24

When we last saw 24's Jack Bauer, he wasn't having a very good day. The man he thought he knew best, Tony Almeida (the terrific Carlos Bernard), had been exposed as a doublecrosser, and Jack, dying of chemical weapon exposure, was having a seizure - thanks in no small part to Tony hiding his medication. Could it get any worse?

Well, yes and no. This week, Jack recovers from the seizure in time to tell Agent Renee Walker that he knows about Tony's deception, and the manhunt is on - they must find the chemical weapon canister before it's too late. However, it won't be that easy, as by the time Jack relays this information, Tony has already managed to slip away, to meet his contact, whom he later kills in a gruesome (and yet, perversely cool) fight scene.

Meanwhile, back at the White House, President Taylor speaks to Jack and the two come up with a plan to get badder-than-baddie Jonas Hodges (Jon Voight) to admit what he knows. The President and her new Chief of Staff, her daughter, Olivia (nepotism anyone . . . only on TV is this plausible!), discuss a protection agreement for Hodges - the very man who killed the President's son and Olivia's brother. But Olivia is none too pleased with this, and we later discover she is considering taking the law into her own hands.

We also learn more about the mysterious terror network that is planning the next attack on American soil - at the head of which is apparently, none other than Tony's new girlfriend. (Guess the grieving widower thing worked on her - or is he just playing her too? Hmmm . . .)

But perhaps one of the most pleasant surprises comes about halfway into the episode, when we see old friends, Jack and Chloe O'Brien, reconnect. Jack tells her he needs her help, and there is a touching moment as she says goodbye to her husband and son, unsure when or if she will see them again as she goes to Jack's side. If anyone can save the day, Chloe can!

The episode ends as Tony gets his marching orders, to target a man on whom the terror network will pin the day's attacks. We see Tony portrayed as something of a man on the edge. Is Tony really evil, or is it all a clever disguise that will have us saying "I knew it" at season's end?

And the countdown continues. . . .