Day 1: 12:00am-1:00am

CTU agent Jack Bauer's daughter, Kim sneaks out of the house to go out with friends. As Bauer and his wife Teri try to figure out how to find Kim, Jack is called in for a meeting at CTU Los Angeles in response to a threat on Senator David Palmer's life. Bauer discovers that there may be a mole inside CTU. David Palmer gets a disturbing phone call.

Episode guide

 * The following takes place between midnight and 1:00am, on the day of the California Presidential Primary.


 * Events occur in real time.



12:00:27
KUALA LUMPUR, LOCAL TIME 4:00:27 PM. In the shadows of the giant Petronas Towers, street vendors in a bustling market peddle their wares. Victor Rovner makes his way through the market into an alleyway and furtively enters a building, making sure he isn't being followed. He opens a laptop computer and connects to the CTU database, transmitting a file via satellite. Suddenly, there's banging on the door and people shouting.

12:02:11 AM

LOS ANGELES. At a formal gathering, the last few guests are excusing themselves. Richard Walsh, administrative director of the Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit, is contacted and told of Rovner's discovery that an attempt will be made on Senator David Palmer's life.

12:02:45

SENATOR DAVID PALMER CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS. On the balcony of his hotel suite, Senator Palmer is sitting with several aides discussing a speech he's to make in the morning, when his wife, Sherry, emerges with drinks. Sherry tells her husband that she is going to write some thank-you notes.

12:03:23

At their home in Santa Monica, Jack Bauer, Special Agent in Charge at CTU Los Angeles, is playing a game of chess with his teenage daughter Kim. Kim asks him if "she" is still giving him the cold shoulder, and Jack reminds her to call her "mom." As it's a school night, he sends her to bed; she passes by her mother, Teri, in the kitchen, but ignores her goodnight. Upset, Teri says that Kim still blames her for Jack moving out a few months before. Jack insists it's just a phase teenage girls go through, but suggests they both go talk to her about her behavior.

While they walk down the hall to Kim's room, Jack laughs and flirts with Teri, then they both knock on her door, from which loud music is emanating. After they get no reply, they enter to find the lights off and the window open, while a car outside speeds away. Jack is in disbelief that she sneaked out; Teri promises to ground her for two months. Just then, the phone rings: Nina Myers, CTU's Chief of Staff, is calling to tell Jack that Richard Walsh has called an emergency briefing. He hangs up, then tells Teri the news. Jack promises to be back in about an hour, and says that if Kim isn't back by then, they'll start calling friends until they find out where she is. He apologizes, then heads out of the house.

While walking out to his car, Jack calls Vincent O'Brien, one of Kim's ex-boyfriends, who is playing video games with a friend. Vincent is amused to hear Kim sneaked out, then promises that he doesn't know where she is, since they broke up months ago.

Kim and her friend, Janet York, are in a car on their way to Paladio Furniture. Janet fills her in on the details: Dan is a boy who works at the store, and he and his friend Rick are meeting them there. She reminds Kim that they're men, not just "a bunch of high school idiots," and Kim is glad to hear it.

Meanwhile at CTU, analyst Jamey Farrell arrives, expressing her displeasure at being called in. Tony Almeida, the Deputy Chief of Staff, reports to Nina that he contacted both the CIA and FBI and nobody knows the purpose of the briefing. Nina confirms that Jack is on his way; "unfortunately for us, the mood he's in..."

12:09:43

COUNTER TERRORIST UNIT, LOS ANGELES. Jack parks in front of the building and calls Teri to ask about Kim. Jack says that maybe they should remember how they acted as teens and try to understand Kim's attitude better. Teri reminds Jack that it's a different world, and then suggests that they take Kim to a therapist, as her friends Denise and Steve did for their daughter, Nicki. Jack says maybe, and tells Teri that he will call her back.

Nina explains to Jack that everyone is already there and that they are just waiting for Walsh. She also says that she has activated a satellite uplink in case he needs one. Jack has a feeling that they have been called in because of David Palmer and asks Tony to check the background of everyone in the Senator's staff. Tony raises an objection that screening Senator Palmer might be seen as racially motivated, but Jack overturns him and says that his race makes him a likely target.

Kim and Janet arrive at Paladio Furniture, where they meet Dan Mounts and Rick Allen. Janet and Dan go inside, and Kim introduces herself to Rick before entering the store.

12:12:27

At CTU, Jack calls Detective Frank Castalano of the LAPD and asks him to keep an eye out for Kim. Richard Walsh arrives and everyone goes into the conference room, where Walsh announces that they believe an attempt will be made on Senator Palmer's life by the end of the day. He also says that the shooter will be well-funded, from overseas, and probably hired by a domestic hate group. He tells the group to begin vetting everyone close to Palmer and cross-reference with terrorist databases.

While everyone leaves the room, Walsh has Jack stay behind and asks him how things are going. Jack replies that it's been hard repairing his marriage, but they're getting there. Walsh then reveals that he has reason to believe someone inside CTU may be involved in the attempt on Palmer's life, and he wants Jack to find out who. Jack insists he's the wrong person for the job, reminding him of an investigation he led that landed three CTU officials in jail for taking bribes, but Walsh turns him down, saying he's the only one he trusts to take this on. He reminds Jack that if David Palmer, "the first African-American with a real shot at the White House," is killed, it will tear the country apart. Walsh says they need to find this shooter, whatever it takes.

Aboard Flight 221, a man with a German accent asks a flight attendant when the plane will arrive in Los Angeles.

12:20:07...12:20:08...12:20:09...



12:22:51
Back at Senator Palmer's hotel, campaign manager Patty Brooks, gets a call from the German man, a photographer named Martin Belkin. He tells Patty that he will be landing in one hour and confirms their plans for breakfast. When he mentions the senator, it attracts the attention of the woman sitting next to him on the plane. The woman starts asking about Belkin's work and his plans for that day.

12:25:55

At CTU, Jack tells Nina that District Director George Mason will be coming over to brief him. Nina is curious about Mason briefing Jack alone and senses that he's keeping her out of the loop. Jack admits that he is, but she still has to trust him.

Teri calls Jack to tell him that she found three joints of marijuana in their daughter's desk and expresses concern. Jack suggests that she could get into Kim's email and check her messages but Teri reminds him that they gave her a password to show that they trusted her. He apologizes that he can't be there with her.



On the roof of the furniture store, Kim and Rick take a seat on the railing as he tells her about going to San Diego State. The topic turns to surfing, which Rick feels takes too much motivation; Kim mentions that her father used to surf, then explains that he died six months ago on Rick's further questioning. He apologizes for upsetting her, then puts his arm around her and pulls her close.

Mason arrives at CTU and joins Jack in his office. Briefing him, Mason explains that they think the shooter is European, probably German, and that he is either already in Los Angeles or coming today. He gives Jack a disk that will get him into secure data but refuses to give a source, claiming that he is not authorized to do so. When Jack presses him further, Mason furtively tells him that David Palmer is no friend of CTU and will shut down the agency if he is elected. He also tells him to stay out of what doesn't concern him. Jack suspects Mason is holding information back, and he asks him to call Chappelle and ask for clearance to the information.

12:29:30

Once out of his office, Jack listens in on Mason's call and discovers that he is not actually talking to anyone. With Nina's help, he goes to a utility closet and conceals a tranquilizer gun inside a binder, then takes it back up the stairs to his office. Nina, worried, tries to follow him, but is stopped by a staffer needing a signature. Once inside, he shoots Mason in the leg, and Mason collapses on the couch. Jack explains to Nina that he believes Mason stole $200,000 from drug dealer Phillipe Darcet's bust last August, and asks her to find proof before he wakes up, as leverage to gain access to the source on the Palmer hit. After Nina leaves, Jack takes another look through Kim's planner.

12:34:22...12:34:23...12:34:24...



12:38:39
At the Bauer residence, Teri gets a call from Alan York, who explains that his daughter, Janet, is also gone. He believes that she left to meet Kim. He leaves his telephone number in case she hears anything.

At CTU, Nina says she found the bank account number of the criminal that Jack believes Mason stole from. She cannot access the account, however, because it's encrypted. Jack tells her to ask Tony Almeida to do it, remarking that he won't need a reason if he thinks it's for her. Nina is surprised that he noticed that she and Tony were involved, then says that he "shouldn't have."

12:40:33

Out on the floor, Tony is reluctant to break into the account when he intuits that it's for Jack. He questions Nina about whether or not she is still sleeping with Jack and asks her what she sees in him, since he turned in his own people. Nina brushes off his accusation and tells him to get back to work.

Jack goes to Jamey Farrell's station and asks if she would be able to access all the computer passwords associated with a certain phone number. She says that she needs a warrant, but agrees to help out when Jack tells her it's important. After a few seconds, she finds the password to Kim's email and gives it to Jack, who phones Teri and tells her that the password is “LIFESUCKS.”

At Paladio Furniture, Kim and Rick talk and kiss before trying to find their friends. They discover Dan and Janet having sex on a bed.

12:43:04

On the plane, Martin Belkin, growing increasingly inebriated, talks about his photography with the woman next to him.



At his hotel, Senator Palmer takes a break from writing his speech and comes in from the balcony, joking that everyone got tired of him shouting at them. Patty comes in and tells the senator that reporter Maureen Kingsley is on the phone for him. Palmer takes the call and soon becomes aggressive with Kingsley before telling her that the conversation is over. When his wife asks him why he's upset, he tells her that the call wasn't important and goes outside, closing the door in her face as she asks him what's wrong. He leans on the railing and looks out over the city, deeply troubled.

12:46:51...12:46:52...12:46:53...



12:49:11
In his office, Jack calls Walsh but gets no answer. Nina comes into the room and tells him that unless Tony finds something, Jack could end up in jail; she thought he wanted to get his life back together, and what he's doing isn't helping. Jack explains to Nina:

You can look the other way once, and it's no big deal, except it makes it easier for you to compromise the next time, and pretty soon that's all you're doing; compromising, because that's the way you think things are done. You know those guys I busted? You think they were the bad guys? Because they weren't, they weren't bad guys, they were just like you and me. Except they compromised... Once.

Nina, looking moved, says she'll go see how Tony is coming along.



Teri calls Alan and tells him that she found one of Kim's emails that could help: she and Janet were planning to meet some boys at a furniture store in the valley. Alan asks if he can come along and Teri agrees.

Rick, Dan, Kim, and Janet leave the store and discuss where to go next. Dan mentions a party at Lacy's, but Kim notices that her mother has called several times and explains that she has to return home. Rick mentions that her mom might need her home since her father died recently; Janet is confused, but Kim silences her before she can expose the lie. Janet doesn't want to go home yet, but Rick persuades Kim to go with them, promising to drop her off on the way.

12:52:46

On the plane, Martin Belkin is in the lavatory having sex with the woman, who, afterwards, introduces herself as Mandy. She suggests that they get together while in Los Angeles, but Belkin says he will probably be busy.

At CTU, Tony is able to get into the bank account he was hacking and sends the information to Jack, who finds that Mason transferred $200,000 of Darcet's assets to an offshore account in Aruba. Jack wakes Mason up and confronts him, telling him that he wants the source on the information he wants or he will forward the bank details to Chappelle. Mason is furious, warning Jack that he has no idea what he's getting himself into, but Jack is undeterred. Mason opens a window on Jack's terminal and enters some text, and Jack thanks him, handing him back his briefcase. He leaves, but not before promising Jack that he'll live to regret what he's just done.



On the plane, Martin Belkin has dozed off. Mandy leaves her seat and stumbles to the rear of the plane, where she suddenly kills one of the flight attendants with a syringe before checking the ID that she stole from Belkin. Meanwhile, Belkin awakens and realizes his wallet is gone; he tries to return to the lavatory but is stopped by another flight attendant, as the plane is preparing to land. Mandy lines the back exit with explosives before putting on a protective jumpsuit and parachute. She retrieves an explosive device hidden in a fire extinguisher and sets the timer on it for thirty seconds before blowing open the back door and ejecting herself from the plane. Seconds later, the explosive goes off, destroying the plane.

12:57:22

Jack calls Teri, who fills him in on everything she has discovered and tells him that she is going out with Alan York to find Kim. The call is interrupted because of a bad signal. Jack, considering, asks Nina to cover for him while he goes out, but before he can leave, Tony informs him that a plane has just exploded over the Mojave Desert, with preliminary reports pointing to a bomb. Sighing, Jack sends Tony to get the passenger list and Nina to call Walsh back, then leans against a pole, looking tired.

In Dan's van, Janet is lying back and smiling, clearly under the influence. Kim tells Dan to turn onto her street, but he simply ignores her and continues straight. Angry, she asks Rick to tell his friend he missed the turn, but he tells her to relax: the night's just getting started. The van speeds past Alan York's car, but neither group is aware of this.



Split screen: Dan's van drives away down an abandoned street. Kim sits in the back, growing worried. Teri and Alan continue towards Paladio Furniture. David Palmer looks out on the city, lost in thought. Jack waits for the plane's passenger list.

Over the desert, Mandy's parachute opens.

12:59:57...12:59:58...12:59:59...01:00:00

Starring

 * Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer
 * Leslie Hope as Teri Bauer
 * Sarah Clarke as Nina Myers
 * Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer
 * and Dennis Haysbert as Senator David Palmer

Guest starring

 * Mia Kirshner as Mandy
 * Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida
 * Penny Johnson Jerald as Sherry Palmer
 * Michael O'Neill as Richard Walsh
 * Xander Berkeley as George Mason
 * Rudolf Martin as Martin Belkin
 * Richard Burgi as Kevin Carroll
 * Daniel Bess as Rick Allen
 * Matthew Carey as Dan Mounts
 * Jacqui Maxwell as Janet York
 * Tanya Wright as Patty Brooks
 * Karina Arroyave as Jamey Farrell

Co-starring

 * Devika Parikh as Maureen Kingsley
 * Gary Murphy as Vincent O'Brien
 * Jeff Ricketts as Victor Rovner
 * Karen Kim as flight attendant
 * Petra Wright as flight attendant

Background information and notes

 * This is the first episode of the series.
 * "Glengarry Glen Ross" director James Foley was originally slated to direct the pilot of 24, however a family tragedy caused him to back out a week before work began. Stephen Hopkins was brought in as a last-minute replacement, and would remain to direct several more episodes of the first season.
 * The episode was filmed in April of 2001.
 * 24 was scheduled to premiere on October 30, 2001, but after the attacks of September 11, it was moved back a week. Originally, there was a shot of Flight 221 exploding as Mandy jumped out, but it was removed due to these recent attacks.
 * This and "Day 1: 11:00pm-12:00am" are the only two episodes of the series to substitute the word "midnight" for "12:00 A.M." during the opening "The following takes place..." narration.
 * As this is the pilot episode, heavy attention was paid to the "real time" aspect of the show, which at the time was the show's biggest, most original selling point. This can be seen throughout the episode, with several shots containing clocks, and several lines of dialogue referring directly to the time.  As the show progressed, the focus switched more towards dramatic story telling, and less on the fact that each episode was in "real time."
 * This episode uses a different sound for the clock from other episodes. Also, the periodic onscreen clock can be heard ticking during certain scenes in this episode only.
 * The footage of a passing satellite was taken from the movie Enemy of the State.
 * The sets used for David Palmer's hotel and CTU Los Angeles were real locations. Beginning with the next episode, the sets would be reconstructed on soundstages.  The hotel set would resemble nothing of the original location.
 * The original plan was for Kim and Janet to sneak out to a rave at the Santa Monica Pier, which would take place under the docks with moonlight streaming down on the party-goers. This was scrapped for budgetary reasons, but a similar concept was eventually used for Dmitri Gredenko's death scene in "Day 6: 9:00pm-10:00pm."
 * Sarah Clarke was cast in the role of Nina Myers on the morning that this episode began shooting. The costume department didn't have time to fit her, so she wore her own clothing throughout the entire first season.
 * As it was unknown whether the series would be picked up, many crucial plot points and characters are absent or unaddressed. For instance, at the time of filming, neither the writers nor the actors knew what Maureen Kingsley called to tell Palmer about.
 * An audio commentary track for this episode is featured on the 24: Season One: Special Edition DVD set.
 * This is the only episode of Season One not to have any Special guest stars even though Carlos Bernard, Penny Johnson Jerald and Richard Burgi are to be shown as Special guest stars for the rest of their appearances at the season.
 * No production assistants worked on this episode, as opposed to every other episode of 24.