C’mon. Is there anyone reading this board who honestly thought that the boy was killed when they knocked the chair over and shot at him out of sight?
So far they’ve tortured three people for information. Anyone want to start a pool on who’s next?
I figured that the kid probably wasn’t really killed, but the reactions from the rest of Ali’s family kinda swayed me … I mean, it’s one of those things where I wonder why they would go along with something like that. I’m sure there would be reasons.
Even so, that was one intense fucking scene!! I mean, just imagine being a casual tv viewer flipping through the channels and happening on about 5 minutes in the middle, ending with the supposed execution of the young boy … Christ.
Awesome episode. It would have been better if I didn’t catch those damn previews on FOX. That’s what I get for watching the Simpsons.
And yes, the number on the plane was N34.
Problems with the episode:
-It was kind of a letdown when I saw that the boy wasn’t really killed. I mean the scene was so intense that I thought this was it – the part where Jack finally ignores Palmer and just does what he wants 'cause he is so fucking pissed. (After all, during the scene I obviously thought he was serious and was mostly doing it because of his daughter, anyone else.)
-Why did Palmer go soft all of a sudden? He can order and watch the torture of Stanton but not agree to the murder of one person to save millions? Another inconsistency, IMHO.
-The scene where Jack is talking to the imam: it just stank of PC. It was like the writers were rubbing into our faces the fact that not all Muslims are terrorists. I think everyone knows that, it’s a show, it’s not real, and therefore no one would have developed a prejudice if the scene had not been included.
But I still think it’s the best show of its kind, ever. Awaiting next episode in suspense.
err…
“daughter, not anyone else.”
So now that they know where the bomb is, and it seems that Sayed Ali told the truth – are we going to see early stoppage of the bomb, and if so, what will be left for the rest of the 24 hours? I’m guessing the plot against the presidency. Apparently somebody in the U.S. is in on the bomb, so I wonder if there is some sort of backup plan or measure. They stop this bomb, only to find out that something even more serious and sinister is going to be taking place?
And when is Nina going to be back in the forefront of things? I don’t think her part in this is over, not by a long shot.
Yes, I also called it that the boy was not really killed, that it was a ruse. I think they actually made that rather obvious to the viewer when the chair was kicked over first. What really would have surprised me would be if they had actually killed the boy! And then what Palmer would be saying to Jack when this was all over…
I’ve been thinking that too. And in this episode, he seemed more suspicious to me, in his overall mannerisms.
On that “meeting” between Lynn and Sherry… I was thinking that Lynn (Ensign Ro) was about to be toast. Especially after defying Sherry and walking off. Nice convenient place for a “meeting” – outside, in the dark, where nobody can hear you scream…
And I see Mason is still being a dickhead. Screw Kim, we don’t have time for her – never mind that we promised Jack… Ah well. Perhaps Jack will have some sort of reckoning with him by the end.
On the Kim subplot – not much going on tonight. Probably most of you are thankful for that? 
Where did that cougar go, exactly?
Oh, yes she can! As long as she is alive, she will continue to do stupid things, no matter how much we try to stop her!
Jakc never had any intention of killing them anyway, so he was able to ignore Palmer’s call.
And made it seem to Ali that the President was in favor of what he was doing.
It was kind of a letdown, but it would have made Jack seem too evil, and as Kate said, it would have made him no better than Ali.
I’m not sure they were just going along with it. The boys in the field could have just put some extra “eyes wide with fear” footage after the supposed shooting. Or perhaps he was not completely in their line of sight anymore after the chair was knocked over, and maybe the family thought he had actually been shot. Could be a number of explanations.
I wondered if Jack changed his plan after speaking to the president. Maybe pretending to kill the kid was plan B.
My thoughts exactly. It was about to eat her and she had no where to go and I had my fingers crossed and then…nothing. What, did it just think, Oh my bad – that’s Jack’s daughter? WTF?
That’s what I wanted to happen. So that it wouldn’t be black and white; you have to kill some to save others. It also would have made Jack a more realistic character (he is so angry about his wife’s death and the fact that his daughter’s in danger that he could do anything).
I’m hoping that, at the end, Jack will at least kill Nina Myers in cold blood. That’ll do the trick to make him believable.
But I have to give the writers credit for already mudding the waters with Stanton’s torture and the earlier holding of the reporter.
Count me in as disappointed that they didn’t really kill the kid. How often do you see the hero of a show order the killing of an innocent 12 year old? 24 has been so uncompromising in its rejection of simple black/white morality–seeing it cop out by letting the heroes get the info without having to really do anything morally questionable kind of annoyed me.
Well, on one hand I agree a little with you – they made it conveniently work out so that they didn’t actually have to do the deed. On the other hand, I can see how they would draw the line at the notion of killing a child. And Jack has to get some points in my book for the “clever trick” factor.
But I do think back to the first episode and remember how Jack popped a bullet into the chest of the protected witness guy without batting an eye, then calmly asked George for a hacksaw. And I still have to say to myself – “Yep. Jack’s a badass.”
Did anyone actually believe they killed the kid after the guy knocked the chair over? Of course the family was screaming and crying, that’s what most people would have been doing if they were in that situation.
Do you think Kevin Dillon will make Kim squeal like a pig?
There was more to the tail number than N34, I’m asking for the whole number.
Brian
Of course. She has to get in deep shit again, doesn’t she? Otherwise, it might seem as if she has no actual role in the show…:rolleyes:
I’m surprised people have barely mentioned this. He’s always a bad guy. Instant I saw him approach Kim, words out of my mouth, “Sex slave.”
They had Terri raped last year. It wouldn’t surprise me if she was this time around. They have to keep the Kim storyline interesting. I’m still hoping they somehow tie it in with Jack’s storyline, but that’s looking less and less likely…
Where has Nina been? Last time she was seen was after the CTU guys shot her in the leg and Jack whispered something we don’t know in her ear right?
The thing with Ali’s family bugged me. First, I wondered how on earth they managed to set that up. Then, I was mad that Palmer wussed out on it. Then I was pumped that Jack really was that much of a bad-ass. And when you finally found out no one was hurt, I wondered just what what the heck the deal was in the first place. Did Jack set it up on his own since Palmer was against it? Did he know that Palmer would nix it?
I was totally expecting Lynn to get capped/kidnapped/whatever at that meeting, although I guess seeing Sherry there was just as bad. How about lines on her source? Good/bad? New character/existing character?
This has probably been brought up before, but does the fact that they show Michelle during the “people I work with may be involved” mean anything? They did that with Nina last season, but they wouldn’t possibly do something like that again, would they?
I agree that they are getting too close to the bomb for it to be the main conflict. How far into last season did we get with Ira Gaines? It wouldn’t surprise me at all if we’ve yet to meet the real bad guys in charge of this whole thing.
Well, count me as another one who saw the whole “kid not really dead” thing coming.
I also don’t think Stanton has anything to do with the bomb plot. Yeah, he’s in some nasty conspiracy with Sherry Palmer (Eeeeeevil!), but I’m betting it’s not related to the terrorist plot. And I think, as somebody mentioned, that Palmer’s Chief of Staff (Mike?) is a Bad Guy.
And yes, after last week, I’m finally getting sick of the Kim subplot.
WRITTEN BEFORE 9:57
At this point I do not give a shit about the character of Jack Bauer. I hope he gets killed and I hope his stupid daughter dies with him.
I said at the end of the first series that Jack was spiralling down into villainy, and nobody [on TWoP] believed me. This episode seems to complete his downward spiral.
If this series ends without Jack being indicted for the murder of a suspect in custody, for disobeying Presidential orders and assorted other crimes, I’ll be so pissed I won’t watch this immoral series anymore.
I can’t help but wonder if shows like this are part of a government -media collaboration to get the American public “used to” collateral damage and the killing of children in war. Is it just an accident that this series was aired during “war week”?
I hope the people of L.A. still escape nuclear holocaust, but after this I can understand why some foreigners want to blow us up.
NOTE ADDED AFTER 9:57 – so, it was all just a trick and Jack didn’t kill a little boy. What a cheap plot device. Hard to explain this away when the President himself believed the family was in danger.
I guess Fox wanted to save their protagonist, and it looks like they succeeded. I’ll keep watching for now, but I’m not deleting a word of what I wrote.
You can’t see the entire tail number at once but you can see the first three and the last two for sure. Judging by the size of the man blocking the numbers, it probably is just N34G5, but it could be N34_G5 (less likely).
Couple things though. I guess Kim fought off the Cougar with that stick she was holding? :D. Obviously the whole Kim sub-plot is stupid, but I don’t mind it, as it isn’t bad comedic relief. I don’t see any inconsistencies with Palmer ordering Jack not to kill Ali’s family. Torturing Stanton is one thing, since he may be in on it (although I’m sure there will be more tiwsts and turns regarding this), but killing innocent women and children to coerce a terrorist is another. And, yeah, I think just about everyone called that the boy wasn’t killed. It was a bit of a letdown though, since the scene was pretty intense (although I’m not saying I wish the boy was killed).
I was expecting something with the Lynn and Sherry meeting, but they weren’t that far from that presidential getaway place. But anyways, she hasn’t made it back to her car yet ;).