24, 8.8 - "11:00PM - 12:00AM"

WRITER: David Fury
DIRECTOR: Milan Cheylov
GUEST STARS: David Anders, Nazneen Contractor, Hrach Titizian & Jürgen Prochnow

[SPOILERS] A notable upswing this week, but only because Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) got to do what he does best: get tortured in a gruesome way (strung up barefoot from a pipe, electrocuted via a knife wound in his torso) and escape to defeat a restaurant full of gangsters in the dark single-handed, before engaging in a machine gun vs. shotgun duel with Jürgen Prochnow under some dinner tables.

Beyond all that, it was just baby steps for the most part: remorseful Renee (Annie Wersching) arrived back at CTU for a psych evaluation; cracks are appearing in Dana's (Katee Sackhoff) excuses, so she decides to take drastic measures to end Wade's hold over her; President Hassan (Anil Kapoor) wasn't pleased to hear about his daughter's romance with an employee he erroneously believes is a traitor; and Joseph (David Anders) hijacked the nuclear material from under his father's nose, thus succeeding him as the season's "big bad".

This was a leaner, punchier episode that felt more like the kind of thing 24 used to deliver in its enthusiastic first halves. I still hope Day 8's slow buildup has been intentional and we'll start to rock around mid-season right through till the end, but maybe I'm just being naïve and this measured pace is just indicative of the fact the writers aren't juiced about this season's storyline. There's still no tangible threat to anything, which is a problem. I'm not gripped by a lead case full of nuclear rods that, in the state they're in, pose no danger if you're not in their immediate vicinity. 24 works best when the bad guys have a virus or bomb they could release/detonate any second, or an elaborate plan that's in full swing and needs to be stopped. Chasing a nondescript lorry around NYC because of its potentially harmful cargo just isn't in that league.

Still, credit where it's due, this was an exciting episode for Jack and that's something that's been in short supply this season.

Asides

-- Do we really buy Cole (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and Dana as a couple? They've shared such little screentime together that I'm not in the slightest bit worried about their marriage, either.

-- How come Chloe's suddenly so proficient with CTU's systems, when the first few episodes made it clear she's out of her depth? I guess she just needs a life-or-death terrorist threat to bring out her best.

-- There's only one performance better than Anil Kapoor's right now: his amazingly coiffured hair.

-- Eight hours in and no sign of a mole in CTU yet, although I guess Dana's a kind of benevolent interloper.

21 FEBRUARY 2010: SKY1 (HD), 9PM