24 (season 7)
# 24 (season 7)

The seventh season of the American drama television series 24, also known as Day 7, premiered in the United States on Fox on January 11, 2009, and concluded on May 18, 2009. The season was originally scheduled to premiere on January 13, 2008, but was delayed due to the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. On November 23, 2008, Fox aired 24: Redemption, a two-hour TV movie set between seasons. Unlike all of the other seasons, this season's DVD set was released one day after the season finale. The season's storyline begins and ends at 8:00 a.m.

## Season overview

The seventh season takes place 46 months after season six and two months after 24: Redemption. Jack Bauer is on trial for alleged crimes he committed while working for CTU. Senator Blaine Mayer has disbanded CTU and strengthened the policies of President of the United States of America Allison Taylor's administration against torture. Bauer is brought into another counter-terrorist operation when FBI Special Agent Renee Walker interrupts the hearing to tell him about an imminent threat.

Day 7 can be divided into four main acts:

* Warlord Iké Dubaku breaches a government firewall and attempts to cause massive damage, then tries to manipulate President Taylor by kidnapping her husband.
* A unit of soldiers from Sangala invades the White House and takes President Taylor hostage.
* Mercenaries from Starkwood acquire a prion weapon and threaten to deploy it on major American cities.
* Tony Almeida betrays Jack and the FBI by stealing the last canister of the pathogen and attempting to use it against civilians.

### Major subplots

* Senators are trying to send Jack to prison for life to make an example out of him.
* Members of the Taylor family are still mourning the loss of Roger Taylor.
* Tony Almeida's return to the series.
* While Jack is happy to have his old friend back, he feels that something is not quite right.
* Larry Moss tries to keep Renee Walker on the side of the law rather than adopting Jack's ruthless ways.
* Renee has difficulty accepting situations that put civilians at risk for the greater good.
* Allison Taylor begins to rethink the position she took against torture.
* A rivalry between Ethan Kanin and Olivia Taylor unfolds at the White House.
* Chloe clashes with an FBI analyst named Janis Gold.
* Jack becomes infected with a lethal pathogen and struggles to make peace before he dies.
* Kim Bauer has one last opportunity to reconnect with her father.

### Summary

Day 7 begins in a U.S. Senate hearing during which Jack Bauer defends the necessity of his actions to Senator Blaine Mayer. Special Agent Renee Walker postpones the proceedings saying that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) urgently needs Jack's help. Even though Jack refuses to believe it at first, she reveals that Tony Almeida is still alive and that he is launching an attack against the government that betrayed him. When a contact agrees to talk to Bauer and Walker and is assassinated, the sniper leads them to Tony's location. Jack captures Tony and brings him to the FBI but learns that he is part of an undercover operation involving Bill Buchanan and Chloe O'Brian that aims to expose corruption in the government.

Jack breaks Tony out of the FBI's headquarters and meets with Bill and Chloe at a hideout that serves as a sort of underground CTU. There, he learns that Benjamin Juma and Iké Dubaku have infiltrated the government in order to stop the U.S. from invading Sangala. Dubaku plans to attack government infrastructure using the "CIP device" and have the Sangalan President, Ule Matobo, kidnapped. Jack and Tony team up with one of Dubaku's contacts, David Emerson, and proceed to kidnap Matobo. Along the way, Renee Walker discovers them. Instead of killing her, Jack manages to keep his cover safe by shooting her in the neck, burying her alive and sending her location to Chloe and Bill. After Tony reluctantly kills Emerson, the group hand Matobo over to Dubaku's henchmen and begin an assault once they learn Dubaku's location. During the assault, they rescue Matobo and destroy the CIP device but Dubaku escapes.

Dubaku attempts to manipulate President Taylor by kidnapping Henry Taylor but Jack and Renee find the First Gentleman by interrogating a U.S. Secret Service agent. During the rescue, Henry Taylor suffers a gunshot wound from which he eventually recovers. With Dubaku on the run, Walker and Bauer are able to find him with the help of his girlfriend Marika. Although Dubaku's vehicle crashes in a car chase killing Marika, Dubaku survives with enough strength to provide Bauer with a list of names of his co-conspirators. Buchanan uses this list to begin making arrests. When the arrests are in progress, Tony informs Jack that General Juma is planning an attack and tells him that Senator Mayer's chief of staff Ryan Burnett knows the details. Jack begins to torture Burnett but he is apprehended before he can finish. Juma is able to attack his target—which turns out to be the White House—and Jack, Bill and Taylor find themselves held hostage.

Although Jack plans to save the hostages by sacrificing himself, Bill Buchanan does this instead, saying that a dangerous conspiracy still remains and that Jack is the only person he trusts to unravel it. When Jack tries to get further information out of Burnett, a mercenary arrives who kills Burnett and frames Bauer for the murder. When Jack escapes, he learns that the mercenary, John Quinn, works for Starkwood—a defense contractor with an interest in developing bioweapons—led by a man named Jonas Hodges. After he is framed for the murder of U.S. Senator Mayer, Jack kills Quinn and learns the location of a bioweapon that just arrived from Sangala. He and Tony initiate a raid, which results in Tony's capture by Starkwood. Jack drives the weapon away from the port but is delayed when he stops to seal one of the leaking canisters. This not only exposes him to the pathogen but allows Starkwood to recapture it as well.

Jack learns that he is dying and tries to see the operation through to the end before he dies. He has an emotional meeting with his daughter Kim and tells Kim that he does not want her to try to save him with stem cells. FBI and military forces land in the Starkwood base and meet Tony Almeida but Starkwood forces outnumber them and force them to retreat. Tony sneaks away from the group and is able to remain at the base unseen. Co-ordinating with Jack, he destroys the canisters of the prion which allows the government to move in and arrest Hodges. To everyone's surprise, a Starkwood operative, Robert Galvez is seen with a surviving canister of the pathogen and a helicopter with Tony Almeida and Larry Moss on board gives chase. Tony betrays the FBI by killing Moss and helping Galvez escape the perimeter before escaping himself. Furious, Jack learns from Hodges that Tony has been in league with private military contractors all along and that he is working to have Islamic-Americans carry out a biological attack.

Tony and a co-conspirator named Cara Bowden force an innocent Muslim man to frame himself for a subway attack, by making a video and riding the subway, without knowing the details of what he's being framed for. Bowden delivers the canister of pathogenic agent, with a fifteen-minute timer on it, to the subway car the young man is riding, then exits. Jack intercepts the canister just in time but is forced to turn on the FBI and free Tony when he learns that Bowden's operatives are following Kim. Tony convinces Cara and the leader of their group named Alan Wilson to harvest the pathogen from Jack's body. Tony tells Jack in private that his plan is really to bring Alan Wilson into the open so that he can be murdered; Alan Wilson was the man behind Charles Logan, who had both David Palmer and Michelle Dessler murdered. FBI agents arrive at the compound having learned of Jack's location from a rescued Kim Bauer. A firefight ensues which is ended by Jack and Renee who stop Almeida from killing Wilson. Renee decides to torture Wilson when she learns that he has covered all his tracks. After Jack's doctor induces a coma, Kim arrives and begs her to begin the stem cell procedure that Jack told her not to undergo. The season ends with Kim at her father's side, left with a thread of hope that he may survive.

## Characters

### Starring

* Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer (24 episodes)
* Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brian (13 episodes)
* Cherry Jones as President Allison Taylor (23 episodes)
* James Morrison as Bill Buchanan (10 episodes)
* Annie Wersching as Renee Walker (24 episodes)
* Colm Feore as First Gentleman Henry Taylor (12 episodes)
* Bob Gunton as Ethan Kanin (18 episodes)
* Jeffrey Nordling as Larry Moss (19 episodes)
* Rhys Coiro as Sean Hillinger (10 episodes)
* Janeane Garofalo as Janis Gold (21 episodes)
* Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida (20 episodes)

### Special guest stars

* Kurtwood Smith as Senator Blaine Mayer (6 episodes)
* Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer (5 episodes)

### Special guest appearance by

* Jon Voight as Jonas Hodges (10 episodes)

### Guest starring

* Frank John Hughes as Secretary of Homeland Security Tim Woods (16 episodes)
* Sprague Grayden as First Daughter Olivia Taylor (14 episodes)
* Glenn Morshower as Aaron Pierce (10 episodes)
* Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Colonel Iké Dubaku (9 episodes)
* Rory Cochrane as Greg Seaton (7 episodes)
* Warren Kole as Brian Gedge (7 episodes)
* Ryan Cutrona as Admiral John Smith (6 episodes)
* Isaach de Bankolé as Ule Matobo (6 episodes)
* Amy Price-Francis as Cara Bowden (6 episodes)
* Ever Carradine as Erika (5 episodes)
* Christina Chang as Dr. Sunny Macer (5 episodes)
* Will Patton as Alan Wilson (5 episodes)
* Carly Pope as Samantha Roth (5 episodes)
* Peter Wingfield as David Emerson (5 episodes)
* Gabriel Casseus as Robert Galvez (4 episodes)
* Mark Kiely as Edward Vossler (4 episodes)
* Enuka Okuma as Marika Donoso (4 episodes)
* Eyal Podell as Ryan Burnett (4 episodes)
* Omid Abtahi as Jibraan Al-Zarian (3 episodes)
* John Billingsley as Michael Latham (3 episodes)
* Dameon Clarke as Alan Tanner (3 episodes)
* Rafi Gavron as Hamid Al-Zarian (3 episodes)
* Ravi Kapoor as Muhtadi Gohar (3 episodes)
* Carlo Rota as Morris O'Brian (3 episodes)
* Tony Todd as General Benjamin Juma (3 episodes)
* Mary Page Keller as Sarah (2 episodes)
* Don McManus as Bob Peluso (2 episodes)
* Sebastian Roché as John Quinn (2 episodes)
* Paul Wesley as Stephen (2 episodes)
* Cameron Daddo as Vice President Mitchell Hayworth (2 episodes)

## Episodes

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | US viewers (millions) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 145 | 1 | "Day 7: 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m." | Jon Cassar | Howard Gordon & Joel Surnow & Michael Loceff | January 11, 2009 (2009-01-11) | 7AFF01 | 12.61 |
| Two months after the events of Redemption, CTU is revealed to be disbanded for illegal interrogation methods. In a Senate Hearing presided by Senator Mayer, Bauer is answering for one of his previous torture cases, which Bauer believes to be justifiable. FBI agent Walker interrupts the Hearing and takes Bauer to the Bureau, where she tells him that a technician named Michael Latham was just kidnapped for the purpose of creating an override device called a CIP which can be used for terrorist purposes, in this case intercepting air traffic control. She shows Bauer a camera image of Almeida, who was believed to be dead, proving Tony's involvement. FBI Director Moss tasks Walker to accompany Bauer as he helps them to find a man associated with Tony. The duo arrives at his house, but he is killed by a sniper. Bauer gets a call from Almeida, who warns him not to interfere. Meanwhile, President Allison Taylor is preparing to attack Sangala to overthrow Juma while her husband Henry is investigating the death of his son, Roger, who is believed to have committed suicide. Latham manages to complete the CIP, which Almeida plans to use to send a warning to the airlines instead of causing two planes to crash. ||||||||
| 146 | 2 | "Day 7: 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m." | Jon Cassar | Teleplay by : Joel Surnow & Michael Loceff Story by : Howard Gordon & Evan Katz | January 11, 2009 (2009-01-11) | 7AFF02 | 12.61 |
| Bauer tells Walker that there is a mole inside the FBI, but they must work without reporting for now. Alan Tanner, the sniper, poses as an agent and leaves the perimeter, but is spotted by Bauer who convinces Walker that they follow Tanner to find Almeida and the CIP. Meanwhile, Almeida intentionally causes a near crash of two planes using the CIP, sending a warning to the government. He gives the CIP to his boss man, who delivers it to Juma's henchman, Iké Dubaku. Moss gets suspicious of Bauer and Walker because the latter does not report her status properly. The duo follows Tanner to the location associated with Almeida and the CIP, and Tanner is critically wounded. They storm in and manage to capture Almeida. Having tracked the location, Moss and other agents arrive. In the meantime, Allison convinces de jure Sangalan Prime Minister Ule Matobo to subject Juma to due process instead of immediate execution after the U.S. military assault. Henry meets Samantha Roth, Roger's former girlfriend, who claims that he did commit suicide. ||||||||
| 147 | 3 | "Day 7: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m." | Brad Turner | Manny Coto & Brannon Braga | January 12, 2009 (2009-01-12) | 7AFF03 | 12.31 |
| Moss puts Almeida under arrest. Upon arriving at the Bureau, Bauer and Walker reveal to Moss their belief about the mole. Bauer convinces him to let him talk to Almeida first, and Moss warns him not to use extreme methods like he did in the past. Almeida makes Bauer angry during the conversation; as Bauer attacks him, Almeida gives him a secret message. When Bauer is taken outside, he calls a number interpreted by that message, and Buchanan answers. Buchanan reveals that Almeida is working with him and O'Brian in a covert mission. Bauer manages to break Almeida out, and with O'Brian's help they escape the Bureau and get into Buchanan's car. Meanwhile, Dubaku sends a message to the White House demanding that Allison abort the attack on Sangala, and threatening to use the CIP for mass murder. She refuses to surrender to the demand. Henry gets a call from Roth, who reveals that Roger was actually murdered. They arrange a meeting. ||||||||
| 148 | 4 | "Day 7: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m." | Brad Turner | David Fury & Alex Gansa | January 12, 2009 (2009-01-12) | 7AFF04 | 12.31 |
| Almeida and Buchanan reveal to Bauer that when Almeida's body was moved outside of CTU at Day 5, he was revived by a man named David Emerson, an associate of Henderson. Bauer and Almeida head to meet Emerson. Almeida reveals that he was angry with the government and committed a series of crimes during the past years, but when he found out about the CIP and its capabilities he contacted Buchanan to help recover it. Bauer and Almeida are both able to convince Emerson to include Bauer in his plan, which involves capturing Matobo and delivering him to Dubaku. This will get Bauer and Almeida access to Dubaku. Meanwhile, Walker and agent Janis Gold arrive at the hospital where Tanner is kept. Walker convinces Gold to cover for her so that she can torture Tanner; he reveals that Emerson's targets are Matobo and his wife, Alama. The FBI warns Matobo's security detail in time, and he and his wife manage to get into their bunker. Bauer finds it apparently impenetrable. In the meantime, Roth reveals to Henry that Roger was investigating a corruption in Allison's government which could be the reason he was killed. She gives him a storage device containing clues. ||||||||
| 149 | 5 | "Day 7: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m." | Jon Cassar | Howard Gordon & Evan Katz | January 19, 2009 (2009-01-19) | 7AFF05 | 12.10 |
| Emerson tries to force Matobo to open the door by threatening to kill the chief guard, but to no avail. Bauer finds the ventilation pathway of the bunker and manages to prepare a toxic gas, which he pumps into the bunker. Alama is forced to open the door. She and Matobo are captured by Bauer and Emerson. As the latter two leave, they spot and capture Walker, who has come alone. In the van, Emerson reveals that Henderson never intended to kill Almeida because he was too valuable. Emerson tasks Bauer to kill Walker to prove his loyalty. He shoots her, making her look dead. He and Almeida start burying her alive. Meanwhile, an agent from DOJ arrives at the FBI to investigate Walker's torture of Tanner. Gedge, Henry's bodyguard, states his intention to help. He takes Henry to Roth's house where Henry collapses as a result of being poisoned with a paralytic agent. Gedge is revealed as the one to have killed Roger. Vossler, another Secret Service agent, approaches Roth and claims that Henry has ordered him to put her under protective custody. He offers her to take her necessary belongings from her house first. ||||||||
| 150 | 6 | "Day 7: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m." | Jon Cassar | Manny Coto & Brannon Braga | January 26, 2009 (2009-01-26) | 7AFF06 | 12.22 |
| O'Brian and Buchanan arrive and revive Walker, explaining the mission to her. Emerson's team arrives at a warehouse, where he and his men turn on Bauer and Almeida, who manage to kill them. O'Brian, Buchanan and Walker arrive and they tell the Matobos of their mission, convincing them to cooperate until the CIP is secured. They plant a tracker on Ule Matobo. Dubaku's operatives arrive and attempt to kill Almeida, but Bauer warns them with his sniper rifle. The Matobos are taken by Dubaku's men. Meanwhile, Dubaku causes two planes to crash, threatening another attack in an hour. The Secretary of State demands that Allison abort the attack, which she refuses to do. She demands his resignation, to which he complies. Ethan Kanin, the Chief of Staff, believes Henry could dissuade her. Dubaku picks another high casualty target in Ohio. In the meantime, Roth arrives at her house where Gedge fatally stabs her and puts the knife in Henry's hand, but Henry manages to kill him. ||||||||
| 151 | 7 | "Day 7: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m." | Milan Cheylov | Teleplay by : Manny Coto & Brannon Braga Story by : Michael Loceff | February 2, 2009 (2009-02-02) | 7AFF07 | 11.34 |
| The Matobos are brought to Dubaku, who plans to send them back to Sangala and force Ule to reveal intel using his wife as leverage. Buchanan's team has already followed Dubaku's men to his location. O'Brian provides support while the others infiltrate the compound and secure the CIP during the shootout. Dubaku manages to escape with the help of Latham, who is killed by a bomb planted on him. Ule calls Allison and arranges a meeting at the White House. Dubaku hides in his safe house, and is revealed to be involved with an American waitress named Marika Donoso. Meanwhile, Vossler captures Henry as he tries to leave the house. He is ordered by Dubaku to deliver Henry to him alive. The situation at Dubaku's next target, a chemical plant, starts getting critical. The lead technician manages to contain it using Gold's help, but at the cost of sacrificing his own life. ||||||||
| 152 | 8 | "Day 7: 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m." | Milan Cheylov | Teleplay by : Robert Cochran & Evan Katz Story by : David Fury | February 9, 2009 (2009-02-09) | 7AFF08 | 10.61 |
| Matobo brings Buchanan, Bauer and Walker to the White House with him. They inform Allison of the corruption in the government and offer to help uncover the accomplices. Dubaku calls Allison and informs her about Henry, demanding the invasion be aborted, but she decides not to surrender. She approves Bauer's request to help find Henry. Bauer and Walker find out about Vossler's involvement. Bauer goes after him while Walker goes to his house. Bauer overpowers Vossler in a duel and calls Walker, who threatens to kill Vossler's child, forcing him to reveal Henry's location. Vossler attacks Bauer and is killed. Bauer and Walker arrive at the location and kill Dubaku's men, but find Henry critically shot. Meanwhile, Dubaku demands Ule be delivered to him in exchange for Henry. A double is taken to the location, where he is killed by Dubaku's men. Marika's sister, Rosa, feels uneasy about Dubaku, who has introduced himself as Samuel, and warns her. Rosa calls him and reveals her knowledge of his illegal immigration and fake name. She demands he leave Marika alone. ||||||||
| 153 | 9 | "Day 7: 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m." | Milan Cheylov | David Fury | February 16, 2009 (2009-02-16) | 7AFF09 | 11.22 |
| Henry is taken to a hospital. Buchanan takes command of Allison's security detail and takes her to the hospital as a protection measure. Dubaku convinces Marika to pack up so that they can leave the country together. He meets with an associate, Ryan Burnett, who also happens to be Mayer's chief of staff, and reveals to have a list of all his associates, including Burnett. He threatens to disclose it if anything happens to him, essentially blackmailing Burnett into complying with his demands. Bauer finds Marika's location. As she tries to leave home, Bauer and Walker storm in and reveal Dubaku's identity to the sisters. Marika agrees to help them capture Dubaku. O'Brian arrives at the FBI to assist Moss in the covert operation, since there is still a mole. Gold gets suspicious of Moss' activities and forces agent Sean Hillinger to give her access so that she can find the truth. Hillinger looks over Chloe's discovered information. As Bauer and Walker are following Dubaku and Marika, they are stopped by the police. They were alerted by Hillinger, who is revealed to be a mole. Burnett informs Dubaku about Marika's plan. Meanwhile, Aaron Pierce arrives and informs Allison's daughter Olivia about Henry, and he starts transporting her to the White House. ||||||||
| 154 | 10 | "Day 7: 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m." | Milan Cheylov | Manny Coto & Brannon Braga | February 23, 2009 (2009-02-23) | 7AFF10 | 11.68 |
| Marika reluctantly agrees to get in the car to leave the country with Dubaku. The FBI manages to track them in their car; Bauer and Walker intercept them, causing a car crash that kills Marika and critically wounds Dubaku. Bauer extracts a chip planted in Dubaku's body, deducing it contains the list of his associates. Bauer sends it to O'Brian. Hillinger kills his girlfriend, a fellow agent, and tells Moss that she was the mole, temporarily diverting attention from himself. He tries to escape the Bureau, but O'Brian has already opened the list and he gets arrested as a result. Walker is confronted by Rosa for Marika's death, then she in turn confronts Bauer for what he forced her to do during the day. Almeida has discovered there will be another attack on a high-value target, and he informs Bauer. He adds that Burnett has the information they need to try to stop the attack. Burnett receives a message from an associate that the attack operation is ready to be executed. Meanwhile, Buchanan requests that Allison consider getting Jack's hearings cancelled. Allison requests that Mayer and Burnett come to the White House to discuss Bauer. She does not allow Olivia to leave the White House for the hospital. ||||||||
| 155 | 11 | "Day 7: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m." | Brad Turner | Alex Gansa | March 2, 2009 (2009-03-02) | 7AFF11 | 11.14 |
| Bauer secretly convinces O'Brian to delete Burnett's name from the list so that he can question him personally. Mayer and Burnett arrive at the White House, and Allison tries to convince Mayer to cancel Bauer's hearings in gratitude of his actions during the day, threatening to negate all of Mayer's efforts by pardoning Bauer. The FBI finds out about O'Brian and arrests her. Bauer starts torturing Burnett, but White House agents storm in and arrest him. Meanwhile, Juma is revealed to be in Washington. He sends an operative to kill Iké Dubaku in the hospital. Walker catches the operative in the act, and follows him to the boat yard where Juma and his men are staging. She calls Moss for reinforcements. The Sangalans board a boat, with Walker sneaking on board, and lay out their plans for attacking the White House. Walker narrowly escapes, with Laurent, Dubaku's son, in pursuit, while Juma and his commando unit begin an underwater infiltration. ||||||||
| 156 | 12 | "Day 7: 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m." | Brad Turner | Teleplay by : Evan Katz Story by : Manny Coto & Brannon Braga | March 2, 2009 (2009-03-02) | 7AFF12 | 11.14 |
| Walker continues running, chased by Laurent Dubaku, who himself is being chased by Larry Moss and his FBI contingent, who arrived just too late; they defeat Laurent and Moss alerts the White House. Buchanan, about to turn Jack over for arrest, instead frees him and begins to stage the defense; however, Juma and his men have already made it into the White House and start engaging Secret Service. Buchanan removes President Taylor's tracker as a diversion, and Jack manages to get her into a saferoom. Juma lies to Secret Service that he has taken the President captive, forcing them to exit the White House. Vice President Hayworth refuses to authorize a rescue attempt until he is sure that Taylor is safe. Juma's men take everyone hostage, including Senator Mayer, and find the bunker impenetrable. He calls his associate Jonas Hodges and demands his help, threatening to cancel a specific shipment that is due to arrive in port soon unless he gets help; Buchanan takes special note of the call. Hodges, improvising, notes that Olivia Taylor and Aaron Pierce are not among the captives, suggesting she may be on-site and in hiding, and that capturing her is the key to forcing the President's surrender. Hodges is correct; Pierce and Olivia are in fact in the process of attempting to broadcast a signal to the agents outside when they are detained. Allison Taylor, unable to stand by as her only child is mutilated, surrenders to General Juma. ||||||||
| 157 | 13 | "Day 7: 8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m." | Brad Turner | Manny Coto & Brannon Braga | March 9, 2009 (2009-03-09) | 7AFF13 | 11.37 |
| As Juma has President Taylor read a prepared statement on live stream, Bauer reveals to Buchanan that he has filled the bunker space with explosive gas; it will kill most of Juma's men, but also whatever American volunteers to set it off. Buchanan convinces Bauer to let him set off the bomb, charging Jack with getting to the bottom of the conspiracy implied by Juma's call to Hodges. Between Pierce, Bauer and Moss's FBI, breaching without orders after the explosion is detected, the plan goes off successfully; Juma is slain by Bauer, and the President is saved. Bill Buchanan receives a silent clock for his sacrifice. Afterwards, Bauer tells Moss about the phone call, and suggests he be allowed to speak to Ryan Burnett a second time. When Moss declines, Walker goes behind his back and informs Kanin, who orders Moss to comply. Moss decides to suspend Walker. Having anticipated the interrogation, Hodges' assistant sends an assassin, John Quinn to kill Burnett and frame Jack for the act. He succeeds and escapes, with Bauer giving chase. Meanwhile, Allison decides to appoint Olivia as her special advisor. Kanin disagrees because of Olivia's reckless previous actions, but to no avail. ||||||||
| 158 | 14 | "Day 7: 9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m." | Brad Turner | Evan Katz & Juan Carlos Coto | March 16, 2009 (2009-03-16) | 7AFF14 | 11.36 |
| Bauer, having obtained DVDs of security-camera footage from the hospital, sends Quinn's image to Walker for identification. She informs Bauer that Quinn is affiliated with Starkwood, a private military company that is supervised by Hodges. She also reveals that Mayer is currently investigating Starkwood's activities. Jack goes to Mayer's home and begins rifling through his files, trying to determine Starkwood's motivation. Meanwhile, Moss has figured out that Walker is aiding Bauer behind the scenes; she has passed him a file which turns out to be Sen. Mayer's home address, but it is encrypted to the point that Janis cannot crack it. Morris, who is on-site to inquire why his wife is under arrest, agrees to decrypt the file in exchange for Chloe's release. Bauer and Mayer determine that Juma has allowed Starkwood to test a biological weapon on Sangalan citizens. Mayer encourages Bauer to come forward with his accusations and allow the nation to fight on his behalf for once; Bauer accepts and surrenders to the Metro PD. Unfortunately, it's not Metro PD: It's Quinn in disguise. He slays Mayer and chases Jack to a construction site, where Jack wins the resulting fight. Quinn's cell phone contains a location that may be a clue about the shipment and who else is involved; Jack calls Tony and asks him to meet him there. Meanwhile, Ken Dellao, a reporter asks Kanin about his authorization of the interrogation that caused the death of Burnett. Kanin confronts Olivia for leaking the information, as this is exactly what got her fired from President Taylor's presidential campaign, but Olivia is able to prove her innocence. ||||||||
| 159 | 15 | "Day 7: 10:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m." | Jon Cassar | Teleplay by : Alex Gansa Story by : David Fury | March 23, 2009 (2009-03-23) | 7AFF15 | 10.37 |
| Bauer and Almeida head to the location found on Quinn's phone, a freight yard, where they intercept a security guard, Carl Gadsen, who confesses his involvement with Starkwood mercenaries. Moss tells Kanin about his belief that Bauer has killed Mayer, which prompts Kanin to resign; Olivia is revealed to have actually leaked the information as suspected. Moss also reaches out to Renee, admitting that forensic evidence (bullet holes where they shouldn't be, a door broken in Jack's escape) indicate the presence of a third party. Renee confesses the Starkwood connection, and Moss decides to give Bauer the benefit of the doubt. Gadsen allows the Starkwood mercenaries in on Bauer's order. As they start unloading the shipment, a mercenary takes Carl away to kill him. Almeida tries to dissuade Bauer from saving Carl in order to proceed with the mission, but Jack -- for once -- shoots with his heart and not his brain. A shootout starts and Almeida is captured while a mercenary starts driving the truck carrying the shipment. Bauer intercepts it and takes the wheel; however, he finds the container damaged and its contents venting into the air. The mercenaries arrive and reclaim the weapon. Bauer calls Moss, and tells him to send a Hazmat team to evaluate him for the biological agent: while Starkwood may indeed have the bioweapon in their possession, Jack was still exposed. ||||||||
| 160 | 16 | "Day 7: 11:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m." | Jon Cassar | Manny Coto & Brannon Braga | March 30, 2009 (2009-03-30) | 7AFF16 | 11.27 |
| The CDC Hazmat technicians start examining Bauer. Almeida is brought to Starkwood, where Hodges orders his men to torture him for information. Starkwood's bioweapon is revealed to be a non-transmissible version of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease which causes seizures, dementia and death within several days; President Taylor convenes her cabinet, but they are unable to find a satisfactory strategy (or legal precedent) for pre-emptive action. The FBI obtains evidence that Starkwood was using the Sangalan population to test the pathogen as the result of a deal made with Juma. Moss reinstates Walker now that she is revealed to have been right to aid Bauer. Greg Seaton, Hodges' assistant, frees Almeida, claiming an intention to stop Hodges in exchange for immunity, which Allison signs. Seaton informs Almeida, Bauer and the FBI as to the location of the bioweapons. Moss informs Bauer not to come along due to his condition. Seaton takes the FBI to a compound, which they find empty: Starkwood mercenaries surround the FBI and demand that they leave, having already fallen for Seaton's trap. Meanwhile, Allison appoints Olivia as the Chief of Staff. Olivia convinces Pierce, who has retired, to stay with her until the crisis is over. ||||||||
| 161 | 17 | "Day 7: 12:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m." | Brad Turner | Chip Johannessen | April 6, 2009 (2009-04-06) | 7AFF17 | 10.96 |
| The FBI agents leave Starkwood, but Almeida secretly separates from them to continue searching for the bio weapons. Allison orders the Air Force to prepare for an air strike. The FBI finds out that Doug Knowles, the Starkwood chairman, was secretly assisting Mayer with his investigation. They contact Knowles and instruct him to help Almeida, who is able to enter a locked door with Knowles' help. However, Knowles gets captured and is brought to Hodges, who kills him. Almeida locates the canisters and informs the FBI, who gives them to the Air Force. Hodges informs Allison that he has armed missiles with the pathogen ready for launch to populated regions, demanding that she abort the air strike, which she does. Meanwhile, Jack starts showing symptoms of the exposure. The physician informs him of an experimental therapy that requires the genes of family member, suggesting Kim, which Jack declines. Meanwhile, Dellao forces Olivia to meet him in his hotel room, to disclose the situation and have sex with him. She secretly films this and later plays it to him, threatening to disclose it if he does not leave her alone. ||||||||
| 162 | 18 | "Day 7: 1:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m." | Brad Turner | Teleplay by : Manny Coto & Brannon Braga Story by : Howard Gordon | April 13, 2009 (2009-04-13) | 7AFF18 | 10.86 |
| Hodges arranges a meeting with Allison at the White House. Jack offers her a covert mission by Almeida to destroy the missiles. She approves it by saying nothing. Almeida manages to find the missiles and captures the chief operative, forcing him to open the hatch to the chamber. Almeida plants explosives and detonates them. Hodges is arrested, but reveals that he is part of a bigger secret society. The FBI starts arresting Starkwood operatives and securing the premises. An operative named Robert Galvez is revealed to be carrying a canister of the pathogen. He kills some agents and engages Moss and his team, with only Moss remaining. Almeida arrives and kills Moss, instructing Galvez to leave. Meanwhile, Walker informs Jack that Kim has arrived, angering him for involving Kim. He visits her, and she tells him that she is ready to try the therapy. However, he convinces her to let him die, and she leaves. Almeida finds out about Kim's presence. ||||||||
| 163 | 19 | "Day 7: 2:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m." | Michael Klick | David Fury | April 20, 2009 (2009-04-20) | 7AFF19 | 10.34 |
| Jack and Walker arrive at the scene, and he begins to suspect that something is wrong. Galvez is tracked to a building, and the FBI surrounds it. Galvez lures the agents inside and causes an explosion that inflicts massive casualty. He poses as an agent and Almeida helps him leave the scene in an ambulance without attracting attention. Jack realizes that Almeida has been lying about his adventures and confronts him before collapsing as a result of his condition. Almeida takes his medications and leaves him. The agents arrive to check on him while Galvez takes control of the ambulance. Meanwhile, a woman named Cara Bowden disguises as Hodges' lawyer and visits him in detention, revealed to be working for his associates. She gives him a pill to commit suicide, threatening his family if he does not comply. During transfer, Hodges takes the pill, and the guards call for medical care. Kim calls her husband, Stephen, with whom she has a daughter named Teri, and informs him of her flight back to them in Los Angeles. ||||||||
| 164 | 20 | "Day 7: 3:00 a.m. – 4:00 a.m." | Michael Klick | Teleplay by : Alex Gansa & Chip Johannessen Story by : Juan Carlos Coto | April 27, 2009 (2009-04-27) | 7AFF20 | 10.43 |
| Almeida kills Galvez and claims the canister. Jack tells the FBI about Almeida. Bowden visits Almeida, and the two are revealed to be romantically involved. She starts a secret internet conference between the members of the secret society. Almeida suggests instead of replicating the remaining pathogen, using it instead for one final attack to cripple the government, and shifting the blame to someone else. In a private chat with Alan Wilson, a member, Bowden convinces him to support Almeida's proposal. Thus, the members vote in favor of Almeida, who leads a team and captures two Middle-Eastern brothers named Jibraan and Hamid Al-Zarian. Meanwhile, Hodges is revealed to have survived his attempt and is taken to a hidden location, where he reveals that the secret society consists of military company owners who planned the day's attacks in order to paralyze the government, who would then enlist the help of the private sector. Jack deduces that Almeida is planning another attack while diverting attention from the companies. He enlists the help of Chloe. Hodges is granted witness protection, which infuriates Olivia as he had killed her brother. She calls a man named Martin Collier and arranges a meeting to discuss Hodges. ||||||||
| 165 | 21 | "Day 7: 4:00 a.m. – 5:00 a.m." | Brad Turner | Manny Coto & Brannon Braga | May 4, 2009 (2009-05-04) | 7AFF21 | 10.11 |
| Almeida threatens Jibraan to kill Hamid, if Jibraan does not follow Almeida's instructions. Jibraan announces responsibility for the upcoming attack and promises more in front of the camera. Then he is forced to tell Hamid that he is actually working with Almeida's team to attack the U.S. Almeida's team and Jibraan leave while one operative stays to watch Hamid. Chloe finds out about Jibraan by his internet activity, which is faked by Almeida. Jack and Walker head to the neighborhood mosque and question the cleric, who agrees to take them to the Al-Zarians'. The FBI storms in and Hamid critically wounds the operative. Almeida's target is revealed to be a subway station. Meanwhile, Olivia is paid a visit by Collier in her office. She says that she is determined to have Hodges killed, and he leaves to arrange for the plan. A professional hitman calls Olivia and tells her to transfer the money to his account for the hit. She finally changes her mind and does not transfer it. However, Hodges is killed, anyway. She calls Collier, who arranges another meeting outside. ||||||||
| 166 | 22 | "Day 7: 5:00 a.m. – 6:00 a.m." | Brad Turner | Evan Katz | May 11, 2009 (2009-05-11) | 7AFF22 | 9.79 |
| Jack tortures the operative, who reveals a phone number for Almeida, which he calls, and the FBI tracks Almeida's location. Jibraan is given an ear piece and instructed to enter the station where he tries to alert the cops, but a corrupt officer demands that he follow the instructions in the earpiece. He enters a train, where Bowden leaves the canister in a bag. Jack's team captures Almeida and contacts Jibraan, who manages to find the canister and get it to Jack. Jack puts the canister in a chamber for safe detonation, causing no casualties. Jack starts torturing Almeida, who does not talk. At the airport, a man, who along with his female partner has befriended Kim, kills an FBI agent assigned to ensure Kim's safety. The pair secretly records live footage of Kim. Bowden calls Jack and shows him the footage, demanding that he free Almeida. Meanwhile, Collier convinces Olivia to transfer the money. Pierce gets suspicious of her activities and asks Kanin how to access her phone conversation logs, which Kanin states that only he can do. Kanin arranges a meeting with Pierce at the White House. ||||||||
| 167 | 23 | "Day 7: 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m." | Jon Cassar | David Fury & Alex Gansa | May 18, 2009 (2009-05-18) | 7AFF23 | 9.65 |
| Jack tells Walker about Kim, freeing Almeida by force. Almeida decides to take Jack with him, telling Bowden that they can extract the pathogen from Jack and replicate it. Jack is taken to a warehouse, where technicians start experiments on him. Bowden arranges a meeting between Wilson and Almeida now that the latter has proven his capability and apparent loyalty. Jack manages to free himself and escape, with Almeida and Bowden giving chase. Meanwhile, Walker alerts Kim of Bowden's operatives. They start a shootout and the woman is killed while the man tries to escape. Kim follows him to his car, which burns with him inside. She manages to extract his laptop, which can be used to trace Almeida and Bowden. In the meantime, Kanin arrives and Pierce explains his belief about Olivia's involvement in Hodges' death. Kanin accesses the logs and takes a memory card. Olivia detains him, destroys the card he is carrying and frees him. Having anticipated that, Kanin is revealed to have given the real card to Pierce, who returns it. Kanin listens to the recording. ||||||||
| 168 | 24 | "Day 7: 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m." | Jon Cassar | Teleplay by : Howard Gordon Story by : Manny Coto & Brannon Braga | May 18, 2009 (2009-05-18) | 7AFF24 | 9.65 |
| Jack is captured by Almeida, who reveals that Wilson was one of the masterminds of the events of Day 5, and thus, Dessler's death. Almeida reveals that his real plan is to kill Wilson, while he has tried to save the country as his secondary objective during the day. Almeida puts a bomb on Jack, intending to kill Wilson and Jack with it. Wilson and his operatives arrive. The FBI attacks and a shootout starts. Wilson and Bowden run together. Jack manages to remove the bomb and chases Almeida, who kills Bowden and tries to kill Wilson, but is stopped by Jack and arrested. Wilson denies any involvement in the day's events. Jack is taken back to the FBI and advises Walker to make choices that she can live with, not those aligning with the law. As he chooses to accept his apparent fate, Kim convinces the physician to prepare for the treatment mentioned. Walker enters Wilson's detention room and decides to torture him for information. Meanwhile, Kanin plays the tape to Allison and entrusts it to her. Henry tries to convince her to destroy it; but she decides to inform the Justice Department. ||||||||

## Production

Producers were determined to reinvent the series after receiving criticism over the sixth season. They initially devised a storyline which would have Jack Bauer traveling to Sangala trying to find himself, and becoming caught up in a coup with Black Hawk Down-style results.

   "The fact is, it was a mutual issue," explains Gordon. "We struggled to do something new this year. We sent Jack Bauer, to Africa and I wrote a script that honestly did not work. Before the network even saw it at the studio level, we were getting kick-back from the idea, especially once we budgeted what Africa would cost. It was a combination of the studio was not enthusiastic to shoot there for budgetary purposes and creatively, it didn't feel like it warranted pushing our case. One day, at the IHOP, I sat across Joel and Bob and we all agreed this story wasn't working and retooled it two weeks ago."

The decision to scrap the storyline and start over delayed production from July to late August. Filming was delayed a second time (from August 27 to September 10) in order for writers to complete additional scripts.

The crew was scheduled to film scenes with Kiefer Sutherland at the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro on Monday October 22, 2007; however, filming was canceled for health reasons due to raging wildfires in the area. Cast and crew had blurry vision and difficulty breathing from the smoke. United States Navy SEALs helped battle fictional terrorists at Camarillo Airport during filming of an episode on August 12–13, 2008.

After completion of the 18th episode, production was temporarily shut down on September 15, 2008, for two weeks in order to perform script rewrites for the final six episodes. In an Entertainment Weekly interview, Howard Gordon responded "We just couldn't get this direction to work, and we found another one that we liked better, so we wound up retooling it."

Executive producer and 24 co-creator Joel Surnow left the series on February 12, 2008. His contract with 20th Century Fox was due to expire on April 30 but he requested an early release. "I did some soul-searching. I took as an opportunity to write on my own and do other things. After doing 24, I don't know if I want to do a mainstream show again. I like what's going on in cable; there is an opportunity to stretch dramatically there, which is something I'm trying to do." Series co-creator and executive producer Robert Cochran also left the show after the twelfth episode. The position held by Surnow was filled by showrunner Howard Gordon.

Season 7 was dedicated to the memory of Larry Davenport, who was the assistant editor and editor since the first season. He died January 19, 2009.

Tony Almeida was seeming killed in Season 5, but was revealed to be alive in this seventh season. Showrunner Howard Gordon mentioned in an interview that they purposely filmed Tony's death in a way that would allow his eventual return.

### Trailer

The debut trailer aired on October 25, 2007. In the trailer, Jack is seen testifying before Congress concerning his past extralegal activities, including the torture of terrorist Ibrahim Haddad. The international version of the trailer is largely identical but features an additional line where Bauer implies personal enjoyment from torturing a suspect. This line is cut from the US version.

A second trailer emphasized the plot concerning the United States losing control of its power lines, water supplies and air traffic control. Jon Cassar confirmed on the Fox message board that the 24: Redemption DVD would have a new alternate trailer for the season as an extra feature and that it contains scenes from the first fourteen episodes.

### Writers Guild of America strike

On October 25, 2007, Fox premiered the first trailer and announced the return date for season 7 as January 13, 2008. Just eleven days later, on November 5, 2007, the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike began. Rather than airing the eight completed episodes, Fox executives immediately postponed the season to ensure that it "can air uninterrupted, in its entirety." Fox scheduling chief, Preston Beckman, admitted "It's not a decision we wanted to make, but it's one based on how we feel the viewers expect us to schedule the show."

Following the conclusion of the writers strike, production resumed on April 22, 2008.

Kiefer Sutherland claims the strike was beneficial to the show: "The time allowed us to do something that has never been done before — create a map of the entire season before we started shooting. So I can tell you without hesitation, I know for a fact, that season 7 is going to be the best season yet." Sutherland reiterated this in an interview with TV Guide on August 18, 2008.

### 24: Redemption

To make up for the lack of any 24 episodes in 2008, Fox aired a two-hour TV movie on Sunday, November 23, 2008, that bridges the gap between seasons 6 and 7.

The storyline takes place during Inauguration Day for the next U.S. President, Allison Taylor, and is shot partially in South Africa. "[Jack] is a soul in turmoil and has been moving from place to place trying to find somewhere he can be at peace," says co-executive producer, Manny Coto. "But he winds up in Sangala, an imaginary country in Africa in the middle of a military coup." While at Sangala, Bauer is subpoenaed to appear before the Senate hearing, but he doesn't want to go. Redemption takes place approximately 42 months after Day 6 and Day 7 takes place 65 days after Redemption.

### Energy reduction

Howard Gordon said that 24 cares about the issue of global warming and takes fighting climate change seriously. Measures were taken during the filming of season 7 to make the show carbon neutral. These measures include increased energy efficiency (hybrid vehicles), burning of cleaner fuels (natural gas, biodiesel), and purchase of renewable energy. Through these efforts, the crew was able to reduce the carbon emissions of the show's production by 43%. The remaining emissions will be eliminated with the purchase of carbon offsets. In addition, a series of PSAs with Kiefer Sutherland and other main cast members were produced to educate the public on what they can do to help with the issue.

## Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 76% with an average score of 8.3 out of 10 based on 33 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "New characters and old faces appear as 24 begins to challenge the ethics and morals of its characters."

Cherry Jones, who played President Allison Taylor, won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, becoming the second Emmy Award-winning performer of the show, after Kiefer Sutherland in 2006. IGN's review of Season 7 praises Jon Voight's performance as Jonas Hodges saying "Hodges ends up being more of a Bond villain than a 24 villain – over the top at times, but creative and willing to stop at nothing to execute his plan." The same review disapproves of the season's focus on the politics of torture saying "it was a bit much, putting too much real world politics into what in the past has been great escapist entertainment." On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the seventh season scored 72 out of 100, based on 21 reviews, indicating "Generally favorable reviews" and was considered a huge improvement over the previous season.

### Award nominations

| Organization | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| - | - | - | - |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Cherry Jones | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Music Composition for a Series, Dramatic Underscore | Sean Callery | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series, One Hour | William Gocke, Mike Olman, Ken Kobett | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series | William Dotson, Cathie Speakman, Pembrooke Andrews, Jeffrey Whitcher, Shawn Kennelly, Melissa Kennelly, Daryl Fontenault, Jeff Charbonneau, Laura Macias, Vince Nicastro | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series | Scott Powell | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series | Jeff Cadiente | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series | Jeff Cadiente, Brian Hite, Norman Howell, Christopher Leps, Dustin Meier, John Meier, Gary Price, Jimmy Sharp, Jr., Erik Stabenau, Justin Sundquist | Won |
| Satellite Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Cherry Jones | Nominated |

## Home media releases

The seventh season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1 on May 19, 2009 (2009-05-19) and in region 2 on October 19, 2009 (2009-10-19).

