One Long Day - 
by B-side
Ahhhh... Another day in the life of Jack Bauer has come to an end, and thus, season four of 24 has wrapped up as well. It's been a fun ride, and with the exception of some increasingly unbelievable plotting in the past few weeks, a nearly perfect season as well. Unfortunately, the death of Dina Araz took a lot of wind out of the show's sails, and hey, now that I think of it, we still don't know where poor Behrooz went. Something tells me he'll be back as a crazy bad guy, eager to get revenge on the government that swore to protect his mother. Don't let the puffy hair deceive you: Behrooz will be back, and this time, he'll want BLOOD.
Until then, we have some other faces from the past to deal with. Specifically: Mandy. Yes, when we last left our homies at CTU, Jack and the funky bunch had surrounded the the assassin's apartment complex. And what did she do? She killed Agent Castle (yes!) and abducted Tony (doh!). Now Jack was trying to hunt her down.
"Is there any way she slipped the perimeter?" asked Michelle. Surely she could not get past the perimeter! No one gets past the perimeter! Except public buses... and waves of terrorists... and pretty much anything that can run faster than a kindergartner. Still, Jack was pretty sure that this time, the perimeter would work. Hey, remember last hour when the perimeter forgot to make sure not to let in twenty terrorists so they could abduct Marwan? Yeah, that was awesome. Good perimeter-ing, perimeter!
As Curtis headed out to join Jack on the location, Audrey put on an efficient-looking headset and began hunting for the missile with satellite printouts. Good to see she's suddenly stopped pouting around. I guess that goes with her whole "I'm different every hour!" character thing she's got going on.
Michelle, meanwhile, was flipping out now that her man had disappeared. When she learned that only nine people would be heading to the apartment complex as backup, Michelle nearly lost it, but luckily the bland resolve of Buchanan calmed her down. Wow, tough day for women in CTU. All their lovers keep getting hurt. Something tells me Audrey will be starting up a support circle in the "situation room."
While Michelle fretted, we found Tony shirtless and kneeling in a vacant apartment. Amazingly, Mr. Almeida's well-documented increase of girth seemed to have reversed, which leads me to believe he has either a) been doing sit-ups in the situation room, b) had liposuction in the CTU plastic surgery facility (located next to the CTU trauma center), or c) simply been wearing a pregnancy suit around the office for no real reason. Either way, two cheers for physical fitness. You never know when you'll be bound, gagged, and shirtless.
Anyway, Mandy had apparently found the one unit with drying paint because utility lamps were lit all over the place, making the hideout exceptionally bright. Honestly, if I were an assassin in a complex surrounded by government agents, I might, you know, shut the lights off, but hey, it's nice to know that if there's one thing Mandy respects, it's a landlord's humble attempts to dry paint. By the way, kudos to CTU for not investigating the one apartment with light streaming from its windows.
Over in Washington, Palmer and Logan needed to get some death toll estimates from Audrey. But wait, we don't know where the missile will strike, complained Audrey. How can I put together the information? JUST DO IT BITCH.
Back in the apartment complex, all sorts of bad things were happening. After some tense phone conversations and some portrait work with the camera phone, Mandy basically told Michelle that if she didn't move the CTU forces, Tony would die. Ah, a clever reversal of last year's situation with Saunders! Except that time, Tony committed treason to save Michelle. Would she return the favor for her estranged husband? The dilemma was so pressing, Michelle had to UNBUTTON HER BLAZER! Whoa, simmer down Ms. Dessler! Don't go crazy and show us too much of that blouse! Maybe you'd like a warm towel? A glass of water?
Well, Michelle's inner-conflict lasted for about five seconds as she quickly spilled the beans to Buchanan who then alerted Jack. "I promise you that we will do everything we can for Tony," Bauer reassured Michelle. Great. That's what he said about Paul Raines too. Here's the thing about CTU promises: they inevitably backfire -- and in huge ways. The only thing less reliable are CTU security escorts, CTU staff doctors, and, of course, perimeters. On the plus side, the CTU fro-yo machine is quite good.
Anyway, Mandy brokered a deal with Michelle, and as the vehicles drove away from the North exit of the building, our lady assassin got to work. She busted out our old friend, Mr. Taser, and zapped Tony right in the chest. Yay! More electrocution! It wasn't as novel as Jack's lamp wire technique, but it was just as effective, and at the end of the day, isn't that all we really want? Hey, and let's not forget how much fun we had when poor Sarah took a few Taser kisses to the neck earlier this season. Those were good times. Anyway, as Tony lay on the floor unconscious, Mandy waltzed over to a counter, and in a totally showy, unnatural move, swung her leg up and cocked her gun. I half expected Mia Kirshner to turn to the camera and say, "Why yes, I am in The L Word." And then after an awkward pause, she'd add, "That's a show about lesbians."
Before becoming an assassin, Mandy was a Rockette.| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 Next Page... ( Comments ) | Discuss In Our Forums