The Clock is STILL Ticking... (24, Part Two)

Okay, I'm back, and here to dig into Season 7 of 24, which premiered last Sunday and Monday. I've got my cup of coffee and 24 music playing in the background, so I'm ready to think this through. I tried summarizing the episodes at one point, but it was so long that I won't bother. If you don't know what happened, go watch. That's all I have to say. I'm going to focus on opinions about the new series, assuming you the reader know what I'm talking about. Now, I'm going to break this down so as to not be quite as scattered and summation-al as I was in the last blog. Now, let's see...

(Like yesterday, all this is up Spoiler-Alley, so watch out if you don't want to know!)

New Location, New Agency:
As you can (maybe) tell from the official Season 7 poster above, 24 is no longer in Los Angeles. It's been relocated to none other than our nation's grand capital - D.C. itself. Personally, I really like the change. As the EW blogger pointed out last week, there's only so many bad things that can happen in L.A., it's time to move on. Plus, it puts Jack closer to the President (I wonder if that will come into play...?), allows for new plot options, and makes for some really cool scenery, like when the First Gentlemen met up with Samantha and they sat right in front of the water, with the Jefferson Memorial behind them ... really pretty.

Also, with the new local, comes the news that CTU was disbanded and that the main agency we'll be dealing with in this season will be the FBI. Hmm... This one disappointed me at first. I mean, 24 without CTU is like Lost without The Island. But, it makes sense. CTU was going overboard, and they could only push it so far. I like that the FBI is more restricted - and I'm particularly enjoying all the audience intended jokes like "We're the FBI, we obey the law!" Sure, *rolls eyes* we'll see how long that lasts.

In fact, this leads into one of the questions that 24 raises... when you boil it down, this season is really asking Do the Ends Justify the Means? Sure, Jack Bauer went overboard in every season so far, torturing people and getting that vein in his forehead to stick out, but we were there - we all saw that it was necessary. Now, Jack's being brought to trial for it - he doesn't regret it, and neither do I (don't know about you). Meanwhile, there's the FBI saying they're not going to sink to their limits, but as soon as the pressure's on, Agent Walker is already doing just that. Innntteerrressting!

Jack is Back:
Hell yeah, he is. Jack is so cool, can I just say that? Last season he felt a bit "do I really have to do this?" but now he feels like he's back in it with more energy. Maybe it was the time of for Kiefer Sutherland, or maybe traveling around the world for a year did the guy some good... but I feel like he's more energized, readier to do what it takes to save the world, yet again.

Damn, this hacker is good:
They couldn't have possibly considered getting rid of Chloe, but I was still so happy to actually see her back. The face-off with Janis the FBI equivalent of Chloe was totally hilarious, and I loved when Chloe mentioned Jack's Senate hearing and ended with "By the way, you looked really good." I truly love this character, she's good writing and acting in action. I can't wait to see where they take her in the next 20 episodes.

Undead, or Not Dead TONY!!! Squee!:
Okay, I admit, when the info first leaked that Tony was back - and bad - I couldn't wrap my head around it. First of all, we saw him die in Jack's arms! As much as this show enjoys ignoring reality, it isn't LOST!? People who die stay dead. But the way that they explained it actually worked. Plus, I recently read a bit of trivia that said that they didn't use a silent clock for the commercial break after Tony died - which they always do for characters who die, so they've probably been planning this all along.

Still, Tony, evil? Nuh uh. I was so glad (literally yelling at the TV) when they revealed that he was undercover. I do really like the writing here - Tony did go back. That is, I guess, believable. He lost everything at the expense of the government and was angry. But he wouldn't go against everything he believes in - hurting innocent Americans in a terrorist plot. Too much of a change. So, I was glad to see he was good, and am really enjoying the Jack/Tony team-up. Can't wait to see where it leads.

Of Presidents and Plots:
I like the new President, for the most part. On a side note for a moment, I wonder what sort of real life political ramifications this will have. After all, David Palmer (and later Wayne) were the first mega-example of a black president, and now 7 years later, look who we've elected? I'm not the first to say it, but I really wonder if this will lead us to a female Commander-in-Chief in the next 4 or 8 years. (Just, dear god, don't let it be Sarah Palin!)

Back to the show. We haven't seen too much of Taylor in action yet, but she seems to be very noble and upstanding - in a way we haven't seen since David Palmer himself. I'm really starting to suspect that the big bad rat in the whitehouse is either Ethan, the chief of staff, or the slightly awkward Secretary of State. They're the only characters that have been really set up so far.

I think the issue of African lives vs. American lives is very interesting. It has a lot to do with the topic of National Interest, which interestingly enough (har har) we were just talking about in my history class. As horrible as it is, I believe that American lives should come first. But I bet they'll find a way to work around it.

Basically, I think the plot is really charged in this season. The only major issue I've had so far is that they've been talking down to the audience too much. You know, like taking extra time to explain what's going on, or always saying "Damnit, this is our only lead. Without it we have nothing!" That kind of thing. We get it, 24 writers. We're smart people! Don't waste our time.

But yes, the plot is good so far. I like the idea of not being able to trust anyone and I think, overall, they're doing a good job balancing plots and subplots. There's a new episode tomorrow night, and I can't wait!

That's it for me for now! We're off to see Defiance this afternoon, so my next blog will probably be on that!

The Clock Is Ticking.... (Part One)

Jack Bauer is back, baby! I finally finished Season 6 of 24, back when I was still on Winter Break. Very soon after that, we watched 24: Redemption, the made-for-TV movie that bridges the gap between Season 6 and Season 7. THEN, last Sunday and Monday night, we leapt full-throttle into the new season, with a four-hour premiere over two nights. I'm so excited for the direction this show is taking - but more on that in a moment.

(By the way, this blog is full of SPOILERS. It's pretty much all spoilers, so if you haven't seen what I'm talking about and don't want to know, now's a good time to close your internet browser).

Season 6: I don't remember exactly what detail I went into when I talked about this last time. I can see why Season 6 got a great deal of criticism. It was much more scattered than any of the other seasons. It had too many plot lines and twists, it was full of gimmicks (the kind of moments that look good on a commercial for the show, but aren't really that great when you get there), and Jack seemed kind of, well, not as cool as usual.

My main problem was that they just couldn't settle on one plot. First Assad was a bad guy, then Fayid, then Fayid with nuclear weapons, then there was Graem Bauer, then Jack's father, then Fayid working with the Russians, then the Russian, Gredenko, working with the consulate, then the Chinese, then Jack's dad again..... Get the idea? Waaaay too much. I like it when the bad guys are harder to capture - when (and I never thought I'd say this), the plot drags on a bit more. It's more suspenseful when it takes more than just a few episodes for Jack to capture all the nuclear bombs.

Plus, everyone just felt whiney and mad at each other! I love these characters but, gosh darn, let them be likable! Jack didn't want to be doing CTU work, but went along with it anyway. Chloe was pissed at Morris, then lovey dovey, then hurt by the breakup, then pissed again. Let her be her quirky self! Morris was the injured guy, then the angry boyfriend... It felt like they were trying to make us hate them! We're supposed to like the protagonists!

Anyway, it wasn't totally flawed. I liked how they balanced the different plot lines - the white house, the terrorists, all that. They always do a good job with editing and split screens. That stayed the same. Chloe was still her funny self sometimes, and the characters who died were just as poingant and heart wrenching as ever.

But they can do better.

24: Redemption: This was interesting. Basically, the makers of 24 had filmed only 8 episodes when the Hollywood writers went on strike early last year. Rather than air those, then get stuck for god-knows-how-long (like most shows did), they decided to push Season 7 to this year, 2009. That gave them time to work extra hard to make it extra better, as they've all said countless times in interviews. But, in their spare time, they also decided to film a made-for-TV movie in South Africa. It's basically a 2 hour 24, with Jack, that reminded people of the show in November, and got them all excited for the January premiere that happened last week. Also, I'm pretty sure it's serving the purpose of a screen-test to see if a 24 movie would be a good idea - but more on that in a minute.

24: Redemption fits into the story thus: Jack Bauer ran away to find himself and avoid everything after Season 6. He traveled all around the world (they mentioned India, I believe) and then ended up with an old army/special-ops pal who has a school going in Sangala, Africa. Jack's been receiving subpoenas to appear before the U.S. Court, but of course, like a true bad-ass, he's been ignoring them. Meanwhile, there's the makings of a military coup going on, and Jack gets all tangled up with it, (cue the heart-wrenching scenes of child soldiers, and the boys that Jack must save). Long story short, he ends up having to turn himself in to save the kids, and thus gets sent back to the U.S.

Meanwhile, the creepy VP from Season 6, who became a less creepy President, has now lost the office to one Allison Taylor, the first female president on the show. This 2 hour segment takes place right before and during the inaguration.... and there are some great scenes of her speaking with the outgoing Daniels that really echo the current administrative shift in the real world. Also, her inaguration speech is really cool.

Finally, there's a subplot that ties this all together, one that we don't know much about. We meet a guy (who's name I've totally forgotten) who works at a financial office of some sort. Several things happen here. 1) Jon Voight (who I think is going to be a great addition to the show) is a client of this firm, and he's somehow funding the war in Sangala. A.k.a., he's a very bad guy! Our guy-who's-name-I've-forgotten somehow probes the files and figures this out. He warns his friend Roger, who also works at the firm, and just happens to be the son of the incoming president, about what he's discovered, but before he can fork over the proof, our guy gets killed. Aww. However, Roger now knows about it, which is important to Season 7.

And that's where they leave us! I KNOW! Just from this little 2-hour snippet (less, when you subtract the commercials), it was clear that the new season was going to be awesome. So, now....

This blog is getting way too long to go into Season 7 details right now. I'll have to come back later this weekend to get into that all, but that's where we stood on 24 up until last week's premiere. So, let me just wrap this up for now....

As you can tell, Redemption really caught my attention. Finishing Season 6 was almost like a chore - I just wanted to get caught up so that I did. But it wasn't great. It wasn't OMGod I have to keep watching this second. However, Redemption was great, and it turns out it was a great indicator of what Season 7 was like.

To be continued! Haha, it's just like the show! The clock keeps ticking, but you have to wait for the next episode!

24/7

(Don't worry; this is SPOILER FREE!)

Whew. I get exhausted just watching Jack Bauer. Poor guy - never drinks, eats, or goes to the bathroom, and he gets the pulp beaten out of him constantly throughout the hellish day we watch him go through.

Yes, I'm in the middle of Season 6 of 24. And, man, is it addicting! It's a bit curious, really, why something about terrorism and terrible horrible no-good, very bad days would make such a good television show, but I really do enjoy it, as do many people.

I think it's adrenaline. It's exciting and gives you a rush as you watch it. And, even though it depicts things that would be so horrible in real life, it's not real. It came a bit too close to reality on 9/11 (by coincidence, more or less), but other than that, it doesn't really depict reality. There is no CTU, and there's no miraculous agent Jack Bauer here to save the world. Seriously, each of those punches would do some serious damage.

But, it's amusing. I enjoy watching it with my family, enjoying our various response: My dad who pretends he's not interested ("it's too violent") then ends up joining us and asking to watch it; My mom, who gets annoyed at the medical innacuraces, and shrinks at any sign of needles or blood (we do watch Grey's Anatomy also, by the way); and me, who ends up shouting various vulgarities at evil Presidents, troublesome Jack, and stupid terrorists.

So, if you haven't already partaken in this blood-fest, spiraling body-count of a TV show, I recommend you do, because it's too much fun to miss out on.

I've got one note about this season that I find interesting. It is, of course, a necessity to keep changing the country from which the terrorists originate from. In 6 seasons, the writers have been creative: Russia, Mexico, and even pissed-off British Marine guys have come into play. However, in this season, we are dealing with some Middle Eastern country... trouble is, we don't know which one. They keep saying "go find the ambassador" not specifing his country, or "we must bomb the northern part of their country," again not being specific. It strikes me as a bit of a double standard to create a fictional terrorist group from Russia, and then one from some unnamed Middle Eastern country. I suppose it would be hitting a little too close to home if they were to specify which one.

So, anyway, we've got 6 episodes left and the clock is ticking (quite literally). While we know beloved Jack will continue muttering in his musky breath, breaking rules, shouting at bad guys, shooting and never missing, and above all, never taking a break, I can't wait to see what happens next!