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I did find it slightly odd that there was no political element at all. At least a cursory visit to see Hassan getting more irate. I can only assume that we'll be focussing on that next as -and I've realised that this is my main bugbear with this season- it seems to be one episode, one plotline at the moment. It might be me, but it does seem as if a lot of time is being given to one story each week and then put at the back for awhile until needed. This would be fine were it not completely missing the point of 24. That Real Time concept that we can get quite nostalgic about.
Jack has thankfully become Jack again. The old war horse who wanted out was nice to begin the season, but it was starting to get stale. Now Jack Bauer is back.
Firstly, apologies for not commenting on episode 8, sadly I had a week where real life got in the way and thus was unable to share my thoughts. Overall, I thought it was a decent episode. Some good action stuff and a reasonably palpable cliffhanger.
Therefore, imagine my annoyance this week, when before the opening credits have rolled, Josef the embittered Russian has been killed and the whole Son betrays Father thing that looked so promising evaporated in a puff of MacGuffining. To make matters worse the Principal villain by default Farhad Hassan is then deposed of this role by generic sinister henchman #1 for what appeared to be no good reason. It almost seems like the writers had had an opportunity to see the finished cuts of the previous 8 episodes and decided they didn't like it, and rather than subtly bring the show around to wherever they're bringing it around to, they just removed anyone who wasn't necessary.
The one plus side of this is that there is now a tangible threat to our characters. Ignoring the nigh-on impoosible science involved the radiological attack is an excellent way to go. It's a threat we've kind of seen before and can thus accept. I only ask that this year it isn't allowed to go off, as we've seen a nuclear disaster too many times in the shows history and the only shocking thing to do would be to wipe out the entire main cast and that sort of kills the story.
Speaking of killing, the tick the box exercise in gritty soap opera writing that is the Starbuck and Friends storyline finally resolved itself. Sort of. Of course, now she's got to see if Cole keeps his mouth shut and of course he's guilty of the murder of a civilian of sorts, so it's all going to get messy. I tell you, we never had this shit with Tony and Michelle........
The shows other couple got some interesting story time this week as well. Jack and Renee being a item is something I'm quite happy about. There's a history there, so it doesn't feel shoe-horned and at the moment it's being underplayed well enough not to get irksome. It also serves a purpose in resolving Jack "not wanting to do this anymore." He has to do this now for Renee, or the diabetic one from Con Air and the lame as hell Chief of Staff will get the beauracrats on them. Well, be warned guys, it's a fairly safe bet that Jack's Dad is harder than your Dad!
I find the Russian family thing fascinating, but odd. It's obviously going somewhere but I can't quite place where. The brother is being built up to turn on the father, but that is -in many respects- too easy. I'm glad they are at least developing these characters though. one thing 24 has never done well is villains, Ira Gaines stands head and shoulders above the rest.* The Bakhaev's are obviously the villains for the first half of the season, and the real test will be if they can create a decent enemy for the latter half of the story.
I really want Taylor to get a good story, she was fantastic last year; the first President since David Palmer to genuinely interest me. This year, she just doesn't have it. Partly it seems that her arc was concluded at the end of last year, because everything feels a little stretched.
*I also have a soft spot for Stephen Saunders, Charles Logan and Jonas Hodges, but no one beats Gaines.
Oh hello there, I haven't seen you for a while, do you remember we met in... oh when was it? 2001, 2002 something like that... it's 24 isn't it? The last time I saw you properly Jack was in a coma and Renee had just put her badge down. Remember? So how's the family? I heard that Jack doesn't want to do this anymore... oh you're conveniently ignoring that for the time being are you? Fair enough. And what's Chloe up to? Not a lot. Right. Anyway, it's great to see you.
As that somewhat sarcastic monologue may indicate I'm a happy man again. I sat down to watch episode 7 last night with much trepidation. Having watched episodes 5 and 6 twice I was still unimpressed and was worried that the theme would continue into Sky's first single episode of the season. Thankfully, I was wrong. What I watched was a sharply plotted episode with enough action, drama and emotion to more than make up for the lack-lustre start. Whilst still not attaining the heights of the early seasons, in my mind this episode was certainly up there with the some of the best offerings of 'the second trilogy'.
That's not to say it was perfect. There are still too many characters doing nothing and a little too much stalling for time, but it finally feels like 24 again. I can even forgive the Starbuck storyline... just about. Whilst I still think it's one unnecessary contrivance too far, it was given enough screen time this week to keep my attention. The scenes were Dana skulked off to some weird wicker man-esque office to were perhaps the most interesting simply because her colleagues have started to click that something is wrong and the anticipation of someone coming through the door and rumbling her was incredibly engaging. Yes, it was obvious something was going to go wrong- the story needs a continuation, but there was at least an attempt at connecting it to the main story, with the van driving past the truck containing the "nuclear materials. It was beautifully subtle, almost a meta-plot link if such a term exists.
Aside from Starbuck, CTU is still a tad redundant. This is a good thing to a point, at least it isn't the soapy tripe that was offered up in season 6, but it doesn't have the right balance that was struck with the FBI last year for example. I assume that there'll be some variety of siege/ crisis/ attack that puts them all in danger before too long. There are too many characters in one location for it not to happen, at least going on previous episodes.
Also not being used to it's full potential is the United Nations. President Hassan's Hamlet like descent into madness is taking shape nicely and the fact that the bloke from The Bill has now been taken into custody does give us a character that we are familiar with on the other side of the platform. Anil Kapoor has basically stolen every scene he's been in this year, and given his english soap opera origins, TJ Ramani has impressed me with his quietly understated performance. I look forward to next week to see the furthering of the confrontation between these two. However, I did say that the UN isn't being used to it's full potential and I stand by that, particularly the American political cartel. President Taylor seems to have done nothing but make speeches and deliver ultimatums she hasn't followed through on, Ethan seems to be a shadow of his season seven character and the new chief of staff is so two-dimensional and irksomely shouty I haven't yet bothered to learn his name. Again it's a balance thing, and I think that what's lacking in this particular strand is the balance between the two political sides- it is still relatively early in the season though so finger's crossed.
And so on to Jack, Renee and the Russians. I did think for about ten minutes that they were going to sit around doing nothing for another hour, but it was actually a perfect slow build to a perfect 24 cliffhanger, which has so swiftly moved the plot on I'm wondering if the writer's realised that things were dragging and just decided to mix it up a bit. There were some great moments in this story. Jack and Renee's tender exchange, complimented by the timidity of Renee wanting to know what had happened to him at the end of the episode. I was reminded of the Jack/ Kate Warner love story of season two, they thankfully didn't go too far and ruin it, but there is a suitably lingering love between our two heroes.
Having said that, the high emotion and tension of this whole story was matched by it's comedic brilliance, the frankly hilarious bread knife sequence is one of my highlights of 24 so far. I think it was the moment that Jack pulled the knife from his own stomach and flung it into the advancing ginger terrorist's neck, before perfectly doing a man by shooting him through warped perspex, whilst Renee knelt crying over her torturer. I possibly have a macabre sense of humour but to me it was like the rest of the episode, brilliant.
I thought 3 (aside from the Jack and the policeman plot) was good and four was the best episode of this season. 5 and 6 had good moments, but annoyed me because it was so slow. Whilst 1-3 werent' the snappiest episodes ever they were at least building to something. And 4 was the reacion to that and thus carried itself.
I just think that we're already a quarter of the way into the season and there's nothing yet that shows me it's worth investing in the other 75%. Season six at least had a decent beginning even if the rest of it fell flat. I'm all for the slow burn and decent build but I resent unnecessary sub-plotting and poor characterisation.
To put in a different way, if this was the show's first season I don't think it would be getting picked up for a whole run. The spark is gone.
Dan I think you're right. It feels like they've not actually sat around the writer's table and checked everything is working. I have rewatchd these episodes and whilst my incandescent rage has diminished a lot compared to my last post, I still feel short-changed.
It almost feels like they've written particular signposts and event episodes for the season but haven't concerned themselves with maintaining a great deal of energy or tension in between.
Firstly, the title is a bit of a lie, as I'm going to be discussing episode 5 here as well. I watched them at the same time thanks to Sky's very unusual scheduling choice, which I assume is a contractual thing tha now puts us in blighty on the same line as the US, I think...
Anyway, to the episodes. I'll be honest, I was very very bored. The good old 24 pitfall of it taking too long for nothing to happen was very much in play. And I don't really understand why. There was no need for most of the long drawn out scenes of people waiting for the next thing to happen. Various characters were irrelevant- Hastings, Cole, The entire Presidential team, Chloe and to a lesser extent Jack. It was all about Renee, and actually her story was quite interesting- and thanks to the excellent casting of Callum Keith Rennie it was worth watching. Sadly, the point of 24 is that multiple storylines run concurrently and we are kept involved with all of them, not, well we've got one good story and we can just put in a load of filler to tidy up the rest of it.
I did also like the two brothers storyline, although it seems a tad irrelevant. I don't really know why I liked it, possibly because it was a little unusual and as such intrigued me. I presume with the way the story ended that we're building to the son turning against the father. Well, if they stick to the time-checks we've got another 3is hours before the nuclear rods are going to be moved so that gives a good while for them to get more narked with each other.
The Starbuck story is possibly my biggest irritance at present. I want it to tie in to something, but I don't think it will. Instead it's going to end up with the bloody annoying Arlo blackmailing/ reporting/ getting involved in way that doesn't matter. It serves no purpose whatsoever, and is a waste of Katee Sackhoff as an actress. If the 24 production team are for some reason reading this, please pay attention: STOP IT! IT ISN'T BIG, IT ISN'T CLEVER AND WE EXPECT, AND FRANKLY DESERVE BETTER! WE HAVE OFFERED CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN THIS SHOW FOR 9 YEARS SO STOP FOBBING US OFF WITH THS UNDER-DEVELOPED, IRRELEVANT SHIT!
I'm not going to say anymore I think that sums up my current feeling well enough.
Well J_A as you asked so nicely, here are my views on episodes three and four. I'm successfully watchng week by week this year, so haven't got as far as episode five yet.
It happened, I knew it would, it was bound to happen in fact. It's sort of crucial to any story-telling exercise. What are you blathering on about I hear you type?! A PLOT!!! We have a plot!!! It only took three hours and twenty-three minutes but suddenly we have a story. A Nuclear story nonetheless.
Now, in the days before Star Trek: Nemesis and the rise of JJ Abrams, there was an unwirrten rule that any Star Trek film wth an odd number involved would be terrible, and so it seems to be that in 24, every even numbered season has some sort of threat involving the middle east and nuclear weapons. Hopefully, however, the combination of Middle Eastern west-hating fanatical type, some nuclear MacGuffining and a cartel of dangerous Russians will play out better than it did in season six. It's a bit too familiar, but I'm confident they won't cock it up this time. After all if this is the last season, then sure you won't to go out with a bang like a nuke in the mojave desert and not like a nuke in North Los Angeles.
Anyway, episode three was a bit rubbish wasn't it? Save of course for a fantastic last five minutes, when suddenly out of nowhere, the show became 24. Tension, action a palpable terrorist threat and a cliffhanger that wasn't actually half bad. Cole showing as he did again in episode four that he's got PJR factor (Potential Jack Replacement) in that he's tough, willing to make the hard call and also willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. He's alsosleeping with someone from the office who isn't who he thinks she is. But aside from Cole's heroics in the last five minutes it was all a bit of a muddle. The Jack being beaten up by police subplot was shameful time-wasting of the highest order and achieved nothing other than the delay Jack until it was too late. The weird bit with the basketball playing gang near the start of the episode reeked of "Oh yes we need to remind people we're in New York. They have black guys playing basketball right?" and as for the continued inter-house politics at CTU, it was frankly bloody awful. And is it me or would it hve been better if they' prtended season six was a dream and just had Milo in place of Arlo, they are essentially the same character.
On a side note, which person thought it was a good idea to name the villain Davros? Possibly the same person who wrote such cringe-worth dialogue as "History is being made upstairs, and it's happening on our watch" and th beautifully expositional, "I don't care what her lawyer says, we can hold her for up to eighteen hours without charging her."
Thank god then for episode four. Renee's return was as shoehorned in with the best of them, but at least they've made her believably twisted, when it could have been done in a "Willow going mad in Buffy" kind of way. The relationship between her and Jack has developed brilliantly and it's almost like Jack haing emerged from his own dark place and having seen the effect it can have (the respective evolutions of Tony, Chase and to some extent Nina all spring to mind) want's to be he go shepherd this time and bring her back into the light. It's a nice dynamic and gives a great deal of scope for future stories, particularly with Jack not really wanting to be involved in the CTU side of things. Actually, I'm hoping that he doesn't keep resolving a situation, aim to head for the airport and get brought back by some unforeseen circumstance as it'll get very irritating.
After all the press yawing about the fire axe moment, I noticed that all the reviews I've read were very quiet on the frankly brilliant and overly gratuitous angle grinder moment. What I think made it so good, is Jack's reaction, partly because he's no longer a person who would do that, but also because he's seen what that can cost you.
So another mixed bag really, certain very clunky elements (the Dana Walsh storyline which I'm hoping will go a bit Lynn McGill before long) but also some promising signs of things to come (Wilson still being alive gives me hope.) One final odd spot, I'm sure that Hassan's chief security guy used to be a detective on The Bill which from a casting point of view, I find quite funny, but maybe that's just me.
I think the whole negotiations element is something of a MacGuffin to give the Presidents a reason to be where they are. Which as I think I said earlier seems wholly unnecessary. Although I wonder if they're trying to avoid the season six effect of having central storylines that can't interact due to distance. I do think that while the negotiations are a bit watery, one thing they have done is create a believable and three-dimensional middle eastern President. The casting helps certainly, as Anil Kapoor is fantastic, but he's very well drawn and has been given flaws that are human.
As for CTU, it doesn't feel like CTU but that's not necessarily a bad thing- although it begs the question of why you'd bother calling it CTU, when the FBI served so well last year. It's obviously a pay-off for last season's "The FBI can't do this so let's bring the defunct agency that somehow solved everything and never had issues with staff getting annual pay rises back into existence." I found the whole interrogation a bit redundant, as it didn't achieve anything. It might, should they bother tomake use of the fact that they've incorrectly detained a journalist with whom the middle eastern president is sleeping with, but who knows.
I hope that the seeming lack of central plot is due to them building up slowly. It sort of harks back to season one when the story wasn't really going that fast until about episode 5 when it had it's first major twist. The difference here is that the originality factor is no longer there and as such sloppiness can't be ignored.
I'll write about these episodes later, but just to clarify for you that Starbuck refers to Dana Walsh as that was the role that Katee Sackhoff played in Battlestar Galactica and Buffy's Husband refers to Cole as Freddie Prinze Jr. is married to Sarah Michelle Gellar who played Buffy.
Interesting.
The opening episodes were good certainly, but didn't have the same dramatic punch that last season's premiere did. I think that may be the Tony factor in play, but I also think it maybe a responsive element. After the general debacle that was season six, they had to play one hell of an ace to keep people watching for season seven. And it worked and season seven is generally regarded is being up with the best of it, so this season they could take the foot of the gas a little bit and build things slowly.
I have to say I actually really enjoyed these episodes. Our returning characters have basically found themselves in a world that has left them behind and that makes a great story. The new CTU with it's hi-tech measured approach and unmanned drones flying down 5th avenue is a world away from where we started with Jack tranquilising his boss and terrorists disguising themselves as telephone repairmen, and that's great, instantly we've got a whole host of new people for Jack to fall out with and shout at despite the fact (and I think the writer's may have slipped this in) that he "doesn't want to do this anymore."
I'm guessing that this will actually be a running theme this year, as opposed to previous years when they've started something and then forgotten it by about episode five. I can see this series being very slow, but having a very good pay off- particularly if this is the last season. We're already getting certain conclusions and resolutions, for example Kim telling Jack to fight and thereby finally acknowledging who her Dad is, if even he "doesn't want to do this anymore." Similarly Chloe shouting Jack down and reminding him how much he owes her was great and if for some reason Chloe was killed off two minutes into episode three that scene was a perfect denoument for her character and a fitting end to the tenure of the last CTU stalwart.
But it wouldn't be CTU without a little unnecessary soap opera and it was ably supplied by Starbuck and Sarah Michelle Gellar's husband and their impending wedding, but, and here's a twist, she's got a dark secret. Will Katee Sackhoff get a slightly better payoff than the "she was an angel all along" bollocks that infested the end of Battlestar Galactica? Well, we know she has a hillbilly sister, an ex-con hunting her down and at some point she changed her name to Dana for some reason. So as it stands, no not really. We shall wait and see.
Over at the UN, which felt as if it had been shoe-horned for the convenience of not having to head over the state-line every five minutes, it's nice to see that we have a President who we recognise. By my reckoning that's the only time since season two into three when a President hasn't been ousted between seasons. Technically I suppose Logan was President at the end of season four and still there in season five, but that doesn't really count in my books. Although he began his season as President signing an agreement with a foreign leader as well, so by that logic President Taylor will be in the pay of Jack's previously unheard of sister by episode 15. Currently though, she's entertaining that guy from Slumdog Millionaire and his at present-unnecessary-to-the-story family, including his "oh he's connected to the terrorists is he, well I didn't see that one coming!" brother/ chief of staff. It was all a bit bland wasn't it? I'm au fait enough with the real time concept to know this is the case but I'm hoping the terrorist attack will be something spectacular when it happens as the whole Presidentil stuff needs an adrenalin shot. Also I've got £20 that says the new Chief of Staff has some kind of past/ dark secret and/or hidden agenda that'll come into play before too long.
I suppose my final point must be the bit that the press were talking about incessantly: the fire axe moment. I may have missed something, but the press junkets were ravn about this whole thing and making comparisons to the infamous season two "I'm going toneed a hacksaw" incident. Remember that,? It was back in a time before Jack decided that he "doesn't want to do this anymore." But it was nothing like that, surely, a more shocking use of the fire axe came about three quarters of the way through the season three finale when he cut Chase's hand off? But what do I know. Suffice to say I didn't really see it as the gratuitous moment it was labelled as, I instead saw it as part of a nicely choreographed action sequence that kind of summed up these two episodes: good, but I can't help thinking that they have really got started yet.
Just watched the new season 8 promos. It looks like the season theme is going to be Jack wanting to retire but having to do one last job, which would be great as it would nicely finish the story- however they choose to end episode 24.
Nice moments: The young agent asking who Jack Bauer is. Jack's scene with his grand-daughter (dialogue possibly a tad forced, but quite sweet.) What looked like a glimpse of Tony- although it may just have been Jimmy Smits getting his action groove on.
All in all, done what any good trailer should which is whet my appetite for January. Now to go back to rewatch again.
The number of people they've said won't return in the past then have is quite long though, so don't write it off yet.
Do they use a German-speaking sound-alike or is it a completely different sounding voice? Can't really imagine anyone other than Kiefer being the voice of Jack Bauer.
*Bump*
Can we get some answers J_A? I don't think anyone else is going to be playing.
I was watching something the other day about defining different cultural things and how bands, directors, etc all have defining moments or albums or other such stuff, which got me thinking how would you define 24?
If you had to pick a scene or a particular line from anywhere in the history of 24 that you felt defines the show what would it be. It doesn't necessarily have to be your favourite moment, just a moment that you feel defines the show.
The best example I can think of is the final episode of season one, and the scene where Jack, having just been told by Nina that Kim is dead, proceeds to take on the Drazen's single-handedly. For me, this scene has action, raw emotion, the stock-in trade duplicity (nina) and a beautifully shot piece of cinematography from start to finish.
Any other suggestions?
I also think that Tony's story has reached some kind of closure now so if they kill him off then it won't be as big a deal as it was when they did it the first time.
I'll be surprised if Tony doesn't come back in at least a small capacity. It'd be great to see him in an almost Hannibal Lecter type role- Jack having to visit him in prison to find out some crucial information from his three years deep cover.
Mandy, as cool as she is, is very two-dimensional so I'm not too fussed if she returns or not.
Logan still has a lot of story left untold. A) did he survive? B) How is he connected to Johnson? and so on and so forth.
It's only a concern because while it's incredibly open-ended it's also puts them in an interesting position in terms of where to start s8.
Either they start incredibly soon after, and either take Jack out of the equation or jump higher over the shark than ever before, or they start it much later and to a point undermine the tension that was built up in those last five minutes. I'm sure they'll work their way around it, but I can still remember my disappointment that the amazing cliffhanger at the end of season two was effectively ignored at the start of season three.
Jack's story is obvious to resolve- he gets well, possible rehabilitation and PTSD but otherwise he'll be back in action ready to blow up some more enemies of freedom- Tony and Renee's story arcs (Renee in particular) stand out as being desperately unconcluded.
Sorry, as ever, my replies are a little late.
Q1: At a guess three. Once about Air traffic control, once about FBI and once about the Subway.
Q2: Bill, Renee and I seem to think that there is someone else... Larry possibly.
Q3: Robert Ellis. One of those sadly wasted characters.
Q4: CTU with 25% less fat? It's either the answer Dan gave or the answer 24nut gave, and I'm going to go with Dan, the recommissioned CTU servers at FBI
Q5: $250000
Q6: The finale. Although he didn't seem to direct that many this season, or maybe that's just me.
Q7: The gun and bullet being different and his star witness not being dead as he claimed
Q8: Stobarts?
Q9: It's something about knowing the man, isn't it? I'm honestly not sure.
Q10: Senator Mayer
Q11: The government can't deploy the military as police without first declaring martial law.
Q12: Pass
Q13: 5833. I'm guessing again.
Q14: Pass
Q15: Pass
Q16: Python missiles with R-7 rocket fuel I think.
Q17: Well, if it's six months after Redmeption then it must be early Summer as that was in January. Although was it six months after Redemption? I'm not sure of anything anymore.
Q18: 01:20ish
Q19: Code Blue
Q20: Arlington General
Q21: 430 acres
Q22: The German intelligence agent in s5 who wanted the Wet list from Jack. Played by Henry Ian Cusick who know plays Desmond Hulme in Lost.
Q23: Larry and Jack agreeing Jack wasn't fit enough to go to Starkwood.
Q24: Twenty. Presumably referring to 20-20 vision.
I'm hoping for half right.
Ok toys back in the pram boys and girls :-p the only thing we're all for here is 24, favourite character, seasons and episodes are all personal choice and let's be glad because otherwise life would get very dull very quickly.
So to the finale. I'll give my opinion alphabetically.
Amazing, brilliant, clever, dramatic, etc....
High points:
- Beautifully dramatic and understated. It didn't need big explosions, it had emotional drama aplenty, with each character being given at least one scene to shine.
- Nicely open-ended, lots of loose threads to pick at.
- It never felt out of character, which previous seasons have had issues with.
- There were great nods to the past, in particular the moment where the President walked out on her husband which was a direct recreation of Palmer walking out on Sherry in s1.
- The meeting between Jack and the Imam.
- Tony. Just Tony.
- Kim finally earned the name Bauer.
Low Points (and I'm being really really picky):
- A lot of uplighting in dark rooms, got a bit samey
- There is a risk that they've written themselves into a corner, but I have faith which I didn't have last year.
- It's six months until the next season starts.
I went with the finale, but it was a close call. I think just for stand-out acting quality it was great across the board and every actor had a chance to shine.
I liked the way the bio-terror story was rounded off. In previous seasons, they would have killed off the muslim boy just to tie up his storyline but this is new 24 where death isn't the only solution. The look between Jack and the Imam was also a very nice moment.
Forcing Jack to break Tony out is going to make for a good finale. It's the old partnership loyalties against the new partnership loyalties and Renee has been through a lot this season and is no longer the gun shy girl of 20 hours ago, so if Jack does go against her, will she fight back?
And to the kimnapping, how we've missed thee! Bringing Kim back was always going to head in one direction and it was a slightly predictable episode for her. The laptop display moment was a tad too much but they covered it well enough, and we've obviously now got that strong personal angle to lead us to the finale.
The questions that arrive from the current scenario:
-Why does the mystery woman want Tony so badly?
-Will Jack really turn on Renee?
-Can we really see everyone walking away from this?
-What are the odds of the mystery conpsirators being exposed? (my guess would be slim!)
A good episode. Definitely picking up the pace a little, but it did feel like a lot of it was filling time between the last major event and the next.
A decent death, as well, for Jonas Hodges. It has to be said he's been living on borrowed time for a while now, but it's a shame to see him go. All credit to Jon Voight for creating one of the top 24 villains of all time.