks Eli's
own weapon to the ground. He draws a penknife and attacks Kimberly, but
before he can do any harm, Teri shoots him in the chest. Eli splutters briefly,
before dying in front of them. Remembering that not one but two audible
shots are expected, Teri fires at the already expired body.
STATUS UPDATE:
Ted Coffell dead from a heart attack, having revealed bigger
picture behind Palmer hit involving previous FBI assignments in Serbia. Jack
Bauer's past appears to be linked with Senator. Ira Gaines relieved of command
by Drazen, who now begins own contigency plan.
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With Kevin Carroll's guidance Jack continues driving towards Gaines' HQ, which
appears to be somewhere deep in the North Valley. He contacts Nina for high-resolution
satellite pictures of the area, to identify what exactly to expect on his arrival,
but admantly refuses to consider any means of getting CTU back-up, fearing it
would endanger his family.
Myers and Tony Almeida are both under intense pressure from Alberta Green to
confess their ongoing part in assisting Jack's activities since disappearing
from the CTU several hours earlier. Neither is prepared to relinquish what
information they know, resulting in their immediate suspension, but Bauer
confirms to Nina that his official line will also deny any contact with the
CTU during the hours in question.
In their cell, Teri and Kimberly hide Eli's body as best they can, but when his
beeper goes off it reminds them that Gaines' other employees will come looking
for their colleague as Eli has been missing for almost half-an-hour.
Navigating an almost endless stretch of windy road through orchards and various
foliage, Jack finally reaches the perimeter of Gaines' compound. There,he drags
Carroll out of the car, cleans his bloodstained face with spit, and forces him
to drive on at gunpoint deeper into the HQ's central complex. As Jack hides under
a blanket in the rear, they reach the patrolled gates. After sme brief banter
between Caroll and one of the guards, they're in.
The images sent to Bauer's palmtop provide two-hours-old pictures of armed guards
and all buildings onsite. Jack uses the information to ellicit the likely
location of his family from a defiantly unhelpful Caroll, who tries to unsettle
his captor with teasing suggestions about Jack's marital problems and insinuations
that he and Teri had been intimate in those early-mornings hours when they were
searching for Kimberly and Janet. It fails to work, withthe result that Carroll
is left knocked-out cold at the wheel, while Jack heads off on foot to rescue
his wife and daughter.
Meanwhile, Senator Palmer's handling of George Ferragamo, his son's therapist
who broke professional codes of duty by disclosing details of the cover-up to
reporter Maureen Kingsley, is questioned by a furious Mike Novick.
The Chief-Of-Staff cannot understand why Palmer is risking his whole campaign
byattempting to contact Ferragamo directly, but the Senator will not be dissuaded.
Further private calls to the therapist's office eventually get through, but the
subsequent conversation between Ferragamo and Palmer fails to help the situation.
An irate Ferragamo is convinced that Palmer's warning to be careful is merely
another threat intended to silence him, and he hangs up. Palmer calls back,
imploring him to listen, but with no success.
Teri and Kimberly hear someone approaching their cell, and brace themselves. However,
the respective weapon each keeps at the ready aren't needed. It's Jack. At last.
Mother, daughter and father enjoy a very emotional reunion.
Back at the CTU, Tony is perilously close to breaking under interrogation and
threat of arrest. It's only a finely-timed call to Green from Jack himself that
saves the day. He reports that he's located the terrorists' hideout, and is now
there to free his kidnapped family. Green wants co-ordinates, which Bauer sends
via his palmtop. Still not entirely convinced of Nina and Tony's innocence, Green
has no option but to accept Jack's version of events and drop the charges. For
now.
Ira Gaines has sent Rick to check on Eli, and find out why he hasn't reported
back, but the young accomplice manages to buy as much time as he can before alerting
Gaines' suspicions. Eventually, he goes to the cell, only to find Jack (and his
gun) in his face when he opens the door. Teri and Kimberly persuade Jack not
to harm him, and that he can be trusted. At the women's insistence, the freshly
reunited family elect to stay together, rather than risk separation again. Rick
suggests an escape plan involving one of the vans being loaded up by Gaines' team
in readiness for departure. He will take one while everyone is busy organising
the final manoeuvres, come back for the Bauers and then take a shortcut out of
the complex.
Unfortunately, just as he is about to drive off in one of the vehicles, Rick is
spotted by Gaines. He offers a weak excuse about looking for Eli, but the beleaguered
mercenary is too distracted to care. The guard who originally let Kevin Carroll
through the gates has found him unconscious in the abandoned car, and Gaines is
anxious to find out what's happened. While they revive Caroll and learn that
Jack Bauer is at large within the compound, Rick seizes the opportunity to sneak
back into the van and take off.
At David Palmer's insistence, the campaign's schedule is altered to allow an impromptu
visit to George Ferragamo. However, as they approach his offices, there is an
unsettling sight. Plumes of smoke, a host of fire engines and all kinds of emergency
services surrounding the premises. Novick gets out totake a closer look and talk
to eyewitnesses. The Senator's fears are realised; there has been a huge fire in
Ferragamo's building, and the therapist couldn't get out in time. He and his
Chief-of-Staff argue on the sidewalk overwhat to do. Palmer is deeply upset and
angry but Novick's advice, unsurprisingly, is to think of his political career.
Jack, Teri and Kim are waiting outside the cell upon Rick's return. A nail-biting
few minutes follow, as they then attempt to escape from the area witha livid Gaines
soon in hot pursuit. Having literally driven through the gates and beyond, one
of the van's tyres is punctured during an exchange of gunfire, forcing it into
a ditch. Bombarded by gunfire, the quartet's chances look slim. Jack directs his
family safely into the woods through the hail of bullets, then as Gaines approaches
the van he pierces its petrol tank and dives for cover while firing back at the
stationary vehicle.
The van explodes spectacularly in front of Gaines and his men, but they carry
on shooting and Rick takes a shot in the arm as he flees into the woods with
Jack. All of this is seen by Teri and Kim from their safe vantage point. Bauer
turns back to help Rick carry on.....
STATUS UPDATE:
Teri and Kimberly Bauer rescued by Jack. Escape hampered by Gaines just as
they reach outside perimeter, but all three still alive and heading for safety.
Senator Palmer's troubled campaign takes another twist asGeorge Ferragamo,
central to the case against Palmer's son Keith, dies in suspicious circumstances.
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As Gaines and his team scour the woods, Teri and Kim lose their bearings in
trying to head for the rendezvous point at a water tower. Jack meanwhile, despite
the handicap of a struggling and wounded Rick, has no such problem. They
reach the tower first, and upon finding no-one else there, go back to look for
the two women.
Nina Myers, together with Tony Almeida, are given the task of interrogating
Jamey Farrell's mother at the CTU, whose bank account details haven shown a
total sum of $300,000 deposited in the last four months. She confesses the money
was to ensure her grandson's future if something happened to Jamey, but the
admission only comes after being told of Jamey's treachery.
The death of George Ferragamo threatens to derail Palmer's election campaign
from within, as both Mike Novick and Sherry battle to convince the Senator
not to rush to to the police or the press with his suspicions of more foul play.
Drazen's contingency plans have effectively left Gaines with no means of staying
alive if he fails to kill Jack Bauer, so Kevin Carroll's suggestion of
cutting their losses and getting away before any CTU back-up arrives is swiftly
rejected. It's either kill or be killed, so they continue to search.
Teri and Kim suffer a near-miss when they are spotted hiding in an abandoned
cabin, but Jack intervenes and escorts them safely towards a reservoir near
the water tower, to await the CTU choppers sent in by Alberta Green at Jack's
request. Rick is not there upon their arrival, having slipped out and made it
as far as the highway on the perimeter of the woods. He gets on the first bus
that pulls up.
At Palmer's hotel HQ, the Senator visits Maureen Kingsley once more, only to
find the reporter packing her things in readiness to leave. She has left the
network after being threatened about breaking the story concerning the cover-up
of Keith's implication in the murder of his sister's rapist. It's clear that
Carl and the Palmer campaign's other interested parties had got to her. Later,
another frosty conversation between Carl and Palmer makes it clear that the
wheels of power are already in motion and, should the President-elect attempt
to lift the lid on the corruption, his son will be find himself on two charges
of murder, as Carl suggests incriminating evidence has been planted at the
Ferragamo scene. The Senator, feeling blackmailed and full of disgust, vows to
win the election and then use his power as President to change the system.
His family now with the CTU rescue team, Jack breaks off and - knowing he is
the real target - draws Gaines' fire. Outwitted by Jack's use of a piece of
shiny metal on the ground to blind him as he takes aim, Gaines is wounded in
the exchange that follows. Bauer then tracks him down via the trail of blood.
When they finally come face to face, Jack questions him over the Belgrade
connection and his family's kidnapping, but all Gaines will say is that he
was told to "make it personal". Ignoring the order to drop his weapon, and
the offer of immunity in return for helping the CTU, Gaines turns around but
is shot dead by Jack from close range.
There is another link to Belgrade from the origin of the transferred funds to
Farrell's mother, and upon closer investigation, another payment is discovered
to have been made to an assassin located in the Yugoslav capital. This
second hitman is already in LA, having left for the US a few hours ago.
Properly reunited at last, the Bauers fly back to the CTU. But it's not over
yet...
STATUS UPDATE:
Further discoveries link the terrorist operation to Belgrade,
and Gaines' dying admission confirms a strongly personal element to the targeting
of Jack Bauer. Drazen, masterminding the assassination, has brought in another
hitman to finish the job that Gaines bungled. Senator Palmer compromised over
his desire to expose the foul play which caused Ferragamo's death.
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Green and Myers are among those waiting on the roof of the CTU building as the
chopper brings in Jack, Teri and Kim. The latter are whisked off to hospital
for checks, while Bauer is taken in for "debriefing" as he tells his family,
although in reality there are serious charges to be faced.
As far as Green and the CTU bigwigs are concerned, Jack is - if not a prime
suspect in the Palmer hit - then at least guilty of several breaches of protocol
during the past thirteen hours. He's taken to an empty interrogation room,
where the Regional Director, Ryan Chappelle, is due to grill him over his
actions.
Teri's worsening stomach pains are revealed to be a possible ovarian cyst which
has burst from either the stress, the sexual assault from Eli at the compound,
or even the early stages of pregnancy. Before the doctor at the clinic can do
the relevant test, however, Teri and Kim are evacuated after Nina begins to
suspect imposters posing as FBI agents are in the hospital. She also calls in
someone to take dust and fingerprints from the room where she encountered them.
They report no trace of anything at all, and a professional had clearly been
responsible for wiping everything clean.
Chappelle listens to Jack's story, and theories, but remains sufficently unconvinced
to bypass the usual bureaucratic red-tape and disciplinary prodecures. Bauer
is refused his request to be allowed back out into the field, even though he
claims he is the only one who has any real knowledge of who the terrosits are,
and the only one who can identify them and thus protect Palmer...
The Yugoslavian hitman's first call of duty is to spy on Kevin Caroll, who fled
the compound with the surviving henchmen to an empty house in the desert...
As he watches them unload the van and take the remaining equipment into the
building, Carroll phones Drazen and offers to hunt down Bauer himself, since
his previous experience at such missions has proved successful. However,
Drazen is not interested - "the contigency plan does not include you". All the
while, the new assassin has been waiting to detonate a bomb planted inside
the house. He picks his moment. A huge explosion throws Carroll to the ground,
at which point the hitman approaches the prostrate, battered mercenary
and kicks his gun away. With cold efficiency, Carroll is killed.
Tony discovers more information arising from the Belgrade bank account details -
most importantly, not one but three shooters may have been hired as part of
Drazen's contingency plan. He informs Green, although only two of the three
assassin's names are currently known, and is asked to reassess the security
threat to David Palmer. His response is unequivocal - the Senator must
leave California immediately.
Both Green and Chappelle attempt to play upon Tony's perceived frustration at
having to settle for third-in-command at the CTU, virtually goading Almeida
to betray Jack, as well as Nina, and help them prosecute his boss. But Almeida
refuses to rise to the bait, pledging his absolute support and admiration
for Bauer's conduct since midnight.
Palmer and his entourage begin making the neceesary arrangements for their sudden
enforced departure, but not before Keith has overheard a discussion between
David and Mike Novick concerning Ferragamo's death. The boy is deeply
upset over the news, and is determined to tell the police that to him it was
definitely no accident. Sherry Palmer manages to placate her son by warning
him of the possible consequences if he were to do so, and that it would be
in everyone's best interests to keep the matter within their close circle.
The Senator's aide, Elizabeth Nash, opts not to travel with them, and secretly
meets up for a passionate encounter with the shooter who killed Kevin Carroll.
On their way to the US Airbase which will serve as a temporary safehouse, Novick
tells Palmer what he has found on Jack Bauer. Palmer's memory is jogged by
the information - Jack was the leader on an unsuccessful Black Ops mission
to Bosnia presided over by the Senator during his time in Special Forces.
Bauer lost his entire team in Kosovo, and now Palmer reasons that his invol
vement in the whole assassination plot must be fuelled by personal revenge.
The suspect FBI agents watch from a window in the hospital as Teri and Kim are
led into a waiting ambulance, and communicate to someone on the other end
of the phone that the women are now leaving.
On the stroke of 2.00pm, Senator David Palmer appears unexpectedly at the CTU
offices in LA. He tells an incredulous Tony Almeida that he wants to see Jack
Bauer. Now.
STATUS UPDATE:
Kevin Carroll now also removed from the equation, as Drazen brings in more back-up
assassins to ensure his contingency plans are not foiled. One of them appears
to have connections to Senator Palmer's aide. Palmer now convinced
that Jack Bauer's part in the hit is connected to a previous Special Forces
mission in the Balkans which went badly wrong.
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Tony is forced to keep Palmer from seeing Jack, at the behest of Regional Director
Chappelle. Eventually, the Senator uses his status to cut through the red-tape,
and gets a high-ranking contact within the Defence Department to insist that
Bauer be made available immediately.
In fact, Jack is still being questioned by Alberta Green, although things come
to an abrupt halt when, having been belatedly informed of his family's enforced
relocation without his knowledge, he refuses to say another word until he's
spoken to them again. Before it becomes an issue, Tony appears to take him to
Palmer.
The first face-to-face confrontation between the two men does not start well;
Palmer goes straight on the offensive, accusing Jack of simply wanting personal
revenge for what went wrong in Kosovo two years before. Denying this, Bauer
then goes on to briefly summarise the events of the last 14 hours from his
perspective, of how his family were kidnapped and how Gaines had compromised
his situation via the earpiece.
Having adjourned to a private room to discuss things further, the more they
talk the more it becomes clear just what exactly are the real reasons for the
crisis they find themselves in. Andre Drazen - mastermind of the whole operation
and the man who hired Gaines and his team to kill both Jack and the
Senator - is the brother of Victor Drazen, targeted on that fateful Special
Forces mission in Kosovo. Today happens to be the second anniversary of Victor's
death as a reult of Jack's team being sent in. Palmer explains how, in his
position on the Senate Appropriation committee at the time, he authorized the
secret mission, codenamed Operation Nightfall. Nobody, not even Bauer or his
associates, was ever supposed to know who instigated it, and in normal
circumstances the connection would never have been revealed to Jack.
So, in actual fact, the attempt on Palmer's life has nothing to do with it being
the day of the California Presidential Primary elections, or the colour
of the Senator's skin. Somehow, Andre Drazen has discovered the connection
between Bauer and Palmer which implicates both in the killing of his beloved
brother, and therefore everyone else involved in Operation Nightfall could
also be at risk. Especially an agent called Robert Ellis, who is swiftly contacted
in a bar where he's been keeping a low profile.
Unaware of these developments, Teri and Kim are moved into the safehouse under
the watchful eye of Nina Myers. Two of Jack's most trusted CTU agents have
been assigned to protect mother and daughter. They're given a chance to freshen
up, but time is of the essence and a debriefing for the Bauers is required as
soon as possible.
First, though, Teri heads for the bathroom to take the pregnancy test. Kim is
still concerned that the pains are related to Eli's sexual assault during
their time alone at the compound cell. The truth turns out to be rather bittersweet;
the test is positive. The news upsets Kim at first, but soon the hurt and
anger becomes excitement for both her and Teri. They resolve to tell Jack right
away, but he isn't there to take the call, so Teri leaves a message with Tony,
asking him to call back.
Robert Ellis, meanwhile, brings Milo into the fold to aid his search for any
information and data related to Drazen and Operation Nightfall. What they uncover
completes the picture in terms of motive; Victor Drazen's wife and daughter
were also killed. Thus, it's a pure case of like-for-like revenge. Teri and
Kim are at far more risk than anybody realised. Palmer instantly orders
security around the women to be increased.
Nina's debriefing of Teri at the safehouse leads to some uncomfortable moments,
not least when the talk touches on more personal matters, particularly of Jack's
separation period. Teri suspects that Nina is the woman who her husband was
with during that time. She confronts Nina over it, who tries to assure Teri
that although she and Jack were together for a while, any relationship began
after the split and ended before the reconcilliation. For Teri, all this takes
the shine off any joy over finding out she's pregnant, and alters her decision
to inform Jack of the *good* news for the time being.
The shooter who took out Kevin Carroll and the rest of Gaines' team, is revealed
to be a man called Alexis Drazen, younger brother of both Victor and Andre.
His liason with Palmer's aide Elizabeth Nash continues, with a virtually
direct inside line to the Senator and his circle's every movement... perhaps
without the deliberate consent of Nash after all. Alexis discusses the progress
he's made as he dines with his sibling in the garden of a restaurant in town.
For Palmer and Bauer to best work on ways to stop Drazen's revenge mission,
Jack needs to be reinstated at the CTU, if only for the rest of the day. Reluctantly,
Ryan Chapelle agrees. As the Senator leaves the complex to continue his
election campaign duties, he tells Jack that he's been advised to leave L.A..
Asked for his opinion, Bauer concurs, yet Palmer believes the best option is
to remain in the state, and "flush Drazne's people out". He informs his entourage
of the change in plans, which are then duly passed on by Elizabeth Nash to
Alexis Drazen. As a parting shot, Palmer apologizes to Jack, in front of senior
CTU and FBI personnel, for misjudging him.
It's the turn of Kim to be interviewed by Nina Myers. While her mother was being
debriefed, Kim made a secret call on her mobile to Rick's phone from her room.
She implores him to get treatment on his wound at the hospital, but Rick
refuses to give himself up, since he'd go to prison for kidnapping. In the end,
the lovestruck pair agree that Kim should lie about the extent of Rick's
involvement in the abduction.
There is one file missing from the data that Milo and Ellis have dug up, which
continues to elude them as Ellis gives instructions from the bar's restroom.
He now believes the absent file must contain crucial information, but before
he can say any more, somebody comes up from behind and strangles him to death...
STATUS UPDATE:
Senator Palmer and Jack Bauer targeted because of links to Operation Nightfall
on its second anniversary, by surviving brother(s) of Victor Drazen. Situation
not connected to Californian Primary, involvement of Bauer's family has serious
overtones. The other main name connected to Balkans mission, Robert Ellis, now
dead. Teri Bauer pregnant, but news tempered by discovery that Nina Myers was
seeing her husband during their separation. Palmer refuses to be chased out
of L.A., electing to stay and fight.
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Jack assumes the worst when Ellis's sudden silence is followed by his mobile
phone being switched off. He goes to inform Senator Palmer of his fear that
Robert Ellis has been killed.
More information on the trio of back-up hitmen is unconvered by Milo, and passed
on to Agent Pierce at the Palmer campaign HQ, where the images of each suspect
are shown to the election team. When Elizabeth Nash sees Alexis Drazen's face
come up on the big screen as the third killer, she's visibly horrified and runs
out of the room. Palmer, having seen Nash's reaction, goes after her. She
confesses her unwitting personal involvent with Alexis, and the serious
security risk she has caused to the Senator. To make matters worse, Nash had
only just arranged to rendezvous with Alexis again at his Hotel room at 4.30pm.
When Palmer tells Jack that one of his advance team have been conducting an
intimate relationship with Alexis Drazen, Bauer calls Elizabeth Nash into CTU
immediately and suggests using her to plant a tracking device on the assassin.
Initially reluctant to ever see Drazen again, she nevertheless agrees to the
plan.
George Mason is installed as Jack's supervisor, after the relocation of both
Alberta Green and Ryan Chappelle. Jack brings him up to speed on the links
between himself, Palmer and the Drazen dynasty through Operation Nightfall.
Mason is sceptical of Bauer's plan to trap Alexis Drazen, believing it safer
to simply arrest the shooter without endangering Nash. Jack, however, is
insistent.
At the safehouse, the debriefing continues, but there's a growing tension
between Nina and Teri. Kim, too, is feeling the pressure of covering for Rick.
Eventually, Nina hands over the task of completing the interviews to another
agent, and returns to the CTU...much to the suprise of Jack. He'd specifically
asked her to stay with his wife and daughter to ensure their safety. Nina
assures him they are fine.
However, the bogus FBI agent from the hospital - working for Andre Drazen -
has wiped out the security men protecting the safehouse. Positioned all around
the building's perimeter, they were supposed to warn the CTU agents inside of
any problem. Drazen's man is finally accosted in the house by Agent Poulson,
but a second hitman attacks Poulson from behind. As this all unfolds, Teri and
Kimberly make it into the garage and escape in a car. Poulson manages to take
out one of Drazen's team as they try to shoot the women's vehicle as it tears
down the road, but gets killed himself in the process.
Senator Palmer's son asks his sister to help create a diversion in the campaign
suite so that he can secretly meet Carl at an Observatory. Carl angrily repeats
to Keith what he'd told the Senator - incriminating evidence has been planted
at the scene of Ferragamo's death, and that if necessary the people he works
for will use it to frame him. Unbeknown to Palmer's former advisor, Keith has
wired himself up so that their confrontational conversation is recorded.
Teri is persued into the hills by the surviving assassin Jovan Myovic. She tries
to lose him by turning off the road and parking near the edge of a cliff. Leaving
Kimberly in the car, Teri goes to check if Myovic has gone past. Behind her, the
ground under the car crumbles, sending the it over the edge. Hearing the
scream of her daughter, she turns around only to witness the car tumbling down
the hill before exploding into flames. The shock causes Teri to collapse and
lose consciousness.
When she comes to a few minutes later, she's completely dazed. Wandering out
onto the main road, she's stopped by a passing car. The woman inside asks if
Teri's okay. "What's your name?", she enquires. A disorientated and vacant-looking
Teri replies, "I don't remember". Offered a lift to the nearest hospital,
she gets in and the car drives off.
On the stroke of 4.00pm, there's movement in the hedges near to where the car
plunged in flames. It's Kimberly. Alive. But her mother's nowhere to be found...
STATUS UPDATE:
Jack Bauer to set a trap for one of the identified assassins, Alexis Drazen,
using Senator Palmer's aide Elizabeth Nash. Teri and Kim ambushed at the safehouse,
but escape into nearby hills only to be separated again after their car goes
over a cliff. Keith Palmer gets recorded evidence of the tactics being used by
Carl to blackmail his father.
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Spotting a restaurant en route to the hospital which jogs something in her
amnesia-affected memory, Teri asks Tanya, the car's driver, to turn off. She
elects to wait for the restaurant's manager to arrive, and assures Tanya it's
okay to leave her, before asking for her contact details so she can send
something as a thank-you.
Jack and Agent Pierce of the Secret Service rig up Alexis Drazen's hotel suite
so they can monitor everything that happens when Elizabeth Nash visits to plant
the tracking device. The entire building, which also houses the Palmer Election
HQ, is secured.
Unable to find her mother, Kimberly makes it to the nearest highway where she
calls the CTU from a payphone. Tony answers, but she's so mistrustful of anyone
except either Nina Myers or her own father that she refuses to reveal her
location. Kimberly does, however, relay news of the safehouse ambush to Tony,
which he immediately passes on to George Mason. A back-up team is sent out to
the safehouse to verify the story and assess the situation.
With nowhere else to turn, Kimberly then calls Rick again, and demands that he
help her out, or she'll stop covering for him with the CTU and FBI. She gets
his address, and heads for his place.
As 4.30pm approaches, Jack runs through the plan one last time with Elizabeth,
before Nina takes away for some final preparations. A series of fibre-optic
cameras have been strategically positioned to cover all possible angles in the
hotel suite, while a SWAT team waits in the opposite suite to move in should
things start to go wrong. Palmer is unhappy that one of his advanced team is
putting themselves in such a potentially dangerous position. Elizabeth Nash's
father is a good friend of the Senator, and he tells Jack that he will hold
him personally responsible if anything happens to her.
While they wait in front of the surveillance screens for Alexis to show up, Jack
finally gets a chance to talk to Nina about Kim and Teri, and why she left the
safehouse early. Myers confesses that she couldn't stay on once Teri had correctly
figured out the truth about who Jack had been seeing during the couple's
separation. Jack is furious with himself, but it's not the time nor place to
deal with the matter. Drazen has arrived at the hotel, and everyone needs to
keep their focus.
Although extremely nervous and betraying outward signs of unease, Elizabeth
somehow manages to keep the plan on track while Alexis senses something is
possibly amiss. On his way to the hotel, he'd been ordered by Andre Drazen to
kill Nash once he'd got enough information out of her, as his elder brother
had become suspicious of the Palmer aide's motive for their relationship.
Elizabeth attempts to plant the tracking device in Alexis' wallet, as an
increasingly tense Jack and Nina watch from the adjoining suite. After a close
call, the task is completed, but then Elizabeth breaks with the plan with
disastrous consequences.
Once the tracking device was successfully planted, she was to take a call from
Jack on her mobile, make her excuses to Alexis and leave. However, when the
call comes, Elizabeth switches off her phoneand continues her gradually more
intimate conversation with Alexis. The hitman tells her "I've fallen in love
with you...", to which the under-pressure Nash responds by walking over to
a table and, with her back turned to him, picks up a letter-opener. She then
stabs a startled Alexis deep in the stomach. All hell breaks loose, as the
SWAT team storm the suite with Jack in persuit.
Having arrived at Rick's, Kim insists she be allowed in to look for clues as to
the identity of the people he and Dan were working for.
Back at the restaurant, Teri is met by the owner who immediately recognises her.
Clearly, she must be a regular customer. However, he enquires as to whether
she is here with her "Doctor friend". Once he's aware of her amnesiac state,
he suggests that he gets this Dr. Parslow to see her. When Parslow arrives,
Teri instinctively calls him Phil, his first name, despite earlier not even
remembering she has a husband.
Following his meeting with Carl, Keith realises why his father has held back
from going to the police or D.A. over the Ferragamo situation. He goes to
Palmer, and plays him the recording of the conversation. The Senator asks his
son to hand over the tape, assuring him that he can be trusted to do the right
thing.
George Mason is livid with the news of the Alexis Drazen trap going bad, as
he'd felt it was an unwise idea all along. Senator Palmer, meanwhile, is equally
upset; especially now Elizabeth Nash will face criminal charges for attempted
murder and Drazen - the best link to the plot to kill Palmer and Bauer - has
been given only a 50-50 chance of survival.
As the CTU and SWAT teams deal with the bloody aftermath of Alexis Drazen's
stabbing, there's a call on his mobile phone. Jack answers it. A voice at the
other end simply gives him instructions to meet a place called Connie's.
There, a man wearing a red baseball cap will hand over the money...
STATUS UPDATE:
Alexis Drazen in criticial condition after unexpected stabbing by Elizabeth
Nash. Teri Bauer suffering from amnesia, daughter Kim currently at Rick's
residence. Senator Palmer now in possession of taped evidence of Carl's blackmailing.
Jack Bauer told by Nina Myers that Teri knows of their brief relationship.
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Jack Bauer has his CTU team search the hotel room for the money needed to
hand over to Alexis Drazen's contact. A pile of bearer bonds are unearthed,
worth several thousand dollars. Jack cleans himself up and prepares for his
rendezvous at Connie's.
The Senator is still furious with Jack, and blames him for putting Elizabeth
Nash in such a high-risk situation. Bauer admits he misjudged Nash's
emotional state, but begs for Palmer to maintain the highest possible
security level, as the two other assassins have still not been accounted for.
Events at the safehouse are kept from Jack by Director Mason, who believes
that the news of his family's narrow escape and their subsequent missing
status will only distract Bauer from what he has to do. When Tony receives a
call from Jack on his way to the drop-off with Nina, he follows Mason's
orders. He hands over to his superior, who assures Bauer that everything is
fine with Kim and Teri. Mason gives Jack the safehouse number, but there's no
answer. He assumes it must be a signal problem, and plans to try again later.
Teri attempts to conquer her trauma-induced amnesia with the aid of Dr.
Parslow. He fills her in with some key details about her life, but Teri
becomes deeply upset when he tries to insist that a proper doctor needs to
examine her at a hospital. Parslow is only a surgeon, but eventually agrees
to do an examination of his own in a private room at the restaurant. He
explains how they know each other, and that their relationship ended when she
decided to go back to her husband. Teri cannot explain her apparently
irrational fear of going to hospital, and requests to be taken back home,
where she will feel safer.
Palmer has his fears about Sherry confirmed when he double-bluffs her with a
package addressed to the DA containing the incriminating tape. His wife
thinks she's intercepted his plan to expose Carl by removing the packet from
their campaign HQ's safe and destoying the tape, only for the Senator to
inform her that he had the real copy in his possession all the time. Earlier,
she and Mike Novick had tried to persuade Palmer that the evidece should be
either destroyed or held back until he was in office. Ignoring Sherry's
defiant defence that she will do anything to protect her family, Palmer calls
for an urgent and unscheduled press conference.
When Alexis Drazen fails to make contact by 5.15pm, his brother calls the
shooter who took out the CTU agents at the safehouse. Myovic doesn't know
anything, but promises his employer that Teri and Kim will be dead by the end
of the day. With no leads to help him track either woman down, he elects to
head for the Bauer family home and wait to see if anyone turns up.
Kim fails to find any clues in his search at Rick's place, but Dan's brother
arrives just as she's about to leave. Coked-up, and intent on finding Dan in
time to strike a deal at 7.00pm, Frank stops anyone from leaving the house
until his sibling shows up with the money earned for their part in Gaines'
operation. Rick keeps the truth about Dan's death from Frank.
Connie's is located in Calfornia Plaza, a busy shopping centre. Jack and Nina
assemble a security team around the Plaza, only to learn that the crucial job
of sniper has been assigned to Teddy Hanlin. He and Bauer have some previous,
Hanlin blaming Jack for blowing the whistle on his corrupt ex-partner who
ended up going to jail, but he's urged by Bauer to focus on the mission at
hand. They'll discuss the past once this is over.
The man in the red baseball cap appears, and it's all systems go. Jack,
posing as Alexis Drazen, makes contact and defers their rendezvous to an
outside table, citing police presence inside Connie's as the reason for the
change in plan. The charade works long enough to extract details of Andre
Drazen's immediate intentions - to switch off the power grid at 7.30pm for
five minutes - before Jack is rumbled. The man escapes across the Plaza still
packed with shoppers and young children, but Bauer instructs Hanlin not to
shoot. Something of a loose cannon, Hanlin unfortunately ignores this order
when a clear shot is presented to him. The man is stopped in his tracks, then
crashes through barricades before plunging to his death.
At the Bauer's home, Myovic waits in the bushes outside as Parslow's car
pulls up. Next to him lies the body of the CTU agent who had been guarding
the house.
STATUS UPDATE:
Senator Palmer to hold urgent press conference after wife falls for his
double-bluff regarding the taped evidence of blackmail against him. Kim
unable to leave Rick's place until Dan's brother allows it. Jack's rendezvous
with another of Drazen's team goes awry after CTU sniper with a serious
grudge against Bauer ignores his orders. Teri's arrival at her home is
watched by the only active shooter remaining.
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Teri Bauer and Dr. Parslow enter the house, unaware of the assassin's
watchful presence. The building's security alarm goes off, presumably because
the usual procedure wasn't followed and, owing to Teri's failure to remember
the password, the deafening sound continues for several minutes until Parslow
calls the security firm who installed the device to switch it off for them.
They ask for some form of ID, but quickly recognize Teri from the family
photographs around the living room.
Myovic continues to observe the situation, remaining hidden while the
security company employees arrive, disable the alarm and then check the
property both inside and out.
CTU find the location where the man in the red baseball cap was hired to
switch off the power grid at 7.20pm. It's a place in California called
Saugus, officially a wildlife reserve. The name doesn't ring any bells with
Jack, and when Nina returns to CTU headquarters, he makes a call to Senator
Palmer to see if he can pull a few strings regarding the missing Drazen file
at the FBI, which might hold vital clues connected to the current operation.
Palmer rings back with an address contained in the file, which matches the
grid area to be blacked out. Jack heads out to Saugus, but not before
District Director Mason insists on accompanying him.
The narcotics deal that Frank needed the money from Dan and Rick's part in
Gaines' kidnapping plan is about to go down. Finally, he is told the details
of his brother's death the previous night. Without the cash, and no time to
back out, Frank decides he'll have to rip the dealers off, and calls on some
friends to bring rifles to the house in readiness.
At the Palmer HQ, there's a tension at the dinnertable as David and Sherry's
widening rift starts to boil over in front of their children, and Keith is
accused by his mother of bringing all this suffering on them. Nicole suffers
a panic attack as a result, but the Senator refuses to allow her to feel any
guilt or blame over the events which have now come back to haunt their
family.
Searching through belongings in Kim's bedroom, Teri hopes to find something
which might trigger her memory, but without success. Dr. Parslow introducesa
friend called Chris, whom he has asked to come over and give Teri some
protection. When she spots that Chris is carrying a gun, she freaks out and
orders him away, but Parslow convinces her to let him keep watch. The only
person Teri seems to feel safe with is Parslow, but she doesn'ht know why.
The two discuss in more depth the circumstances of their relationship, and
Teri begins to recall some details of their dates together.
On the way to Saugus, Bauer and Mason share some thoughts on the day's
unfolding events. Jack fills his superior in on the backstory behind the
Drazen's desire to target himself and Senator Palmer. An uneasy Mason,
meanwhile, makes sure Jack doesn't find out from Nina about the problem with
his wife and daughter's compromised safety, by rebuffing her mobile calls and
giving Jack a bogus reason to lend him his phone so that Nina can't reach him
directly.
David Palmer addresses the nation live on TV, confessing his ignorance in the
affairs of certain businessman who have given major backing to his campaign,
and of their part in the George Ferragamo incident. He reveals that
incriminating evidence has been passed onto the D.A., and that his son will
turn himself over to the Police for his part in the covered-up accident of
seven years ago. The Senator concludes by declaring full responsibility for
not being aware of these underhand activities, and reminds the public that he
would not be the first member of office to make a mistake, and as such he
still hopes to be elected. It's a powerful speech, focusing on the importance
of familial loyalty and doing the right thing. Sherry, however, is not
impressed and later shuns him backstage.
Frank, with the aid of his buddies, initially bluffs his way through the deal
before the inevitable stand-off occurs when the $20,000 is asked for. Just
when it looks as though he'll be walking off with the drugs, killing the
dealer and his girlfriend, there's a twist. The dealer is in fact an
undercover cop, who reads Frank his rights before a full SWAT team burst
through the doors. Everybody in the building, including Kim, is arrested and
taken to the Police Station.
Teri's amnesia begins to fade as she notices a box which Kim made for her.
Suddenly, she remembers the car sliding off the cliff with her daughter
inside. Her horror is interrupted when Myovic finally makes his move,
entering via the kitchen and shooting a startled Chris before opening fire on
Parslow in the hallway. The surgeon slumps to the floor. Quickly, Myovic
corners a shaking Teri in the living room, and orders her at gunpoint to
reveal Kim's whereabouts. Losing patience, the assassin gets ready to kill
her, only to be shot dead from behind by Tony. He'd decided to check out the
Bauer residence himself, to make sure nothing awry had taken place.
The co-ordinates for the power grid lead Jack and Mason into a curiously
empty field (considering it's supposed to be a wildlife reserve), where they eventually
find a freshly-installed transformer. From there, the address provided by Palmer from the
FBI's Drazen file takes them to another field. Overhead, a helicopter appears
and circles the two men. Somebody would seem to know of their arrival.
STATUS UPDATE:
Jack and Director Mason following lead to location of planned power grid
sabotage at 7.20pm. Kim Bauer caught up in undercover drugs bust, and
arrested. Teri Bauer almost killed by Drazen's shooter, but Tony intervenes.
Senator Palmer announces details of his son's cover-up and the Ferragamo
murder via a press conference on national TV.
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Having reassured a distraught Teri that Kim is in fact still alive and
recently made contact by payphone, Tony Almeida gets her and the wounded
Parslow into his truck. Nina's updated on the situation, whereupon she
instructs the surgeon to be taken to a clinic and dispatches a back-up team
to the Bauer's home. Teri's to be brought straight to the CTU.
Jack stays on at the Saugus reserve, determined to find out more, while Mason
heads back to wait for Alexis Drazen, having survived emergency surgery, to
wake up. Bauer asks for a car to be sent to him, then continues to scour the
area while security guards secretly monitor his activities.
As they await questioning at the police station, Rick tries to persuade Kim
that being completely honest about the day's events and how she came to be at
the scene of Frank's drugs bust is the best option. However, Rick's jealous
girlfiend Melanie convinces the officers that anything Kim might say is a
lie, and the two girls are put into a communal holding cell with several
other women.
Eventually, Jack locates a staircase leading down to a compound of some kind,
but an alarm sounds before he can attempt to enter and a posse of armed
guardsdescend upon him. They fire a laser-trained dart at Bauer, immobilising
him.
Not far away, Andre Drazen is camped with what remains of his team. Against
their wishes, Drazen's plan is to go ahead despite no communication from his
younger brother Alexis. They watch through binoculars as Bauer is captured at
the underground entrance.
Jack, it transpires, is now in a top-secret detention centre run by the
government. A Department Of Defence agent by the name of De Salvo
interrogates Bauer, wanting to know how he found it, and what he's doing
here. The convoluted story of the Palmer assasination, Drazen and the
imminent power blackout follows, and De Salvo appears to take Jack's claims
seriously. He confirms that something important is due to happen at 7.20pm;a
new prisoner is being delivered by helicopter but their identity is classfied
information, and unknown even to him. Jack urges de Salvo to arm all of the
facility's employees, so that when Drazen makes his move at the allotted time
he will think there is a greater level of security.
The idea works, as Drazen is forced to watch the drop-off take place without
the expected blackout, and DeSalvo's artificially bolstered numbers provide
an extra deterrent. A hooded figure is escorted down below, but when Jack is
denied access to the prisoner he makes another call to Senator Palmer, asking
him to pull some strings high up in the MoD.
Following his televised press conference, Palmer is facing the marital
fallout of his decision to go public with the Ferragamo story, as Sherry
makes it clear she considers the move to be political suicide. She dismisses
her husband's theory that the voters might approve of his honesty in
difficult circumstances.
Kim fails to make any progress with proving to the undercover police officer
that her father works for the government, and she was kidnapped as part of a
conspiracy involving the assasination of Senator Palmer. As a last resort,
she thrusts Jack's CTU telephone number into the cop's hand, telling him to
call it if he doesn't believe her.
Bauer uses his wiles and initiative to spot a way of getting into the main
observation room at the facility. A furious DeSalvo finds him there, but not
before Jack has seen the mystery prisoner unmasked. He immediately recognises
the man. It's Victor Drazen. Alive.Now Andre Drazen's plan to hijack the
drop-off makes perfect sense. Yet, Jack cannot help but wonder why the man he
was sent to kill two years ago is still alive and held by the US government.
Was his Secret Ops mission to Kosovo meant to fail? Bauer is reeling, and
DeSalvo tries to stop him going into to confront Drazen Snr face to face.
Palmer's military links do the trick, though, and DeSalvo's superiors inform
him that Bauer is allowed a few minutes with the war criminal. Jack wastes no
time in cutting to the chase, ordering Victor Drazen to abort the
assassination plans. He claims that the old man's family were not supposed to
die in Operation Nightfall, and that he was not aware of their death at the
time. To further dissuade him from continuing to target the Senator and
Jack's own wife and daughter, he also warns that Alexis and Andre could also
be killed trying to rescue him.
It's clear to Bauer that the immediate priority is to move Victor to another
location, and so DeSalvo is asked to find a quick alternative exit from the
facility which won't be known from any plans of the area, or be picked up by
cameras. As they begin to walk Drazen down the corridor from his cell, the
lights go out in the complex. Victor menacingly informs Bauer "they're here"..
STATUS UPDATE:
Victor Drazen has been kept alive by the US government for as yet unknown
motive, and move to secret subterranean military complex was at centre of his
sons' plans to sabotage power source at specified time. Drazen Jr's rescue
operation thwarted, but threat still posed while Drazen Snr is escorted from
building by Bauer. Senator Palmer's televised confession widens rift with
wife even further. Kim Bauer kept in police cells after story dismissed. Teri
Bauer taken to CTU by Tony Almeida.
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The results of the Primary elections are in, and Senator Palmer has won with
a sweeping majority in all 12 states. His decision has been utterly vin
dicated, and a TV poll shows more than 80% of voters think he handled the Ferragamo
situation correctly.
Tension between Melanie and Kim builds in the holding cell's volatile
environment. The two girls eventually come to verbal blows, but Kim handles
herself well enough to force Melanie to back down. A fracas then ensues
around Melanie and one of the other inmates over a planted cigarette, but
when her claims of innocence are =A0 validated by an intervening Kim, her
attitude towards Kim changes and she asks to speak to the officer who
arrested them.
In the darkened passageway at the detention centre, Jack calls Nina at the
CTU. However, Director Mason answers the phone. Bauer updates him on the
latest events; Mason is shocked to learn that Victor Drazen is alive, and
bypasses the necessary CTU red-tape by agreeing to send in a full field unit
at once. When Nina Myers asks for details of Jack's current status, Mason
refuses to tell her anything. The same happens when a freshly arrived Teri
Bauer confronts Nina and demands to see her husband.
Suddenly, there is a massive explosion in one of the underground tunnels.
Andre Drazen and his team have blasted their way through. Jack holds Victor
at gunpoint, and a standoff occurs when Andre takes DeSalvo. The tables turn
on Bauer when he backs down to spare DeSalvo, only to see him shot dead
anyway as the Drazens seize control of the situation. Jack is now held
hostage.
Andre Drazen then calls Mason, so that negotiations can begin. The CTU
district director requests proof that Bauer is still alive, then informs the
Drazens that he will consult with his superiors. In the few seconds Jack was
put on the phone, he was canny enough to pass on vital information on the
Drazen's armed presence within the facility, which Mason gives to the field
unit now on its way.
Ryan Chappelle is finally contacted by Mason, but the men disagree on the
best course of action. They also have different opinions on the problem
Victor Drazen's survival now poses to the US government. Chappelle insists
that the matter be dealt with immediately, and for good. The inference is
that Drazen needs to be taken out, and if that also means blowing up the
entire area and killing the CTU's own men (i.e. Jack Bauer) in the process,
then so be it.
However, the back-up team are thwarted by a series of laser mines laid in the
detention centre's tunnels. Disarming them will take at least half-an-hour.
All they find in the main facility are the bodies of DeSalvo and his men.
Emerging from the underground complex some distance from the main staircase,
Victor Drazen prepares to execute Bauer but Jack tells Victor that he knows
where Alexis is being held, and keeping him alive is the only way to find his
youngest son. Reluctantly, and with Andre Drazen's approval, Jack is spared.
They bundle him into their van, and drive off into the night.
Senator Palmer's campaign manager, Patty, has been making eyes at her boss
all evening. He notices her attentions, and a tentative but still slightly
embarrassed Patty goes as far as starting to massage Palmer's shoulders
during their discussion over the planned contents of his iminent victory
speech. He quickly asks her to stop, but the rebuff is not entirely
convincing. Later, Mike Novick makes veiled references to how his time in
Office, should he become President, would afford him the power to have
"anything he wants", even if his marriage is not happy.
Meanwhile, after Melanie spoke to the undercover officer at the police
station again, he contacted CTU using the number Kim provided. To Kim's
relief, the cop releases her from the cell, and escorts her back to the CTU
himself, where Teri will be waiting. Mother and daughter share a brief call
as Kim is on her way. Out of nowhere, the police car is rammed into and then
ambushed by a group of masked men in a van, who drag Kim out....
STATUS UPDATE:
Jack Bauer now hostage of an escaped Victor Drazen and son Andre. Senator
David Palmer wins Primary election, but marriage on the rocks. Teri safely
back at VTU, but Kim's reunion with mother is foiled as another kidnapping
takes place en route.
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Kim Bauer's abductors speak in Serbian as they put her in their van and drive
off. Within 20 minutes the news reaches CTU, putting Tony and Nina in an
awkward situation, as Teri Bauer is still waiting for her daughter's expected
arrival and continues to ask if everything's okay.
The Palmer campaign's post-election banquet is taking place in the hotel, and
the Senator receives an ovation from the assembled supporters as he arrives.
As he delivers his speech, Sherry leaves his side for a moment to look for
Patty. The women discuss the next day's proposed trip to Dallas which Sherry
will not be involved with due to other commitments.
Patty's asked to keep the Senator company in her absence. Victor Drazen
informs Mason at CTU that he wishes to trade Jack for Alexis. He orders Jack
to put his son on the phone. Nina patches a call through to the hospital.
Once satisfied that Alexis is alive, Drazen orders the exchange to be set up
immediately, but Mason claims he doesn't have the authority to do so. Ryan
Chappelle refuses to go ahead with the trade, despite Mason's repeated
efforts to change his mind. Nina relays the situation to Teri, still waiting
in a conference room at the CTU. The risk of embarrassment to the US
government if Victor Drazen's escape becomes known means that any agent, even
Jack Bauer, is ultimately expendable. Teri is disgusted, but Nina promises
she will do her best to find a solution. She makes a secret call to Senator
Palmer, begging him to use his position to put pressure on the CTU bigwigs.
Jack's taken to a basement beneath the restaurant owned by one of Drazen's
friends. There, a slap-up meal and fresh clothing await the terrorist. Around
him, Andre and his cohorts finalise the departure arrangements, which have
had to be slightly altered. Bauer observes silently, handcuffed to a wall,
but suddenly makes a move when the restauranteur's daughter takes Victor's
empty plates away. He snatches a knife, grabs the girl and holds it to her
throat. Another stand-off. Jack's manoeuvre forces Drazen's men to put down
their guns, but Drazen displays his cold-hearted ruthlessness by shooting the
girl in the head himself, rather than back down. Her father ignores Victor's
claim that he had no alternative, and accuses him of murder. Drazen's
response, typically, is to shoot his friend as well.
Senator Palmer calls George Mason, and offers him a high-ranking status
within the secret services once he becomes President...if he ignores
Chappelle and authorises the trade himself. Any immediate disciplinary
action, and possible demotion, will not matter when Palmer starts his first
term in office. The Senator vows to fast-track Mason into a senior position
as soon as he's in power. Mason asks what about if Palmer fails to become
President. "That's not going to happen", is the reply.
Andre Drazen's reaction to the escalating chaos is to give Mason an
ultimatum. The trade must take place within 30 minutes. Alexis is to be taken
to a repair garage on Grand Avenue, where an SUV will be waiting. Jack's
location be will only be revealed when Alexis is safely handed over. Mason
elects to make the trade himself.
Bauer is driven to an oil rig, chained to a post, and left there to await
further instructions. Andre hands Jack a mobile phone, with a scrambled
signal to stop any attempt to use it as a means of helping CTU trace his
whereabouts.
The Palmer banquet is in full swing, but the Senator goes up to Patty and
compliments her on her dress. She mentions some preparations made in
anticipation of the inevitable questions the media will be asking after his
Press Conference. He suggests they meet upstairs to work through her notes.
An ambulance brings Alexis, with Mason at his bedside, into the garage.
Drazen's men, upon seeing Alexis, immediately notify their boss that his
brother is in a worse condition than they were anticipating. Mason assures
them there is no serious problem, and the uneasy drop-off is eventually
concluded after a CTU team's presence around the immediate area is
reluctantly withdrawn. Jack's exact location is witheld until it's clear they
are not being followed. Mason had a tracking device planted on Alexis, but
it's found by Drazen's henchmen as they head back and destroyed.
The gentle flirting between Patty and Palmer continues upstairs as they mull
over a series of mock interview questions and share a glass of champagne, but
before anything happens the Senator decides they should return to the banquet
to meet'n'greet more of his supporters. A few minutes later Sherry approaches
Patty, now sitting alone at the bar. There is a more underhand reason for
Patty's subtle and gradual seduction of Palmer - it's been instigated by his
wife, and she wants to make sure the deception continues for the time being.
Back at the oil rig, Jack's freed from the post he's been chained to. Andre
Drazen, notified that Alexis is on his way, ordered the shooters to fire off
the restraints so that Jack can begin his next assignment. The mobile phone
rings. It's Andre, with details of what has to be done if Jack wants to see
his daughter again.
A car is parked nearby, and he is to drive towards a place called Century
City. Jack follows these instructions.
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