Remarkably, the two greatest TV Presidents of all time were both involved in a 25th Amendment-related story during the 2002-2003 season: the fourth season of The West Wing ended with Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) invoking 25 so that he could deal with the abduction of his daughter without running the USA at the same time; and in the second season of 24, David Palmer finds himself ambushed by his own Vice President, Jim Prescott.
Prescott invites Palmer to a hearing where the entire Cabinet will decide whether the President is able to serve as Commander in Chief. These drastic actions are motivated by the fact that Palmer still believes the Cyprus recording was deliberately forged in order to trigger a war. Everyone else, though, firmly believes the imminent conflict is justified, and that attitude extends to the CTU, where Ryan Chappelle makes it practically impossible for Tony and Michelle to help Jack. As for Bauer himself, he's headed to the last known location of one Alex Hewitt, the man who supposedly created the fake recording.
With the identity of the real villain disclosed to Jack and the audience, the main source of tension in this episode is the hearing organized by Prescott: using everything that has happened throughout the season (especially the torture of Roger Stanton), the VP stops at nothing to achieve his goal. Naturally, Palmer reacts with dignity and integrity, making Episode 21 Haysbert's finest hour in Day 2 and showing Aaron Sorkin (the creator of The West Wing) isn't the only one capable of making politics dramatically relevant. In addition, the twist (again) at the end of the show proves how unpredictable and satisfying network television can be. In fact, it can be better than most cinematic thrillers.
Prescott invites Palmer to a hearing where the entire Cabinet will decide whether the President is able to serve as Commander in Chief. These drastic actions are motivated by the fact that Palmer still believes the Cyprus recording was deliberately forged in order to trigger a war. Everyone else, though, firmly believes the imminent conflict is justified, and that attitude extends to the CTU, where Ryan Chappelle makes it practically impossible for Tony and Michelle to help Jack. As for Bauer himself, he's headed to the last known location of one Alex Hewitt, the man who supposedly created the fake recording.
With the identity of the real villain disclosed to Jack and the audience, the main source of tension in this episode is the hearing organized by Prescott: using everything that has happened throughout the season (especially the torture of Roger Stanton), the VP stops at nothing to achieve his goal. Naturally, Palmer reacts with dignity and integrity, making Episode 21 Haysbert's finest hour in Day 2 and showing Aaron Sorkin (the creator of The West Wing) isn't the only one capable of making politics dramatically relevant. In addition, the twist (again) at the end of the show proves how unpredictable and satisfying network television can be. In fact, it can be better than most cinematic thrillers.
