24 Season 5: Episode 10 Recap(Hour 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.)

WARNING: The following post may, and probably will, contain spoilers.

Well, I must say that tonight’s episode was probably the best of the season... and not a moment too soon. There is still a load of horse-pucky going on, but all in all, I was surprised with the outcome and appreciated the twists.

The Russian President’s Motorcade

• The Good: It’s about time we have a car ride in Los Angeles takes more than 10 minutes! Granted, it was just for the sake of a silly plot point, but a LOT more realistic than usual.
• The Bad: How can the press be surprised that the terrorists knew about the route of the motorcade? It was all over the news when it left! It probably wouldn’t take much for some very resourceful terrorists to figure something like that out.
• The Ugly: First off, it’s nearly rush hour... where’s the traffic? Secondly, it’s nearly rush hour, where are all of the people downtown? Third, would the Russian President really be taking a motorcade and not a helicopter? Because I’m pretty damn sure they arrived to the summit by helicopter.

CTU Isn’t Lynn’s Baby Anymore

• The Good: I liked the coup de tat, but I liked it better when I saw it on Crimson Tide.
• The Bad: The ol’ "secret computer in the back of CTU that isn’t traceable," trick. Right. Or how about Lynn not taking the advice of his advisors? Is he trying to take a page out of President Logan’s book? Oh, wait, Logan doesn’t have ANY advisors.
• The Ugly: Lynn flying off the handle and firing everyone in his path. Doesn’t he know that Edgar and Chloe are the only computer people he has? Also, the use of the word "real-time," again. We know... the show is in real-time!

President Logan and Mrs. Looney Tunes

• The Good: The absurdity of the whole idea that Logan and his wife are arguing about killing the Russian President.
• The Bad: Uhhh, what? Praying? Is it just me, or did this seem VERY out of context for any season of 24?
• The Ugly: The fact that they can’t get off of this weak President story-line.

Christopher Henderson, the Ex-Boss

• The Good: Did I hear Nina’s name??? And I was totally duped into thinking that he was really helping Jack. Nice.
• The Bad: Weird, a former director of CTU that lost his job? Never heard that one.
• The Ugly: How often do corporate Vice Presidents wait behind their door with a tazer-gun?

Coming up next week... two hours and the return of Kim Bauer and Tony!!! Ugh.

Where’s Kim and Tony? Plus other don’t-forget-these-story-lines!

WARNING: The following post may, and probably will, contain spoilers.

There’s nothing quite like being teased and prodded by the 24 plot-twisters over the course of a season. What’s worse is being teased and prodded for the first half. Tonight will be the tenth episode of the season and we’ve been dealing with the same story-lines for quite a while now, but it’s important to remember that we’re going to get a few more in the last 15 hours of the show.

The Return of Kim Bauer
In the most action that Kim has seen in almost two seasons, I think we’ve heard her name now approximately 13 times. We all knew the writers were just warming us up for her re-appearance. But how will she appear? Let’s see... how about she’s being held hostage by someone Jack is trying to kill. Maybe it’s the mountain lion that didn’t quite finish her off in season two.

Tony Finally Gets Out of Surgery, or Whatever
Waaaaaaaay back in episode one, Tony was taken to CTU’s medical wing (the one they have no reason to have except for plot twists). Since then, we’ve seen him in one episode – but he was still knocked out. You know he’s going to wake up soon, and give Jack a "key" bit of information. If so much trouble was went through to kill Palmer and Michelle, then why didn’t the assassin kill Tony when he had infiltrated CTU to kill Jack?

Diane and Derek, the Dynamic Duo
Well, these two just fell off the face of the Earth faster than anyone in 24 history. Which should send us a big signal. There was also a moment a few episodes back where CTU questioned how well Diane knew Jack (Frank). I think we’re being set up for yet another mole-story. Don’t count these two out just yet.

Who’s Afraid of the Spenser Wolff
In the tried-and-true mole-within-CTU storyline, Spenser actually came out sort of clean. Yes, he did bad things, but he thought he was being patriotic. Or was he? He’s still being held in CTU and not ushered of to some maximum security, so there must be some plot-twist that will involve him.

Chloe and Edger: The Odd Couple
How could we forget about the glaringly obvious love story that’s about to come to fruition? No, not Jack and Audrey (again). No, not Palmer and Sherry (reunited in the afterlife). We’re talkin’ Chloe and Edgar. Blech. My bet, one of them dies in the other’s arms by seasons end.

Can We Bring Back Nina, or Maybe Mandy
Two of 24’s best villains have been kept on the sideline so far this year. Here’s to hoping they’ll be brought back at some point.

24 Season 5: Episode 9 Recap(Hour 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.)

WARNING: The following post may, and probably will, contain spoilers.

Looks like more and more people are becoming aggravated that I take time to write this blog. Again, let me re-state why I do this... 24 was a good show... when it first started. Great concept. Great plot. But somewhere along the line, more and more people got turned onto 24 and that’s when the plots, writing, etc. started to slip. It’s still a fun show, don’t get me wrong, but for a show that’s supposed to be based in reality, it falls short in way too many areas to fulfill that goal. For example...

Who’s The Bad Guy Now?
In, yet again, another over-used story-line, we viewers are taken on a wild goose chase to really figure out who the bad guy is. Once again, the bad guy we’ve been following for the past four episodes (in the least), was killed and another took his place. This one talks directly to President Logan, though, so maybe he’s the top dog. But I doubt it. Any bets on how many more "bosses" we get through this season?

CTU Needs An Overhaul
This is the Counter Terrorism Unit everyone, the last line of defense between America and terrorists... that’s why there’s been five different directors of CTU in five different seasons. That’s why they’re in meetings all day long during a major crisis. That’s why there’s only five people working at computers. That’s why it only takes one person to put Jack into custody (yet another over-used story-line) and bring him in.

Can you see where I’m going with this? This is a government agency and it’s no where near proficient. Just 18 months ago, they fake an agent’s death. Now he’s back and is a rogue agent operating under his own terms. There’s a Department of Defense agent doing whatever she wants in CTU, i.e., breaking protocol. Other agents break protocol whenever and however they want. I think that’s called treason and probably wouldn’t work out so well in the real world.

Think about it, no government outfit would stay in operation if this happened in real life. Hell, the director of FEMA was fired because he was writing silly emails during the aftermath of Katrina.

One more thing, how in hell did Lynn get back into CTU when his key card was stolen by his sister’s duggie boyfriend? Nevermind, don’t question that, we’re not supposed to think.

In The News
First off, I find it very weird that the terrorists are always watching the national news. Secondly, on a day where not only one, but two, terrorist activities (the nerve gas mall incident and, remember, the hijacking of an airport) have taken place, the news figures they will cover the boring peace treaty signing. Riiiiight. In reality, we cover the VP shooting a friend rather than Bush pimping alternative energy. Let me ask you this, would there really be "live" footage of a foreign leader leaving a summit? Answer, no.

Impeach Him Already
I’m growing tired of ragging on the "weak" Presidential figure in the show. Yes, we get it, he’s not a strong President like Palmer was. In the real world, no one this weak would ever get elected. And if he did, somehow, get elected, then his wife would’ve been out the door a LONG time ago. She’s a nut job.

What’s worse, the President doesn’t use his cabinet or staff. I mean, how could he, they’re not even in California with him. He hasn’t contacted a single one in D.C. (if that’s where they are) and he seems pretty content to make US-threatening decisions with just his main advisor and the (crazy) First Lady. No way in hell this works, especially on a day where his Chief of Staff KILLS HIMSELF! There’d be some major investigations going on.

That’s just a small sampling of a much larger list of errors on the show. I won’t even get into the nitpicky stuff, like how cell phones don’t get stolen by bums from a pay phone on an old abandoned street. Or how the only people that die on the show are the ones with the most important information. Or why all terrorists have huge "databases" of information at their disposal. Or how Jack can shoot down a helicopter with a 9MM... see where I’m going?

24 could be so much better, but it has to be based more in reality – things that can really happen. Stop hanging things over our head like we’re too stupid to know what’s going on. Write a better plot, make things real.

Several people have written in and said "who cares if it’s believable?" Huh? Seriously? I wouldn’t, if Jack was supposed to be some super-hero that could fly. But that’s not the case here. This is supposed to be believable. That’s why ER (used to be) and Grey’s Anatomy are so popular, because they’re realistic. That’s why The West Wing is believable, because it’s realistic. That’s why no one cared if The X-Files was believable, because it didn’t have to be realistic. Would anybody be surprised if Jack saved someone by performing heart surgery with his tongue? No... because apparently it’s not supposed to be believable.

And for the record, I’m not jealous of the creators of this show. The creators are awesome and made a truly unique concept. If anything, I commend them for such a cool idea. I never said I could write better than them, nor do I think I could. I just want a better show, is that too much to ask for?

24 Season 5: Episode 8 Recap(Hour 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.)

WARNING: The following post may, and probably will, contain spoilers.

We’re now eight episodes into the season and nothing has really happened. Here are my thoughts for this week.

Fox Hopes...

• ... that no one remembers last week’s episode when the terrorists wanted Rossler to set the place for the meeting, not the other way around.
• ... that no one questions why this country is being ran by the President, his wife and the chief of staff... and no one else.
• ... no one, even the people in the show, notice Jack’s ear piece – which is amazingly gone in all shots until they “remind” us that it’s there.
• ... that it’s really THAT simple of a task for Chloe to type on her keyboard for a few seconds and then exclaim, “I just got into the mall’s video survelence server.”
• ... someone can actually fit a nerve gas canister into a toolbox.
• ... that no one notices that all it took to stop the nerve gas was to rip some wires.
• ... that no one questions why the wires were already ripped when the terrorist broke into that car.
• ... I’ll stop writing this blog.

Why...

• ... is Jack always right? Don’t you tire of his way being the only way?
• ... doesn’t CTU grab whatever satellite images they need to trace where the blue van came from? In the past, CTU tracks vehicles extensively, how is this any different?
• ... must Fox reuse the President Puppet storyline every week? WE GET IT ALREADY!
• ... can’t CTU finally get rid of their cliche black SUVs?
• ... can’t I get good cell phone reception like the guys on 24? I go to the back of target and I can barely talk to anyone.
• ... do terrorists insist on being next to people when shooting them? A shot from several feet away is just as effective as one a foot away.
• ... did Fox have to insinuate that only women go to the mall?
• ... do I watch this show?

How Can...

• ... Lynn just walk into CTU without anyone noticing his busted ass lip (in what is this year’s worst side storyline – are these limited to directors of CTU?)
• ... the timing on this show get any worse? It takes the First Lady over a half hour to write a press release, and only five minutes for Mike.
• ... the President NOT be reached on the phone for something as important as nerve gas being released in a public place?
• ... the one security guy watching surveillance NOT know that someone just walked in behind him?
• ... you not laugh when the terrorist said, “I’m going to put you on speakerphone?”
• ... I make it through another 16 episodes?

24 Season 5: Episode 7 Recap(Hour 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.)

WARNING: The following post may, and probably will, contain spoilers.

Coming Soon to a Best Buy Near You!
Each year, the list of innovative and impressive software at CTU grows. In just one episode, we get the wonderful workings of:

• Super Phone Trace 2.4: This software not only picks up and records any phone call CTU might want (because it’s easy to pinpoint almost any phone call), but then it does voice recognition, too. Question... if that software did that, why did Jack and Curtis have to infiltrate the building to catch that dude? Couldn’t they have just listened to all of the phone calls?
• Over-Used Technology Number One: Helicopter-proof cell phones.
• Over-Used Technology Number Two: LA-based teleportation
• Hacker Skills: It took Spencer two minutes, if that, to hack into the system. If you can’t remember who Spencer is, he’s the one that’s currently in trouble for being the CTU mole... but there was NO ONE else who could hack into this ultra mega secure system. If he’s so good, then why can he only knock cameras out for 60 seconds? Why not cut the power to the entire building?
• Candy People Tracking: We’ve seen this software already this year... but again I ask, how do you track a single person AND know who they are? Plus, why do they look like green skittles?

All (two of) the President’s Men
Ah, there’s nothing like trying to send your crazy wife to the nut-house that’ll bring your marriage back together. Not only that, but since you’re missing the Chief of Staff (because he killed himself, since this mega-treasonist person was left in a room by himself... but you know, they’re way understaffed... one more thing, would a sprinkler hold that weight?), why not make her your chief advisor over Mike? Done. Idiot viewer alert!!! “Mike, are you implying a cover-up?”

Trumped Tower
The super secure, proprietary software, tower that Spencer hacked into (in two minutes) was staffed with three guards. Three. And one of them gave us the best acting on 24 all season... too bad Jack had to give him a cheap shot in the elevator. In previous season’s, it took a pardon from the President. Now, it only takes one from the Attorney General, and again it takes a matter of two minutes to get one. Uh-huh.

The “15 year-old”
Jack’s motto for the past four seasons has been, “I don’t trust anyone.” Except this “15 year-old” gal that he found in the tower. In about four, or five, moments where I thought was going to kiss this girl, I figured something very important out... SHE HAS THE CHIP INSIDE HER!!! Or not. If you had been missing for 19 months, would you still be in the same area as the man who kidnapped you? And there’s no way the agents would “hold their fire,” if she was shooting a gun... she’d be dead, too.

The Chop Shoppe
What a find! Someone who can cut into the canisters for you (but not TOO far, or you’ll all die)! And he’s quick, too. Well, by quick I mean he takes 20 minutes cutting the first one open, but then finishes the other 20+ canisters in five minutes. Not too shabby. Plus he’s stupid, as if he’s going to live.

Kim Where Art Thou?
So are you still wondering if Kim is coming back or not? Her name was said like 14 times tonight. And now Audrey has to be the one who calls her. Just let Jack do it, because that’s what we need... another side story... like the evil druggie sister! Yeah, that’s a good one!

Next Week!
Jack catches a break and becomes a bad guy once again! Will he take up heroin again? Will the terrorist never learn who Jack is, even though he probably saw him at the airport? Will Kim run around in a tight shirt? Who cares!!!

24 Season 5: Episode 6 Recap(Hour 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.)

WARNING: The following post may, and probably will, contain spoilers.

Things are quickly becoming unrealistic on 24, big shocker. It progressively gets worse every week and the situations we find the main characters in on the show are just absurd and bogus. I want a fast-paced show just like the next guy, but I want my show and its facts based in reality, not some made up world where it’s okay to stretch the truth to better fit your story.

Hide and Stink
Okay, I’ve beaten this point into the ground already this year, but it makes no sense that this administration only has two cabinet members and a handful of security running around the complex. The only time a new character is introduced is to help the plot move along. In reality, there would be staffers and security running around everywhere... not to mention White House appointed members of the press.

So aside from this lack of security IN the building, I have to mention the lack of security OUTSIDE the building. When someone, anyone, can break out of the White House (or some lame ranch in California as the case may be), the entire security needs a great deal of looking over. Not only did the First Lady get out of the house, she managed to go across the grounds of the complex and hide in the stables... behind a saddle (nice hiding, by the way).

If Aaron is head of security, how is it that a) he can’t prevent the other agents from taking the First Lady, and, b) why isn’t he informed of Jack Bauer’s detainment? Who knows, but if you think about the true lack of security on the complex, it’s no wonder he had such an easy time “sneaking” Jack in to see the President.

But again, realistically, there’s no chance in hell that Jack drives an SUV within 20 miles of the Presidential compound, especially on a day like this. And riddle me one more thing... where did the helicopter and 5 SUVs full of secret service come from if they’re no where to be found inside the complex?

There’s No Time For That!
So Cummings was the mole, okay, fine. But there’s no way that he could fulfill his day-to-day duties and help masterfully plan out this “terrorist” attack. Remember, he also was the guy who somehow had time to overdub Palmer’s phone conversation with the First Lady (which is still absolute crap). This guy is the Chief of Staff, one of the busiest people employed by the President... but I guess when you get down to it, he apparently only overlooks himself and Mike... so maybe he does have time to be a bad guy.

But then Cummings goes and tells the President his secret. And what does the President do? The usual, he stands there and looks like a complete idiot. If anyone in the President’s staff were to unload on the President like Cummings did, they’d be handcuffed and gagged within 10 seconds, if not shot.

And while on the subject of there not being enough time, how does everyone somehow get involved in a love triangle on a day like this? I think personal feelings can be delayed for about a day when the entire CTU is looking for some terrorists and nerve gas.

CTU Needs A Re-Org
Jack’s little mini-interrogation of Cummings was pretty sweet... and to be perfectly honest, probably expected by a rogue agent. Which begs the question, how does CTU, for the fifth time, get themselves so backed into a corner in these situations that they have to completely bend/break the rules in order to get out of it. Funny how it always involves Jack. What have they done for fun the past 18 months? And tell me why you would think to NOT disregard an order directly from the President, but find it just fine to send Jack (a non-CTU agent) into the field for you.

If it were to all be summed up in one quote, I think this is the quote I’d choose: “If we’re not doing everything in our power to stop the terrorists, we’re not doing our job.” Well done, seeing as you work at the Counter Terrorism Unit, stopping terrorists WOULD be your job, now wouldn’t it?

Like I said, this season is already starting to drag on and is becoming incredulous... and there’s still 18 hours to go. When does Kim come back? I need a real laugh.

24 Season 5: Kim Bauer Returns!?!

WARNING: The following post may, and probably will, contain spoilers.

Doing a little investigation here turned up some potential crappy news. I think I’m imagining the fact that Kim Bauer’s name was mentioned in one of the shows this season, but I’m pretty sure it was. And for good reason, too. They didn’t mention Kim all of last season and she didn’t appear in the show. This year, they mention her... and look what appears on Elisha Cuthbert’s IMDB page:

Notable TV Guest Appearances
1. “24” playing “Kim Bauer” in episode: “Day 5: 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.” (episode # 5.10) 27 February 2006
2. “24” playing “Kim Bauer” in episode: “Day 5: 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.” (episode # 5.9) 20 February 2006
3. “24” playing “Kim Bauer” in episode: “Day 5: 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.” (episode # 5.8) 13 February 2006
4. “24” playing “Kim Bauer” in episode: “Day 5: 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.” (episode # 5.7) 6 February 2006

Here we go again... I hereby create the Derek vs. Kim challenge on who can get kidnapped first. Ooooh, maybe they’ll kiss and make things SUPER creepy for us all.

24 Season 5: Episode 5 Recap(Hour 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)

WARNING: The following post may, and probably will, contain spoilers.

Another week, another hour, another set of regurgitated story-lines. But don’t let that ruin anything, because there might be a silver lining in there somewhere. I think that things could turn a nice and sharp corner soon, but I’m not counting on it.

Escape From the Airport? The Nerve!

• That nerve gas was sure extremely dangerous to open, hence the gas mask apperatuses... but once there was no danger, they remove the masks and just carry the canisters around like it’s no big deal.
• How are the terrorists going to drive the nerve gas out of there??? Oooooh, because their van says, “Police Department SWAT” on it. Good to know exactly who they are and what city they work for. Be careful on the highway and don’t run into any “Flower Delivery Vans” or “Fire Trucks.”
• Hanger BB was “outside the secure permimeter.” If this follows any type of action plans we take against terrorists, I’m sure that all of the budding terrorists out there are happy to know that when/if they take over an airport, the police will leave certain sectors unsearched and unprotected.
• What’s in these hangars? Nothing too important, apparently, since the doors are secured with one padlock. And if what they said is true, about the US hiding different toxic gases around different airport bunkers, then a) this one would’ve been cataloged and known about, and, b) there’d be more than a simple padlock on the door.
• Hmmm, need to look for clues... whoa, dead rats! Guess those canisters weren’t so sealed after all.

The Dysfunctional First Family

• President Logan asks, “when did this happen?” Hmmm, well, let’s see... PROBABLY SINCE THE LAST TIME YOU SAW HER! But the real answer is that no one knows, since there’s only about six people running around there. And since when did the First Lady’s hair stylist personal assistant become her body guard, too?
• I like it when President Logan takes action... “close that door!” is such a manly thing to order.
• So President Logan doesn’t listen to his advisors when they’re talking about a matter of International Security. Ironically, though, he takes marriage advice and decides to send his wife away to the loony bin.
• Why is it so damn important to talk to Tony? What the hell will he possibly tell you? Oh, I know! “Jack, I was almost blown up!”
• What!?! The First Lady just up and went out a damn window!?! Is it bad that I said, “I hope she’s dead,” when we didn’t know where she was for about ten seconds? And just how does anyone leave the house that the President is at? That is some great perimeter security.

CT-Peeeee-EW

• Of all the protocols that CTU must follow day in and day out, on a day like this they allow Audrey, a non-CTU agent, to question people?
• “A lot of people thought you were dead, until today.” Yeah, he knows... wait, wasn’t it ALL of them?
• Why is it that the moles always hang out in the back rooms? And if you ever need to know, this is what you type in to figure out what people were looking at on a computer right before you, “Recall Last Command.”
• Those are some pretty thorough guards... menacing, too. I’d say that on a day like today, no one gets into CTU without being searched extensively. Think of CTU’s track record over the past five years... yikes.
• “It could take us months to figure out who the mole is in Logan’s administration, there are hundreds of staff members.” ... “wait, now that I think of it, there are only two that are in this story.”

Why Break From Habit?

• Oft-used story-line #1: A mole inside the White House
• Oft-used story-line #2: A mole inside CTU
• Oft-used story-line #3: Love Triangle(s)
• Oft-used story-line #4: Can’t talk to hurt person until they’re better
• Oft-used story-line #5: Idiot teenager gets in way
• Oft-used story-line #6: Personal issues muddy up busiest day of life

Randomness...

• Where is the Vice President?
• Where is Jack’s grave?
• Nice to have the moles exposed so quickly in the season.
• The fight scene was kick ass! But now we have to live with broken ribs, and probably some other medical drama, for Jack the rest of the season. Foreshadow alert!

24 Season 5: Episodes 3 & 4 Recap(Hours 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.)

WARNING: The following post may, and probably will, contain spoilers.

Sheesh, double episodes kill me...

Let’s see, when we last left the world of 24, President Logan was insisting on the continuation of hosting the Russian government against all of the advice that he shouldn’t. Even an assassination of a former President couldn’t sway him. Nor could the fact that Jack Bauer was on the loose and potentially trying to kill as many important people as he could. Then, out of nowhere, the airport that Jack was at (looking for a piece of the mystery surrounding his assassination setup) was overtaken by terrorists! The good news, Jack is trapped inside... the bad news, so is Derek:

Jack and His Super Bag of Goodies!

• I figured out how Jack has a nice new cell phone (a cell phone that has every personal CTU agent’s phone number), he has some sponsorship with Sprint!
• In addition to the city-wide teleportation abilities that Jack has shown us over the past few seasons, he can also type in an email address in two seconds. An email address, mind you, to send CTU an email of terrorist photos. And now they’re going to send him data back to his phone. HIS PHONE! Buy Palm stock now!
• Jack’s vision and/or math skills are a bit wacky... “approximately 10-12 hostages” looks more like 24ish.
• David Blane: Jack Bauer: Street Magic – Watch as Jack blows up a remote with his cell phone! Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Wouldn’t that blow up all of the terrorists’ vests? Well, no, probably not, he just pointed his wand at the one he wanted to blow up. Or maybe the terrorists spent money on getting different remotes for everyone – yeah, that makes more sense.
• Jack is now a seen as a postitive statistic inside CTU... without him, success for the entire human race is 20%.
• How many other cool things does Jack have in his bag? Aside from two cell phones (one for calling and one for emailing), he’s got guns, a car-jacking tool, a telescope and probably some Bert’s Bees Wax.
• Remember, Jack hasn’t been cleared of assassination charges yet, but we don’t see the importance of handcuffing him. I mean, he only allegedly killed a former President and two CTU agents.

CTU (and Their Technology) Rocks, Sometimes...

• I’m not sure what I’d do with it, but I need some of those face-scanning programs... you know, the ones where they can take a photo of an angled face and match it to a gigantic database of terrorist mug shots. If they’ve got mug-shots of that many terrorists, why not just jail them all up instead of just photographing them? Problem solved.
• My God... the CTU computers and their databases are absolutely amazing, did you see all of the photos of remote detonators they had on file? If these things really existed, we really would have zero terrorists in this world. I mean, we’re talking some real “Minority Report” type shit here, people!
• Why is it every season of 24 there’s a change in the chain of command at CTU? If that government unit is in such constant turmoil, you’d think that they’d have some type of stable leader or dissolve it all together.
• Speaking of a new leader at CTU, it’s one that micro-manages? Jeez, talk about recycled story-lines (crazy first lady, a mole, new micro-managing leader at CTU, multiple love triangles, etc.)
• Let me get this straight, CTU can pinpoint and track people in “real-time” movements from the garage of a hotel, yet you can’t use computers, or satellites, to track where terrorists and hostages are inside a one-story airport terminal? What about those nifty infrared satellites you had last season 18 months ago? Plus, why will it take 20 minutes to re-deploy men around a 10,000 square foot (at most) building? Oh, that’s right, it doesn’t... because when you had to quickly re-deploy your men again, it took two.

Rookie Terrorists

• The blood on the shirt of the idiot hostage (the one that tried to use his cell phone) spread awfully far, awfully quick. Blood doesn’t flow that quickly out of a singular bullet wound, nor when the dude is laying on his back. But, we can’t discount their flare for the dramatic.
• How did the terrorist have the phone number to a specific policeman on the scene? Speaking of police, no one from a police unit would be running the operation at an airport. It would be the FBI, or some other government agency, doing that (haven’t they ever seen “Die Hard 2?”)
• The terrorists spray-painted the security cameras and not only did the terrorists have the number to the policeman outside the airport, they also had the number to the television networks, and the means to broadcast a live feed.
• “The terrorists have taken control of an entire airport!” Translation: One terminal and a concession stand – a concession stand, mind you, that has blue and red plastic Dixie Cups.
• No chance the terrorists would be standing in the main terminal in front of giant windows. They would’ve been shot long ago.
• “The President has 15 minutes to meet our demands. Well, minus 5 for a commercial break and 2 for the meaningless dribble that Jack just spout out... so really, the President has 8 minutes! Wait, I forgot that we don’t count commercial breaks... so back to 13 minutes! You got that!?! 13!!! ”
• How do we stop people coordinating by cell phones? Ah the old cell phone jamming software, duh.
• Why just secure Jack? Why not just kill him? No one wants him alive!!!
• Keep your head down, you filthy hostages... except for you, yeah, you... the one who’s not really a hostage! In fact, leave it up for a while, so the audience knows what you look like!
• How does a hostage just get out of the building and through a locked-down airport? Through the back door, that’s how.

The Californian White House and Schtuff

• How exactly do you “alter” a voice recording? If we ever hear the original, and President Palmer never said anything like what we heard in episode two, then we know that “alter” really means “bs.”
• The networks are under no legal obligation to comply with the President’s demands? I’m sure there’s some clause somewhere that says he can do whatever he wants (the clause that says he can ignore his own rule that America doesn’t torture suspects anymore comes to mind).
• Now the First Lady’s hair stylist personal assistant has forgotten that the First Lady is supposed to be crazy and just might believe her now.
• Where exactly would the First Lady be going? Everyone would be in a gigantic lockdown right now. That means no press, at least more than two cabinet members, and they would all be flying somewhere in the air – and if not in the air, there would be guards everywhere, so that nobody would be walking around alone, or anywhere for that matter.
• They store all transcribed conversations at a house in California? That’s convenient. And, just how many boxes does the First Lady have to go through? Wasn’t the call made last night?
• What is this, blame the First Lady’s hair stylist personal assistant day? First she’ll take blame for letting the First Lady out. Then she’ll take the blame for the First Lady stealing information that could be an International Matter of Security. Poor girl.

So everyone knows, the catch-phrase of 24 this season is “real-time updates.” But I guess nothing, absolutely nothing, has happened to Tony in the past three+ hours, since we’ve heard no updates.

Coming up next week: Nerve Gas!!! I hope I have the nerve.

24 Season 5: Episodes 1 & 2 Recap(Hours 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.)

WARNING: The following post may, and probably will, contain spoilers.

Well, well, well... color me impressed. So far this season has started off in an exciting way. The action was good, the direction was good... heck, even the acting was good (except President Logan, what a goofball). I like the story thus far and it gives me hope that the series could turn into a great, or at least better, direction. The one problem I’m super afraid of is that generally the premieres of series are produced and directed with more vigor than the rest of the series (save the sweeps and finales). If that’s the case here, we could easily slip back into the bad land... but we’ll soon see. Here are my thoughts from tonight’s two-hour premiere.

Awww, Fox, You Spoiled Us
If you were a loyal 24 fan and read up on season five before it even started, you were sure to find out that there were some potential major spoilers in store. Sure enough, as the opening credits rolled in during the first episode, Fox pretty much confirmed the deaths of Michelle and Palmer. Don’t call them "special guest stars" next time something like this is going to happen, I knew right off the bat who was going to die. Tsk tsk.

Throw That Lock Down!
Okay, we’ve been through this before with other seasons and we’ve even been through this in real life (see September 11). If a major event occurs, such as the assassination of a former President (which was 15 minutes away), the entire West Wing (so to say) goes into immediate lock down. The President’s whereabouts are not disclosed and he, and the rest of his staff, are whisked away to some super safe spot. In cases like this, the President doesn’t have the final say in whether a special summit is still going to occur. Besides, I’m thinking the Russians would turn right around, I know I would.

And where exactly is the rest of the staff? Not that "The West Wing" or "Commander in Chief" are better representations, but they have staff, secret service, FBI, etc... running around EVERYWHERE all the time. I think here it’s just a matter of keeping the cast down to a minimum, but not a very logical interpretaton.

Hip Hip, Hooray!!!
Glad to see Palmer’s brother, Wayne, is back. I really liked him from two seasons ago, he’s definitely a good addition to the cast. Speaking of good casting, Derek, the teenage boy with spidey-sense (I gotta warn Jack, yeah, right), is another good addition to the cast. I liked the dynamic between him and Jack.

I also loved the edginess of Jack when talking to the assassin. That ruled.

Celly Phone Silliness
It’s about time someone has trouble hearing Jack while he’s flying in a helicopter! Maybe his good cell service ran out when his CTU employment ended. And while I’m thinking about it, how did Jack get cell phone service? Surely he didn’t put his account under Jack Bauer, did he?

Also, why does everyone use cellphones? Even the bad guys? Marwahn used them extensively last season and now with the recent realization that the government can listen in on any call in the United States, surely they’d be picking up on these bad guys and the crap they’re planning... right?

The First Lady, The Latest Craz-y
What is it with dysfunctional First Ladies on this show? The latest, Martha Logan, seems to be a super loon. All the President wants to do is keep her all doped up, which is something they should’ve done with Erin Driscoll’s daughter last season. You just knew her "craziness" was a setup for yet another mole from within... and I’m tired of the whole mole deal, too.

Edgar-Chloe Schtuff
Looks like the rumored love triangle is effectively established. Wonderful. And since when does a place like CTU have one super administrator that can do things no one else can? That’s not very likely at all. Nor is it likely to get such a strong signal in an underground parking garage – I barely get cell phone reception in my garage. It was funny that Edgar pointed out that Chloe was probably in a parking garage or something, since her signal was weak... but when the building was being "secure" to capture Jack, why didn’t they a) shut off the elevators, b) block the exit of the garage, or c) head directly to the garage to get Chloe?

In addition, Chloe had already been missing for about an hour and CTU was concerned that she was assisting Jack. If that were the case, her name and file would be placed on immediate alert status... meaning that when she arrived at the building where Palmer was assassinated, she wouldn’t have gotten past the first guard (you know, the guard that did the lean-in-glance-over vehicle check). And one more thing, why was there one FBI agent in the garage, but 25 of them upstairs? When you secure a building, I’m pretty sure everything is secure, not just the penthouse.

Misplaced Family Values?
Is this not the perfect season to bring back Kim? Jack’s been gone for 18 months and barely a mention of Kim. I’m assuming that she’s still a CTU agent somewhere, if that’s true, then she’s been informed that Jack is now suspect number one. I think she’d be popping up somewhere demanding some answers. If anything, they could bring her back and kill her off... I’d be down.

Miscellaneous

• With as bad as that car was after the explosion, I’m betting that Michelle wouldn’t look so good herself, nor would there be much of her for Tony to hug. And why did the car explode twice?
• Was that the outdoor shopping mall from The 40 Year-Old Virgin?
• Geez, why is Audrey back? Please don’t say her dad is back, too.
• "Real-time updates." Yeah, I don’t think that’s a real-time term.
• Cool smoke screen. Buuuuuuut, wouldn’t the helicopter blow all the smoke away?
• Woohoo! Macs! Too bad it’s not the new Intel iMac. And it also sucks that the CTU peeps are stuck with HPs.
• Looks like Chloe will be the first person interrogated, and so it begins.
• If I’m not mistaken, the glass that Jack broke out of the drivers side window (the one he and Derek drove to the airport) was back.

Great start for season five. My hopes are up thus far, but we’ve still got 22 hours to go. Sigh.

24 Season 5: A fore-warning

When I started this web site, I was squarely under the influence and stench that was season four. My goal with the site is to point out where 24 lacks in creativeness, integrity and consistency. 24 is, and has always been, an exciting show. To create and execute an entire 24 episode series takes an incredible amount of writing and planning... it’s something that I would probably have a very hard time with, nor something that I would like to do. The problem with a show like 24 is that it was a high-concept show and I think over the past two season’s the writers and producers have struggled to keep the intensity at a high level. It’s not enough to have Jack Bauer running around screaming his head off for the entire season, sad but true.

That’s where I stepped in. Just as most major films and television shows have people working in the continuity department, I use this as a forum to discuss where 24 falls flat and decides to embellish their story to make it work within the boundaries that they created. 24 is a popular show, no doubt about it, but with more and more viewers tuning in each season, there needs to be a voice somewhere inside Fox that asks, “is this realistic and, more importantly, is this believeable?”

I know my posts may seem a bit negative at times, but my intention is to help the viewing public keep 24 at a more realistic level... not that anyone at Fox is listening. Saying that, I know that no show is perfect and it’s very hard to be just that. I loved the first two seasons of 24 and believe that it can be the best show on television, but it definitely has kinks to work out.

That said, I’m actually excited about season five and think that the teasers and commercials for it thus far have made it look more film-like and realistic. It should be fun to watch the season, or day, progress and I’ll be right here after every episode with my thoughts and comments. I’ll be sure to call 24 out on its silliness, but I’ll also be positive when it does things the right way. With a little better direction and acting, 24 may finally break through the bubble and win some of the more important Emmys.

We’ll see. Enjoy season five of 24, I know I will.

24 Season 5: Julian Sands, Peter Weller and JoBeth Williams Join Cast

The latest news from The 24 Insider reports (WARNING: Potential Spoiler Alert):

Julian Sands (“A Room with a View”), Peter Weller (“RoboCop”) and Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actress JoBeth Williams (“Poltergeist” and “The Big Chill”) join 24. British born actor Julian Sands will play billionaire bad guy “Vladamir Bierko” while Peter Weller portrays “Christopher Henderson,” the federal agent who recruited Jack to counter terrorist work more than a decade ago. JoBeth Williams is Henderson’s wife, Miriam. All three characters will come face-to-face with Jack.

Family reunion time... of sorts! Man, oh man, will that be exciting... and by exciting, I mean to see RoboCop again!

So what could potential plot lines be regarding Mr. Henderson, aka, TMTRJ (the man that recruited Jack)... hmmmmm.

• Hide and Seek theory
  Henderson and wife get kidnapped, forcing Jack out of hiding.
• Reverse Psychology theory
  Henderson gets called in to try and talk Jack out of doing something that will severely breach protocol.
• Trading Places theory
  Henderson is called in to run CTU and allows Jack to do whatever the hell he wants to stop the day’s threat.
• Flashback theory
  Henderson dies early in the season and is shown in flashbacks to Jack’s training.
• Scooby-Doo theory
  Henderson is revealed to be the true conspirator behind every season’s plot, but Jack, (hired because Henderson thought him stupid) really is too good and spoils Henderson’s plans.
• Darth Vader theory
  Henderson confronts Jack and tells him that he is Kim’s father, not Jack.

Or... who cares? We’ll quickly find out if throwing all these new (sometimes established) names into the fire will work out. My gut says no. My gallbladder doesn’t say anything, since I have none.

24 Season 5: The Teaser

No spoilers in this post, unless you consider the teaser footage to be spoilers.

The peeps over at Kiefer-Rocks.com have posted the Season Five teaser that aired during last night’s World Series game. You can check it out by going to their news page.

My initial reactions to the teaser?

So far, so good... it was a true teaser in the sense that we don’t see any plot points, just glimpses of what’s to come. The fire-shielding effects look particularly great. And the whole season, from the looks of the trailer, seems to be much more cinematic in nature. Which is a good thing.

So far, the bad... we’re still getting served the fancy looking, high-techish, non-existant satellite computer crap. Okay, it’s a tv show, whatever. Also, Jack’s cell phone is working in the middle of the desert. Amazing. Also, did you notice that Jack didn’t really look like Jack anymore? He’s change his appearance because he’s in hiding. And by appearance, I mean haircut.

Get ready for another season of Jack running around, pointing guns at people and screaming. I’ll be here with a recap for every episode.

24 Season 5: The Tony and Michelle Show

The latest news from The 24 Insider reports (WARNING: Potential Spoiler Alert):

Tony and Michelle are at home in a cozy West Valley neighborhood. They have plans for a business meeting but those plans are quickly scrapped once they learn of a drastic situation. Michelle thinks that they should head over to CTU to help out but Tony doesn’t want to go and he thinks they would just be getting in the way of the investigation. Michelle evaluates the severity of the incident and she decides the business meeting is irrelevant and that she needs to offer her services to CTU. Tony eventually agrees and they prepare to head off to CTU Los Angeles.

Awww, how cute. Just what the rabid 24 fans are wanting – a love story that takes up approximately 6 hours of our day. The on-again, off-again, saga of Michelle and Tony is boring. The on-again, off-again, saga of Michelle and Tony is boring. Yes, I just said that twice, in an attempt to spice things up a bit. It didn’t work, though, they’re just THAT boring.

It’s not just Tony and Michelle’s love story that I’m tired of, it’s any notion of there being a love story in this show at all. There is no place on this show for a love story. None. Need I remind the writers that this story takes place in one day? I would tend to think that any relationship issues would take a major back seat to whatever TERRORIST activity is occuring in the United States.

Much less, a character like Jack probably wouldn’t ever date anyone. Hell, the man has been dead twice now, what’s the point?

Another issue is dating in the work place in general. Everywhere I’ve ever worked, it’s very frowned upon to date co-workers. And even if you feel like you must, you’re supposed to let HR know. But it’s very apparent, with the quality of employees that CTU hires (several traitors and idiots, alike), that the HR department isn’t that great. What’s more, if HR IS notified and two co-workers are dating, then one would probably be moved within the division elsewhere. The workplace doesn’t need any added drama from home, unless you’re 24.

Tony, Michelle, stay at home or go to your “business meeting” (whatever the hell that means). And whatever you do, don’t go into CTU and don’t drive a Cadillac.

24 Season 5: Edgar Encrypted

The latest news from The 24 Insider reports (WARNING: Potential Spoiler Alert):

An encrypted book which is still being written on the computer of a former high ranking government official will play a huge role in the early stages of season five.

This is good news for Edgar fans, it essentially says that he has been written into the plot for season five. Not that we didn’t think he’d be around, because we knew he would, but now there’s a whole level of nerdiness that can occur thanks to this secret “encrypted” book.

And if that news wasn’t enough...

Arizona Senator John McCain will appear in an upcoming episode.
Source - www.sfgate.com

Great. How exciting. The writers REALLY know how to keep us (anti-)fans happy.

24 Season 5: The Beggining of a Long Season?

From my faithful source over at The 24 Insider (WARNING: Potential Spoiler Alert):

The new season has Jack settling in Bakersfield, California, and working on an oil rig, it’s a far cry from his secret past. He falls in love with a mysterious woman (Connie Britton) and everything seems just fine. But true to “24”, his life doesn’t stay peaceful for very long. The woman’s son, played by Brady Corbett, becomes suspicious of Jack’s past and begins asking too many questions. Suddenly Jack’s cover explodes. The Chinese government quickly finds out about him and everyone is in danger. One of the major characters will be killed off on the first three episodes! Fox is closely guarding the identity of the victim – but the writers are promising the death will be totally unexpected and will shock even 24’s most seasoned fans. The buzz is that former President David Palmer... is the victim. But on 24 anything can happen and anyone can be a target.
Source - The Globe (September 5th issue page 66)

Seriously, with all the hype that they’re giving to season five, is it really going to be all that surprising when some major character bites the dust? No. You’re ruining it for viewers already! Why do you even have to tease that? You’re 24, you don’t have to tease anything!

But really, if it IS Palmer, then you’re potentially shooting yourself in the foot because he’s one of the best things that show still has to offer.

I’m telling you, if you want shock value, kill Jack Bauer. THEN you’d have a nice little chaotic series on your hands.

24 Season 5: Chloe and Edgar News

From my faithful source over at The 24 Insider (WARNING: Potential Spoiler Alert):

Mary Lynn Rajskub hinted that “something’s brewing this year” between Chloe and Edgar. But sadly, that something is probably not a red-hot affair. “You want that to happen so bad,” she teased me. “You want [a Chloe-Edgar] love scene so bad.” You will see Tony and Michelle in the season premiere.
Source - TvGuide.com

Oh... she’s got us pegged. It’s what everyone, EVERYONE, wants to see – a hot, torrid, love affair invloving a momma’s boy nerd and the world’s biggest know-it-all that scowls for 24 hours a day. We SO know who would wear the pants in that relationship... yes, the one who shot a semi-automatic weapon last season when she was sent with ONE AGENT as protection to retrieve a very essential hard drive.

And how exactly do you work in a love scene into the show? They’ve tried the past few seasons and they all seem very forced. This day, and the other four crazy days you’ve had, is the most important day in US history, keep it in your pants.

Oooo, don’t forget that other JUICY tidbit of information – we’ll see Tony and Michelle in the season premiere... getting blown to pieces in their brand new, super strong-tired, Cadillac.

24 Season 4 Wins Three Emmys

The 2005 Emmys were awarded last night. Let’s take a look back at what I predicted:

My predictions for this year’s Emmys... I think Kiefer will get snubbed once again and so will 24 as Outstanding Drama, both losing to Deadwood. They may pick up a few Emmys for Sound/Picture Editing. But there’s no way in hell they win for Casting this year.

So how did they do?

Season 4: 2005 Emmys

• Nominated: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
• Nominated: Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series
• Winner: Outstanding Single Camera Sound Mixing for a Series
• Nominated (three times): Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Series
• Winner: Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series
• Nominated: Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)
• Winner: Outstanding Stunt Coordination
• Nominated: Outstanding Drama Series
• Nominated: Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series

Booyah.

24: The Game

It was only a matter of time before this happened. I’m actually surprised that this wasn’t made a long time ago, but it makes perfect sense and should generate some sales from the real die-hard fans. That’s right, feast your eyes on 24: The Game.

Here’s the official game synopsis from IGN:

Based on the action-packed television series, 24: The Game is set between seasons two and three of the TV show and provides the answers to several unanswered questions: Who was really behind the assassination attempt on President Palmer? How did Kim Bauer get a job in the L.A. CTU? How did Jack Bauer and Chase Edmunds first start working together? Penned by 24 episode writer Duppy Demetrius and voiced by stars Kiefer Sutherland, Carlos Bernard, and Kiefer Sutherland, 24 boasts more than 100 missions told through several branching subplots. Gameplay includes on-foot sections (with shooting, stealth, puzzles, and sniping), driving sequences, interrogations, and technical challenges. The game even uses the unique visual style of the television show with multi-panel windows showing concurrent plot developments.

Booyah. Imagine playing a game of 24! You could actually waste more than 24 hours!!!

But let’s take a look at the REAL synopsis that they didn’t want you to read...

Based on the action-packed television series, 24: The Game is set between seasons two and three of the TV show and provides the answers to several unanswered questions: Who was really behind the assassination attempt on President Palmer? (Uh... it was sexy Mandy! We know you really don’t care otherwise. Just give the fanboys more Mandy, right!?!) How did Kim Bauer get a job in the L.A. CTU? (By sleeping with Jack? To give us shitty storylines to explore? So Elisha Cuthbert could cut her hair? We needed an excuse to bring the Mountain Lion back? You tell us!) How did Jack Bauer and Chase Edmunds first start working together? (Do you need a video game to answer this? Chase got hired at CTU and was assigned to Jack. Sorry if this spoiled a big part of the game, sucker.) Penned by 24 episode writer Duppy Demetrius (So expect crappy dialogue, did you see the game trailer?) and voiced by stars Kiefer Sutherland, Carlos Bernard, and Kiefer Sutherland (Yes, Kiefer did voice it twice!), 24 boasts more than 100 missions told through several branching subplots. Gameplay includes on-foot sections (with shooting, stealth, puzzles, two-handed gun toting, running while toting a gun two-handed and sniping), driving sequences, interrogations (Yeah baby! Kill ’em!), how to teleport in the city, not eat an entire day when becoming addicted to heroin, using fancy technological terms incorrectly and technical challenges. The game even uses the unique visual style of the television show with multi-panel windows showing concurrent plot developments. Only idiots will buy this game. Well, idiot PS2 owners, since we couldn’t get Nintendo and/or Microsoft to pick this game up. But you’ll like it and you’ll think you’re smarter than the people who haven’t seen the cool in-between story!

24 Season 5: Bring on the Russians?

Some interesting news out of The 24 Insider today:

Actress Kathleen Gati has joined the cast as the Russian First Lady.

That’s right, Russian first lady.

Are we being set up for a good ol’ America vs Russia conflict? We took on the old communist regime, China, last season... so why not another former communist regime?

It couldn’t be the other way around... everyone in the whole world knows that Americans and Russians just don’t get along... unless we’re talking about Yakov, Spies Like Us or trapped submariners.

I wonder how good these Russian accents will be.