RIP Renee Walker
Day 7 – Day 8

I gotta be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about this one. On the one hand I feel like 24 is capable of anything once again after coasting for the last couple of seasons (come on, Larry doesn’t count as a shocking death). I’m definitely engaged again. However, I feel a lot like I did after they “killed” Tony – like maybe they’ve pushed it a little too far. They’ve killed off the two most interesting characters this season in back-to-back episodes. On the other hand, I like the idea of Jack flying off the handle and finally shedding the political correctness that’s plagued the show since season 6 and I LOVE the idea of Chloe now being in the position of trying to stop Jack from doing something harmful to the investigation. I’m definitely getting the this-is-the-last-season-so-anything-can-happen vibe now (although this pretty much means they wouldn’t dare kill Kim, right?)

One last request: now that Logan’s back, can he stay for the rest of the season and maybe have CTU recruit Aaron Pierce and Mike Novick to try and stop whatever he’s scheming? Some redemption for Tony would be nice too. Also resurrect Michelle and Palmer, please. That is all.

-MPAW

  

Wow, it’s really getting hard to write new stuff for this one every year since it’s basically the same list rearranged. Of course, it’s a real possibility that five of these programs won’t be on the air next year so I guess I need to find some new shows to like:

7. Scrubs
“For the record, he was the best that ever came through this dump. John Dorian was the first and only doctor I ever met who cared as much as I do. And you can forget about him being a just and exceptional physician, because the fact of the matter is, he’s a damn exceptional person. It’s why people gravitated to him. It’s why I did.”

Die, Scrubs, DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE! As far as I’m concerned Scrubs did die after season 8…finally. And thankfully, it died with dignity…before it was resurrected for a ninth season which I am ignoring. I am ignoring it because this show, which was so great in its earlier seasons, and was running on fumes in its later seasons, beat the odds and returned to respectability for what was supposed to be one last run. The final minutes of the series finale though were perfect and worthy of some of the best material that preceded it.

Best Episode: 8.19 – My Finale: Part 2

6. Prison Break
“Men in my employ anticipate, they cover their bases. They refuse to fail, which you seem to be doing with unyielding consistency.”

I didn’t watch a single episode of this show live on the air and that’s probably for the best because this show works best when it’s moving too fast for you to notice how implausible everything is. I always viewed this as 24-light and while not up to the quality of the Jack Bauer Power Hour, this show was just flat out entertaining. The constant set backs our protagonists faced occasionally frustrated me, but I guess that means I cared about the characters. I always recognized this show’s ability to create some highly hateable bad guys, but I didn’t realize how much I cared about the good guys until the finale of the show, which was surprisingly touching.

Best Episode: 4.22 – Killing Your Number

5. The Office
“Well, well, well. How the turntables.”

I’m not sure there’s anyone who would consider season four of The Office a highlight of the series, but like many TV shows it seemed like it got messed up because of the writer’s strike. Some of the momentum of the first couple of seasons was regained in season five, but the “magic” truly was gone the second Jim and Pam got together. They tried to get us to care about Dwight/Andy and Angela or Michael and Holly, but those relationships will never be as successful as the original, which I think is the real lacking factor here because the show is still pretty funny taking into account how long it’s been on the air. The Michael Scott Paper Company story line was a good one, so I was surprised they axed it as quickly as they did. Pam’s character also got shaken up and taken in a direction I’m not sure I like. I still watch the show regularly, but it is no longer a guaranteed good time like it was in it’s heyday.

Best Episode: 5.23 – Broke

4. 24
“So help me God I will kill you, and you will stay dead this time!”

After a, ahem, lackluster season six and an entire year off due to the writer’s strike 24 finally came back with some vengeance, but I think at this point that the show will never really be “back.” Saying season 7 was better than season 6 is akin to saying Mike Doyle was a better character than Erin Driscoll’s crazy daughter. It’s faint praise. That’s not to say that this season was not full of great moments. Tony’s return as a good guy turned bad guy turned good guy turned bad guy again was welcomed as was the change of settings to DC. The take over of the White House (which apparently was built on top of the Potomac) was exciting, although probably the most implausible thing they’ve ever done, and new characters Renee Walker and President Taylor were great additions. The promos seem to be implying that season 8 will be 24’s swan song. I’m on board with this idea and I’m hoping it reaches the heights of it’s glory days, but if it merely is up to the standards of season 7, I will not be disappointed.

Best Episode: 7.3 – 10 AM - 11 AM

3. Lost
Don’t worry, dude. Everything will be fine when Jack changes the future. Or the past. One of those.

Year-to-year this is always the hardest show for me to write about. After almost giving up on Lost during season three, the past two seasons have been ridiculously entertaining, but after being off the air for six months I’m always thinking, “What the hell happened this year?” Of course, I’m often thinking that right as an episode is ending too. From what I remembered, Jack and the rest of the people who got off the island successfully go back while all the folks who remained on the island are jumping around time like a skipping record. In the end a bomb goes off and presumably the plan being hatched is successful because failure means every single one of our main characters was incinerated with one full season left to go. Next season sees the conclusion of the Lost saga and we’ll finally see if all this nonsense was worth the time invested.

Best Episode: 5.17 – The Incident

2. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
“Tabitha: So, he does have a drinking problem?
Charlie: Oh, big time, big time. But if I’m being honest, my problem’s less with the fact that he’s drinking more that he’s doing it without me. And then I start thinking, “What’s wrong with me? Am I not fun to drink with?”
Dennis: Oh, no, don’t do that to yourself. No, you’re plenty of fun to drink with, trust me, Charlie. You get really, really drunk, and then you get reckless, and it’s a lot of fun.”

Even the best of comedies are well into their decline by their fifth season (see: The Office), but It’s Always Sunny seems to keep getting better somehow when you would think they would start running out of ridiculous scenarios for The Gang. (In fairness to The Office, they have like 30 episodes per season while IASIP only has 12). This year The Gang “exploits the mortgage crisis,” performs an intervention on Frank, goes on a road trip to the Grand Canyon (but ends up never leaving Philly), celebrated the 2008 World Series victory in a basement, enacted the D.E.N.N.I.S. system for taking advantage of women, and of course tried to deal with their cousin “Gail the Snail” played by none other than Chloe O’Brien.

Favorite Episode: 5.4 – The Gang Gives Frank An Intervention

1. Flight of the Conchords
“You guys are dorking up my vibe with all the dicks. You need to spread the dicks out a little, create some lady space.”

After being hastled for probably more than a year to watch this show, I finally gave in to find out that I deserved all that hastling. As is tradition, I just got hooked on the show right as it was ending it’s run on HBO (after only two 10 episode seasons). The greatness of FOTC slaps you in the face during season one and this second season has many great moments, but it was starting to wane towards the end so it may have not been a terrible thing that creators Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie decided to call it quits even though I was a little disappointed where the characters ended up. I’ll always have the DVDs and albums I guess.

Favorite Episode: 2.5 – Unnatural Love

  

RIP Bill Buchanan
Day 4 – Day 7

• I may write a little more later, but for right now, let’s pay our respects to Bill “Double-B” Buchanan. I think we all saw the writing on the wall after last week’s episode, and he went out in a heroic way that he deserved, but it does little to sooth the agony of losing the man who was, by far, the longest serving head of CTU ever. Let’s hope his dying wish was that his wife Karen never set foot on the set of 24 ever again.

  

Life is more demanding than it used to be and thus one of the little things I had to cut out of my life because of a time shortage (ie “RUNNING OUT OF TIME!”) is my 24 random thoughts. However, I’d still like to throw in some quickies on this season thus far and especially for this weeks double episode:

• First of all, I guess we should all give a belated, but hearty, welcome back to 24! After two years on hiatus due to a writer’s strike and possibly a collective writer’s stroke during season six, it’s nice to have Jack Bauer back firing on all cylinders even if the events are even more far fetched than before.
• When I say, “far fetched” I really mean it. The events of this past week are by far the most ridiculous things to have ever happened on this show, and that’s saying a lot.
• Most vexing development of the new season: we have two characters with legitimate claims to the title “Big Red.” All was fine and well until our boy Aaron Pierce showed up for no legitimate reason (which is reason enough for me by the way). For the purposes of seniority, Aaron will remain Big Red. Let’s hope he’s alive long enough to maintain the title through next week.
• With Aaron back in Washington, is it safe to assume he’s no longer eating kiwis with Martha Logan? Incidentally, Aaron is the only character other than Jack to be in all seven seasons, so here’s hoping he survives the White House siege.
• One of my favorite parts of the early season was Jack’s interrogation scene in the Senate. How many times have you wanted someone to respond the way Jack did to these pompous windbags?
• Tony’s resurrection? I’m sorry, I don’t buy the story. Of course, Tony’s been very shady this whole season so maybe there’s more to what’s going on, but I’m guessing this is the best explanation we’re going to get. Robocop intentionally missed his heart and Emerson just happened to pick him up from CTU, huh? I don’t buy it, but I’m willing to go along with it. For the record, I’m going to say that Tony’s still a bad guy trying to infiltrate rogue-CTU on behalf of Emerson.
• I like how Bill just took being held up by Jack at gunpoint in stride. Almost like he figured it had to happen at some point, right? Also, you would think if anyone would know to “not fight it,” it would be Bill at this point.
• Favorite New Character: Agent Freckles Walker, Michelle Replacement (although no one really can)
• Overall they’ve done an amazing job making it seem like everything is being filmed in DC, but seriously, how many meetings are we going to have on the steps of the Capitol Building?
• How do you manage to lose both your gun AND your cell phone making a simple jump onto a boat? I was half expecting a shark to quick rip off her pants. Then I realized I wasn’t that lucky. Walker is truly the Lois Lane of this season.
• Also, Walker was freaking Aquaman the way she swam across the Potomac in about 30 seconds.
• Sometimes it bothers me that Janeanne Garofalo is on 24, but then I imagine her having to read a script for a show she’s on that includes Jack tasering Red Foreman’s boy toy in the nipples and it all seems worth it.
• Why does the White House have a holding cell?
• I don’t know if 24 has been consulting with Vince Flynn again, but a terrorist takeover of the White House was the basis for his book Transfer of Power. It’s been a while since I’ve read it so I don’t really remember how the terrorists got in, but I’m almost positive it wasn’t a freaking sea-based invasion. I remember when I was reading it thinking it would be great for 24. As much as I like President Taylor, how much cooler would this scenario be if they did this while Palmer was still president (the real one, not Wayne).
• I like how General Juma’s attack plans included an actual picture of the White House. Apparently he just scanned a 20 dollar bill.
• Soooooooo, think the 24 writers might have been watching The Rock recently? I know LA is far away, but they couldn’t pull up a map of DC to see that the White House is a mile away from even the Tidal Basin? That was one nice thing about the LA location. I have no idea where one landmark is in relation to another out there. Unfortunately, I’m pretty familiar with Washington and these details bug me.
• That was a pretty solid drill Juma had. Over the time of the commercial break and the previouslies they went from just starting the hole to making it wide enough to fit 3 men.
• Some people say the character of President Palmer on 24 is a mirror image of our current Dear Leader. I say they are absolutely correct.
• I loved how Jack and Bill had the whole debate on Bill torturing the Senator’s chief of staff while there’s a guard standing right next to them. That leads me to…
• Huge pet peeve this season: NO ONE LISTENS TO WHAT’S GOING ON AROUND THEM THIS SEASON People are getting shot left and right in the White House. No one responds. Smarmy guy and mistress openly talk about reformatting the FBI’s servers (don’t get me started) while walking down the hall and no one overhears them.
• Anyone up for a game of darts with Jon Voigt? Yeah, he’s a biter, but I hear he’s ordering Chinese!
• Good thing Juma decided to collect captives starting with Bill right after killing scores of anonymous WH staffers.
• Now we know that when this season was written in the days of yore before the writer’s strike, Hillary was anticipated to be the next president and apparently they assumed John Edwards was the next Vice-President Evil.
• What’s the only thing cooler than Jack using a tazer on a terrorist in the White House? Jack tazering a phone. . .with the President on the line!
• I was pretty convinced that either Double-B or Pierce were going to die this week. Needless to say I was relieved, but I have a feeling that will be short lived.
• Line of the Week: “You sir are weak! You are unwilling and unable to look evil in the eye and deal with it!” The whole torture debate as a whole has been handled much better this year than in season six.
• My overall opinion on the first half of this season is that it’s a solid rebound and certainly worthy of inclusion in the 24 canon after the lackluster mishmash of season six. However, I can’t help but feel that some of the magic is gone. This whole affair has a very season four feel to me, however, so maybe what is missing is the familiarity. Of course that all lead to the greatness of season five, so maybe what we’re dealing with is a “rebuilding” season if you will.

  

Fox released a new season 7 trailer that includes bits from Redemption as well as the rest of the season. Looking pretty sweet:

Also, it doesn’t look like Michelle Dessler will rise to be Tony Almeida’s zombie bride. She’s joining the cast of Lost for this season. Still, it’s nice to see her get some work (and on something that’s a little better than AVP2).

-MPAW

  

Eh, I’m excited to see what they have up their sleeve for season seven, but this whole Africa thing looks remarkably like all those unremarkable movies Kiefer always makes in between seasons. And somehow all these recognizable faces only make it seem less like 24. Another thing that’s interesting is the whole female President aspect seemed lame and contrived after Hillary Clinton lost the primaries, but all of a sudden seems relevant again now that Sarah Palin has hit the scene. Also good to see President Noah and Tom Lennox again. One last random thought: does the title of this movie refer to Jack Bauer or the show itself after last season? Heh. I should probably break out a DVD set soon to start getting myself in the mood!

-MPAW

  

Have you ever had a good idea and then someone else completely separate from you actually does something with it? To my dying day, I’ll believe that I invented Brush-Ups and thought of the Armageddon Chrysler Building shot before either went public. Even though in reality, I would never take any action on either of these ideas, it still kind of bothers me that someone else did.

Well, this phenomenon has struck again because I totally called the Batman = George W. Bush thing the week The Dark Knight came out (I have witnesses!), but for reasons personal and technical I didn’t write anything about it until now and Glenn Beck beat me to the punch.

“Mike, you only see what you want to see,” is what you’re saying and sometimes that may be true, but the pro-war slant of The Dark Knight is the last thing I expected. In fact this was a concern of mine at the end of Batman Begins. When Commissioner Gordon started on his “escalation” speech something went off in my brain, and translated it said, “Oh no, they’re doing a war analogy.” We all know how these things usually end up: poorly for both conservatives and box office receipts.

Just hear me out here. In The Dark Knight we have our protagonist Batman fighting the Joker (who is clearly defined as a “terrorist,” a word that the media doesn’t even like to use when reporting on the subject). Batman is breaking “international law” by going onto foreign soil to do what is necessary to stop the Gotham mob. He is tempted to appease the demands of the terrorist when people start dying, but the wise people in his life all council him to endure. Rachel even says at one point, “Do you really think that’s going to keep the Joker from killing people?” Later on, when the body count begins to mount, the only way for Batman to find the Joker is to basically wiretap the entire city, to which Lucius Fox raises ethical concerns (which appear somewhat ridiculous given the context of what is happening in the city), but he still does what is necessary in the face of extraordinary circumstances.

That’s not to say that this is a slam-dunk, right-wing movie. I think there’s enough in there to keep both sides happy (I won’t go into the possible liberal messages because I’ve already typed too much), but I was frankly taken aback at how far to the right it appears to lean. Yet, as Glenn Beck mentioned in his monologue, no one is talking about this! After I saw the film I looked at all my usual conservative sites expecting someone to take notice and yet no one seems to be mentioning that the biggest movie in over a decade appears to be pro-war. I don’t know Christopher Nolan’s political leanings, and maybe it was all a mistake (after all, they can’t truly make Batman the bad guy), but the message seems to be that we need to keep fighting terror even though it’s going to make us look like the bad guy. Maybe I missed something, but this aspect certainly added an extra layer of enjoyment to what is my favorite movie to come out in years. The question is, are our liberal friends the ones not picking up on this (it was well reviewed after all), or am I just reinforcing the stupid conservative stereotype by not picking up on the “real” meaning behind the film. Either way, I seriously need to see it again and do my part to end Titanic’s reign.

-MPAW

  

So now that the Writer’s Strike is far away in our rear mirror and The Office has wrapped up, it’s time to start focusing on what’s really important in life: 24. Never before have we had such a long wait for a new season (discounting, of course, the period between birth and 2001 or “pre-life” as I call it). With all this time to prepare season seven, it has to deliver, right? Well, at least someone thinks so:

“The time allowed us to do something that has never been done before — create a map of the entire season before we started shooting. So I can tell you without hesitation, I know for a fact, that Season 7 is going to be the best season yet.”

-Kiefer Sutherland

A cynical mind would chalk this up to the usual pre-season hype all actors are required to do. I am, of course, as cynical as they come so that was the immediate conclusion that I came to. I will say this though: last year when the actors spoke about the upcoming season you could tell it was going to be sub-par. The typical quote was something along the lines of, “Umm. Yeah! I think it’s good.” I also don’t see Kiefer was the typical horse hockey-er. I don’t think he’s one for hyperbole that he doesn’t really believe in (this is pretty much based solely on the 3 interviews I’ve seen of him and the voice of the NHL is a voice you can trust). I also think the fact that they have (for once) mapped out the entire season sounds very promising. Will Kiefer’s opinions manifest itself in reality? We (still!) have a long wait to find out:

Preparing for the return of 24 next January after a 20-month break, the network in November will air a two-hour, stand-alone 24 movie. Shot partly in South Africa, it takes place on Inauguration Day for the next U.S. president (Cherry Jones), setting up the show’s seventh season.

I like that it takes place on Inauguration Day. I like that it takes place in Africa. But November?? When they said “movie in the fall” I thought September or October, not November 23. Thanksgiving’s a loooooong way off.

Links:

TV Guide: Kiefer: You Can Count On 24’s ‘Best Season Yet’
USA Today: Fox’s fall schedule sets up for ‘24’ and ‘Idol’

-MPAW

  

I don’t have much time to write about this (I actually haven’t even had time to process it), but 24 will be coming back this fall in the form of a 2 hour movie (two episodes I guess?) that will be a prequel for season seven. I’m up for any new material at this point so I’m in.

The Hollywood Reporter: 24 Prequel Set

-MPAW

  

As you probably noticed, I have finally changed the header up there from good ol’ Chloe wielding her gun to a Shaun of the Dead theme. I dig it quite a bit. Speaking of 24, get used to not having it around. Apparently, we shouldn’t expect it before 2009. Even when it does come back, co-creator, conservative, and author of the “5th grade Michael Moore logic” line Joel Surnow has jumped ship. This, as is the case with any 24 news I’ve relayed to you in the past two years, does not bode well.

-MPAW

  

...Yes, I’ve completed writing all those billion-word-long lists, but I’m going to space out their “release dates” to make it seem like I did more work. I also finished the annual photo gallery (on time this year!), which you can check out here if you want. The movie list is already posted below so that should give you something to do until next Sunday. I know you all just sit around your computers hitting refresh to see if I wrote anything. Sorry that only happens every month or so. Anyway, here’s how the schedule looks:

Saturday, January 5 – Favorite Movies
Sunday, January 13 – Favorite Pictures
Sunday, January 20 – Favorite Television Shows
Sunday, January 27 – Favorite Music
Sunday, February 3 – Looking Ahead to 2008

I also feel like maybe I should have something to write about on a weekly basis since I won’t have 24 this year. Any suggestions?

-MPAW

  

Ha!  I’m sure I’m the first person ever to make that second-hand joke.  This season of 24 just can’t seem to catch a break:

Washington Post:  Fox Hears ‘Strike’ and Makes The Call: ‘24’ You’re Out!

Frankly, this is the right decision even though I would like some new 24 ASAP.  This is a good opportunity for all of us to break out the ol’ DVDs I guess.  More disconcerting for me right now is that half the cast of The Office are also writers, which means that they can’t even shoot episodes that they’ve already written.  I don’t know how I’m going to get through Thursdays now.  Pam Beasley is the closest thing to Michelle Dessler on the air these days.  I’m also curious how this is going to affect the last season of Scrubs.
-MPAW

  

Because season 7 of 24 looks oddly familiar, no?

24: Season 7 Trailer

I gotta say though. . .I think this looks really good. Glad to see CTU gone, but it sure looks like the same old formula is going to be in place only with the FBI. Chloe’s still a brunette unfortunately, and all of a sudden Double-B looks like TV’s Frank. I also liked all the fake busy people behind Kiefer during the intro. Probably wasn’t necessary. Finally, what’s Red Forman doing in the Senate? At first I recognized him but couldn’t place him. I thought maybe it was Earl Milford. Jack would have a new name – hero.

The worst part about this, is that even if this season ends up as good as it looks, it’ll probably be cut short by the writer’s strike. I don’t know if they have any contingency plans in place for when that happens, but it is going to be really frustrating if we get cut off around episode 12. For now though, that trailer got my blood flowing more than any of the promos for season 6 did.

-MPAW

  

Yeah, that’s the best headline I could come up with for this news. Ordinarily, I would consider this a huge spoiler, but it’s in the freakin’ USA Today so I guess they’re not even trying to keep it under wraps. Guess who’s not dead? So looks like everybody’s favorite side-kick is back. Hooray? As with all information I’ve heard thus far with the next season of 24, this doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. I’m really trying to reserve judgment until I actually see this development on screen. It’s not like I haven’t suggested the possibility of Tony not really being dead before, but a lot of time has passed since his “demise.”

What this really reminds me of is an episode of MST3K called Space Mutiny where the editing/continuity was so bad that a character was killed off and was then seen on screen, alive, literally in the next scene. Seeing as this next season seems to be headed towards the pooper anyway, they should just make it a comedy and have Jack nonchalantly say “Hey Tony,” and walk by him first thing in the morning and never explain anything. On the upside, I’m looking forward to stealing a lot of lines from that MST3K episode in my random thoughts next year. “Look alive, Tony!” Ha! I’m laughing already. Also, if he’s still alive, Tony owes me a 40. Does this mean there may be hope for getting a Zombie-Michelle in the future as well?

USA Today: Sayonara to CTU on Season 7 of 24

  

After a lackluster season 6, I was willing to place some faith in the producers to reinvigorate 24 for next season. However, there is a steady stream of oily discharge coming from the direction of 24 this summer. First comes the news of a production delay:

Season 7 of 24 promises to be its tensest yet — at least on the set.

Execs at the Fox hit have scrapped virtually their entire story line for the season, delaying the start of production by roughly three weeks. According to sources, the 11th-hour time-out was called after the network put the kibosh on a costly plan to shoot a number of episodes in Africa. Producers briefly toyed with the idea of finding a location in Los Angeles that could sub for the continent, but they ultimately decided to ditch the whole concept and start over from scratch.

-TV Guide

From what I understand, the show struggles to finish up on time, even when they’re “on schedule” and now they have to delay production for almost a month? Not good, but this news alone is certainly not a guarantee of suction. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there:

Cherry Jones has been appointed president on the upcoming season of “24,” sources said.

The network wouldn’t confirm, but sources said Jones has come on board the real-time thriller, the first major casting addition to the show’s upcoming seventh season.

“24” producers had been contemplating having a female president next season for some time.

-The Hollywood Reporter

Remember last year when the first sign that something was off was the news that Wayne Palmer was president? I’m getting that sinking feeling again. First off, it just seems too gimmicky. David Palmer as the nation’s first black president worked because we spent time with him before he was in the Oval Office and that struggle was examined. Presumably, this is not the case and we are just thrust into a world where we have a chick president. Ignoring the fact that another four years will have passed in 24 time (what is Jack by now, like 65?), it’s a little too obvious that they’re mirroring Hillary here. Of course, I thought maybe the show had learned it’s lesson from last season and it won’t preach about politics anymore. Wrong:

24’s executive producer Howard Gordon has announced that the show is making a commitment to fighting climate change.

Producers are implementing a number of carbon emission reduction techniques for the production of season seven, including purchasing all of the show’s energy from renewable power sources, and using biodiesel fuels to power generators and production vehicles. . .

Lead actor Kiefer Sutherland will also star in a number of Public Service Announcements to raise awareness of climate change – and the issue may even be incorporated into storylines when appropriate.

-Digital Spy

Because we all know the coolest superhero ever was Captain Planet, right? If it seriously comes down to Jack Bauer vs global warming I’m through with this show. For all I know, this will end up being the show’s finest season, but nothing indicates that. Further, if the show starts insisting on preaching from the liberal podium then I don’t know how interested I can remain in 24. Sandra Palmer screeching about the Patriot Act last year was about as much as I could stand. I just don’t know, folks. Next year’s weekly random thoughts post may very well be about Heroes.

TV Guide: 24 Plot Tossed; Production Delayed
The Hollywood Reporter:  Jones Moves Into 24 Oval Office
Digital Spy:  New 24 Season Will Fight Climate Change

-MPAW

  

• Now that was a finale, my friends. You know, I spent almost all of this season kind of waiting for it to be over, and now I already miss it. This is the most I’ve been anxious for more 24 since the bomb went off, and yet it’s the furthest away we can be from a new episode.


• The fade out ending was a little shocking in it’s unshockingness. Frankly, the ending was exactly what I wanted. All I wanted was some closure, and the acting by Kiefer and William Devane was phenomenal. What’s more was that the writing (gasp!) was quite good as well. Both men had very legitimate points to be made and both crossed the line while discussing their otherwise valid arguments.


• It was a little weird seeing a silent clock when no one died, but it seemed appropriate. Plus, Palmer got a silent clock as well and he ended up not dying.


• The whole oil rig scene was spectacular. I mean almost Bruckheimerian spectacular. Great work by the special effects team considering 24’s budget. Definitely kicked the crap out of the submarine scene last year.


• Line of the Night: “This is a nice moment. Let’s not ruin it by saying anything stupid.” Nice to have a classic Chloe line, even if her character was all but wasted this year.


• Can you imagine what a pregnant, hormonal Chloe is going to be like? Yikes. Here’s hoping season 7 is 9 months later. That should be a good time. Good thing she got all that practice with Chase’s baby. Actually, on second thought I’d bet any amount of money that Chloe keeps working and Morris stays home with the baby.


• Heller should stop wearing a ski mask in the tanning booth. Am I the only one bothered by his ridiculous raccoon eyes?


• I guess I’m the only one who thinks it’s reasonable to sacrifice one kid to stop World War III. Incidentally, how stupid are the Russians anyway? They’d basically be fighting the war against the US and China. I think we know how that would play out.


• OK, who called that Josh’s Bauer Powers would start kicking in?! Me, that’s who. How ‘bout ol’ Jack Jr owning Daddy Bauer. Also, how come everyone on the show knows exactly how to hold a gun, even if they shouldn’t.


• “The package was a fake. It blew.” Yah, so did your line delivery in the finale, Ricky. (Zoom zoom zoom!) I actually laughed when he said, “Get the boy, Jack. Get the boooooy.”


• On the other hand, even though I should have seen it coming, the exploding package caught me off guard.


• Also, just who does Mike Doyle think he is going around saying “Dammit” and giving people his word? Don’t be stepping on JB’s lines, punk! Seriously though, Doyle’s one of the few characters I wouldn’t mind returning next year. He’s already a more fleshed out character than Curtis ever was. Maybe the one-eyed Doyle can team up with the one-handed Chase and form an invincible team of former Bauer side kicks. Handi-capable to kick your ass!


• What was the deal with Milo’s brother? Weird. After everything that has happened to CTU, they’re still just letting civilians wander around unescorted, and when spotted, CTU employees simply shrug and say, “Hmm, I wonder who that guy is.”


• When Double-B returned, I was sure he was a goner. It was great to finally see him in the field, even if he did need Tank to download helicopter flying ability into his brain.


• I totally don’t see the B’s as Vermont type people. How exactly did both of them end up in California?


• When Jack commandeered the helicopter you can almost see the pilot rolling his eyes and thinking, “Geez, I can’t believe I fell for this again.”


• Hey, who’s got two thumbs and is already sick of hearding about the `08 candidates? This guy! However, there is one potential candidate that excites me.


• Via Blogs4Bauer comes this sweet video. Impressive.


• 24 has been renewed for two more seasons. This really surprises me. Not so much on Fox’s part (they’ll take whatever hit they can get), but on the production side. I just hope they have enough in the tank and that next year’s “reinvention” (in quotation marks because this will be the 4th year in a row they’ve promised us such) will adequately reinvigorate the show. I really just don’t want 24 to be one of those shows that go on and on and on forever until it dies an undignified death [cough]ER[cough]. It deserves better than that. On the upside, it seems like they have definitely decided on at least one new location and a purging of the cast.


• The 24 Simpson’s episode was really lame. Like lamer than most newer Simpson’s episodes. Maybe it’s just because South Park did it first and did it better, but I was really disappointed. The “Ahmed Adudi” scene was pretty funny though. “Jack, it’s a fake name. You’re being set up.” “DAMMIT!”


• We now know who Dwight Shrute’s ideal choice for his number two is: Jack Bauer. Unfortunately, he is “unavailable, fictional, and overqualified.”


• Ranking the season finales: 1 > 5 > 6 > 4 > 2 > 3


• Ranking the seasons: 2 > 1 > 5 > 3 > 4 > 6


• Looking at those rankings, it’s really disappointing to see how this season turned out. Had the writers remained focused on what worked, as they did in the premiere and finale (Jack and his emotional journey), and actually gave screen time to characters we like (Jack, Chloe, Buchanan) then this had the potential to be one of the best seasons yet. Instead, what we got was a seemingly neverending series of cobbled together ideas. It’s not fair to judge in hindsight (and God knows that even at their worst the 24 writers are far more creative than I could ever be), but if I were to rewrite this season, I would have stuck with a redemption storyline for Logan as a parallel to Jack’s quest for meaning in life. It probably would have been better to focus more on Fayed’s personal vendetta against Jack, and maybe use that as a way to endanger those closest to him. It probably would have been wise to include Daddy Bauer more as well. Maybe these ideas would have actually made the season worse. I don’t know. I do know that this season was well below par for 24, but that after this finale both the show and the character of Jack Bauer still have some juice left.


• Of course, no one knows what the next season is about yet, but we’ve been promised a reinvention (for real this time!) and the way this season ended allows them to wipe the slate clean and go in whatever direction they want.  There was certainly enough closure to put everything that happened in season 6 in our distant memories.  I think they would do well to take the show back to it’s season one roots and feature a much smaller, personal threat. I think the WMD thing has gone as far as it can. I truly do believe that the show is capable of reclaiming it’s old glory if they do this right (and let’s face it, even if they don’t I’ll still be watching). Even though this was by far the worst 24 season ever, it was still entertaining to me so I will continue to have high hopes for next year. See you again in January.

  

• Holy freaking crap, that was amazing! I can’t believe Pam just unloaded like that! I’m glad she’s finally . . . oh wait. I confused this post with a show that still features believable human relationships. Nevermind.


• I kid, I kid. You know I’ll always love 24. This episode was pretty solid with a couple of big action sequences to start us off. It all set up what should be a pretty solid finale with Jack going up against his father.


• Does anyone on 24 not have the President’s number on their speed dial? (“I said I will only speak to the President! [Sticks fingers in ears] LALALALALALA!”)


• Woo! Slide kill! Neat!


• I can’t believe the Russian President is throwing such a fit over this Game Genie thing. Logan should have blown that prick up in the motorcade when he had the chance.


• Anybody else half expecting Suvarov to finish this sentence like this: “You have two more hours to retrieve the Game Genie. . .until the end of the season.”


• You know what the proper response is from VP Emo to President Suck-arov? (See what I did there?) “Hey buddy, you freaking lost track of 5 snukes, one of which blew up one of our Six Flags, the Chinese stole the Game Genie (the one party who is apparently not being held responsible in any way), AND I JUST CAUGHT YOU SPYING ON ME!” This is misplaced anger and not really worth starting WWIII over.


• You know that crappy Kevin Costner movie they advertised last night where the most credible actor involved is Dane freakin’ Cook? My dear, sweet Michelle is in it. Come back to 24, Michelle! We can say that it was actually you who planted the bomb to fake your death using a body double as a decoy!


• So I take it Morris finally overpowered his guy in the big brawl? We never really got any resolution on that.


• Totally didn’t buy Nadia overpowering anybody larger than Kerri Strug. What is she, like 5’4”? No shorter than Kiefer Sutherland I suppose, but she doesn’t have that voice as a defense mechanism to scare off predators.


• I keep on waiting for Josh to have a Buster Bluth moment where he finally “gets” who his father is. “You lied to me, you said my father was my father, but my uncle is my father. MY FATHER IS MY UNCLE!”


• Jack Jr “doesn’t understand what the hell [Daddy Bauer’s] talking about.” None of us do, Josh. None of us do.


• Gotta love Jack Jr’s kick to Cheng’s face. Not even Jack got off that good a shot at him. Maybe this is his Superman Returns falling-through-the-barn-roof moment and now his Bauer super powers will start kicking in.


• Line of the Night: “Aaaaaand finally, we’re done.” So happy Tom made it safely back to the White House. They can ditch every new character from this year as far as I’m concerned, but please bring back Tom! Novick/Lennox ‘08!


• So I saw a job opening on monster.com for Division. This is what it read: “Wanted: Jackass. Necessary Experience: Jackassery. Description: Needing jackass to replace jackass who was killed by nerve gas, who replaced jackass who was shot in the head, who was the boss of jackass who died in a nuclear explosion. Competitive benefits.”


• I gotta admit, I had this on my mind during the “JOOOOOOOOOOSH/UNCLE JAAAAAAAAAACK!” scene.


• Gah! Is Karen ever right? Give Daddy Bauer Jack Jr and then hunt them down. Even President Wayne could figure this one out.  This is like the 4th country we’ve almost went to war with today.  I really don’t care anymore.


• Is it worth it to complain about Jack only needing 10 minutes to get to where they found Josh, while needing 45 minutes (and counting) along with a helicopter to get him back to CTU? Naaah.


• You can see what Chloe, Nadia, and Marilyn would look like if 24 were set in the 80’s in these pics from the wrap party.


• Well after a reference to Arrested Development and Superman, along with two references to both Star Wars and Kevin Costner and of course my obligatory weekly Office reference it seems my regurgitative “work” is done for the week. Enjoy the finale and we’ll meet back here to discuss next week, ok? Tootles.

  

• I really liked this episode. It certainly had me on the edge of my seat even though I pretty much knew exactly what was going to happen and none of it makes any sense. The only thing that I didn’t see coming was the Chinese coming after Josh instead of Chloe.


• Hooray! No more bad Milo/Nadia (“Nilo” to their fans) dialogue! I guess I felt a little sad, but my primary reaction was, “Hmm.” I hope they have pistachios in bad facial hair heaven.


• My roommate told me last night that he liked this season better than last year. I know opinions are opinions not fact, but I really do find this one incomprehensible. I’m thinking of bolting in the middle of the night, taking the kids, and leaving a note on the night stand saying, “I’m sorry but I can’t share an apartment with someone who likes season 6 better than season 5. I can’t have this in my life anymore. It’s not me; it’s you. If you love me, you won’t try to find me. Regards, -M (Mike)”


• I know this has been discussed before, but CTU should seriously rethink it’s security plan. I have a feeling they have a screen door on the side of the building propped open with a rock for Nadia’s smoke breaks (not to mention Morris’s flask hits – which he then “spats” out, love).


• Was it just me or were the previouslies really long last night? It seemed like they were recapping the story for every character on the show.


• I think Jack was officially upset over what SecDef Heller said longer than he was over Tony’s death.


• I wonder what William Devane got paid for his 45 seconds of screen time. Couldn’t they have found a way to keep him here so he can inevitably take charge of CTU in lieu of Nadia’s bottomless incompetance?


• Any guesses as to who division is sending over to replace Nadia?


• Was I the only one who laughed when Marilyn and Jack Jr tried to use a couch to block men with machine guns from entering a glass door? I always knew those open work environments were a menace.


• I’m still struggling to grasp what Morris’s logic is behind the Chloe breakup. He’s breaking up with her because he knows she knows he knows he’s a coward, not because she said he knows she knows he knows he’s a coward? Huh?


• Hey, we finally have a name – Lisa Miller! And on top of that (so to speak) we finally have a dude in 24 that lasts longer than 2 minutes. Way to go, naked Russian informant guy!


• Didn’t Cheng just spend the last 3 years hunting down and torturing Jack because he marched onto Chinese territory and someone was killed? Ummm, Cheng just sent men into a “secure” government building and killed quite a few white red shirts. WHY ISN’T VP NUKES-A-LOT THREATENING CHINA???


• I can’t help but think how much more affecting the Milo death would have been if it ended up being Double-B instead of Milo. Also, Nadia is as useless as Richard Heller’s organic shampoo.


• I’m a little nervous about Tom being in the field. It seems a bit of a stretch for him to be there if they’re not going to endanger him in some way.


• Tom is the new Chloe. His “At any rate. . .” comment after the spat between VP Evil and Lisa the Whore was hilarious.


• So Daddy Bauer wants Jack Jr back because he loves him so much that he forgot he was trying to kill him earlier today? Makes about as much sense as anything else that’s going on I suppose. Also, I gotta stop reading the credits at the beginning of the show because it totally ruined that surprise.


• Two more weeks before season 6 mercifully ends! A year ago right now we were watching Jack fly planes from the cargo hold with his belt. Sigh. I miss the times. . .

  

• Heller’s back! Any chance he can take over CTU from Nadia? We don’t have time for your mistakes, you woman! Ohhhhh, buuuuurn! On the downside, who am I going to nag the writers about returning now? I think I’m going to go with Mike Novick. . .or Kim. . .or Logan. . .or Daddy Bauer. . .or Behrooz. . .or the dozens of other forgotten characters this season.


• As welcome as Heller’s return was, his “cursed” statement was a bit harsh to Jack, albeit pretty much right on the mark. Talk about your emotional throat chop. As previously stated, SecDef Heller is pretty much the only person who can hurt Jack without consequence. However, in Jack’s defense, the fact that Kim presumably was not incinerated in Valencia is evidence that not everything Jack touches dies.


• I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Kim comes back before this season is over. Especially if Audrey is now out of the picture.


• Of course Jack is the only one that can get through to Audrey. LISTEN TO JACK! LISTEN TO JACK, DAMMIT! ARRRRRRRRRRRGH!!


• I take it that the writers of 24 do not have a favorable view of psychiatrists.


• The bad guys are looking for someone in LA that’s capable of reprogramming the Game Genie, huh? Are you telling me they actually ran out of ideas to recycle from the good seasons? One has to assume that they’re setting it up for Chloe. It’s going to be so cute when they get remarried and they have matching drill wounds.


• So is this guy that the whore of the year is sleeping with supposed to be like the Man-Mandy? If so are we going to have to deal with him walking around naked while making out with his boyfriend? Blech.


• Why am I suddenly thirsty for some Cisco? Cisco. Ending Terrorism one acting-Presidential teleconference at a time.


• There’s no way that Karen finishes this season without reinstating Bill. How long can she go without her Double-BJ’s? Yeah, I know that doesn’t make any sense. . .unless Karen is a dude. Ladies and gentlemen, we have our big season ending reveal. Tell me now that it doesn’t make sense and that I was just trying to shoehorn in a lame play on words.


• I have a feeling that if VP Noah was running for president in real life in 2008, I’d be leaning towards voting for him right now. “Nuke Mexico” is a border control policy I can get behind.


• Could Morris be more of a drama queen? He should stick with Chloe if only because she’s a woman who actually admits that she’s wrong. Possibly the most far-fetched plot point yet. We all know that most women fit the Sherry Palmer mold, right? Sorry, I’m feeling really misogynistic today.


• I was/am a little concerned about Chloe after the breakup with Morris. A suicide would certainly be a shock, wouldn’t it?


• How is it possible that it takes CTU 5 seconds to track someone via satellite, but it takes them 10 minutes to find Jack wandering around CTU? It doesn’t look like that big of a building to me.


• Here is an interesting read on the plans for season 7. The good news is that the writers are very much aware of the criticisms that this season has had (and probably more importantly, the drop in ratings). The possible bad news is that they’re discussing “reinventing” the show next year. Who knows what that means (and, frankly, it’s something we’ve heard before). For certain though, next year will be the turning point for the show for better or for worse. I don’t count them out, but they have a big task ahead of them.


• Looking over at the side bar, I suddenly realized that if I keep doing this that at some point next year I will actually have written more 24 posts than 2004 Election posts. Frankly, I find that pretty incredible. I also realized that I should read more books.

  

• Damn Mongorians! They cut up her brain, those bloody baboons! It’s a madhouse! And now they want to BLOW IT UP! YOU MANIACS! Yeah, I like to get Charlton Heston-y from time-to-time. Don’t worry, there was a point and the point is this.


• Seriously though, what the hell did they do to Audrey that made her even more skittish than usual? I actually noticed in one of the split screens that she had a little twitch going on, but I didn’t see that coming at all.


• If I were Double-B, I’d be getting tired of getting fired by my wife too. This is the second time she’s done this. In her heart, she’s still an absorption fanatic. Also, maybe it’s the cell phones, but those two have noticeably less chemistry than they did last year. Now that was some hot stuff.


• While I seriously doubt that this is the last we’ve seen of Double-B (no character is done until they at least die – in the case of Jack and Heller it takes even more than that), I think the real question is who will be the interim CTU director sent from Division. My guess? Tony. It’s always Tony.


• Soooo, Nadia’s the head of CTU, huh? How awesome would it be to see Chloe in this position?


• If Doyle was really Jack’s equal then he would have been able to commandeer the first car he encountered. . .with mind bullets.


• Nadia so wants the Doyle Man.


• This season has had more disgusting kisses than a Rosie O’Donnell/Helen Thomas porno. I threw up in my mouth during that scene. Then I imagined the same thing happening with Bill Clinton and I threw up in my mouth again. Then I realized what I just typed and threw up again.


• If only Jack had his trusty bright silver Rav4 he might have been able to chase down those Chinese Hummers.


• Line of the Night: “My ex-wife has suddenly started behaving irrationally.”


• I’m totally not buying the whole Morris transferring to another section because of one fight with Chloe thing. Seems a bit rash. Also, that dig about arming the nukes? Cold.


• Morris sure was perky running up those steps to Buchanan’s office.


• What was up with Jack getting Double-B’s voicemail? At least he doesn’t have one of those annoying “Please enjoy the music while your party is reached” messages.


• I know you’re probably angry at Doyle for ruining Jack’s plan, but he also saved Jack’s life, which I frankly care more about than the Russian Game Genie thingy, which I suppose is going to be the focal point for the rest of the season. How will it all end? I don’t know, and even though I’m more into this than the snuke storyline, I’m more interested in what the set up for season 7 will be than how this will resolve itself.