moles!

Tonight's "24" revealed that there were two moles in that FBI office: squirrelly agent Sean Hillinger (we learned he was a mole last week) and his office squeeze Erika, the blonde with whom he's been cheating on his wife. Well, Sean killed Erika and then got caught, which goes to show that crime doesn't pay! I anticipate a scene in which Jack gets to work Sean over, but it might be more satisfying to watch Sean's wife work him over, once she finds out he's been cheating on her.

"24" is often simplistic in its morality, but it also shows good people doing bad things because of the enemy they're fighting. This takes an emotional toll on some characters, and in tonight's episode, Agent Walker has the breakdown that we know has been coming. It occurs not long after the death of Marika, an innocent who had been dating the bad guy, Iké Dubaku, without knowing who he was. Marika is, sadly, another in a long line of sacrificial lambs on "24," and Agent Walker has had her fill of killing and ruthlessness. When she confronts Jack with this, demanding to know whether Jack feels the same pain she does, Jack coldly tells her, "Then quit." He then warns her that, if she ever draws her gun on him again (she did so earlier, when Jack tried to stop Walker from rescuing Marika from the burning SUV), she had better be prepared to use it. Agent Walker responds that she was prepared to shoot Jack, but the tear rolling down her face after Jack leaves belies her expressed conviction.

It's enough to make one wonder whether Jack is eventually going to kill Agent Walker, depriving beleaguered Larry Moss of his lady love. I somehow doubt this will occur, but it's at least possible at this point. Were I a betting man, I'd say that Agent Moss's name is on the dead pool.

Next week's "24" features a storming of the White House by African commandos. It's enough to make me think that the White House is now the surrogate CTU-- just as mole-ridden and just as accessible to all the baddies. It's a vision of our nation's capital that's a far cry from that of "The West Wing."


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