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shipperxThe First Ladies of 24
While we all know that 24 is primarily about Jack Bauer saving the day, he couldn’t do it without a little help. And lately, much of that help has come from what was once referred to as the fairer sex.
This week’s episode was particularly strong, with great supporting work from the female cast. Namely:
Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub). Watching this CTU fugitive boss around her boss, Buchanan, and then only kind of apologize for it, was great fun. There’s nothing she can’t do with a laptop, and nothing she won’t do for Jack. Knowing she’ll be back next season is a tremendous relief.
Audrey Raines (Kim Raver). I’ve referred to her before as the season’s most improved character, and that was only reinforced in this sensational episode. Weakened from a near-fatal cut (saved by Jack’s impromptu tourniquet) and shattered by the apparent death of her father, the secretary of defense (who drove off a cliff into a lake to counter Henderson’s assassination threat), Audrey stands guard over the villainous Henderson, hewing to Jack’s orders not to blow the creep away, though you can taste her desire for bloody vengeance. (“Do it. Kill him, Jack. Do it!” she had urged earlier.) But she kept her cool, even as Henderson’s goons closed in for the kill (not knowing Curtis was already on site to save the day, or at least the hour).
Martha Logan (Jean Smart). And here we continue a probably fruitless Emmy campaign for this classy actress, who hit a new high as the hysterical first lady when she learned from her husband’s own mealymouth that he was complicit in the day’s horrors. Her meltdown was ferocious, but once she took a deep breath and got perspective, she was absolutely chilling as she declared she would keep silent for now, not for Logan but for the greater good. (“The people of this country don’t deserve to suffer. But you do, Charles. You do.”) But where, oh where, is agent Aaron Pierce? Where exactly was he “reassigned?” Surely not six feet under.
Karen Hayes (Jayne Atkinson). At last, the Homeland Security ice queen is warming up to the fact that “a lot of things have not made sense today.” Bless her bureaucratic heart as she tips off Buchanan and Chloe while coping with the outrageous fact that the man calling all the shots from the executive branch may be the bad guy. (Her other big challenge will be to keep her suspicions and actions from the attention of her smarmy hatchet man Miles.)
How refreshing to have all of these terrific characters to root for while Jack risks life, limb and credibility. Next stop: taking a plane hostage. Can’t wait.
While we all know that 24 is primarily about Jack Bauer saving the day, he couldn’t do it without a little help. And lately, much of that help has come from what was once referred to as the fairer sex.
This week’s episode was particularly strong, with great supporting work from the female cast. Namely:
Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub). Watching this CTU fugitive boss around her boss, Buchanan, and then only kind of apologize for it, was great fun. There’s nothing she can’t do with a laptop, and nothing she won’t do for Jack. Knowing she’ll be back next season is a tremendous relief.
Audrey Raines (Kim Raver). I’ve referred to her before as the season’s most improved character, and that was only reinforced in this sensational episode. Weakened from a near-fatal cut (saved by Jack’s impromptu tourniquet) and shattered by the apparent death of her father, the secretary of defense (who drove off a cliff into a lake to counter Henderson’s assassination threat), Audrey stands guard over the villainous Henderson, hewing to Jack’s orders not to blow the creep away, though you can taste her desire for bloody vengeance. (“Do it. Kill him, Jack. Do it!” she had urged earlier.) But she kept her cool, even as Henderson’s goons closed in for the kill (not knowing Curtis was already on site to save the day, or at least the hour).
Martha Logan (Jean Smart). And here we continue a probably fruitless Emmy campaign for this classy actress, who hit a new high as the hysterical first lady when she learned from her husband’s own mealymouth that he was complicit in the day’s horrors. Her meltdown was ferocious, but once she took a deep breath and got perspective, she was absolutely chilling as she declared she would keep silent for now, not for Logan but for the greater good. (“The people of this country don’t deserve to suffer. But you do, Charles. You do.”) But where, oh where, is agent Aaron Pierce? Where exactly was he “reassigned?” Surely not six feet under.
Karen Hayes (Jayne Atkinson). At last, the Homeland Security ice queen is warming up to the fact that “a lot of things have not made sense today.” Bless her bureaucratic heart as she tips off Buchanan and Chloe while coping with the outrageous fact that the man calling all the shots from the executive branch may be the bad guy. (Her other big challenge will be to keep her suspicions and actions from the attention of her smarmy hatchet man Miles.)
How refreshing to have all of these terrific characters to root for while Jack risks life, limb and credibility. Next stop: taking a plane hostage. Can’t wait.
