Charles Logan (24)
Charles Logan | |
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In-universe information | |
Full name | Charles Logan |
Occupation | President of the United States (Season 4–5) Vice President of the United States (Season 4) United States Senator from California (Pre-series) Lieutenant Governor of California (Pre-series) Member of the California State Assembly from the 37th district (Pre-series) |
Spouse | Martha Logan (divorced) |
Political party | Republican Party |
Hometown | Santa Barbara, California |
Alma mater | Princeton University (Bachelor of Arts) |
Charles Logan is a fictional character played by
For the role, Itzin received two
Characterization
Charles Logan has a
Logan possesses several characteristics that diminish his capacity to serve as president. In contrast to
After
In the commentary for the show's fifth season DVD, Itzin mentions how he, with the help of Jean Smart, who played his wife Martha, developed an extensive backstory for Logan to help focus his performance. Among other things, he decided that Logan was the son of a distinguished military and political leader. Logan's father physically abused him as a child, which Logan references twice in the finale; first when he tells Jack that he's a lot tougher than he appears to be, then again when he warns Martha that she doesn't know what pain is.
The backstory also included the Logans' son, who died in his twenties several years ago (which might have been the cause of Martha's mental breakdown). Throughout the day, Logan carried a small chain in his pocket which had been a gift from his son, though most shots that show the chain (such as when his pockets are emptied when Jack interrogates him) were cut for time. Itzin also commented that
Logan's reappearance in the sixth season show a man who is deeply sorry about his actions in the previous season. Logan has all but stated he is now a
While Logan may have changed during his reappearance in the sixth season, his actions in the eighth season show that he had either reverted to his previous self or he had never actually changed. He was still shown to be obsessed with establishing his legacy, committing more and more ruthless actions to do so and manipulating the new president Allison Taylor into pushing a peace treaty that was built on false premises.
Itzin has acknowledged a physical resemblance between himself and President Richard Nixon: "I have the hairline, and my posture’s mediocre."[3]
Appearances
This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (October 2008) |
24: Season 4
Logan is first contacted by President
After being sworn in, Logan is informed by one of his senior advisors,
Unfortunately, Logan proves unprepared for both the office and the crisis. When CTU arrests an American civilian named Joe Prado due to his employment under Marwan, Logan is hesitant to face the political risk of detaining Prado without charge. Logan is slow to act, even though CTU and Novick point out that Prado is their only means of finding Marwan in time.
Unwilling to let Logan waste precious time, CTU agent Jack Bauer convinces his superiors to release Prado; afterwards he tortures Prado into revealing one of Marwan's hideouts. Logan, furious that Bauer has acted without his approval, dispatches the Secret Service to arrest him. However, the Secret Service disrupts Bauer's operation to capture Marwan, allowing him to escape.
Logan begins to doubt his ability to govern during the crisis. In response, Novick recruits
Eventually, CTU locates Marwan. Although he kills himself to avoid capture, CTU manages to use Marwan's equipment to track the missile and shoot it down before it reaches its target. Despite his lack of leadership during the crisis, Logan quickly accepts credit for his presumed handling of the situation. His only concession to Palmer is a private statement that he had "played a role".
In the midst of the hunt for Marwan, Palmer authorizes a covert CTU operation led by Bauer to extract Lee Jong, an associate of Marwan's, from the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles. During the incident, the Chinese Consul is killed by friendly fire. Chinese officials eventually link the operation to Bauer and demand his extradition.
Palmer informs Logan of Cumming's actions, but the president disbelieves the story and refuses to take action. Palmer warns Bauer of the threat on his life, causing Bauer and his CTU colleagues to fake his death. While Bauer goes into hiding, Logan remains unaware of the truth, believing that the situation has been resolved.
24: Season 5
Logan prepares to meet
Meanwhile, Bauer, who has emerged from hiding to investigate Palmer's assassination, discovers that Cummings knows more about the plot than what he let on to Logan. After convincing
Shortly after reinstating Bauer at CTU, Logan learns that Cummings has committed suicide. Meanwhile, the terrorists plan to release the nerve gas in a
Immediately thereafter, separatist leader
It is revealed that Logan has collaborated with former CTU agent
Once Jack retrieves the tape, he heads to
Later, Logan is told by one of his co-conspirators,
Logan and Graem agree that the president must commit suicide, reasoning that his trial would do irreparable damage to the country. After apologizing to Martha, Logan prepares to shoot himself. Before he can, Logan receives a call from
At 5:59:03 a.m., Martha stalls the president by sleeping with him, allowing Bauer to sneak aboard
24: Season 6
When Jack Bauer is left a phone number by his father,
Logan enters a Russian consulate to confront Markov, threatening to implicate him in the Day 5 conspiracy unless he gives up Gredenko. Markov claims not to know anything. Logan leaves the consulate convinced that Markov is lying, prompting Jack to sneak into the consulate alone to extract information from Markov.
When Jack is in their custody, Logan requests he speak to Martha, who is now institutionalized. During the visit, Martha is disgusted by Logan's presence. Just when it is agreed that Martha would make the call, in a sudden fit of rage she stabs him in the shoulder with a kitchen knife, severing an artery. Logan is rushed to the hospital, but begins to flatline en route, with his last words, "Martha" before losing consciousness. He is not heard from for the rest of the season.
24: Season 8
Charles Logan makes his first appearance in the season when he offers to help President Taylor with the Russian government, who are attempting to back out of a peace treaty following the assassination of President Omar Hassan.[4] The Russians' explanation is they do not believe the new President of the IRK, Hassan's wife Dalia, will be able to hold up the peace agreement; therefore they wish to drop out and have no part in it. Also during this episode it is learned that Logan was granted a presidential pardon from President Daniels.
Later, Jack Bauer learns of Logan's involvement in the government cover-up of Russian involvement in the death of President Hassan when he checks the recent calls of the assassin of
In the meantime Logan's private escort is attacked by Bauer, who kidnaps him and takes him underground. Bauer threatens to kill Logan unless he gives up the names of those behind the day's events: Logan names Novakovich, the Russian foreign minister. Unbeknown to Logan, Bauer also places a microtransmitter on him; Bauer listens in as Logan incriminates himself further in a conversation with Russian President
When Bauer is eventually captured, Logan makes arrangements for him to be murdered, taking President Taylor's silence as tacit approval. However, at the last moment she refuses to sign the peace treaty and rescinds the order for Bauer's death. Realizing that his plans to kill Jack Bauer and return to political power have failed, Logan murders his right-hand man Jason Pillar and then shoots himself in the head. However, he survives. EMTs responding to the scene believe that he will suffer permanent brain damage.
Critical reception
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2008) |
Gregory Itzin was commended for his portrayal of a weak president, with some critics commenting that the character was partly inspired by Richard Nixon.[5]
In 2006, Itzin was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In 2010, Itzin was also nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his appearance in the eighth season for the episode "Season 8: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m."[6]
References
- ^ "FOX Broadcasting Company: 24". FOX 24. Archived from the original on April 19, 2008. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
- ^ Levin, Gary (April 9, 2006). "'24' prez pivots from weasel to evil". Usatoday.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^ President Logan Puts a Spin on the Plots of ‘24’
- ^ "24 8x15/16 Season 8 Episode 15/16 Preview HD". YouTube. April 5, 2010. Archived from the original on December 18, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^ "Itzin Is '24's' Petrified POTUS". Tv.zap2it.com. September 23, 2010. Archived from the original on November 11, 2007. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^ "Nominations: Official Primetime Emmy Award Nominees". Retrieved August 8, 2010.