24: Live Another Day has been so exciting so far that I will forgive the similarities between Margot Al-Harazi’s backstory and Sgt. Brody’s plan in the first season of Homeland, a show that shares some of its producers and writers with the creative team from earlier seasons of 24. Margot Al-Harazi lost her husband and other family members in a drone attack that went unreported in the United States, while Brody was a witness to a cover-up by the government from a strike, as well. (In one clever touch, the CIA finds footage of Margot crawling away from the rubble in the explosion’s aftermath, which the viewer recalls at the end, as we watch the CIA members in the remains from another drone attack.)
However, as great as it is to see Michelle Fairley give her villain an icy superiority, she is not the most original antagonist in a series with a rather monochromatic set. The scenes between Margot and Simone could be more gut-wrenching, as the loyalty hardens and softens, but the two characters have been far apart for these last two episodes.
The two subplots that need the most work, however, are the ones with the Open Cell characters and President Heller. Once Open Cell gets word of the impending drone threat, its members pack up their supplies and abandon ship. Despite their assistance so far, they leave Chloe at the helm of several potential bombings in London and decide to save their own souls. Selfish bastards.
Meanwhile, the political storyline is also missing a hook. The president’s deteriorating mental state was the focus of the first couple of episodes, but it has been washed away. Now, he feels pressured that his deal with the British prime minister is off the table. Despite the best efforts of William Devane, as well as Stephen Fry as the astute PM, should we really care about Heller’s political motivations? The scene between Heller and Jack was one of the best in the episode, though, as the president tried to figure out whether or not to let Jack can join in his crusade, in a way that felt true to character. (Interestingly, that arms dealer with a tie to al-Harazi that Jack mentions at around 3:30 is not reached by the end of the hour.)
Another potent character note from this episode: President Heller did not even know of the details behind the attack that killed Al-Harazi’s husband. Mark covered it up, explaining that he was protecting the president. However, his decision to omit information from the Commander in Chief turns him into a character that we should be keeping an eye out for in future episodes, since we have seen his aggression and animosity toward his boss’s actions before. Could he be a mole? Or are the creators just hoping we catch onto this red herring?
Regardless, for a series where nearly every line of dialogue is exposition, 24: Live Another Day has been very good so far. Some character quibbles aside, the show has the taut plotting and intensity that any viewer of 24 expects, while keeping its fans occupied with various subplots that are so intriguing we hardly notice that Jack has been mostly absent for the hour. And that, I think, is this episode’s greatest accomplishment.