Watching 24

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!

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!!

Hey, everyone!! Sorry I’m late again today. I promise, I’m gonna have posts up in the mornings again! Anyway… I thought that since we have a new episode on later tonight, this would be a good time to take one last look at the last episode.

I found a couple of interviews from last week up online discussing the invasion episode. One was with Annie Wersching and the other is with Howard Gordon. Let’s talk Annie first. Her interview is about more than just the two-hour episode, although they do discuss it a bit. Annie talks again about being a fan of 24 before she got cast and just how last minute she was to the show. She also talks about the internal conflict Renee is going through, costumes and whether or not she’d like Renee to go bad. Here it is. I loved this interview… she seems pretty cool and she also gets to talk a little bit about possibly breaking a 24 record and her strange talents.

The next interview with Howard Gordon is pretty much all about the invasion episodes. It’s kind of interesting to see what his perspective on it all is considering the reaction a lot of us fans have had to it. He also admits to doing pretty much no research on the whole thing, either. Like that surprises any of us, right? Anyway… here’s the link to the interview. What do you all think? Post your comments below and let’s talk about it. See ya tomorrow morning with some thoughts on the new episode.

http://blogs.nypost.com/popwrap/archives/2009/03/24_rene_walker.html
http://blogs.courant.com/roger_catlin_tv_eye/2009/03/why-24-targeted-the-white-hous.html

Hello again! Let’s take a look at how everyone did this week. As always, thanks to Aaron and feel free to give your own ratings.

Renee Walker (349)
• Having bad timing -10
• Managing to find out about the fake orderly +17
• Not taking Moss’ lip +18
• Stowing away on the boat -8
• Outswimming Dubaku Jr’s boat +16
• Mouthing off to Vice President Wuss +20
Gain/Loss: 53
New Score: 402

Chloe O’Brian (244)
• Taking Burnett’s name off the list +6
• Getting out-geeked by Janis -10
Gain/Loss: -4
New SCore: 240

Senator Hardass (78)
• Refusing the President’s offer of support for his bill -10
• Not having anything more to say than ‟Jack bad‟ -18
Gain/Loss: -28
New Score: 50

Jack Bauer (374)
• Handcuffing Bill and using the sleeper hold on him -10 (I’m being generous there because I know it’s to keep Bill from getting in trouble too. Still, he was pretty harsh about it all, which loses him points.)
• Tasering the traitor +19
• Disobeying Taylor’s order to stand down and leave traitor alone -10
• Stopping Juma’s guys from getting in the safe room+23
• Obeying Taylor’s order to let her out -20
Gain/Loss: 2
New Score: 376

President Taylor (144)
• Trying to get Jack off the hook +14
• Pulling rank on Jack when he won’t listen to her +6
• ‘Apparently, you don’t’ +20
• Seeing the stupidity in Jack getting hauled off while the actual traitor is being offered a get-out-of-jail free card +10
Gain/Loss: 50
New Score: 194

General Juma (100)

• Having a pretty drawing of the White House on his boat for any spys to stumble upon -14
• Actually pulling off an invasion of the White House +20
• Bluffing the Secret Service +20
• Being cold enough to actually smack the President +10
• Threatening Hodges to get him to help find another way into the safe room +15
Gain/Loss: 51
New Score: 151

Special Awards

The “Kim Bauer” Award goes to: Olivia Taylor for getting captured.

The “Most Likely to be a Mole” Award goes to Tony Almeida for continuing to be very shady.

The “Bravest Agent” Award goes to Bill Buchanen for taking the President’s tracker to throw Juma off.

The “Better Survive” Award goes to Agent Pierce.

As you may have seen on my other blog, word press was not cooperating with me, so I was unable to post until now. Sorry about the delay. Anyway… let’s talk the 2 hour episode! If you haven’t seen it yet and don’t wanna know anything yet, why not head over here? (more…)

So, I was browsing through yahoo news and I came across an interesting story. It gives all kinds of information about tonight’s 2-hour episode as well as some stuff about Season 8. I’m putting the information behind a cut for people who don’t wanna be spoiled. If you’re one of em, why not check out this site instead and I’ll see ya next time. (more…)

Hey, everyone!! Sorry for the post being late today. I had some technical issues. Anyway…. to start your weekend off I thought I would share a couple of videos I found last night on YouTube. They’re spoofs of 24 that are pretty cool.

This first one is posted by damonayoung (the person who produced it) and wonders what would happen if things were wrapped up quick and neat. It takes place over 5 minutes:

I think what amuses me most about this video is Jack not being able to accept that he’s being given answers easily without actually having to torture someone. I like the suspects reaction to Jack as well. Overall, a pretty good job. The clip stars Joe Hernandez-Kolski, Jennifer Azar Burnham and Robert A. Johnson.

This other clip was posted by mrboyproductions and follows Jack and Tony through an unexpected day off due to the writer’s strike. Check it out:

This one has to be my favorite just because of the musical montage of Jack and Tony doing martial arts on a mountain and other stuff. Too funny! For anyone who doesn’t like Kim, you probably liked her being left in the tree (I know I did…) Let’s just hope the real version doesn’t come back with another cougar adventure.

So, what do you all think? Did you enjoy these? Think they need serious help? Let’s talk about it in the comments section. I’m out of here for now, but take care and I’ll see you all again Monday with more. Don’t forget- this week’s episode starts at 8 and lasts two hours.

Hello again! It’s Monday, new episode day! To tide you over until the show comes on, I’ve got a second promo for tonight to share. It was posted by Jonas Hodges. I actually really like this one better than the one that aired after last week’s episode. It played a different part of the Jack and Renee fight, which I think was a huge improvement. I’m already dreading the slapping scene. It could end up playing out better than it looks, but still… anyway, here it is:

Also, I was reading through the 24 wikipedia page and I saw something I had missed about last week’s episode. I’m sure if you’ve been reading all my posts, you know I’m a big fan of the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Well, one of the writers from that show is now working on 24 and actually was in the latest episode. His name’s David Fury and he was the guy that was having a meeting with Olivia Taylor. He gets chased away by Aaron. He actually did pretty good, I thought. This wasn’t his first time appearing in a show he was writing on, either. Back in the Buffy days, they did a musical episode called ‘Once More, with Feeling’. The people of Sunnydale were being forced to burst into song by a demon and Fury played one of the residents singing about his dry cleaning. Here’s a short clip of it for ya:

Besides his Buffy and ANGEL credits, he also has worked for Lost, The Jackie Thomas Show (anyone but me actually remember this one?) and Pinky and the Brain (best kid’s cartoon ever!). Well, that’s it for now. Take care and see you next time.

Good morning again! Ah, Friday…. don’t ya just love em? A weekend ahead, a new episode in a few days… Speaking of, I thought maybe we ought to take some time to reflect on the many lessons we can learn from 24 each week. This is what I learned from the latest one:

1) The President and Ethan can’t agree on anything. They *must* argue about any and all issues that come across the Preisdent’s desk.

2) Ex-CTU people are the only the only trust-worthy characters. Anyone else can be revealed as a mole at any moment.

3) Never interrupt Olivia Taylor when she’s conducting business.

4) Warrants are issued at the speed of light.

5) Blackmail always works.

6) It’s ok to potentially expose yourself as a traitor to your country, but being a cheater is something that must be hidden at all costs.

7) Dubaku is smarter than all the other people in this conspiracy put together.

Even evil, genocidal terrorists can be charming and sweet.

9) Putting yourself at risk for capture is fine, so long as you get revenge on your traitor girlfriend first.

10) Never ever insult Jack in front of Chloe.

11) Larry has no idea how to set up a computer network.

So, that’s what I’ve learned this week from the show. What about you? Are there any lessons I may have left out? Comment and let me know about it. Take care and I’ll see you next time. I leave you with a promo for next time, once again thanks to Jonas Hodges.

Good morning, everyone. Is it just me or is 24 (and the stars) all over the place now? There has been no shortage of interviews and articles about the cast lately. Today, I found a really cool editorial about Jack and the grief he gets for being a ‘posterboy for torture’. It’s by Stephen King (yes, the horror writer) for Entertainment Weekly. It was scanned and posted onto a blog. I totally agree with him on the idea that it’s silly to put so much focus on one character when many others out there are doing worse. And when, exactly, did we all forget that TV is make believe and we shouldn’t take it that seriously? You can check out the whole thing here.

Here’s another article with Cherry Jones. In this one, she goes a little bit more into detail about her portrayal of the president and what she uses as models while acting a scene. She also talks about working with Kiefer, a recent surgery and what she’s going to do next (It’s on the stage, but she ain’t saying much else there). She also talks about the becoming a fan of the show and the bond presidents share.

On another note, here’s a page from Entertainment Weekly posted on a blog with a special feature. It’s called ‘When Bad Plots Happen to Good Shows’. It talks about some of the most infamous moments on the show (cougar, anyone?) You can read the whole thing here. What do you think? Do you all agree with these? Are there any that were left out? Comment and let me know.

Hey, everyone! I didn’t get a chance to sit and get the countdown done properly last night, so I’ll post it for y’all tomorrow. For now, though? Let’s talk about the episode. I’ll go ahead and put all my comments behind a tag for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet. If you didn’t get a chance to see it yet and you don’t want to be spoiled, why not head over here instead? I’ll see ya next time! For everyone else….

So, looks like I was right about Sean. I have to say, I was pretty shocked by that warrant move. He’s better than I gave him credit for. Still, as a mole, he made a pretty bone-headed move by allowing Janis to use that device to hack into what Chloe was doing. Clearly, most people don’t have one and Moss is going to realize that sooner or later and go looking at anyone who does. One down…. who knows how many more to find yet.

Jack and Renee were pretty interesting this episode, too. I love that we’re now getting to see how conflicted Renee is by doing things Jack’s way instead of ignoring the issue. After seeing the previews, it looks like it’s only going to get worse between them.

My biggest shock of the episode has to be President Taylor. For once, she didn’t say the word ‘Sangala’ once and she seemed so much more human and relatable when demanding to be with Henry at the hospital and talking about her troubled relationship with her daughter. It was also pretty nice to see Pierce back on the job.

Chloe, as usual, was beyond hilarious. I loved her dig at the FBI’s computer system setup. Can’t wait for the inevitable clash of the geeks. I’m worried, though… I don’t know if my TV can take that much geek and sarcasm at one time. So, what do you all think? What were your favorite parts, least favorite? What do you think about Dubaku’s girlfriend after this episode? Comment and let’s chat about it! See ya later….

Morning, everyone!! Did y’all have a great weekend and Valentine’s Day? I hope so. So, if you have been reading my Desperate Housewives blog, you know I have been giving occasional updates on the contract talks between SAG and the Producer’s union. Last time I updated, the President and VP of SAG were trying to get a court to reverse a move by some members that fired the current negotiator so new talks to start soon and maybe get this thing resolved.

Well, it didn’t work out too well for them. An appeals judge decided that the talks should resume as scheduled on Tuesday. Good for the judge! This has been going on a long time and needs to be stopped. I’m also wondering why this guy is so determined to strike instead of just taking the deal all the other unions okayed. Ah, well. While the SAG president isn’t too happy, this is good news for us 24 fans. Maybe we’ll get season 8 before 2011…

I have one more thing for y’all today. It’s another story about Mary Lynn and Jeanane. A lot of it covers the same ground, but this one even gives away some tidbits about a future episode. Read it here to learn more and then come back and chat with me about it. For the spoiler-free, I’m putting my own thoughts behind a cut. (more…)

Good morning, everyone! I hope y’all had a great weekend and you are ready for the new episode tomorrow. Before we get into countdowns, recaps and all I wanted to share some articles I found. A couple a little older, one is from only a few days ago. The first one is an interview Cherry Jones did with Newsweek. It doesn’t really get too much into the plot lines, but it does talk about who she modeled Taylor after, being anonymous and what she thought of the show when she first saw it. As usual, she comes across as a lot of fun and she doesn’t seem to take herself too seriously.

The next one is from the Boston Herald and has TV presidents giving advice to Barack Obama. Presidents from the West Wing, Battlestar Galactica and 24 all contribute some words of wisdom. It’s pretty amusing. I personally like Wayne Palmer’s and Charles Logan’s the best.

Finally, there’s another article from the Boston Herald that’s dated only a few days ago. It’s about Annie Wersching and her role on 24. She talks about that scene where she gets buried, being a fan of the show before she was cast (a week before the filming started) and how she celebrated the premiere of season 7. It’s a pretty good read. I think this is my favorite show to read interviews about. Everyone in the cast comes off pretty well and they all see very happy and grateful to be a part of the show. It’s pretty cool to read that when you have some stars out there being less than humble or even putting down the show. I think some fans of an ABC series can relate to that one…

Finally, it’s from a little bit back, but here’s an interview with Sprague Grayson. She’s playing the President’s daughter, Olivia. The funny part is they talk about how she seems to get killed in every series she’s been in. Will the same fate await her on 24? She’s not saying. Check it out thanks to Jonas Hodges:

So what do you think? Was the advice the presidents gave good? Did you like the things Cherry and Annie had to say? Comment and let’s chat about it. Take care and I’ll see you next time.

Hey, everyone!! So, have you been watching the new episodes of 24 and enjoying em, yet still shaking your head at the CIP device angle? Do you wonder about how it all works in the real world? Well, a reader I will call JR sent me a cool article that will answer at least a couple of questions. It’s called “Behind the Plot: 24’s Counter-Factual Version of Counter-Terrorism”. It confirms some of what we already knew about the holes in this plot and talks a little about what aspects are a bit realistic.

The writer addresses most of the main questionable aspects of the season. This includes the ATC attack, the use of firewalls and who really is in charge of protecting the infrastructure. They also tell us what part of the infrastructure is actually a bit vulnerable. Check it out. So what’s the verdict? Did you enjoy that? Do you not really care about the actual hows and whys of things portrayed in the show? Comment and let me know.

That’s not all. While browsing around, I found a cool article that talks about Mary Lynn and Janeane, who are long time friends and recently did a joint interview for USA Today. They do mention a couple small things are aren’t big spoilers, but they are some details some really spoiler-sensitive people may want to avoid. The link to the article can be found here. I just finished reading it and thought it was pretty cool. They talk about how Janeane gave Mary Lynn her first TV part and their shared connection with the Larry Sanders show. Enjoy! I’ll see y’all tomorrow with some actual episode stuff. Sorry I had to delay it today. I had car issues that had to be resolved. Don’t worry though…. countdowns and some other stuff is one the way!