Of Patsies, Overachieving Hitmen and a Wasted Supervillain

Let me say off the bat that Season 7 of 24 has been great. The show has redeemed itself from the waste that was Day 6.

That being said, I’m glad there are only a handful more episodes left, because I’m getting tired of these episodes, like tonight’s (4:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.), that are all plot setup with a minute or two of action tacked on at the end.

Most of tonight’s episode was spent on the saga of Jabraan, who’s being set up by Tony as a Lee Harvey Oswald-style patsy.  Sure, he may have some sympathies, but he’s not really a bad guy and is only following Tony’s demands to protect his brother’s life.  Unfortunately, it will probably be in vain, because seven seasons of 24 have taught me that patsies don’t outlive their usefulness.

So in other words, thanks for being a nice guy Jabraan, see you later.

Another focus of tonight’s episode was the continuing saga of [My Name Is] Jonas Hodges.

First, we saw the first daughter put out a contract on his life, only to get cold feet when it was time to pull the trigger.  However, she unknowingly hired the world’s most overachieving hitman, who carried out the job with an old fashioned car bomb before being paid.  And little did he know that he wasn’t going to get paid.  Would it be too much to ask for one of the plot points in the final hours of this season to be Olivia finding out what happens when hitmen don’t get paid?

Speaking of paying the hitman, a quick glance at the Olivia’s screen showed that Hodges’ life was worth $250,000.  I know she’s the president’s daughter and [acting] chief of staff, but how did she happen to have a quarter of a million dollars at her disposal?  Did she have to ask her mother for it?  Or is it the accumulated fruits of her efforts to blackmail her friends in the media over the years?

Either way, I’m really hoping the hitman notices not all is right in his bank account.

Sadly, the anonymous overachieving hitman was accurate, as his car bomb (seemingly) killed Jonas Hodges, one of 24’s most compelling bad guys.  Whether in command of his private army or shackled in government custody, Hodges maintained a level of bluster unmatched by anyone else.  He was entertaining, and as the former Hank Jennings found out, deadly.

Voight as Hodges stole every scene he was in, including the one in which he was getting his new identity from the federal marshal.  Hodges’ refusal to accept the realities of witness protection reminded me of something else…

I’m sad to see Hodges go.  Part of me was hoping FOX would launch a 24 spinoff next season featuring the former 24 supervillain in witness protection.  You could have Hodges living in San Diego with Rick Moranis as his FBI handler.  Or surround him with wacky neighbors.  Or nevermind the wacky neighbors, just have Hodges standing on his lawn for a half hour screaming at whatever or whoever passes by and just watch the neighbors’ reactions.

It’s gold, I tell ya.

And finally, yeah, there was some Jack in this episode.  Unlike last week, he calmly dealt with Special Agent The Bowler, at a point when most other people would have wanted to rip her head off.  And he lead a raid on Jabraan’s apartment, but sadly, that wasn’t enough for those of us who are looking for some real action.

Here’s hoping we get it next week.

For more Bauer talk, check out blogs.4bauer.com.

What did you think?

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3 thoughts on “Of Patsies, Overachieving Hitmen and a Wasted Supervillain

  1. I haven’t been too impressed with episodes this season. They seem to be on a 3-setup episodes then 1-action episode cycle.

    This episode was a yawner. Yeah, I guess is pushed the plot forward a bit and there was the van explosion, but otherwise I was channel flipping during the hour far more than I should have.

    But with all the chatty episodes, I’m hoping that means the last few hours will be Action Central with a main event showdown between Jack and Tony.

  2. Would be nice if the last three episodes were three hours of non-stop action, but sadly, I think they’re going to take it to the White House for a bit, which would slow down anything.

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