The longest day in Jack Bauer's life has reached its eighth hour, and it ain't looking good: he is constantly monitored by the man who kidnapped his wife and daughter, he has staged and execution to get Nina out of trouble, and now he has to help an assassin get away with the murder of David Palmer. Meanwhile, Nina and Tony realize Jamey Farrell is the traitor inside CTU and decide to take the situation in their own hands. Unfortunately, this also involves Tony calling Palmer's staff regarding the potential threat, meaning Jack has to improvise if he wants to save his family and Senator Palmer at the same time.
Having waited for this to take place since the pilot, it is a relief to finally see the hit happen, although with the added tension deriving from the protagonist's complicated situation. This episode won an Emmy for the editing, and it was richly deserved: the cutting plays an integral part in keeping the suspense consistent (the De Palmaesque split-screen has never been used better, particularly when showing Sutherland and Haysbert in the same scene for the first time) and alongside Sean Callery's spare, but effective music (which received an Emmy nomination) it is the main technical triumph of this superb series.
Some might argue that the assassination attempt takes place too early in the season. If this were a movie, I would agree with that criticism. But this is solid-gold television, and rest assured, the hit was just the appetizer: the 16-episode main course is on its way!