When we last saw Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland), it was over a year and a half ago, and his future was uncertain. He'd just split with his girlfriend, Audrey, and was standing on the edge of a cliff, questioning the direction his decisions had taken him.
Fast forward four years to "Redemption," a feature-length, standalone episode (set in the fictional country of Sangala, Africa) that bridges the gap between season six, which ended in May 2007, and season seven, which begins in January.
Now Bauer is living in Africa doing missionary work—and trying to tame his violent personality. But he can't stay out of the fray for long, because vicious warlord Juma wants to overturn the government and has been turning young boys into child soldiers with the help of funds being funneled in from an American source.
The buzz: Between the hours of 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., Jack Bauer must save the lives of the boys he's been aiding and prevent them from being kidnapped and turned into war machines, a new president (Cherry Jones) must be inaugurated and mull over what she's going to do regarding the pending African coup, and things get even messier behind closed doors when her son's friend gets caught up in the paperwork for the deal that's providing resources to the Sangalese general. Doesn't this guy ever get a vacation?
The verdict: Jack Bauer is back. "Redemption" is enough to woo even those who weren't fans of "24" and gets us salivating for what's destined to be an excellent seventh season.
Did you know? Although the country of Sangala isn't real, the directors decided to film "Redemption" on location in Africa rather than Southern California. Hooray for authenticity!
"24: Redemption" premieres Sunday, Nov. 23, at 8pm/7c on Fox.
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