Russian gangsters are dead. Nuclear fuel rods are gone. Rogue Islamic Republic loyalists are running amok. All Hell has broken loose and there’s only one man who can stop it: CTU Agent Owen!
Ha, just kidding. Everyone knows that Owen is a joke. A sad, pathetic joke.
See, CTU Director Brian Hastings, who displays the backbone common in many types of sea cucumber, is getting pressure from the White House–namely, what’s-his-face, the weaselly Chief of Staff–to pin the failed mission on Renee Walker. Apparently, if the Department of Justice can nail Renee for murder that will make the nuclear holocaust that is set to hit New York much more palatable for its citizens.
Jack is unimpressed with this bureaucratic tomfoolery and forcefully removes Renee from custody before she lands herself in prison for her stab-a-thon. He almost makes it out of CTU and onto another round of roguedom before an enterprising CTU guard tasers the crap out of him.
Meanwhile, in the subplot that is simultaneously dumb and awesome, Dana is prepared to confront Kevin and his psycho BFF and if that means shooting them in their
White Trash heads with a gun from Goldeneye N64, then so be it.
Before she can throw down her violence, Cole shows up, finally gets the truth about her past, walks over to Kevin’s dirtbag van, waves his gun around, threatens them, and eventually goes hog-wild with his shotgun. Alas, I’m sad to see those two guys go. The entire storyline was moronic, but I was consistently and pleasantly surprised as to the depths of poor decision-making all participants sank.
Over at CTU, Jack makes a deal with Hastings: let Renee off and he’ll track down the nuclear rods. Hastings is obviously relieved, because with Cole out gallivanting in the Everglades with his girlfriend, that left CTU Agent Owen as the only field commander and everyone knows that Owen is not to be trusted. Just look at him. Something’s not right with that guy.
Hastings agrees and like that Jack is officially back. And since the Islamic Republic nutjobs have opted to avoid all the red tape that comes with shipping illegal atomic fuel rods overseas and instead make some kind of a bomb to nuke NYC, it looks like Jack will be needed more than ever.
Next week: Dana and Cole go about the cover-up, Jack leads the assault and Owen is finally exposed as the creepy douchebag that he is.
23. February 2010 at 8:12 am
I loved that Jack told that guard “Put down the gun, son.” What an awesome grandfather line!
24. February 2010 at 8:24 am
I think I have more faith in Agent Owen’s abilities than Ortiz’s. Freddie Prinze Jr’s acting made Cole look like a wannabe tough guy during the confrontation with the Rednecks. Prinze can’t be taken seriously as a Mall Cop, let alone a CTU Agent. I was willing to give him a chance after fellow pretty boy Ricky Shroeder proved me wrong in Season 6, but Prinze doesn’t have the ability to pull it off.
I’m agreeing more & more with Erich’s opinion of 24’s writers not being able to create solid female characters. President Taylor got zero screen time, Dana gets dumber by the hour, Chloe is useless, & Renee went from psychotic badass to can’t lie her way out of a cross-examination & needs Jack’s help to spring her out.
After they get the Islamic Republic nutjobs, is the final big bad going to be Gloria Allred & NOW?