Previously on 24: The Eew Index Goes Way Up

The "Eew" Index -- not that it wasn't high enough earlier, what with Jack killing guys werewolf style -- skyrocketed last week. But I'll get to that in a moment.

First off, no sign of Logan, Martha, Aaron, Jack's Dad, or Jack's mom. Walid is also a no-show. Chad Lowe, gone. Rena Sofer and Bauer Spawn? Probably in the ubiquitous safe house. (And of course, Audrey. Who I insist on suspecting will come back from her Chinese "grave" sometime this season. But I digress.)

"M", you were the one watching last week, I was focused on eating my dinner! So you'll have to fill in for me here.

TEYOP keeps on asking his physician for shots of "adrenaline" to keep him going. There's a risk of pressure building back up on the brain, but the Evil Veep has assembled a kangaroo court to decide whether the President is competent. (What is the origin of that phrase, anyways?)

Tom, for some reason, is the presiding officer of the so-called hearing on the President's competency. The President is narrowly deemed competent by a show of hands. The Evil Veep contests the results due to the fact that Karen doesn't get a vote on account of having abandoned her job earlier in the season (I mean day) to sit at the airport reading women's magazines. There's a bunch of talk about phoning up the Supreme Court for a quickie hearing to resolve the situation, because they haven't gone home yet for the day.

People, what happened to due process between 2007 and 2012? (Possible spin-off "24, the Lost Years".)

(And ah, yes, nucular bomb strike in LA. Yet the Supremes (as one of the Friends of the 24 Blog called them) have kept themselves hangin' on...because other than sending the cabinet to the bunker, all other business of the US Government continues as usual.)

And for some reason, the President has handed the legal matter about Karen's true status to his sister, who seems to have lost interest in Walid now that he's no longer on the show. So she's got some time on her hands, and we all know how lawyers love to bill all of their hours.

Interesting, though, I thought that she and Walid were in LA, not DC. In the friction free 24-verse it wouldn't have mattered, she'd have had no problem catching a commercial flight.

In the meantime, CTU injects Gradenko's arm with some tracking device and then sends him off to meet Fayed.

Fireworks ensue, and Gradenko and Fayed somehow remove Gradenko's arm so that they can lose Jack. (I couldn't watch; I was eating!)

Jack is off following the blood trail, and Gradenko is last seen staggering into the surf.

Without any hair gel. Or his arm.

Eew.

I'm not sure where Fayed went. I'm pretty sure Jack would have gone back for Gradenko's arm, though. It will make an excellent weapon.

Oh yeah, somewhere in the melee, according to vanlandw's Jack Bauer 24 Kill Count, Jack kills for the 150th time in the series. (Although there is serious debate about this on the Jack Bauer 24 Kill Count web page. Jack once killed a dog? One of the things about 24 I've forgotten; the debate is, does that count? For this and similar discourse, visit and check the comments .)

There are some yawn-works between Nadia, Ricky and Milo. Ricky found out that Milo's computer was the source of the leak, and he engages Nadia in a cover-up. I'm not sure if we're supposed to remember that Nadia was using Milo's password and ID. I'm confused about this whole thing.

Paying attention would be good.

Chloe is grossly underutilized this season. Morris turns up for long enough to maintain his membership in the Screen Actor's Guild.

Tom shows that he is not always stupid, and plants a bug in the bunker. He happens to pick up discussion between the Evil Veep and his Blonde Toady conspiring to commit perjury. That is, once the Supreme Court comes back from a trip to Starbucks, ready to make a ruling on whether show of hands was a good way to vote to apply the 25th amendment. (And only after Scalia and Roberts stop bickering about who was supposed to get the dulce de leche cappucino. When you take the minivan to the drive-thru, it's hard to tell people's drinks apart!)

(And speaking of the Eew Index, there was a smoldery look between Evil Veep and his henchwoman.)

If I remember correctly, Tom decides to remain silent for now about the conspiracy, "for the good of the country"...but in exchange, the Evil Veep dropped a dime to the Supreme Court so that they would call off the challenge to the Presidency.

(Blonde Toady, now proven to be both stupid and evil, will probably be taken off some place and duct taped to Chad Lowe. Leading to the 1003rd use for duct tape.)

Congress is nowhere to be found. (Maybe they were replaced by CTU during the Lost Years.)

Maybe it was my blood sugar; have I mentioned I hadn't eaten? But other than the Eew factor, it really was another yawn fest.

Then, all of a sudden, after some dramatic scenes involving The President, his "adrenaline", and whether he is going to survive the next hour or not...TEYOP decides to launch the nucular strike that Karen had him awakened to stop.

Split screen montage, bloop, bloop...the previews intimate that Jack gets shot. "M" and others swear that they saw the Velcro from his vest.

"M", the update is so your turn next week! You owe me, dude!