24 Season 6: Hr 19: The Heads of CTU

I gotta talk about Buchanan first. CTU has had some vivid leaders in the days we've seen - all across the spectrum of good and evil, competent and not. Nina was of course in class by herself that first year. Her incredible treachery set the tone of the series. Then George Mason, who seemed a bit of weakling at first, heroically went down on the plane after being exposed to a fatal dose of radiation in the second season. And Jack had to kill Ryan Chappelle - irritating but by no means ineffective - in what remains one of the powerful sequences in the entire run of the series, in the third season.

Buchanan, played superbly by James Morrison, brought a strength and confidence and fundamental honesty and decency to the job that none of the other CTU heads had. When Buchanan was in the room, when he spoke, you knew that there was definitely still some hope.

So I hated to see him go tonight. Fortunately, he's alive. And I couldn't quite believe that Karen would resolve the situation by firing her husband - I would've liked to see her stand up to Hawk and his federal attorney blackmail. But we may yet see Buchanan return. If not this day, definitely in another.

Meanwhile, Jack saved Audrey, and it's a good thing for us that Doyle intervened, because that saved Jack.

But Audrey's not herself. The Chinese got to her, messed with her mind. Was anyone else thinking Manchurian candidate?

And I'm telling ya, I don't trust Lisa Miller. There's something going on in her head - and I'm still thinking she's in league with the people who tried to blow up Wayne Palmer ... a group that may or may not include Jack's father.

Should be a great four remaining episodes.

Useful links:

The Manchurian Candidate: 2004 movie and 1962 movie

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