24: 6 - 7 a.m.

Previously on 24: Mandy has “representatives”? Who might they be and how did CTU so easily get them on the phone? It makes me laugh every time I see Jack and the other agents “running” because they are so obviously jogging and trying to make it look like they’re speeding down the street. Sometimes it even looks like they’re jogging in place. Well, Jack couldn’t find Marwan’s thigh but he did manage to shoot him in the ankle and slow him down enough so that he could grab him mid-flight as he leapt off the Global Center. We all had flashbacks to Chase when the knife came out and ooh, that was really cringeworthy. The special effects of Marwan’s fall looked a little lame. Did they overspend their budget on the nifty helicopter antics? I’d rather not think about Chloe and Edgar “downloading the interface” and “expanding the perimeter” if it’s all the same to the writers. When they found out the missile was headed to LA, I wondered if I was the only one asking the question: is it really worth the trouble of shooting down? I appreciated Audrey’s reaction when Jack asked her if they could talk “maybe tomorrow.” You could see the terror she felt at the prospect of having to go through another one of his days. Re-enter the pesky Chinese. I told Kay a few weeks ago I feared the season would end with Jack being taken to rot in a Chinese prison. Palmer tells him with a straight face, “I’ll make it my life’s mission to bring you back as soon as possible.” Yeah, after I film a few commercials and write my memoirs and go shopping for a spiffy overcoat that makes me look dashing. Don’t worry, I’ll get around to you. Here’s me, saying to Selina, “Jack’s gonna bolt!” But with all the classified information he knows, the government can’t afford to have him fall into enemy hands. Mike turns out to be a good guy after all and steps out of the shadows where he’s been lurking to tell Palmer the assassination plan and what does Palmer do? He goes to Nervous Nixon! Will you tell Jack! I’m saying. Yes, he will. Whew. A fighting chance. Luckily there was some leftover epinephrine from Flatliners. Tony bringing Jack back to life was probably more like Jack bringing Charlie back to life over on Lost than the show had planned. I appreciated Tony and Michelle clueing Chloe in on the ruse. If she couldn’t go with him, it’s a comfort to know that someday when he needs her, Jack can call on her. Best line: Palmer’s “what you believe is irrelevant.” Biggest surprise of the season: Curtis survived it. Next up: Season 5 wherein Jack moves to Iceland, starts dating model/babe/hopefully not terrorist Kristin Haraldsdottir and single-handedly stops the volcanic eruption of Mount Hekla with his bare hands. We’ll be waiting.