That Jack Bauer is a bad-ass has been a well known fact ever since 24 made its first appearance. That he has problems with authority is also a given. It's a relief, then, that the opening episode of Day 4, for all its minor weaknesses (not very interesting new characters), was keen to remind us of Jack's official status as contemporary television's ultimate tough guy, with our hero risking jail time just to prove he was right and his former boss wrong (he tortured a suspect, you know).
Episode 2 picks up from that point, with Jack convincing Erin he's trustworthy enough to get reinstated for the time it will take to rescue Secretary Heller and Audrey Raines. She reluctantly agrees, knowing Jack is probably the best at following up on their only lead so far: Andrew Paige (Lukas Haas), a computer programmer who was in the wrong place at the wrong time (kind of typical, since Haas played the Amish boy in Witness) and is now wanted by the terrorists. While both fronts look for him, things get complicated for the Araz family when young Behrooz is asked to carry out an assignment and his girlfriend Debbie follows him to the warehouse that's being used to detain Heller. In addition, a video of the hostages is broadcast, with the terrorist leader announcing Heller will be put on trial in three hours.
From a character-related standpoint, the most interesting aspect of this episode is how Chloe O' Brian is allowed to become a nicer person than she was in Season 3, establishing her new role as Jack's primary ally (an element that will be developed in the future), while everyone else is practically the same as in the previous hour. Not that there's much time to nag about annoying characters: the real-time pace is still a killer, and that's why, even in its more "disappointing" moments, the show is nothing short of positively thrilling.
Episode 2 picks up from that point, with Jack convincing Erin he's trustworthy enough to get reinstated for the time it will take to rescue Secretary Heller and Audrey Raines. She reluctantly agrees, knowing Jack is probably the best at following up on their only lead so far: Andrew Paige (Lukas Haas), a computer programmer who was in the wrong place at the wrong time (kind of typical, since Haas played the Amish boy in Witness) and is now wanted by the terrorists. While both fronts look for him, things get complicated for the Araz family when young Behrooz is asked to carry out an assignment and his girlfriend Debbie follows him to the warehouse that's being used to detain Heller. In addition, a video of the hostages is broadcast, with the terrorist leader announcing Heller will be put on trial in three hours.
From a character-related standpoint, the most interesting aspect of this episode is how Chloe O' Brian is allowed to become a nicer person than she was in Season 3, establishing her new role as Jack's primary ally (an element that will be developed in the future), while everyone else is practically the same as in the previous hour. Not that there's much time to nag about annoying characters: the real-time pace is still a killer, and that's why, even in its more "disappointing" moments, the show is nothing short of positively thrilling.
