And Just Like That, 24 is Awesome Again

24 writers, you have my apologies. Everything I said yesterday about a weak start? All undone by last night's two high-action, plot-twisty hours that were 24 at its rule-breaking, mole-hunting, undercover-going best.

The turning point came when it was revealed that Tony was thankfully not evil, but undercover. Now, I love undercover stories in general. All of the questions of will they get caught, how far will they go to keep their cover, that's all golden for me. So Tony and Jack undercover is just double the fun. But the best part is that it puts Jack and Tony back together, the CTU dream team bashing heads and taking names.

Even better is that he's undercover for Chloe and Buchanan, leading their own rogue, black ops version of CTU. Before you can shout "No more CTU!" they make it clear this is a different game entirely. If their sketchy warehouse doesn't do the trick, there's Buchanan, looking very spy-like with his black turtleneck, scruffy beard, and slick white hair. When he talks about sacrificing Jack and Sengala PM Metobo to keep Tony undercover, you know straight-arrow Bill is as gone as CTU. No wonder Jack's not sure if he can trust them.

With the real Chloe and Bill back, their FBI fill-ins get to be the "people who try to stop Jack." Chloe-Clone may still be lame, but the tech battle between the former Larry Sanders Show costars during the FBI escape proved her worth. Then there's Agent Freckles, betrayed over losing her teacher in the art of torture. She wants to torture so bad she tries it on her own, nearly killing a guy when he laughs at her lack of confidence. Jack better watch out for her, not because she'll arrest him, but for whatever weird S&M torture fantasies she's got planned.

We also saw the return of 24's favorite plot device: the mole. Unlike in previous seasons though, this time MOLES ARE EVERYWHERE! Sounds paranoid, but since this is 24 it's gotta be true. As far as Taylor's mole goes, it's gotta be the dull Chief of Staff, cause otherwise why is he there? As for the FBI, Creepy Guy's wife may be on that plane, but that doesn't make him innocent. Still, he looks way too evil to actually be evil. Freckles could pull a Nina Meyers, but a good mole wouldn't risk her job by torturing for thrills and worshipping Jack Bauer. That leaves Boring Boss and Chloe-Clone as the main suspects.

Sure, we've been through all of these scenarios already. The four-man CTU operation is just a variation on season 5's Jack Bauer Club, where a select but growing few helped Jack expose Logan's treachery. But at least now if 24 is predictable, it's predictable in a fun way. And as long as they keep coming up with great action sequenences like Jack and Tony's escape from FBI headquarters, I'll be hanging on every "dammit."