Last night (April 13) on “24”, Jack Bauer’s daughter made her return. What was Jack’s reaction to hearing about Kim. He wasn’t happy.

"I am dying!" he told the FBI agent who broke the news "Do not drag my daughter into this!"

Jack was exposed to a deadly biochemical weapon and through stem-cell therapy, his daughter may be able to help him.

Here’s what Jack had to say to Kim about that:

"I’m dying, and whatever small chance there is to stop that from happening is not worth the pain to let you sit there and watch me die.”

What did you think of Kim’s return to the show? Vote in the poll below and share your comments too!

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More photos from last night’s episode below.

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24: Season 7
Spoilers

Matt Mitovich with TVGuide spills on the latest 24 news.

When will Kim Bauer be coming back to 24? And will it have anything to do with the bio-weapon Jack has been exposed to?

When I asked Kiefer Sutherland about the nature of Kim’s latest encore (slated for mid-April), he said, “Something has happened to Jack, and it’s he who asks for her — normally it’s the other away around.” Kiefer went on to call the father-daughter reunion “very human and real … a part of the show I’m excited for the audience to see.” So your theory sounds about right.

Are you excited to see the reunion?!?

Damnit!  One of the details revealed at press tour was that producers are seriously considering bringing Kim Bauer back to 24.  Executive Producer Jon Cassar told reporters that “We have talked about it, but anytime we talk about Kim we immediately say, ‘Let’s not do anything with her that will result in the audience hating her.”

HA!  Even the creative team knows that everyone hates Kim Bauer.  Nothing against Cuthbert but I’d much rather Kim not return.

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Photo of Kim Bauer courtesy of Fox television.

Image details: Southern Florida Wildlife Rehabilitation Center served by picapp.com

Every long running show has a ‘jump the shark’ moment, a moment when something so ridiculous happened, there was no turning back. For Boston.com writer Matthew Gilbert and his 14 tragic jump the shark moments, one tops the list, Kim Bauer and the cougar. Odds are you’ve blocked this portion of the second season from your memory, but if you haven’t you vividly remember Kim Bauer’s ‘valiant’ battle with the animal trap and then, the cougar.

For Gilbert, it signaled a change in 24, ” You could feel the writers pulling muscles reaching for plot filler, trying to kill time as the second season dragged on. When Kim met the cougar, it became too clear that “24” is a great idea that never quite maintains its tension. We’d already seen Kim deal with many perils, but the cougar — it was shark jumping at its most brazen.”

What do you think, is the cougar 24’s only jump the shark moment, or are there others? Let me know in the comments. And finally, I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, I wanted that damn cougar to win.

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Season 1, 5:00am-6:00am
Original Air Date: December 18, 2001

I do believe that Janet wins the award for worst day ever. Honestly, the poor girl did not get a break. First her arm was broken, then there was the heroin, the running, the getting hit by a car, the cardiac arrest. She could only be rebooted so many times. But to have her die at the hands of her fake father, while her real father ended up being the dead body in the car Jack found? Yeah, worst day ever. The writers were doing a genuinely good fake out with Alan York, making us empathize with the character, especially when he was so supportive to Teri. It wasn’t until last hour that I even suspected that he may not be Janet’s dad, with the early parts of this episode confirming it. Suddenly it made sense why he never went in to see Janet. Another shock? Having Teri realize by the end of the episode that she was in the car with ‘not Alan York.’ Now we get to see how smart Teri is, and if Jack has rubbed off on her at all.

I suspect he has, especially if their daughter Kim is any indication. After the death of the idiot blond kidnapper, Kim went into action with Rick. Putting it in his head that they had to escape, and making him open up about his mother. The kid has mommy issues, I assume much bigger ones than Kim. It was also refreshing to hear Kim finally admit that she’d been a little hard on her parents. She was a massive brat, and apparently it took a near death experience to make her realize.

It didn’t take Palmer long to realize he’d been duped about Keith. Apparently he was the only one in his family not in on the cover up. He was shocked to learn that Sherry orchestrated the entire thing, and even his daughter, the poor girl he perceived to be a victim knew about it. When he confronted Sherry, she started to babble about their family, and her ambitions, leading Palmer to respond with this doozy, “You keep your own council Sherry, you always have.” Anyone else feel like Sherry Palmer is a Lady MacBeth, championing her husband’s political potential for her own ambitions? Yeah, she scares me. That entire family is a little off. Palmer thankfully has a trusted adviser in Mike Novick(!), who was able to talk him through the crisis, and give him solutions so that it wouldn’t destroy his political career. Sherry will most certainly be happy.

Jack finally made it to Teri’s side where he showed a little vulnerability in admitting that he didn’t know what to do, but then he was a massive jackass to Alan. Even though he commandeered a a helicopter to get there, he didn’t last long at the hospital, having to bolt once he got a call from Gaines. Jack’s on his own now, especially after being able to talk to Kim for a brief moment. Odds are he’s going to do whatever Gaines wants, but you know it’ll come at a price for Gaines. When Jack yelled “If you hurt my daughter, I will kill you” I believed him. And I can’t wait for that battle later in the season.

My favourite part of the episode? Even though I was never a big fan of Milo, seeing him eat in the autopsy brought back some hysterical Dana Scully memories.

Talk about reveals, this episode had them in spades. First we found out who was behind Kim’s kidnapping, then what Maureen Kingsley had on Senator Palmer. Plus Mandy’s an evil lesbian who cries, Nina’s not evil, and Tony’s a rat. And a brat. Ah the drama.

Turns out Nina wasn’t the CTU mole after all. Her computer had been hacked into. The thing that got her off? One weekend when her card was accessed, she was with Jack. Jack straight out confirmed to Jaime that he was dating Nina while he was separated from Terry, and even worse, he couldn’t say for sure if he didn’t give her confidential information. Bad Jack. Not to be confused with Badass Jack, who used the finger he cut off for a fingerprint. Tony is so not badass, as he called a higher up at CTU to try to get Jack ousted. Once again, BRAT.

Also bad? Senator Palmer’s son Keith. He’s apparently the reason Maureen Kingsley is after the Senator. Keith was involved in an accidental death a few years prior, but Kingsley seems to think it wasn’t so accidental. Palmer parked his vehicle is the most ghetto parking structure in LA, where he encountered two hoodlums who attempted to beat him with a baseball bat. Too bad Palmer’s strong like bull. He caught the bat with his bare hands, leading me to have a Major League flashback. He met with a shady cohort who promised to help deal with the matter, before the secret service finally hunted him down.

Mandy handled Brigit’s revolt by giving her the most overdramatic slap. It was hysterical. Then of course, they were revealed to be lesbians, and my issue with this plot grew exponentially. It’s already been established that Mandy is a black widow, willing to seduce men, and kill men to get what she wants. However, by adding the lesbianism to her sexuality it just creates one massive cliché. One I thought the writers of 24 would be above. There was no doubt Brigit was going to die, so seeing her get shot, followed by Mandy accepting Gaines’ offer of a new job, did have some emotional impact. Mandy was no doubt affected by her death, and one can only assume that she will get her revenge eventually.

Gaines was double dipping this week, as he was revealed to be the guy ordering the two jackasses who kidnapped Kim and Janet. I have to give Kim points for bravery as she did attempt a noble escape, but her friend was dead weight all along. Janet is left for dead after being hit by the car, but the cops are going to find her, and then she’ll be able to give some details into what’s going on. Anyone else think Jack’s going to be pissed that his little girl has been kidnapped? I can’t wait to see him kill the blond guy. Also, heroine probably isn’t the best solution to a broken arm. I’m just saying.

Discussion Questions:

• Tony Almeida, could you get any more annoying? It’s a testament to the writers and Carlos Bernard that Tony was this bad in the beginning. It’s hard to believe he’s the same guy.
• Does Nina Meyers still carry a torch for Jack? I couldn’t help but notice the annoyance in her voice when she relayed Terry’s call to Jack.
• Does Mandy’s sexuality as justification for her black widowness make you like the character less?

Episode 4 links will go up later in the evening.

It’s Aaron Pierce!!! It’s Aaron Pierce!!!!! I didn’t care that this episode was full of twists and violence, the only thing that I cared about was the first appearance of Glenn Moreshower as Aaron Pierce. He didn’t do much, but it’s the promise that counts. Come on, he’s Agent Pierce damnit!

Anyway, Nina Meyers is evil, or is she? That’s the big reveal made at the end of episode two, that the key card that both Scott and Richard died to get into Jack’s hands contained the identity of the CTU mole. When Non-Chloe read the card, Jack saw that it was Nina’s. Uh oh. The reveal comes just as the audience begins to like Nina a little more. After all, she was easy to lie to Tony in order to protect Jack, and Tony’s right, she knows how to lie. Not until that moment did we understand why Jack relies on Nina so much, she really does seem to be his female equivalent, plus she has some sway over Tony, who still hates Jack. He’s a jealous bugger, that Almeida.

Not hating Jack right now? Kim Bauer. Poor Kim, suddenly having a father who’s not only alive, but is also an agent is something she’s willing to use to try to spare her life. The girl has some poor judgment, not only does she have useless friends, but she got in the van. #1 rule of horror movies, never get in the sketchy van! That being said, I was kind of shocked when the reveal came that these boys are after Kim for a reason. We don’t know why yet, but one would assume Jack has something to do with it. What we did know though was when Kim said ‘I Love You’ that Terry would take it as code, and I’m happy she did. Even though I hate Kim, I don’t want her to die…yet.

Now Mandy, I’d be fine if she died. 24’s resident black widow got a little bit screwed when her evil teammate decided that a suitcase full of money in exchange for the key card Mandy buried in the desert wasn’t enough. Why do I think Mandy won’t appreciate being double crossed?

And finally there’s Senator Palmer. The call he received from Maureen Kingsley had him flustered enough that he snuck out to go meet with someone to help him deal with her threat. Gotta love someone who thinks they’re invincible. Of course, it’s just as Palmer escapes that the ever awesome Pierce makes his first appearance announcing that there’s been a threat on Palmer’s life.

Once again, uh oh.

Discussion Questions:

• Tony Almeida, annoying ass, or just misunderstood?
• Ladies, if you had to choose who would it be, Season 1 Tony or Season 1 Jack?
• Mandy, just how bad-ass is she? And how long before she shoots the motorcycle girl in head for betraying her?
• Why are the van boys after Kim?

Episode 3 Links:
Amazon
iTunes
Sidereel

12:00am to 1am
Original Air Date: November 6th, 2001

Before I dig into 12:00am, it needs to be noted when this episode aired. While filmed in the months prior to September 11th, 24’s pilot episode didn’t air until November 6th, 2001. The show unintentionally played on the nation’s newest, biggest fear, domestic terrorism. I didn’t watch the pilot live, so I can’t say how it affected me, but I can’t help but think that Mandi’s blowing up of the plane probably would have startled me a little bit, despite its utter ridiculousness. But it was that initial controversy that fueled 24 to be a hit right out of the gate, and despite the critical fervor surrounding the show and its ground breaking qualities, one has to wonder if 24 would have been so successful had it not tapped into the nation’s consciousness?

It’s ironic, because this first episode feels like the most conventional the show has ever done. The first time we see Jack Bauer, he’s domestic Bauer, playing Chess with his ‘angelic’ daughter Kim. We don’t know that he will eventually become the all mighty BauerGod, but rather see him as a mere mortal, a man who after a period of separation from his family, is trying to get his life back on track. We immediately have empathy, and how can we not? He’s human, and no matter how ridiculous his actions get in later years, Bauer was meant to be the average guy’s superhero, and that comes across perfectly in this first episode.

Once Jack enters CTU and begins to deal with the threat on Dennis Haysbert’s President Palmer, we get a taste of the character we’ll become so familiar with. He’s a natural leader, and appears to be damn good at his job. His people seem to trust and like him, with the exception of Tony Almeida!, whose dislike for Bauer is revealed to be because Bauer stole Nina Meyers from Tony. Nothing like a woman to keep two potential soul mates apart. The tension between Nina and Jack is evident from their first scene together, and it doesn’t take long for the viewer to connect the dots between Jack leaving his family and his affair with Nina. But that doesn’t matter, because in CTU, Nina is Jack’s biggest ally, the one person he appears to trust implicitly.

He’s also at his breaking point. The Jack Bauer prior to the show towed the company line, he sold out two agents, he regrets it, and he’s done compromising for the government. He takes on his superior, George, and in a classic BauerGod moment, tranqs him, blackmails him and forces him to tell him the source of some government intel. It’s our first taste of the Jack Bauer we’ll know and love, the one who will do anything to get the truth, no matter who he’s trying to get it from.

By the time Mandi blows up the airplane, we’re invested in Jack saving the day, we want him to win, and even though we knew very little about President Palmer, we don’t want him die. I mean come on, any Presidential nominee who has time to rub his wife’s feet cant be all bad, can they?

And unfortunately for the show, familial spats just can’t compete with that. Leslie Hope’s Teri Bauer ends off feeling like a disposable character, and then there’s Kim, played to bitchy perfection by Elisha Cuthbert. I could put up with her petulant spoiled brat act until she proclaimed to the obviously dangerous guy that her dad was dead. I just, there’s no excuse for that, no matter how much you resent your parent. And that moment right there pretty much ruined Kim Bauer for me. I never really cared about her fate whenever she decided to get herself in stupid situations, and honestly folks, I’m saying this to get it out of the way, I wanted the mountain lion to win.

The pilot ends on a cliffhanger, not only is there a threat against President Palmer, but the terrorists have now attacked. The consequences are real, and we want Bauer to win.

Discussion Questions:
• Do you think 24’s structure is innovative and groundbreaking?
• Would 24 have been such a big hit without the emotions surrounding 9/11?
• Initial thoughts on Kim Bauer, did everyone else hate her immediately too?
• Without spoiling who the mole ended up being, did everyone else think it
was obvious from the first episode?
• 24 without Chloe O’Brian, how much does that suck?

Guys, feel free to pose your own questions, as I’ll add them to the post if
you do.

So that’s it, my first 24 Rewatch. There’s no screencaps today because my Macbook drive has decided to die, so screencaps will go up on Thursday with episode two. I hope you guys liked it, and if you have any suggestions, just add them to the comments.

As for episode 2, here are your links:
Amazon
iTunes
Sidereel (free)

See you guys on Thursday.

In celebration of valentines day, 24headquarters wants to know who your 24 valentine would be. This post is part of an internal b5media Survivor contest where the goal is to get as many comments as possible. So help a girl out, comment below on what 24 character/actor you’d love to be your valentine. Come on guys, show some love!