Watching 24

Wow…. interesting episode, huh? Not a shabby promo either. Not only that, it looks like they actually went somewhere really bold this time. Not sure what I’m talking about? Read on for a little recap and my thoughts on the episode. Be sure to share yours, too!

The FBI/CTU

Well, I should’ve seen this coming a mile away. And, in a way, I did. Given next season is supposed to be it and they’re talking more and more about the fate of Jack, I kind of figured he’d be infected. Still, it was pretty shocking to actually hear it out loud. Especially after hearing about how the disease is basically a quick death sentence.

A really good moment for me during this episode were the scenes between Larry and Renee. After a lot of issues and a little sneaky stuff on both sides, they now fully trust each other and have worked out their issues. Of course, that nice resolution between them before heading into Starkwood and getting surrounded by the bad guys doesn’t really bode well for Larry. Also? I really wouldn’t trade places with Mr. Faker for anything. You know when Tony gets the chance, that guy is toast.

The White House

The big surprise for me has been how much President Taylor has grown as a character so far over the season. I don’t agree with everything she does and wonder what good they did with that cabinet meeting, but she’s overall been excellent over the past few episodes. I liked the boldness she showed in allowing the raid on Starkwood, as well. They have proof of the weapons and those weapons need to be taken, end of story. I love that she understands that. I do have one little request, though- enough berating yourself. We get it: you think you dropped the ball on a couple things. It sucks, I’m glad you acknowledge it, but let’s not have any more scenes all about blaming yourself again ok? Cause this is dangerously close to entering the Sangala debate territory.

Moles are so hard to figure aren’t they? There are supposed to be other people not on the list that Juma didn’t know about, but I’m not sure that we’ve met them. Olivia seemed to be genuinely unaware of what’s going on to me. So did Larry. Tony was furious over what happened with Jack and Ethan resigned. Who’s left? I’m not quite sure. Speaking of Ethan, though… I’m a bit surprised by the acting Chief of Staff appointment. Is she even technically qualified for the job? Last I remember, she was just an advisor on her mom’s campaign. I’m curious to learn more about Olivia’s background and training.

The Bad Guys

I have to really give them credit this time. Setting up that guy as a sacrifice so they can trick Tony into playing decoy was some cold, heartless stuff right there. I don’t really wanna know what Starkwood does to people who screw up on the job. I have the feeling that being late to board meetings have some very dangerous consequences. The previews say there’s a big confrontation happening between them and the FBI next week. I can’t help but wonder what’s driving these people to participate. I mean, really… are they all extremists who are mad at Taylor or just that dang greedy they’re willing to risk treason charges for a fat paycheck? I guess we’ll see. So far…. kudos to the writers on making Hodges so creepy. He’s definitely one of the more memorable villains.

Well, that’s it for now. Take care and see ya tomorrow!!

Hey, everyone!! I hope you’ve all had a great weekend and you’re ready for a new episode of 24 tonight. I know I am! In the meantime, though, there’s a couple other things going on in 24 world to talk about, like Kiefer’s new hit movie Monsters Vs. Aliens. Kiefer provides the voice of W.R. Monger. He’s in a charge of a secret government building where monsters are kept. He decides to use them to their advantage when Aliens invade. The movie is a 3D production by Dreamworks and also stars Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie and Stephen Colbert. Already, it’s made over 58 million at the box office, giving it the biggest opening of the year for any movie. Apparently, Kiefer really likes that the movie ends up sending the message to kids that it’s ok to be different. He’s also been quoted as saying how much fun it was to voice the character. So, who’s already seen it? If so, share your thoughts about it. I’d love to read them!

While Kiefer’s starring in cartoons, another 24 name is getting ready to release a movie. Joel Surnow has produced a 10 part miniseries about the Kennedy family. He screened it for MIPTV conference in Cannes this weekend and they’re now working out a deal with a cable channel to air it in the US. He’s promised it’s going to be a totally honest, unbiased look at the family and their accomplishments as well as their mistakes. As soon as a network and airdate is released, I’ll let you know.

Good afternoon, everyone!! Let’s see how everyone did in the latest episode, shall we? As always, thanks go to Aaron and I look forward to seeing what your point totals would be!

Jack Bauer (526)

• Getting the shipment information +5
• Keeping his promise to the guard +10
• Totally blowing the element of surprise at the compound by not attacking the rest of them faster -15
• Exposing himself to the weapon to stop the leak +20
• Seeming to just give up in the last fight -15
Gain/Loss: 35
New Score: 561

Renee Walker (564)

• Giving Larry the information about Starkwood +6
Gain/Loss: 6
New Score: 570

Larry Moss (180)

• Taking longer than he should have to realize Jack was likely innocent -6
• Coming around based on the tons of evidence there +10
• Getting Renee to talk to him about Starkwood +7 (cause getting her to tell him about anything anymore is tough work)
• Pointing out Ethan was the one who authorized bringing Jack in when Ethan tried to blame him +8
• Believing Jack and seeming sympathetic over his exposure to the weapon +9
• Turning out to be a better character than I expected +10
Gain/Loss: 38
New Score: 218

Ethan Kanin (105)
• Trying to blame Larry for the Jack situation -9
• Admitting he’s a screw up and resigning for Taylor’s own good +10
• Being nice and trying to give advice to Olivia +6
Gain/Loss: 7
New Score: 112

President Taylor (311)
• Accepting Ethan’s resignation +10
• Seeing right away that Jack murdering Mayer doesn’t make sense +5
• Still believing Olivia is totally innocent of being a leak -6
Gain/Loss: 9
New Score: 320

Jonas Hodges (147)
• Having some of the most bizarre dialogue I have ever heard +7 (what? It’s entertaining)
• Apparently lying to his entire board +9
• Doing all this over contracts -7
• Managing to stay a step ahead of Jack and the rest +7
Gain/Loss: 16
New Score: 163

Tony Almeida (207)
• Pointing out the big risk Jack is taking by saving the guard +7
• Being completely shady still -5
• Wasting all that ammo on covering someone who is already under cover -5
• Actually getting to do something this week +6
Gain/Loss: 13
New Score: 220

Hello, out there! How’s everyone doing today? I know it’s a little late, but there’s a lot going on and I had to hold off until this afternoon to get this done. I actually re-watched the episode first and loved it. It’s full of the usual 24 plot holes, but hey- isn’t that why we love it? So, that all said- here are some of the lessons I came away with after watching it again…

Bad guys are children who need their carrots. (Is it just me, or are they going out of their way to give this guy the most out-there lines possible? Still- I’m kinda liking it)

You can be running through a hail of bullets and still never even get grazed by any of them.

Jack has been brainwashed by Renee.

Tony must’ve been thrown in the robot suit to make up for Jack.

Larry actually does know what he’s doing sometimes.

When keeping an agent in holding, it’s always a good idea to leave a phone in the room with them unsupervised.

The writers don’t do research.

Wanna make people care about some random guest character quickly? Add a wife expecting twins after many failed attempts at parenthood.

Bio weapons always get stored in easily breached containers.

Ethan’s incompetent, but apparently not evil.

Well, that’s what I learned this week- how about you guys? Be sure to post your own lessons in the comments so we can chat about it. See y’all again tomorrow. Take care!

Hey, everyone!! I’m working on the schoolhouse and the countdown. I’ll have those up for ya tomorrow. For now, though, I wanted to share an article with you all. It’s very mildly spoilery so I’m not gonna bother with a cut this time. It’s about Kiefer Sutherland and his future on 24.

Now, I admit I have been disappointed with the guy here and there. The DUI situation, in particular, bugged me big time, as DUI is a big peeve of mine. Especially for Hollywood celebrities who can afford to hire a driver. Still, there is one thing I have admired about the guy through the run of this series so far: his gratitude. In an article posted on the MSN site, he confirms that he will be back for an eighth season of the series. He basically says that the show has been so good to him and for his career, he wants to be good to it. If he can fit other project in, great, but his first priority is to the series. I like that he’s always been very up front about the show saving his career and how much he appreciates getting that chance. Couldn’t a lot of actors learn a little something from him on this? A few people (hi, Katherine!) come to mind. So what do you think? Do you admire his loyalty or do you think he needs to move on? What actors do you really admire and what ones could use this lesson too? Share your comments and let’s chat about it! Take care and I’ll see ya next time. By the way… here’s the link in case you want to read it all for yourself.

Good morning, everyone! So, who saw the latest episode of 24? It was a pretty crazy hour and here’s my take on the whole thing…

The FBI/Ex-CTU
So, Larry, as usual, spends a lot of the episode trying to find Jack and thinking he’s got something to do with the Senator’s murder. He tries to get Renee to tell him why Jack was heading for Mayer’s house, but she’s a little iffy on doing it. She finally relents and tells him about the Starkwood info and Larry has a bit of a turning point this week. He seems to soften a little after she tells him about that. Later on, Jack and Tony are working to intercept the delivery that’s being made. Unfortunately, Tony gets caught, but Jack manages to drive away with the truck. With the bad guys on his tail, Jack calls Larry to tell him what’s going on and about where he is now. Jack eventually has to stop the truck because he realizes there’s damage to it and some of the fumes are getting out. He stops the leak, but gets into a fight with the bad guys, who take the weapon after Jack retreats. As soon as they’re gone, Jack calls Larry again to tell him what happened. Larry wants proof of bio weapons and Jack tells him to send the CDC and he’ll have all the proof he needs because he was exposed. Now, Larry really seems to be softening up a bit. He assures Jack the CDC is on their way.

The White House

So, the big news (for me, anyway) is the first husband is expected to recover. He and the President talk on the phone and she lets him know that Olivia is working with her. He seems to like that and Alison is feeling pretty good herself. That is, until Ethan comes in and tells her about Mayer’s murder. He tells her he’s failed her and he has no choice but to resign. If the Bauer connection (and his part in that) gets out, it could be damaging to Taylor and her administration. He thinks it’s best to get out now and minimize the damage to her. She tries to talk him out of it, but there’s no convincing him. Later on, Olivia reveals her shark-like ways by showing up to apologize to Ethan. This is quickly followed by a call to a local reporter to completely sell him out for the 11:00 broadcast. She makes sure, though, to tell the reporter that her mother needs to be kept out of it. How nice of her…

The Bad Guys

Well, the shipment is here and they’ve got it: bio weapons. Nice, huh? They’ve also apparently found out they may need to accelerate their plan a bit since Jack’s on to them. I still can’t quite get a handle on these guys as far as what their ultimate game plan is, but I’m enjoying watching it all play out. Jon Voight is amusing as the evil CEO. I’m just slightly disappointed that they managed to get the weapons away from Jack. Our hero is slipping a bit here. Ah well. Let’s see how it all plays out next week.

I’ve got a little bit of spoilery scoop for y’all, but first there’s some DVD news. Just like with most shows DVDs now, FOX isn’t wasting any time at all. They’ve already announced the release of the season 7 DVDs. Not only that, there’s apparently a listing out there that tells all the commentary and actually lets out a few spoilery tidbits about the rest of the season. I haven’t really read that, so I can’t really share any of that info for you. The word is, the DVDs will come out on May 19th, the day after the last episode. Since regular filming has been done for quite awhile by now, I’d say that sounds pretty do-able. Are you going to buy the DVDs? Do you not care about owning shows? Sound off and let me know what you’re thinking on it! And keep going beyond the cut for a little bit of spoilery info about next season… (more…)

Hey again!! I’m in a hunting mood today, so who wants to join me on a mole hunt? Be sure to share your own guesses. I can’t wait to read other people’s theories (and why mine are crazy )

I’m zeroing in on my first target. He’s not new, but he’s just looking shadier and shadier as time goes on. He’s Ethan. Exhibit A: Olivia has pointed out that all the White House corruption happened under his watch. Doesn’t seem very becoming to a White House Chief of Staff, does it? Unless, of course, he recruited the bad guys himself. Exhibit B: His convenient absence during the White House Siege. Exhibit C: He was one of the only people that knew about Jack heading to the hospital to question Burnett. Exhibit D: He’s way too gung-ho about discrediting Olivia, as we saw last episode.

My next target is relatively new to the show: Olivia Taylor. She’s definitely got motive after being kicked off the campaign and she seems childish enough to want to get back at them for it. Exhibit A: Her insistence on President Taylor declaring victory in her speech, which seemed a bit much to me, especially after she already gave a speech like that earlier in the day that was quickly followed by an attack. Can’t imagine she’s got much credibility right now with the American people. Exhibit B: The leak (I don’t believe for one second she wasn’t in some way behind that) designed to make her mom’s chief advisor look bad and the way she seems to be trying to finger him for everything. Exhibit C: She practically jumped at the chance to be in her mom’s administration and seems a bit power-hungry.

I think Larry is another one who needs to be watched more carefully after this episode. Why? Well, besides doing nothing last week when it looked like there was something up with the audio/video feed (which either makes him evil or totally incompetent), this week another mission he’s in charge of failed. Could it be because he’s sabotaging them? I guess we’ll see. Another strike against him is his treatment of Renee. She’s been one of his only agents to get any results and suddenly he’s ready to put her in holding. Seems off to me… how about you?

Janis is on my radar again this week as well. She can help out Sean and risk a lot by sneaking into those files for a lame excuse, but she fights Renee on giving her info because she’s suspended? Nice that you start playing by the rules now. Also? She’s a bit too eager and helpful and we all know how that worked out with Nina back in the day.

Finally, I have to say that I see one more hint that Tony is possibly bad. Not only has his info not really helped all that much, he disappears a lot. Finally? He was sitting in a café and seemed to be relaxing a bit. Who else has been able to actually relax a little during the day’s events? That’s right… Hodges and a few of his people! Plus, I don’t remember any good guys really getting to do that before on this show unless they’re in intensive care or, well, dead.

Hello, again! It’s time to score em again for last week. As always, be sure to tell me what you would’ve given people. Thanks go out to Aaron.

Jack Bauer (404)
Being good enough at multi-tasking to operate a computer AND a car +25
Finding Burnett’s real killer +27
Admitting he regrets some of the things he’s had to do +30
Figuring out what Starkwood is probably up to +20
Stopping Quinn +20
Gain/Loss: +122
New Score: 526

Renee Walker (497)
IDing Quinn +30
Uncovering the Starkwood link +28
Doing what she feels has to be done +24
Getting caught by Larry and Janis -15
Gain/Loss: +67
New Score: 564

Larry Moss (137)
Being one step ahead of Jack and Co a couple of times +25
Ultimately getting in the way of saving the day -20
Trying to save the Senator +18
Admitting Jack is better than then at the job +20
Gain/Loss: +43
New Score: 180

President Taylor (286)
Questioning the leak +20
Possibly falling for the ‘you can call and ask them yourself’ routine -10
Giving a good speech +15
Gain/Loss: +25
New Score: 311

Ethan (100)
Believing that pretty obvious Bauer set up (-15)
Screwing up yet again -10
Standing up to Olivia +30
Gain/Loss: +5
New Score: 105

Olivia (130)
Convincing Taylor she’s innocent of leaking that info +30
Calling Ethan on his mistakes +23
Gain/Loss: +53
New Score: 183

Senator Mayer (aka: Senator Hardass) (50)
Having sympathy for Bauer and actually seeing his point +20
Stating his own case well +18
Helping Jack with the investigation +20
Almost getting Jack to trust his +30 (ya know this is a superhuman feat)
Not checking before he opened the door -10
Gain/Loss: +78
Final Score: 128

Hodges (100)
Having an actually organized and so far capable group of baddies +20
Having a conscience +10
Giving Jack an actual challange again +17
Gain/Loss: +47
New Score: 147

Hello, again. It’s time, once more, to take a look at all the great life lessons 24 can teach us. Didn’t see the episode yet? Check out my recap/thoughts here first.

Whether you’re working at CTU or the FBI, there is always going to be a stubborn, by-the-book person who ultimately ends up making it tougher to solve the case.

Immunity is handed out like candy on Halloween in 24-land.

The only thing more dangerous than being a believer in Jack from the beginning is being the person who was completely against him and ends up changing his or her mind.

Hotwiring a car is easy. Not only that, the car will have all the neat toys you need to get your job done.

Screw drivers make great weapons. They’re also great for hotwiring that car I mentioned…

Bad guys apparently have slumber parties.

You can get suspended for helping the wrong person in an investigation without losing your access to government files.

Janis isn’t much of a geek (What level is she anyway?)

When someone knocks at your door, you might wanna check to make sure who it is before you open it.

Jack’s master multi-tasker.

President Taylor is gullible. Why else would she fall for the old ‘you can call and ask them yourself’ line?

The death of a random congressional aide who was a traitor is apparently an important enough story to get space when you’ve just had a White House invasion and a couple of terrorist attacks happen the same day.

So, what have you learned this week? Comment and let me know. See ya next time.

Good morning, everyone! How about that episode? I kind of like it when an episode is a little more low key and not filled with explosions and a huge body count. Anyway… here’s a little run down and my thoughts on it all.

FBI/Former CTU

Well, Renee’s now truly become a part of the CTU bunch. Not only did she do a couple of things that she maybe shouldn’t have to help Jack, she also got suspended and taken into custody over it! You just aren’t a part of that group unless you’ve done all three. Speaking of people getting into trouble for Jack, it was pretty nice to get to see Chloe getting bailed out by Morris like that. I like her and I don’t wanna see the character get dragged down like that. I just wonder what effect Morris’ deal to get her off is going to have on them now. As for Jack… what can I say? He’s doing his annual ‘on the run because I’ve been framed/got in trouble and still have work to do’ thing. Pretty entertaining to watch though. Especially when Larry’s sitting there looking like his head’s about to explode. Can’t wait to see how he’s going to react when Jack saves them all and gets his inevitable free pass at the end of the season. Janis, meanwhile, continues to out geek someone on something only to be thwarted by something she can’t do. Nice to get a little Tony appearance as well.

The White House

I’m continuing to adore Olivia and think she’s obviously lying about that leak. She wants Ethan out and she’s gonna do it somehow. She really is like Sherry, huh? As for Ethan…. I love how he’s getting a hissy fit over being called out on his own crappy performance. He’s either the most incompetent CoS ever or he’s evil. How else has he missed all the stuff that happened at the White House under his nose? About time someone said so. As for the President… I’m continuing to like her much more than I did early on. Still, she needs to wise up because she’s getting played by someone, whether it’s Olivia or Ethan.

The Bad Guys

Hodges is getting pretty interesting, I think. He’s also a little more… crazy than most 24 villains, but it’s making him fun to watch. I mean, first a nice drink and now he’s kidding about pajama parties? I also love how they seem to be one step ahead of all the government people still. Wuinn killing Senator Hardass was also a big shocker. I didn’t think it would happen so quickly. So what did you all think? Post your thoughts below so we can chat about it. Take care and see ya tomorrow. I leave y’all with a preview for next week, thanks to the always awesome Jonas Hodges:

Before I get to the point of this post, I just wanted to thank everyone for their comments. I’m really enjoying reading them. I also wanna let you know (especially for anyone who might be asking questions in them) that I am adding my responses to you commets instead of making new ones. With the set up I am using, it’s much easier. Anyway… back to the post:

It looks like reviews weren’t the only ones talking about the torture issue on 24. You might remember a lot of stories early on about use of torture on the show and how it has been said to have influenced how terrorism is being dealt with for real. Well, I recently discovered that someone has written a whole book about the issue. It’s called The Tao of Jack Bauer and it explores all the moral issues involved in the show as well as in real life.

The book looks at the issue of civil liberties in today’s world as well as some of the technology that is currently used in the fight to stop terrorist attacks. Sounds like a pretty interesting read, although I haven’t been able to get a copy yet. All I have to go by is the description on Barnes and Noble’s website. As a fun bonus there’s one of those quizzes in the book that lets you see just how much like Jack Bauer you really are.

I also found out that this isn’t the writer’s first time looking at the world of 24 (and other shows). He has another book out called ‘The Simpsons, 24 and the Law: How Homer Simpson and Jack Bauer Inflence Congressional Lawmaking and Judicial Reasoning’. Pretty funny that he combines the two considering that Simpsons episode that spoofed the show. (Great episode, by the way! If you haven’t seen that, you really ought to) If you want to check the book out for yourself, here is the link to it. So what do you all think? Do you like looking at the deeper issues on the show or do you prefer to not think at all while watching it? Sound off and let’s chat about it. Take care and see you tomorrow with my reactions to the new episode. Take care!!

Hello!! Here’s a little run down on everyone we’ve lost in the past few episodes. I plan to tweak this a little and get it running weekly with this new episode. Enjoy and share your thoughts below!

Episode 8:

• Agent Vossler (Taken out with a knife by Jack)
• 2 random agents and 6 terror!minions (but who cares about them, right?)

Episode 9: NO ONE

Episode 10:

• Dubaku’s Minion
• Marika, killed in a car accident she created while they were being chased by the FBI.
• Erica, the dirty FBI agent. She was killed by Sean with a gun

Episode 11

• Dubaku, killed with an injection by another terror!minion.

Episode 12:

• Ranger Thompson, killed with a gun by Dubaku Jr. to stop him from alerting anyone to the White House attack Walker told him about.
• White House Janitor, taken out by a dirty white house janitor working with Juma.
• Dubaku, Jr. Take out by Larry and the FBI before he can kill Renee

Episode 13
• White House Staff member (gun)
• Jack- two terror minions (gun)
• Aaron Pierce- terror minion (gun)
• Quentin- Robert the heart patient (suffocation by pillow), Burnett (cutting his throat) and a bunch of other Juma minions taken out by FBI agents
• Bill Buchanan, killed by a natural gas explosion he caused to create a diversion and save the President.

Good morning, guys!! Before I get the kill count posted later on, I wanted to share some casting news I found with you. As always, if you’re spoiler-free, you might not want to go behind the cut and check out this site instead (the post is pretty funny). (more…)

Good morning, everyone!! It’s time for the countdown again and to see how everyone did in the latest episode. Don’t forget to let me know what you’d give out points/take away points for too! Thanks, as always, go to Aaron.

Jack Bauer (376)
*Coming up with a plan to save them from Juma +20
*Letting go of the robot facade for a minute to mourn Bill +20
*Not opening the door and alerting people the second that thing dropped to the ground -7
*Getting ready to make whoever did that pay +15
Gain/Loss +28
New Score: 404

Renee Walker (402)
*Helping with the FBI’s rescue plan +15
*Reminding the VP they actually have to, ya know, DO something? +15
*‘I’m not defending Jack, I’m defending a good idea!’ +20
*Being able to admit when Jack is right, even though she’s had issues with him, too +20
*Going behind Moss’ back to do what she felt was the right thing +25
Gain/Loss: +95
New Score: 497

Larry Moss (152)
*Ordering the raid against the VP’s wishes +25
*Firing Renee for the exact same thing he just did -30
*Commanding one of the worst FBI operations ever -30
*Actually seeming to believe Jack when he called and explained what happened in the hopstial +20
Gain/Loss: -15
New Score: 137

President Taylor (194)
*Telling off Juma for ‘releasing’ the hostage +25
*Reading the statement to try and buy everyone time +25
*Trying to patch things up with Olivia +15
*Hiring her back +17
*Apologizing to Ethan for what she said +10
Gain/Loss: +92
New Score: 286

Special Awards:

The tearjerker award goes to: Bill Buchanan for sacrificing himself for the country. He also gets the ‘bravest character’ award and 110 points. His final total is

The ‘Sherry Palmer’ award goes to: Olivia Taylor for that scene with Ethan. Don’t mess with the First Daughter! She’ll get added officially next week. I’ll give her 30 points to start her off, so her total is 130.

The ‘duh’ award goes to: Everyone in the FBI. It’s a wonder 24-world hasn’t already fallen to the terrorists.