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24 7.8: "Day 7: 3PM - 4PM" |
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Tuesday, 10 February 2009 |
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By John Keegan
Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries.
| On the face of it, the plot for this episode is remarkably simple. Dubaku has abducted the First Gentleman and is threatening to kill him if President Taylor doesn't call off the planned invasion of Sangala. President Taylor has Jack Bauer and his friends on her side, and they promise to do everything possible to retrieve the First Gentleman before the clock strikes 4PM. The timing couldn't feel more contrived.
But that predictability is only the framing conceit. The real story is the ongoing debate over the tactics employed in the name of counter-terrorism. It would have been easy enough for the writers to ignore the small matter of Jack's appearance in front of the Senate subcommittee, so hearing about it again (even in passing) was a good thing.
Jack is still coming to terms with the price he's apparently paid for the sake of his country. Yet that is, ultimately, a personal matter for him, something to be resolved only after the mission is over and the duty is performed. The priority is now achieving the objective. If his manner seems colder, a bit more clinical, that's a logical progression of his psychological state. Too often in the past, he was caught between duty to his country and duty to his loved ones. Now, having lost so much, it's a lot more cut and dry.
It's not even a question of legality. Jack doesn't mince words; he recognizes that his methods often take him far outside the Geneva Convention and every other "civilized" law against cruel and unusual punishment. He understands the barbarity of what he proposes, and he does everything possible to limit the collateral damage. But he operates on one simple principle: his methods are in direct proportion to the inhumanity of his enemies.
Agents Moss and Walker have different reactions when forced to deal with the reality of counter-terrorism. Moss was the one with the most fervent moral and legal objections to Bauer's methods, and so of course, he's the one to confront Jack directly. If anything, Agent Moss is simply naive. When he says "we're supposed to be better", he's right. That's the ideal. Jack, however, is the weapon used when the enemy is willing to use those principles as a means to their own end.
Jack's point is that someone needs to be willing to take the necessary steps to achieve the mission objective, but that doesn't mean that he expects everyone to accept that burden without pause. He just expects the people in charge of the intelligence community and the nation to recognize that the need exists. This is the purpose of Agent Walker's ordeal in this episode. She understands the need for agents like Jack Bauer, and she wants to have that same dedication. Unlike Jack, however, she's new to that role, and she's only beginning to learn what it means to be Just Like Jack.
Note the difference in Jack's reaction to Agent Moss and Agent Walker. It has nothing to do with gender; it's about respect and duty. Agent Moss derides Jack and questions his every move, and it's clear that his cooperation is begrudging at best. Agent Walker recognizes the rationale behind Jack's actions and is willing to step over the same line, but the details are making her question her ability to compartmentalize. And as a result, Jack is patient with her when she questions her ability to continue. She made the effort, she recognizes the necessity, she's just not sure she can fulfill the role. Jack respects that, because not everyone can follow his path.
Not everything works, of course. Dubaku just happens to leave the basement where the First Gentleman is being held because of a personal matter, one that will inevitably hold the key to finding him as the season progresses. This kind of plot convenience is stock and trade on "24", of course, and thankfully proves a minor blemish on an otherwise strong installment. |
