New Running 24 Thread (01/29)

Yeah ... when will Jack find out about Graem and Logan?

This wasn't a bad episode, per se; it's just one of those that exists only to develop the convoluted backstory. Somebody watching 24 for the first time tonight would probably emulate Peggy Lee's immortal question, "Is that all there is?" Honestly, I saw Graem subverting the security team early on; he's not the wimp he played at for most of tonight.

But when's the next "Holy fucking shit!" moment coming? We already had one (Jack shooting Curtis Manning in the throat) ... I figure we're about due for one that's more connected to the A plotline in the next two weeks.

 

I like how they don't even pretend like Jack and his dad are screwed, basically showing their escape in the preview for next week's show.

"Handcuffed and shackled now at the end of this week's episode? Well, of COURSE Jack's going to be free before the first commercial break next Monday."

 

What, 18 more episodes to go? They know that we know that big Jack is gonna blast his way out of that particular pickle, pronto.

Why? Because THEY'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!!!

Copy that.

My husband and I say the above two sentences at least 20 times when we're watching an episode. We'd turn it into a drinking game, if we weren't too freaking old to drink during the week.

 

What amused me is next week's preview showed, in order:

--Jack and dad being prepped for a gangland execution into an empty ditch
--Jack escaping
--Jack getting ready to kill his brother

What an hour!!!

And Ballscribe, my wife and I do the same thing, except we say it just about every day. "Honey is dinner ready?" "No." "WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME TO EAT!!!" Etc.

 

Next week is two hours.
Never mind, the Feb. 12 episode is two hours.
And honest to God, this episode was so boring, I actually skipped ahead while the show was going. Whalid gets a beatdown, big whoop.

 

someone mentioned on a different thread that maybe the show did too much early, and I'm starting to wonder if maybe that's the case. I'm sure there's plenty of good stuff left, but where do you go after those first four hours?

 

And I got a dollar that says Chloe's boyfriend is the guy the terrorist person finds to do the nuclear triggers and he gets sent out on a sting, then gets a cap in his ass for his troubles.

 

Have you never watched 24 before? It's that way every season.

Every year, you think to yourself, What the hell could they possibly do from here? And every year, they do something great.

At least two more "good guys" are gonna bite it. It's about time for Buchanon to catch a bullet from somebody. Hell, he's the director of CTU -- those guys never last more than a couple of seasons. You will probably be able to see it coming if you watch for it -- they'll be shorthanded for some reason or another and he'll take off into the field for some relatively safe assignment, and then, BAM, gonzo.

And I figure Fayed has about four, maybe five, episodes left in him. He's just the frontline bad guy. There's a whole other layer of bad guys behind him that Jack will have to go kill ... or torture ... or both.

 

Don't most of the bad guys last most of the season?

Season 1: Drazen & Co.: whacked in the finale (I believe)
Season 2: all the bad guys are whacked or caught at the LA Coliseum
Season 3: Mexican mafia dude bit it fairly early (that season sucked), but wasn't the head bad guy the one shot at CTU by the agent's widow in the finale?
Season 4: Marwan slices his own wrist and falls off the building
Season 5: Robocop takes it in the finale

Though it's obvious Fayed is no longer the head bad guy, I think he'll last most of the season...if only because ER Doc Helicopter Dude is going to bite it very soon.

 

What I'm saying is, the head bad guy -- the one they kill in the finale -- never ends up being the guy they're chasing for the first seven or eight episodes. Like last year, there was that terrorist dude they were after at the airport and Walt Cummings. But there was this whole other layer behind those two.

You're right in that the big-time terrorist usually lasts until near the end, but we usually don't see the big guy until about episode seven or eight. And after that point, we learn about all the people at CTU and in the federal government who are helping this bad guy.

 

I just want to say that Tom is a bitch. Fuck that guy.

 

There seems to be a BIG change around hour 11-13 in each season, as others have mentioned. They spend 11 hours chasing the worst bad guy in series history, catch him and just before they put an end to him they find out about HIS boss, and even bigger bad ass (or other random McGuffin) and off goes the second half.

Example last year, chasing the bad guy in the first half and trying to get/protect the evidence implicating Logan. In Day 3 the mafia guy ate it in the middle ... you really have to think of the 24 hours as more of two 12 hour stories (roughly).

And ditto on English Bob being the guy he found with the ability to fix the bomb, maybe even under the threat of hurting Chloe (which would justify his being back and her having a story at all this season).