'24: Live Another Day' recap: Torture, violence, and a mole revealed

Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) discusses his plans with Kate Morgan (Yvonne Strahovski, L) on 24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY (Daniel Smith/FOX)

Kate Morgan has had a lot to prove this season on "24". To viewers she's a new character, thrown into the thick of things on a show full of popular characters fans have waited years to see again. In the show's world, she's constantly fighting to prove to those around her that she's a capable agent, even if she didn't realize her husband was selling government secrets. Much has been said about her potential to be the next Jack Bauer; after all, she has problems with authority, is quick on her feet and has a mean shot. If tonight's episode proved anything, it's that Kate is every bit as tough as her male counterpart.

Jack talks Heller into letting him go out in the field, with Kate as his partner, and requests that the CIA let them work alone. Kate agrees to act as bait so Jack can tell an arms dealer connected to Margot that Jack's taken a CIA agent hostage to ensure the dealer's trust. She even goes so far as to drug herself to remain unconscious throughout the ordeal.

Of course, nothing goes according to plan. While Jack attempts to upload a virus onto the arms dealer's computer, his henchmen take Kate to a separate part of their warehouse. When she comes to, she's hung by her wrists from the ceiling, cut with knives, doused in water and shocked with electricity. The scenes are tough to watch, but the payoff comes later. Kate sees her chance and swings from the chain she's tied to, putting one of her captors in a chokehold with her legs. In mere minutes, she manages to free herself and kill both her torturers, a move Jack Bauer would be proud of.

But how could such a capable agent not realize her own husband was betraying his country? That reveal comes when CIA head Steve Navarro, who survived last week's explosion, gets a phone call. He tells the mysterious voice on the other end of the line that his employee noticed that Adam Morgan's files have gone missing and that if he's not careful, they'll soon realize that it was Navarro who implicated Kate's husband in his crimes. Finally, the season's first mole has been revealed, but who is he working for?

One possibility is Margot Al-Harazi. She's no stranger to asking those working for her to complete cruel tasks, even if they're her children. When she discovers Naveed may have told his sister about his mother-in-law's plans to bomb London before his death, Margot sends a grieving Simone to tie up any loose ends. Even when it's clear his sister doesn't know anything about their plan, Margot tells her daughter to kill her and her innocent daughter too. Simone instructs her to leave town, but when the woman makes a move for the phone, she has no choice but to stab her. Her daughter witnesses the act and takes off running out the front door. Simone chases her through the streets before getting hit by a double decker bus. Is this the end for the reluctant terrorist?

Another character in hot water is Mark Boudreau. He has a tense meeting with Jack before he goes on his mission and later a short chat with an increasingly distant Audrey, but his wife and her ex will soon be the least of his problems. A Russian diplomat calls him, asking when they can expect to receive Jack Bauer. Boudreau attempts to delay the transfer but raises suspicions when he refuses to let the Russian speak to the president. It's only a matter of time before it's discovered he forged President Heller's signature on the paperwork that would put Jack in Russia's custody.

In the end, Jack was able to successfully upload a virus onto the arms dealers computer, though the mission came with plenty of obstacles. Among them: MI5, sent by the British Prime Minister, who no longer trusts Heller's judgment after becoming aware of his health problems. The results are a shootout and a grenade explosion but Jack walks away unscathed, allowing Chloe to access account information that could lead to Margot's whereabouts.