Season 4 Prequel (7 Dec. 2004)

Directors:

Jon Cassar, Joseph A. Hodges

Writers:

Joel Surnow (creator), Robert Cochran (creator)

Stars:

Kiefer Sutherland, Kim Raver, Alberta Watson

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Jack Bauer
Kim Raver	...	Audrey Raines
Alberta Watson	...	Erin Driscoll
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Faran Tahir	...	Tomas Sherek

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

pistol | digit in title | prequel | number in title

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

7 December 2004 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television, Imagine Television, Real Time Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

7 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

he Season 3 DVD set contains an exclusive six-minute prequel that sets up events for the beginning of the fourth season. The first scene occurs six months after the conclusion of Day 3 and shows Driscoll firing Jack from CTU because of his drug use. The second scene takes place three months before the events of Day 4 and shows a terrorist sneaking across the U.S./Mexican border, and then killing his accomplices. The third and final scene occurs six hours before Day 4 begins and shows Jack and Audrey in a love scene. The prequel is available on the Region One set, but not Region Two. See "Season 4 Prequel."

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Goofs

Early in the season when an informer calls CTU to report strange Internet activity, the informer says he sees a language that might be Turkish or Arabic. However, there is no way to confuse Turkish with Arabic; Turkish is written in the Roman alphabet.

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Quotes

Jack Bauer: I can find my own fucking job, Erin.

User Reviews

The beginning of Season 4

This short film (actually, three separate segments edited together), included on the Season 3 DVD box set in the US (Season 4 in other countries), can be considered the "proper" beginning of 24's fourth season. In reality, none of the information provided is really necessary to understand the plot of the season, since it's retold in the first full episode, but it does proved a fun opportunity to see a little more of certain characters.

The first segment, arguably the most relevant in terms of continuity, has Jack Bauer getting fired by new CTU director Erin Driscoll (Alberta Watson) because of his drug use during the events leading up to Day 3. Aside from setting up a rivetingly tense relationship between the two (the event takes place six months after the end of Season 3), it also features a refreshingly welcome use of the F-word (on DVD, at least). The second shows one of the season's villains entering the USA, and is the least necessary of the three scenes. The third, also a bit gratuitous but entertaining, depicts an intimate moment between Jack and his new girlfriend, Audrey Raines (Kim Raver), and takes place a few hours before the start of Day 4.

More of a curiosity than an actual episode, the Season 4 prequel deserves to be watched mainly for one reason: even if it's just for a few minutes, it's always a pleasure to see Kiefer Sutherland in action, particularly when he's doing what he does best (sticking it to the man). It also provides welcome early glimpses of Driscoll and Audrey, promising to expand on both in the proper series (the villain, on the other hand, is the classic red herring who will disappear before half the season is finished). All in all, not a bad effort, though the actual show remains the best.

7,5/10