FOX's 24: Live Another Day - Episode 9.11 "Day 9: 9:00PM - 10:00PM"
Audrey pursues diplomatic channels to try to prevent a full-scale war. Meanwhile, Jack leads Kate and Mark on a mission to locate their target before it's too late and the world is changed forever.
24: Live Another Day had some eleventh hour place setting to do in its eleventh episode. Ultimately, this hour does play as just that - moving all of the various pieces into place for next week's journey through 12 hours. Action is still present. We just have to see the conclusion to Jack and Kate's shootout with the Russians. And yet, it strangely just feels like the show resorting to its old bag of tricks in order to set up shocking reveals that will be paid off in next week's finale. That's understandable and I was genuinely surprised by the episode ending twist (although I just knew Audrey and Cheng would come face-to-face sometime). However, I'm left wondering about the logistics of it all. How in the world did Cheng know that Audrey would be outside just waiting to be captured? It was a great acting moment for Kim Raver. However, I'm just not sure how he was able to get ahold of that kind of information. Additionally, I always saw Cheng and the Russians as two separate factions of enemies. So the leap to co-conspirators this week not only didn't feel earned but like it came out of nowhere. But hey, they can just say that Russia has the most to gain from all of this and then move past it.But then, we also got some great moments including Jack recognizing Cheng's voice on the nice recording Chloe left behind for him to find, Jack then informing Heller and Audrey and then his later conversation with Audrey. All of these people's lives have been greatly impacted by this horrible man. They all felt relief years earlier with the reports of his death following a failed prison escape. But now, all those past demons are rising to the surface yet again. At times, it seems like Audrey might go completely catatonic yet again. Her father and Mark are worried about her. And yet, she pulls together the strength to act and follow a lead that might be able to help the U.S. avoid a war with China. But then, she gets caught by Cheng again and she truly is shaken to her core. She wants this man dead and he's able to kill everyone and have a gun aimed directly at her with ease. It's a precarious situation that I'm very invested in seeing the outcome.
Elsewhere, Mark is exposed for supplying the information on how to find Jack to the Russians and is then promptly used as bait. It's a storytelling device 24 has used many times before. The outcome of which is just like it is a lot of the time. Jack and Kate shoot their way through the compound but the Russian official is able to get himself killed before he's able to spoil any kind of meaningful intel to Jack. It's just marking time until Jack can confront Cheng and save Audrey in the nick of time.
Some more thoughts:
- "Day 9: 9:00PM - 10:00PM" was written by Robert Cochran & David Fury and directed by Jon Cassar.
- It's only taken all season long but President Heller's advisors have finally suggested moving him to a more secure location. When London was the target, nope, they were comfortable in the building they were in. When another location is in danger, he has to be moved because they are talking about maybe preparing a nuclear response.
- I've been skeptical of the Ross McCall character all season long and it seemed very questionable how he helped Heller pick up the pills off the floor. Maybe I'm just reading too much into the situation.
- It's awkward that the show was talking about Japan and nuclear weapons in the same sentence, right?
- Also, Chloe was able to escape Cheng. I'm not sure on how she managed to do all of that but clearly the show wants her away from him for the season's end game and this was the only way they knew how.
- Next week is the finale and I'm really intrigued to see how the show is going to cover 12 hours. I'm predicting the season will end with Jack and Audrey sipping drinks in some exotic location. Maybe Chloe will be there too.
