It is stated in this episode that some people might suffer from amnesia after a particularly strong emotional trauma. Fair enough, however the decision of having Teri Bauer lose her memory at the end of the previous show, no matter how plausible that subplot could be, looks a lot like the worst thing that can occur in a serialized drama: a narrative dead end. Basically, the writers had run out of ideas but needed the character to do something, so they came up with the amnesia gimmick.
The biggest problem, though, is that whereas Ep. 16 featured said trickery only in the very last scene, this hour devotes almost half of its time to Teri's irrelevant attempt to remember what happened, taking vital minutes away from the main event: Jack and Senator Palmer's plan to frame Alexis Drazen by setting up a meeting with his mistress, senatorial aid Elizabeth Nash. As the set-up unfolds, Kim Bauer, having once again escaped from her captors, seeks help from the only person she finds trustworthy: Rick, the guy who kidnapped her in the first place (to his credit, he then helped her get away alive).
Fundamentally, this episode is about trust: Elizabeth no longer trusts Alexis and must exploit his "feelings" because Palmer has faith in her (which makes the ending even more shocking, though it is not so unexpected), while Kim has to rely on her awkward connection with Rick to survive. And let's not forget Jack, who has had trust issues since Episode 2. In total, three powerful elements from which to obtain dramatic strength. Pity most of the energy is sucked out by that dull memory loss subplot.
7,5/10.
The biggest problem, though, is that whereas Ep. 16 featured said trickery only in the very last scene, this hour devotes almost half of its time to Teri's irrelevant attempt to remember what happened, taking vital minutes away from the main event: Jack and Senator Palmer's plan to frame Alexis Drazen by setting up a meeting with his mistress, senatorial aid Elizabeth Nash. As the set-up unfolds, Kim Bauer, having once again escaped from her captors, seeks help from the only person she finds trustworthy: Rick, the guy who kidnapped her in the first place (to his credit, he then helped her get away alive).
Fundamentally, this episode is about trust: Elizabeth no longer trusts Alexis and must exploit his "feelings" because Palmer has faith in her (which makes the ending even more shocking, though it is not so unexpected), while Kim has to rely on her awkward connection with Rick to survive. And let's not forget Jack, who has had trust issues since Episode 2. In total, three powerful elements from which to obtain dramatic strength. Pity most of the energy is sucked out by that dull memory loss subplot.
7,5/10.