This episode is back and forth in its efforts to go after the Russian and Fayed. I won't go into detail because it's already been done, but we have a time element that makes one hour an amazingly short time to get so much done. At the White House, the VP continues his onslaught, trying to get that bomb dropped in the mid-east. He brings in the 25th Amendment which replaces the President when he is incapable of doing his job. The turncoats in the Cabinet have some interesting votes. Now the last scene. So out of the blue. It makes this look like a contrived junior high play. Still, it has me set up to try to figure out how they are going to play this and do the right thing.
2 Reviews
Blood Brothers
thankyou615 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Jack learned about Audrey's death in the previous episode and seems to have forgotten about it. What he cares about in this episode, instead, is the fate of two brothers. One of the brothers is working with the terrorists and the other one is helping them without knowing that he's actually helping the terrorists. So naturally, Jack isn't too friendly towards the "bad" brother, but he's very nice to the "good" brother. They remind him of Graem and himself. Bad brother and good brother, and no matter how evil Graem was, he was still his brother, and there has to be some kind of family love left.
Jack sees in this kid what he can't have. A brother who cares about him and looks out for him. So, for a brief hour, he is able to get past the fact that Audrey is dead, and focuses on helping these brothers.
There is also a Wayne Palmer/David Palmer parallel going on. Sandra mentioned how David Palmer had the patience of a saint. That's a nice touch on a deceased character, that will be lost on new viewers, but anyone who remembers David Palmer from the past seasons will immediately identify this. Actually, this might be the reason why David was killed. At the beginning of season 5, he was standing near the window, hesitating for a long time, which allowed the assassin to snipe him from a distance. Think about it, if David Palmer was walking around and acting impatient, he would still be alive.
Other than the "brothers" part, the episode is a mess. Poorly written. Everything is entirely predictable. No more bombs going off -- boring. Wayne Palmer is now able to talk and think and it looks like he's gonna just leave the medical bay and keep working. I thought the people who planted the bomb were professionals (it took about 20-30 minutes for that guy to even assemble the bomb). Two CTU employees are suddenly kissing, which feels very out of place and stupid. Milo and Mike Doyle are fighting over nothing, but it's good that Bill Buchanan got it under control.
Jack sees in this kid what he can't have. A brother who cares about him and looks out for him. So, for a brief hour, he is able to get past the fact that Audrey is dead, and focuses on helping these brothers.
There is also a Wayne Palmer/David Palmer parallel going on. Sandra mentioned how David Palmer had the patience of a saint. That's a nice touch on a deceased character, that will be lost on new viewers, but anyone who remembers David Palmer from the past seasons will immediately identify this. Actually, this might be the reason why David was killed. At the beginning of season 5, he was standing near the window, hesitating for a long time, which allowed the assassin to snipe him from a distance. Think about it, if David Palmer was walking around and acting impatient, he would still be alive.
Other than the "brothers" part, the episode is a mess. Poorly written. Everything is entirely predictable. No more bombs going off -- boring. Wayne Palmer is now able to talk and think and it looks like he's gonna just leave the medical bay and keep working. I thought the people who planted the bomb were professionals (it took about 20-30 minutes for that guy to even assemble the bomb). Two CTU employees are suddenly kissing, which feels very out of place and stupid. Milo and Mike Doyle are fighting over nothing, but it's good that Bill Buchanan got it under control.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
