Penultimate 24-Blogging
Faggot! FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGOOOTTTTTTTTT!!!!
See? Homosexuality compromises national security, just like you always heard!
Snark aside – will CTU ever secure a location they decide to raid? you would think this country had tens of thousands of terrorists and a couple of dozen domestic security personnel rather than the reverse – this episode, almost despite itself, dramatized a handful of truths about Power, particularly that Power’s first concern is itself. Thus the VIPs evacuate on the QT while leaving the littles in ignorance of the danger.
Remember that classic of the American essay, “The Pussification of the Western Male?” Remember the author’s valorization of the nation’s “strong father” in President George W. Bush? Have you ever known a real “strong father” who, faced with the possibility of danger as Papa Bush’s home city was last week, has, as his top priority, getting himself out of danger and leaving his children behind? But that is SOP for our rulers. In this case, Strong Father was safely off bicycling, but Priority One was getting Uncle Dick and Great-Uncle Donald et al to safety. The kids? They should be okay by themselves. And no, this wouldn’t be any different if there were Democrats in the White House, which is worth keeping in mind.
Anyway, tonight’s 24 had just a bit of that to it (see an early Offering for more), though the puppet-master aspect of ex-President Palmer and the Secretary of State seems overly broadly drawn. And did anyone not say to themselves, “There goes Tony?” the minute he and his ex agreed to go away with each other as soon as this is all over?
The other good thing was one moment of Defense Secretary Heller tearing up upon learning that his son is, you know, queer. Good acting. But the script lets Secretary Heller off way too easy. It let’s Jack Bauer off way too easy too. Oh, he suffers. He suffers the exquisite agony of being in every instance right to hurt other people. Jesus wept, yes, but not for nailing Pilate to the Cross. It’s a very new, American kind of martyrdom 24 chronicles. If it did so more artfully, it could be more than an interesting artifact of our day. Less a symptom, more a diagnosis.
Comment by Michigan —
May 16, 2005 @ 9:59 pm
What ruined the episode for me was when Bauer lured the terrorists into a trap with delicious Hostess fruit pies. That just made no sense, even if, as the terrorists proclaim, the filling is rich and creamy.
Comment by Bill Sherman —
May 16, 2005 @ 10:28 pm
Both my wife and I knew we were in for the Heavy Dramatic Irony the moment Michelle said that she wanted to quit her job and go off with Tony After This Was All Over – though we were half expecting Michelle to be the one to get it since CTU’s on-site security is as hole-ridden as the perimeters we keep getting told are secured. . .
Comment by Brian Hawkins —
May 16, 2005 @ 11:41 pm
What I’m failing to get is how on earth could Richard Heller have made any connection whatsoever between who he was partying with a week ago and, um, a terrorist plot, until he was confronted with the cell phone record? I mean, so he held out for like 15 minutes on that in tonight’s episode, but earlier in the “day”, how could he have known that it was relevant (and therefore be somehow responsible for all of this, as Dad seemed to be saying?
Plot hole’s s big you could drive a truck through…
Comment by Jim Henley —
May 17, 2005 @ 6:29 am
True ‘dat, Brian. THat’s exactly what I was referring to when I said the script was too easy on Secretary Heller. He gets to give the strong-fatherly admonishment, but it makes no sense. Maybe a much different, more sensible and sustained investigation earlier would have uncovered the connection, without (what turned out to be) fatally alienating Young Richard.
Comment by Rafe —
May 17, 2005 @ 11:15 am
I think that with last night’s episode, this show went from worst show on television right now to worst show on television ever.
Comment by Anon —
May 17, 2005 @ 11:32 am
I stopped watching _24_ regularly when they chose not to let Kiefer die a few seasons ago. I wanted you to know that your blog items are having the perhaps unintended consequence of making me wish I’d watched this season, just so I could enjoy your rants more. This is very similar to my response to the Comics Curmudgeon, given that I currently don’t subscribe to a newspaper.
This is truly diabolical.
Comment by digamma —
May 17, 2005 @ 12:30 pm
Richard Heller’s homosexuality is a perfect example of what 24 normally does right – our characters are trying to be superheroes, but their humanity keeps creeping in and screwing things up. We spent all day thinking Richard’s secret was outright treason, but it turns out to be an issue anyone could deal with.
Unfortunately, half-assed writing ruined it.
Comment by Jim Henley —
May 17, 2005 @ 7:53 pm
Anon: What can I say but, Bwa-ha-ha!
.
digamma: Yeah. Could have been a good twist. SHOULD have been a good twist.