The elephant in the room when you watch 24 is when do they go the bathroom (well, this is TV after all, and only Archie Bunker goes to the terlet--unless there's a chance for suspense in the airport restroom), when do they sleep, when do they eat??? Jack's been up for over 24 hours already I'm guessing (everybody else pretty much, too, unless they're dead), and OK he took 5 minutes off to have sex, but the only other bodily function he's taken care of is breathing. Come on, get real here!
Look, I've climbed Tahquitz, this climb many times--I'll take you up it if you want. I know if I don't at least snack once on the way up, I get loopy, and you don't want to get loopy a couple hundred feet above the pine trees. Can Jack really afford to let that happen to him when he's packin' serious heat, has serious heat aimed at him, is disobeying the President (treason?), has the fate of the US, let alone world peace in the balance? So, when he calls Sidewinder (and many more colorful characters) (that's why I love this show--all the great actors it pulls outta nowhere!) and demands repayment for a favor consisting of all sorts of weapons and spy gear, then stops by to pick up the gear (declaring the debt still due), why doesn't he ask for even a granola bar? Or at least a Tigers Milk?
But Jack's too focused to realize he's running on empty. He stuffs all his stuff into a pig bigger than anything I'd ever want to jug up a big wall (OK, that's a pretty geeky link) and heads off into an ambush Chloe has set up for him. Doesn't he know her better than that?
Of course he does. Doesn't Chloe know him better than that? Of course not. And Jack turns the tables on Freddy without killing any of the good guys. He sets it up like he's been captured for Chloe's benefit, convinces Freddy to help him (when Jack's first lame attempt doesn't work--"What if you're wrong, Jack?" "I'm not"-- Jack slides the gun to Freddy and tells him to decide, a ploy that worked very well, on both Freddy and me--it makes sorta sense because if Jack needs Freddy's help to succeed, if Freddy decides taking Jack in is the best path, Jack might just as well give up anyway), and they head off together because Jack can't do it alone--there's another whopper I have to believe or else I'll give up on this show.
But now's not the time to give up on it. Now, they're getting to the really good stuff. Like Dana getting a chance to come into her own. The baddies have her, and though the President told them to use gentle persuasion first and resort to the rough stuff only if the easy stuff fails, they're opting for the tough stuff from the start--waterboarding. This show is so cutting edge. Showing that only the baddies, even when under the auspices of the goodies who have sorta turned bad, use waterboarding. No more torture for Jack.
Seems, though, that Dana should be prepped for this. OK, she looks all scared (great make-up job, too), and at 1st says she doesn't know anything. They proceed nonetheless. So here's where she should start using her back-up stories (what, she doesn't have any? What kinda spy is that without contingency plans out the ying yang?). Here she should show them just how unreliable torture is. Start telling them any story you can think of! They go check it out, when it's wrong, what are they gonna do, torture you some more? OK, so tell them something else. If they don't believe you, they're admitting their methods don't work, but they've so bought into them, that they have to believe.
OK, that's as much as I want to get into the head of a torturer. Thank you very much, 24. But at least it's taught me to always have at least one back-up plan/dummy plant.
I bet if Jack had her, he'd be doing something not nice to her. Last they were together he bashed her head against a table. She's a softy because that's all it took for her to try to deal. Jack's a softy, too, because he took her deal rather than try to beat the info out of her. And he fell for that one twice! She knows she has Jack wrapped around her finger. That's why as the baddies are taking her away from CTU, she's pleading with Chloe to let Jack have her. What other season has anyone preferred Jack's torture over anyone else's? Jack's rep is so blown since he's a grandpa.
This is still great 24 for other reasons. First, actually last, at the end of the episode, Ethan tells Charles that if Charles steers Taylor wrong, Ethan will make Charles pay. Charles says, "Is that a threat?" Ethan says it's a warning. And that just makes me wonder all over again, what is the difference between a threat, a warning, and a promise? Just why do you ask someone, "Is that a threat?" Is it because you want to know? Or are you making threat back? And I mean in the real world here, not the land of 24. Because in TV-land, the reason you have that stupid back and forth is to add drama or suspense. But in the real world? I just don't get the distinction. Do you?
And we have more fun, too. Last week we learned that Taylor would hide the truth about a terrorist attack for her peace deal, even if under no reasonable construction that idea makes sense. This week we learn that we were right, it was a stupid idea. President Taylor learns it, too, but rather than listening to her closest adviser and friend, she goes with that weasel, whom she knows is a weasel, Charles and tries to hide the truth some more (hence the baddies absconding with Dana, well sort of absconding because they took her with Chloe's blessing and though they didn't know it, Chloe knows where they went). Charles is so good at looking stupid, but we're coming to believe he had this scenario all figured out.
Taylor is just running faster and faster down the slope to self-destruction. Ethan sees it happening, tries to talk her out of it, she tells him she's made up her mind, and he resigns. Some friend he is. More like a rat fleeing a sinking ship. A real friend, even after having a heart attack, would find some way, some less direct way, to help her do the right thing. But please, let's have not one more person tell her, "You're doing the right thing." I think she as well as we have already figured out that anybody saying that is simply happy she's doing what they want her to do, which is not always the right thing! (Like the salesperson saying, "She'll love that sweater," even though the salesperson doesn't even know her!)
And to show us that she's fully bought into the peace deal, in her UN speech she says the peace deal is more important than anything else. Which we kinda knew already because after last episode when she hides the terrorist plot for the sake of the deal, this episode she authorizes torture for peace. Looks like Jack's taught everybody his brand of justification--I'm right so any way I can get my way is right, just so long as I get my way. Hence his trying to convince Freddy to follow him simply because he says he's not wrong. Duh! Why does he have to even say it?!!! (Must be for the benefit of new viewers.)
Five hours left. Looks like Dana escapes next week. I sure hope she lasts another couple weeks. We've invested a lot in her. Watched her simper for weeks. Let's see her really start showing more than just sparks of competence. She has so much more potential here. And Taylor. Charles telling Ethan at the end of the episode that Taylor's smarter than the both of them. Ooooch he's smarmy. But I'm hoping he's also right. Taylor's not been herself this season. I'm hoping here that she's got more upstairs than she's showing. She bought into Charles's story waaaay too fast. With so many twists and turns in this show, I just can't believe she's not brighter than that. She always has been. Drat. I thought I'd checked my disbelief at the door!
Sphere: Related Content
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Return of a favorite
I forgot about the return of an old favorite to the show this week! So much thinking about the big issues of justice/vengeance/loyalty/peace this week as the show neared greatness--I like it when we get grist for the old mill--that I forgot about a nifty little Aaron spotting. TV's pretty much a wasteland on Monday nights (Charlie Sheen, Antiques Roadshow, Dancing with the Stars--but I'm so glad I saw that awful Kate Goselin go down, even with all the news about her on the show, beaten by that pulchritudinous--see, reading comics is good for your vocabulary--Pamela Anderson, whom the judges noted brings such good acting to her performances--and Trauma--and to think, I used to like Emergency!, what did I ever see in these kinds of shows). Wait, did I mention Trauma? Yes, in the last commercial break I was so desperate I flipped to NBC. And what did I see? Aaron's back!!! See for yourself:
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Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Season 8, 9-10AM: Nearly great
Blogging brings an extra depth to this show. It encourages me to think about it more, rather than treating it as a snotty tissue.
But tonight's episode did all the encouraging I need. Sure, I'm disappointed with the peace ploy being the driving drama. Ooooh, if we don't do this or that we won't have peace. Ooooh, I'm so scared. Oooh, I'm so ready to sacrifice anything to get peace. Oooh threaten me that if I don't do what you want my action will torpedo the peace deal. Somehow I'm seeing all these scenes tonight and wondering how these actors can deliver these lines with a straight face. OK, I know some folks wonder that about most of the lines on 24, but now that I've drunk the Koolaid, now that I consciously check my disbelief at the door once I settle in on Monday nights, it takes a lot to pull me out of that dull fog of mindless entertainment bliss.
But President Taylor in person trying to convince Jack that peace is worth his sacrifice? Well, that pushed me over the edge, albeit a dime's edge. And I bemoan the days/seasons where the choice was Jack's way or the imminent death of countless innocents. This time around, do I want to continue peace negotiations including the delegation that's been working the whole day to derail them? Instead of getting the proof of their shenanigans? That's too easy--if Charles Logan can simply threaten to tell the president about the Russians' complicity and they'll cave, how much more convincing would Taylor be when she had hard evidence? Ah, but my kind of thinking doesn't work in the 24 world. I still don't know why, but it doesn't.
OK, other than that digression, this was a great episode. We get Logan v. Jack again, w/ Logan looking all weaselly, gloating, impotent, crafty, cornered, vindictive, driven, self-righteous, smarmy, oh so much going on there all at the same time, especially when he sees that Jack stands in the way of his reclaiming some stature. His toady tells him he has to call Taylor to stop Jack. Here, I hoped Logan would be wilier than his assistant, but he simply does what his assistant tells him to do.
We get Chloe running CTU and still doing a bang up job of it, and I mean that in a good way. She meets Taylor and is dutifully respectful, though Taylor, after her initial "Ms. O'Brien," gets to a first name basis awful fast. She has plenty of the facial contortions that assure us that she is a troubled soul in a troubled environment dealing with troubling problems. She tells Jack she's sorry about Renee. (Jack gets that a lot--orderly at the hospital, Chloe on the phone, Chloe at CTU, Freddy at CTU, Taylor at CTU, and I'm already tired of scripts that think saying, "I'm sorry for your loss," sets everything right enough that the plot the writers think is more important can get rolling again. Watch any cop show, look for the cop interview with anyone who's faced a loss--"I'm sorry for your loss"--adding a "so" in there if they "really" mean it--and we're done that part, on to how to get the info we want.) When Jack finally goes rogue (again) and steals a chopper, Chloe gets up there fast, tells the guards not to shoot (what good would shooting have done?), then radios Jack to tell him to come back or she'll call the Air Force to bring him down (I can't wait to see how you force down a chopper; only way I see to keep anyone on-board alive is to wait for it to run low of fuel). That's perfect, perfectly by the book, and she doesn't miss a beat doing it, like she's been born to command. I wish she were put in tougher situations, or situations where the right choice would make a difference. Here, she's gotta know Jack has figured out an out, and if she were really good, she'd be on top of that, too. I seem to remember her out-thinking Jack in an earlier season, but I don't recall the details. But, boy there's another chance for greatness--Jack v. Chloe. Wow.
Instead, we have the battle of ideas and ideals. The opportunity for that analysis attracted me to this show years ago. Then it was what ideal do you sacrifice to prevent a greater harm. This year, in the softer 24 (less torture, wow, no guns fired this episode), we get what do you sacrifice to achieve the greater good. Taylor is willing to sacrifice knowledge--knowing the Russians are scheming with terrorists to scuttle the peace conference (now I'm wondering if we get to find out why, especially with so many on the show asking that question but not getting an answer). Jack doesn't like it when someone else plays "the ends justify the means" when it's his principles on the line.
And boy, that opens up a bunch of other conflicts. Where to start? How 'bout with Jack now faced with disobeying the president?! OK, him taking Logan down was OK because Logan planned a terrorist attack. But Taylor--she has no hidden agenda. She straight up wants peace in the middle east, and she's decided taking down the Russians isn't worth sacrificing the peace. Rather, it's the other way. And Jack doesn't buy into it. This same Jack who wouldn't give up Islamic Pres in exchange for saving 10s of thousands of innocent New Yorkers because he followed Taylor's order.
And there's wondering if the ends justifies the means for Taylor--is negotiating with the Russians when you know they don't want the negotiations to succeed worth sacrificing uncovering the dirt on them? Seems like either way, the Russians aren't really in this for the long haul. But on a more abstract level, is peace worth knowingly letting someone get away with murder?
Then there's Taylor telling Jack that she won't sacrifice the peace for his vengeance. Jack retorts that he wants justice, not vengeance. Now, setting aside both that he knows the difference and he's right that he wants justice, not vengeance, do you know the difference between justice and vengeance? How often do we hear, "I want Justice!" and the line really mean "vengeance"? And with how that justice-y stuff has worked out for folks on 24 (Logan is a great example), how many think that Jack even stands a chance of seeing justice done? And does Jack really think it'll happen?
To show the show hasn't gone completely soft, we had Jack interrogate Dana. He slapped her around a good bit before she asked for immunity again for tons of info. I'm not sure why Jack had to even hit her, maybe indeed to show the show's not soft on traitors. And to show that Freddy knows Jack and that Chloe can make the wrong call sometimes ("Stop him" when Jack's hitting Dana, with Freddy saying, "No, wait, Jack hasn't lost it." Does that show Freddy knows Jack? Or that he wants "Dana" to pay for tricking him so thoroughly?)
Missing Renee already. Seeing her freckles with her laid out on the gurney of the ER. Ugh, I'll miss those. Also made me wonder how the make-up/special effects crew do such a lifelike job of making a dead body. Our only hope left is that Jack tracks down Tony after the Air Force forces him down. Sorry, thin on the links this week. I guess the show had too much food for thought. Sphere: Related Content
But tonight's episode did all the encouraging I need. Sure, I'm disappointed with the peace ploy being the driving drama. Ooooh, if we don't do this or that we won't have peace. Ooooh, I'm so scared. Oooh, I'm so ready to sacrifice anything to get peace. Oooh threaten me that if I don't do what you want my action will torpedo the peace deal. Somehow I'm seeing all these scenes tonight and wondering how these actors can deliver these lines with a straight face. OK, I know some folks wonder that about most of the lines on 24, but now that I've drunk the Koolaid, now that I consciously check my disbelief at the door once I settle in on Monday nights, it takes a lot to pull me out of that dull fog of mindless entertainment bliss.
But President Taylor in person trying to convince Jack that peace is worth his sacrifice? Well, that pushed me over the edge, albeit a dime's edge. And I bemoan the days/seasons where the choice was Jack's way or the imminent death of countless innocents. This time around, do I want to continue peace negotiations including the delegation that's been working the whole day to derail them? Instead of getting the proof of their shenanigans? That's too easy--if Charles Logan can simply threaten to tell the president about the Russians' complicity and they'll cave, how much more convincing would Taylor be when she had hard evidence? Ah, but my kind of thinking doesn't work in the 24 world. I still don't know why, but it doesn't.
OK, other than that digression, this was a great episode. We get Logan v. Jack again, w/ Logan looking all weaselly, gloating, impotent, crafty, cornered, vindictive, driven, self-righteous, smarmy, oh so much going on there all at the same time, especially when he sees that Jack stands in the way of his reclaiming some stature. His toady tells him he has to call Taylor to stop Jack. Here, I hoped Logan would be wilier than his assistant, but he simply does what his assistant tells him to do.
We get Chloe running CTU and still doing a bang up job of it, and I mean that in a good way. She meets Taylor and is dutifully respectful, though Taylor, after her initial "Ms. O'Brien," gets to a first name basis awful fast. She has plenty of the facial contortions that assure us that she is a troubled soul in a troubled environment dealing with troubling problems. She tells Jack she's sorry about Renee. (Jack gets that a lot--orderly at the hospital, Chloe on the phone, Chloe at CTU, Freddy at CTU, Taylor at CTU, and I'm already tired of scripts that think saying, "I'm sorry for your loss," sets everything right enough that the plot the writers think is more important can get rolling again. Watch any cop show, look for the cop interview with anyone who's faced a loss--"I'm sorry for your loss"--adding a "so" in there if they "really" mean it--and we're done that part, on to how to get the info we want.) When Jack finally goes rogue (again) and steals a chopper, Chloe gets up there fast, tells the guards not to shoot (what good would shooting have done?), then radios Jack to tell him to come back or she'll call the Air Force to bring him down (I can't wait to see how you force down a chopper; only way I see to keep anyone on-board alive is to wait for it to run low of fuel). That's perfect, perfectly by the book, and she doesn't miss a beat doing it, like she's been born to command. I wish she were put in tougher situations, or situations where the right choice would make a difference. Here, she's gotta know Jack has figured out an out, and if she were really good, she'd be on top of that, too. I seem to remember her out-thinking Jack in an earlier season, but I don't recall the details. But, boy there's another chance for greatness--Jack v. Chloe. Wow.
Instead, we have the battle of ideas and ideals. The opportunity for that analysis attracted me to this show years ago. Then it was what ideal do you sacrifice to prevent a greater harm. This year, in the softer 24 (less torture, wow, no guns fired this episode), we get what do you sacrifice to achieve the greater good. Taylor is willing to sacrifice knowledge--knowing the Russians are scheming with terrorists to scuttle the peace conference (now I'm wondering if we get to find out why, especially with so many on the show asking that question but not getting an answer). Jack doesn't like it when someone else plays "the ends justify the means" when it's his principles on the line.
And boy, that opens up a bunch of other conflicts. Where to start? How 'bout with Jack now faced with disobeying the president?! OK, him taking Logan down was OK because Logan planned a terrorist attack. But Taylor--she has no hidden agenda. She straight up wants peace in the middle east, and she's decided taking down the Russians isn't worth sacrificing the peace. Rather, it's the other way. And Jack doesn't buy into it. This same Jack who wouldn't give up Islamic Pres in exchange for saving 10s of thousands of innocent New Yorkers because he followed Taylor's order.
And there's wondering if the ends justifies the means for Taylor--is negotiating with the Russians when you know they don't want the negotiations to succeed worth sacrificing uncovering the dirt on them? Seems like either way, the Russians aren't really in this for the long haul. But on a more abstract level, is peace worth knowingly letting someone get away with murder?
Then there's Taylor telling Jack that she won't sacrifice the peace for his vengeance. Jack retorts that he wants justice, not vengeance. Now, setting aside both that he knows the difference and he's right that he wants justice, not vengeance, do you know the difference between justice and vengeance? How often do we hear, "I want Justice!" and the line really mean "vengeance"? And with how that justice-y stuff has worked out for folks on 24 (Logan is a great example), how many think that Jack even stands a chance of seeing justice done? And does Jack really think it'll happen?
To show the show hasn't gone completely soft, we had Jack interrogate Dana. He slapped her around a good bit before she asked for immunity again for tons of info. I'm not sure why Jack had to even hit her, maybe indeed to show the show's not soft on traitors. And to show that Freddy knows Jack and that Chloe can make the wrong call sometimes ("Stop him" when Jack's hitting Dana, with Freddy saying, "No, wait, Jack hasn't lost it." Does that show Freddy knows Jack? Or that he wants "Dana" to pay for tricking him so thoroughly?)
Missing Renee already. Seeing her freckles with her laid out on the gurney of the ER. Ugh, I'll miss those. Also made me wonder how the make-up/special effects crew do such a lifelike job of making a dead body. Our only hope left is that Jack tracks down Tony after the Air Force forces him down. Sorry, thin on the links this week. I guess the show had too much food for thought. Sphere: Related Content
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The best they can do?
Kiefer calls this season the culmination. We've been told it's the last TV season (rumors of a movie). So we're up to the last 6 hours, which in seasons of yore has meant the last mystery, the last conspiracy resolved. So this one should be the biggest and the best. We've already had a covert private security firm trying to take over the country (last season) and a conniving weasely, seemingly weak president turning out to be the ultimate traitor (Logan). This season, being the last, should top all of those.
And we're left with a Russian conspiracy because these Russians don't want peace? Jack thumbs his nose when Dana says she's in it for the money. And these Russians are better? These Russians are worthy of ending Jack's TV career? I don't think so!
And I'm not sure it makes sense, but I guess those crafty Russians are counting on the season being so interesting that I've forgotten how it started out. OK, so now perhaps we know they were behind the first attempt on Islamic pres's life--attack of the manhole cover. 1st, did they really think it would fail? If not, why else would their contingency (I'm guessing a bit here, but the Russian mob brokering the deal is a bit ironic/coincidental--you decide) have been to sell the opposition U235? And they wanted their man in the resistance to get the U235 so he could threaten the US in order to get the Islamic pres that should have already been assassinated? Doesn't seem that they need U235 to make that work. And were they really ready and willing to watch a chunk of NYC go up to achieve their ends? Man, is this ever an exercise in spaghetti logic.
So, I'm just gonna pretend I didn't pay attention to the first 2/3 of the season. Which is exactly what I figure you have to do to truly enjoy this show. Even though the series seems like it has continuity, it's really just a series of hour long, mostly self-contained stories.
What really ticks me off is how the show wrote off Renee. OK, all the loves of Jack's life have to die. But for a character as great and competent as Renee to be offed by a sniper? Jack won't go that way. Jack won't go unless it's in a blaze of glory or making the ultimate sacrifice for a greater good (the needs of the many). Or not caving to terrorist demands. Nope, Renee doesn't deserve what she got--sniper shot after sex, while Jack is getting her a glass of water. Then Jack gets to be heroic, carrying her out while under fire from the sniper (tough shot, so I'm not surprised sniper missed him while he was moving fast). So unfair. But it is Jack's show, after all. Sphere: Related Content
And we're left with a Russian conspiracy because these Russians don't want peace? Jack thumbs his nose when Dana says she's in it for the money. And these Russians are better? These Russians are worthy of ending Jack's TV career? I don't think so!
And I'm not sure it makes sense, but I guess those crafty Russians are counting on the season being so interesting that I've forgotten how it started out. OK, so now perhaps we know they were behind the first attempt on Islamic pres's life--attack of the manhole cover. 1st, did they really think it would fail? If not, why else would their contingency (I'm guessing a bit here, but the Russian mob brokering the deal is a bit ironic/coincidental--you decide) have been to sell the opposition U235? And they wanted their man in the resistance to get the U235 so he could threaten the US in order to get the Islamic pres that should have already been assassinated? Doesn't seem that they need U235 to make that work. And were they really ready and willing to watch a chunk of NYC go up to achieve their ends? Man, is this ever an exercise in spaghetti logic.
So, I'm just gonna pretend I didn't pay attention to the first 2/3 of the season. Which is exactly what I figure you have to do to truly enjoy this show. Even though the series seems like it has continuity, it's really just a series of hour long, mostly self-contained stories.
What really ticks me off is how the show wrote off Renee. OK, all the loves of Jack's life have to die. But for a character as great and competent as Renee to be offed by a sniper? Jack won't go that way. Jack won't go unless it's in a blaze of glory or making the ultimate sacrifice for a greater good (the needs of the many). Or not caving to terrorist demands. Nope, Renee doesn't deserve what she got--sniper shot after sex, while Jack is getting her a glass of water. Then Jack gets to be heroic, carrying her out while under fire from the sniper (tough shot, so I'm not surprised sniper missed him while he was moving fast). So unfair. But it is Jack's show, after all. Sphere: Related Content
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Ad volume
From Our Eyebeams Twisted by Sam Hurt (fourth volume of collected daily Eyebeam comics, 1985). [I changed the format of the blog because the image didn't fit on the page in the old format, and I ran out of wakefulness before I figured out how to get it to work in the old format. I might play some more on the format someday.]
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Season 8, 8-9AM: Full Circle
I remember the good old days of watching 24. As we headed to a commercial break, the pulses of the timer would start up as the split screen started, and I'd flip over to the last channel I'd watched, either catching up on Heroes or hoping to be mildly amused or at least mindlessly entertained by Charlie Sheen, but I'd hurry back to Fox and like Garrison Keillor's July 4th hamburger I'd be too cautious and arrive too early (Garrison was too cautious making the burger always overdone) still in commercial-land with loud volume, so I'd bump the volume down, then as the pulses started again and the split screen of contemporaneous scenes started up making me wonder where the episode would start up, and picking which story line I wanted to see the most, I'd amp the volume back up pulse by pulse. Somehow that ritual got me more in tune with the show.
But ever since CALM apparently quieted the ads, I've been relieved and yet missing something. This week I started thinking something was amiss, and on 24 tonight I became convinced the ad volume was louder than the show again. A little research has suggested to me 2 things: 1 that CALM passed only the House and 2 that even if it becomes a law, the ad volume reduction is only voluntary for the first year. Yeah, I'm as sure the networks are gonna lower the ad volume as I am that sitting politicians will ever put real limits on campaign spending or that the Russians on 24 really do want world peace.
Yup, tonight we find out that those nasty Russian politicians were really behind the fuel rods all along. Pretty convenient that Russian mobsters started out with the rods. Even more convenient that Renee worked with the Russians 6 years ago, well, not really convenient for Renee.
But where's tonight's episode start? With Jack acting all cute telling President Taylor she can't give up on the peace conference. Yup, it is cute watching Jack try international politics. At least President Taylor respects him enough not to flat out tell him he's an idiot. Jack then grows up enough to take Renee back to his apartment and do what normal adolescents do when he's alone with her--scrounge around to see if he has any coffee left in his bachelor pad, then jump her bones. She's not complaining, but it all seemed a bit icky to me. On the other hand, I guess that's what adolescent making out scenes are actually like. Chalk one up for the writers there.
Like most adolescents in similar circumstances, Jack and Renee are oblivious to the real world. Well, Jack didn't have much reason to think about the real world--he's happy that the head terrorist was caught, that Jack was a good enough shot to shoot to only wound (through and through to the abdomen, another lodged in the shoulder muscle) so he'll be interrogated at CTU soon enough, so Jack can once again and finally call it a day and a career and go back to being grandpa, er adolescent with Renee.
But Renee has been sharper this season. First she should know that any woman Jack loves, let alone makes love to, will suffer a cruel fate, and she should have known what it meant that she nearly recognized an EMT leaving the scene (this the EMT who made sure terrorist doesn't live to talk).
OK, it's been a long day for Renee, so she's not right on her game, I guess. Jack gets up to get something to drink, chivalrously offering to get Renee something, too, Chloe calls (Renee answers) to say terrorist is suspiciously dead, Renee finally gets 6 (not quite 7 this time) from 2 and 2, wraps herself in a sheet, heads out to see Jack, then Russian EMT ("I never forget a face," who recognized her as they passed in the stairwell) opens fire from across the street (why would Jack rent an apartment subject to such a site line?). Renee gets the brunt of the attack, but Jack's luck holds as he's not scratched, merely left holding the bag, er, lady--he carries Renee to the hospital (with the help of a cabbie who drives like Jack). Anybody surprised it wasn't in time to save her, right at the top of the hour? Keifer and the makeup folks do a great job here--I've never seen him look older as he enters the ER where Renee just died.
She's been the best part of the show this season. I guess offing Islamic pres didn't go far enough into "they can't do that" land. But death of great characters is so common-place on this show that we're all "ho-hum" with it. But we all knew that this is Jack's show after all. Renee couldn't stay around and continue to divert attention from Jack. Our only hope is that Tony comes back.
Except we also get king weasel. Yeah, I've been looking for a weasel all season--from Arlo using the drones to watch sunbathers to Taylor's assistant turning on her. But I've known these were all small potatoes. As promised by the scenes for the last couple weeks, we get exPres Logan. And he convinces Taylor that he's her best shot at getting the Russians back on board the peace train (whoo-whooo!). She wants to know more, but all he says is that he won't break any laws and he won't besmirch her presidency. Raise your hand if you buy that. Ah, I see President Taylor's hand in the air. And what does he want in return? Nothing, can you believe it? No, wait, it's true. Their conversation included no bargaining or even a hint of bargaining. If Logan knows all that he knows and doesn't want anything from Taylor, why does he need to even talk with her? Why can't he just go and do the dirty work? Taylor's not asking the right questions, though, and she ultimately sends him off to do what he does best.
Taylor's mealy-mouthed but sharp and on the ball assistant Weiss (named Rob, not Janet) wants to clean house at CTU. Taylor tells him to do whatever he wants. I'm thinking putting Dyson (not that Dyson, but also see this) in charge. He's not as creative/out of the box/punny as I--he's thinking Chloe. And boy, does she get a bad case of the face contortions when she gets the news! Weiss says he's read the notes of the last day and seen that Chloe was the sharpest tack in the toolshed. I say, he must have no clue about her people skills, although perhaps her management style will actually work perfectly--in The Office! But it seems to make a 24-logic kinda sense. Though I'll miss that old lug, the hulking Director Dopey, his authoritative delivery (even when wrong), and his hunched shoulders. He started to make the right calls, especially telling Chloe (after she said it wasn't fair that he was out on his ear) that the buck stops with him, and he should take the fall for the mistakes, starting with hiring Dana. Won't that make Chloe feel the pressure of her first command! He also said he should take the praise when CTU does right, but that's not what most coaches say--credit the team when things go well, blame yourself when they don't.
We get to see a bunch of Chloe at the helm, her normal irascible self but also making all the right calls even when Freddy is all, "Whaaaa???"
In keeping with the empower women theme, as Taylor is about to disband the peace conference because Islamic pres is dead, the guy Islamic pres jailed a few hours ago is back in the delegation, promoting the brilliant idea (brilliant because guess who thought of it weeks ago) that wifey should take over the reins. She's dutifully all, "no way, Jose" at first, but 30s and a short speech from Taylor, and she's fully on board. Daughter later goes ballistic, not wanting, I guess, to lose another presidential parent, not remembering, I guess, how much she idolized Dad and his causes, the mantel of which Mom is picking up.
As for next week's scenes, women-power remains ascendant, as Dana apparently has another card or 2 to play. Now, I'm actually looking forward to seeing more of her (not necessarily in that way!), though she's no Nina. I wonder if Mrs. Logan is next to come back. Sphere: Related Content
But ever since CALM apparently quieted the ads, I've been relieved and yet missing something. This week I started thinking something was amiss, and on 24 tonight I became convinced the ad volume was louder than the show again. A little research has suggested to me 2 things: 1 that CALM passed only the House and 2 that even if it becomes a law, the ad volume reduction is only voluntary for the first year. Yeah, I'm as sure the networks are gonna lower the ad volume as I am that sitting politicians will ever put real limits on campaign spending or that the Russians on 24 really do want world peace.
Yup, tonight we find out that those nasty Russian politicians were really behind the fuel rods all along. Pretty convenient that Russian mobsters started out with the rods. Even more convenient that Renee worked with the Russians 6 years ago, well, not really convenient for Renee.
But where's tonight's episode start? With Jack acting all cute telling President Taylor she can't give up on the peace conference. Yup, it is cute watching Jack try international politics. At least President Taylor respects him enough not to flat out tell him he's an idiot. Jack then grows up enough to take Renee back to his apartment and do what normal adolescents do when he's alone with her--scrounge around to see if he has any coffee left in his bachelor pad, then jump her bones. She's not complaining, but it all seemed a bit icky to me. On the other hand, I guess that's what adolescent making out scenes are actually like. Chalk one up for the writers there.
Like most adolescents in similar circumstances, Jack and Renee are oblivious to the real world. Well, Jack didn't have much reason to think about the real world--he's happy that the head terrorist was caught, that Jack was a good enough shot to shoot to only wound (through and through to the abdomen, another lodged in the shoulder muscle) so he'll be interrogated at CTU soon enough, so Jack can once again and finally call it a day and a career and go back to being grandpa, er adolescent with Renee.
But Renee has been sharper this season. First she should know that any woman Jack loves, let alone makes love to, will suffer a cruel fate, and she should have known what it meant that she nearly recognized an EMT leaving the scene (this the EMT who made sure terrorist doesn't live to talk).
OK, it's been a long day for Renee, so she's not right on her game, I guess. Jack gets up to get something to drink, chivalrously offering to get Renee something, too, Chloe calls (Renee answers) to say terrorist is suspiciously dead, Renee finally gets 6 (not quite 7 this time) from 2 and 2, wraps herself in a sheet, heads out to see Jack, then Russian EMT ("I never forget a face," who recognized her as they passed in the stairwell) opens fire from across the street (why would Jack rent an apartment subject to such a site line?). Renee gets the brunt of the attack, but Jack's luck holds as he's not scratched, merely left holding the bag, er, lady--he carries Renee to the hospital (with the help of a cabbie who drives like Jack). Anybody surprised it wasn't in time to save her, right at the top of the hour? Keifer and the makeup folks do a great job here--I've never seen him look older as he enters the ER where Renee just died.
She's been the best part of the show this season. I guess offing Islamic pres didn't go far enough into "they can't do that" land. But death of great characters is so common-place on this show that we're all "ho-hum" with it. But we all knew that this is Jack's show after all. Renee couldn't stay around and continue to divert attention from Jack. Our only hope is that Tony comes back.
Except we also get king weasel. Yeah, I've been looking for a weasel all season--from Arlo using the drones to watch sunbathers to Taylor's assistant turning on her. But I've known these were all small potatoes. As promised by the scenes for the last couple weeks, we get exPres Logan. And he convinces Taylor that he's her best shot at getting the Russians back on board the peace train (whoo-whooo!). She wants to know more, but all he says is that he won't break any laws and he won't besmirch her presidency. Raise your hand if you buy that. Ah, I see President Taylor's hand in the air. And what does he want in return? Nothing, can you believe it? No, wait, it's true. Their conversation included no bargaining or even a hint of bargaining. If Logan knows all that he knows and doesn't want anything from Taylor, why does he need to even talk with her? Why can't he just go and do the dirty work? Taylor's not asking the right questions, though, and she ultimately sends him off to do what he does best.
Taylor's mealy-mouthed but sharp and on the ball assistant Weiss (named Rob, not Janet) wants to clean house at CTU. Taylor tells him to do whatever he wants. I'm thinking putting Dyson (not that Dyson, but also see this) in charge. He's not as creative/out of the box/punny as I--he's thinking Chloe. And boy, does she get a bad case of the face contortions when she gets the news! Weiss says he's read the notes of the last day and seen that Chloe was the sharpest tack in the toolshed. I say, he must have no clue about her people skills, although perhaps her management style will actually work perfectly--in The Office! But it seems to make a 24-logic kinda sense. Though I'll miss that old lug, the hulking Director Dopey, his authoritative delivery (even when wrong), and his hunched shoulders. He started to make the right calls, especially telling Chloe (after she said it wasn't fair that he was out on his ear) that the buck stops with him, and he should take the fall for the mistakes, starting with hiring Dana. Won't that make Chloe feel the pressure of her first command! He also said he should take the praise when CTU does right, but that's not what most coaches say--credit the team when things go well, blame yourself when they don't.
We get to see a bunch of Chloe at the helm, her normal irascible self but also making all the right calls even when Freddy is all, "Whaaaa???"
In keeping with the empower women theme, as Taylor is about to disband the peace conference because Islamic pres is dead, the guy Islamic pres jailed a few hours ago is back in the delegation, promoting the brilliant idea (brilliant because guess who thought of it weeks ago) that wifey should take over the reins. She's dutifully all, "no way, Jose" at first, but 30s and a short speech from Taylor, and she's fully on board. Daughter later goes ballistic, not wanting, I guess, to lose another presidential parent, not remembering, I guess, how much she idolized Dad and his causes, the mantel of which Mom is picking up.
As for next week's scenes, women-power remains ascendant, as Dana apparently has another card or 2 to play. Now, I'm actually looking forward to seeing more of her (not necessarily in that way!), though she's no Nina. I wonder if Mrs. Logan is next to come back. Sphere: Related Content
Monday, April 12, 2010
I should have inserted this last night when I pulled it up, sorry it's a day late, but here's what Google Earth says is at 158th and Broadway:
I almost feel as if I could be an analyst for CTU! Can't you just see Tarin's black SUV down there making the U-turn?
Sphere: Related Content
I almost feel as if I could be an analyst for CTU! Can't you just see Tarin's black SUV down there making the U-turn?
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Season 8, 6-7AM: hulu reprise
Finally caught the missing episode fragment, and while I was at it I watched a most of last week's episode(s). I tried Fox's viewer a bit this season, but it just seemed flaky and slow. I've found hulu more reliable, less time spent bufferin' (so much sufferin').
I'd missed one of the presidential bashings--Jack getting conked by rebar from the Islamic president. That hadda hurt! And wasn't it coincidental (not ironic, aw heck, just check the wiki) that it happened right when Renee was warning Jack that pres was listening to Jiminy. The good news--Jack's OK. The gooder news--Islamic pres gave himself up to save New York. Gooderer news--the terrorists kept their word and gave up the bomb in time for Jack to save the city. The goodererer news--once Jack found the dirty bomb he put a cold compress on that nasty bump (for about 3 seconds--musta learned that trick from soccer players).
Now, that switch of bomb for pres was pretty nifty--ear-piece cell phones have done wonders for TV drama. They're so ubiquitous that you just wonder how we had the patience for any plot to develop without them. The switch of pres for keys to the bomb van seemed pretty slick--I always wonder about the logistics of a swap between sides that don't trust each other. This one was nice because terrorist (Tarin) talked army man through the swap real time. But it was a case of getting so caught up in the drama that you don't realize the substance just isn't there (hairography). Tarin had everything in his control. He didn't have to drop the keys to the van to get army man out of the SUV, leaving pres behind. No matter--NYC is safe. Though I wonder if any of you locals can let me know if there really is a parking garage between 158th and 159th on the west side of Broadway (I don't see it on Google Earth!).
I guess Tarin is (er, was) still conflicted. As the bomb's ticking down below 30s, he's outside seeing the humanity--all the New Yorkers walking the street, and praise be to the writers, these all look like ordinary people, no one pulling any heartstrings--and he looks worried. That was a nice touch--not over the top. So, I guess it's OK to believe Tarin dropped the keys.
And we'd also seen the Jiminy effect plain, ordinary New Yorkers have on people as pres was deciding to exchange himself for the bomb--he got a look at ordinary folks going about their business, which helped him convince himself he was doing the right thing. Even if he sees how he's breaking the hearts of the wife he newly reconciled with and his daughter. Even if it means throwing away the peace he'd worked so hard for, the peace that President Taylor is willing to give up a chunk of NYC for. New Yorkers must be the finest slice of humanity there is.
Interesting choice that, in the abstract, at least. Is a chunk of the upper west side worth bringing peace to a noted hot spot? Would a US president really make that trade? How does one do the calculus? Tens of thousands die in NYC, but hundreds to thousands of service women and men don't die in a hot war? President Taylor got some internal dissension from her decision. I think you know where I stand on that--I'm not trusting terrorists to keep their word. On the other hand, how sure is this peace? Islamic pres brings the peace, but how long does he stay in power?
Taylor had the internal dissension, but not from Jack! Oh, his life is so simple--trust and respect the president blindly and be skeptical of everyone else (except Renee and Chloe and a select few others). And simply do not question the president but do what she says. Now I'm a little curious to go back and see how Jack dealt with President Logan. I kinda remember him being respectful and obedient, at least up till the last episode, or was it when Logan tried to kill Jack? Sweet thing here is that Renee has that same obedient streak, even after she's been rogue and on her own for so long.
I was wondering why Islamic pres had to die. Why not save him at the parking garage? Then we'd have a whole nother episode for some other kind of fun. Maybe Jack escaping from some hopeless situation. We haven't seen that much this season. But then seeing Jack hide the baddie's gun on the fire hose cabinet was cool if inexplicable. And Renee putting 2 and 2 together to get seven--blond wig means Islamic mom is a terrorist! I guess that's worth offing the Islamic pres. And now that all those New Yorkers are saved, the writers had to throw all those "they can't do that!" folks a bone. But we're left with, "where's the drama to take us through the last 8 hours?"
Maybe we get the chance to look back and see that Taylor's dissenters made the right call.
Kinda interesting that Jack said the wishes of Islamic pres were irrelevant--Jack had orders from his president to protect Islamic pres, even if pres wants to trade himself to the terrorists.
And my final thought on this episode--with Jack so quick jumping to the right conclusion, as Tarin is racing to the roof of the parking structure, why isn't Jack realizing (about the time Freddy is wondering what in the world Tarin could be doing going that way) that Tarin is buying time because Islamic pres isn't in the car? OK, one more thought--why does Tarin drive off the building instead of head on into Jack? And one more (earning my nom de plume): I really wonder how Dana became the mole and what's in it for her. Just money? How does she get paid? Wouldn't she have taken some in advance? Why would she risk getting caught when it was falling down around her ears and not get out when the getting was good (trying to get out only once the getting got bad)? Sphere: Related Content
I'd missed one of the presidential bashings--Jack getting conked by rebar from the Islamic president. That hadda hurt! And wasn't it coincidental (not ironic, aw heck, just check the wiki) that it happened right when Renee was warning Jack that pres was listening to Jiminy. The good news--Jack's OK. The gooder news--Islamic pres gave himself up to save New York. Gooderer news--the terrorists kept their word and gave up the bomb in time for Jack to save the city. The goodererer news--once Jack found the dirty bomb he put a cold compress on that nasty bump (for about 3 seconds--musta learned that trick from soccer players).
Now, that switch of bomb for pres was pretty nifty--ear-piece cell phones have done wonders for TV drama. They're so ubiquitous that you just wonder how we had the patience for any plot to develop without them. The switch of pres for keys to the bomb van seemed pretty slick--I always wonder about the logistics of a swap between sides that don't trust each other. This one was nice because terrorist (Tarin) talked army man through the swap real time. But it was a case of getting so caught up in the drama that you don't realize the substance just isn't there (hairography). Tarin had everything in his control. He didn't have to drop the keys to the van to get army man out of the SUV, leaving pres behind. No matter--NYC is safe. Though I wonder if any of you locals can let me know if there really is a parking garage between 158th and 159th on the west side of Broadway (I don't see it on Google Earth!).
I guess Tarin is (er, was) still conflicted. As the bomb's ticking down below 30s, he's outside seeing the humanity--all the New Yorkers walking the street, and praise be to the writers, these all look like ordinary people, no one pulling any heartstrings--and he looks worried. That was a nice touch--not over the top. So, I guess it's OK to believe Tarin dropped the keys.
And we'd also seen the Jiminy effect plain, ordinary New Yorkers have on people as pres was deciding to exchange himself for the bomb--he got a look at ordinary folks going about their business, which helped him convince himself he was doing the right thing. Even if he sees how he's breaking the hearts of the wife he newly reconciled with and his daughter. Even if it means throwing away the peace he'd worked so hard for, the peace that President Taylor is willing to give up a chunk of NYC for. New Yorkers must be the finest slice of humanity there is.
Interesting choice that, in the abstract, at least. Is a chunk of the upper west side worth bringing peace to a noted hot spot? Would a US president really make that trade? How does one do the calculus? Tens of thousands die in NYC, but hundreds to thousands of service women and men don't die in a hot war? President Taylor got some internal dissension from her decision. I think you know where I stand on that--I'm not trusting terrorists to keep their word. On the other hand, how sure is this peace? Islamic pres brings the peace, but how long does he stay in power?
Taylor had the internal dissension, but not from Jack! Oh, his life is so simple--trust and respect the president blindly and be skeptical of everyone else (except Renee and Chloe and a select few others). And simply do not question the president but do what she says. Now I'm a little curious to go back and see how Jack dealt with President Logan. I kinda remember him being respectful and obedient, at least up till the last episode, or was it when Logan tried to kill Jack? Sweet thing here is that Renee has that same obedient streak, even after she's been rogue and on her own for so long.
I was wondering why Islamic pres had to die. Why not save him at the parking garage? Then we'd have a whole nother episode for some other kind of fun. Maybe Jack escaping from some hopeless situation. We haven't seen that much this season. But then seeing Jack hide the baddie's gun on the fire hose cabinet was cool if inexplicable. And Renee putting 2 and 2 together to get seven--blond wig means Islamic mom is a terrorist! I guess that's worth offing the Islamic pres. And now that all those New Yorkers are saved, the writers had to throw all those "they can't do that!" folks a bone. But we're left with, "where's the drama to take us through the last 8 hours?"
Maybe we get the chance to look back and see that Taylor's dissenters made the right call.
Kinda interesting that Jack said the wishes of Islamic pres were irrelevant--Jack had orders from his president to protect Islamic pres, even if pres wants to trade himself to the terrorists.
And my final thought on this episode--with Jack so quick jumping to the right conclusion, as Tarin is racing to the roof of the parking structure, why isn't Jack realizing (about the time Freddy is wondering what in the world Tarin could be doing going that way) that Tarin is buying time because Islamic pres isn't in the car? OK, one more thought--why does Tarin drive off the building instead of head on into Jack? And one more (earning my nom de plume): I really wonder how Dana became the mole and what's in it for her. Just money? How does she get paid? Wouldn't she have taken some in advance? Why would she risk getting caught when it was falling down around her ears and not get out when the getting was good (trying to get out only once the getting got bad)? Sphere: Related Content
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Evil computers
Saw this looking at links last night, and it's just too good not to include.
Added a couple links at the top of last night's post, and made a couple minor other changes to the post.
And here's an unrelated comment/observation that occurred to me last night: this show continues to be ground-breaking. In any other action show, see if you can count more than one scene that includes only women in all the roles--powerful on down. Now watch this show. We have President Taylor, Islamic pres's wife and daughter, security, Renee, Dana the mole, Chloe, and even terrorist with the blond wig. Although most baddies are men, still. And this groundbreaking has occurred since season one with Nina, then when Michelle ran CTU. (and I'm not even mentioning President Palmer) Sphere: Related Content
Added a couple links at the top of last night's post, and made a couple minor other changes to the post.
And here's an unrelated comment/observation that occurred to me last night: this show continues to be ground-breaking. In any other action show, see if you can count more than one scene that includes only women in all the roles--powerful on down. Now watch this show. We have President Taylor, Islamic pres's wife and daughter, security, Renee, Dana the mole, Chloe, and even terrorist with the blond wig. Although most baddies are men, still. And this groundbreaking has occurred since season one with Nina, then when Michelle ran CTU. (and I'm not even mentioning President Palmer) Sphere: Related Content
Season 8, 6-8AM: I FORGOT!!!!
There I am, bracket busted to pieces like Jack's shooting this season, blithely watching Duke and Butler in a classic final, down to the last 30s, feeling happy that I'd get to watch this fine game, then catch 24 at 9, when I flip to Fox during a time out.
What!!! That's Jack! And Chloe. And a robot trying to defuse a dirty bomb. But it's only 830! What's going on?!?!?!?!
Oh, I'm such an idiot. I'd been looking forward to this 2 hour, get-24-fully-on-track this season all week, but March Madness musta hit me big time. And here I missed sunrise!!
So, OK, Duke is up by 1, Butler has the ball, they've been turning the momentum their way for the last 3 minutes, and I just don't know who's gonna win, and I can catch 24 on-line later.....
But who cares?!?!?! I'm watching Jack.
Then the phone rings. OK, if I'm taking Jack over the last 10s of one of the best college basketball games ever, and the game's still on the line, you know it better be an important phone call.
And I'm back, to catch the last 4 minutes of the 1st hour. I'll leave the phone call to your imagination.
Now I'm thinking the bad thing about 2 hours back-to-back is I miss out on one chance to see of scenes of next week's show. On the other hand, I used to think the "Previously on 24" scenes at the start of the second show in a back-to-back were pretty stupid. Not anymore--boy, did they come in handy this time 'round. I felt all caught up, and I got to see something you don't see everyday--a president conking Jack on the head (also finding the bomb and Ethan being alive and President Taylor playing whack a mole, er, slap a weasel--more on the mole in a moment). Probably a bad omen for the Islamic Pres, though--you can't bop Jack and get off scott free. But as it took less than a minute to get caught up, it made me stop to think just how little substance these shows have. Those writers have such a cake job--find hackneyed excuses to add suspense to pad the hour, then punch the clock and go home. If you manage to advance a plot, so much the better, but don't go too far--you still have 8 hours left to fill this season.
Speaking of cliches, lucky you--you might get two posts from me this week, if I catch the hour I missed.
After coming up to speed with the Previously scenes, I'm ready to rock and roll. We get a few gratuitous suspense moments, just to wear out that circuit, then Jack, Chloe ("if it was a snake it woulda bit me"), and Renee team up to track down the mole. With the best agents in the world on the case (Freddy can be excused because he has other thoughts in mind for her), Dana doesn't stand a chance, especially when it's late in the season. She's a sharp tool in the shed, though, now that she's shed her flaky persona, and she makes a good run for it, but once she's surrounded in the parking garage, she doesn't stand much of a chance, even after blowing through 2 clips, and seemingly having more ready to pop in (maybe I'm tiring of this "realism": if they have limitless numbers of clips, how's that different from never running out of bullets?), especially when she doesn't have a mole of her own helping her out (like she did for Tarin, which only led to the best car crash of the season--Tarin zooming is big SUV at Jack, then off the roof of the garage, nearly earning a perfect 10 from the judges for the twisting flip--Chloe says no one could survive that fall, and except for her forgetting what Jack did last season--"this is gonna hurt!"--she's right). Especially when Freddy, betrayed Freddy, heads to the garage. Freddy shoots out her tires as she's speeding at him, she crashes and survives--nice plot device those air bags--Freddy confronts her, but CTU takes her into custody when she says, "I'll talk, but only to Jack."
Never woulda heard that from a terrorist in seasons of yore! Then, Jack was always one little excuse away from causing a lot of pain on anyone he suspected of being bad. This season, grandpa doesn't doesn't even explain, "she won't talk, torture won't work on her" anymore. He goes right to bargaining. Don't we all fondly remember Michelle (wasn't it her?) getting drugged up in a CTU holding room? Why not try the same on Dana this season?
No, we're better than the terrorists finally. So much so that we don't even have to say we won't stoop to their methods. Hmm, maybe Renee of a season ago got through to Jack in the same way he got through to her. He tries to call Dana's bluff ("once the terrorists kill Islamic Pres, you have no leverage"), but Dana sees that as a bluff, and calls right back. Jack caves and calls (President Taylor), bargaining immunity for info. And all those other immunity deals Taylor did when Jack asked have worked out so well that she buys off on this one right away (though she did try to weasel out of it on a technicality).
But don't think we miss out on torture and drugs. Kidnapped Islamic Pres gets drugged to make his resistance lower. He's still too tough for the kidnappers trying to coerce him into apologizing for his "crimes." Kidnapper threatens to cut off body parts, but 24 doesn't do that anymore (not since one weak CTU agent lost a finger a couple seasons ago), preferring cleaner torture--electricity and more drugs. As he's about to get shot up again, kidnapper changes his mind, figures he'll never cave, and decides to rant and rave on a "live" internet feed before slitting his throat.
So, now we got the live feed and Jack headed to the scene with a team. He gives them a little pep talk, tells Renee he wants her with him rather than running ops (she's all, "Whaaa?" he's all, "it's against my instinct, but I need all the experienced agents with me." I'm all, "Whaaaaa? doesn't CTU have any good agents anymore besides Freddy? And does this mean Renee's going down, too? Say it ain't so!" Oh, and nice touch by Wersching--she's headed to her assignment after Jack finishes his pep talk, then he calls to her, and she looks surprised--it's that attention to detail that makes this show so realistic). They sneak in to the apartment building, Jack kills someone for not looking all that bright--fortunately Jack found a gun on him after the fact, that he quickly unloads and stashes on top of a fire hose cabinet--no kiddie's gonna look up there! They find the right apartment, it has a quiet 6 year old in it (hmm, 2 strangers with guns come in saying they won't hurt me?? Yeah, I'm keeping my mouth shut.) and her mom. Jack heads back, into the closet, Renee watches mom. Good thing Renee has a roving eye and spots the platinum blond wig. She's as quick as Jack at making the right inference (hidden blond wig + Arabic woman = danger!), and she blows away mom just as mom reaches into the sofa cushions and finds a gun. Yeah, all terrorists hide guns in the sofas cushions for when company shows up unexpected. Or was it, "I'm always losing things out of my pockets into the sofa.").
Jack finds Narnia, or is it a time hole (around 37s and 60s), and quickly shoots everybody, with terrorist still on line reciting the crimes of Islamic pres before killing him. Only Islamic pres is dead (Jack didn't do it). It's the Richard Pryor on Saturday Night Live trick, and Jack and all of CTU fell for it.
And that leaves us with Dana's immunity worthless (immunity expressly conditioned on recovering a live pres), the peace deal dead, and the only bare glimmer of suspense being something about the Russians--not the mob Russians we started with, but the political ones. Although, is there really much difference? That peace deal has always been more than it's cracked up to be, at least for me. Is that what this season, now this series, has been building up to? Peace in the Middle East? (How West Wing again, like Ethan's heart. Has this show really veered sharply left?) And the best they can do to heighten it is to threaten me with ex-pres Logan showing up? Is 24 going all On the Beach? Sphere: Related Content
What!!! That's Jack! And Chloe. And a robot trying to defuse a dirty bomb. But it's only 830! What's going on?!?!?!?!
Oh, I'm such an idiot. I'd been looking forward to this 2 hour, get-24-fully-on-track this season all week, but March Madness musta hit me big time. And here I missed sunrise!!
So, OK, Duke is up by 1, Butler has the ball, they've been turning the momentum their way for the last 3 minutes, and I just don't know who's gonna win, and I can catch 24 on-line later.....
But who cares?!?!?! I'm watching Jack.
Then the phone rings. OK, if I'm taking Jack over the last 10s of one of the best college basketball games ever, and the game's still on the line, you know it better be an important phone call.
And I'm back, to catch the last 4 minutes of the 1st hour. I'll leave the phone call to your imagination.
Now I'm thinking the bad thing about 2 hours back-to-back is I miss out on one chance to see of scenes of next week's show. On the other hand, I used to think the "Previously on 24" scenes at the start of the second show in a back-to-back were pretty stupid. Not anymore--boy, did they come in handy this time 'round. I felt all caught up, and I got to see something you don't see everyday--a president conking Jack on the head (also finding the bomb and Ethan being alive and President Taylor playing whack a mole, er, slap a weasel--more on the mole in a moment). Probably a bad omen for the Islamic Pres, though--you can't bop Jack and get off scott free. But as it took less than a minute to get caught up, it made me stop to think just how little substance these shows have. Those writers have such a cake job--find hackneyed excuses to add suspense to pad the hour, then punch the clock and go home. If you manage to advance a plot, so much the better, but don't go too far--you still have 8 hours left to fill this season.
Speaking of cliches, lucky you--you might get two posts from me this week, if I catch the hour I missed.
After coming up to speed with the Previously scenes, I'm ready to rock and roll. We get a few gratuitous suspense moments, just to wear out that circuit, then Jack, Chloe ("if it was a snake it woulda bit me"), and Renee team up to track down the mole. With the best agents in the world on the case (Freddy can be excused because he has other thoughts in mind for her), Dana doesn't stand a chance, especially when it's late in the season. She's a sharp tool in the shed, though, now that she's shed her flaky persona, and she makes a good run for it, but once she's surrounded in the parking garage, she doesn't stand much of a chance, even after blowing through 2 clips, and seemingly having more ready to pop in (maybe I'm tiring of this "realism": if they have limitless numbers of clips, how's that different from never running out of bullets?), especially when she doesn't have a mole of her own helping her out (like she did for Tarin, which only led to the best car crash of the season--Tarin zooming is big SUV at Jack, then off the roof of the garage, nearly earning a perfect 10 from the judges for the twisting flip--Chloe says no one could survive that fall, and except for her forgetting what Jack did last season--"this is gonna hurt!"--she's right). Especially when Freddy, betrayed Freddy, heads to the garage. Freddy shoots out her tires as she's speeding at him, she crashes and survives--nice plot device those air bags--Freddy confronts her, but CTU takes her into custody when she says, "I'll talk, but only to Jack."
Never woulda heard that from a terrorist in seasons of yore! Then, Jack was always one little excuse away from causing a lot of pain on anyone he suspected of being bad. This season, grandpa doesn't doesn't even explain, "she won't talk, torture won't work on her" anymore. He goes right to bargaining. Don't we all fondly remember Michelle (wasn't it her?) getting drugged up in a CTU holding room? Why not try the same on Dana this season?
No, we're better than the terrorists finally. So much so that we don't even have to say we won't stoop to their methods. Hmm, maybe Renee of a season ago got through to Jack in the same way he got through to her. He tries to call Dana's bluff ("once the terrorists kill Islamic Pres, you have no leverage"), but Dana sees that as a bluff, and calls right back. Jack caves and calls (President Taylor), bargaining immunity for info. And all those other immunity deals Taylor did when Jack asked have worked out so well that she buys off on this one right away (though she did try to weasel out of it on a technicality).
But don't think we miss out on torture and drugs. Kidnapped Islamic Pres gets drugged to make his resistance lower. He's still too tough for the kidnappers trying to coerce him into apologizing for his "crimes." Kidnapper threatens to cut off body parts, but 24 doesn't do that anymore (not since one weak CTU agent lost a finger a couple seasons ago), preferring cleaner torture--electricity and more drugs. As he's about to get shot up again, kidnapper changes his mind, figures he'll never cave, and decides to rant and rave on a "live" internet feed before slitting his throat.
So, now we got the live feed and Jack headed to the scene with a team. He gives them a little pep talk, tells Renee he wants her with him rather than running ops (she's all, "Whaaa?" he's all, "it's against my instinct, but I need all the experienced agents with me." I'm all, "Whaaaaa? doesn't CTU have any good agents anymore besides Freddy? And does this mean Renee's going down, too? Say it ain't so!" Oh, and nice touch by Wersching--she's headed to her assignment after Jack finishes his pep talk, then he calls to her, and she looks surprised--it's that attention to detail that makes this show so realistic). They sneak in to the apartment building, Jack kills someone for not looking all that bright--fortunately Jack found a gun on him after the fact, that he quickly unloads and stashes on top of a fire hose cabinet--no kiddie's gonna look up there! They find the right apartment, it has a quiet 6 year old in it (hmm, 2 strangers with guns come in saying they won't hurt me?? Yeah, I'm keeping my mouth shut.) and her mom. Jack heads back, into the closet, Renee watches mom. Good thing Renee has a roving eye and spots the platinum blond wig. She's as quick as Jack at making the right inference (hidden blond wig + Arabic woman = danger!), and she blows away mom just as mom reaches into the sofa cushions and finds a gun. Yeah, all terrorists hide guns in the sofas cushions for when company shows up unexpected. Or was it, "I'm always losing things out of my pockets into the sofa.").
Jack finds Narnia, or is it a time hole (around 37s and 60s), and quickly shoots everybody, with terrorist still on line reciting the crimes of Islamic pres before killing him. Only Islamic pres is dead (Jack didn't do it). It's the Richard Pryor on Saturday Night Live trick, and Jack and all of CTU fell for it.
And that leaves us with Dana's immunity worthless (immunity expressly conditioned on recovering a live pres), the peace deal dead, and the only bare glimmer of suspense being something about the Russians--not the mob Russians we started with, but the political ones. Although, is there really much difference? That peace deal has always been more than it's cracked up to be, at least for me. Is that what this season, now this series, has been building up to? Peace in the Middle East? (How West Wing again, like Ethan's heart. Has this show really veered sharply left?) And the best they can do to heighten it is to threaten me with ex-pres Logan showing up? Is 24 going all On the Beach? Sphere: Related Content
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