Bauer by Hour: A Bang-Up Job

Matt Swenson has seen every “24″ bad guy bite the dust in some fashion.

The following take place between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m.

WHO BLEW UP JON VOIGHT?

So one of our questions from last week was answered. The Midnight Cowboy faded away just before the sun will rise again.

Oddly, the transport designed to send him to the witness protection agency went kablooey after Olivia Taylor — the evil daughter of the president — had just called off her own hit on Voight.

The question is: Did her message get through in time or is she to blame?

To recap, Olivia wanted Voight dead since he was responsible for her brother’s death and she felt very strongly that her mom, aka the president, was letting him off easy for giving some info to Jack Bauer.

She ordered an assassination but chickened out at the last minute. She had the motive and made the try, so maybe she didn’t hit “abort” in time.

That doesn’t seem likely, though. The FBI agent helping the president in the White House all day says the hit on Voight was an inside job. Who are we to argue, given that there are just three hours left to resolve this subplot?

If not Olivia, who? We have two other suspects.

» Aaron Pierce. This would make no sense at all and would be relatively blasphemous since the super Secret Service agent has always been above reproach. But the camera kept focusing on him quite a bit this week — and the week before, he asked if he could help Olivia and she made some flip remark about killing Voight in response. Maybe he has a thing for her and went ahead and pulled the trigger?

» The president. She expressed shock at the blast. She, too, has seemed above reproach. But when has a president on “24″ ever been this goody two shoes? Never. So, maybe she agreed with Olivia that Voight was getting off easy and finished him off herself.

Now to the minutes:

» LIBERAL BIAS: Anyone who thinks “24″ leans to the political right is just plain silly. Janeane Garofolo scolds Jack for racial profiling in his search for a terrorist. Later, Jack gets into a shouting match with an Islamic religious figure on the same topic and winds up having to admit he was wrong.

» CONTEXT ANYONE? OK, Jack was on the hunt for a terrorist because he figures Tony Almeida — who is still evil this week — is getting ready to use that bio-weapon he stole a few weeks back. Tony is doing just that and trying to pin the attack on an innocent Pakistani living in D.C.

» POOR CHLOE: In a “24″ first, Chloe sheds some tears after learning Jack is dying. She so has a thing for him even thought she’s married and has a kid.

» SNEAK PEAK: Not to spoil anything, but next week’s trailer shows Jack catching Tony. There must be some major twists ahead if that’s going to happen.

» MIA: Kim Bauer is absent this week but she’s coming back based on the same trailer. Naked Mandy remains an empty wish but maybe she blew up Voight (or not).

» WHY THIS SHOW IS “24″ AND YOUR SHOW ISN’T MOMENT: For the second straight week, Jack yells at Garofolo in the way that only Jack can. We’re glad not to be her.