The Super Bowl is over and it’s time to start a new day. 24: Legacy brings back the ticking clock and the real-time adventures of a man trying to stop a deadly terrorist plot from taking place on American soil. While CTU is still around, Jack Bauer isn’t, so the premiere introduces a brand new cast of characters and a new terrorist plot that involves sleeper cells.
Eric Carter vs. the Terrorists
24: Legacy begins with a familiar sight as terrorists torture and kill a family while searching their house. Here’s the quick and relevant backstory: Six months ago a team of Army Rangers, under command of CTU, raided the compound of terrorist mastermind Ibrahim Bin Khalid, killing him. Afterwards the six men and their families were given new identities, but now they’ve been discovered by Bin Khalid’s people, who are hunting them down in search of a stolen strong box.
Only two of the Rangers are alive: team leader Eric Carter and his best friend Ben Grimes, whose time in the military had serious psychological effects. Ben calls Carter to warn him about Bin Khalid’s people, but it’s too late because the terrorists break into Carter’s house and take him hostage.
They’re about to pour bleach into his eyes, but get distracted and Carter, plus his wife, are able to kill the terrorists and escape. He calls Rebecca Ingram, the former head of CTU who oversaw the original mission, to update her. He also needs her help to track down Ben, because Carter knows he has the strong box.
The New CTU
Rebecca is retired and focused on helping the presidential campaign of her husband, Senator John Donovan. However, Carter’s call ropes her back into action at CTU where the only person she trusts is her analyst, Andy. Since the locations of the Army Rangers could only have come from a limited number of sources, Rebecca can’t trust her replacement, new CTU director Keith Mullins.
Rebecca seems to ask herself “What Would Jack Bauer Do?” because she tazes Mullins and ties him up so she can find out if he leaked the names. She and Andy also help to lead Carter to Ben.
Carter’s Sibling Drama
Before Carter dives back into the world of fighting terrorists, he needs to make sure his wife Nicole is safe. He can’t take her to the cops, so he visits his brother, a drug dealing kingpin named Isaac. Carter and his brother have a very rocky past, especially since Isaac used to date Nicole, but Isaac eventually decides to take her in and protect her with his gang. But there’s one person clearly unhappy with this arrangement and that’s Isaac’s current girlfriend, Aisha.
What’s in the Strong Box?
Carter eventually tracks down Ben, who indeed has the strong box. Inside is a flash drive containing names and activation codes for Bin Khalid’s sleeper cells in America, so the terrorists want it in order to launch multiple domestic attacks. Bin Khalid’s men find them, but a big action sequence involving a giant rolling cylinder leaves Carter victorious.
The bad news is that Ben, and the flash drive, are gone. The war really messed him up, so Ben decides that he wants to get paid by the U.S. government in exchange for the flash drive. And if they aren’t willing to meet his price, he’ll sell it to the terrorists. As Jack Bauer would say: DAMNIT!
Welcome to Terrorist High School
In an unconnected story that will surely pay dividends later, Amira is a high school student whose ex-boyfriend Drew fears she’s been radicalized based on terrorist-related texts on her phone. Amira and her brother are Chechan immigrants, reminiscent of the Boston bombers. Amira refuses to talk to Drew, so he tells his teacher, Mr. Harris, about his concerns.
Unfortunately for Drew, in a truly 24-style twist, Mr. Harris is having an affair with Amira and helping her terrorist plot by using his chemistry skills to create a weapon. It’s probably safe to assume that they are a part of one of those Bin Khalid sleeper cells, just waiting to be activated.
24: Legacy airs Mondays at 8/7c on FOX.
(Image courtesy of FOX)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
