This thread is about Logan's VP, Hal Gardner.

When I first heard about the new character, I thought, Finally, someone intellegent instead of that idiot Logan. Now, we have VP Gardner all gung-ho about declaring martial law before the nerve gas attacks. The indications are that he was the one behind Nathanson and the initial nerve gas theft. However that plotline seemed so anvilicious it is doubtful to be true. Hopefully he will turn out to be a good guy (He definately appears more competant than Logan)

Doug, you could introduce every character on 24 with that sentence (and I do not exclude Kim)

I'm now waiting for the scene where the VP turns to Logan and says "Dance with me?" The possibility of a Twin Peaks homage leaves me breathless.

I don't agree that Gardner is competent. Martial law? What a piss poor idea. He seems intent on making Logan look bad so Logan will resign/get impeached and then he himself will be President. I'm glad Mike Novick is smart enough to recognize that Gardner has his own agenda.

I hated Gardner on sight. He just oozes "smarmy politician" to me.

Eeek! That is the noise I made when I saw Leland Palmer playing the veep. The actor still creeps me out to this day, him and his random scary dancing, but in a good way. A very good way, TP was so good. But damn creepy.

My hope is that he meets Kim, and she reminds him of Laura, so he re-enacts the Maddy scene. I'll be satisfied with a tune or two from 'Oklahoma' though.

Chicks and ducks and geese better scurry, when i take you out in the surrey...

Great. Now I'm suddenly thinking about what an all-singing musical episode of 24 would be like... ;)
Obligatory content: Nice job getting Ray Wise--just using the Bob/Leland character, he ran through the entire range of emotions and mental stability--and gradually added layers of ominousness to him until the final freakout episodes.

Doug, the bolded word wasn't even in my dictionary:I Googled it; they said, "Do you mean anvilicious?"; I clicked; and guess what the first result was? TWoP FAQ!

Well, tying the Veep in with Nathanson and Scummings may be a bit obvious, but we need someone to bring the American conspiracy more out into the open (for us viewers). His call for "preemptive martial law" sounds like something that would be advocated by someone who also wanted to gas the Chechens in order to guarantee a flow of Russian oil to the U.S. If he's a "superpatriot" like Scummings and Nathanson, then you could see him being ultra-law & order as a domestic complement.

The Veep perhaps wants martial law for the very reasons Mike fears: It will not so much prevent civil disorder as provoke it, nerve gas or no. The L.A. riots that are anticipated--or engineered--will create such a crisis that the Veep thinks he can pull off a coup of sorts in the midst of Logan's worst (Veep may be thinking final) day of his life.

I'm thrilled to see Ray Wise again. First his outstanding turn in GN&GL, then here. He's a great actor, brings so much to a role.

Maybe he can get rid of Logan, the moron.

Be careful what you wish for. The man is pushing for Martial Law without going though the proper legal (not sure if legal is the right term) channels. I'm not defending Logan here, I'm just saying the events of the day could and probably will get worse with the VP's influence.

My money is that he is part of Cummings group. He wants Logan to declare martial law illegally so that Logan is forced to resign, pretty much immediately, or so that the VP can call into use the 25th amendment. It is not a season of 24 until we have the sitting President removed from office somehow or another.

He does have SUPER PATRIOT written all over his forehead. How ironic would it be to have Novick defending the Pres against the 25th Amendment? Could there be 2 worse choices for President?

I don't think you have to get rid of Logan. The VeeP can control everything by surrounding Logan with strong personalities that will lead the President to do exactly what the VeeP wants to do.

Why go through the whole 25th amendment thing, when you can do an end run by grabbing the power and keeping Logan as a figure head. It wouldn't take much to convince Logan that whatever the VeeP wants is the right thing.

I fear for Martha, actually. I don't see the VeeP letting her hang around if she starts having any influence over Logan.

Duh, that makes sense. A strong VP controlling the inner workings of the presidency. That sounds familiar for some reason.

I think it's very possible that the VP is the "other guy inside." He might be the one running the whole show.

Either way it´s not hard to control Logan since he asks anybody who crosses his path for advice "so, what should I do?" That´s his phrase.

Ray Wise is The Poor Man's William Devane.
If VPOTUS and SECDEF do a scene together, will reality fold in on itself?

Well it was only Hal and Aaron (that we know of) who knew about Wayne Palmer coming through the roadblock, and based on Aaron's look of 'where is he?' near the end of the hour, I don't believe he is the one who sent the TerrorVan to take out Wayne.....so, this is a logical thought.

We do know of at least one other person who knew about Wayne coming to NotCampDavid: the unnamed VP minion. I think it unlikely this guy has anything to do with it, but who knows? Maybe he told someone or he is the "other mole." It is also possible that Bierko or Henderson has some of Nathanson's technological gadgetry that enables them to listen in on the conversations (when Kiefer called Novick).

It looks like Hal Gardner is the new POTUS. I wonder if he will be back for the next season