SLOW BOAT TO CHINA FOR JACK

THE dreaded name Kim was uttered, just as Jack Bauer had saved the world again in this season's finale of 24 (Sky One), and you just knew that more trouble was around the corner!

But back to the start of Sunday's magnificent double bill and, for the second time in one weekend, a Rooney was involved in a crisis situation. This time it was Petty Officer Rooney, a fresh-faced engineer on the Russian submarine hijacked by scar-faced Bierko and his terrorist mates.

Poor Rooney was told by Jack not to stamp on the terrorist guarding the escape hatch, but to slit his throat. Easy for you to say, Bauer, but the terrified young sailor stepped up to the plate, enabling Jack and scary Christopher Henderson to enter the submarine and disarm the missiles that were seconds away from being fired on San Francisco.

Henderson was rewarded for his expertise in halting the firing sequence by being blown away by Jack in revenge for his part in the murders of David Palmer, Tony and Michelle - 'they were my friends', said Jack as way of explanation. You don't mess with Bauer or his buddies!

Jack's main target for revenge, however, was always going to be duplicitous President Charles Logan. With the help of Martha, the First Lady, Aaron Pierce and Chief-of-Staff Mike Novak, Jack managed to kidnap Logan and take him to a disused industrial estate, where he was planning on extracting a confession.

Following an emotion-charged confrontation between the two men, Jack allowed Logan to believe that he had intended to shoot him but couldn't do it.

The President heaved a sigh of relief as a rescue force arrived and Jack was arrested.

Fortunately, Jack's tactics were a little subtler than that - he had planted a bug in Logan's pen while searching him.

Hey presto, a confession was then recorded and forwarded to the Attorney General by Chloe back at CTU, when Logan had a raging row with Martha before addressing the press in front of David Palmer's coffin.

Back at CTU, we had been introduced to Chloe's ex-husband, Maurice, who had been called in to help, and was just in time to console his ex-wife when she was presented with a picture of herself with recently deceased colleague Edgar.

What a long day it had been! You could barely recall that, along the way, we had lost not only Palmer, Edgar, Michelle and Tony, but also tragic ex-hobbit Lynn McGill, all in 24 hours.

Jack was reunited with Audrey, the incredible healing woman, who only hours before had practically bled to death, but was soon back at her desk in CTU.

The ideal match for Mr Indestructible, you might think. Surely it was time for Jack to relax, sit down to a hearty breakfast and discard the 'sissy man' bag?

Then the false message that 'daughter from Hell' Kim was on the phone, conveniently inside a deserted building - and before you could shout 'No, Jack!' our hero was lying bloodied and beaten on a ship bound for Shanghai.

Jack's misdemeanours at the Chinese Embassy in the previous series had come back to haunt him, but he was told he was much too valuable to kill.

Of course, he is - there are still more action-packed days in the old dog yet.

But can we stand the pressure?