Skip to content
24 is in ‘penultimate episode’ phase with Episode 11 and Cheng isn’t best-pleased both with his country for turning their back on him – hence the sinking of the Chinese aircraft carrier – and also Jack Bauer, who has unwittingly tracked him down.
In the meantime, Bauer and Kate manage to off some baddies by not shooting the bad guys, but instead going for the nearby propane tanks, which them explode and set the baddies on fire. This is akin to a number of videogames where the exact same thing happens! Why do all the bad guys stand next to explosive things which can easily kill them? Duh!!!
Naturally, by the time Jack and Kate get to where Cheng et al were, they’re long gone, and with the override device, too. Turns out Cheng’s in league with the Russians. You know, the higher up these baddies go, the uglier they get!
The Chinese are about to attack the US naval bases in Okinawa, Japan, as a result of the destruction of the aircraft carrier from the last episode. Heller doesn’t understand the gravity of the situation, but his nuclear technician thinks they should up their security level significantly. Heller’s not listening.
Thankfully, after being dragged along for the ride with Cheng, our emo-like Chloe makes a break for it. While she gets away from them, it’s not the most successful of escapes and she knocks herself out on the ground. Or goes to sleep. Whichever is the most plausible.
Meanwhile, Audrey and Boudreau hover around in the background doing nothing of interest, and with a look on their faces as if someone’s just farted under their nose. And does Audrey even *have* a job in all this? She says her country needs her… do they? What for? To stand around and mope?
And while there’s no “Dammit”s this week, Jack utters two occurences of “Son of a bitch”, one being when he uncovers a particular revelation about Boudreau. And it’s not just the fact that Tate Donovan is a shit actor which causes Bauer to point a gun in his face. And, amazingly, the strongest word Bauer can find to use about him is “idiot”.
As we reach the top of the hour, Cheng’s long gone with the Russians no longer in a position to finger him, and the only hope is in Audrey finally doing something in contacting a Chinese colleague who she’s not even bothered to mention until, literally, the eleventh hour.
Unfortunately, the cliffhanger, as we go into the finale, rests solely on whether Audrey will live or die… and she’s one of those characters who nobody gives a shit about. Go on, Cheng, blow her away and do us all a favour!
Dammit count: 0
Score: 7/10
Director: Jon Cassar
Producer: Iain Smith
Screenplay: Robert Cochran and David Fury
Music: Sean Callery
Cast:
Jack Bauer: Kiefer Sutherland
Chloe O’Brian: Mary Lynn Rajskub
Kate Morgan: Yvonne Strahovski
Anatol Stolnavich: Stanley Townsend
Cheng Zhi: Tzi Ma
Chinese Tech: Dan Li
Audrey Raines: Kim Raver
Admiral: Corey Johnson
Colonel Shaw: Philip Winchester
President Wei: David Yip
Ron Clark: Ross McCall
Gavin Leonard: Adam Sinclair
Steve Navarro: Benjamin Bratt
Mark Boudreau: Tate Donovan
President James Heller: William Devane
Erik Ritter: Gbenga Akinnagbe
Adrian Cross: Michael Wincott
Chell: Mandeep Dhillon
Stosh: James Allenby-Kirk
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.