24 : 6 - 7 a.m.

6.1. Everyone’s tense and fearful. On the show, too. The government wants to set into motion detention facilities with reasonable criteria for admittance. Not Britney’s spa, I’m guessing. Right away we had the best line of the hour: “Do you ever open your mouth without sarcasm spilling out of it?” aimed, surprisingly not at Chloe, but at her ex-husband or current boyfriend (status eluded me), Morris. Chloe seems to think she’s learned to fit into CTU. Another sign the terrorists have won. Don’t blink or you’ll miss the cameo by Smerch! No lines for him. Not even a “Sure…sure…”

Some changes at CTU. What Not to Wear has upgraded Chloe. Bill and Karen are married. President Wayne has negotiated with the Chinese to trade Jack for well, I missed what the Chinese got in exchange. If it was possible for the US to trade something for Jack, why wait 20 months? Seems a bit harsh when they know Jack’s over there being tortured. Terrorist Assad’s man Fayed promises to clue CTU in on Assad’s whereabouts for the pleasure of killing Jack as retaliation/revenge/whatever for Jack’s killing his brother in ’99. Somewhere in suburbia the FBI takes away Ahmad’s dad. His neighbour Scott wants to help, but should be suspicious because Ahmad looks about 35.

Wesley Guy (was his name Miles?) had the second best line: “Plain English does not allow for the nuances my job requires.” Try that one at work. Morris configures a privately owned satellite he just happened to know about to pick up a visual on Jack’s transfer to Fayed who, like many Evil Guys before him, can’t resist gloating to Jack that they have it all wrong. Assad wants to stop the attacks. Fayed’s all for them. CTU is going after the wrong guy and Jack’s about to die for nothing. Not so fast Blofeld. Jack probably hasn’t had much to eat for 20 months and he’s so hungry, he takes a bite out of his guard’s throat, ripping the jugular to shreds. Jacula lives, indeed.