Howard Gordon speaks to Houston Chronicle

Jack obtained a recording proving President Logan (Gregory Itzin) was involved in former President Palmer’s assassination. Then he had to give it up. Why didn’t he just download the recording?
As a piece of evidence, this was a first-generation digital recording. Anything else could easily be dismissed as a second-generation, manipulated copy.

You guys are well-known for making it up as you go along. When did you decide the president was a villain?
As early as Episode 4 or 5 we put it out on the table. There was resistance; will people want to see a willfully bad president? This relationship with him and his wife has been such a wonderful story to tell that we wanted to take it to another level. To have him hiding under this persona of weakness, to be this guy with such intent and will, was really an interesting place to go.

Is the secretary of defense dead?
That will be answered in (tonight’s) episode.

The first lady seemed overly medicated on the last episode.
I know. I think she’ll take two Alka-Seltzers between episodes and be a little bit less (medicated).

Where’s Secret Service agent Aaron Pierce?
You will learn the answer (tonight). I don’t think he’s dead yet.

Any hints of romance coming up between Jack and Audrey Raines (Kim Raver) or between Jack and Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub)?
We’re introducing somebody, a male character who may have something going on with Chloe. What’s interesting is that Audrey and Jack’s relationship is that they got a second chance. But it’s still been only a day. Once the dust has settled, they’ll realize it’s not going to be as easy as they hoped it would be to live happily ever after.

You’ve killed a lot of people this season. Did you worry you had killed too many?
Not just too many but too many too quickly. What it did, though, was tell our audience that this is a dangerous thing we’re up against; people we care about can and do die.