Reinvented Characters Give ‘24′ New Life
by John P. HanlonOne would think that after seven years on the air, audiences would know who Jack Bauer is. Yet, as the new season of “24” began last week, we saw Bauer in a different light. He was not fighting terrorism; he was spending time with his granddaughter at the zoo. And Bauer was not the only character who has changed since last season. It turns out that one of the best things about the new season of “24” is how many of the characters on the show have been reinvented.
As with many seasons before, Bauer’s day began with him trying to stay as far away from anti-terrorism work as possible. This season, he started his television day (each season captures a different day in the life of Bauer) as a family man before inevitably being called back by an informer with inside information about a terrorist plot. It took a lot of convincing for Bauer to leave his family life. Both his daughter Kim and his former coworker Chloe had to convince him to return to the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) to assist in taking on a terrorist plot.
Chloe O’Brian, one of the best characters on the show, had only recently returned to CTU and she’s there when Bauer arrives. She’s the acerbic computer expert who was previously quite confident about her own technological expertise. This year, though, she lacks that confidence as the computer systems at the new CTU are more advanced than what she was used to before she left the old CTU. As usual, though, she has been quick to pick up on clues that could lead to real terrorist threats, rather than decoys, which is why she enlists Bauer to help her.
Additionally, Renee Walker is back on the show. Last year Walker was a professional agent who matched wits with Bauer. This year, after an offscreen suicide attempt, Walker seems to be on the edge and off-balance. At the end of episode five, Walker begged a violent criminal to shoot her, and Jack and many in the audience likely believed she really was willing to accept her own demise.
Lastly, President Allison Taylor is back, this time negotiating a major peace agreement with a foreign leader. Even in the first few hours of the new season, we have seen changes in President Taylor. Last year, she was often a woman trying to protect her husband and her politically-driven daughter. Because of the choices she made at the end of last season (she refused to cover up for a crime her daughter committed), she has started this season as a loner. Her daughter is gone and her husband has left. Like Bauer, who lost his wife in the first season’s finale, Taylor is still dealing with the aftermath of that.
Many have criticized “24” for silly and distracting subplots and like past seasons, this season has those too. For instance, viewers likely don’t care about the private life of one of the CTU agents with a “secret” past she’s trying to keep away from her professional career.
However, “24” is still an entertaining show often full of surprises. With its strong cast of characters in unknown personal territory and solid new additions like Freddie Prinze Jr. and Anil Kapoor (the game show host from “Slumdog Millionaire”), “24” is still worth watching and worth getting excited over as minute upon minute unfold on the show … in real time.
Email this to a friend | Print |
Share on Facebook
| Tweet this
| 
Follow Us on Twitter
Subscribe via RSS
Got a Tip?
64 Comments
I used to be a "24" addict but lately I couldn't care less. Why do they have such a long hiatus before coming back? You have a hit show – it is gone for – what 9 month? a year? then it comes back and everyone is supposed to flood back?
I don't think even Jude is interested anymore – do we have the live blogging?
The last time I saw it it seemed to become a caricature of itself. Which side is Tony Almeda on? Who cares?
Oh, but we'll care as soon as that personal secret drives the CTU employee to be blackmailed into sabotaging something and puts Jack and company in jeopardy. It's only a matter of time. I just hope Jack tasers a phone again like he did last season.
Anil Kapoor is dope!
I'm sorry, but I can't agree. I think this is one show that just overstayed its welcome. It was never awesome, in that it tried to hard to be PC by always having a white guy be behind the terror plot (the one where the Arab terrorist has a change of heart after seeing American kids at play was particularly hilarious). But now it's just tired and played out. Every single scenario has been done so many times: mole in CTU, killing all of Jack's acquaintances, Chloe secretly helping Jack, ad nauseum. Just kill it and come back with a new idea already.
you folks are complete idiots….24 is a tv show filmed like a movie with be on the edge of your seat suspense. Get a grip and understand that 24 may just be too advanced for you….
The single best improvement they did in the new season is GET RID OF JANEANE BARFOLO. The show really was almost unwatchable last season with her in it. Though they really did miss out by not killing her off in a most grisly and painful fashion. Bauer should've killed her.
I have only watched a few seasons, but my main complaint is the women Jack is always involved with are such whiny arses. They always have to try to stop him from doing whatever it is that is vitally important to the nth degree. UGH.
[...] this link: Reinvented Characters Give ‘24′ New Life This entry is filed under America – Blogs, Big Hollywood. You can follow any responses to this [...]
Yes, way too advanced. All that global warming and dying polar bears and that final prayer scene last season.
If you believe there are no terrorists and global warming is real, this show if for you.
Nobody but CTU ops can hack into computer systems so easily and redirect satellites as quickly. And that episode where Jack survived an A-bomb going off reminded me a bit of an old tv series, "Crime Story" in which one of the mafia survived an A-bomb going off near Las Vegas.
The show has the appeal of a comic strip – in SpongeBob's words from "Rock Bottom," "Advanced comic strip."
The show jumped the shark when Sutherland did the PC announcement about the terrorists and how we misunderstand them. Not to mention the greening of the series.
When the commercials are edited out, it's not 24 hours, it's only 16. What kind of TV show is that? 16 hours for an entire season?
Yes, it's way too deep for me.
When you're hoping that the Russian would put a bullet through Renee's brain last week, to put her out of our misery, that's bad writing…
Jack and Chloe – awesome. The rest of the show stinks.
I don't know about reinvention of characters making this season worthwhile. "24" is what used to be known as a "potboiler" in that the dramatic device is continuously keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. The show was novel when it came out since it happened in "real" time. Even commercials were time so that events picked up roughly after the 4 or 5 minutes of a commercial break. The show has an ironclad formula which varies very little from season to season. Conservatives such as myself like not only the production values of the series, but also that the creator, Joel Surnow, seemed to be willing to depict the protagonist in a favorable light even though he is something of a "Dirty Harry." Obviously, that is not an entirely new concept either, but at least it wasn't bashing the United States and those who would defend her.
The issue is, although the show is getting long in the tooth, viewers of a certain age have been brought up on network free series television and the notion of appointment t.v. Like Dallas, the show may be corny, but it still can draw you in. You know more or less what will happen and how it ends, but are really watching to see how Jack ultimately saves the day
We just finished watching last Monday's episode and about decided to delete from the DVR. Same leaden dialogue, same situations, poor Jack getting long in the tooth and expected to fight all comers. Sets still dark and dreary, no attractive new characters, the president still a scary Hillary look alike …
Had Garofalo's haughty puss not gone missing, we wouldn't have even watched the first episode this season.
I smell a spin off. I can't stand that CTU woman agents! Doesn't she carry a gun? Someone need to tell her to take care of her problem.
Ok I'll jump on the griper wagon too. I like the show but season seven, while decent in many regards, was a slap in the conservative face with real terrorists turning into the tired American capitolist villian. This is not the first time either. Also the non-denominational prayer offered by the muslim was a slap to anybody who actually has faith (muslin or christian). "Lets forgive ourselves…" Gee, hope that works out for you. Garofolo's rants were annoying. Why even entertain that lib propaganda on a show like this.
Wow. I feel better.
I used to love 24 so much, but the last two seasons (excluding Jon Voight) were just lousy. Having Jack bawl his eyes out to a Muslim cleric was unforgivable.
Freddie Prinze, Jr. is a solid new addition? Seriously?
One big reason for the long hiatus is that they want to run all the episodes consecutively. That is very usual for any show in the modern ratings era — where the traditional TV season runs from Fall until Spring.
With sweeps in November and May, most shows run new episodes from the start of the season until November is up — or about half their scheduled allotment. Then it's repeats (with perhaps a couple of new shows around Christmas) until mid-January, or even until after the Super Bowl. Then it's new episodes (with some repeats slipped in) building up to a finale at the end of May.
The structure of "24" does not lend itself to that format. I think it did try to adhere to that format in the first couple of seasons, but Surnow decided it was too much of a sacrifice. Breaks like that didn't work for a show unfolding in 24 hours in "real time." So he told Fox: Let me start my show in January and run all 24 episodes consecutively. No repeats. Fox acceded to this demand, and was happy they did. As Surnow expected, ratings started to soar. Not only is "24" the only show to premiere in January, it also makes the show vital viewing to fans every single week.
As for the writers' strike … that did have as major an effect on a show as possible. Though half of that season's shows were plotted and filming had begun, Surnow pulled the plug because he knew by the time the strike was over, he wouldn't have the time to get 24 full episodes in. It is amazing that a show can take an entire year off and still survive — let alone thrive, as "24" has done.
I've been watching since Season 5, and it feels that the show's formula has run its course. Let Jack, Renee, and Chloe ride off into the sunset. Sometimes its better to finish on a high note than to wear out your welcome (ex. The X-Files).
For me, 24 ended with Season 4.
Then I read Jack cried to some Muslim cleric, and all I could think of was how cool it would be if Mitch Rapp would've walked in and slapped him around a bit.
That is absolutely unforgivable.
Can't say I agree with this assessment, except for no one caring about the CTU agent trying to cover up her past life–that bit I definitely agree with. I'm very sympathetic to Jack, just because the guy deserves a break, and Chloe, mainly because it's Chloe. The CTU agents, though, are all way too one-dimensional, and I can't get up any interest in them. 24 is still a captivating show, for all that, and I like to see the terrorists get stopped. But it deserves better than what is essentially background noise, so far as 90% of the characters are concerned.
That said, why say that Jack and the audience "likely believed she [Renee] really was willing to accept her own demise"? Likely believe? Does he know something we don't?
Hmm. For one thing, I love Chloe, but in this premier episode, she was Way overacting – what was with the grimaces and outbursts? Immature, Chloe.
I don't care for the new blonde – why didn't she deal with the punk right away? And, if she has a past, why does CTU not know about it? It's called vetting.
The president seems to be a starry eyed liberal who really really believes in arms treaties and the paper they are printed on.
That's one of the bigger problems – it requires too much suspension of disbelief now. We're supposed to believe Starbuck could concoct a backstory that passes the rigorous checking the government does for federal agent employment, but her ex-boyfriend could crack it?
"Having Jack bawl his eyes out to a Muslim cleric was unforgivable."
But it made total sense. Jack's in bed dying and the only holy man he knows is the one he met an hour or two ago. So he calls to him. Big deal. This cleric proved himself to be an honorable man.
When you call her "Starbuck", many people do not know who you are speaking of.
It's a full moon as some of you so called "24" fans are pissing me off. Have some faith for god's sake. We are only on episode 5. A lot can change and does after the fisrt 1/3 and then 1/2 the season is over. Stop complaining and sit tight and see what happens.
Here's my complaint – John P. Hanlon – have you actually seen the first 5 episodes? For instance – the Pres, daughter is in prison and the Pres husband divorced her. All you said was they had gone and left.
Other complaint – Jeanine Garafolo. How much longer with the 'Barfolo' comments? How childish. Love her or hate her, she did a good job last year in an indifferent role in the worst season ever of "24".
That said – my comments about this season so far appear below.
Thank you.
I agree. The Chloe character is a bit off so far this season.
Ok – after counting down the months, the new season of "24" has arrived.
I was not overly impressed, but I was not repulsed like in S7 – worst season ever.
So far this season, episode 4 was the best of the 5, imho.
Dumb ass sub-lots – stupid cop beating up Jack – idiotic time filler. Foreign Prez involved with blondie. Dont care. Douche bag hillbilly threatening hot babe in the tight gray sweater. Get rid of him.
CTU set – a bit too modernistic, but better than that shabby looking FBI offices last season.
Good move – getting Chloe into the show ASAP.
The new CTU guy is inept and I am not fond of that actor. Jim Morrison rarely seemed like he was acting as Bill Buchanan. He acted and looked like a leader. This new guy does not.
All the stuff that happens in these first episodes usually just sets up the 'real' plot.
Cherry Jones as Pres. Taylor – last year – horrible. So far this year – much better and she doesn't have the dead weight of her hubby and daughter around, plus no mindless plot about Africans with laptops shooting up the WH.
Glad to hear that a former president will be returning, though I rather would not have known in advance.
Waiting for Aaron Pierce who has never not been in a season. Would be nice to see Mike Novik again
There is no way to redeem Tony Almeda unfortunately. All my other fave characters are dead. Edgar, Michelle, Bill.
So I think we are off to a pretty decent start. Nothing fabulous.
———————————
After seeing episode 5:
Psycho Renee? Don't care much for this angle. Blond CTU and her hillbilly ex boyfriend – junk subplot, badly written and cast. The foreign president and his family problems? Less than zero interest. Russian gangsters – horrid dialog, laughable casting. Clown show. Chloe – just going through the motions.
This was a filler episode at best. Still too early to give up, but they need to get it together fast.
*Just was watching DVD of Season 7 (only for the extras b/c Season 7 was abysmal) – The writers went thru hell on S7 b/c they felt traumatized by the lackluster Season 6 and felt the need to re-invent the series. It is clear by their comments that they do not seem to had realized at the time that Season 7 was so very bad. Now, with Season 8 airing, it looks like they may have realized how bad Season 7 was b/c they made an effort to wrap up S7 storylines quickly in S8, but they still seem to be faltering…..so far.
We'll see.
I would hate to see the show go out on a low note, but if this season turns out as badly as last season, I just wont get the kick out of it that I used to. It's not fun and exciting anymore. Something is missing…including too many now dead CTU members.
I hope it will not be the last season, but I am tired of disappointment and so far they have only had one decent episode (#4) amidst 5 dull/silly episodes.
Let's see if they get this initial crap out of the way and come up with something good.
——————————————
BTW – My favorite season is Season 5 and the latter part of Season 4 that sets it up.
—————————————————-
Another thought – the producers of the show walked right up to the line in season 5 when they killed off David Palmer, Michelle Dessler and Edgar Stiles. It pissed people off. Palmer may have run his course as a character, but Michelle and Edgar had mileage in them and viewers liked them. However, in Season 7, they crossed the line when they killed Bill Buchanan. That was too much. It made me angry. And making Tony Almeida evil was mindless and wrong. At that point, you are not teasing the viewers, but you are revolting them. Season 7 was a disaster, but I am not sure the producers realize that. They are still kicking themselves over season 6…and that was a masterpiece compared to season 7.
OK – done. Sorry about the length.
So far, in Season 8, they have any number of characters that I care nothing about.
"that passes the rigorous checking the government does for federal agent employment" What with the "univited" guests showing up and entering a whitehouse party with complete access to the POTUS maybe it's not fiction at all?
Suzy: And you don't think that is the case right now?
I guess we will just have to wait Oscar at least into the 20's episodes before making a judgement. It's still too early to pass judgement on the entire series and I don't envy the writers coming up with plots that are not completely lame but maybe this would be a good season for a ripper ending bringing 24 to it's finale. Best to go out with a bang rather than a wimper
Season 8 of 24 is/was so painful to watch; ill suited actors miscast. The muddled but childish alleged story line the workings of a 6th grader (and not a smart 6th grader) and directed by a conductor holding a baseball bat, rather than a baton, made watching it like viewing a criminal event.
Killed the second week's episode and deleted the series from my DVR. In simpler terms, with bad writing. Bad direction. Bad acting. There exists absolutely NO reason to watch.
What will I watch instead? Nothing. I have a stach of classic Jazz CDs that need listening to and some books (made of paper) that need reading.
Yeah, I haven't liked his girlfriends either. Especially the one Kim Raver played. She was awful. But I do like Renee. She not only let Jack do what he needed to do, she helped him do it, and when she needed to, she did it herself.
So far, this new season hasn't risen much above the dreck of last season when I officially put the show on notice. If it doesn't do something to really impress me by the end of hour 6, I'm done.
Honestly, to keep this show new and fresh, I have been saying for a couple years that what they need to do is the most unexpected thing: kill Jack Bauer in the first 2 or 3 hours of the season. Not a fake death where he comes back a few weeks later or even next season, but just finish him off for good. Last season could have been a perfect time: kill Jack, Renee takes his place as the show's central character. This season it could be Freddie Prinze's character. Seriously, how many times does this guy have really, really terrible awful days? What are the chances? How many tight spots and near-certain death experiences has he had?
Don't get me wrong. I like Kiefer Sutherland and I like the Jack Bauer character. But enough's enough. Fresh blood followed by fresh ideas for this show.
Good review LB.
Edgar was the best character. What were they thinking when they killed him off?
I've always been a huge 24 fan, but I have to agree with many of the comments here.
If something doesn't change soon, those footsteps Jack Bauer hears sneaking up behind him may be Michael Weston coming to replace him as our family's favorite superspy.
"what they need to do is the most unexpected thing: kill Jack Bauer in the first 2 or 3 hours of the season."
Worst idea ever.
@erp-
Thank you.
Edgar Stiles – they told the actor that they had good news and bad news for him.
good news – he was one of the most beloved characters on the show.
bad news – they were killing him off.
To them, that action was keeping the show 'fresh' and keeping the viewers in some kind of 'suspense' as to never knowing who is going to go. But that was a mistake.
They were over-using this aspect of the show – the fact that anyone can die suddenly. But in this case, they betrayed the viewers. It was a memorable moment, but it was needless to kill him. They gave us a maybe a minute of drama and emotion, but they took away a character who was good for several more seasons, at least. They got a lot of feedback on that, but they didn't learn their lesson.
I've been a huge fan since Day One and I am simply tired of it. I'm tired of waiting for a show that is supposed to be about a United States Counter Terrorism Unit that has yet, even after 8 years, depicted the true threat this country faces.
In my opinion, 24 is the perfect example of the dangers of political correctness that we saw culminate at Fort Hood. Remember, the first season of 24 started filming before 9/11 happened, and started airing shortly after it happened. There was a lot of controversy about the very first episode because it showed an airliner exploding in mid air.
For 8 years now, the writers and producers are still operating as if they can't offend Islam and Muslims. Jack has never been a hero, but an anti-hero. Nobody in power ever listens to Jack. Nobody in power ever believes Jack. He's had two presidents listen to him (three if you count Wayne and I'm trying to forget that season even happened) and one of them is dead and the other is an imbecile. Jack has been beaten, tortured, hunted, captured, beaten some more, tortured again, has died (what? Twice now?) and, let's not forget, saw his pregnant wife murdered.
This season? Russians. Again. While our dumb president tries to negotiate a peace treaty with a Yemen like country at war with some other unnamed country. Um, how does something like that work? I guess the 24 writers couldn't come up with a reasonable substitute for Israel so they decided to just leave out that small detail? Well, I guess we can be thankful the writers didn't try it because we all know what liberals think of Jews. The mere fact that they didn't try to depict this unnamed third country tells me those writers meetings must have been Hell. Poor guys couldn't even come up with a way to write it in.
A fresh take on 24, for me, would be this: Jack is back in charge of CTU. No moles anywhere in the US government. A competent president. A good bad guy we can all hate. Now THAT would be a great season of 24.
Quite. Contrast the great dialogue, interesting characters, locales and situations with those on "24."
"Burn Notice" must be made on a dime compared with the elaborate sets, high priced stars, etc. on the other crime/spy shows. The twice a year continuous spate of episodes works just fine with us. The same episode is also shown at two or three different times, so if you have a conflict with the DVR, you can record one of the other showings.
The cable shows make watching their shows viewer friendly. Networks might want to take note.
… they didn't learn their lesson. Do they ever?
Don't forget the Chinese were the bad guys for a short while too. I'm waiting for the season when we learn Christian Fundamentalists hiding in the hills of West Virginia are the real enemy and they spend the season bombing the h*ll out of "them thar hills" because no matter how often Islamic Fundamentalists try to kill us in real life, Television programming will never notice it.
BTW – the comment below should have been in reply to MikeMcK above.
Eh. 24 is what it is.
For those that want a realistic portrayal of Muslim terrorists, 24 is not the only show to go PC in that regard. We can indict all of Western television for sugar coating that elephant in the room. Prior to Season 7's PC-fest, 24 had come closer than most other shows in actually portraying unrepentant Muslim enemies. The beginning of Season 6 springs to mind, with the suicide bomber screaming "Allahu Akhbar!" before Jack kicks him out of the train. (Yeah, the whole thing turned out to be orchestrated by the Russians, but what can you do.) The events of Season 4 bugged CAIR enough for them to raise a hissy fit about it, so that's another point in 24's favor.
I started in Season 5, and have yet to backtrack through the previous seasons, so I probably missed the show's finest hours.
For my money, the show is still watchable, but I think it would be smart to end things on a high note this year or next, and let the franchise go away and be missed for awhile.
I'm not sure about the spin off, but I can see them grooming Renee to be Jack, jr if or when Kiefer leaves the show.
The woman that I thought would have been a good pick for him was Marilyn, his brother's wife played by Rena Sofer. That would have been good. Even his daughter's role is whiny. All the women work around this stuff every day, yet act surprised when he has to go torture people. They need 5,000 explanations for every detail. Tedious.
I am a fan from Season One. I quit for good last season. I put up with a drift toward pc for the previous two seasons, but last year was too much. You can find lots of shows and movies (especially) blaming white guys, American corporations, American politics, etc. This was one show where you felt safe from the "Liberal Tell" for an hour. Remember really long ago how the Arab guy in the neighborhood was defended by all as a "good guy" and then he turns out to really be an Arab terrorist? That was great. But downhill after that…way too pc. the bad guys became anything BUT Islamic terrorists….Russians, white corporations, polish evil technicians, Tony Almeda alternately….
I'm waiting for the next evil threat to go back to be Neo-Nazis like they dressed up "Sum of All Fears" from the original Tom Clancy's bad guys who were ….Islamic Terrorists.
And Sutherland on every talk show proclaiming his liberal self and bragging he was a "red diaper baby" of his commie mother….what hypocrisy!
I didn't even notice she was gone!!!!! Wow…I completely forgot how much I disliked watching 24 and seeing her. All I could do when her face appeared was remember her political rants on other shows, and I lost track of what was going on in 24. In fact, I quit watching before the season ended because of that.
For one to be an effective actor one must be able to assume a character's role in the eyes of the public. If you want to make controversial comments in public it is fine to do that. The public will pay attention to what you say because you are a public figure, but you will have to be an extraordinary actor–which Garafolo is not–to overcome that.
I always thought of her snide liberal remarks when her character appeared on the screen. It was too much for me to overcome to enjoy the show, so I quit watching.
Can some of your–and my–favorite characters be resurrected? Edgar could have a twin. Or maybe their deaths were just dreams. I can wish, can't I?
Hopefully that dreadful sot Janeane Garofalo had gone for good!
What has also amazed me is how this Hot Stuff Anti-terrorist unit can be riddled with so many cretins with background that make them iineligible to serve as dog catcher. Such as the current CTU computer guru with a felony record.
I had made up my mind, if she returned I was turning it off. There was no way I could take 24 seconds of her.
Part of becoming a Federal Employee is an FBI background check. I guess with all the demands by Homeland Security the FBI is just too busy.
As a fan of 24, I would like to add a point that I haven't heard yet. There's one main redeeming virtue of this show, which should warm the heart of every true conservative out there. Yes, the PC nature of the show drives me nuts as well ("We're going to scrupulously avoid portraying the ONE group out there who ACTUALLY is involved with terrorism"). But right now we have a President who, to be brutally frank, doesn't seem to be all that concerned about Islamic terrorism. And in stark contrast, this show–unlike every other series out there–reminds the American audience that there are evil people out there. These people want to do us harm. You can't negotiate with them, and you can't charm them with a fine speech. We have to find them and kill them. And sometimes this involves good people doing things to bad guys which would make most of us a bit squeamish. As Orwell put it, "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." And for that reminder, in spite of all its faults, I will be eternally grateful for this series.
Enjoy "24" responsibly. Drinking games using "copy that" or "trust me" "there's no time" end in alcohol poisoning somewhere around the second commercial break.
@marg-
I gave the Edgar resurrection on BH a few weeks ago. Because of his size, the Centox gas did not kill Edgar as it first appeared, but his motor skills very badky damaged. So…the put him in a secret rehab so that the failure of Centox would not be made public and it has taken several years for Edgar to regain his motor and neural and whatever skills….and he returns to CTU!
Very plausible and much better than the corny twin wheeze.
Now…how to bring back Michelle and Bill…..Hmmmmmmm……
I think what may have been hard for the producers of "24" to adapt to was that they did not need to constantly kill off characters. It's a good idea in moderation but when you lose people you turn on the show to see and enjoy, people get bugged if you kill them off season after season.
I really wish they would consult me on these matters!
It did, and I hoped that it'd make sense to the slavering dogs who've been brainwashed into barking whenever they see a Muslim… but no. Some people can't be saved.
It always brings the willingly terrorised out of the woodwork, this one, and they scream about how the villains aren't all Islamic terrorists. That portrayal is about is about the only realistic thing that 24 does: the threat of Islamic terrorism is portrayed as being as minor as it is in reality. It disappoints the racists, but the bad guys generally are those with a little more power and leverage than a lock-up full of fertiliser.
A decent start to the series, but it's played out now. It's difficult to care either way when a new series of 24 kicks off, you just have to decide whether you'll be bothering to watch it or not. Nothing that happens within those first few hours will change your decision, because your mind will already be made up. I'd love for it to do something shocking, but I'm not sure what that would consist of other than killing Jack off early on.
@Scuffle-
In simpler language, please?
I completely get that they screw up and miss some things, but federal agents go through an incredibly long and thorough background check process.
OK – got it now!
LB, I've always thought that if they consulted us wiseacres on important matters like these, the world would be a better place. ;-}
I think you missed the point. The new CTU head is an incompitant polital hack who is more concered about how he looks than getting the job done. Choe is struggling not because the computers are more advanced, but because everything is in incompatable formats and some vital data is stored on seperate propriatery databases.
OK, I was worried about it after the first two nights and now it's confirmed, the science in 24 is flat wrong. You cannot get weapons grade U-235 from fuel rods, not even Russian fuel rods. If you have used fuel rods, you can get plutonium, but it will not be weapons grade. We try to control nuclear fuel because (a) it is a dangerous poison and (b) it is easier to process into weapons grade than uranium ore. I haven't been so bummed out since they said that Sarah Connors had type O blood and her son John had AB.
I'm not surprised they don't know anything about uranium and I don't mind suspending belief about fantastic goings on, but when they cut off a man's hand with a circular saw, connect it again with a piece of cloth and a few minutes later he regains consciousness, walks into the car and gives coherent directions … that was a bit over the top even for the Grimm Bros. fairy tales.
I can't take "24" anymore after last season. And this season is not getting any better, despite what the reveiwer is saying here. Jack so far is constantly carrying his "man purse" with him everywhere, he's trying to tone down everyone else who reacts like he USED to react, there's the Muslim leader who only wants "peace", and after all is said and done, it's the RUSSIANS again because after all, they are caucasian. See my own Hollywood blog in my website link.
We finally had it last week and deleted "24" from the DVR and if "Lost" doesn't get a lot more coherent by next episode, it'll go the same way.
Anyone watch it? Instead of wrapping things up, they introduced a bunch of new characters and a temple with magic water???? The head guy looks like a Mongolian tribesman?????
Whoever has the job of knitting all these strings into a cohesive ending better be a genius of Leonardo Da Vinci caliber and I doubt they have anyone like that on the payroll.
You must be logged in to post a comment.