Episode Report Card M. Giant: C- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Velvet Underground
By M. Giant | Season 4 | Episode 24 | Aired on 05.22.2005
Title card: "Six Hours Before Day 4 Begins." Downtown Los Angeles is pretty at night. DoDder lets herself into a darkened hotel room. "Hello," she calls softly, dropping the old-fashioned metal room key on the table next to a gigantic flower arrangement. There's a figure in the dark behind her, and she gasps as an arm is wrapped around her waist. But she's quickly smiling and turning around to kiss the shadowy stranger whose face we can't yet see. Really, knowing this chick, it could be just about anyone. She pushes his suit jacket off, and he carries her to the bed, where they mack some more. After a minute or so the light from outside hits his face and we see that it's Kiefer. He stares at her for a moment, then goes back in for another snog. The screen goes black.
Title card: "He lost his job." Then: "But found a woman who loves him." Then, "It took a long time for Jack Bauer to feel good again… Then Day 4 began." Then we get the two-second title sequence with the digital numerals, followed by two more title cards: "Day 4" and "Two Hour Premiere Monday January 3, 2005 on FOX." Don't miss it!
Okay, previously on 24: Oh, fuck it. The following takes place between 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM. And by the way, I hope it doesn't ruin anything for you if I tell you now that the missile is on its way to Los Angeles. You'd probably figured it out already anyway.
Naked Mandy is leaning silently in the parking garage where we left her. Kiefer is on the phone nearby, asking about the status of Mandy's pardon. Buchanan says it'll be any minute, but he doesn't like cutting Mandy a deal before they know if she's telling the truth. Kiefer says they don't have a choice.
In the White House Bunker, the Veep is reviewing said pardon while the Veep and Palmer look on. They're awaiting final approval from the Attorney General. Aaron the Lipless Gnome comes into the room, wanting to show them something that "may affect the immunity agreement." Wow, Aaron is pretty in the loop on these high-level discussions for a Secret Service guy. "The woman you're about to pardon," he says, "I'm pretty certain you've met her before." By way of explanation, he picks up a remote control and points it at the wall monitor. It pulls up a mug shot of Naked Mandy that CTU must have taken during the previouslies. On the other half of the screen, he plays back some news footage that shows a smiling Mandy reaching for Palmer's hand in a crowd full of people, "four and a half years ago, moments before the attempt on your life." Palmer gets it: "You're telling me the woman we're about to cut a deal with tried to assassinate me?" Aaron confirms that. Palmer steps up thoughtfully to take a closer look at the screen as the call comes in signaling approval from the Attorney General. The Veep hesitates, saying he understands that the deal grants Naked Mandy immunity from every crime she's ever committed. PMHC says that's correct. They both look to Palmer, who's standing there holding his right hand. Now, it's unlikely that anyone would have made the connection between a four-year-old assassination attempt and the Naked Mandy of today, but I think I'll allow it, because it sets up this whole internal conflict that I'll be interested to see the show explo-- "Sign it," Palmer hisses. Oh, never mind.