24 Recap: 2/12/07

A special two-hour 24 on my birthday! Coincidence? I think not!

We are introducing a new feature this week. The Splatterage Factor, or SPF, will rate shootings from 1-10 (10 being the best) based on... well, I think you'll see once we start. Recapping Day Six: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM...

On the way to Fayed's (kind of like on the way to Grandma's, except not), Morris tells Rita what McCarthy is really up to. (No wonder I didn't recognize the actress playing Rita. She was in Gigli. Who saw that?) At her next opportunity, she shoots and kills McCarthy (SPF: 4). She then delivers Morris to Fayed with plans on keeping the $7 million all for herself.

Fayed has Morris tortured. They play human pinata with him and also have him involuntarily bob for apples in an empty tub (talk about cruel). Finally, as Fayed begins drilling a hole in Morris' shoulder for the second time (SPF: 9!), he gives in and programs the trigger. At some point during the torture, Fayed kills Rita. I had a feeling she was gone as soon as she shot McCarthy.

Jack and the cavalry arrive for the Gunfight At The Fayed Safehouse. They get there just in time to save Morris and miss Fayed. They find one suitcase nuke that Fayed has left behind, set to go off in three minutes. Chloe talks Jack thru how to dismantle it, which he does with seconds to spare.

Back in DC, Asaad has arrived and Palmer talks him into appearing on television and appealing to American Muslims for help. Meanwhile, Tom throws a hissy fit and decides to resign since Palmer has rejected all of his radical proposals. But later, his sidekick, Reed, talks him out of it. The two of them meet in a secret location, which looks a lot like the boiler room underneath my old middle school gym. Reed talks of "removing Palmer."

Back at CTU, Marilyn and Josh, Graem's wife and son, are brought in, where Bill tells them Graem died of a heart attack. Marilyn shows little emotion. Jack later apologizes to her, and she confesses she had been trying to leave Graem for years, but he told her she'd never see Josh again if she left. She also later alludes to a past between her and Jack, saying she's been trying not to think of him for the past twenty years.

Jack asks her if she remembers anything that might help in finding the nukes. She says she followed Graem out one night. He went to a house in West LA. Listening from outside, she heard voices with a Russian accent. Jack figures that must be where Gredenko is. So he, Marilyn, and Milo are going to try to find the house.

Before they leave, Jack's father asks Marilyn what's going on. He then asks her if he can take Josh home with him. She says OK. As Jack and Marilyn are on their way to find Gradenko, Jack's father calls her and tells her if she ever wants to see Josh alive, she'll lead Jack to the address he gives her. She does.

Jack and CTU agents enter the house as Milo and Marilyn wait in the CTU van, which looks a lot like a UPS truck. The house is empty, except for a couple of boxes... and a bomb. Jack spots it, yells "Bomb!" and jumps thru a window just as it explodes. He radioes for any CTU agent, but there's no response. Man, these CTU field teams are dropping like flies. No wonder they're always shorthanded.

A car comes out of an alley and goes after Milo and Marilyn. Milo is manhandling that UPS truck, until he hits a concrete wall. Under heavy fire, he tells Marilyn to get out and hide behind the truck. Then he sets off a bomb for cover as he and Marilyn take off running. And the UPS truck is no more.

The good:
Milo! In the field. Booyah!

The Morris drill bit. Pun intended.

Marilyn. More Rena Sofer, please! With no Audrey, and little Nadia, the hotness factor had been lacking thusfar this season.

Multiple explosions, splatterings, and Jack in a chopper. All 24 staples.

Repeat after me. No. Sandra. Palmer. For two whole hours! Happy birthday to me!

The bad:
Anything I list here would be nitpicking. Tonight was money!

Best line:
"CTU, this is Bauer, we have a problem." (Jack, upon finding the suitcase nuke.)

One of those awkward times when you don't know what to say:
Chloe to Jack: "I'm really glad Fayed didn't kill you this morning."

Did you know...
The actress who played Rita was in Gigli. No wonder I didn't recognize her. Who saw that?

Questions:
Who is the guy Reed keeps calling on his cell phone?

Why couldn't Morris stall for just two more minutes while programming the trigger to allow Jack and CTU time to get there?

Will they leave Milo in the field? I hope so!

"Bail out, goodbye. Take my chances, I don't wanna die. Count ten, just pray. The nick of time can save me any day..."