24: Season 5

[Mik 0]

I think he's talking about Erin Driscoll.

[mike546 0]

HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BlackFlagg 0]

EVIL PRESIDENT~!~!~!~!~!

[Guest Fook]

You know, the president being a villian is pretty much the one major thing they haven't done yet. I wouldn't be completely shocked if it happened.

 

FUCKING CALLED IT~!

 

EVIL PRESIDENT~!?!

[mike546 0]

I think Jack Bauer found his kryptonite.

[BlackFlagg 0]

Holy shit, next week Jack Bauer vs the US fucking Army~!

[bobobrazil1984 0]

Hmm. There better be an explanation of some sort. I don't think all this tracks without being incredibly contrived... unless the commandos-->Henderson-->President group is actually different from the Bierko-->terrorists group. I don't think we've actually had Henderson interact directly with the terrorists.

 

as for motive, maybe he's trying to set the terrorists to be taken down so his approval goes way up for "handling" it, remember the scene where he was all happy because people were congratulating him.

[Guest Fook]

One thing I found funny about tonights episode is the very beginning when everyone is worried about Jack, but he just comes walking out of the explosion like nothing happened. They didn't even bother trying to explain how he survived.

 

Did anyone catch that look Buchanan gave Audrey on his way out? That was one cold stare.

[Guest Fook]

Hmm. There better be an explanation of some sort. I don't think all this tracks without being incredibly contrived... unless the commandos-->Henderson-->President group is actually different from the Bierko-->terrorists group. I don't think we've actually had Henderson interact directly with the terrorists.

 

What about Collette Stenger? She dealt with both Henderson and Bierko.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Yeah, this is going to be strange. Kinda cool, though it was pretty obvious throughout the episode is wasn't going to be Garner. Of course, you could say the same thing about Spencer being the "mole" earlier in the season, and that was pretty straight-up.

 

I'm thinking it's going to be very hard to explain unless it's like metr0man said, two totally separate plans. But if that's the case, the nerve gas being totally incidental and random is really wild. If Logan did know about all of this and was the great orchestrator, how do we explain away all the stuff with Walt coming to admit to Logan what he was doing? And all the stuff with letting Bierko attack Subarov's convoy...it's pretty convoluted. I guess you could go with the notion that Logan has been playing this whole time, and that he and Henderson are the only ones who really know what's up. Like, the Chain of Evil Command is Logan---> Nathanson ---> Walt...buuuut, that's tricky, because we know that Bierko ostensibly was responsible for killing Erwich, Nathanson, and all the loose ends. Then there's Colette. Or, maybe Logan/Henderson are actually responsible for killing of Nathanson & friends, while Bierko killing Erwich was just his own thing...oh, it's all so convoluted.

 

I dunno. Kinda silly. I'll be really interested to see how it plays out next week.

[the max 0]

Brilliant twist. It may have saved the season as well.

 

We're so used to everything coming together by this point in the season; Knowing who was behind it and why and watching our superhero track them down. Now, we have a completely foreign twist, with the person who has the most power in the country possibly being behind the entire thing. Sure, it's completely unrealistic that a president would be a terrorist, but that's the fun of it.

 

It also leaves us wondering what is actually going to happen. Like I said, with the previous four seasons, we knew (for the most part) what was going to happen, who was going to die, etc.etc. with some good twists in along the way. What they've done is given us a complete 540. We've been spun around completely to the same plot that we've come to know and love (evil mastermind is now being tracked by Jack) with the extra twist being who the evil mastermind is.

 

This may have redeemed the season for me.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

This has gotta be the last season of this show, really. How on earth could you top the President of the United States as your bad guy?

[bobobrazil1984 0]

the only way i can see this working, putting aside the 2 groups theory, is if Logan was secretly behind the Cummings-middle-east-conspiracy plot, (which neatly explains why Logan was "convinced" by Cummings so easily), but the terrorists' backup plan to release the gas in the US is NOT his doing, so he was actually on CTU's side all throughout this season (cause his career is fucked if the gas comes out in the city). Now he's trying to use Henderson to a) get things back on track, and b) get rid of any evidence linking him to the original Walt Cummings middle east plot.

[iggymcfly 0]

This has gotta be the last season of this show, really. How on earth could you top the President of the United States as your bad guy?

Two words.

 

Jack.

 

Bauer.

[packwingfn 0]

I enjoyed the whole part with Wayne and Jack working together to take down Henderson's Men but I just knew he was going to get away.

 

And one more question? Is Curtis getting the AX too? He was there at the beginning of the episode to find Jack and return Bierko but he just disappeared after that part. Kinda odd.

[Ripper 0]

The thing is, is Walt being a "mole" really that shocking? I mean the guy went behind Logans back to try and get Jack killed last year.

 

I say "mole" because I think that Logan knows a hell of a lot more than being put on. I don't trust that guy.

 

 

I called it first. Of course...I also called Palmer knowing he was getting shot earlier in the thread and I am still convinced that Tony just wanted some rest and the lights were bothering his eyes so they put a sheet over him.

 

But yeah, it makes perfect sense honestly. I think the President knew about the whole "we are patriots" plot they had going. he was more than willing to go along with everything that walt said. He didn't know that the gas was going to get into the hands of the terrorist.

 

I think the thing we all need to focus on here. There is a very good liklihood that Jack Bauer is going to kill the president before this season is over.

 

 

Ripper - realizing that that last sentence guarentees someone in the federal goverment is reading this post. Its innocent guys.

[chirs3 0]

If Logan is as much of a whore for public approval as he seems to be, it's entirely possible he orchestrated Palmer's assassination, the airport situation, and the deal Cummings said about setting off the gas at the terrorists base. I mean, this is the President who's following up David F'ing Palmer. I imagine in the world of 24, Logan hears nothing but "He's not as good a President as David Palmer. His foreign relations aren't as stable as Palmer. Blah blah blah." So he arranged to have Palmer killed, sets up this "America Under Attack" situation, and employs Henderson and Co. to keep the situation contained, so he can come out and say "Yes! I am awesome! I saved America, just like David Palmer! Love me!"

 

But the terrorists managed to gain far more control than he had anticipated - just like Season 2, "they were never supposed to get this far!" So for the better part of the day, he actually was playing the role of good guy - through the attack on the motorcade, the gassing of the mall, and this - since none of it was according to plan.

 

But now that the Sentox is out of the equation, he's focusing on wrapping up all the loose ends and making sure none of this leads back to him, so he can get on TV and say "Crisis averted! America is safe!"

 

Sounds kind of petty, but David Palmer was the best president in the history of ever. Even Logan's own VP thinks so. I imagine the constant comparisons and such have weakened his position of power, and he sees this as his way to get it back.

 

As for him operating above Cummings - Nina did the same thing with Jamie in Season One.

[Ripper 0]

Fuck living in Palmers shadow. Dude wasn't even elected.

[KingPK 0]

Dumb question: Wayne Palmer is the same guy that played the principal in the last season of Buffy, right?

 

I also really don't know how the Prez ties into all of this but, damn it, I'm gonna keep watching to find out. I do think that this is the last season of the show as it is now, with CTU being dismantled and everything, but I can see them starting fresh next year with a more international flavor with Jack having to leave the country for some reason and going to England or something to work for their service.

[Mecha Mummy 0]

Dumb question: Wayne Palmer is the same guy that played the principal in the last season of Buffy, right?

 

Yep, DB Woodside.

 

chirs3's explanation is the only one that really makes sense to me, and I'd buy that. It's a great twist if they can handle it properly.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

There is a very good liklihood that Jack Bauer is going to kill the president before this season is over.

 

Best ending ever. I hope they don't pussy out and have Martha kill him or something. Jack so needs to do this, its the ultimate badass move.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Wow. I had to come online just to say HOLY SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT BALLS that was awesome. I was hoping for the whole episode for it not to be the VP and for it to be the Prez and I celebrated like a motherfucker when it was (credit goes to Fook for planting that twisted thought into all of our heads, and to Ripper for being a lil more obscure and never the less accurate). God damn.

 

Oh and...

 

I hope Jack kicks the shit out of the president. Can he do that??

 

 

 

Can someone piece this together? I'd try, but I like my brain in the non-splattered-against-the-wall variety.

 

I can easily see this being President Palmer looking for Approval Ratings for having saved the day, but it doesn't all work. How did they know Jack was still alive? The Russian President dying on US soil after meeting with the Prez wouldn't improve approval ratings AT ALL. There has to be something more.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Heres the best explanation I can come up with, and its stupid..

 

Logan finds out about the fact that Bauer isn't dead several months ahead of this season. Im willing to go as far as to say that Chloe ends up being the one to tell him (thus essentially being the one that sets up Jack Bauer for everything that has and will happen) because she didnt get killed... He gets uber worried about the fact that if he knows that Jack is still alive, the Chinese might know or find out sooner rather than later and he doesn't want them to get all over his case for allowing Jack to remain free figuring he knew about it and allowed it to happen. Not only would that be a huge international incident, but Im sure there would be ramifications on his presidency..He obviously can't go to anyone from CTU..so he searches out someone who knows Jack from his past really well that would have some connections and reasoning for wanting to do in Jack Bauer and he digs up Henderson. They conspire this whole thing to draw Jack out of hiding. Logan wants to have Jack sent back to China so that it won't be a problem.

Logan also realizes that Jack/CTU might get on to his plan if they ever capture Henderson, so he's the one behind Homeland taking over CTU so that Jack won't have any help. Im sure that the end plan was for Jack to find out that Logan is dirty so that he'd go after Logan and when he does that they can capture him and give him back to the Chinese.

[tommytomlin 0]

Don't know how long this webspace will last, but check out this clip from the start of episode 12. More specifically, check out the expression on Logan's face when Bill says 'Christopher Henderson'.

 

Pretty sweet foreshadowing.

[starvenger 0]

I dunno guys, I think it was an unneccesary swerve when ol' Hammerhead was the perfect guy for your Evil Leader. Logan turning evil when he's been President Dipshit from the first second doesn't really jibe with me.

 

BTW, if you look back, Keeler might have been acclaimed, so the public may have looked down on the current four-year term regardless...

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Maybe Logan is not Evil Leader, maybe he just hired Henderson to take out Palmer and sorta blindly did so. Henderson looked to frame Bauer* and worked that into the Palmer hit. Henderson hired Nathanson (who had contact with Walt Cummings, who both were involved in setting up Palmers death and both helped the terrorists get the nerve gas in hopes of releasing the gas on them (the terrorists), but Henderson had other plans) and Collette (who gave the terrorists schematics to CTU) as intermediaries and had his own agenda with the nerve gas (taking out CTU). The Terrorists did the work for Henderson in exchange for being able to use the rest of the gas on civilians.

 

Henderson perhaps thought he, along with the Presidents help, could get back into a severely damaged CTU by discrediting Jack Bauer (in death) and thus hurting Jacks claim on Henderson.

[chirs3 0]

The Russian President dying on US soil after meeting with the Prez wouldn't improve approval ratings AT ALL. There has to be something more.

 

That's why I think the President only planned this up to the terrorists getting the nerve gas and taking it back to their base with them, where it would be set off and everything would be super (what Cummings confessed to). Everything the terrorists did after this point, including the attack on the probably misspelled Tsubarov's, was not part of Logan's plan.

Edited April 5, 2006 by chirs3

[chirs3 0]

And now that I think about it, Logan being dirty sets up Bauer as the Season 6 villain very nicely.

 

Remember when Airforce One was hit last season? Bauer had no love for Keeler, but that was still a deep blow to him, because Bauer respects the Office of the President. The position that personifies all the ideals and virtues of America that Jack fights to protect.

 

And now that office is corrupt. Everything that Bauer had been fighting to uphold has been shattered. The system is broken, and it cannot be fixed, which means the only solution is to destroy it.

 

Season Six should be Homeland-LA attempting to stop a rogue Jack Bauer from assasinating President Logan.

Edited April 5, 2006 by chirs3

[the max 0]

That's too recent though. There's no way they could pull off a 48 hour day with no sleep.

 

Plus, if Jack wants to kill Logan, it wouldn't take him 24 hours. He'd probably use a jedi mindtrick or something.

[chirs3 0]

Don't make it a 48 hour day.

 

Under Logan's orders, Henderson should carry out an attack on Jack and Co. Somehow (fill in the blank here), two things need to happen:

 

1. The evidence implicating Logan is destroyed.

 

2. Kim is killed.

 

At this point, Jack is all "AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" And no one outside of Wayne Palmer and whatsername knew of the proof anyway (maybe extend it to Audrey and Chloe), so they couldn't do anything about Logan now even if they wanted to. Jack hunts down Henderson, kill hims, and then finds out that the attack was specifically ordered by Logan.

 

End of the season, Jack disappears. Yeah, I know, smacks a little too much of Season 4's ending - other suggestions are welcome.

 

The point is, Season Six should begin with Jack's whereabouts unknown, and Logan still President, kicking off his re-election campaign in LA. CTU no longer exists, but a few people remain at Homeland-LA. Logan is at some function or another, and shit goes down. Survives by dumb luck, Homeland investigates, and they learn that Bauer is behind it.

 

This also sets up Bauer vs. Aaron, which would rock. Hard.

Edited April 5, 2006 by chirs3