24 - Jack's Back!

[topspeed]

Well, I asked for the First Hubby to get whacked and guess what, if all goes well I'll get my wish! Man, that guy is seriously annoying! Jack is too tied up to save him so unless his son's girlfriend is a former green beret, she should buy the farm too.

But I doubt it.

I didn't see the "Redemption" movie so maybe some of you can fill me in why there are certain Americans that have a vested interest in the African dictator?

[nightflier]

Fun prediction: the girlfriend kicks a$$, and gets the better of Mr. rubber-gloves, drives the pres's hubby to the white house and gets intercepted by the Sec. of State who then puts the Kabash on the whole thing and returns them to the bad guys, who will probably want to torture them.

Also looks like Jack & Tony's cover is blown in the next hour (from what I saw in the preview). My guess is that Tony hesitates, but then finally does take the shot. Then Jack & Tony proceed onto the rendez-vous with the bad guys anyhow and try to get in to steal the decryption device.

The only problem with all this is that this ends the day too soon. So I guess I'm still hoping for some more interesting plot twists.

[Woochifer]

Is anybody still watching?

As mixed a bag as the first four episodes were, I must say that the rest of this season has moved along at a nicely brisk pace. Definitely a step up from the stench of Day Six.

For one thing, the writers are actually following through on the different story threads, and not just creating a bunch of dead ends like they did in Day Six. I like how the story has been peeling back like layers on an onion. When one threat gets averted and a baddie gets taken out, it just leads to yet another perp at a higher level. The CIP device was just the beginning, and that led to General Juma's raid on the White House. Now that Juma's been taken out, we're up to Jonas Hodges (the Jon Voight character) -- and that was something that was very much expected/anticipated by anyone who saw 24:Redemption.

It was only a matter of time before the conspiracy would reach his level, and here he is. And Hodges seems like a perfectly smug scumbag for Jack to match wits with. I would guess that there are a lot of other plot threads connected to Hodges, but after last night's episode, it's back to Jack on the run, and playing a cat-and-mouse game with both Hodges and the Feds.

SPOILER ALERT

I thought that the Tony-Bill-Chloe Underground story didn't go as far as I would have liked, so it was really sad to see Bill get taken out last night. The Tony Almeida thread has pretty much gone into the background, and how long has Chloe been in that FBI lockup? Something tells me that Chloe's gonna be in a world of hurt soon.

I'm also happy to see Agent Pierce back in action (he's the last remaining cast member from Day One, aside from Jack). But, that conversation he had with the First Daughter really creeped me out. What the hell happened to Martha Logan? And did the First Daughter have anything to do with it?

The setup for Day Seven wasn't been what I would have preferred (i.e., a more pared down and personalized storyline for Jack), and indeed the absurdity meter is close to getting pegged at this point. But, I think 24 was smart by basically dispensing with any pretense at realism (even the torture theme seems all too self-aware, and more of a wink-nod at the audience), and just going all out on the thrill ride and suspense elements. To that end, this season has done very well so far. At the very least, it has maintained my interest and gotten a decent flow and pace once again.

[kexodusc]

I'm still watching, and yeah, the first few episdoes sorta seemed like a half-decent, toned down 24 which was kind of refreshing and at least mildly interesting. But the last few have really taken the show to a new level IMO. I'm actually interested and satisfied with it again for the first time since Season 4 I think. I haven't watched this weeks yet as I'm out of town and my wife wouldn't let me so thanks for the Spoiler Alert, Wooch...hope I'm not let down...I'll find out tomorrow night.

[topspeed]

We bailed two episodes ago. The "absurdity meter" as you so aptly put it didn't just peg for us, it spun wildly out of control and was last seen blowing through the roof of my living room. The characters were simply getting a little too annoying for me; The President, First Daughter, Hot FBI girl w/ freckles (whatever her name was). I was ready for all of 'em to buy the farm. When you don't care about the characters anymore, that's a good sign to move on.

[nightflier]

Is it just me, or does this season/day seem to be several disjointed sub-stories? It just seems like they are held together by too thin of a thread.

(spoiler alert)

By the way, I was kinda pissed that Jack finished off that last blond guy so quickly. He looked to be a worthy adversary. Good thing that Tony is getting back into the story. I wonder what doughnut joint he was hanging out at the last few hours - a lot happened.

[Woochifer]

We bailed two episodes ago. The "absurdity meter" as you so aptly put it didn't just peg for us, it spun wildly out of control and was last seen blowing through the roof of my living room. The characters were simply getting a little too annoying for me; The President, First Daughter, Hot FBI girl w/ freckles (whatever her name was). I was ready for all of 'em to buy the farm. When you don't care about the characters anymore, that's a good sign to move on.

Too bad you pulled the ripcord. I actually thought that the last couple of episodes were among the best that 24 has done since Day Five.

The absurdity meter is actually something that the New Yorker entertainment blog uses for their tongue-in-cheek weekly summations of 24, so I'll admit it wasn't my idea!

You're right in that the characters are a bit thin on audience involvement (can't think of any new characters I'd care about if they got wasted). But, as I mentioned, the writers seem to treat this season as a thrill ride from one impossible situation into another, and I prefer that approach over the more phony character development that plagued Day Six.

Is it just me, or does this season/day seem to be several disjointed sub-stories? It just seems like they are held together by too thin of a thread.

(spoiler alert)

By the way, I was kinda pissed that Jack finished off that last blond guy so quickly. He looked to be a worthy adversary. Good thing that Tony is getting back into the story. I wonder what doughnut joint he was hanging out at the last few hours - a lot happened.

Actually, I think this season has held up quite well because they've done a better job of following up the story threads to their conclusion, and linking things together. By comparison, Day Six was a mess, with a lot of story lines that went nowhere or abruptly cut off. I'd say that this season is not quite at the level of Day One, Day Two, or Day Five, but certainly a lot better than Day Three and Day Six.

This season, they had 20 episodes in the can by the time the premiere aired (with all principal photography completed by December), whereas on Day Six, only 8 episodes had been completed by the time the season started. I read that they're already set to begin filming Day Eight in April, and that this might all be one continuous storyline leading up to the 24 feature film after Day Eight.

The only narrative from Day Seven that has felt slightly disjointed was the transition from Juma's White House raid to the plot by Hodges' Starkwood (Blackwater) -- but, it's nowhere near as disjointed as Day One when the plot resolved the Palmer assassination/Kim kidnapping plot and then had to reboot and introduce the Drazen storyline. In this case, the writers didn't let things linger for a couple of hours like they did on Day One.

If you saw 24: Redemption, you knew that at some point, all roads would lead to Jonas Hodges, and that's where things are right now. In a way, everything so far has been a prologue to the main story, which is Jack matching wits with Jonas. It's also interesting that the overarching theme has shifted from the ethics of torture to the wisdom of creating mercenary armies. The thing I'm wary of is the rest of this season devolving into yet another WMD chase.


SPOILER ALERT


Last night's episode was a bit disappointing/shocking in that Jack's budding alliance with his new BFF Senator Mayer got cut down in a hail of gunfire. I love Kurtwood Smith (yet another Robocop alum on 24 -- all that's left is Ronny Cox and Nancy Allen), and would have liked to see more of his character. I thought that Mayer was going to betray Jack and direct the DC cops to arrest him. But, the Starkwood assassin struck and that was that. I thought he was expendable, since they didn't really spend much time building up his character.

Getting Tony back into the storyline should be interesting, because I don't think he's 100% on board with Jack. So far, the Tony Almeida storyline has been the most disappointing one this season.

[nightflier]

Starkwood = Blackwater, I didn't catch that one. If I remember right from one of my linguistics classes, wood is synonymous with water in some literary contexts.

Yes, the WMD chasing is a disappointment.

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that Tony and Jonas also have a history that goes a little deeper.

[Woochifer]

HOLY SHEEEEOTTTTTT!!!!

I have no idea what to make of the latest plot twist. It pushes dangerously close to beyond absurd, but it also sets up a very strong push to the finish for the last 5 hours.



SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!






What the F is up with Tony?! I must say that 24 is really pushing the absurdity meter to the breaking point with this latest plot twist. But, it is probably the most shocking revelation (and one that requires the most twisted logic) since Nina was revealed as a Serbian terrorist in Day One.

The season so far has been a thrilling return to form, even if it has become more cartoonish in the process. With a few minor changes (i.e., Jack finally accepting treatment from Kim, Tony killing Larry solely to escape federal custody -- no bioweapon redux) Monday's episode could have easily been the season finale, and it would have been an excellent wrap for a decent season. But, with Tony going rogue with a bioweapon in hand, we still have this final reset button to contend with.

I knew that something was going to come up because of Tony's reluctance to join Jack on the bioweapon recovery, and we still don't know who Tony was working with earlier in the day when he got the intel on Juma or sat around at that D.C. cafe. I just didn't expect Tony to go Soprano on Larry Moss!

Earlier in the season, I was complaining about how conveniently Tony got turned into a good guy again. I thought that a Jack v. Tony storyline would create the most compelling drama, and now we very well might have it. It's just that the setup in getting to this point is really pushing things.

The resolution on the Jonas Hodges story seemed a bit quick, but it's obviously not over. And the Kim Bauer story seems to be filling time before Jack goes back out there.

[nightflier]

Earlier in the season, I was complaining about how conveniently Tony got turned into a good guy again. I thought that a Jack v. Tony storyline would create the most compelling drama, and now we very well might have it. It's just that the setup in getting to this point is really pushing things.

Naw, Tony's going to come out as having infiltrated the top level of the Jonas & company conspiracy and come out a good guy. If anything, Tony was loyal to Buchanan and that would fit the storyline. Jack's meddling got in the way of Tony's cover and that's why he had to stop him by taking the drugs away. Anyhow the whole jack-on-drugs theme is reminiscent of another season and was getting tired. Let him get the friggin' cure from Kim and then set him off to torture Jonas and catch up with Tony.

Probably won't happen that way, but what's wrong with a little speculation?

[Woochifer]

Three hours to go!

Everything's still moving along at a brisk pace, but I'm still having trouble grasping Tony's full 360 turn. Lots of holes still don't make sense. Interesting twist that they've unraveled the plot to frame an innocent Muslim for the pending bioattack on the DC Metro.

Seems that these next three hours are setting up a bunch of cliffhanger material for Day Eight (we already know that Keifer is coming back for another day, so it's clear that Jack will accept treatment for his condition at some point). I say this because the entertainment sections have already written up articles indicating that next season will set 24 in New York, and take place three weeks after this season's events. Very clearly, not everything will neatly wrap up when the clock strikes 8am.

The Jack v Tony confrontation is coming soon, but I still don't know what to make of this latest shadow conspiracy that Tony is supposedly working for. Looks like the more intriguing subplot is with the White House, where we have no idea who's behind the latest machinations with the First Daughter. Is Aaron involved?

[nightflier]

If anything, Aaron will thwart whoever is involved, but I seriously doubt he's on the wrong side on this one. It is interesting that they're giving him quite a bit of screen-time.

Looks like Tony's going to get pretty "jacked up" in the next hour, so we'll know if he really is on the wrong side of this one. Looks like Chloe is getting a bit more screen-time too. Maybe there's more going on at the FBI, too...

[Woochifer]

Another bad day has ended for Jack Bauer, and he has accepted his own demise and even called back that Muslim cleric to handle his last rites.

BUT, we already know that Day Eight begins filming next week and the story will be set in New York a few weeks after Day Seven's events.




SPOILER ALERT






So, it looks like all of the antagonists and protagonists made it through the last couple of hours, including Tony, Agent Walker, and Alan Wilson. The Tony Almeida story crept back to at least some fleeting grasp of plausibility with the revelation that he's been playing both sides, and working his way up the ladder to get his face time with the Wizard behind the curtain.

The final episode kinda reminded me of Day One, where it was all about Jack trying to save his family, and David Palmer choosing moral clarity even if it meant splitting up his family.

The ending with Jack in a coma was a bit strange, but since anyone who reads entertainment news knows that Day Eight is already in preproduction, it was all a matter of how Jack's life would be saved. I actually thought that Kim would get killed and Jack would reluctantly accept the stem cell procedure now that she's gone.

But, instead we'll probably start Day Eight with a pissed off Jack who'd already accepted his own death. Maybe we'll find out that the stem cell procedure killed Kim. Should be interesting to see where Agent Walker winds up, now that she decided to go rogue on Alan Wilson.

All in all, Day Seven was a huge improvement over Day Six, but it strained plausibility way too many times, and the Tony Almeida plot had too many twists to be believable. But, I do like that the plot threads were more personalized and there was more emphasis on personal peril than last season. Now, we'll see how they move on Day Eight. Fortunately, the writers didn't leave a huge setup, just a couple of minor cliffhangers. In previous years, the more promising setups were quickly squandered (i.e., when Jack got shipped off to China, when Jack had to fake his own death).

[nightflier]

Well, I got one thing right: Tony wasn't such a bad guy after all.

I like the fact that Bob Gunton (Ethan Kanin) came back. He came off as a bit of a softie (maybe even having the hots for President Taylor), but he showed his mettle in the last hour. He could have done anything with the info, but he did the right thing. I'm also glad that the pres told her daughter Olivia (Grayden) to take a hike. She was wayyy too unstable. I didn't like her in Jericho, and she was equally unlikable here.

We also never found out if Tony's girlfriend (Price-Francis) really died. If she somehow survived, you can bet she's going to be one peeved-off ex. And her boss, Wilson (Patton), is going to be a tough nut to crack, although I'm sure agent Walker can crack some nuts, especially after loosing two boyfriends in one day. But he's going to survive that, and then there's no telling how long the FBI will be able to hold him before the rest of the conspiracy members can spring him or kill him. And when he gets out, he's going to be one mean SOB (even if he sounds like a soprano on account of having lost his nuts in that interrogation room). He could even go rogue and be another Drazen-like psychopath.

Lots of loose ends to still tie up in day 8. Can't wait.

[Rich-n-Texas]

...SPOILER ALERT....

AH HA HA HA HA HA HA... Yeah, okay

PUT THE GUN DOWN!!!

GIVE ME THE KEY!!!


I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!