Day 6: 5:00am-6:00am

Jack Bauer rescues Josh from the clutches of his father. Meanwhile, Chloe O'Brian recovers from her collapse, and the White House resolves the potential war with Russia. Later, Jack finally seals his relationship with his love, Audrey Raines.

Previously on 24

 * Vice President Noah Daniels tells President Suvarov that he's aware that Suvarov's generals are pushing him towards a military response about the circuit board. Suvarov tells Daniels that unless the component is recovered, he will continue with his present course of action, but Daniels tells Suvarov about an exchange for the component.


 * Karen Hayes tells Vice President Daniels that Phillip Bauer is a sociopath and that the government cannot trust him. She tells her husband, Bill Buchanan to try to do anything to stop the exchange. Later, Buchanan tells Karen that the government will find out how he obtained the information about Jack Bauer's position. Karen says that she will be arrested, and promptly does so.


 * Mike Doyle tells one of Phillip Bauer's men to show the circuit board in exchange for Josh Bauer. Doyle attempts to verify the authenticity of the component, but it explodes in his face.


 * Jack Bauer and Bill Buchanan drive up to the beach where Doyle was injured, noting that it's the location where Josh was. Phillip's men fire upon Jack and Buchanan. Jack tells CTU to get coordinates for all the off-shore oil platforms within a close radius, believing his father might be there.


 * Chloe O'Brian's vision goes blurry in front of her computer screen. Chloe talks to Morris O'Brian about work, but Morris notices her stressed and asks about it. She says that she's fine, but immediately collapses. Morris yells for help.

The following takes place between 5:00am and 6:00am

05:00:00
05:10:22, 05:10:23, 05:10:24

05:14:33
05:22:06, 05:22:07, 05:22:08

05:26:33
05:36:22, 05:36:23, 05:36:24

05:40:45
James Heller is on the phone, telling the person on the other line that he's grateful for Audrey being alive. He hangs up, and sighs. He hears a door rattling in his house and becomes alert.

05:48:06

Heller reaches for his phone, but Jack walks into the room and demands that he put the phone down. He asks if Jack is there to kill him, and Jack responds that it depends on if he gets to see Audrey. Heller tells Jack that he won't allow him near his daughter; but Jack cuts him off, shouting, "You do not tell me what to do any more!", pointing his weapon to Heller's head. "I just watched my father die, and I felt nothing" Jack says, "because that man was dead to me years ago." Jack tells Heller that he looked up to him like a father, but felt insulted when Heller told him that everything he touched ended up dead shortly before 2:00am, even though the only thing that Jack ever did was listen to people like Heller. He then accuses Heller of being angry because Audrey defied her father in going to find Jack in China. Heller understands that the country owes Jack a lot, but Jack simply "wants his life back," and that Audrey is everything he has. Heller then says that getting his life back won't change who he is, "and [Jack] can't walk away from it [...] Sooner or later you're going to get back into the game, and my daughter is going to pay the price, like your wife did." Jack is infuriated, but Heller makes him consider that he won't be able to take care of her like he used to. Jack demands to have Heller take him to Audrey. He does so.

Heller opens the door to Audrey's room, and Jack enters. Audrey is sleeping. Jack grabs her hand, and professes that he won't be able to uphold his promise to take care of her. He says the best way to do this, though, is to let her go. Jack tells the sleeping Audrey that he hopes she can one day understand and forgive him. He tells her that he loves her, and kisses her on the forehead. "And I always will," he says after kissing, then swallows some tears.

Jack leaves Audrey's room, takes one last look at Heller, and leaves the house. He walks towards the cliffs outside Heller's home, and looks at the ocean. Waves and seagulls sound in the background.

(Silent clock) 05:59:57...05:59:58...05:59:59...06:00:00

Memorable quotes

 * Cheng Zhi: My people will not abandon me like you abandoned Jack Bauer.


 * Bill Buchanan: We'll never find him. Not if he doesn't want us to.


 * Jack Bauer: Put it down. Now.
 * James Heller: Are you here to kill me?
 * Jack Bauer: Depends. Where's Audrey?
 * James Heller: I told you before you're not getting anywhere near my daughter.
 * Jack Bauer: YOU DO NOT TELL ME WHAT TO DO ANYMORE! You understand me?  YOU do not tell me what to do. I just watched my father die, and I felt nothing.  You know why?  Yeah, you know why.  Because that man was dead to me years ago.  I admired you.  I looked up to YOU like a father.  You were the kind of man I wanted to be.  And YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF IT!
 * James Heller: Jack, listen to me.
 * Jack Bauer: NO! YOU are gonna listen to me.  Earlier today you said that I was cursed.  That anyone I touched, ended up dead, or ruined. How dare you?  How.. Dare you?  The only thing I did, the only thing I have EVER done, is what you and people like you have asked of me.  Why didn't you try to get me out of China?
 * James Heller: I did try.
 * Jack Bauer: NOT HARD ENOUGH! You had the political power.  Was the timing not right?  Was it a little too complicated?  Or was I just an acceptable loss?
 * James Heller: Jack, I understand your anger...
 * Jack Bauer: SHUT UP! You don't understand a thing about me.  And I know you.  I know why you're angry at me.  And it wasn't because Audrey went to China to save me.  It was because when you told her NOT to, she did it anyway.  You'll never understand that kind of commitment, that kind of loyalty.
 * James Heller: You're right Jack. It wasn't fair of me to put all this on you, to blame you for what happened to Audrey.  I know the sacrifices you made.  I know this country owes you more than it'll ever repay.
 * Jack Bauer: I'm not interested in what you think this country owes me. I want my life back.  And I want it now.  Audrey's all I've got.  And you can't stop me.  In case you've forgotten, I'm very good at disappearing.  And if you try sending someone after us, I'll kill 'em.  Pretty good at that too.
 * James Heller: Simply getting your life back, Jack, isn't gonna change who you are. And you can't walk away from it.  You know that.  You've tried it.  Sooner or later you're gonna get back in the game, and my daughter's gonna pay the price.  Like your WIFE did.
 * Jack Bauer: You son of a bitch.
 * James Heller: Jack, I beg you. Just stop for a moment and think.  Think Jack.  You won't be able to take care of her the way you want to.
 * Jack Bauer: Where is she? Take me to her now.

Starring

 * Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer
 * Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brian
 * James Morrison as Bill Buchanan
 * Peter MacNicol as Tom Lennox
 * Jayne Atkinson as Karen Hayes
 * Carlo Rota as Morris O'Brian
 * Marisol Nichols as Nadia Yassir

Special guest stars

 * Powers Boothe as Vice President Noah Daniels
 * William Devane as James Heller
 * with Kim Raver as Audrey Raines
 * and James Cromwell as Phillip Bauer

Guest starring

 * Evan Ellingson as Josh Bauer
 * Bob Gunton as Secretary of Defense Ethan Kanin
 * Nick Jameson as Yuri Suvarov
 * Tzi Ma as Cheng Zhi
 * Rena Sofer as Marilyn Bauer
 * Tom Everett as Dr. Hastings
 * and Ricky Schroder as Mike Doyle

Co-Starring

 * Kenneth Choi as Cheng's Operative

Background information and notes

 * Chloe's line, "That's usually how it works," concerning her pregnancy is reminiscent of Teri Bauer telling her husband Jack that she was pregnant towards the end of Day 1.


 * Neither this episode nor the previous one featured a split screen at the final minutes of the episode.


 * The final segment of this episode is unique because it runs longer than normal, clocking in at just over 20 minutes. The only other instances of a segment running long are the first segment of Day 1 12:00am-1:00am and the first segment of Day 5 5:00am-6:00am.


 * Series regulars DB Woodside, Eric Balfour and Regina King do not appear in this episode.


 * This episode ends with the sounds of the ocean crashing on the shore as the clock ticks away to 6:00am. This is one of the now six Silent clock episodes, which feature a "clock" that wasn't accompanied by either the ticking sound effect or no sound at all.  This is also the second time a silent clock has been used for a season finale, the first being Day 1 11:00pm-12:00am. See also: Silent clock.


 * Tom Lennox and Nadia Yassir join Chase Edmunds and Teri Bauer as appearing in every episode of their only season.


 * This is the second time that executive producer Jon Cassar didn't direct the final two episodes of the season.


 * This episode's Previously on 24 segment features a different background theme than the familiar music heard throughout Season 6 and much of Season 5.