Episode 15 Overview & Comments

10:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Episode Quote:

Tony: “Don’t do it. You’re gonna turn a surveillance job into a firefight. It’ll be two against 10.”

Jack (aiming his gun at Cooper): “Two against nine.”

As the FBI continue their search for Jack, Larry calls Ethan and tells him that Senator Mayer is dead. They believe that Jack murdered him. Ethan is angry with Larry for letting Jack get away, but Larry reminds him that he advised Ethan against using Jack in the first place. This sobers Ethan, who subsequently tenders his resignation to the President.

Comment: After that conversation with Larry, Ethan realizes his career going down the tubes so he decides he has to “fall on the sword” for the President.

With her husband on the mend, the President was hoping the day would end on a more positive note. She tries to persuade Ethan not to resign, but he feels that his poor decisions will tarnish her administration if he does not resign immediately.

Comment: Nice to know that Henry Taylor made it through the surgery ok. Nice brief conversation between him and President Taylor. The scene between President Taylor and Ethan were he resigns was very well acted. Nice scene. I thought maybe Ethan was a bad guy for awhile but I guess he is not. I felt bad for him having to resign, but he did make some bad decisions so I can understand why he would resign.

Jack calls Tony and explains about the bioweapon that Starkwood is about to get a hold of in order to fight their congressional order to be dismantled. U.S. civilians will be killed to prove that Starkwood is needed as a secondary security force. Jack believes the weapon is still at the port. There's only one Port Authority Officer on duty, named Carl Gadsen. As Gadsen gets off the phone with his very pregnant wife while working double shifts to make ends meet, Jack and Tony grab him. They disarm him and force him at gunpoint to get the port manifest.

Comment: I loved when Tony tells Jack they should contact the FBI about Starkwood and the bioweapon and Jack says they can’t because “we’re fugitives Tony!” I loved the way Jack said that. He might as well have said, “Tony, you moron get with the program!”

At Starkwood, Hodges is informed that Quinn hasn't checked in. He then addresses Starkwood's board, exhorting them to stop cooperating with the government subcommittee. They are not to answer any more subpoenas. Starkwood can be a vital tool in protecting an America that has an army stretched to the breaking point and the draft off the table. After the meeting, Douglas Knowles, the Board's chairman, tells Hodges he thinks it's folly to fight Senator Mayer. Hodges informs him that Mayer has been killed by a rogue federal agent. Knowles is horrified, and asks for Hodges' assurance that he wasn't involved. Hodges feigns offense, but coolly suggests that while Starkwood is not in the business of political assassinations, it's certainly a growth market they could look into.

Comment: Great comment by Hodges, “They’re six year olds, Greg. They need to eat their carrots.” Love the performance by Jon Voight. Cool business man on the surface, but cold and ruthless underneath. Great ‘24’ villain.

At the port, Gadsen tells Jack and Tony that he was trying to make extra cash to support his impending twins conceived with expensive fertility treatments. He had planned to aid men that he thought were simple electronics smugglers. They haven't arrived yet. Jack tries to call in the FBI, but communication is jammed. The men arrive at the gate. Jack tells Gadsen to let them in. He and Tony will follow them and call for help once they're out of jamming range. Gadsen is reluctant, but Jack promises that they have his back. Gadsen opens the gate to find a small army waiting, led by Stokes, who is suspicious of how nervous Gadsen is. He forces Gadsen to come along with them to the pickup site. Tony whispers to Jack that he knew Gadsen was a dead man the moment he walked out that door.

Comment: Jack and Tony seem to be switching roles here which is interesting. Jack seems to be more willing to save one innocent person and risk the whole operation but Tony is perfectly willing for Gadsen to be an “acceptable loss.” This is a role reversal for these characters. It shows me how much Tony’s character has changed since Michelle’s death. Tony’s much more hardened and cold; very much like Jack was after Teri’s death. I think when Gadsen talks about his wife having twins, trying to pay for the fertility treatments, etc got to Jack and he didn’t want this guy to miss his chance at having a family. I think Jack wanted to give Gadsen a chance at the life he never had.

Olivia tells Ethan that she is personally sorry for his resignation, though she still think it's what's best for her mother. Ethan apologizes for accusing her of leaking his role in Jack's escape to the press. He advises her that running the country isn't like running a campaign -- you need to do what's right for the people, not just whatever it takes to win. Olivia responds that sometimes those things aren't mutually exclusive. Once he's gone, she calls network White House reporter Ken Dellao to inform him that he can now run with the story about Ethan and Jack. She was the leak.

Comment: Well this wasn’t much of a surprise: Olivia’s evil! I knew she was the leaker all along. Too bad Ethan didn’t know that. He gave Olivia some good advice…too bad she won’t listen to it.

At Senator Mayer's home, evidence is found that points to a third person being involved with the murder. Larry calls Renee to say that he is prepared to entertain the idea that Jack is innocent. He wants her to tell him what she knows. She's reluctant to blow Jack's cover, but finally discloses what she knows about Quinn and Starkwood, and the fact that Jack was trying to prove that Starkwood was behind today's attacks.

Comment: Well Larry’s starting to finally get it. I’m glad Renee explained what was going on with Jack and why he’s been doing what he’s doing. I’m starting to like Larry again.

At the port, Tony wants to move out, but Jack can't abandon Gadsen. He already promised one person today that he'd protect them, and now they are dead. He can't let that happen again. When a thug is dispatched to lead Gadsen off to be executed, Jack takes aim. Tony exhorts him not to do it because it will blow the whole mission, causing so many more innocents to die. Jack pulls the trigger, saving Gadsen, who runs away to safety.

Comment: Another debatable action by Jack. Should he have saved Gadsen or sacrificed him for the success of the operation? Should Jack have heeded Tony’s advice and not “break his own rules?” Jack of course decides to save Gadsen. This situation goes to the heart of the moral dilemma that has been an on-going theme during the entire run of ‘24’: for the greater good, is it sometimes necessary to sacrifice one life to save potentially thousands or hundreds of thousands?

Jack and Tony come up with a fallback plan: hijack the truck. The dead man is found in short order, and Tony and Jack open fire. In the course of the gunfire, Jack manages to leap aboard the truck and throw the driver out of the cab while Tony keeps them distracted. However, Tony gets captured. As Jack prepares to drive away with the bioweapon, he hears over the walkie-talkie about Tony getting caught. Stokes recognizes him. Jack calls Larry and asks him to scramble together teams to meet him at a weigh station.

Comment: Another great shootout scene and beautifully shot as well. Jon Cassar directed this episode and did another terrific job. He will really be missed during Day 8. Tony gets captured – that should be interesting. Jack pulls an Indiana Jones and hijacks the truck! That was great. I never get tired of Jack doing things like that.

Just as Jack gets off the phone, a flashing light alerts him to a breach. He stops the truck and checks in the truck's pallet to find a gash in one of the containers causing bioweapon gas to leak out. Unfortunately, he's stopped near a suburban area. Jack desperately manages to hammer the leak closed.

Moments later, the Starkwood team arrives with gunmen and a helicopter. Jack is forced to take cover while the gunmen airlift the bioweapon away. Stokes calls Hodges and reports he'll be there in ten minutes. Meanwhile, Jack calls Larry and tells him that Starkwood recovered the weapon and headed due west from his position. Larry says there's a large military facility in that area, but he can't assault a private compound without evidence that a weapon exists. Jack tells him to send his CDC men to him and they'll have all the proof they need -- Jack was exposed to the bioweapon chemical.

Comment: Poor Jack, he’s been exposed! I don’t think Jack is going to die of course, we know that there will be a Season 8 and it was recently announced that Kiefer has signed on for day 8 but even just the thought of Jack possibly being affected by a bioweapon is scary. I liked the scene where Jack calls Larry explaining what happened. You can see for the first time Larry feeling some compassion for Jack. Kiefer played Jack’s reaction to being exposed beautifully. It was subtle and nuanced, but Kiefer captured Jack’s realization of being exposed and quiet fear wonderfully. This episode ended differently than most ‘24’ episodes, very quietly with Jack sitting thinking about what just happened to him. Nice way to end this episode.

Clock ticks to…11:00 pm

Episode Overview From fox.com/24 / Comments are mine (24FanForever)

24 Quote Of The Day

"When I shot that guy I thought I'd go all fetal position, but the truth is I didn't feel anything. At all. I hope I'm not some kind of psychopath."

-Chloe O'Brian

Season 4

2:00 am - 3:00 am

Love '24' and The Board Game 'Clue'?

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5 Preview Clips From Episode 16

Below are five preview clips from episode 16 that will air on 3/30/09. Most of them don't give too much away but if you adverse to spoilers, you may want to stay away from clip #5 (Mobilizing):

Situation Developing:



Certainly Qualified:



A Good Man:



Jack Was Right:



Mobilizing:

Kiefer Sutherland On 'Regis & Kelly' - 3/24/09

Kiefer Sutherland made an appearance on 'Regis & Kelly' to promote 'Monsters vs. Aliens' but there was also some talk about '24':

'24' Scenemaker: Episode 15

Source: FOX Network / YouTube

Kiefer Sutherland Says He's Back For 8th Season Of '24' - 3/24/09

Kiefer Sutherland Says He's On For 8th '24' Season

by Min Lee | The Associated Press

Tuesday March 24, 2009, 6:50 AM

HONG KONG -- Kiefer Sutherland will be back to play Jack Bauer for an eighth season of the hit counterterrorism drama "24," but the show's longevity will depend on its writers, the actor said Tuesday.

The 42-year-old told The Associated Press that "24," currently in its seventh season, will start shooting its eighth in May. He spoke during an interview in Hong Kong to promote the new 3-D animated movie "Monsters vs. Aliens," in which he voices the character of General W.R. Monger.

Sutherland, whose gritty portrayal of the counterterrorism agent has made Bauer an iconic character, said he's committed to the show that's revived his career.

"If I was going to liken '24' to a girlfriend, '24' has been really good to me. And I need to be really good back," Sutherland said.

"There are plays I want to do. There are so many different things I would like to do, but I was so fortunate to be part of something like '24' that my focus is still on that right now," he said.

Sutherland said the show's future also hinges on its writers' ability to shape its story.

"The real pressure is placed on the writers. It's a real question about how much they feel they can give and what they can do," he said.

Sutherland, whose movie credits include "Young Guns" and "A Few Good Men," said he hasn't thought much about his career after "24" and isn't worried about being typecast as a Bauer-like government agent.

"I will do the work I want to do and people can accept it or not," he said.

Working as a voice actor on "Monsters vs. Aliens" was a "fantastic counterbalance" to playing Bauer, he said.

"The relief was unbelievable. For five days a week, 14 hours a day, I'm doing Jack Bauer on '24' and then for five hours on the weekend, I got to kind of proverbially let my hair down and play this character and talk like that and be a kid. I felt like a five-year-old," said Sutherland, simulating the deep, raspy voice of his character.

"Monsters vs. Aliens," which is about a jailed group of monsters who are freed to help battle an alien robot, opens in U.S. theaters on Friday.

Link: Mlive.com

Kiefer Sutherland Interview, 'Monsters Vs. Aliens' & '24' - 3/23/09

This interview is mostly about Kiefer's voicing a character in the upcoming 'Monsters vs. Aliens' film, but some of it is about '24' that was very interesting.

MoviesOnline caught up recently with Kiefer Sutherland (“24”) at the Los Angeles press day for his new 3-D animated adventure, “Monsters vs. Aliens,” directed by Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon.

When California girl Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon) is unwittingly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches tall. Alerted to the threat of this new monster, the military jumps into action and Susan is captured and secreted away to a covert government compound. There, she is renamed Ginormica and placed in confinement with a ragtag group of other monsters: the brilliant but insect-headed Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. (Hugh Laurie); the macho half-ape, half-fish The Missing Link (Will Arnett); the gelatinous and indestructible B.O.B. (Seth Rogen); and the 350-foot grub called Insectosaurus. Their confinement is cut short, however, when a mysterious Alien Robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country. In a moment of desperation, The President (Stephen Colbert) is persuaded by General W.R. Monger (Sutherland) to enlist the motley crew of Monsters to combat the Alien Robot and save the world from imminent destruction.

Sutherland gladly joined the project and states, “Animated films, they’re fantastic. There’s something wonderful, because these people operate in such a different world than what I’m used to…to be able to work in a room where people are laughing all the time, and they’ve been working on this film for almost four years. To be able to come into a room four years later and still have the same kind of energy and enthusiasm and find it funny – that’s really inspiring. It makes you really want to impress them and make them laugh. They were unbelievably helpful, knowing that this is a really different kind of thing for me.”

Director Letterman comments, “On ’24,’ he’s a little whispery. But during our recording sessions, he had this country accent and he just started screaming at the top of his lungs, and we thought, ‘That’s great, that’s fantastic!’ He just totally broke out into something brand new and that really nailed the character right there for us.

Kiefer Sutherland is a fabulous guy and we really appreciated his time. Here’s what he had to tell us about his new movie as well as the latest on “24”:

Q: WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THIS MOVIE THAT MADE YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF IT?

SUTHERLAND: It was a combination of a few things. I believe that in the English language Jeffery Katzenberg makes some of the best-animated movies. He was a huge part of this. I had worked with Reese [Witherspoon] before and her voice is in a much higher register than mine. I thought that would be a nice balance. It's in a much higher register than mine. But most importantly I've never chosen films because of a specific character. I have always chosen films because of what the story is and how it affects me. This story specifically was geared to young people and it told them that it was all right to be different. Not only was it all right to be different, but also the thing that might make you uncomfortable or weird, could be your greatest quality. That quality in the context of our movie allows Ginormica to save the planet. Certainly when I was growing up there were times when I felt different than other kids. That scared me a lot. What I liked about this movie was that it told children and young people that it was all right.

Q: DID YOU WATCH ANIMATED FILMS AS A KID? WHAT DO YOU THINK JACK BAUER WOULD HAVE DONE IN THIS SITUATION?

SUTHERLAND: I think that Jack Bauer would have been the first person that the aliens took out. He would have survived somehow for the sequel but he would have been certainly unconscious through this film. Of course I did watch those films. Walt Disney, whatever anybody thinks about him, was a very smart guy. He made an animated film every seven years, for each generation. My generation, the film he made for us, was a film called 'Bambi'. It was one of the most dramatic films I've still yet to see. The mother dies in the first act. It's literally the great coming of age story of how to be a man. That film moved me. That was my opening to films. As much as I must have cried, I'm pretending like I can't remember, as much as I cried when that happened, at the end of the film I was just amazed how much I felt. That drew me to see other films. Animated movies for me were the doorway to the genre of entertainment that I fell in love with.

Q: CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE DECISION TO DO A CHARACTER VOICE AND NOT SOUND LIKE YOU? DID YOU LOOK AT ANY OF THE GREAT MILITARY GENERAL PARTS THAT YOUR DAD HAS PLAYED?

SUTHERLAND: Gosh, I wish I had. That would have gone over well for our Sunday night dinner. Almost all of the animated stuff that I have done before, like 'The Wild' or 'The Land Before Time' and things like that had always wanted my voice to sound like my voice. That way it would be recognizable. When I came in to do this, I had told Lisa [Stewart] and Conrad [Vernon] that I had an idea for a character. I asked if that was going to be all right. They said 'Not only is it alright but that's what we wanted you to do.' So, for the military aspect of the character, I love the voice of the sergeant in 'Full Metal Jacket' because he was so abrasive, loud, and southern. I knew Reese was going to have a southern thing going on so I thought that would fit. Then, to temper that for some humor, my favorite cartoon character was Yosemite Sam. Have you ever seen the Bugs Bunny cartoons? Yosemite Sam used to start off the cartoons he was in, he was always sitting in some kind of western saloon and he would start off with the line ‘I hate rabbits.' And he would go on like that, so I did that voice and the producers laughed. We started joking around with melding the two together. That's how we came up with the voice for the General, which is actually not very different from what I just did, and we went from there.

Q: Full Metal Sam, huh?

SUTHERLAND: That's very cool, I like that.

Q: WAS IT GEORGE C. SCOTT?

SUTHERLAND: This is what is so cool. I've been to Berlin, London, Madrid, Rome, Paris, New York, and here. I've gotten that everywhere. That's the power of the animation. Oddly enough it's a Kubrick film as well. We had never seen any of the animation. The entire time I worked on the film all I saw was the placard of the character. When I saw the animation this is where I think all the George C. Scott references come from. It's the physicality of the character. When I saw the character, he was big. I didn't realize he was going to shrink compared to the 49 foot woman. He's almost like a bee. He's kind of square and physically he reminds me of 'Patton' and 'Dr. Strangelove' but the voice references were completely separate and different. The power of the animation and visual [style] can steer that in that direction very quickly.

Q: THEY DID A LOT OF CLOSE UPS ON THE GENERAL'S MOUTH. WAS THAT YOU?

SUTHERLAND: Nope. You would have to ask the animators. I know that they filmed us the entire time when we were doing the voiceovers, but how much they actually take what our mouths are doing and incorporate that into the drawings, I don't know. I think one of the great freedoms of this is that as an actor you get to leave your physicality at the door. I'm limited by my physicality. I'm 5'10, I'm blonde, I look like this, and there is only so much I can do with that much. But with this there is unlimited freedom. I'm only responsible for the emotional characteristics of the character and the voice. I'm in partnership with the animator. It's a great question but I'm not the one to answer it because I didn't do the drawings.

Q: THERE ARE A LOT OF CANADIANS IN THE MOVIE. DO YOU HAVE ANY THEORIES ON THAT? YOUR CHARACTER IS KIND OF AN AMERICAN ARCHETYPE BUT DID YOU BRING ANY OF CANADA TO THE WORK?

SUTHERLAND: No, because I forgot to say 'Eh'. No, why are there so many Canadian actors? You can say that about '24'. At one point we looked around and the cinematographer, the director, the woman who played my wife Leslie Hope, Elisha Cuthbert played my daughter, we were all Canadian. Why I have to go to Toronto, to the Four Seasons, to meet every American actor I know is also bizarre to me as well. It never crossed my mind with regards to this character. I was focused on two quintessentially American voices.

Q: WITH 'THE SIMPSONS' AND THIS I'M REMINDED HOW FUNNY YOU CAN BE. IS IT A SITUATION WHERE YOUR PAST ROLES HAVE BEEN SO INTENSE THAT IT’S HARD FOR PEOPLE TO CAST YOU IN COMEDY? DO YOU NOT LOOK AT DOING LIVE ACTION COMEDY?

SUTHERLAND: I really don't look at doing it. All of us can be funny at a dinner. The gift of timing, the training of the great comedians of our time, is not light. It's a real talent. Speaking about Canada, I used to watch Martin Short do these camera commercials. He was unbelievable. I was 15 years old and I watched those commercials and knew 'You better be very good at drama because you don't have that.' It's not something innate in me. I don't have that kind of gift. I think to my own detriment I get quite self-conscious very quickly in a lot of different things. A comedian cannot have that. I've also been drawn to drama. That is the aspect of story telling and the human dynamic that I'm most interested in. It would make perfect sense that in an effort to be funny in a movie it would be an animated film. I can leave all the other stuff behind.

Q: ON '24' I'M STILL REELING FROM THE DEATH A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO.

SUTHERLAND: Which death? I don't know what episode you are on.

Q: BILL BUCHANAN. HOW DID YOU DECIDE HE WOULD SACRIFICE HIMSELF? THERE ARE STILL SEVERAL HOURS LEFT. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO TOP A SHOOTOUT IN THE WHITE HOUSE?

SUTHERLAND: It's really funny. The end of '24' this season, the most I can tell you, is that it's not going to end because someone cuts two wires and the clock on a bomb stops. It's going to end because a few of the characters are going through a very difficult emotional dilemma. It's going to end on a much more dramatic level than it is going to be a physical or action oriented sequence. In saying that, I believe it's the most powerful and important ending that we have ever had. I think one of the most difficult things about '24' has been developing the relationships with actors, the trust with actors, and this family we've created, and then losing them. From Leslie Hope in the first season right down the line, Carlos Bernard, Dennis Haysbert, Carlos Bernard twice. It's really hard. As much as I know that it services the story, it's exciting and dramatic for fans to deal with, it's been very difficult as an actor to get into a rhythm with someone and let them go. It certainly wasn't my choice. It was very powerful but for all of us and for James [Morrison] himself, it was a sad day when that happened.

Q: WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE MOVIE?

SUTHERLAND: Again, it would be cruel and unusual punishment to ask these writers to write the equivalent of 12 films a year and then say 'By the way, in your off time, come up with an unbelievable idea that is so superb we could justify making a film out of it.' We all collectively decided when the show was finished we would then take on the idea of making a film. That's if anybody still wanted to see it.

Q: SOMEONE MENTIONED ONE OF THE PEOPLE IN THE RECORDING BOOTH COULD DO PRETTY MUCH EVERYBODY'S VOICES.

SUTHERLAND: He was amazing.

Q: WHO WAS THE ONE WHO DID YOU THE BEST?

SUTHERLAND: I only knew him as Paul and he never did my voice. You would have to ask Reese. I only worked with him once and it was extraordinary. It was actually quite clever the way that they did it. It was the first session I did so that I got a sense of working with another actor. I think the hardest transition, for all the freedom that just doing the voice is, I have a philosophy in life that nothing is free, you have to pay on some level. The payment is actually having to work by yourself. The first time I did a session I got to work with him and he was extraordinary. He was like Mel Blanc's grandson. He was quite something else. My favorite voice of his that he did was his imitation of Hugh Laurie doing Dr. Cockroach. It was even more insidious and I call it British bother, but it's an upper crust British. That voice he did was fantastic.

Q: WHAT SEASON WILL BE THE NEXT OF '24'?

SUTHERLAND: We start the 8th in May.

Q: IN ROCK STAR YEARS THAT WOULD BE LIKE HAVING EIGHT ALBUMS OUT. HOW LONG CAN YOU DO '24'?

SUTHERLAND: I would love to do it till I was 60 but I don't think anybody would
accept it. It's a great analogy to do a rock band because they have to write their music. The harder question is really to the writers. The greatest burden of the creativity is really to them. They are looking tired. It's been a haul, but we are a really competitive group though. We took a bit of a beating in season six. What I loved about our group is that I believe that they rallied instead of giving up. I think all of us believe and understand that our whole experience with '24' has been a giant learning curve. No one has ever tried to do a show in real time. We really do believe that the idea is so special and we also believe that we are capable of making a perfect season. I don't believe that any of us has felt that we've done that yet. Every year we have learned something that was 'Oh God, I wish I could go back and fix that, or do that better.' Certainly, going into our 8th season there were a couple of things from the previous season, which we were immensely proud of, that we feel we can make better. We will continue to work till people say stop or until we've made that season.

Q: YOU SAY IT'S ABOUT THE WRITERS BUT YOU'RE THE LEAD SINGER. YOU ARE THE ONE THRASHING AROUND.

SUTHERLAND: I should do a milk commercial. Physically I feel fine doing it. If you take a look at Jack Bauer from season 1 to season 7, he's a very different guy. The character continually evolves. It's a serialized show so unlike 'Law & Order' where there is a beginning, middle, and end each hour, this guy continually grows. In season 1 he loses his wife and is estranged from his daughter that affects the character through season 2. Then when he meets Kim Raver and finds hope in love, which affects him through season 3. When he loses her in season 5, it affects him and right down the line. The character continues to grow so he's different always. There are things that are vastly interesting for me to play from season to season. Creatively it's continually growing.

Q: DO YOU THINK JACK WILL FIND LOVE AGAIN? AND THE PRESIDENTS DAUGHTER MIGHT BE THE WORST TV VILLAIN EVER?

SUTHERLAND: Well, I wouldn't want to ruin that for anybody. Cherry Jones is probably one of the few actors that I've ever been really scared about working with. You are talking about an unbelievably extraordinary talent. We work at such a fast pace. When you get a scene and go to work with someone like Cherry, there is easily five different ways to play it, three just in volume alone. I was very nervous about picking what I thought would be the right one to start off with. I wanted to earn her respect. She's also one of the most gracious people you'll ever meet. I knew that if I didn't pick the right one she would never tell me. That made me even more nervous. She was fantastic.

Q: WILL HE FIND LOVE AGAIN?

SUTHERLAND: I think he's in the process now in his own kind of speedy way.

Q: THE GENERAL GROWS A LITTLE AND BECOMES PROUD OF THE MONSTERS AT THE END. WERE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT MAKING SURE THE MILITARY GUY WASN'T GOING TO COME OFF TOO MEAN?

SUTHERLAND: No, that was one of the character’s aspects that I liked. That was written before my involvement. He has a responsibility to run this prison, and hold the monsters the way he does, but I think he feels a great deal of sympathy. I think that sympathy comes out when he puts Ginormica in her cell and gives her a new name. She starts to cry and that affects him. I think he understands clearly that these monsters are not dangerous or vicious or mean. He even says it: 'We don't believe that society will understand so we have to keep you away.' I think he feels very sad about that, he feels proud of those monsters. I certainly believe in the speech when he goes to present the idea to the President that they can take on the aliens, he has an enormous sense of pride. I tried to play that when he refers to them and describes them. I wasn't scared about that at all. That was an aspect of the character that I really liked.

Q: YOU TALKED ABOUT THE PHILOSOPHY AND LESSON THAT ATTRACTED YOU. DURING THE ELECTION, THERE WERE A LOT OF THINGS WRITTEN ABOUT PROGRAMS LIKE '24' MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE TO THINK OF HAVING A BLACK PRESIDENT. WHAT ROLE DO YOU THINK ART PLAYS IN THE SHAPING OF AN OPINION?

SUTHERLAND: I'll give you my answer. First off Barack Obama is completely responsible for Barack Obama. Contrary to anything that anybody has said, none of us are taking even the slightest credit for what that man has accomplished. By saying that, I also don't want to undermine the power of television and film. I can go back to 'All in the Family'. You take a look at a character like Archie Bunker. Through humor and this older, bigoted, racist character we completely through the early 70's changed our perspective and behavior on what was acceptable with regards to integration, race, love, hugging, and homosexuality. They changed the social landscape with that television show, I believe. I also believe that if you show on television or in films, for instance as we did an African American President, 10 years ago people would have said it would never happen. If you start to show people that it's a potential reality, then people will start to accept that. I can say the same thing about season seven. We have a female president and I guarantee you that is going to happen. It's just a question of time. I think Chekhov wrote, in the opening of 'The Seagull', in the opening monologue in describing actors 'I watch these high priests of a sacred art depict the way we'll eat, drink, walk about, make love, and wear our clothes.' Basically he was telling us that these actors were teaching people how to live. I believe that and so yes, I think there is a huge responsibility in that. I know that in my lifetime I believe that I've been a part of projects that have lived up to that responsibility and I've been a part of projects that have taken advantage of that responsibility. It’s certainly there.

Q: DURING THIS SEASON, WE CAN TELL THAT YOU ARE WORKING HARD. DO YOU GET FREE TIME TO DEVOTE TO OTHER PROJECTS?

SUTHERLAND: Yes, I have two and a half months a year to make a film. What is really difficult is finding the film you want to make, that happens to be going in the time slot that would allow you to do it. This year I did not do one. Three years ago I did not do one. 'Mirrors' was a specific project, because of Alex Aja, that I really wanted to do with him. He made it work in that time slot. It's not like it would be if I wasn't doing '24' and I had the time off. I could actually develop a film and go work on it whenever I want. No, it's vastly limiting, but I have no problem with that because I am really enjoying what we're doing on '24'.

Q: DO YOU HAVE A HIATUS COMING UP?

SUTHERLAND: No, this was kind of it. We start up in May. We are quick back to work this time. This is what I chose to do and I'm going to finish it out, hopefully properly, and then I will have time for that.

Q: CAN'T BILL STILL BE ALIVE?

SUTHERLAND: I will pass that along to the writers. I will certainly call James and let him know that you were this concerned.

Q: WOULD YOU PLAY THE GENERAL AGAIN IF THEY DO A SEQUEL OF THIS ONE?

SUTHERLAND: Yeah, I would love to.

Q: ARE THERE ANY BIG SUMMER MOVIES THAT YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING?

SUTHERLAND: I don't even know what they are now.

“Monsters vs. Aliens” opens in theaters on March 27th.

Link: MoviesOnline.com

Michael Rodrick On 24, Jon Voight, Kiefer Sutherland - 3/22/09

24's New Baddie Says, "Watch Me Kick Bauer's Ass"

Given everything that has happened on 24 this season, it's hard to believe the action's just getting started. Now that megalomaniac Jonas Hodges (played by Jon Voight) is back in the picture, it's time to "make some holy hell for Jack Bauer," series newcomer Michael Rodrick tells TVGuide.com. The actor, who plays Hodges' cohort, Stokes, gave us a preview of the bloody mess to come.

TVGuide.com: I've been trying to read up on Stokes and there's nothing besides "deadly military operative." So who is he and how do we meet him?
Michael Rodrick: [Laughs] Well, you know how it is. Basically Jon Voight is just going to start to unleash a lot of bedlam and I'm one of the henchmen there to get things rolling. It's going to be a lot of psychological warfare. Then it's gonna escalate and be a lot of physical warfare — aka torture — to get what we want.

TVGuide.com: What can we expect on this week's episode?
Rodrick: We'll be bringing a bio-weapon onto U.S. soil, as part of a plan. We have orders that we want to execute and of course [Jack] gets in the way. In the last episode, he was on his way to the containing yard. We're going to be there — and we're gonna make sure he doesn't win.

TVGuide.com: We just got re-introduced to Hodges. What's his overall motivation?
Rodrick: Yeah, what is his overall motivation? [Laughs] In terms of the overall arc, I'm not privy to that. But I think these private mercenaries for the most part are motivated by the fact that their country has let them down in some way. I think that's what [Hodges] is all about and what I am all about. We're a private army and we feel like how Tony Almeida feels, except Tony's still doing the right thing and we're not.

TVGuide.com: Are you loyal to Hodges?
Rodrick: Oh, I always have my own agenda. That's all I'm gonna say. You'll get to know Stokes very well. Be prepared for me to psychologically tear a lot of people apart and kidnap them. Watch me kick Bauer's ass! [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: Do you get your ass kicked?
Rodrick: Uh... I'm pretty tough. I withstand a lot of pain. I'm like the Harrison Ford who keeps getting kicked around but keeps coming back.

TVGuide.com: The talk is that Hodges will prove to be one of 24's best villains ever. Do you agree?
Rodrick: Defintely. I think that this corporate entity he represents will frighten people to the bone. To make that jump of disbelief is quite easy when you think of a private army gone mad. It's gonna be fascinating. The viewers will be entranced by it and him.

TVGuide.com: Were you intimidated to work with Jon Voight?
Rodrick: We went to the same college, so I knew I had an icebreaker. But we were in a production van and I'm telling this techie who's got twin boys about raising twins, because I'm a twin. As I'm saying this, Jon Voight's like, "Hold on! Hold on!" It never even occurred to me that Angelina Jolie just had twins, so of course he wants to know this stuff! I think he absorbed everything that I said. He's very proud to be a grandpa. ... He's a real guy's guy. He smashed an ankle [in one scene] — didn't say anything, gets an ice pack and ices it himself. What a tough guy. You look at him walk and the way he talks — it's that whole generation. Him and Clint Eastwood, they've got this gait. They're all cowboys.

TVGuide.com: What was it like working with Kiefer Sutherland?
Rodrick: Kiefer is so intense, an incredible bundle of energy. He's landing helicopters, running around and shooting people. ... And in between takes, he's playing chess! He sets up this chessboard and everyone's got to be really quiet. If you're a Kiefer fan, grab a chessboard and get him to sign it.

TVGuide.com: Is there a chance we will see Stokes beyond this arc?
Rodrick: [Laughs] I cannot say, but you'll definitely be surprised what happens to him.

Link: TVGuide.com

Episode 14 Overview & Comments

9:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Episode Quote:

"Trust is not my greatest asset." - Jack Bauer

Jack steals a car from the hospital parking garage to make his escape. Meanwhile, Morris O'Brian has arrived at the FBI demanding to know where his wife is and he finds that Chloe has been arrested. Larry calls Janis to inform her Ryan Burnett is dead and Jack is the suspect. He has her put out an APB. Renee, in the process of filling out her suspension paperwork, overhears this and asks Janis what's going on. All Janis knows is that Burnett is dead and Jack has gone missing.

Renee goes to her office -- and Jack calls, declaring his innocence. He took a surveillance DVD from the hospital and is viewing it on a laptop in the car. He emails her a frame-grab of Quinn and says that this is who killed Burnett. He is the only connection they've got to whoever else is still involved.

Comment: Jack multi-tasking again. I love how he can drive a car and work a computer.

Quinn calls Hodges and tells him that Jack got away. Hodges isn't concerned; his shipment from Juma will arrive within the hour. Once they deploy the weapons, it won't matter what Jack finds out. Hodges' number two, Greg Seaton, looks discomfited. Hodges insists that he gets no pleasure out of killing people. Even one death is tragic -- but they are fighting a war, and what they're doing is absolutely, fundamentally necessary. He tells Seaton to wake up their colleagues and tell them to assemble in one hour.

Comment: I’m loving this Hodges character more and more. You can tell he’s pretty “out there” but cold and calculating at the same time. Loved the “pajamas and toothbrushes” comment.

Renee calls Jack back. She has identified Quinn as a former Black Ops combat vet who now works for Starkwood, which turns out to be a private paramilitary organization. Senator Mayer may know more because he had been investigating Starkwood. Jack will need to talk to him. As Renee looks up Mayer's current location, Larry enters. The conversation they have about Jack convinces Larry that she's been talking to him. He secretly has Janis access Renee's phone log and workstation. Renee is their best chance of catching Jack.

President Taylor prepares to make a statement. Olivia advises her mother to not just reassure the nation, but to also claim victory and reaffirm that standing up to terrorism works. The President agrees. Ethan arrives and briefs them on what happened with Jack and Ryan Burnett. He also confesses his culpability in sanctioning Jack's plan.

As Renee attempts to leave the FBI, she is stopped by Larry and a security team. He demands to know where Jack is. She refuses to talk, and insists that as soon as Jack has the evidence he needs, he will call. Larry has her arrested.
Jack confronts Senator Mayer in his own home, holding him hostage. Mayer doesn't recognize Quinn. When he hears Jack's story, Mayer says that if Starkwood was connected to Juma or Sangala, he'd have known about it because he investigated Starkwood for six months. Jack insists on seeing his case files. Mayer asks whether Jack will turn himself in if the evidence isn't there. Jack just demands he open the files.

Comment: I love when the Senator enters the room in his home the first thing he notices is a printer printing out something and then Jack appears from behind. The Senator initially thinks Jack is there to kill him but he will soon realize he’s there for other reasons.

As the President makes her statement on television, a news reporter asks Ethan for a statement about Jack Bauer being a suspect in the murder of Ryan Burnett. The reporter also wants to know about Ethan's involvement. Ethan won't comment. He realizes that Olivia leaked this to the press, and he confronts her about trying to hurt him while inflicting political damage on her mother. The President is on record as condemning torture as unacceptable under any circumstances. It will now look as if she's condoned exactly that.

Comment: Olivia seems like another Sherry Palmer to me. Her character is getting more interesting.

Janis has trouble decoding the information on Renee's computer and asks Morris for help. He does so, under the condition that Chloe gets full immunity with all charges expunged from her record. Larry agrees, with Janis as witness. In mere moments, Morris decrypts the files and finds that Jack's probable location is the home of Senator Mayer. Larry musters the SWAT teams to move in on Jack. Morris is reunited with Chloe -- who is upset that he helped the FBI catch Jack. Morris apologies, explaining that his child and marriage come first, but she's already done enough for Jack. He can prove he's telling the truth when he's taken into custody. Chloe, though, isn't sure the FBI will give Jack the chance.

Comment: I’m sure a lot of people were upset that Morris gave in and helped Larry locate Jack. I wished he hadn’t helped as well, but I can understand Morris’ position especially since he and Chloe have a young son. I really can’t fault him for looking out for his family first.

As Jack goes through Mayer's files, he talks with the Senator about regret and sacrifice. Jack finds a photo of Quinn at the scene of a car accident that killed a source inside Starkwood. The victim had been making wild, seemingly unsubstantiated accusations about Starkwood -- they blackmailed Pentagon officials, were involved in assassination plots and were seeking to acquire W.M.D.s, including a bioweapon. Jack says that is the connection: Juma tested a bioweapon on his own people. It was not pursued because Juma destroyed the evidence by firebombing his village before the U.N. team could get there. Starkwood may have wanted bioweapons to fight back against Mayer's attempts to shut them down, and Juma provided them with a safe haven to test those weapons. Suddenly, there's a voice claiming to be the police at Mayer's door. Jack is about to run, but Mayer convinces him that he can protect him and convince the FBI to listen. Mayer answers the door -- but it's not the FBI. It's Quinn, who shoots Mayer dead. Quinn attacks Jack, who is forced to flee. Quinn goes after him as the police begin to arrive. He leaps through a French window and lacerates his arm.

Comment: The scene where Jack and Senator Meyer have this conversation about regret and sacrifice is one of the best written scenes ever in ‘24’. The Senator went from thinking Jack was there to kill him to getting a better understanding of Jack’s motivations for the things he has done and better understanding of what Jack has lost in serving his country. At the same time, Jack seemed to better understand the Senator’s views and in turn began to trust him a little more by agreeing to let the Senator help Jack in his investigation of Starkwood.

I should have seen the murder of the Senator coming because as soon as an unlikable character on ‘24’ starts to become likeable, that usually means they are toast. That is what happened here. Even though I should have seen it coming, I was shocked when Mayer opened that door and Quinn was there and shot him. Great, great scene from beginning to end.

Olivia meets with the President and Ethan in the Oval Office. She professes her innocence and insists she can verify that she's not the leak. The source at CNB news will guarantee that the leak didn't come from the White House. Olivia offered him exclusive time with the President in exchange for his killing the story. The President is impressed with her daughter's acumen. Ethan is chagrined, and apologies to Olivia.

Comment: I’m not so sure I believe Olivia here. She seems to be a sneaky one.

Quinn pursues Jack onto a construction site and enters a trailer. Suddenly, the trailer tips over. Jack has pushed it with a bulldozer. Quinn manages to escape the trailer, and he and Jack fight. Jack manages to get a hold of a screwdriver and impales Quinn, demanding to know when the weapons will arrive. With his dying breath, Quinn says that they're already here. Jack finds a text message on Quinn's cell phone that reads, "Port of Alexandria. Yard C. 2230."

Comment: Another great action/fight scene. Loved Jack using the bulldozer and the hand-to-hand fighting with Quinn. I don’t think you can throw a screwdriver with enough force to go through a Kevlar vest, but it was great anyway. Jack can always improvise when he doesn’t have a weapon. And of course, Jack using the screwdriver he killed Quinn with to start the truck – classic Jack Bauer!

Larry and the Metro PD enter Mayer's house. Larry calls Janis and tells her that Jack has murdered the Senator. Orders are to now shoot Jack on sight. Meanwhile, Jack uses Quinn's phone to call Tony Almeida for help. Jack asks him to bring weapons and a surveillance package to the Port of Alexandria. He will explain when Tony arrives.

Clock ticks to…10:00 pm

Comment: Poor Jack, now they think he killed the Senator as well. “Shoot on sight” - Jack’s in real trouble now! We finally see Tony again, having coffee or something at an outdoor café. Huh? That was a little strange. I wonder what he was trying to tell Jack before he hung up?

I keep saying this every week, but another great episode. It had just the right amount of drama and action. I think the writing in this particular episode really stood out. Plus there was a classic ‘24’ surprise twist with Quinn killing the Senator.

Is it Monday yet?

Episode Overview From FOX.com/24. Comments are mine.

Kiefer Sutherland's Already Ready For '24' Day 8 - 3/20/09

There are still 10 hours remaining in Day Seven of "24," but Jack Bauer's already stared down a Senate subcommittee, been framed for multiple murders, thwarted a siege at the White House, knocked out several government agents, been slapped by an FBI colleague, infiltrated a terrorist organization, flipped over a construction trailer with a bulldozer, mourned the death of a friend and killed more people than influenza.

Kiefer Sutherland, though, is already looking forward to Day Eight.

Talking to reporters at the press day for his upcoming animated film "Monsters vs. Aliens," Sutherland reflected on the show's seventh season, which was delayed for a year due to the writers strike.

"As much as the writer's strike I think was a difficult time for everybody, there were some benefits to us absolutely," he says. "We had 15 months for us to shoot what we normally shoot with 10. And we certainly got hit for it quite hard for it in season six, but it's been a difficulty that we've had from the very first season we were on. It's a three-act play for us, so each eight episodes kind of transitions into another story. Some of those transition points have been really sticky for us and really difficult. And because of the time we were afforded, the writers actually, we were in production and at about episode sixteen or seventeen and they just shut down. They were having a hard time with that transition and they just stopped and they took the three weeks an they figured something out. And it was very technical. It wasn't character driven. It was not dialogue driven, but it was a structural entity that lead us into the last transition into the final eight episodes. We would not have had that time and historically have never had that time specifically in that time of the season."

Sutherland continues, "So, it was a huge benefit for us and why we are starting in May this year instead of August so we will have finished, I think, 22 episodes by the time it goes to air again. So, at any given moment, if we need to stop and figure something out, we have afforded ourselves that time. I'm don't know why it took us seven years to figure that out and a writer's strike, but we have."

Sutherland isn't jumping the gun here. FOX and 20th Century Fox TV reached a two-year renewal for the series back in 2007, not that there was ever any question that the network would want another installment of one of its most stable franchises. Helped in no small part by FOX's decision to move "House" to Monday nights as a lead-in, "24" hasn't missed a step since returning to the air this January after a one-year absence. The season's first half has averaged nearly 11.8 million viewers, down comfortably from the audience for the past two seasons, but given that lengthy hiatus and given the largely negative response to Day Six, that's pretty good.

"If you take a look at television as a medium, it has lost 40 percent of its viewership," Sutherland says [citing questionable statistics]. "I was aware of the terrible ramifications for Major League Baseball when it went on strike. National Hockey League went on strike and it was replaced by f***ing poker and poker did better. And you can't find a hockey game now, so yeah, I was terrified. The idea we were able to come back and do the same numbers that we had been doing in the previous years? You have no idea the relief. I mean, our whole crew. Everybody. We have been working for seven and a half years. We've got 98% of the same people there were day on day one and I think of it like that. There has been nine marriages, 15 kids born on our show and you have no idea the relief that we had. We were very, very scared about it."

Of course, taking to a group of film journalists, Sutherland got the same questions about a "24" movie he's been fielding for years and he gave the same answer he's been giving for years now: Sure, they'd love to do one, but not just yet.

"We always thought it would be cruel and unusual punishment to ask the writers to write in the course of 12 months, [24] films and then in their off time say, 'By the way, if you have a great idea for a feature film that's so special, write that as well.' So, we kind of collectively agreed that we would entertain the idea of a film when the series was finished. And if people still wanted to see something like that we'd be really excited to do it, because the format that we would make the movie in, because we have discussed it, would be a two-hour representation of a 24-hour day. So, we would loose the realtime aspect which would be a huge freedom for the writers, but it is something that we would not even start to do until the series would finished."

"24" airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. on FOX.

"Monsters vs. Aliens" opens on March 27.

Article Link: http://www.hitfix.com/articles/2009-3-20-kiefer-sutherland-s-already-ready-for-24-day-8

4 New Clips From Episode 15

There are four new clips from the next episode of '24' that will be aired on Monday, 3/23/09.

The clips are located on the official '24' website:

http://www.fox.com/24

'24' Season 8 News

Some interesting Season 8 Casting News:

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE star ANIL KAPOOR will take on terrorists for his next role, in hit TV drama 24.

Bollywood icon Kapoor will reportedly play an Indian counter-terrorist cop who teams up with Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer in the eighth season of the long-running programme, which is due to start shooting in April (09).

A source tells the National Enquirer, "Anil would play Jack Bauer's counterpart in India.

"It's not known yet whether Anil will appear in just one episode of whether he'll be a recurring character. Either way the producers are very excited about having him onboard."

In Slumdog Millionaire, Kapoor, 49, played the evil host in the Indian version of gameshow Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Source: Contractmusic.com

Link: http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/slumdog%20star%20to%20team%20with%2024s%20jack%20bauer_1098107

'24' Scenemaker: Episode 14

Source: http://www.FOX.com/24 / YouTube

Interview: Jon Voight Talks TV, Bad Guys and Big Mistakes - 3/16/09

Who does evil better than Jon Voight? Not many and he’s proving it to audiences again with his Machiavellian turn as the latest uber-villain on the seventh season of ‘24.’ As Jonas Hodges, the head of the Starkwood Corporation, he’s been quietly pulling the strings behind General Juma’s (Tony Todd) audacious assault on the White House and President Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones). From a remote location, Hodges has been practically giddy setting up his nefarious plans like a brutal game of chess. Of course, don’t bet on an easy checkmate when Jack Bauer is sitting across the table from you - as Hodges is quickly learning.

Fancast recently had the opportunity to chat with Jon Voight about undertaking his first recurring role in a television series (at the age of 70!), crafting bad guys and his thoughts on retirement.

How did you get involved in this project?

Jon Voight: I think it was in a writing session, and somebody was trying to figure out how to make this character that they were composing. They mentioned my name, and I don’t know how they did it, but they said wouldn’t it be great if Jon would do it, or something like that. I don’t know exactly, but it was something nice like that, it was enthusiasm for my name. And then they came to me and we talked a little bit about it. And I haven’t done episodic television, so it was something new, but I had been a fan of Kiefer’s [Sutherland] and especially of this role. Early on with ‘24′ I had said to Kiefer that this was very important; he was doing something important in this role. So having had that moment with Kiefer and then having this, it was almost like closing a circle in the end of time.

Has the extended duration of television production allowed you to flesh out a character more than you would in other mediums?

Jon Voight: They hadn’t completed their portrait of this guy, in a sense until something is cast you never know exactly the direction it is going to be. And whoever you cast, they’re going to take it in another direction. So it was me and I tested a few things. I have been in this area before where I have to be kind of an intimidating force and I know how to do that a little bit. I made a few adjustments physically, but not too much. And then I knew that this guy should be mysterious, and I don’t want to reveal too much, but there was a lot of what I used of myself - my sense of humor, which can be perverse. And then the writers were giving me stuff that was so great and then sometimes I’d say this is not interesting enough, it’s too on the nose. Whatever it would be, I would try to flavor it as I went with the character that I finally discovered.

What can you tell us about the rest of the season?

Jon Voight: I can tell you that everybody who is on the production team who has seen the stuff cut is very excited about the season. They think it is a great season. From my own part I say the stuff that I have been part of and have done and that actors I have worked with, they are all very top level. It’s great.

Have you worked much with Kiefer directly?

Jon Voight: One scene.

How is that?

Jon Voight: It was good, thanks to Kiefer, because he insisted it be good.

Is it hard to play an adversary to someone that you know and like in real life?

Jon Voight: No. It is like playing tennis. You hit the ball over as hard as you can and you’re so grateful when somebody hits it back with a spin and then you do something and the other guy whacks it this way. It’s great! It’s like playing in center court at Wimbledon with a really great player, that’s fun.

In your long and varied career, what are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned?

Jon Voight: I have learned a lot of things. I’ve learned some life lessons that have been pretty severe. I’ve made big mistakes in life and I’ve had to face them and that makes you a much better person and a better artist as well if you can face things. If you hide from things, it diminishes you completely.

Have you enjoyed your television experiment?

Jon Voight: I have. I’ve had a very positive experience. I don’t know how much there will be in the future for me in that area, but this one has been totally positive. And I’ve made good friends here and really everything they said about the show being a team of great people has been true. And I have come away thinking I have contributed something too, so that’s nice.

Are you quite happy just to continue working as long as the work is there?

Jon Voight: Oh, yes, absolutely. The one thing about an actor is we can always find the roles for whatever age we are, there’s always something. You can play grandfathers or mad old men or whatever it is, you can always find roles. But I’m very lucky because I was very fortunate to have the longevity of that; very fortunate. And I’m glad that I can keep doing things that are exciting to people. People say, ‘Oh, this is good, give it to Jon, maybe he’ll do something, you know, this is great.

Source: http://www.fancast.com/blogs/interviews/interview-jon-voight-talks-tv-bad-guys-and-big-mistakes/

Episode 13 Overview & Comments

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Episode Quote:

“Now we’re having some fun.” – Jonas Hodges

President Taylor and Olivia emotionally reconcile their differences. The moment is interrupted as one of Juma's men pulls the President away. Jack and Buchanan form a plan. Jack opened canisters of CH-4 in the lockdown room just before surrendering. The room will soon be saturated with natural gas. A single spark from a single bullet will ignite it and take out enough of Juma's men so they can rescue the President. Jack plans to rush Juma's men shortly to try to get off the shot.

Comment: I noticed when President Taylor and Olivia are talking, there is a box shot shown of Jack as if he’s listening to them. I got the impression from his facial expressions that he may have been thinking of his own daughter, Kim at the time the President and her daughter were reconciling. Jack telling Senator Weenie to shut-up was priceless. Senator Weenie is like the nosy kid in school wanting to know everything that’s going on. Shut-up is right!

The President demands that Juma release the hostages before she reads his statement. Instead, Juma shoots one of the hostages and threatens to kill the rest if she does not comply. She reads his statement on a live feed. The Vice President, watching from a secure location, orders that the feed be shut down, but it can't be. Larry calls, convinced that Juma is on a suicide mission, and again begs the VP to order that the FBI initiate a rescue. Yet the VP refuses, still convinced that Juma can be negotiated with.

Comment: Juma killing that hostage was chilling. It was a good illustration of just how evil he was. What a wuss that VP is. Another “we can negotiate with terrorists” type. For once I agree with Larry on this one; the FBI should have been allowed to go in.

Buchanan tells Jack that Juma's not working alone. He overheard Juma talking on a SAT phone coordinating with somebody on the outside. He tells Jack to find out who it is and then dives for the lockdown door. He manages to get off the shot, triggering the CH-4 explosion. As Jack jumps into action, Larry orders his men to move in under his authority -- and over the VP's continued protests. In the melee, Aaron Pierce manages to spirit the President and Olivia away to safety. Juma's men are cut down, and after a tense standoff, Jack manages to kill Juma as well. Jack runs back to the lockdown room, only to find the body of Bill Buchanan, who was killed in the explosion.

Comment: I kind of saw this coming. I hated to see Bill go, but what a way to go…going out a hero. I loved the acting on both James Morrison’s and Kiefer Sutherland’s parts. You could see as Bill was telling Jack about Juma working with someone from the outside and how he wanted Jack to find out it was, Jack was slowly coming to the realization of what Bill was planning to do. Then Jack just misses grabbing Bill as he gets up…excellently done. Although it happened so fast you have to go back and watch it again to see exactly what Bill did do sacrifice himself. R.I.P. Bill. You were a great character on ‘24’ and you will be missed.

I also loved the firefight after the FBI went in and Jack finishing off Juma with about what seemed like 20 shots. I was cheering that! Juma got exactly what he deserved. Aaron was great too in how he fought off Juma’s men and secured the President.

The FBI wants to move the President to Andrews Air Force base for her own safety, but she insists on staying at the White House. She and Olivia then cement their reconciliation. With Jack just sitting, stunned, near Bill's body, Renee tells him that the President is secure. She tries to comfort him but he is wracked with guilt. It was supposed to be Jack who set off the explosion. Jack then tells Renee and Larry that Juma wasn't working alone, and he begs Larry to let him speak to Ryan Burnett. He swears that he won't torture or touch Burnett in any way. He will only scare Burnett into talking. Instead, Larry has Jack placed back into custody, over Renee's objection that Jack's plan is a good one. Renee then passes on to Ethan Kanin the info that Juma wasn't working alone. She also tells him Jack's plan. Ethan calls Larry Moss and orders him to release Jack and implement his plan to question Burnett -- on Ethan's authority. The President won't be told.

Comment: Here’s where Kiefer is at his best and how he makes Jack Bauer such a full, rich character. It’s in these moments. Yes, Jack is human and he deeply felt Bill’s loss, especially because he was the one that was going to sacrifice himself. I’m glad Renee finally got to see that side of Jack. Just when I start to like Larry a little bit, he starts to act like a jerk again. Poor Jack, back in custody again. I don’t know if a Chief of Staff can order an FBI agent to do something like this but hey, it’s the world of ‘24’.

At Starkwood, Jonas Hodges is surprised but calm at the news that the President is still alive and that Juma is dead. He is still getting what he wanted out of his deal with Juma; the shipment will arrive in a couple of hours. Time to nail down a few targets.

Comment: Hmmm…I wonder what the shipment is?

The President wants Olivia brought on to her staff as a Special Advisor. Ethan objects, because during the campaign, Olivia leaked damaging personal information about her opponent to the press and nearly cost the election. Olivia is a liability. President Taylor believes that Olivia has changed, and she asks Ethan to offer the job to her himself.

Larry berates Renee for going behind his back to Ethan, and orders her to go back to HQ and turn in her badge. She is suspended indefinitely. Jack tells Larry that Walker's the best agent he's got, but Larry says he can't ignore her circumvention of his authority.

Comment: Do you think Larry is letting his personal feelings for Renee interfere with his job? Nah… Actually, he’s right that Renee shouldn’t have gone behind his back, but I think the suspension was motivated more out of his jealousy of Jack and the fact he doesn’t want Renee anywhere near him.

At Starkwood, twelve targets are found along the eastern seaboard within 300 kilometers of "the base." The population density is high, causing a large kill ratio. Yet Hodges hopes he'll never have to find out. A memo is intercepted from the FBI regarding Jack's release to question Burnett. A man named Quinn is dispatched to Burnett's hospital to deal with the problem. As Jack and Larry arrive at the hospital, Quinn, disguised in scrubs, enters an old man's hospital room and smothers him to death. As duty nurses are distracted by this, Quinn downloads hospital information about Burnett's room and the schematics of the building. He then slips into an access hatch and draws a gun.

Comment: Hodges is right, Quinn is good. Oh, Quinn is a killer with a heart: he kills the guy who doesn’t have a family. Awww…isn’t that nice of him. **sarcasm off**

Olivia visits Aaron Pierce in triage to thank him. Ethan finds her and offers her the Special Advisor job. Olivia is surprised, but takes the job, conceding that she overstepped her bounds during the campaign. She then angrily blames Ethan for allowing corruption right under his nose, calling him a failure and suggests that he should have already tendered his resignation. Ethan is offended, but Olivia swears she will find out who betrayed her mother and make sure they can never do it again.

Comment: This little war between Olivia and Ethan could get interesting.

At the hospital, Jack is left alone with a just-reviving Burnett. Larry watches nearby via video feed. Burnett is terrified and is about to confess everything when suddenly, Larry's sound cuts out and the picture freezes. From above the room, Quinn opens a panel and drops in a canister of nerve gas, almost immediately immobilizing Jack and Burnett. As Jack watches, Quinn drops into the room and cuts Burnett's throat. He then smashes the room's electronic security lock and leaves through the roof. Jack revives moments later and, as Larry pounds on the door, Jack pursues Quinn.

Comment: I absolutely love these last several minutes. I love when Burnett wakes up and sees Jack standing over him “Remember me?” Kiefer is so great at playing menacing/interrogation Jack. When the nerve gas hits, that was very well acted as well, drool and all! Poor Jack, he had to witness himself being setup and was unable to do anything about it.

Quinn calls Starkwood to report his success. Jack has been framed for Burnett's death. Jack loses track of Quinn and instead focuses on escaping from the hospital. Larry breaks down the door to find Burnett dead and no Jack. Jack calls Larry to tell him that he is being set up. Larry says that, if he's innocent, they will sort it out. Jack knows that whoever did this wants Jack out of play. He urges Larry not to get distracted because this threat isn't over. Jack runs off into the night, a fugitive once more.

Comment: What a great last 10 minutes or so of this episode! Jack has been setup before in past seasons, but his time it was done differently. Jack’s a fugitive once again. The end of this episode had a very Season 1 feel to me which is why I loved it so much. I am enjoying the Jonas Hodges character more and more. A very smart, formidable adversary for Jack.

Once again, I can’t wait for episode 14.

Clock ticks to…9:00 pm

***Episode overview portion from FOX.com/24***

'24' Quote Of The Day

Senator Mayer: "You are reprehensible Bauer!"

Jack Bauer: "And you sir are weak. Unwilling and unable to look evil in the eye and deal with it!"

Season 7

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

'24' Season 7 DVD Package Artwork

Here's what the packaging for the Season 7 DVD releases will look like when available on 5/19/09:

Blu-Ray:

Standard Definition:

Source: TVShowsOnDVD.com

'24' Movie To Be Set In Europe?

Kiefer Sutherland has revealed that the 24 movie may take place in Europe.

Speaking to Digital Spy at the Monsters Vs. Aliens premiere, the actor confirmed that London and Prague are being looked at as possible locations for the big screen spinoff.

"It's something that we've always talked about because I think the fantastic thing about Europe, for something like 24, is that it's very feasible to get from Prague to London in the course of a day," he commented.

Sutherland added that producers still need to figure out when to shoot the film: "Hopefully it will be before Jack's 85."

Link To Article: Digital Spy

24: Scenemaker (8:00 pm - 9:00 pm)

An inside look at the making of a scene in episode 13 of '24'

'24' Quote Of The Day

Jack: "It was supposed to be me... I was supposed to set the explosion so Bill could secure the President."

Renee: "He died for his country."

Jack: "Yeah... this is not over yet."

Season 7

8:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Death Takes A Familiar '24' Figure - 3/10/09

Spoiler alert: If Monday's episode of "24" is waiting on your DVR, unwatched, do not read any further. The following contains spoilers regarding the departure of a regular character.

As far as deaths on "24" go, Bill Buchanan's on Monday night was fairly quick and painless.

At least it was for actor James Morrison, who has played Jack Bauer's coolheaded boss for the past four years. But longtime fans of the Fox action drama, starring Kiefer Sutherland, still might have been a little shellshocked.

Buchanan goes out on his own terms -- he blows himself up alongside a group of terrorists who have overtaken the White House. The character's death ends a three-season run for the actor, who was supposed to be a one-appearance guest star who soon became the ongoing source of pushback for Jack.

"The moment you step aboard '24' you're taught to expect that you're going to bite it," Morrison, 54, said in an interview Friday. "In this solar system you have one sun. The rest of us are just planets that are invited to orbit, and sometimes we're just yanked out of the sky."

There have been plenty worse ways for good guys on the show to die: Lynn McGill died foaming at the mouth after inhaling nerve gas -- ditto for agent Edgar Stiles. Meanwhile, Michelle Dessler was rubbed out by a car bomb, Counter Terrorist Unit director Ryan Chappelle was unceremoniously executed by Jack himself, and President David Palmer was assassinated.

This season, "24" has spent much time confronting its own controversial theme: Jack's use of torture to extract information from terrorists. The season launched with CTU disbanded and Jack standing trial for his illegal methods. Buchanan had gone underground -- sporting the 5 o'clock shadow and dramatic all-black get-up to prove it -- working with computer whiz Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) to suss out a mole in the FBI.

In last week's episode, Buchanan clashed with Bauer over torturing a compromised government official. Buchanan refused to do it.

"It was nice that Bill [Buchanan] didn't have to become someone else," said Morrison, a certified yoga instructor. "It was more in character to have him say, ambiguously as he did, 'I can't do that. Not only am I not trained to do that, but I can't do that. That's not me.'"

For his final goodbye, cast and crew gathered with cake on the White House set.

"I spent a moment with them basking in their appreciation of what I felt like was sort of a family member leaving the fold," Morrison said. "It was the most familial set I'd been on."

Since he's been assured Bill's staying dead (onetime dead agent Tony Almeida was resurrected this season), Morrison plans to record some of his own music -- "blues, folk stuff," he says -- and finish work on "Showing Up," a documentary he's producing with his wife, Riad Galayini, about the audition process for actors.

He'll also appear in the final two episodes of ABC's "Private Practice." "I can only reveal that I play someone who comes in to shake things up at the clinic," he said.

"It was so great to do something where there's no angst, no intensity," he added. "Where you're just having a conversation with somebody and the safety of the world is not at stake."

Article Link: LA Times Entertainment Blog

Episode 12 Overview & Comments

Episode Quote:

"Stress is the fertilizer of creativity...let's play some darts."

-Jonas Hodges

7:00 pm – 7:11 pm

Juma’s men come through the big hole they drilled underneath the White House. Meanwhile, the President’s daughter Olivia is telling Aaron Pierce that she wants to go to the hospital to see her father. Aaron explains the President’s orders are for her to remain in the White House.

Ethan comes to the door and he explains to Olivia that he is there to bring her up to speed on what is going on. Olivia says he’s the last person her mother should be sending.

Comment: Apparently Olivia doesn’t like Ethan very much. Wonder what that comment to him is all about?

Ethan explains to Olivia there is going to be another terrorist attack so the President is dealing with that along with the invasion. He wants her to keep in mind her mother is under a lot of pressure right now.

The President is meeting with her press person when Tim at Homeland tells her Larry Moss is calling in with a lead. Larry is calling her from a staging area that the terrorists used and he tells the President one of them was General Juma himself. She asks him if he knows what the target is. Larry says he doesn’t but is hoping Agent Walker knows more, but they have lost contact with her. Larry says he believes she’s still alive and in pursuit of the terrorists.

Meanwhile, Renee is running from Dubaku’s son. She comes across a Park Ranger. She identifies herself and tells him to call Larry Moss to tell him there is going to be an attack on the White House. As the Park Ranger starts to call it in, he is shot and killed. Renee runs off with Dubaku’s son running after her.

Bill goes to talk to Jack who is in holding. Bill tells Jack he will transferred to Attorney General custody so he can file criminal charges. Jack wants to know if there is any further news about the attack. Bill says he talked to Tony but he couldn’t get anymore info from his guy. Bill explains what Renee found at the warehouse but she went missing after that. Jack asks Bill what he means by missing. Jack says Burnett knows what the target is and asks Bill to put Jack back in a room for 5 minutes and they can stop this attack from happening. Bill says Burnett is being transferred to the hospital so he couldn’t get access to him. Jack tells Bill he could get access. Bill says he is not trained in cohersive techniques. Jack says this has to be done or people will die. Bill says he knows what has to be done, but he doesn’t do what Jack is asking him to do. “It’s not me”. Jack says that’s not good enough. Jack bring up something Bill said to him once. That people who stand by and do nothing might as well plant the bomb. Jack says he can do this. Bill once again says he can’t.

Comment: This was an interesting conversation between Bill & Jack. I felt sorry for Bill because I think he wished he could do what Jack asked of him, but he just couldn’t. I think Jack had a hard time understanding why Bill couldn’t interrogate Burnett. I also noticed Jack seemed very concerned about Renee when Bill told her she was missing. I thought James Morrison played Bill in this scene so well. He seemed almost embarrassed to be telling Jack he couldn’t interrogate Burnett. His body language was great in conveying these emotions.

Juma’s men are making their way through the tunnels underneath the White House. Juma radios in to someone they have on the inside working for them. He looks like he was a maintenance worker of some type. A co-worker comes in and Juma’s guy kills him. Juma’s man then moves a cabinet away from an entrance made in the wall covered with bricks. He radios Juma to tell him it is all clear. Juma’s men remove a grate and are able to disable the proximity alarms just long enough for them to get through before they activate again.

Juma’s men bust through the whole in wall. One of the men activates the Secret Service tracking grid on a computer. They locate the President in the Oval Office. They head out to get the President. Juma’s men start to make their way through the White House killing several agents. Juma says the next Secret Service roll call is in 9 minutes and they need to find the President before then.

Comment: I know a lot has been made by some about how unrealistic the way Juma’s men gained access to the White House. Yes, it is in some ways, but I’m one of the fans of this show that doesn’t care. It was well done and thoroughly entertaining. This is the world of ‘24’. There are many things that are possible in this world. Sometimes you have to suspend disbelief. It is a TV show after all.

7:16 pm – 7:27 pm

Juma’s men continue through the White House killing staff and agents. Juma finds the press secretary and kills her. Larry and the FBI come across the park ranger’s body. Dubaku’s son catches up with Renee. She tells him that Juma had his father killed. He doesn’t believe her. She tells him Juma didn’t want him to talk so a man named Udo was sent to kill him. That was how she found him and Juma; she followed Udo back to the warehouse. She tells Dubaku’s son that Juma betrayed him. He still doesn’t believe her and goes to shoot her but Renee grabs a shovel and hits him several times. They fight and Dubaku’s son ends up grabbing Renee by the throat and starts to choke her, but Larry shoots him dead. Renee immediately tells Larry she knows what the target is.

Now at the White House, Jack is in the process of being handed over to DOJ. Bill tells Jack he’s sorry. Bill gets a phone call from Larry to let him know the target is the White House. Bill sends out a message to the other agents that the White House is the target of a terrorist attack and to secure the President. Bill tells Jack he will need his help but he will have to do exactly as he says. Jack gives Bill his word that he will.

The Secret Service comes in the Oval Office and tells the President she has to go with them immediately. In another part of the White House, Aaron Pierce tells Olivia she has to come with him as well. Bill says they will have to get them to the lock down on the first floor. The President sees Jack and asks what he is doing there. Bill says Jack’s with him and Jack tells the President right now she needs all the help she can get.

Bill can’t reach the agents in their quadrant. Bill says Juma is headed their way. Jack believes they are tracking the President. Bill decides to take the tracking bracelet off the President and take it with him to draw them away from the President.

Juma’s men converge on Bill who has the tracker. They catch him and take the tracker from him. Juma looks as though he’s going to shoot Bill but he hits him across the face instead. Juma says to take him as a hostage and for his men to start gathering other hostages.

Comment: I thought Juma was going to kill Bill here. I’m glad he didn’t.

Other agents begin heading to the lock down. They engage in a fire fight with some of Juma’s men. Another group of Juma’s men gather hostages. Aaron tells Jack on over com that he and Olivia are still upstairs and they are trying to make their way to the lock down. Jack tells him that they have about 30 seconds before he has to seal the door of the lock down room. The President overhears Jack and says he is not going to lock the door before her daughter gets there. Jack tells the President that her life is a priority whether she likes it or not and orders her to step inside. Just then shots are fired at them and the President goes in the lock down room. Jack fires a few rounds and then goes in himself. Jack tells Aaron that they had to go ahead and seal the lock down room. Aaron said they wouldn’t have made it in time anyway. They will have to find another way to get her out of the building.

Jack and Aaron’s communication is cut of by Juma. Juma shoots at the lock down room door. The wood is pulled away and it is shown there is reinforced bullet proof door behind it. More agents are coming in from all directions. Juma realizes that they don’t know the President is in lock down. He gets on their communication frequency and tells them he has the President and he will kill her if they do not evacuate.

Agent Hovis says he needs proof that he has the President. Even though Juma did not provide proof, Hovis orders his agents to pull back.

Comment: If the actor playing Agent Hovis looks familiar, he was also in Season 1. He played the agent at the power plant who questioned Jack after the Senator Palmer assassination attempt.

Juma orders the hostages be brought to where he’s at and to lock down the exits. Aaron and Olivia are hiding behind a grate in a hallway. They figure out Juma is bluffing and does not really have the President. They need to figure out a way to let the other agents know. The hostages including Bill are moved near where the President is locked down. One of Juma’s men starts working on the control panel to the lock down room. Juma asks if he can open it. He says he can assuming the specs Hodges gave them are correct.

7:31 pm – 7:41 pm

A helicopter carrying Larry Moss and Renee Walker lands at a staging area near the White House. They are briefed by Agent Hovis. Hovis said he didn’t think he had much of a choice to retreat since he was killing civilians and agents. Hostage rescue teams are ready to go in when the order is given. Larry says that order is to be given by the Vice President. Hovis tells Larry that the VP is being taken to a secure location. Renee notices on a list, that Jack was in the White House at the time of the attack. Renee tells Larry that he didn’t tell her Jack was in there. Larry said Jack was under arrest at the time of the attack because he found out an aide to Senator Burnett was part of the conspiracy. Jack was caught torturing him in the White House. Larry reminds Renee that their first priority is the President, not Jack Bauer. Renee says she understands.

Comment: Jack’s concerned about Renee and Renee is concerned about Jack. Hmmm…

In the lock down room, the President notices the hostages through the monitor inside the room. She informs Jack that Olivia is not there. Jack says this is good news. He knows Aaron Pierce and he says he will do everything in his power to keep her safe. The President doesn’t understand how they could have gotten around their security protocols. Jack states there was only one way – they had help on the inside.

Jack notices one of Juma’s men working on the control panel. He realizes they have the access codes. Jack wants to get into the panel. Jack pulls the power cord from a lamp and begins unscrewing the control plate on the panel. Jack takes the lamp cord and short-circuits it so Juma can’t get in.

Comment: Here’s Jack in “MacGyver” mode again. I love when Jack improvises and comes up with solutions on the fly.

Juma wants to use C4 to blow open the door but his man says it would take too long because they would have to drill holes into the door. Then Juma says they will have to find another way.

Juma makes a call to Jonas Hodges who is eating Chinese food when the call comes in. Juma explains to Hodges that the President is in lock down and they can’t get to her. Hodges said he prepared him for that possibility by giving him the specs for the lock down room. Juma says it was shorted out from the inside and the he needs to find him another way to get to the President. Hodges says he’s given him all he’s got to give; he’s done with his part. Juma reminds Hodges about a shipment to him that hasn’t arrived yet and he will have it destroyed if he does not help him. Hodges tells Juma to hold on. Hodges asks the guy with him if Juma would do this. The man says the shipment is not due in for another 2 hours so he could have it destroyed or rendered useless. Hodges tells Juma he was checking the White House manifest and he sees that Olivia Taylor is at the White House. He tells Juma if he finds Olivia, he’ll get the President to open the door. Juma tells Hodges his shipment will arrive on schedule. After hanging up from Juma, Hodges says: “Stress is the fertilizer of creativity… Let’s play some darts.”

Comment: This is one of the best introductions ever of a new character on ‘24’. Although we saw him briefly in ‘Redemption’, we got a little better sense of his character here. I think he’s going to be one of the best villains ever on ‘24’. I can’t wait to see more of this character. Plus he’s played by a great actor, Jon Voight.

Juma tells his men to find Olivia Taylor. Juma goes to the hostages and tells them to raise their heads. Senator Mayer is one of the hostages. He asks Bill what is going on. Bill doesn’t answer him. Mayer thinks Bill believes he made the wrong call by not letting Jack continue to torture Burnett. That if he did, all of this could have been avoided. Bill just looks at him and says; “You don’t know what I’m thinking Senator.”

Olivia is not among the hostages. Juma tells his man to find her and bring her to him. Aaron is still trying to get Olivia out of the building. Their only option is to get a signal out. Olivia insists on going with Aaron. He tells her to say behind him.

7:45 – 7:50 pm

Agent Hovis brings a computer showing the infrared scan, but all that is seen are where the cluster of hostages are in the White House. That was as detailed as they could get since the White House is such a heavily-shielded building. Larry and Renee go to a video conference with the VP. They bring him up to date on the situation. Larry believes the President made it to the first floor lock down based on the location of the hostages in the White House. The VP asks if there is any other proof that the President made it into the lock down. Larry says other than Juma could not provide proof that he had her earlier. The VP is not certain of which so he can’t authorize them to go in. Larry says inaction has risks as well. Renee tells the VP that terrorists are in control of the White House. She asks if prudence is the appropriate response in this situation. The VP wants more proof about the President’s whereabouts before any action is taken.

After the call is over, Renee believes the VP is just covering his own butt, but Larry says he’s the one calling the shots right now. The VP’s aide said he made the right call. He could not order an operation that could lead to the President’s death and his elevation to the job; it would be a bad political move. The VP responds by telling his aide to never let anyone hear him talk like that.

Comment: I’m not liking this VP already. What a wienie!

Aaron is still leading Olivia down a hallway. One of Juma’s men appears and they both shoot at each other. Aaron gets hit in the shoulder and Aaron shoots again after he’s down and kills Juma’s man. Aaron tells Olivia they have to get a signal out. He tells her were there is a first aid kit with a flash light. He tells her she will flash Morse code out the window. He draws on her hand to show her what code to flash. Code Green will signal them to move in.

Olivia finds the flashlight and begins to send out the signal but one of Juma’s men captures her. Two of Juma’s men are guarding Aaron and they are taken to Juma.

7:55 pm – 8:00 pm

Jonas Hodges is shown watching the news coverage on TV of the White House situation. Juma is told by one of his men they discovered fiber-optic cameras embedded in the chandelier.

The President sees a chair is placed in front of the camera. Juma has Olivia put in the chair. Juma has a knife and he tells the President if she doesn’t open the door, he will cut out her eyes one by one and then cut out her tongue and lastly, her head.

President Taylor orders Jack to open the door. Jack yells that he can’t. The President pleads with Jack that her daughter is out there. She has already lost a son. She asks Jack if he has any idea of what it’s like to lose a child. Jack says he is sorry but he can’t let them take her and there is nothing she can do for her daughter now. The President asks Jack if he has children. Jack answers he has a daughter. She asks Jack if he could stand by and do what he’s asking her to do; to watch her be butchered? Jack says no, but he’s not the President of the United States. She says she is the President and she orders Jack to open the door. Jack just looks at the door.

Juma says she’s running out of time. He’s about to cut Olivia when the doors open. Jack surrenders first. Then the President comes out. She tells Olivia she wouldn’t let them hurt her. As Jack goes over with the other hostages, Senator Mayer asks Jack, “What have you done?”

The President tells Juma he has her now so there’s no reason to hold everyone there. She tells him to let them go. Juma replies by slapping the President in the face! Juma says she doesn’t give orders to him. He tells one of his men to get the camera ready for her statement. The President asks what statement. Juma says the last one she’ll ever give.

Comment: I didn’t see that slap of the President coming. Whoa! That Juma is one scary guy. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

…Clock ticks to 8:00 pm