24 (TV Series) Day 3: 4:00 a.m.-5:00 a.m. (2004) User Reviews

Panic

[MaxBorg89 · 9/10 · 19 August 2008]

Few TV episodes have had a cliffhanger like that of 24, Season 3, Hour 15, where CTU agent Gael Ortega (Jesse Borrego) was unable to remove the virus vial from the Chandler Plaza Hotel's ventilation system in time, standing there powerless as the virus hit him right in the face before spreading everywhere else.

The sixteenth episode expands on that dramatic event with a shocking revelation: normally, the incubation time of the virus is 14 hours, but Marcus Alvers (Lothaire Bluteau), a chemist working for Amador, has altered its composition to speed up the process, which is why Gael is bleeding heavily mere minutes after being exposed. Michelle, also at the hotel, is forced to put the place under quarantine and does her best to prevent an outbreak of mass panic. In the meantime, Jack and Chase let Amador escape hoping he will lead them to his client, and President Palmer has to decide whether or not to lie to protect Sherry from a police investigation.

This season has already featured some very strong moments (Jack's drug addiction, Chase and Amador being tortured, and, in a more emotional sense, Nina's execution), but nothing can be quite as disturbing as the sight of normal people - the hotel guests - realizing something's very wrong and their reactions when they discover most of them will die within a few hours. Even more unbearable is the notion that one of them could be Michelle, a character the audience has come to love over two seasons. Sure, it's a neat narrative trick to keep us interested, but regardless of that, few mainstream serials can claim to be this bold and, at times, explicit (Gael's agony is almost too hard to watch).

It's Showtime, At Least With Part One

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 22 May 2007]

Well, they certainly finished last week's episode on a dramatic note as Gael was unable to prevent a vial of the virus to begin working in a ventilation unit of the big hotel. Now, the race is on to try to stop the machinery, quarantine all the people without starting a panic and finding the other 11 vials. The man who put the vials there, Alvers, who has been captured, says that 11 other vials exist but he doesn't know where they re. He also says all the people in the hotel will die. (I kind of doubt that since one of the main C.T.U. figures, "Michelle," is in the building. She's the one who captured "Alvers.")

Meanwhile, Amador would rather die than expose whom his boss is, making everything think this guy - who knows Jack - must be scary, indeed. In a neat twist, they purposely let him escape, hoping he will lead them to his boss.

Meanwhile, Gael starts getting sick, big-time, with a lot of blood coming out of his nose. Later, one of the people in the hotel has similar problems. One employee tries to escape. The virus has been given a compound with acerbates the process.

These writers go a little overboard at times trying to make this even more complicated and suspenseful than they already, but I guess that's better than having the opposite and having it drag. However, you just wonder "what next will go wrong?"

Well, plenty as we see in the ending of the episode! (This is really a great finish!)

Quarantine

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 9 November 2012]

After the release of the virus in the hotel Michelle has to have the building sealed before guests start waking up and trying to leave; her problems are compounded when it becomes clear that Alvers has modified the virus somehow to make it much faster acting! It is only a matter of time before people find out something is going on though and when they do Michelle's job will get much harder and she will have to make difficult decisions. Alvers claims to have no idea who Amador is working for but he does say that there are a further eleven vials of the virus to worry about. The problem is Amador is more frightened of his employer than he is of Jack so Jack will have to be cunning if he is to find the employer who is now in possession of the eleven vials. Meanwhile Sherry has told her former husband, President Palmer, what happened at Milliken's house and that she gave his name as an alibi; he will have to decide what to say when the police ask him about his wife's story.

There might not be a huge amount of action in this episode but the tension is high throughout as it looks as if everybody in the hotel was infected; including CTU agents Gael and Michelle. Reiko Aylesworth did a fine job as Michelle; a woman taking control of a difficult situation while believably outside the characters comfort zone. It was nice to see Jack trying to gain the information he required without intimidation or torture when he tried to trick Amador into leading him to his employer. It was also interesting to see the president forced to decide whether or not to perjure himself for Sherry; especially as his decision was not the one I expected. As always as the hour comes to an end another cliff hanger looms; this time the man with the virus demands to talk to the president to let him know he will expect as series of as yet unspecified demands to be met.

Diseased tenants and a tarnished presidency

[Mr-Fusion · 8/10 · 3 May 2017]

Dealing with some heavy stuff here . . .

Gael begins his slow, bloody death, Palmer helps cover up Sherri's crime, and Jack's lead on the virus goes up in flames (literally). And that's got nothing on Michelle's desperate attempts to subdue an uprising at the hotel. It's an unenviable position to be in, let alone one you'd have to face while having been exposed to a lethal virus.

The tensest moments are within the hotel itself as mass hysteria becomes a distinct possibility; even with Jack doing his thing and chasing down leads. that right there is remarkable. Michelle's turn as a command presence proves to be one of the best episodes so far.

8/10

How Will They Resolve All of These Issues

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 20 January 2019]

It's obvious that there is no honor among international terrorists. The guy that was at the center of the distribution of the virus is answerable to a higher up. Of course, when no longer needed, off he goes to his maker. Meanwhile, the last episode showed the virus being launched in a big hotel with MIchelle there. People are already dying and it is implied that everyone in the hotel is going to die. But the core issue beyond this sad cannon fodder, is that there are eleven canisters out there and no one knows where they are. Now the President is in even bigger doo doo. Not only has he lied about the death of his adversary, but he is being extorted by the virus guy. I can't wait to get to the final four hours.