In advance of this fifth season of FOX's 24, we were told everything from "You don't know Jack" to the fact that the premiere would be "explosive." Little did we know what the show's creators had in mind for us. Jack is playing "Frank Flynn," and attempting to get some work on an oil site - apparently part of his cover since he's supposedly dead to the U.S. government. Palmer is in the middle of working on his book, Tony and Michelle are back together, and even Chloe's got someone in her bed (and who knew she had ink?!). But 24 wouldn't be 24 without a big way of opening the show. Just minutes in, we see Palmer shot in the neck from a sniper at a building across from where he is standing - and it appears that he really is dead, no faking. And it would only get more intense from there.

The last person we expect to be sleeping with a co-worker is definitely Chloe, but sure enough, there she is with Spenser, who works for her, shortly after the open. Clearly she'll be integral to Jack's return to the living, if she can only make it through the barrage of hitmen who are after anyone connected to Jack and Palmer. Seeing Tony & Michelle at home was a nice scene, which wouldn't last long enough for us to say goodbye. We're quickly thrown into asking who is behind this whole thing, and what's the point. Thankfully, the producers didn't make us wait too long to figure out what was going on - this was clearly a way to spring Jack from wherever he was hiding, and get rid of a few "loose ends" in the process.

In addition to the usual suspense, we've got a new love interest for Jack (since last year's didn't die) in Diane, whose annoying son, Derek, becomes pseudo-kidnapping fodder for Jack when he makes his way into Los Angeles to grab Chloe and figure out what's going on. And Jack makes good on his Action Jackson-ness by punching a rescue helicopter pilot and stealing the chopper for his own use. Here's where we have random moment #1 of the show - Jack calling Diane (from the helicopter) to tell him that everything's okay, but she should drive to L.A. to pick up Derek. Of course, she'll be there within the next hour, using her superhuman powers to make it past any traffic problems that the rest of the world would normally have to deal with in the Los Angeles area.

When Jack and Derek land at the refinery to meet Chloe, they're interrupted by two vehicles containing the hitmen probably responsible for everything going on. Jack quickly wipes them out, with the help of Chloe, but doesn't let the ringleader, Haas, die right away. He finds out that there is indeed a plot to kill Palmer and frame Jack - and he makes the mistake of letting Jack know that he was the man who killed Palmer. So much for medical attention in return for information. And so goes the first of two premiere episodes.

This show hasn't lost any of its flavor and intensity, and is clearly willing to take risks by whacking two fan favorite characters in Michelle and Palmer, all within the first fifteen minutes of the show. When the second hour starts, we're shown more super duper 24 technology, where we can prove that the video showing Jack in the building where Palmer is shot from is definitely not tampered with, or so says Edgar. We are also introduced to President Logan's wife, who is apparently crazy, or at least is being made to believe she is. So far, it's already possible to scheme on two folks who might be the baddies - Chloe's boytoy Spenser, and maybe Logan, or his man Cummings - but as we know, things aren't always as easy as finding one criminal in the midst.

Chloe must have a soft spot for young men, because she manages to give Derek a bunch of scoop on Jack, nee Frank, while they're all together trying to find out what's going on. Somehow, Jack manages to beat up an FBI agent in the parking garage of the building Palmer was killed in, and enters the place without any problems. Go figure. When digging for information about Palmer (who we still see lying dead on the floor), Jack encounters product placement of the episode, an iMac. When Chloe detects agents coming her way (and Jack's), the team comes up with a plan of escape. Of course, he gets away with Derek while Chloe gets busted - shocker.

When information comes forth that an approaching Russian helicopter might be the target of attack, all hands are on deck in that direction. The misdirection works like a charm - but Jack just happened to have the correct information, and is at the airport when the gunmen arrive and set off an explosion. And if you remembered to set your DVR to stay on a little longer, you caught the end, where we find that Cummings, Logan's associate, is involved in the plot. Whether or not Logan is just being used is unclear so far, but it's probable - he's not bright enough to handle something like this.