Episode 8 Overview & Thoughts

3:00 pm – 3:17 pm

Episode opens with Henry Taylor being brought to Dubaku’s hideout (Korean grocer). We next see Dubaku walking the streets and sees President Taylor on TV giving an address to the nation saying we will not give in to the terrorists and that Juma will be overthrown and Prime Minister Mutobo will be the leader of Sangala.

Dubaku gets to the hideout. The music as he is going to the grocers is outstanding by Sean Callery.

Dubaku tells Vossler his money will be wired to the usual account. Vossler has to leave because his shift begins at 4 pm.

Dubaku talks to Henry Taylor. We get confirmation that Dubaku is behind Roger Taylor’s death. “Does your wife love you enough to call of the invasion of my country?” Dubaku asks.

Back to President Taylor still addressing the nation. Nice split-screen showing Prime Minister Mutobo, Jack, Bill & Renee arriving at the White House.

Ethan explains to the President who is going to be meeting with her in the Oval Office. She is willing to hear what they have to say because the Prime Minister asked her to. She warmly greets the Prime Minister.

The President tells him she has ordered the military to proceed in Sangala. The Prime Minister is grateful but tells her he has to leave to meet with his people about post-invasion plans.

The President demands an explanation about what is going on. Jack proceeds to inform the President that key members of the government are working with General Juma and Dubaku to undermine this nation’s foreign policy and her foreign policy regarding Sangala.

Bill explains about Tony’s undercover operation, etc.The President asks if she chooses to believe them, where would they go from here? Jack explains that Dubaku is the one who knows the names of those within the government who have betrayed her. He says it is imperative that he be found but they would have to work under the radar because they don’t know who can be trusted.

The President then gets a call from Dubaku about her husband. Dubaku tells her he has her husband and she speaks with him briefly to show prove that he is being held hostage. Dubaku demands that the President withdraw her forces around his country and the Prime Minister be delivered to a power plant by 4 pm. If this is not done, he says her husband will die. “You wouldn’t dare!” says the President. Dubaku then orders one of Henry’s fingers be cut off – Ouch! Dubaku again says if his demands aren’t met, her husband will be killed immediately.

Ethan comes in after the call ends to inform her that Agent Gedge and Samantha Roth’s bodies were found at her apartment along with the drug Gedge used on Henry Taylor. He says this confirms the conspiracy they were just told about.

The President is clearly upset but says “How can she ask the American people to make sacrifices I’m not willing to make myself.” “I can’t give in. I can’t.”

Jack says they can still try and find her husband before the 4 pm deadline. The President is reluctant because of what Dubaku said and she says she can’t trust anyone in the government.

Jack replies, “You can trust me.” – the first of many great lines of dialogue in this episode.

“How am I supposed to know where your loyalties really lie?” – President Taylor
“With all do respect Madame President…ask around.” – Jack Bauer

More great dialogue! I love it! Kiefer Sutherland can deliver most simple line of dialogue more effectively than almost any other actor I have ever seen.

Jack needs the President to go along with Dubaku’s demands to buy them some time so they can try and find her husband.

Ethan shows Jack and Renee to a room they can use to work out of. Jack asks for the security details for Henry Taylor and he tells Renee they need to check Agent Gedge’s phone records. Renee says phone records for SS agents are highly-classified especially those assigned to the first family. Jack says they need to get them from someone who already has clearance. Renee suggests Larry Moss. Jack’s skeptical but she says she thinks she can persuade him to do what they want. “We know each other pretty well.” (wink, wink)

Renee calls Larry. Larry is shocked to hear from her of course. She explains she and Jack needs his help. She said Jack was with them all along and everything he did was to preserve his cover. She says the Bureau is compromised and what they are doing has to remain completely off-book. She explains about Henry Taylor’s kidnapping and how the President has asked her and Jack to find him by 4 pm or he’ll be killed. She asks him to get Agent Gedge’s phone records.

Larry wants to see her to make sure she’s not “under duress.” Renee says there is no time for that. Larry says if she wants his help, they’ll have to meet at the Capitol Reflecting Pool. She tells Jack that she thinks he’ll help but they need to go.

3:21 pm – 3:30 pm

Back at the FBI: Sean is whining that they are being kept out of the loop. Blonde chick is asking when she can see him again. Sean says he hasn’t seen the wife in over a week. Sean has to get back to work. Guess the blonde chick is out of luck. Janice comes over says he should be less obvious that he’s carry on with the blonde chick. Might as well hold up a sign - Ha. Sean says it’s stupid and wrong and he’ll stop. Janice says he should before Larry finds out.

Jack and Renee arrive at the reflecting pool to meet with Larry. I love this scene and the location. The location adds so much to the scene.

You can see how relieved Larry is that Renee’s alive. If Jack wasn’t there I think he would have hugged her. Of course Jack is clueless about the obvious connection between these two as he walks up to them. Jack gets right down to business and immediately asks if Larry got access Agent Gedge’s phone records.

Larry mentions Gedge talking with Agent Vossler and Larry also checked out Vossler’s personnel records. He was in Special Forces and also spent some time in Sangala. Larry shows Renee Vossler’s files. Jack asks if Vossler has a family. Renee says he is married and has an 11-month old son. Jack wants to have Larry help him track Vossler and he wants Renee to go to Vossler’s home.

Larry wants to know why. Jack says since Vossler has been in Special Forces he’ll be hard to break so threatening his family will be his only vulnerability.

“When are you people gonna stop thinking everyone else is following your rules? There’re not!” another great line from Jack.

“Pick One!” – I love the way Kiefer says that line.

When Larry says he won’t allow Renee to end up like him, I thought Jack was going to punch him again but all he said was “Are you going to give me the keys or not?” Then Larry just throws them at him.

This scene ends with another great line: Larry says, “The rules are what make us better.” Jack replies, “Not today.” Fantastic writing.

Back to Dubaku’s hideout: Dubaku gets a call from the girlfriend. She’s come home to help her sister. She wanted to see if he’s still coming to dinner but he says he can’t – busy at “work”. Being a thug and a terrorist is a 24-hour job you know. The girlfriend and her sister have an argument about “Samuel”. The sister is trying to warn her about him, but she won’t listen. After the girlfriend leaves, her sister looks at a letter.

Now at the White House: Bill suggests they use a Mutobo look-alike to take to the power plant. The President gives her authorization to move forward.

Now showing Jack in Larry’s vehicle. Jack gets a call from Larry. He tells Jack were Vossler is. They are tracking him.

Renee arrives at Vossler’s home. The wife opens the door, Renee shows her gun, comes and says if she does what she’s told there is a chance she’ll live through this.

3:35 pm – 3:40 pm

First scene is of the baby crying. Vossler’s wife tries to go to the baby but Renee pulls her gun on her and won’t let her near the baby. She tells her to sit. Renee handcuffs the wife to the table. (Renee is channeling her inner-Jack again).

Jack and Larry are still tracking Vossler. Jack has to go down a one-way street (no problem for Jack). There he goes through one-way traffic, he sees Vossler’s car and hits him. “Let me see your hands – NOW”. I never get tired of Kiefer/Jack shouting that at people.

Jack takes Vossler in the entryway of an apartment or hotel. I can’t tell exactly where they are. Vossler of course won’t tell Jack where Henry Taylor is. Jack then calls Renee. Renee puts the phone on speaker. Carol, Vossler’s wife explains there is a woman there with a gun. Vossler still won’t talk. Jack then tells Renee to “begin.”

Renee goes over to the baby and makes it look like she’s doing something to him. Vossler gives in and tells Jack he will tell him. Jack hangs up. Renee picks up the baby and gives him to her mother. She calls Renee a monster.

What an intense scene that was. What was brilliant about it was that you couldn’t see what Renee was doing or not doing to the child. I knew she really wasn’t harming the child but because you couldn’t see it, it made it all the more intense. Great work by the Director and editors.

Vossler still hesitates, Jack starts to call Renee again, but Vossler finally tells where they are holding Henry Taylor. A passerby comes into where they are, but as Jack turns his head to tell the person to get out, Vossler knocks the gun out of his hand. Vossler then pulls a knife and a fight ensues.

Nice throw-down by Jack. Jack manages to stab Vossler in the stomach with the knife. Jack grabs his gun and leaves. There are people around his vehicle but Jack shouts for them to get away. Jack sees he can no longer use the car so he does what Jack always does when he needs a car - he car jacks someone! Jack has done this so many times over the years he’s become quite good at it. “GET OUT OF THE CAR NOW – MOVE!” Vintage Jack.

3:45 pm – 3:50 pm

Now at the White House, Bill and another agent are with the Mutobo look-alike explaining the protocol for when the arrive at the power plant. At first I wondered where they could find a guy to pose as Mutobo so quickly, but I figured it was maybe another SS agent. I thought they couldn’t trust anyone in the government but it seem like a lot of people are still in the loop. Oh well, sometimes you have to overlook plot holes at times.

Jack is calling Renee to give her the address of where Henry Taylor is being held. He tells Renee if she gets there first to stand down until he gets there. He also tells her Vossler is dead, he attacked him and he didn’t have a choice.

He asks Renee if she’s ok. She looks at the mother and child and says she doesn’t think she is. Jack says after what she did today he wouldn’t blame her if it was too much and wanted to get out.

“Maybe I will… tomorrow.” – another great line and very well done by Annie Wershing.

Meanwhile back at the White House, Bill tells the President that they have a location on where her husband is.

The blonde chick at FBI gives Sean a memo from Homeland Security that they are considering lowering the threat level. “Something’s going on behind our back” - waaaaa! Stop whining and shut-up Sean! Man, he gets on my nerves. Good Larry’s getting a phone call. It’s Renee. She tells him she’s on her way to where Henry’s being held. She also asks him to keep an incident quiet until what she and Jack are doing is finished.

She tells Larry Jack killed Vossler in self-defense. Larry’s upset and not sure Jack was telling the truth. He asks what she’s doing with Bauer. “We’re supposed to bring suspects in not murder them.” Larry tells Renee.

Dubaku is being told a vehicle is arriving at the power plant they think contains the Prime Minister. Dubaku gets a call from the girlfriend’s sister Rosa. She has the letter we saw earlier. She tells him she knows Samuel is not his real name and that she has a friend at Immigration that found out he is in this country illegally. She tells him to break it off with her sister and she’ll keep the information she found out between them. The call ends. Dubaku says he has to take care of a problem. Looks like he’s off to take care of the sister. Watch out Rosa!

3:54 pm – 4:00 pm

Renee arrives at the grocers where Henry Taylor is being held. She waits for Jack. Bill calls Jack to find out Jack’s status. They have the vehicle on satellite at the White House. They are told to bring the Prime Minister to them. Dubaku is told by phone that no one is getting out of the vehicle. Dubaku says they are being played and orders the vehicle destroyed. The President orders the car to leave and Bill tells them to get out, but it’s too late, one of Dubaku’s men sends in a shoulder-fired missile and the car is destroyed. I like how this was done, you don’t see the actual car being blown up, but you see it from the White House on satellite. I thought that was a different way do that but it was still effective.

Jack arrives to meet Renee. Jack orders the grocery owner at gun point to move and he takes him to the basement. He whispers in his ear that he wants him to open the door and ask them if they want something to eat. Jack knocks him out and he goes into see how many are there using his always handy mirror. Jack then uses hand signals to Renee telling her what he wants her to do. The second part of his hand signals looked to me like he was doing hand puppets or something. I found that kind of funny.

Dubaku calls one of his associates and tells him to kill Henry Taylor. Then the shooting begins! Some nice shooting by Renee. As the bad guy goes to kill Taylor, we see the Jack slide again! You have to look close but as he slides into a wall, he shoots the guy, but before he goes down he shoots Henry Taylor! Uh Oh!

Jack goes in and notices Taylor’s been shot. Renee comes in and Jack shouts: “GET AN AMBULANCE!!”

…the clock ticks to 4:00 pm

Wow! I’m exhausted after that episode. That is the ‘24’ thrill-ride I remember. This has to be the best episode of this season so far. The pacing was great, the writing, everything was outstanding in my opinion.

I should have known this was going to be a great episode when I saw Bob Cochran was one of the writers. Any episode he’s involved in writing is always special. Evan Katz was also one of the writers of this episode and he’s a great writer as well.

Poor Henry Taylor. Talk about having a bad day. I hope he makes it, I’d hate to see the President lose both a son and a husband.

Episode 8 was the last one filmed before the writer’s strike so the rest of the season was filmed several months later where they had more time to go back and do re-writes and re-shoots. It’s a great season already so I can’t wait to see what the remaining episodes will be like.

Is it Monday yet??