The following 24 review takes place from 6:53 a.m-7:08 a.m. Words are written in real time...

This week’s episode of 24 promised “a twist that will change everything,” and while we were hoping that would mean NBC would swoop in at the end to save Jack and New York from certain destruction, the episode’s actual ending was much, much better.

The 3 a.m. hour offered the first solid show of the season.

During the Bronze Age, the Greeks used the famed Trojan Horse to sneak their soldiers into the city of Troy. In 1999, Tim Robbins used paranoia to trick recent Best Actor winner Jeff Bridges into driving a bomb into the FBI’s headquarters.

And in last night’s 24, Samir and Tarin used a kidnapped first daughter to render CTU completely useless. If we overlook the obvious flaw of how a ragtag band of terrorists managed to get an EMP in the first place (What is this, Ocean’s 15?), this plot development was actually pretty terrific.

We knew eventually that the terrorists would get the nuclear rods into Manhattan; we just figured it would be the old 24 mainstay of having a mole or two inside CTU.

Instead, the show had CTU, and us, believing that Tarin had sacrificed himself for his beloved and that Kayla was racing toward safety and then threw in a terrific twist of having Kayla’s car be the vehicle used to destroy CTU.

And with an EMP instead of a bomb, we didn’t have to lose any of our favorite characters (sorry, CTU parking guard) in the process. This was a well-done plot development and should really help drive the nuclear rods in Manhattan storyline.

One storyline that should be driven into the ground is the Dana/Jenny ridiculousness. Yes, she helped Kevin and Nick rob a police warehouse and assault a cop. And yes, she helped kill both of those lowlifes. And yes, Prady has every right to search for them.

But at 3 a.m.? And during a terrorist attack? Surely this could wait, even if Prady knows Dana isn’t telling him the whole story. This plotline should be completed the next day, or the next week, sparing us viewers any more of its ridiculousness.

A few quick questions:

• Samir’s men had a hideout in an abandoned bank vault. This, coming ten minutes after their previous hideout – an abandoned warehouse – was raided by CTU. Where are these unlimited hideouts coming from? Will they be in an old abandonded amusement park next? Will Jack need Scooby and the gang to help find the nuclear rods?

• Samir not only has the nuclear rods and an EMP, but also, judging by his own men and the men seen in the background at his weapon specialist’s hideout (note: yet another hideout), a small army working for him. Wouldn’t these resources be put to better use inside the IRK instead of Manhattan? Just a thought, Samir.

• Was it any surprise that the NYPD was able to set up its perimeter long before CTU was even on the ground? Maybe the wrong organization is looking after our safety. However, notice that yet another perimeter was breached. We would love to watch just one episode with Bobby Knight and listen to him go off on the lax perimeter defense the good guys have displayed thus far.
  

Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.