I don’t know why. And I can’t say when. But all I know is that somehow, in the past few hours of 24, the horrible experience that was last season has been erased from my memory and any residual bitterness has been patched over and replaced with hope that Jack survives against [My Name is] Jonas Hodges and his airborne version of Mad Cow Disease.
Tag: 24
A Waste Of A Great Supervillain Moment
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that this season’s villain [My Name is] Jonas Hodges could be the best yet bad guy we’ve seen on 24 because he is similar to Ernst Stavro Blofeld, nemesis of James Bond.
Well the comparison stays apt, because one of the few interesting scenes in tonight’s episode of 24 showed Hodges acting in a Blofeldian manner, even if (forgive the pun) the execution wasn’t all the same.
It’s possible that there were things about tonight’s episode that I wasn’t seeing, but for the most part, I found it boring, especially in the White House scenes. All of that drama was between the President, the Sherri Palemeresque First Daughter and the (soon to be former) Chief of Staff.
Jack and Tony met up with lucky to be alive security guard Karl before taking on a team of Blofeld Hodges’ lackeys over a shipping container full of Sentox Nerve Gas a mystery chemical or bacterological agent. That action, taking place in the last 15 minutes of the hour was interesting. Although, I was befuddled as to why Jack and Tony didn’t take on team terror right away. Or at least make it look like Karl killed the goon (hey, it could’ve happened!) so as not to arouse suspicion that they were on the case.
Other than the final scenes involving the shootout and Jack’s theft of the big rig, the only other interesting part of tonight’s episode was Hodges’ meeting of SPECTRE the Starkwood Board of Directors. Hodges was quite animated during this meeting, even taking some time to deal with a dissenter on the board who looked like Bryan Cranston (the guy who played Dr. Tim Whatley on Seinfeld). The one thing that surprised me about this scene was we didn’t see the Whatley wannabe die–either in front of the rest of the Starkwood Board or during their private moment together. Even after Whatley accused him of murdering Senator That 70s Show, Hodges kept his cool and didn’t have Whatley walk over a gimmicked bridge that fell into a shark pit. Hodges makes a great villain, but that was his moment to shine, and he dropped the ball.
One other thing about this episode- at the end when Jack was on the horn with Special Agent Larry Fine, I was wondering- is Jack now off the hook? You think that Larry would call the White House and clear up the situation. But then again, this is Larry we’re dealing with.
I leave you tonight with an image of a man and his truck.
What did you think?
A: A Bulldozer, A Screwdriver and A Two-By-Four
Q: What are three things not to leave laying around when Jack Bauer’s coming after you?
So Jack Bauer escaped from the hospital and is fighting for his life at a construction site, Secret Agent Larry Fine is having a helicopter escort him all around DC, the folks in the White House are going through damage control with the media and what is Tony Almeida doing?
Enjoying himself a nice mocha latte.
Heck of a season it’s shaking up to be for 24.
Continue reading “A: A Bulldozer, A Screwdriver and A Two-By-Four”
Ode To Bill
I have to admit, when Bill Buchanan showed up at CTU all those years ago (season four, anyone?) as a division stooge, I wasn’t a fan. But over these years, Bill has grown on me. And now, he’s gone.
Usually, when 24 introduces a character, I know right away whether I like them or whether I want Jack to put us out of our misery by crushing their windpipe with his legs. I have to admit, I was wrong about Bill. Maybe it’s because even though he was a division guy, he didn’t get in the way. Maybe it was because even though he was “seeing” Michelle, that was all water under the bridge between him and Tony. Or maybe it was because he was one of the few authority figures who saw the benefits in letting Jack be Jack.
Well, after five seasons, Bill is gone, having gone out in a selfless (typical Bill) blaze of glory in a successful attempt to liberate the White House and it’s hostages.
At least he got a silent clock. And in an effort to memorialize Bill, I’d like to quote something that I wrote in an episode recap from February of aught-six:
I read James Morrison, the guy who plays Buchanan, is a yoga instructor and poet. Because of this, I imagine Buchanan lives in a sparsely-decorated home, and sleeps on a stone tablet. Bill Buchanan is the man.
Yes Bill, in a television world where 95 percent of government authority figures are portrayed as idiots, you were the man.
It's All Kim's Fault
After watching these last two frustrating (yet somehow compelling) hours of 24, all I have to say is if security really is that bad at the White House, we’re all screwed.
Help–Jack Bauer's Brain Is Missing!
Throughout his career as a government agent, Jack Bauer has a history of being one step ahead of everyone else. Bad guys, good guys, idiot family members, Jack is portrayed as the sharpest knife in the drawer that is the 24-verse. As a viewer, it’s fun- cheering for the guy who is always right and always gets things done.
But tonight, I have to admit my faith in Jack was broken. True, Jack’s pursuit of Ike and the information to take down the conspiracy achieved their goals, but he made two missteps along the way that resulted in me shouting at the TV, questioning whether Jack was out of his mind.
First, after pulling Ike’s seemingly lifeless body out of a flaming car, Jack left Ike there to lay on the sidewalk while he helped Special Agent Renee attempt to save Martika.
Not that I have anything against saving the life of someone who helped you nail the bad guy, but I’ve watched way too much TV to expect Ike to still be laying there when Jack is done trying to save Martika.
Secondly, shortly after procuring a chip from Ike’s body, Jack proceeds to hand said MacGuffin over to a random police officer who just so happened to be standing by a helicopter. Now, that chip contained the names and information on all of the government agents involved in the conspiracy, right? Then why would Jack hand that over to some random police officer?
Luckily, neither of these missteps came back to bite Jack in the ass. Hopefully, Jack’s brain was catching up on its sleep this episode and his body was on autopilot. Jack will be back to normal next week (I hope).
Despite Jack’s questionable decisions, the whole pursuit of Ike and retrieval of the microchip is over. But the name of the game is 24, not 9, and there’s more to talk about.
Jack Bauer Will Break Your Heart
First, just a little something I want to get out of the way. From January 19 of this year:
Speaking of the FBI, Special Agent Jeanene’s associate (good ol’ whatshisname) is really irritating, even moreso than her. I’m guessing he’s the mole. Because of the hair grease. Why the hair grease? Well, the main terrorist (the guy who Jack’s boss reported to) also used a bit too much hair grease this morning. So did one of the evil secret service agents. Remember back in season 1 how all the good guys used Macs and the bad guys used PCs? Well, I’m calling it now. Bad guys, hair grease. Good guys, natural and fluffy.
I’m glad that I actually called a mole right one of these seasons. Even though “good ol’ whatshisname” since been re-named on this blog as Special Agent Brylcreem, my disdain for him and his whiny ways have not changed. I suppose that serves notice to Special Agent The Bowler as well, because she remains just as annoying. Still, this whole episode just reinforced one fact:
Relationship Issues
Tonight on 24, we learned the main bad guy is having issues with his girlfriend, who thinks he’s an importer/exporter who is extremely devoted to his work.
The FBI agent who’s [most likely in the end] a good guy and smitten with his female co-worker is frustrated by the fact that each minute she’s getting more and more like Jack Bauer and less like the bright-eyed by-the-book FBI agent he fell in love with all those years ago.
In the White House, the president is showing some backbone by refusing to negotiate with the terrorists who have kidnapped the first husband. Meanwhile, upstairs in President Heaven, President David Palmer is looking down on all this and thinking to himself…
Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before
So on tonight’s episode of 24 (Day 7: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.), an industrial plant in a small town is threatened. A remote computer controls the release of toxic gas, but when that system is compromised, the buildup of said gas threatens to explode, putting that town in danger. Only the brave efforts of one man, who must sacrifice himself to save the day by throwing the manual release lever can save the day…
King Size Homer looks better in a mu-mu than Jack Bauer would.