24 This Week: 4/17/06

Dude! Okay, so the show is BACK! "24" is kicking on all cylinders again and last night's episode demonstrated again why we keep tuning in each year. Great balance of intrigue, drama, action, conflict...tell your friends! Here's my random thought in watching last night's show: Remember when Startac cell phones came out and they were the hot thing and you saw them then appear in every TV show/film known to man? Now Razors have taken over. I can hear the commercial now: "When the leader of the free world wants to make clandestine dealings to known terrorists to secure oil for America, there's only one phone he'll use. The Motorola Razor: now in silver and black...and pink. Get one and destroy the world today!" Gotta love product placement. :) And now...

What have we learned this week:

--That again actor Gregory Itzin was PERFECT as a choice for President Logan. We think he's a boob, then we think he's diabolically evil, and now you see a little of the...the best word I can come up with is "cowardice" creep back in. He's definitely more manipulative and savvy than we thought, but you see the side now where he's not sure his little machinations will hold up and how long until he's found out and a goner. And the scene with Mike Novick where he's questioning him about his search for Jack--I honestly didn't know if Logan might do something to Mike. There were a couple of times I thought he'd grab something and beat him (okay, just knock him out, but he's crazy, right? :) It's a testiment to what Itzin's done with the character that you actually think he can be a man of action now; Logan's got some chops, he's dangerous! But great acting job. I wonder if they knew this in casting him last season, where they would take Logan and that's why they chose him.

--that Jack Bauer is, once again, The Man with a capital MAN and you shouldn't go against him. Exhibit A: Secretary Heller taking Jack and Audrey out once they present the evidence. HELLO! As pointed out by my homeboy C. Young, Heller worked with Jack, trusted Jack, knows Jack is the man, yet goes against his advice and does the complete opposite in confronting Logan. Come on, man! You've been a politician long enough to know you guys can't be trusted! And that Logan will hold onto his power no matter what rather than "step down quietly." According to the scenes from next week, Jack tells Heller he feels betrayed by him and rightly so. Let's see a little Jack Bauer justice go on where Heller is concerned. And Exhibit B: Jack is James Bond, McGyver, and freakin' Chuck Norris put together. My man burns his wrists to get out of bindings, subdues the guard, gets in a firefight he survives, and saves the life of the woman he loves as she's bleeding to death. This is after a day of running out of a gas building where chemicals are being set off, evading arrest a gazillion times, surviving mutiple firefights, and surviving possible exposure to a nerve gas in CTU. Jack for President, baby....

--that speaking of bindings, TV prisoner rules are still in effect. In the history of television drama, there are just stupid things you have to do as a captor in dealing with your intended victim-- reveal the whole of your nefarious plot to them...not kill them immediately upon telling them your nefarious plot...not make sure there is nothing the prisoners can use as a means of escape (especially frisking them and taking any knives or even paperclips away) ...leaving the most inept guards you have on staff to guard said prisoners so they can subdue them and get away. And so we have last night, the dreaded guard peeks in to check on prisoners then stands watch. NOOOOOO! You always keep your eyes on the prisoners! What else do you have to do? Seriously. There may be that commando unit coming to save them, but guess what? They're coming to save the prisoners, you know where they're going. You either stand in the cell/empty room/torture room with the prisoner and watch them all the time or at least one guard watch them through the door constantly and the other look out for any rescue attempt. Ah, gotta love TV prisoner rules...

--that Audrey's having a freakin' day from hell. The love of your life returns from being dead, you think he's killed, you're tortured, and now this nutjob has cut your artery and you're bleeding to death. But Audrey is a quality woman: she yells for Jack to forget about her and keep the evidence--and honestly I didn't know which he'd do--but to make that kind of sacrifice...she's been reading my blog, too :) Jack, if she also unlocks the door for you as you come around to the driver's side in a car, that Audrey's a keeper. When you disappear yet again at the end of this season, you'd better take her with you.

--that the Red Shirt Death Tally is up to, what, 100 now in the course of this season alone? Heller's man is in the same position Jack is under the wheel of a plane in a firefight, but he gets shot. Jack's unharmed. People, again, read the blog....if you are with Jack Bauer, and you're not a character we love or love enough we'll miss when they die, you are history. Don't even pull out the gun and shoot back or run to the car where you and Jack will supposedly make a getaway. Accept your fate. You're a goner.

--The "twang" soundtrack is back and it, indeed, does sound like a soundtrack for Chloe. Don't like it. Please return to the haunting melodies and occasional maracas when there's tension. Don't get fancy.

--that Chloe would make the worst magician in the world. The slight of hand in taking Miles' key card as he left her cell? Come ON! He couldn't see that?! I mean, I guess I should be glad she didn't do the cliche of coming on to him or anything, but this was so blantantly bad and obvious. But it got Chloe out of the cell, and that's all that counts, right? And was it just me, or did I sense sparks when she reached Bill Buchanon's house? Hmmm, Bill and Chloe sittin' in a tree....

--and speaking of sittin' in a tree, Martha Logan got awfully close to Aaron when she was trying to get him to tell her why Heller was there. "You can trust me, Aaron...you know that." I tell you, that Martha Logan's a naughty little minx playing her two men like she's doin'. Secret lovers, yeah, that's what they are/trying so hard so they can't see/but we both belong to someone else...

--Chloe O'Brien Line of the Week: when Jack says, "Our government has no integrity...." and then pauses and finishes with the rest talking about Logan. Hmmm, you think they might be trying to say something there underneath about our current real-life administration? Hmmmm....

So next week, what the heck happened to Aaron in meeting Martha? The way they shot it made it seem like we were watching someone watching Martha, but then....nothing happened other than her finding the phone. Has our favorite Secret Service agent gone too far and gotten taken out? And I brought this up to peeps, and the lovely Laura C. had theories as well when we talked, but what do you think happened to Evelyn, the First Lady's aide, after she told Henderson where Jack was? They still haven't answered that this week. I think he killed her and her daughter. He's not the type to leave loose ends, but I am curious. I hope they address it at some point before the end. And now that he's disgraced, what can Heller do now? And I've got to say, a hero is only as good as his adversary and in Henderson, they've created a great villain for Jack. The only thing that could make it better is if they could really go at it in a physical matchup [but come on, for real, Keifer would kick Robocop's ass], but as far as minds, Henderson has been Jack's equal and then some. Cutting Audrey to slow Jack down as he escaped? Brilliant! No one since Nina Myers has there been someone more diabolical and Jack's equal. I'll shed a tear when Jack plugs him full of lead :) Next week, come on, get here soon! It's gettin' good, I can't wait!

Oh, and blatant plug of the week: for those of you who tuned in Sunday night to see Grey's Anatomy and were greeted with "What About Brian," I hope you gave it a shot. It actually is pretty good. It airs on Mondays 10pm and it's been described as the male Felicity, and I can see that, but in watching it, I think they totally capture what it's like for young couples (and the obligatory single friend) in their late 20s/early 30s. I can see each of my friends in each of the characters. I know I have a lot of TV, too, and don't wanna add onto the plate, but this one is worth it....