24 was awesome!
By Thoreau
OK, 24 was awesome tonight, for the simple reason that I was left on the edge of my seat wanting more. Last week I was like “OK, this is weird.” The week before, I was like “What, nukes again?” But now they’ve got mysteries, they’ve got multiple storylines being juggled, I was left shouting “Tell us more!”, and (most importantly) they’ve rejected the predictable outcome in at least 2 storylines:
1) I thought for sure that McCarthy’s girlfriend would walk out on him, then wind up in police custody and turn into CTU’s predictable “She’s our only lead and time is running out!” plot device. But they rejected that cop-out.
2) I thought that they’d get another dumb lead from those guys in Gitmo-on-the-Potomac. Instead, they turned out to be alienated, angry wannabes who got tidbits from some jihadist propaganda website. A little late now to atone for making those guys a font of “useful” info, but still.
The racial profiling storyline at CTU is somewhat clumsy in its execution, but I guess it’s penance. Or something. It was also disappointing to see Karen Hayes fold so quickly under blackmail.
Now, if we must read politics into this, I would observe two things:
1) The good part is that torture didn’t really work. Graham only pretended to break, then he led Jack into an ambush. Yeah, he gave some useful info (McCarthy’s name), but the most dangerous lies are the ones that are mostly true. And Graham told a very dangerous lie to stop the torture and lead his enemy into an ambush.
2) The bad part is that Abu Fayed was caught and then released a year earlier for lack of evidence. The implication, of course, being that insisting on evidence puts us in danger from terrorists. The response, of course, is that neglecting evidence results in inefficient resource allocation, so time is wasted on wannabes who have no meaningful terrorist ties. Like we saw at Gitmo-on-the-Potomac.
Anyway, I like it. I hope we get some frickin answers out of Graham next week.
Comment by Charles Hueter —
January 30, 2007 @ 1:35 am
It was also disappointing to see Karen Hayes fold so quickly under blackmail.
Indeed. My friend and I immediately assumed she, upon getting a moment of the President’s time, would spill her guts and expose the pressure applied to her. She folded quickly…but keep in mind the foundation has already been laid for another mini-revolt from within the feds now that she is on her way to work closer with CTU.
I’m still waiting for the scene where Jack - as intent as ever on doing whatever’s necessary to stop the bad guys - outright murders someone during his intensive interrogation procedures, realizing later that he was utterly and completely wrong in assuming the target knew something.
Comment by srv —
January 30, 2007 @ 2:13 am
Seems everywhere I turn reasonable people crave the authoritarian state. I watch this crap and all I can think of is Padilla, Star of David, Lockawanna, Lodi and a guy with a torch on the Brooklynn Bridge.
Will there ever come a time when The People realize the National Security State doesn’t exist to protect them?
Comment by Thoreau —
January 30, 2007 @ 8:22 am
srv-
I hope you don’t think I crave the authoritarian state just because I enjoy 24. I wouldn’t want to live in a world like 24, no more than I’d want to live in a world where Sauron sends forth orcs and ringwraiths. But stories about such worlds can nonetheless make for good entertainment.
Comment by Tom B. —
January 30, 2007 @ 12:46 pm
Also, it’s clear that the super-authoritarian national security state that some of the president’s aides want to establish is a bad idea — they’re shaping up to be the main villains this season, a bigger threat than Abu Fayed. “24″ is NOT on their side.
Comment by talboito —
January 30, 2007 @ 1:46 pm
I agree for the most part that 24 is not on their side, but the writers like to play these little, inane question games.
Like:
Maybe the Constitution is a suicide pact?
or
Maybe racial profiling will save us all and the profilees will be grateful?
etc…
Comment by B —
January 30, 2007 @ 6:42 pm
I think Karen is up to something. Or at least I hope that she is.
I think 24 is much more ideologically ambiguous than most people give it credit for being, and this season could go down some interesting roads. Or not. But it’s been enough so far to keep me watching.
BTW…did anyone else find Palmer II’s delivery on that speech to sound like he was mildly retarded? Was that on purpose?
Comment by matty —
January 30, 2007 @ 7:06 pm
according to the credits, the brother is “graem bauer” - forget what he knows, i want to add “jack’s family = crazy foreigners!” to “bauer & son kick ass” next week.
also, 24:
drama: A
dialogue: C+
politics: D