Silent clock



The silent clock is a rare use of the clock at the end of an episode without the sounds of the clock. It is used after a very emotional scene such as the death of a main character or an important event.

The effect of the silent clock could be accentuated by the split screen that is put in place immediately prior, depending on the circumstances surrounding the character's death. Upon the death of Teri Bauer, the screen was split between the scene of Jack cradling Teri's body alongside black and white clips from Day 1 12:00am-1:00am. Immediately preceding Ryan Chappelle's death, there was no split screen, possibly to create the expectation that the episode was not quite over and he would somehow escape, until the appearance of the silent clock, confirming that he had indeed died.

The silent clock has been used 4 times, and only once per season in Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 5. It was not used at all in Season 4.

Uses Of The Silent Clock

 * After the death of Teri Bauer. Day 1 11:00pm-12:00am


 * George Mason's departure from CTU on Day 2. Day 2 9:00pm-10:00pm


 * After the execution of Ryan Chapelle. Day 3 6:00am-7:00am


 * Upon the release of nerve gas into CTU and the death of several CTU employees, including Edgar Stiles. Day 5 6:00pm-7:00pm

Alternative to the Silent Clock
At the end of the season finale of Season 2, President Palmer suffered an assassination attempt, and was last seen lying on the ground gasping for breath. The final clock leading up to 8:00am was not silent in the same way as the other three instances. Instead, the clock featured the sound of Palmer's gasps for breath. This alternative could have been chosen to give a sense of finality to the season while still acknowledging the last minute plot twist. Unlike the above instances, however, Palmer survived the incident. Because of the unique nature of this instance, it is often grouped together with the other Silent Clock events.

Fan Controversy
As can be expected, the use of the silent clock in such rare instances has led to sometimes heated debate over instances when the silent clock should have been used when it was not. Since all four instances involve the death of a major character, the majority of these debates revolve around depictions of a certain character's death which were followed by the full sounded clock.