24 (season 7)

24 (season 7)

Promotional poster
Starring
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 24
Release
Original network Fox
Original release January 11 (2009-01-11) – May 18, 2009 (2009-05-18)

The seventh season of the American drama television series 24, also known as Day 7, premiered in the United States on Fox on January 11, 2009, and concluded on May 18, 2009. The season was originally scheduled to premiere on January 13, 2008, but was delayed due to the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike.[1] On November 23, 2008, Fox aired 24: Redemption, a two-hour TV movie set between seasons.[2] Unlike all of the other seasons, this season's DVD set was released one day after the season finale. The season's storyline begins and ends at 8:00 a.m.

Season overview

The seventh takes place 46 months after season six. Jack Bauer is on trial for alleged crimes he committed while working for CTU. Senator Blaine Mayer has disbanded CTU and strengthened the policies of Allison Taylor's administration against torture. Bauer is brought into another counter-terrorist operation when FBI agent Renee Walker interrupts the hearing to tell him about an imminent threat.

Day 7 can be divided into four main acts:

  1. Warlord Iké Dubaku breaches a government firewall and attempts to cause massive damage, then tries to manipulate President Taylor by kidnapping her husband.
  2. A unit of soldiers from Sangala invades the White House and takes President Taylor hostage.
  3. Mercenaries from Starkwood acquire a prion weapon and threaten to deploy it on major American cities.
  4. Tony Almeida betrays Jack and the FBI by stealing the last canister of the pathogen and attempting to use it against civilians.

Major subplots

Summary

Day 7 begins in a U.S. Senate hearing during which Jack Bauer defends the necessity of his actions to Senator Blaine Mayer. Agent Renee Walker postpones the proceedings saying that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) urgently needs Jack's help. Even though Jack refuses to believe it at first, she reveals that Tony Almeida is still alive and that he is launching an attack against the government that betrayed him. When a contact agrees to talk to Bauer and Walker and is assassinated, the sniper leads them to Tony's location. Jack captures Tony and brings him to the FBI but learns that he is part of an undercover operation involving Bill Buchanan and Chloe O'Brian that aims to expose corruption in the government.

Jack breaks Tony out of the FBI's headquarters and meets with Bill and Chloe at a hideout that serves as a sort of underground CTU. There, he learns that Benjamin Juma and Iké Dubaku have infiltrated the government in order to stop the U.S. from invading Sangala. Dubaku plans to attack government infrastructure using the "CIP device" and have the Sangalan President, Ule Matobo, kidnapped. Jack and Tony team up with one of Dubaku's contacts, David Emerson and proceed to kidnap Matobo. Along the way, Renee Walker discovers them. Instead of killing her, Jack manages to keep his cover safe by shooting her in the neck, burying her alive and sending her location to Chloe and Bill. After Tony reluctantly kills Emerson, the group hand Matobo over to Dubaku's henchmen and begin an assault once they learn Dubaku's location. During the assault, they rescue Matobo and destroy the CIP device but Dubaku escapes.

Dubaku attempts to manipulate President Taylor by kidnapping Henry Taylor but Jack and Renee find the First Gentleman by interrogating a U.S. Secret Service agent. During the rescue, Henry Taylor suffers a gunshot wound from which he eventually recovers. With Dubaku on the run, Walker and Bauer are able to find him with the help of his girlfriend Marika. Although Dubaku's vehicle crashes in a car chase killing Marika, Dubaku survives with enough strength to provide Bauer with a list of names of his co-conspirators. Buchanan uses this list to begin making arrests. When the arrests are in progress, Tony informs Jack that General Juma is planning an attack and tells him that a man named Burnett in the White House knows the details. Jack begins to torture Burnett but he is apprehended before he can finish. Juma is able to attack his target—which turns out to be the White House—and Jack, Bill and Taylor find themselves held hostage.

Although Jack plans to save the hostages by sacrificing himself, Bill Buchanan does this instead, saying that a dangerous conspiracy still remains and that Jack is the only person he trusts to unravel it. When Jack tries to get further information out of Burnett, a mercenary arrives who kills Burnett and frames Bauer for the murder. When Jack escapes, he learns that the mercenary, John Quinn, works for Starkwood—a defense contractor with an interest in developing bioweapons—led by a man named Jonas Hodges. After he is framed for the murder of U.S. Senator Mayer, Jack kills Quinn and learns the location of a bioweapon that just arrived from Sangala. He and Tony initiate a raid, which results in Tony's capture by Starkwood. Jack drives the weapon away from the port but is delayed when he stops to seal one of the leaking canisters. This not only exposes him to the pathogen but allows Starkwood to recapture it as well.

Jack learns that he is dying and tries to see the operation through to the end before he dies. He has an emotional meeting with his daughter Kim and tells Kim that he does not want her to try to save him with stem cells. FBI and military forces land in the Starkwood base and meet Tony Almeida but Starkwood forces outnumber them and force them to retreat. Tony sneaks away from the group and is able to remain at the base unseen. Co-ordinating with Jack, he destroys the canisters of the prion which allows the government to move in and arrest Hodges. To everyone's surprise, a Starkwood operative, Robert Galvez is seen with a surviving canister of the pathogen and a helicopter with Tony Almeida and Larry Moss on board gives chase. Tony betrays the FBI by killing Moss and helping Galvez escape the perimeter before escaping himself. Furious, Jack learns from Hodges that Tony has been in league with private military contractors all along and that he is working to have Islamic-Americans carry out a biological attack.

Tony and a co-conspirator named Cara Bowden force an innocent Muslim man to frame himself for a subway attack, by making a video and riding the subway, without knowing the details of what he's being framed for. Bowden delivers the canister of pathogenic agent, with a fifteen-minute timer on it, to the subway car the young man is riding, then exits. Jack intercepts the canister just in time but is forced to turn on the FBI and free Tony when he learns that Bowden's operatives are following Kim. Tony convinces Cara and the leader of their group named Alan Wilson to harvest the pathogen from Jack's body. Tony tells Jack in private that his plan is really to bring Alan Wilson into the open so that he can be murdered; Alan Wilson was the man behind Charles Logan, who had Michelle Dessler killed. FBI agents arrive at the compound having learned of Jack's location from a rescued Kim Bauer. A firefight ensues which is ended by Jack and Renee who stop Almeida from killing Wilson. Renee decides to torture Wilson when she learns that he has covered all his tracks. After Jack's doctor induces a coma, Kim arrives and begs her to begin the stem cell procedure that Jack told her not to undergo. The season ends with Kim at her father's side, left with a thread of hope that he may survive.

Plot twists affecting future seasons

Characters

Season 7 main cast: (from left to right) Rhys Coiro, Janeane Garofalo, Jeffrey Nordling, Annie Wersching, Carlos Bernard, Kiefer Sutherland, James Morrison, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Colm Feore, Cherry Jones, and Bob Gunton

Starring

Special guest stars

Special guest appearance by

Guest starring

Episodes

No. in series No. in season Title Directed by Written by Original air date Production
code		 U.S. viewers
(millions)
1451"Day 7: 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m."Jon CassarHoward Gordon & Joel Surnow & Michael LoceffJanuary 11, 2009 (2009-01-11)7AFF0112.61[3]
Four years after Abu Fayed's reign of terror, CTU has been disbanded by the government. Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is being questioned in a Senate hearing led by Senator Blaine Mayer (Kurtwood Smith) regarding his illegal use of torture to prevent terrorist attacks. The FBI discovers a plot to infiltrate the nation's computer infrastructure when they learn that security expert Michael Latham has been kidnapped. Jack is enlisted to help the investigation because of his personal history with the believed-deceased Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard), who is very much alive and is believed to be one of the terrorists. While Latham is forced to repair a "CIP device" for the terrorists, Bauer and Renee Walker (Annie Wersching) question a broker with connections to Almeida. However, the suspect is killed by a sniper during the interrogation.
1462"Day 7: 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m."Jon CassarTeleplay by: Joel Surnow & Michael Loceff
Story by: Howard Gordon & Evan Katz		January 11, 2009 (2009-01-11)7AFF0212.61[3]
To demonstrate that the repaired CIP device can infiltrate the nation's computer systems, Tony briefly takes control of an air traffic control tower. President Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) meets with Ule Matobo (Isaach de Bankole) to discuss US assistance in Sangala, and First Gentleman Henry Taylor (Colm Feore) pursues a lead regarding the circumstances of the death of his son. Meanwhile, a mole within the FBI helps the sniper escape custody. Jack and Renee trail the sniper to a yacht, where they apprehend Tony; however, the CIP device is delivered to David Emerson's (Peter Wingfield) team before the assault.
1473"Day 7: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m."Brad TurnerManny Coto & Brannon BragaJanuary 12, 2009 (2009-01-12)7AFF0312.31[4]
While being questioned at the FBI, Tony discreetly provides Jack with a contact number to Bill Buchanan (James Morrison), who reveals that Tony is undercover; they, along with Chloe O'Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub), are attempting to expose a government conspiracy involving the CIP device. Henry meets with Samantha Roth (Carly Pope), the ex-girlfriend of the deceased First Son. Colonel Iké Dubaku (Hakeem Kae-Kazim), having received the CIP device, demands that the United States government abort the invasion of Sangala. To protect Tony's cover, Jack breaks him out of FBI custody with help from Chloe and Buchanan, incapacitating Renee along the way.
1484"Day 7: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m."Brad TurnerDavid Fury & Alex GansaJanuary 12, 2009 (2009-01-12)7AFF0412.31[4]
Tony regains his cover with Emerson's cell, bringing Jack with him. Dubaku orders Emerson to kidnap Matobo. Henry learns from Samantha that the First Son was killed because he was uncovering the conspiracy. Renee tortures the sniper, despite possible negative consequences to her career; the sniper discloses Emerson's next move, the kidnapping of the Matobos. Renee contacts the FBI who manage to warn Matobo just as Jack, Tony, and Emerson raid the Sangalan embassy, forcing the Matobos into a safe room.
1495"Day 7: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m."Jon CassarHoward Gordon & Evan KatzJanuary 19, 2009 (2009-01-19)7AFF0512.10[5]
Jack flushes the Matobos out of their safe room. Renee investigates the situation at the embassy, but is captured by Emerson. Jack is ordered by Emerson to kill Renee, but he fakes her shooting by grazing her neck; however, he and Tony are then ordered to bury her. Agents Larry Moss (Jeffrey Nordling) and Janis Gold (Janeane Garofalo) deal with an Attorney General investigation into the sniper's interrogation and subsequent death. Henry learns that Brian Gedge (Warren Kole), his Secret Service guardian, is a co-conspirator; Gedge paralyzes Henry with a drug, and then hatches a plot with Edward Vossler (Mark Kiely) to kill both Henry and Samantha before they can unravel the conspiracy.
1506"Day 7: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m."Jon CassarManny Coto & Brannon BragaJanuary 26, 2009 (2009-01-26)7AFF0612.22[6]
Emerson suspects a double motive and pulls a gun on Jack, forcing Tony to kill Emerson. Jack and Tony reveal their true allegiances to the Matobos and convince them to be handed over to Dubaku's men so that Jack and Tony can track them to Dubaku. Buchanan and Chloe rescue Renee and bring her into their operation. Nichols, one of Dubaku's co-conspirators, arrives to collect the Matobos in exchange for diamonds. Nichols deems Tony a loose end and orders him killed, but Jack kills Nichols' men from a vantage point. Forced to accept the exchange, Nichols leaves with the Matobos. Colonel Dubaku causes two airplanes to collide near the White House, killing at least 271 people, but President Taylor still refuses to withdraw her forces from Sangala. With the help of Vossler, Gedge lures Samantha to her apartment and kills her in front of a paralyzed Henry. Gedge attempts to stage a murder-suicide, but he is killed when Henry regains mobility.
1517"Day 7: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m."Milan CheylovTeleplay by: Manny Coto & Brannon Braga
Story by: Michael Loceff		February 2, 2009 (2009-02-02)7AFF0711.34[7]
Jack, Tony, Bill, Chloe and Renee track the Matobos to Dubaku, who is attempting to sabotage a chemical plant remotely with the CIP device. Jack's team rescues the Matobos, kills all of Dubaku's team, and destroys the CIP device before the attack can succeed. Latham, the CIP programmer, is killed during the raid. Dubaku escapes and manages to have Henry kidnapped, through Vossler, who enters Samantha's apartment after using a jammer to intercept a police call out. Jack and his allies, now exposed, decide to collaborate with those in the government least likely to be corrupted. As the team arranges a meeting with President Taylor, Tony stays at Bill's house to follow up another lead and also because he fears he will be arrested for his illegal activities while with Emerson's group.
1528"Day 7: 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m."Milan CheylovTeleplay by: Robert Cochran & Evan Katz
Story by: David Fury		February 9, 2009 (2009-02-09)7AFF0810.61[8]
Jack and the team arrive at the White House, where they gain the support of President Taylor. Dubaku threatens to kill Henry if Taylor does not withdraw from Sangala. Jack and Renee, with Moss' cooperation, locate Vossler and his family. Jack interrogates Vossler while Renee threatens his family; he learns of Dubaku's whereabouts, but is forced to kill Vossler in self defense. Dubaku is forced to leave the hideout to deal with a matter involving his girlfriend, Marika. Jack and Renee infiltrate the hideout and kill Dubaku's men, but not before one of them shoots Henry in the abdomen.
1539"Day 7: 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m."Milan CheylovDavid FuryFebruary 16, 2009 (2009-02-16)7AFF0911.22[9]
Henry is sent into surgery while Jack and Renee trace a money trail to Marika Donoso (Enuka Okuma). Dubaku convinces Marika to leave the country with him and organizes transportation for her. Jack and Renee confront Marika at her apartment and show her evidence of atrocities committed by Dubaku; shocked, Marika agrees to wear a tracking device. When Dubaku obtains passports and tickets from his American co-conspirators, he warns them that their names will be exposed to the Justice Department if he is killed for being a "liability". At the FBI, Chloe and Moss help Jack and Renee track Marika to Dubaku. Sean Hillinger (Rhys Coiro), revealed to be one of Dubaku's co-conspirators, stalls Jack and Renee by issuing an arrest warrant. Upon President Taylor's request, Bill sends Aaron Pierce (Glenn Morshower) to fetch her estranged daughter, Olivia Taylor (Sprague Grayden).
15410"Day 7: 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m."Milan CheylovManny Coto & Brannon BragaFebruary 23, 2009 (2009-02-23)7AFF1011.68[10]
After an argument in an alley, Marika and Dubaku head to the airport. Moss rescinds the arrest warrant, allowing Jack and Renee to close in on Dubaku; Marika causes an accident to prevent Dubaku from escaping. Marika dies, but Dubaku provides Jack with a disc containing the database of co-conspirators. Moss and Chloe begin analyzing the disk, but Sean and his accomplice, Erika (Ever Carradine), wipe the servers to erase it. Sean kills Erika and wounds himself to cover up his involvement; however, Chloe recovers the database via a mirrored server, and Sean is arrested. When the president returns from the hospital, Buchanan asks her to consider Jack's case in Mayer's hearings. Afterward, Olivia and her mother the president share a bitter reunion. Tony informs Jack of an imminent attack at the hands of Dubaku's boss, General Benjamin Juma (Tony Todd), and that someone on Mayer's staff is involved. The President summons Mayer to the White House to discuss Jack; Mayer's chief of staff, Ryan Burnett (Eyal Podell), is notified that Juma's operation is on schedule.
15511"Day 7: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m."Brad TurnerAlex GansaMarch 2, 2009 (2009-03-02)7AFF1111.14[11]
As President Taylor meets with Mayer to discuss Jack's situation, Jack enters the White House to extract the location of Juma's impending attack from Burnett. Chloe erases Burnett's name from Dubaku's list to allow Jack enough time to torture him; however, Janis discovers the deletion, Chloe is arrested, and the Secret Service interrupt the interrogation. Jack is arrested, and Burnett refuses the President's offer of immunity in exchange for the information regarding Juma's target. Meanwhile, Dubaku is discreetly murdered at the hospital. Renee follows the killer to a warehouse on the Potomac, where Juma's strike force is preparing to take a boat to their target. Renee stows away on Juma's boat, damaging her cell phone in the process. She learns that Juma's plan is to invade the White House via a hidden sewer duct accessible from the Potomac. However, she is spotted by one of Juma's men and flees, searching for a way to alert the White House in time.
15612"Day 7: 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m."Brad TurnerTeleplay by: Evan Katz
Story by: Manny Coto & Brannon Braga		March 2, 2009 (2009-03-02)7AFF1211.14[11]
Renee is rescued by Moss and informs him of the attack as Juma begins his subterranean assault. Jack is released to help guard the President en route to the nearest safe room. Bill realizes that Juma is locating the President via her tracking bracelet; he takes it and leads Juma and his men away from the President so that Jack will have enough time to escort her to the safe room. Bill is consequently captured with the rest of the White House staff. Jack and President Taylor reach the safe room while the Secret Service and Marines close in on Juma's men. Juma bluffs by announcing he has the President, forcing the federal agents to withdraw and surround the White House. The Vice President refuses to authorize a rescue attempt, fearing political consequences for himself if the president dies because of his order. Juma finds Olivia and threatens to mutilate her, compelling the President and Jack to leave the safe room.
15713"Day 7: 8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m."Brad TurnerManny Coto & Brannon BragaMarch 9, 2009 (2009-03-09)7AFF1311.37[12]
Jack informs Buchanan that he released enough natural gas in the safe room to create an explosion. As the President reads a statement apologizing for the invasion of Sangala, Buchanan tells Jack that he saw Juma on the phone with another co-conspirator; Buchanan then grabs a guard's weapon and sets off the explosion, killing himself and several of Juma's henchmen. In the chaos, Moss orders an assault against the Vice President's wishes, and Jack and Aaron secure weapons and eliminate Juma and his men. President Taylor appoints Olivia to an advisory position in an act of reconciliation. Jack informs Moss of the other co-conspirator and asks to interrogate Burnett again without using torture. Moss refuses and orders Agent Powell (Ed Ortega) to arrest Jack, but Renee convinces Ethan Kanin (Bob Gunton), the President's chief of staff, to override Moss. Consequently, Moss suspends Renee for insubordination and accompanies Jack to the hospital. As Jack begins the interrogation, an assassin sent by Juma's co-conspirator, Jonas Hodges (Jon Voight), briefly disables the camera and audio feed to the hospital room and immobilizes Jack and Burnett with a paralytic gas before slitting Burnett's throat, framing Jack for the murder. After recovering, Jack steals the security tapes and escapes the hospital with the FBI on his tail.
15814"Day 7: 9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m."Brad TurnerEvan Katz & Juan Carlos CotoMarch 16, 2009 (2009-03-16)7AFF1411.36[13]
Jack sends a photograph of Burnett's killer to Renee. She identifies the man as John Quinn, an operative for a private security company called Starkwood, which is being investigated by Mayer. Jack travels to Mayer's residence, and they discover that Starkwood helped Juma attack the White House in exchange for an unmonitored area in which Starkwood could develop and test a biological weapon. Moss discovers that Renee contacted Jack, and orders her arrested. Morris O'Brian decrypts Renee's messages to Jack in exchange for immunity for Chloe. Meanwhile, Quinn arrives at the house, kills Mayer, and pursues Jack to a construction site. Jack kills Quinn, whose cell phone messages reveal that the weapons have arrived at a nearby shipyard. The FBI arrives at Mayer's residence to find him dead; Moss assumes that Jack is the culprit.
15915"Day 7: 10:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m."Jon CassarTeleplay by: Alex Gansa
Story by: David Fury		March 23, 2009 (2009-03-23)7AFF1510.37[14]
At the shipyard, Jack and Tony question a port authority guard and discover that a group has arrived to collect the bioweapon. They follow the operatives to a container, but Jack starts a firefight when they attempt to kill the guard. Jack commandeers the truck carrying the weapon, but Tony is captured by the operatives. Moss finds evidence of a third person at Mayer's house, and Renee tells him about Jack's investigation of Starkwood. At the White House, Ethan resigns to shoulder the blame for Jack "murdering" Mayer, as well as in response to threats from Olivia. Henry leaves surgery and expects to make a full recovery, while Olivia leaks information about Ethan's resignation to the press. Jack tells Moss to send a team to rescue Tony and to retrieve the weapon before the operatives catch up to Jack. However, Jack is forced to stop a leak in the weapon, giving the operatives time to catch up and recover it. Jack notifies Moss that Starkwood has reclaimed the weapon and that he has been exposed to it.
16016"Day 7: 11:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m."Jon CassarManny Coto & Brannon BragaMarch 30, 2009 (2009-03-30)7AFF1611.27[15]
Jack is placed in quarantine due to his exposure to the bioweapon. Taylor appoints Olivia temporary Chief of Staff and is briefed on the situation with Starkwood. She also concludes that a direct assault on the Starkwood compound would yield the fewest casualties. Jack's blood work confirms he is infected; he is placed in a medical room and debriefed by a sympathetic Renee. At the compound, Hodges obtains the bioweapon and attempts to extract information from Tony regarding agency knowledge of the weapon. Hodges' adviser, Greg Seaton (Rory Cochrane), shoots the operative interrogating Tony and offers to reveal the bioweapon's location for immunity. With that, FBI tactical units and U.S. Navy SEALs, with Moss, travel to the compound. However, the weapon is not at the provided location; Seaton bluffed to buy Hodges time to prepare the bioweapon. A battalion of Starkwood operatives, including the one supposedly killed by Seaton, surrounds the FBI / Navy team with Humvees and threatens to fire if they move.
16117"Day 7: 12:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m."Brad TurnerChip JohannessenApril 6, 2009 (2009-04-06)7AFF1710.96[16]
Before retreating from the compound, Moss creates a diversion by punching Seaton so that Tony can sneak off and remain on the compound covertly while the FBI and Navy SEALs teams pull out. Jack becomes symptomatic and decides not to involve his daughter, Kim Bauer (Elisha Cuthbert), even though her stem cells could cure him. Olivia blackmails a reporter to keep the crisis from going public. Tony locates the bioweapons with the help of a Starkwood insider, Doug Knowles, who had been assisting Senator Mayer's investigation into Starkwood's activities. This prompts President Taylor to order an air strike with three F/A-18s on the facility. Knowles is subsequently captured and taken to Hodges, who bottles him to death. Hodges learns of the strike and threatens to launch the pathogen, forcing the President to abort.
16218"Day 7: 1:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m."Brad TurnerTeleplay by: Manny Coto & Brannon Braga
Story by: Howard Gordon		April 13, 2009 (2009-04-13)7AFF1810.86[17]
President Taylor meets with Hodges and Seaton, who declare that they will release the pathogen if Starkwood is not given a greater role in US military operations. As part of a covert operation deniable by the president, Tony destroys the compound holding the pathogen and missiles, prompting the president to arrest Hodges and Seaton. Kim reunites with her estranged father, Jack, when Renee reveals his exposure to the bioweapon. Moss and his teams secures the Starkwood compound, but an operative named Robert Galvez (Gabriel Casseus) escapes with a canister of the pathogen. During the ensuing chase and firefight, the Starkwood operative shoots and wounds Moss. Tony betrays and smothers Moss before checking the canister and ordering Galvez to take it somewhere safe.
16319"Day 7: 2:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m."Michael KlickDavid FuryApril 20, 2009 (2009-04-20)7AFF1910.34[18]
Galvez hides inside the FBI perimeter while Tony shoots himself in the arm to mask his involvement. Renee and Jack are informed of Moss's death and join the FBI team searching for Galvez. Tony plans to trap the FBI team in an empty apartment building and use C4 to demolish it, creating a diversion so Galvez can escape. Meanwhile, an unknown figure, Cara Bowden (Amy Price-Francis), impersonates Hodges' lawyer to lecture him that the bioweapon was not meant for Hodges' personal use, and threatens his family unless he commits suicide to preserve the identity of his co-conspirators. Galvez poses as an FBI agent and lures the team into the building. Jack realizes via tracking devices that the agent Galvez is impersonating is away from the building; Jack warns Renee, but the building explodes before the team can escape. Walker is unharmed, but a suspicious Jack learns that Tony lied to him regarding his source on the White House raid. With all evidence pointing to Tony's involvement, Jack confronts Tony, but has a seizure, allowing Tony to escape. Hodges consumes the suicide capsule handed to him by Cara and is rushed to the hospital. Tony escorts Galvez and the pathogen to an ambulance, which Galvez promptly hijacks.
16420"Day 7: 3:00 a.m. – 4:00 a.m."Michael KlickTeleplay by: Alex Gansa & Chip Johannessen
Story by: Juan Carlos Coto		April 27, 2009 (2009-04-27)7AFF2010.43[19]
Jack reveals to Renee that Tony is working with Galvez and was involved in Moss's death. Tony pays Galvez for the canister, but Galvez refuses to deliver it and instead pulls a gun on Tony. Galvez demands the name of the buyer but Tony manages to overpower and kill him. Tony meets up with Bowden who posed as Hodges' attorney and they set up a video conference with their conspirators. The anonymous conspirators reveal that they had planned to use the bioweapon six months later, at which point the country would be thrown into disarray and the group could assume control of the government. Realizing that Hodges' ill-timed action actually made this plan viable immediately, they decide to use the last canister to launch another attack on the US and frame a Muslim terrorist cell. Hodges, stabilized at a hospital, brokers a deal for witness protection, much to Olivia's disapproval. In return, Hodges tells Jack about the impostor and the shadow conspiracy. President Taylor authorizes the use of decommissioned CTU servers and Chloe is asked by Jack to manage the servers. Meanwhile, Almeida, Bowden and a team kidnap a Muslim scapegoat for their operation while Jack begins to display signs of dementia.
16521"Day 7: 4:00 a.m. – 5:00 a.m."Brad TurnerManny Coto & Brannon BragaMay 4, 2009 (2009-05-04)7AFF2110.11[20]
Jibraan, Tony's scapegoat, is coerced into helping Tony with the terrorist attack and take the blame for it after his younger brother Hamid, is threatened. Meanwhile, Chloe gets emotional when she learns of Jack's condition. Chloe helps the FBI using the CTU servers and manages to link a money trail to Jibraan, but is unable to find a valid address, yielding only the location of his mosque. Jack and Renee travel there to "question" the Imam, Muhtadi Gohar; when he refuses to yield information, they take him hostage. Olivia arranges through a contact to have Jonas Hodges assassinated, but has a change of conscience and cancels both the transfer of funds and the operation. At the hospital, a guard comes to take Hodges away for witness protection. The guard then escorts him to the transport car, that was rigged to blow, killing Hodges in a fiery explosion. Jack and Renee discover where Jibraan lives through local police who recognized him and head over to his address; Chloe further discovers that Jibraan has been framed, and Jack expresses regret for his haste, winning Gohar's respect. Jack leads a team to raid Jibraan's house and free Hamid, but they are too late: Tony and his team have already left with Jibraan, and their one remaining henchman is wounded by Hamid during the raid. By this point, Tony and his team are in the final stages of preparing their attack — on the Washington Metro.
16622"Day 7: 5:00 a.m. – 6:00 a.m."Brad TurnerEvan KatzMay 11, 2009 (2009-05-11)7AFF229.79[21]
Jack and Renee race to locate Jibraan, who is being coerced into helping Tony to launch a bio-attack on Washington Metro. Due to some timely hacking by Chloe and Janis, Jack and Renee are able to locate Tony, ramming his van before capturing him. Despite their rivalry, Janis and Chloe also recover Tony's data which was damaged before it could be secured. With this they contact Jibraan, who helps them intercept the canister; he is reunited with his brother after Jack manages to isolate the canister before the bioweapon is released. Olivia meets with her contact, who reveals that he forced Hodges' murder through; she tries to cover her tracks, but Pierce calls Ethan for help in accessing an electronic recording device in her office, with which he plans to uncover her misdealings. Finally, Jack is contacted and threatened by Tony's accomplice, Bowden, who has a pair of operatives covertly shadowing Kim at the airport; Bowden will have Kim killed unless Jack helps Tony escape.
16723"Day 7: 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m."Jon CassarDavid Fury & Alex GansaMay 18, 2009 (2009-05-18)7AFF239.65[22]
Jack has no choice but to help Tony escape, but informs Renee of the nature of his betrayal. He and Tony break out of FBI custody and Jack is taken hostage: since he is infected with the bioweapon, the pathogen can be reverse engineered from him. At the airport, Kim becomes suspicious about the couple with whom she got acquainted; while receiving her boarding pass, she receives a call from Renee warning her of the threat. Ethan recovers the audio recording which proves Olivia's involvement in Hodges' death. Olivia attempts to destroy the recording, but Ethan pulls a bait and switch, leaving Olivia with a blank recording. Back at the airport, FBI agents are closing in to save Kim and apprehend the hired accomplices; the man escapes, but Kim follows him, radios in his location, and singlehandedly secures the laptop he used to surveil her, which she, Chloe and Renee use to pinpoint Bowden's location. Tony continues to negotiate for a higher role with a major anonymous conspirator as he reveals his plan of launching another attack. Alan Wilson (Will Patton) says a face to face meeting with Tony "seems a bit, premature", but reluctantly agrees. Jack manages to kill and escape from the doctors who were working to extract the pathogen from his body.
16824"Day 7: 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m."Jon CassarTeleplay by: Howard Gordon
Story by: Manny Coto & Brannon Braga		May 18, 2009 (2009-05-18)7AFF249.65[22]
To locate Jack, Chloe tries to backtrace the communications from the operatives' laptop recovered by Kim at the airport. Meanwhile, Jack flees to a garage and attempts to escape or, in lieu of that, immolate himself, but is recaptured by Tony. At the White House, Ethan reveals to Olivia her failure to destroy the audio recording. With Agent Pierce behind him, Ethan confronts Olivia and gives her the option of admitting the truth to her mother on her own. Alan Wilson, the mysterious man at the head of the conspiracy responsible for the terrorist attacks as well as Michelle's death, finally decides to meet Tony in person. Tony reveals to Jack that his plan all along was to get revenge for the death of his wife. As Wilson arrives and meets Tony and Cara, FBI agents invade the complex. Bowden and Wilson flee from the scene, but Tony catches them. He kills Bowden, and savours the moment when he has Wilson at his mercy. Tony reveals to Wilson that in killing Michelle, he had also killed his unborn son. Jack and Renee arrive to stop Tony from killing Wilson; Tony is furious as he is dragged away. Wilson, now in custody, denies all involvement, prompting Renee to take drastic measures to keep him from getting away with his crimes. At the White House, Olivia confesses to her mother and father. As President of the United States, President Taylor decides she can't cover up her daughter's mess, much to the dismay of her husband. Jack's rapid health deterioration weakens him and, after turning to Gohar for spiritual guidance, he accepts his fate. Kim, however, decides she cannot allow him to die, and volunteers to undergo the stem cell procedure that could save her father's life while risking her own.

Production

Producers were determined to reinvent the series after receiving criticism over the sixth season.[23] They initially devised a storyline which would have Jack Bauer traveling to Sangala trying to find himself, and becoming caught up in a coup with Black Hawk Down-style results.[24]

“ "The fact is, it was a mutual issue," explains Gordon. "We struggled to do something new this year. We sent Jack Bauer, to Africa and I wrote a script that honestly did not work. Before the network even saw it at the studio level, we were getting kick-back from the idea, especially once we budgeted what Africa would cost. It was a combination of the studio was not enthusiastic to shoot there for budgetary purposes and creatively, it didn't feel like it warranted pushing our case. One day, at the IHOP, I sat across Joel and Bob and we all agreed this story wasn't working and retooled it two weeks ago."[24] ”

The decision to scrap the storyline and start over delayed production from July to late August.[25][26] Filming was delayed a second time (from August 27 to September 10) in order for writers to complete additional scripts.[27]

The crew was scheduled to film scenes with Kiefer Sutherland at the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro on Monday October 22, 2007; however, filming was canceled for health reasons due to raging wildfires in the area. Cast and crew had blurry vision and difficulty breathing from the smoke.[28] United States Navy SEALs helped battle fictional terrorists at Camarillo Airport during filming of an episode on August 12–13, 2008.[29]

After completion of the 18th episode, production was temporarily shut down on September 15, 2008, for two weeks in order to perform script rewrites for the final six episodes. In an Entertainment Weekly interview, Howard Gordon responded "We just couldn't get this direction to work, and we found another one that we liked better, so we wound up retooling it."[30]

Executive producer and 24 co-creator Joel Surnow left the series on February 12, 2008. His contract with 20th Century Fox was due to expire on April 30 but he requested an early release.[31] "I did some soul-searching. I took [the strike] as an opportunity to write on my own and do other things. After doing 24, I don't know if I want to do a mainstream show again. I like what's going on in cable; there is an opportunity to stretch dramatically there, which is something I'm trying to do."[32] The position held by Surnow was filled by showrunner Howard Gordon.

Season 7 was dedicated to the memory of Larry Davenport, who was the assistant editor and editor since the first season. He died January 19, 2009.

Tony Almeida was seeming killed in Season 5, but was revealed to be alive in this seventh season. Show runner Howard Gordon mentioned in an interview that they purposely filmed Tony's death in a way that would allow his eventual return.[33]

Trailer

Jack Bauer testifying.

The debut trailer aired on October 25, 2007.[34] In the trailer, Jack is seen testifying before Congress concerning his past extralegal activities, including the torture of terrorist Ibrahim Haddad. The international version of the trailer is largely identical but features an additional line where Bauer implies personal enjoyment from torturing a suspect. This line is cut from the US version.

A second trailer emphasized the plot concerning the United States losing control of its power lines, water supplies and air traffic control. Jon Cassar confirmed on the Fox message board that the 24: Redemption DVD would have a new alternate trailer for the season as an extra feature and that it contains scenes from the first fourteen episodes.

Writers Guild of America strike

On October 25, 2007, Fox premiered the first trailer and announced the return date for season 7 as January 13, 2008.[34] Just eleven days later, on November 5, 2007, the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike began. Rather than airing the eight completed episodes, Fox executives immediately postponed the season to ensure that it "can air uninterrupted, in its entirety."[1] Fox scheduling chief, Preston Blackman, admitted "It's not a decision we wanted to make, but it's one based on how we feel the viewers expect us to schedule the show."[35]

Following the conclusion of the writers strike, production resumed on April 22, 2008.[36]

Kiefer Sutherland claims the strike was beneficial to the show: "The time allowed us to do something that has never been done before — create a map of the entire season before we started shooting. So I can tell you without hesitation, I know for a fact, that season 7 is going to be the best season yet."[37] Sutherland reiterated this in an interview with TV Guide on August 18, 2008.

24: Redemption

Main article: 24: Redemption

To make up for the lack of any 24 episodes in 2008, Fox aired a two-hour TV movie on Sunday, November 23, 2008, that bridges the gap between seasons 6 and 7.[2]

The storyline takes place during Inauguration Day for the next U.S. President, Allison Taylor, and is shot partially in South Africa.[2][38] "[Jack] is a soul in turmoil and has been moving from place to place trying to find somewhere he can be at peace," says co-executive producer, Manny Coto. "But he winds up in Sangala, an imaginary country in Africa in the middle of a military coup." While at Sangala, Bauer is subpoenaed to appear before the Senate hearing, but he doesn't want to go.[36] Redemption takes place approximately 42 months after Day 6 and Day 7 takes place 65 days after Redemption.

Energy reduction

Howard Gordon said that 24 cares about the issue of global warming and takes fighting climate change seriously. Measures were taken during the filming of season 7 to make the show carbon neutral. These measures include increased energy efficiency (hybrid vehicles), burning of cleaner fuels (natural gas, biodiesel), and purchase of renewable energy. Through these efforts, the crew was able to reduce the carbon emissions of the show's production by 43%. The remaining emissions will be eliminated with the purchase of carbon offsets.[39] In addition, a series of PSAs with Kiefer Sutherland and other main cast members were produced to educate the public on what they can do to help with the issue.[40]

Reception

Cherry Jones, who played President Allison Taylor, won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, becoming the second Emmy Award winning performer of the show, after Kiefer Sutherland in 2006. IGN's review of Season 7 praises Jon Voight's performance as Jonas Hodges saying "Hodges ends up being more of a Bond villain than a 24 villain -- over the top at times, but creative and willing to stop at nothing to execute his plan." The same review disapproves of the season's focus on the politics of torture saying "it was a bit much, putting too much real world politics into what in the past has been great escapist entertainment."[41] On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the seventh season scored 72 out of 100, based on 21 reviews, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".[42]

Award nominations

Organization Category Nominee(s) Result
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Cherry Jones Won
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series, Dramatic Underscore Sean Callery Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series, One Hour William Gocke, Mike Olman, Ken Kobett Nominated
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series William Dotson, Cathie Speakman, Pembrooke Andrews, Jeffrey Whitcher, Shawn Kennelly, Melissa Kennelly, Daryl Fontenault, Jeff Charbonneau, Laura Macias, Vince Nicastro Nominated
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series Scott Powell Nominated
Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series Jeff Cadiente Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series Jeff Cadiente, Brian Hite, Norman Howell, Christopher Leps, Dustin Meier, John Meier, Gary Price, Jimmy Sharp, Jr., Erik Stabenau, Justin Sundquist Won
Satellite Awards Best Supporting Actress Cherry Jones Nominated

Home media releases

The seventh season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1 on May 19, 2009[43] and in region 2 on October 19, 2009.[44]

References

  1. 1 2 "Fox: '24' on shelf until next January". CNN. February 14, 2008. Archived from the original on March 14, 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 "Emmy and Golden Globe Winner 24 Gets a Jumpstart on the Clock with Special Two-Hour Prequel 24: Redemption Sunday, November 23, on Fox". May 15, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2008.
  3. 1 2 Seidman, Robert (January 13, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, January 5–11". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  4. 1 2 Seidman, Robert (January 21, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, January 12–18". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  5. ↑ Seidman, Robert (January 27, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, January 19–25". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  6. ↑ Seidman, Robert (February 3, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, January 26-February 1". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  7. ↑ Seidman, Robert (February 10, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, February 2–8". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  8. ↑ Seidman, Robert (February 18, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, February 9–15". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  9. ↑ Seidman, Robert (February 24, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, February 16–22". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  10. ↑ Seidman, Robert (March 3, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, February 23-March 1". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  11. 1 2 Seidman, Robert (March 10, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, March 2–9". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  12. ↑ Seidman, Robert (March 17, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, March 9–15". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  13. ↑ Seidman, Robert (March 24, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, March 16–22". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  14. ↑ Seidman, Robert (March 31, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, March 23–29". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  15. ↑ Seidman, Robert (April 7, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, March 30-April 5". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  16. ↑ Seidman, Robert (April 14, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, April 6–12". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  17. ↑ Seidman, Robert (April 21, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, April 13–19". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  18. ↑ Seidman, Robert (April 28, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, April 20–26". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  19. ↑ Seidman, Robert (May 6, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, April 27-May 3". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  20. ↑ Seidman, Robert (May 12, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, May 4–10". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  21. ↑ Seidman, Robert (May 19, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, May 11–17". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  22. 1 2 Seidman, Robert (May 27, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, May 18–24". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  23. ↑ Hal Boedeker (May 17, 2007). "Fox honcho "not satisfied" with "24" this year". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  24. 1 2 Anthony C. Ferrante (July 24, 2007). "Exclusive Interview: Howard Gordon Gives the Early Scoop on '24' - Season 7: Version 3.0". iFMagazine.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2007. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
  25. ↑ Rebecca Dana (February 2, 2008). "Reinventing '24' - WSJ.com". Wall Street Journal.
  26. ↑ Michael Ausiello (July 9, 2007). "Exclusive:24 Plot Tossed, Production Delayed". TV Guide.
  27. ↑ "Production Delays Plague '24'". Zap2It.com. August 16, 2007. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. Retrieved August 16, 2007.
  28. ↑ "Californian fires affect TV shows". BBC News. October 24, 2007. Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2007.
  29. ↑ Mass Comm. Spc. 2nd Class Dominique Lasco (August 20, 2008). "Navy SEALs Help Jack Bauer in '24'". military.com. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
  30. ↑ Dan Snierson (September 6, 2008). "Exclusive: '24' to shut down production for rewrites". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  31. ↑ Matt Webb Mitovich (February 12, 2008). "24 creator Joel Surnow leaves show mid-season". TV Guide. Archived from the original on February 17, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
  32. ↑ Michael Schneider (February 12, 2008). "Time's up for '24's' Joel Surnow". Variety. Retrieved May 17, 2008.
  33. ↑ Fernandez, Maria (September 19, 2007). "Tony comes back to "24" despite being dead". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  34. 1 2 "24's Season Seven Clock Starts With Worldwide Sneak Peek at 24Trailer.com and Live from Times Square Thursday, October 25". Fox Broadcasting Company. October 18, 2007. Retrieved November 25, 2007.
  35. ↑ Joanna Mazewski (November 8, 2007). "Filming Of 24 Delayed Due To Writer's Strike". All Headline News (AHN). Retrieved May 17, 2008.
  36. 1 2 "'Rookie' Webisodes provide fix for '24' fans". CNN. April 29, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2008.
  37. ↑ "Kiefer: You Can Count On 24's "Best Season Yet"". TV Guide. May 16, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2008.
  38. ↑ Gary Levin (May 14, 2008). "Fox's fall schedule sets up for '24' and 'Idol'". USA Today. Retrieved May 7, 2008.
  39. ↑ "24 Becomes First-Ever Carbon Neutral Television Production".
  40. ↑ "Emmy-Winning Drama "24" Makes Landmark Commitment To Fighting Climate Change" (Press release). Fox. July 22, 2007.
  41. ↑ Zoromski, Brian (May 26, 2009). "24: Season 7 Review". IGN. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  42. ↑ "Critic Reviews for 24 Season 7". Metacritic. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  43. ↑ Lambert, David (April 9, 2009). "24 - Official Fox Press Release for the 7th Season on DVD & Blu-ray". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
  44. ↑ "24 - Season 7 [Blu-ray]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved March 27, 2010.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 30, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.