02.26 | Day 3: Episode three, 3PM - 4PM
Production Code: 3AFF03
Written by Howard Gordon
Directed by Ian Toynton
The following takes place between 3:00PM and 4:00PM. Events occur in real time, as you might have figured out by now.
Tony walks down some stairs to explain the plot to Adam, the CTU homosexual. "They only thing they need to know is that it kills within 24 hours of exposure, and we believe Kyle Singer has it". Not content with explaining the past plot, he then goes on to explain what'll happen in the next hour. "Jack's gonna meet Nicole Duncan, head of Health Services, Los Angeles. They're gonna take a Haz Mat team over to Singer's apartment." Well, gee, thanks, Tony. I'll just switch off for the next hour, then.
Cut to Jack, who's stuck in traffic by the side of a freeway. He's wearing sunglasses and panting like a Saint Bernard in Bermuda. Tries shooting up, but some scary, official looking vans pull up. It's the Haz Mat team. I guess they're heading over to Singer's apartment. This Dr Nicole Duncan seems to know about Teri, Jack's dead wife SHE MUST BE A MOLE.
Jack does he whole "woo, I'm drowsy, Im not listening to you, off in the world of the pixies, heroin withdrawal" thing. Being a doctor, Nicole notices this. Clever. Then she sees Jack's vial of nasty disgusting DRUGS and pretends not to notice it.
Back at CTU, Michelle is listening to the recording of Hector Salazar's demands. It sounds like one of those voice-changer things that kids in the 1980s used to have. Why doesn't she just use Alex Hewitt's wonderful sound software from the last few episodes of series two? Surely that would decode it far quicker. The reason why is that they'd find it was Gael who read out the script. Gael, who appears to be under the cosh. Chloe starts bugging him. Funny that, because it's probably Gael who's got her bugged. Arf.
At the Salazar Ranch, Claudia winds up Hector by reminding him that Ramon will return from prison and take back the family 'business'. Hector takes a phone call from Ramon, who's watching Jack. Obviously Gael can tap into the CCTV network of all of Los Angeles. Lucky he's working at CTU, then. If Hector had picked a right hand man who'd worked at Starbucks, all he could offer would be an extra dollop of froth on his coffee.
3:07PM, and Kyle Singer's dad arrives back home from a job interview. They argue about money. Yeah so what? This is '24', not bloody Eastenders. Singer's dad is no way on a par with evil/good/evil/good dad beardy Bob Warner from last year.
Tony briefs the CTU gang to fill time. They flash up a handy close-up of Kyle Singer's driving license, though. Apparently he's 19 years old. Then again, Dawson in Dawson's Creek was supposed to be a school kid and he still looked about 30. Tony and Michelle have managed to guess their way to figuring out the Salazar's entire plan somehow they're deduce that Singer thinks he's smuggling drugs. I have no idea what gave them that impression. Maybe they're going one better than Gael and have the Salazar ranch bugged?
At CTU, I am amused by Tony saying "Salazar's people" as part of his plot explanation and the shot of Gael's shocked expression and perking his face up as the words are said.
It's 3:09PM back at the Singer apartment. Kyle's dad opens Kyle's hold-all and finds the coke. There's an argument, the dad grabs the bag and you have expect him to hold up the powder and say "Well, well, well. What have we here?" because we've seen this exact same scene done in exactly the same way in Grange Hill, Neighbours and every other bloody teenage soap under the sun. Kyle Singer is lame hopefully Jack will take him out soon. Except we won't need to, because JUST AS I LOST MY ATTENTION, the virus-infected bag of coke SPLITS OPEN and is handily circulated around the room by a fan the Singer family JUST HAPPEN TO LEAVE BLOWING ON THE FLOOR. Time to cut to an ad break, and for once in '24' land not before time.
3:16PM Ramon Salazar sweats in prison; Kim Bauer tries to figure out why Kyle Singers driving license is on her computer screen; the Singer parents try not to breathe in deadly viruses; Jack and Dr Duncan continue driving to the Singer house.
Chase is back at CTU, though, for an exciting day of pen-pushing and chatting up Kim.
3:17PM, and we're back at Salazar in the federal holding facilty for what seems like the first time in an age, though it can't be more than about an hour in '24' time. Apparently Ramon is ready to talk to Annicon.
Spooky black-suited security guards are patrolling the University of Southern California, so that can only mean that President Dave is still preparing for his debate. Dave hands the Keeler playbook back to Wayne, saying "I only hope you can get a refund from whoever sold you that load of crap". Wooah. Moderate swearing. Again. That's about the third time in two episodes.
Cut to the best scene of the episode, which probably goes to show just how boring it really was. Joaquim de Almeida turns up the scary quota by having his guard kill off Annicon. Apparently one of the Salazar goons had got to the guard's son so he had to do whatever Ramon said. But how did they manage to get the timing right, eh? And how did the guard check that his son really was in trouble?
Cut to a scene of Kyle's parents arguing about bloody Kyle. I mean, yawn. Ramon filled me with menace, and 30 seconds later these two are filling me with hatred and bile towards the human race. Specifically, white trash Californians. Whatever. Until Jack breaks in through the door. Good thing the parents weren't filling time until Jack could feasibly arrive. Watching Kyle's lameass dad STAND AND WATCH whilst someone buzzsaws through his front door was just dumb. Like anyone would just stand there and watch. Unless that person was on heroin, maybe. THEREFORE KYLE'S DAD IS THE SECRET MOLE - no - DRUG USER. Oh no, we've done that bit. Its Gael.
Anyway, Jack and Dr Nicole lock the place down and hunt for Kyle. Unfortunately, Kyle's mum flushes the coke down the toilet. Uh-oh. "THE VIRUS IS OUT", shouts Jack. "I REPEAT: THE VIRUS IS OUT". The virus is down the bog, and Jack radios to Tony to ask to 'set up a perimeter'. What, down in the sewers? Explain that one to me, CTU boys.
After an ad break, Anne pays a visit to Prez Palmer at 3:28PM. Apparently it's something about Anne's ex-husband Ted, who fabricated medical research and was convicted, and how Anne knew about the lies but Ted covered this up when he testified. Or something. I think that's the general picture. And you though the virus plot was complicated. At least the virus plot is exciting. And I thought Palmer wasn't going to read the 'playbook'? Turns out that just over fifteen minutes later, he has done. Did I miss something? 3:30PM, and Wayne phones Dave to ask him to meet in the auditorium.
Dr Sunni Macer talks to Tony. They mention that it was lucky that the virus was easily contained, even though it was airborne. What about the bag of it that got flushed down the toilets? Tony then gets to deal with Adam, Michelle and Kim all asking stupid questions. Yeah, when I've got dumb things I'm not sure about, I always go straight to my boss. If I was Tony, I wouldn't even dignify them with a response. Though he's a bit keen on explaining and repeating the plot to the audience these days, so maybe he's gone soft.
3:32PM, and Jack tells the Singer parents that Kyle carried in the Cordela virus from Mexico. He's talking on the radio with Tony when he runs off to vomit. A rather violent attack of heroin withdrawal or something more like virus symptoms? It'll be odd if he had contracted something, because apparently the powder WASN'T EVEN INFECTED WITH ANYTHING. Well, gee ever get the feeling you've been cheated? But apparently the virus might be inside Kyle Singer. At least, I think that's what Jack was on about, but whatever he was saying was so confused I hardly understood it. It's either the heroin, or it's whoever scripted this episode. I know which one I'm blaming.
3:35PM, and Kyle asks for help from his girlfriend Linda. He thinks he needs to pay off the drug dealers because he hasn't got the drugs. Linda agrees to STEAL TWENTY THOUSAND BUCKS FROM HER DAD - as you do - and bring it to THE MALL. THE MALL! Meanwhile, Gael has another one of the Salazar goons following Kyle. The goon has to grab Kyle and 'take him to containment'.
Man, I'm confused. Shit, and I'm writing this down Yer average '24' watching pleb probably hasn't got a clue what's going on.
3:41PM Singer's parents looking worried; Gael looking spooky; Kyle hangin' out in the mall; some bloke following him.
Palmer and Wayne agree to pay off Anne's ex-husband. Exactly what the character WOULDN'T HAVE done at every point over the past two seasons.
Jack tells the Singer ma and pa that they're both safe, but that their boy isn't. Their son could die. They don't look or sound that upset. Frankly, Im not either and the sooner the virus takes him over and turns him into a zombie, the better. I like the way how Jack tells Kyle's dad to tell Kyle the truth about him being infected with a deadly virus, whereas 30 minutes earlier, Tony's approach was to go to Singer without telling him what was really happening, because the kid wouldn't know what was going on. It's like Jack really is braindead today. Singer's dad: "What should I tell him?" Jack: "Uh, anything, I don't care, I need to get his phone traced why not tell him hired killers are after him? And he's probably going to die, that ought to do it. Say, do you have a spoon and a clean needle?".
At this point, can I just point out that Kyle Singer is the DUMBEST HUMAN ALIVE? His father tells him that he's infected with a deadly virus and that there are some people back at the house that'll help him, and Kyle has absolutely no desire to learn more about what he's just been told. Just a panicked "what, do you think I should turn myself in?" Not even a "So tell me more about this virus, Dad", or "Hey, how'd you find out about this virus, Dad?". That was some of the worst dialogue I've ever heard, and, yes, I do eavesdrop on people's mobile phone conversations on public transport.
Cut to Chloe, who asks Chase "Did you do something to piss off Jack?". WOW. Does being on an hour earlier and on a less-watched channel qualify '24' for more rude words this year? Chase runs off to catch up with Tony, who's getting on a chopper to the mall to corner Kyle. We see a couple of seconds of Kyle being followed by the Salazar goon, and it's off to an ad break.
3:53PM Jack and Nicole zooming along an empty street with a blaring police escort; Michelle looking at some thing off screen.
Chase phones Jack, who like a jilted girlfriend won't pick up. Chase gives Kim obvious hints that Jack has the dark secret of smack. Obviously, she doesn't pick up on the hints.
3:55PM, and Tony, Jack and Nicole almost simultaneously arrive at the mall. But not before Nicole questions Jack about his habit. Jack says he's 'kicked it', though he obviously hasn't. We don't learn much more about his problem, though.
At either ends of the mall, Tony and his police goons, and Gael's Salazar goon make their approaches to Kyle Singer. "I want to make a clean grab", says Tony. Meaning it'll be anything but, then... Tony speaks to Kyle, and there's a face off. The goon shoots, Tony goes down, blood pouring everywhere, people scream and Kyle runs.
Jack enters. Does he tail Kyle Singer? The goon? No, he stops and takes a peek at Tony's new breath-hole. OK, he has a man on every exit but he should still make some attempt to capture Singer. Then again, Jack doesn't know the goon exists yet...
And thus concludes possibly the dullest episode of '24' yet. Last week's show could be said to have had a random ending the unveiling of Gael as the CTU mole but this week: Tony getting shot? Well, he's not dead we saw him moving so what does this leave in store for us? Michelle turning off his ventilator in the final hour of the series? At least there was some build up to discovering which side Gael was really on, but this hour had no development at all to its dumb ending. It has shock value, yes, but not satisfactorily. Other than that, what else happened? Palmer made me yawn. The Salazars were barely on screen. Jack drove about in a car he did get to buzzsaw through a door, though, which was cool. The Singer parents put in some of the worst line delivery you couldnt call it 'acting' Ive ever seen. I think the thing that bugs me the most about Tony being shot is that I can't work out why it's happened. I'm just hoping the people who write the plot can.
Time checks:
3:41PM Wayne tells Palmer that they could have the money to pay off Anne's ex-husband 'within the hour'.
Jack tells Tony that he'll arrive at the mall in 'about a minute'.
Top quotes:
None, but there were some 'low quotes', though. I'll probably update you all on those during the week, unless you want to use the comments box below to fill in your own 'worst line of the episode'.
Bodies swimming in the death pool are:
David Goss, the dead guy from the first episode
Shaye, Ramon Salazar's lawyer
Luis Annicon, Jack's help on the Salazar case
Plus Hector's truckload of stiffs, which were too many to count.
Trivia:
Kyle Singer's driving license points out that he was born on November 19, 1987. As Singer is 19 years old, this sets the events of season three sometime between November 2006 and November 2007.
Questions Arising:
Will Tony survive being shot? Will the Palmer plot get interesting or less wafflely? Will Kyle Singer escape from the mall? Or will the CTU people or the Salazar goon find him first? Why bother to introduce Gael as the CTU mole in episode two, only to take the focus off him in the next hour?
