Day 1, 3:00 a.m.-4:00 a.m. : Jack and Nina come across a new lead, only to be interrupted by George Mason, who shuts down CTU and leaves Bauer with no choice but to break out in order to locate a suspect. Meanwhile, the kidnappers deliver Kim to Gaines, who intimidates her with a recycled, yet still effective threat: "Be good and you'll be back at the mall in a day or two, be bad and you won't". Furthermore, David Palmer tells his wife about the incriminating article: according to the reporter, the Senator's son, Keith, killed a man who had raped his sister, whereas the autopsy indicated it had all been an accident.
Apparently, the show was picked for the entire 2001-2002 season after this episode, and it isn't hard to understand why: with characters and set-ups like these, plus the tension-raising time device, who could possibly switch off the TV before finding out how it ends? The conspiracy thickens, lives are constantly at risk and no one dares to even think of napping with so much going on.
Highlights are far too many to list, but my personal favorites include: Mason verbally abusing Nina (played by the actor's real-life wife), who he refers to as "Jack's lapdog"; Palmer having his first relevant conversation, series-wise that is, with his spouse Sherry (Penny Johnson, an invaluable presence), hinting at interesting events in the future; Jack exposing his rawer side to a policewoman while tracking down a hostile ("Cops have to play by the rules. I might have to break a few with this guy."); and a brief, chilling appearance by a pre-Deadwood John Hawkes, whose killer line (sorry, I can't spoil that one) metaphorically punches the protagonist in the stomach and makes the closing split-screen more harrowing than usual. Who would have thought one's day could get this bad?