24 Review:
"9:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m." (Episode 7.14)

Ah, 24. As soon as we start warming up to annoying/loathsome characters, they kill 'em off! Never fails. It doesn't seem too long ago Sen. Blaine Mayer was conducting his torture hearings against one Jack Bauer (in the scene pictured above) at the outset of Day Seven. We hated him then; we hated him a few hours ago. Little changed...until last night.

At the start of this episode, Jack is on the run after being framed for the murder of the senator's chief of staff, Ryan Burnett. So, what does he do next? Hits up the senator's house, naturally, after speaking with Renee and finding out John Quinn, the real assassin, works for private defense contractor Starkwood, a company the politician has been investigating. After the initial unpleasantries you'd expect, the two have a heart-to-heart, and Jack discovers a big piece of the puzzle (bionic weapons are involved) as well. Things are looking pretty good. Until Quinn crashes the party and blows away the dad-on-That '70s Show-turned-powerful-senator. Just when you thought it couldn't look any worse for Jack's already-smeared reputation. He splits, and when Quinn finally catches up with him, we have a thrilling showdown between two government-trained killing machines. Of course, Jack wins, thanks to a nearby screwdriver, and with his dying breath, Quinn tells Jack the weapons are already in the country.

This just shortly after President Taylor essentially delivers a public victory speech. No one believes Jack is on to anything, because they believe he's the end-all. We've said it again and again: When will these people get it? Larry Moss devotes all his resources at the FBI to finding Bauer, going so far as to detain his best agent, Renee, because he has jealousy/leadership issues, completely unwilling to think outside the itsy bitsy box of the FBI code of conduct.

But back to the president. There's a quiet war brewing between Olivia, her daughter and newly appointed adviser, and Ethan, her chief of staff. Someone has leaked a damning tip to a CNB anchor about the president's top adviser allowing Jack to interrogate the now-dead Burnett. Even after she appears to have diffused the situation with the media shark and clears her name with her mother and Ethan, you can't help but think Olivia had something to do with it. What's her motive?

Finally, Tony appears at the very end of the episode, and judging by the previews, he's back in action with Jack. It was a strange absence for such an anticipated return of a main character. But is he 100% on the side of good? There's some self-admitted, supposedly terrible things he's done we still don't know about. Couple that with his lack of screen time and newly reformed good-guy image, and you still have to wonder.

Keeping up with the current streak of episodes, this hour did not disappoint. Predictability was low, and we got see Jack use a stolen laptop to do some crazy security-feed search and send a photo from it via e-mail, all whilst coolly driving a stolen car. Something that would take a government agency (the FBI, perhaps) days and multiple personnel to figure out, he does in seconds while cruising right along. Brilliant. Perhaps the world needs more vigilantes.