Day 1: 3:00pm-4:00pm

Keith Palmer takes matters into his own hands and arranges a meeting with Carl Webb. The safehouse where Teri and Kim Bauer are staying is attacked. Jack Bauer and George Mason try and convince Elizabeth Nash to help in their plans.

Episode guide
''Right now, terrorists are plotting to assassinate a presidential candidate. My wife and daughter have been targeted, and people that I work with may be involved in both. I’m federal agent Jack Bauer, and today is the longest day of my life.''

Previously on 24

 * Teri Bauer asks Nina why they are being taken to a safe house. Nina tells them it is the best environment for them as they make themselves at home. Kim finds out that Teri is pregnant. Teri then works out that when she was separated from Jack, Nina was seeing him.
 * Andre Drazen is talking to his brother, who tells him Jovan and Mishko have their targets in sight. He says that Palmer won't be leaving LA, and gives his word that he will be dead by midnight.
 * Senator David Palmer is talking to Jack about Operation Nightfall, about how he authorized the mission to take out Victor Drazen. Jack says that this day is payback for what happened.
 * Palmer then approaches Chappelle and tells him to reinstate Jack Bauer to his previous position. Jack says that anyone who can connect Palmer and himself must also be able to find Robert Ellis. Ellis asks what they are doing together, and Palmer tells him the three of them are on someone's list. As Jack is talking to Ellis, he is strangled by an unseen assailant.

The following takes place between 3:00pm and 4:00pm, on the day of the California Presidential Primary.

03:01:49
Robert Ellis is being killed by an assassin as Jack Bauer calls for him on the other end of the line. The assassin takes all forms of identification from Ellis, as Jack yells for Bob to pick up the phone. The assassin turns off the phone as he is leaving the bathroom. Bauer calls the number back, and it goes straight to Ellis' voicemail. Bauer believes that the Drazens have killed Ellis.

Bauer talks himself out of panicking, and calls CTU New Orleans and asks for Agent Watson. Bauer tells Watson that there is a floating NSA operative in the area who just had something terrible happen to him. He gives him an address and wants him to check Ellis out.

Milo Pressman walks into the room and tells Jack that he has the information on the three backup assassins. Milo points out that one of the men is Alexis Drazen, Victor Drazen's son. At that moment, Alexis gets a phone call from Elizabeth Nash, who tells him that Senator David Palmer decided not to leave town. Drazen says they can meet up again at 4:30.

At the safe house, CTU agents are standing guard, and Ted Paulson and Agent Jeff Breeher are all clear at the moment. The phone rings.

03:05:23

Agent Paulson answers the phone as Teri Bauer tries to sleep but can't. Jack's on the phone and wants to talk to Teri. Jack wants to know if there's something she needs to tell him, and Teri says she needs to talk to him, but now is not the time. Jack says he's at CTU if she needs him, and they say goodbye.

03:06:51



David Palmer enters a room where Aaron Pierce is conducting a briefing for Palmer's entire campaign staff. Sherry Palmer says that he's just in time—Jack just sent over photos. Aaron puts up the photos of the three shooters, the last being Alexis. Nash sees this and starts to look worried. She walks out of the room and seems flustered. Palmer comes up to Nash and asks her what's wrong.

Kim Bauer is still being questioned. Nina Myers is asking about Rick Allen, and Kim is defending him. Nina says that he's still a fugitive, and tells Kim that hiding him is a very serious crime. Kim claims she doesn't know where he is, but does know that he helped them escape. Nina starts to explain Stockholm Syndrome, but Kim insists that Rick isn't a kidnapper. Teri walks in and says she's ready to finish whenever Nina's done. Nina tells Kim to take a break.

Teri sits down and tells Nina she won't hold the fact that she slept with Jack when Jack and Teri were separated against her. Nina tries to get Teri to tell her what Kim is withholding, but Teri insists that, while there may have been an initial attraction, Kim would tell Nina anything if she knew. Nina asks if she's sure about that, and Teri responds "It's my daughter, I think I know her better than you."

At CTU, Bauer's phone rings. David Palmer is calling to say that Nash recognized Alexis. Bauer wants to know if she knows where Alexis is right now, and Palmer says they have a relationship. He says she's pretty shaken up, but wants to help. Jack says he's going to send a helicopter over to pick up Nash. Palmer asks about Ellis, and Jack tells him that, for now, they have to assume Ellis is dead. Palmer seems very concerned, and asks to be kept posted. Bauer hangs up and asks Milo to get him chopper command.

03:11:24...03:11:25...03:11:26...



03:15:49


Kim calls Rick at home and tells him she doesn't know how long she can keep covering for him and he should come forward and tell the truth. Rick answers that he appreciates her efforts, but she probably shouldn't call him at home for a while. His girlfriend, Melanie interrupts the call, and Rick hangs up and tells her it was a wrong number.

Nina is still debriefing Teri. Teri snaps at Nina, and Nina decides that Paulson should finish the interview.

In Jack's office, George Mason announces that he's the "new quarterback" and Alberta Green has been sent back to District. Jack brings Mason up to speed and suggests using Elizabeth Nash for a sting on Alexis Drazen.

03:20:26

David Palmer has a heart-to-heart with Keith, promising to be more available to him from now on. David says he will air the whole truth about Keith and Dr. Ferragamo and everything, but only when the time is right. Keith leaves, frustrated again.

Jovan Myovic contacts Andre, telling him he found Kim and Teri. Inside the safehouse, they rest, unaware of the danger.

03:23:55...03:23:56...03:23:57...



03:28:49
At CTU, Jack is frustrated that he cannot access his files. Milo tells him that his privileges have been downgraded to 3-W, the same as everyone else, but sets him up with a workaround. Jack asks him to start looking to see if anyone has been accessing unusual files.

Keith is arguing on the phone with Carl Webb. Keith agrees to meet Carl to talk at the Griffith Park Observatory in fifteen minutes. As he finishes up the conversation, Nicole enters. Nicole asks him where he's going and Keith explains he's trying to protect her. He tells her he had been talking to Carl. Keith asks his sister to help him distract the Secret Service Agent protecting them, so he can sneak out so he can meet Carl. She silently agrees to help.

03:31:43

Nicole exits the room and approaches the Secret Service Agent, telling him she was on the phone when she heard a clicking sound and she wonders if it's bugged. The Agent checks it out with her and Keith is able to slip out undetected. He takes the remote and turns on the television in another room and closes the door, making it seem like he's inside watching TV. He then leaves out the back way.

Back at CTU, Elizabeth Nash promises to cooperate any way she can. She tells Jack and Mason that she met Alexis Drazen about a month ago, in a bar in Washington, D.C., and he told her he was an importer out of Berlin. Jack asks her if she would be willing to spy on Alexis. She is hesitant, but agrees to do it if it will help protect Senator Palmer.

Agent Paulson shows Kim and Teri mug shots. The first one he shows is a mug shot of Jenson. The next mug shot is Ralph Rosen. Neither Teri or Kim recognize him. Ted moves to the next picture. It's Eli Stram. Kim says that he was a guard, but Teri can only stare at the photo, unable to bring up that he raped her, or that she was forced to kill him.

Meanwhile, Agent Breeher stares out the window. He can't see the CTU agents outside. He turns on his radio and tries to talk to Daniels. There is no response. As he adjusts his radio, Jovan Myovic slips into the room and kills Breeher with a dart gun.

03:37:00...03:37:01...03:37:02...



03:41:26
Agent Paulson is still debriefing Kim and Teri. Seeing that her mother isn't well, Kim asks for a break. Paulson heads to the kitchen for some coffee, where he notices that Daniels is not where he is supposed to be. He hustles Kim and Teri into a bedroom and flushes Jovan Myovic out, but Mishko Suba sneaks up behind him and stabs him in the back. Kim and Teri escape in a car. Paulson manages to gun down Suba, but Myovic shoots him and continues pursuing Kim and Teri.

Milo tells Jack that Robert Ellis' body has been found. Nina returns, telling Jack that Kim and Teri are safe.

Meanwhile, Teri manages to lose Myovic. She stops her car on a hillside and gets out to check, while Kim stays inside. The car rolls off the hillside and explodes. Horrified, she faints.

03:47:22...03:47:23...03:47:24...



03:52:11
Keith Palmer meets with Carl Webb and accuses him of having something to do with Dr. Ferragamo's disappearance and probable death. Carl tells him he is in over his head, and that if he tries to pin anything on Carl, the fire marshals will get a tip leading them to a piece of physical evidence in Dr. Ferragamo's office that leads directly to Keith. Keith, however, has created his own evidence—a tape recording of their conversation.

Teri wakes up on the side of the road.

03:55:32

Teri wanders along the road, dazed. A friendly motorist, Tanya, stops and offers her a ride. Teri cannot remember her own name.

Split screen: Teri walks over to Tanya's car and gets in. Myovic drives towards the crash site. Jack and Nina get in the helicopter.

Kim, who was thrown from the car a good distance from the wreck, regains consciousness and calls out to her mother.

03:59:57...03:59:58...03:59:59...04:00:00

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

 * Željko Ivanek as Andre Drazen
 * Vicellous Shannon as Keith Palmer
 * Xander Berkeley as George Mason
 * Daniel Bess as Rick Allen
 * Zach Grenier as Carl Webb
 * Misha Collins as Alexis Drazen
 * Henri Lubatti as Jovan Myovic
 * Megalyn Echikunwoke as Nicole Palmer
 * Kara Zediker as Elizabeth Nash
 * Kevin Ramsey as Ted Paulson
 * Eric Balfour as Milo Pressman
 * Glenn Morshower as Aaron Pierce
 * Pauley Perrette as Tanya
 * Navi Rawat as Melanie

Special guest star

 * Penny Johnson Jerald as Sherry Palmer

Co-starring

 * Sam Ayres as Jeff Breeher

Uncredited

 * Greg Hartigan as Agent Berkin
 * Laurence Todd Rosenthal as Mishko Suba
 * Wade Andrew Williams as Robert Ellis

Deleted appearances

 * Nina Landey as Amanda

Background information and notes

 * Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological syndrome in which kidnap victims sympathize with and, often, cooperate freely with their captors. Victims may defend the perpetrators long after they have been freed.
 * The opening narration changes for the final time.
 * Robert Ellis' line "What are you doing in the same room with Jack Bauer?" is seen in the Previously on 24 segment, but did not in fact appear in the previous episode.
 * This is the only episode of the first 3 seasons that Tony Almeida did not appear in.
 * This is the only episode to feature Dennis Haysbert, Leslie Hope, Sarah Clarke, Xander Berkeley, and Penny Johnson Jerald without Carlos Bernard. It is one of the three episodes of the show to feature Elisha Cuthbert without Carlos Bernard; the others being Day 8: 4:00pm-5:00pm and Day 8: 5:00pm-6:00pm.
 * Milo Pressman appears for the last time in Season 1. He later returned as a series regular in "Day 6: 6:00am-7:00am" after a record absence of 104 episodes.