24: Live Another Day — What a Ride!

I finished watching 24: Live Another Day last night. I will admit that I did not watch the first season of 24 (I know! It’s now on my watch list!), and the show concept really didn’t interest me…at first. My change of heart stems from the intensity of the show. There’s nothing I love more than a show that can make me obsess about what is going to happen next!

What made me watch 24: Live Another Day? The reviews were good, and, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I am loyal to actors that I’ve supported in other shows. I have Yvonne Strahovski of Chuck and Dexter fame, and Michelle Fairley, the much loved Catherine Stark of Game of Thrones, to thank for another excellent viewing experience. I am glad that I gave the show a chance because it blew my mind.

The London backdrop was a great escape. The character’s were diverse in culture, with the key players being American, Russian, British, and Chinese. The central ingredient to this smorgasbord is a device that has the capability to take over and control U.S. drones. We learn later in the season that the device is much more dangerous — it can also hack into any military and control weapons. Naturally, if this device lands in the wrong hands…well, you know!

The season starts out with a focus on CIA Agent, Kate Morgan (Yvonne Strahovski). Her husband has been accused of selling government secrets to China and with his guilt comes the suspicion of her involvement. While she claims to have had no knowledge of her husband’s involvement, the CIA is not taking any chances. She’s being sent back to the States effective immediately.

The President of the United States, James Heller (William Devane), is in London to rally British support for his drone program. This presents a prime opportunity for Heller’s arch-enemy, Margot Al-Harazi (Michelle Fairley), to avenge the murder of her terrorist husband by a U.S. drone strike approved by Heller.

With help from her family and supporters of her late husband, Margot is able to take control of six drones. Her demands are simple — President Heller must turn himself over to her else she will begin dropping missiles throughout London. Heller’s team brings in Jack Bauer to help find Al-Harazi before she can murder countless people.

Throughout the search for Al-Harazi, other characters are going through their own dramas — all of which are connected to the device, labeled a “weapon of mass destruction”. Margot’s own daughter, Simone (Emily Berrington), became a risk to the operation, so she did what any mother would do — she tried to kill her daughter with a missile! Can you say Mommy Dearest?! Thanks to Bauer and Morgan, Simone is the only survivor of this dysfunctional family.

It is Bauer who ultimately gets to Al-Harazi first. She was captured and tossed out of a window. Bauer acts as judge, jury, and executioner in one scene. He recovers the device and heads back to CIA headquarters with the goods. Jack saves the day — or so we thought!

In the middle of all of this excitement, there is a reunion between Bauer and President Heller’s daughter, Audrey (Kim Raver). I didn’t realize it at the time, but these two have history. This is another reason I will watch the first season. It doesn't take long to see that the two are very much in love, and despite the fact that Audrey has married, I had warm fuzzies that these two would end up together again.

Don’t get too excited. This is a dramatic show. We can’t have characters that have happy endings, right?! This certainly rings true for several of the characters this season. Let’s see, one beloved CIA operative is murdered by the head of the London CIA office, Steve Navarro (Benjamin Bratt). Oh, and Navarro also framed Kate’s husband — yep, he was the one selling secrets to who he thought was China but was actually a Chinese defector, Cheng Zhi (Tzi Ma), who was thought of as dead and just wanted the device to start a war between China and the U.S.

Did I mention that Cheng Zhi had previously captured and tortured Jack and Audrey? Yeah, they thought he was dead along with the rest of the world. Of course Navarro wasn’t smart enough to do all of this by himself. He had the help of a group of hackers headed by Adrian Cross (Michael Wincott). Crosses team had been instrumental in building the device. He had misled them, of course.

And who’s in the mix of all of this hacker drama? Bauer’s old friend, Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub). She’s innocent, of course, and clearly the smartest hacker. That leaves her vulnerable though and while she does help Jack a lot, she is ultimately the reason why he turns himself over to the Russians at the end of the season. I have to believe that Jack would have made a different choice had Audrey not been murdered by the Cheng Zhi’s henchmen. Not to worry though, Jack avenges Audrey by lopping off Cheng Zhi’s head with one of his own Samari swords. Justice was swift.

You might be wondering where the Russian’s fit into all this. They want Bauer for a former attempt on their president’s life. They also want a war between China and the U.S. so that they can take control of Europe. So who do they hire to start that war? Cheng Zhi, of course. It’s well known how much he hates his country for betraying him in his time of need.

But there’s another player on the down-low. Someone on the inside—someone with an agenda greater than that of a weapon of mass destruction or a war. Chief of Staff, Mark Boudreau (Tate Donovan), is Audrey’s husband, and he’s well aware of the feelings she still has for Bauer. And now that Bauer is back in the picture, he realizes that it’s only a matter of time before he loses his wife.

Boudreau’s idea started out selfishly simple. Turn Bauer over to the Russians so that he is out of the way. His marriage would stay in tact and he could get back to his job of aiding the President. What he didn’t realize was that Bauer would become so important in the President’s plan to capture Al-Harazi and save the people of London.

The President’s trust in Jack becomes vital as time runs out. The President, who is suffering from the early effects of Alheimer’s, decides that he will comply with Al-Harazi’s demands and turn himself over to her in order to protect London. He entrusts Jack with the task of getting him to the location where Al-Harazi will kill him and ditch the drones in exchange. Jack, against the President’s wishes, works with Chloe to trick Al-Harazi into believing she has killed the President.

Back at CIA headquarters, Navarro awaits the return of the device. He is unaware that he has been dealing with Adrian Cross as the middle man between him and China/Cheng Zhi. Navarro’s lead techie gets too close to finding the truth about his involvement in framing Kate’s husband and realizes he is about to get caught. He asks for a way out from Cross, and in return, Cross wants the device.

It doesn’t take Jack long to figure out Navarro is involved and after a lengthy chase, he’s brought in but only after he’s dropped off the device. Cross gets away with Chloe in tow. He heads back to the hacker’s headquarters where they discover that everyone has been murdered. Who could have done such a thing? Cheng Zhi, of course. He’s waiting and while he’s at it, he forces Chloe to hack the device so that he can send a false message to a U.S. war ship to take out one of China’s ships. Once the deed is done, Cheng Zhi kills Cross and takes Chloe with him.

As Cheng Zhi grows anxious as Bauer closes in, he uses the one thing he knows will get Jack off him — Audrey. His henchmen have her at gunpoint and will shoot her if Jack doesn’t back off. Kate assures Bauer that she will get a team and bring Audrey to safety while he goes after Cheng Zhi. Kate and her team are able to take out the main sniper and are taking Audrey to safety when another gunman shoots her. Audrey’s last questions are of Jack. Kate tries to save her, however she dies quickly.

In the meantime, Jack and his friend, Belcheck (Brankio Tomovik), have made their way upon the ship that Cheng Zhi will use to escape. Chloe is nearby, helping the pair make their way through the ship to take out guards. Cheng Zhi realizes what is happening and although his team puts up a fight, Bauer and Belcheck take them out and reach him and the device. Bauer contacts the President and is able to have a team verify Cheng Zhi’s identity through voice and facial recognition software. The President then uses this information to call off China’s attack, saving countless lives.

In his ascent of the ship, Kate calls Bauer to let him know that Audrey has been killed. This was a powerful scene. For a split second, I thought Jack was going to shoot himself. But with the man responsible for his love’s death right above him, he presses forward. It is during this time that Chloe is abducted. Jack get’s the call. It’s a deal to save Chloe. He agrees and Chloe goes free while he’s whisked off by helicopter by the Russians.

It’s at the same time that the President is told of Audrey’s death. He collapses. This piece of the story ends with Boudreau being taken into custody for treason and with Heller walking alongside Audrey’s casket as they board Air Force One. I have to say, I didn’t see Audrey’s death coming. It was shocking and unnecessary, but it does suite the twists and turns this season throws at viewers. Well played!

I conclude this review where I began — with Kate Morgan. She has been thrown blow after blow, literally and figuratively, throughout the season. If anything, she’s shown that she is a loyal comrad that Bauer can depend on, and that she is just as capable as Jack of getting the job done. Kate’s shortcomings stem from guilt. She had recounted her guilt over her husband’s suicide, stating that she knew he had decided to hang himself only after she told him she didn’t believe he was innocent. And now that she has proof of his innocence, she is devistated by her own betrayal of her husband.

While she shared this story with Jack, he gave her great advice — forgive herself. And now, with Audrey’s death lingering on her conscious, she lays her gun and her badge on the desk and walks away. I can’t help but wonder if Kate and Jack will reunite in a future endeavor. The two are well matched. Perhaps it will be Kate who ultimately rescues Bauer from the Russians.

If all of this seems confusing, it is! The storylines are intertwined but also quite separate. The best way to get the ultimate is to watch the show yourself!