Josh Bauer

articleissues
in-universe = October 2008
plot = October 2008

Infobox character
series=24


name = Josh Bauer
portrayer = Evan Ellingson
lbl1=Appearances

data1= 6
linkArticle = Josh Bauer

Josh Bauer is a fictional character in the TV show "24", who had a prominent role in the sixth season. Josh Bauer is portrayed by Evan Ellingson. Josh is the son of Graem and Marilyn Bauer, and the nephew of Jack Bauer.

Day 6

Josh first appears in the fifth episode of Season 6 when his uncle Jack comes to their house looking for Graem, his father. After Graem's death, they are taken to CTU. In episode 9, Phillip Bauer took Josh away from CTU, citing psychological reasons. He is able to convince Marilyn that CTU and everything else that has happened today frightens him, and he would like to take Josh somewhere he can be comfortable. Without Josh's knowledge, Phillip was using him as leverage against Josh's mother, Marilyn.

Episode 10 shows that Josh discovers Phillip is surreptitiously holding him hostage, but he is unable to escape from him. Later, Jack manages to convince Phillip to later return Josh to Marilyn in exchange for himself. After Phillip disappears without killing Jack, Jack assures Josh that he will explain everything to him later.

Later, Josh is seen watching the television broadcast of the nuclear bomb explosion, and he feels a great deal of shame about what happened. Apparently, Josh learns about his father's and grandfather's involvement in today's events and possibly Day 5's events. Despite the fact that nothing that happened was his fault, he felt a certain amount of guilt over the deaths of the people killed in the nuclear bomb. Josh said he feels like he did not want to be born and be a part of this family. Marilyn assures Josh that he should not feel that way, and he is not the person his father was.

Later the Chinese invaded CTU; their mission was to capture Josh. Despite Jack's best efforts, Josh is eventually taken into the custody of the Chinese because the men threatened to shoot Marilyn. Apparently, Phillip wants the Chinese to deliver Josh to him, in exchange for fixing the component. Phillip plans to take Josh with him as he escapes to China, claiming that he wanted Josh to be his legacy.

In Episode 22, Jack manages to catch up to the Chinese. Before the Chinese could drive away, Jack manages to shoot one of the cars to prevent their escape. Cheng Zhi used Josh as a human shield, so Jack would not shoot at them. Eventually, Josh is able to get away from Cheng, and Jack along with CTU are able to kill most of Cheng's men. Jack is able to save Josh from Cheng, but Cheng manages to escape. This effectively broke Phillip's deal with the Chinese. Unfortunately, Phillip negotiates with the Vice President to exchange Josh for the component. Mike Doyle is able to separate Jack from Josh by making it seem like someone wanted to talk to him on the phone. While Jack was distracted, Doyle takes Josh into his custody, and he orders his troops to prevent Jack from following them.

Mike Doyle had plan to get both the subcurcuit board and Josh, but Phillip Bauer was able to make a copy of the subcurcuit board, so it would blow up in Doyle's face. While Doyle was injured, Phillip Bauer's men were able to kidnap Josh. Josh is taken to an off-shore oil rig to where his grandfather is hiding. Jack and Bill Buchanan take a helicopter to the rig because of a F-18 air strike ordered to take out the oil rig.

Josh repeatedly complains to his grandfather that he doesn't want to be with him, and during an evacuation of the oil platform, Josh hits Phillip on the head with a wrench, then takes his gun. He threatens to kill his grandfather, and ends up shooting him, though not mortally. Jack arrives just in time to prevent Josh from shooting Phillip again. Jack convinces Josh that killing Phillip would not make the pain go away, and that he would not be able live with the regret of killing the person that hurt him, and emphasizes that he knows how he feels. Jack is able to save Josh, and he, Bill, and Josh make it out of the rig safely. Jack purposely drops from the helicopter when it is close to shore. Despite Josh's protests, Bill tells Josh that Jack is not ready to come back with them, and he has something else to do. Josh is reunited with his mother at the end of season 6.

Josh's parentage

* In an interview with IFilm, executive producer Howard Gordon revealed that, at one point, the writers believed Josh was Jack's son, but that a draft for a script addressing Josh's parentage ended up being dropped. [ [http://www.ifmagazine.com/feature.asp?article=2257 iFMagazine.com: Exclusive Interview: HOWARD GORDON GIVES THE EARLY SCOOP ON '24' - SEASON 7: VERSION 3.0 ] ]
* In the 24 Magazine, it was revealed in an interview that Josh was actually suppposed to be Phillip Bauer's son after he raped Marilyn, but the scene in which this was revealed was never included.

References