Stuff happened, y’know? Chloe  saved CTU, Renee saved Jack and heck, Jack got yet another chance at a Suicide Mission and then managed to cheat death by the skin of the teeth (or by the Bullet of Renee). Though I doubt that anyone watching truly believed that Jack would be offed by terrorists, I suppose it was nice to be reminded again of Jack’s willingness to Die For Something. Some might call it The Death Wish: one of Bauer’s character traits that have been following him since Day Two.

Ironically, it was in Day Two (episode 15, wasn’t it?), when George Mason took over the Cessna and Jack parachuted out of the Death Plane, that some of us stopped believing that Jack would ever die on screen, except, maybe, possibly when the clock tick-tocked for the very last time. And that, despite Kiefer Sutherland’s constant statements about how no one was safe on 24, that even Jack could die. But seriously: the moment the writers made Jack such a central figure that 24 couldn’t go on without him was the moment they decided they could never really kill him. And the fact that Bauer couldn’t die was part of the reason that tension and suspense have declined for me over the years. It’s not because I’m a blood-thirsty Bauer-hater or something equally annoying. No, it’s because the show’s suspense hinges on keeping you guessing, on putting people in peril and getting them out – or not. And the suspense lies in you actually believing that they might not get out.

With Bauer, it’s become increasingly clear that he’ll live to see the end of the show with all limbs and organs intact and his heart beating. So, at least for me, it’s come to the point where a Jack In Danger storyline just couldn’t get me to the edge of my seat anymore. What’s the point? I know that Jack will live. It’s everyone else around him that dies.

And so, as Jack offered Cole to draw fire so that Cole could get a chance to make his way to the landline and call CTU, I appreciated the gesture, but wasn’t really worried. Cole, on the other hand, might have bitten the bullet. Because, remember, this was episode 13 after all. The episode number that has cost us Tony Almeida (season 5), Bill Buchanan (season 7) and rung in Paul Raines’ death (Season 4) on the good guys’ side, and killed one of the show’s best villains, Ira Gaines (Season 1), got rid of  that annoying chap, Alan Milliken (season 3) and at least for now, done away with Charles Logan (Season 6). I’m saying “at least for now” because we have not really seen Logan die, the last I remember is him being rushed off to an ER, and so, technically, he could still be alive (not that I wouldn’t love to see him rot in hell!) Yeah, one could assume that he’s dead, but hey, stranger things have happened. For example, Christopher Henderson purposely missing Tony Almeida’s artery in the heat of the struggle . And if 24 has taught us anything, it’s not to assume anything. Right?

Anyhow, back to the ep. In many ways, it was a classic 24 episode.

We remember: In the 12th hour, the terrorists took out CTU with an ingenious, non-lethal, all-electronic-equipment-frying electromagnetic device called the EMP. (Allow me to mention that we saw the first use of the ElectroMagnetic Pulse Bomb in the 12th episode of Season 4. Coincidence?) Jack, having been-there-done-that, instantly understands what’s going on, and evokes a classic 24 element: the takeover of CTU by another agency. Since poor Ryan Chappelle is dead (and that bahstid Brad Hammond probably still in L.A.), CTU New York is subjected to a hostile takeover by the NSA.

As usual, the Other Agency boys come in with the often-seen attitude of “We’re here to clean up your mess, so get out of the way, shut up and let us work.” Are we to be surprised that everyone’s favorite techie, Chloe O’Brien, has a quicker way of restoring CTU? In ten minutes? Of course not. But the NSA won’t listen. Why would they? They don’t have agents in the field and the nuclear rods on their way into Downtown New York really aren’t all that pressing a matter.

However, Renee, on her way to find and save Jack from the real hostiles, disagrees. “Do what you have to do,” she tells Chloe and boom: Chloe’s got a gun! Although she “doesn’t even like guns”, she ushers the NSA dudes out at gunpoint, and starts to work her magic in the server room. More classic 24 follows as the CTU director finally puts his trust in the Magic Techie and Chloe restores CTU all by herself.

Another gal has got a gun, too: Renee. And lucky for Jack that she does. Cause if it hadn’t been for her, that evil sniper dude would have put a slug right into the defenceless Jack’s forehead. Saved by the gun. Thanks, Renee. Aww, that romance that’s building up between those two! The fear as she runs to Jack’s body on the ground, the relief as wakes up, as she sees that the armored vest had held, the gentle image of her cradling him while he struggles to breathe… (*sighs as memories return from ep 5×13… Tony… Jack… Brothers*). And let’s not forget that Jack had promised to be there for Renee “when this is all over.” That’s love, people! Jack has found a soul mate. We’ve known that since Season 7, haven’t we?

But how long will it last? Relationships with Bauer tend to be deadly to those who dare enter. “Everything you touch, one way or another, ends up dead.” Has Jack forgot James Heller’s words? Watch your back, Renee.

Finally, another classic 24 element: WE HAVE A MOLE! I don’t think I want to count how many there have been over the years, but Jennie a.k.a. Dana being in bed with the terrorists is one of the least surprising twists. The writers have basically done the same thing with her as with Sean Hillinger last year. From the start, Sean and Dana both had something to hide, and tried to make us believe it was just something personal, when in fact they were The Inside (Wo)Man, working with the bad guys. But at least now her story can finally become interesting. We’ll see!

In fact, the season just might get better as a whole from now on. It took forever to get to a place where I actually wanted to watch the episode again right after first seeing it – this 13th episode was the first that had that effect. But from interviews I’ve read in the past 48 hours, since the announcement of 24’s cancellation, it seems like Kiefer and Howard Gordon are actually proud of the second half of the season. One of them actually said that the remaining eps are up there with the best the show has ever done.

So we’ll see. At least now I’m interested again.

If HoGo proves right, and if, once those final seconds tick away, I do end up on the edge of my seat, wanting more, it will be what I’ve always wanted for the show. To go out with a bang.

Hello, my name is J_A and I’m an addict. A 24 addict.

Or well, I used to be.

I have been addicted to 24 from the first second of season 1; actually, even before that. I saw a commercial for it and instantly knew that this was my show. Then, when the pilot actually aired, bang, I was hooked. Addicted. Going down a one-way street into a very cool habit.

I was indeed one of those fans who’d live, breathe and bleed 24, whose ­weeks would run from 24 to 24 instead of Monday to Sunday, who’d turn off their phones whenever watching the show, bore people to death with talking about how great the show was, I’d spend my spare time re-watching 24 episodes, eventually knowing all dialogue by heart; I missed 24 during the hiatus so much that I started my own chain of 24-like events by writing fanfictions, I would have applied for a job at CTU if it hadn’t been a fictional agency, and I most definitely would have elected David Palmer into the Office…

What was so addictive about it, apart from its complexity and the breakneck speed with which it raced through the season? When 24 first hit the screens in 2001, it was simply the most innovative, gripping and thrilling series to ever air on TV. The format was unique, the writing superb, the casting perfect, the acting motivated, the characters had depth and the storyline was one big arc, revealing itself little by little.

It revolved not solely around Jack but involved the cast as a group, making them all interesting to watch. I still appreciate Jack Bauer’s resolve and committment to always do the right thing at all costs. But somewhere in the course of season two my religion became Almeidaism, a concept developed and introduced to the collective consciousness of Almeidaists by the team behind aig.com, a concept that Carlos Bernard liked to remind his on-screen wife (Reiko Aylesworth) of by whispering to her, in the dull between-takes moments, “Almeida is God.”

Since then, I must have gone through rehab. The addiction is gone. I watched season six while ironing, and for entertainment purposes only. It never really pulled me in. Despite the first four episodes which had some of the best acting on Kiefer’s part to date, the season as a whole was just a relatively good series that used to be great, didn’t quite succeed in achieving its past glory, yet still managed to tell an entertaining story. What’s changed?

During the past couple of seasons, depth has progressively been sacrificed for the sake of bigger explosions, more action, more gore and less character development. In this new, 24-part Hollywood action movie everything revolves around Jack, while everyone else is secondary. What’s more, old storylines have been rehashed so many times they’re predictable, the casting (especially on the wrong side of the law) has been less than satisfactory (with some notable exceptions), and the writers have executed so many good characters that it hurts. I know that characters do have a shelf-life, but I demand that their deaths have a purpose. If they just die for the sake of killing them, or worse yet, are brought back to the show just to be terminated a few episodes later, then I can’t and won’t approve of it.

And now, season seven is upon us, along with the breaking news: Tony Almeida is alive, he’s back – and… he’s evil! The first question is, why?

Has Howard Gordon finally understood what a gross mistake it was to kill Tony off in the first place, and is Tony’s imminent return a desperate cry for the fans to return to the show, too? Probably.

Ignoring for a moment all the strongly negative feelings that all of us Tony fans had lived through following episode 513, setting aside all the doubts concerning Tony’s truly being evil, and disregarding the slim odds of him surviving the season if he indeed is working against Jack, I am asking: Is Tony Almeida’s resurrection enough to pull us back in?

For some of us, yes. If you’re one of those lucky ones (or if Jack is enough for you), you may stop reading now and happily wait for season seven to start airing. If you need more than that to make a decision, read on.

Is bringing a character back from the dead stretching it a bit too far for a show that claims to have a grip on reality? Maybe. But if the explanation is solid, I’m willing to to turn a blind eye. The first seventeen minutes of season seven offer an initial theory. If true, the theory could mean that a higher power was behind Tony’s alleged death, and that his objectives aren’t actually evil. It would have been easy for someone working for the Government to fake his death, bury someone else’s body in his grave, fake all the necessary documents and make him disappear from the radar. Haven’t CTU Agents Almeida, Dessler and O’Brien done just that for Jack Bauer after season four? Granted, a “Tony is undercover working for the government” storyline would be the simplest top-of-the-head explanation, and thus probably the least likely to be true. I would accept it nonetheless, because from where I stand, Tony’s being on the right side of Jack would probably increase his chances of survival.

Many theories are conceivable concerning the How but this isn’t the place for them. As for the Why, that remains to be seen. When Jack is first shown proof of Tony’s being alive it is via a black and blue photograph on an LCD computer screen. Now that’s the one thing I would have set up differently. This setup reminded me way too much of Stephen Saunders, and I will not have Tony reduced to a Saunders type of terrorist (although Saunders was certainly one of the best villains ever on 24). However, there is nothing to criticize about Jack’s reaction to the photograph. The internal conflict and his refusal to believe in Tony’s having switched sides were mandatory;  anything else would have been wrong. After years of not seeing him, Jack still believes that his friend Tony would never hurt innocents.

So do I.

This is where Tony differs from Saunders. Almeida is too much of an alturist to sacrifice people as collateral damage to attain whatever objective he has. I believe that this is corroborated by the opening scene of the season. When Tony’s crew kidnaps a certain Michael Latham, an engineer whose help they need, they could just as well co-nap his daughter and later use her as a means to force him into co-operation, but they don’t; they leave the daughter behind. Maybe I am just a desperate Almeidaist, but to me, this is another sign towards Tony’s not truly being evil.

The truth is, Tony has always had a dark side to him which Carlos Bernard has always enjoyed playing, and is now allowed to fully immerse himself in. And he does. He plays Tony with the same perfection and godliness that had been with his character throughout the 4.5 years before he was granted a day off in season 6. The slumped shoulders, the soul patch, the sweet, low voice and the menacing whisper are all back, but now they’re part of a Class A Total Badass attitude, played coolly and without showing any traces of emotion. Tony’s scary! And he’s hot!

Be Tony good or bad, I am putting my faith in him. I think the one thing that I expect from the season is for him to save the day – not so much in the sense of season 4 when Tony’s entrance truly saved what was threatening to become a downward spiral of boredom – but because I have always felt that it was the chemistry between Kiefer and Carlos and the undying brotherhood of their characters that had carried the show over so many years, and across all obstacles in its way. The brotherhood’s absence in season 6 was what I felt was at the core of the season’s problems; no-one, no character other than Tony could possibly have such a bond with Jack as Tony does, no other character represents the human component, the soul of 24 like Tony does.

But let’s move away from Tony a little.

It wouldn’t be fair not to discuss the FBI. When I first heard that the CTU would be dismantled in a process of “revamping the show”, I was intrigued. How would Jack and co. fight (global?) terrorism without the gadgets and technology only available to the Government? After setting off a nuke in a residential area, 24 surely couldn’t start chasing little old ladies who set off metal detectors with their knitting needles. The writers’ solution was surprisingly simple: one just uses another agency with federal jurisdiction and makes Jack co-operate with them.

What worked for the CTU in the past will work for the FBI in the present. Familiar elements make up the new allied office. There is the character who brings Jack in because she believes that he can be of use (Agent Renée Walker), and the Bureaucrat in Charge who has his doubts (Agent Larry Morris). There is the sarcastic female character (Janice) who just might have a crush on her boss, and her male counterpart (Sean), who also seems to be deliberately set up as the prospective mole inside the FBI (note that the camera is on him in the trailers when the voice-over says “The FBI has been compromised, there’s a leak.” This immediately evoked season one and the camera on Nina Myers with the voice-over “And the people that I work with may be involved in both.” Of course, red herrings are common on 24. But I still thought this was worth noting.) There are differences, too, especially in the mood. As opposed to the dark and cold CTU bullpen, the FBI offices are brightly lit. But all in all, the two agencies are quite similar, only with different job titles. So what’s the revamp?

As so often, the Devil’s in the detail. In the little things. The camera work. The acting. And the dialogues. The writing shows signs of improvement. It seems to have regained quality and at the same time, lost the melodramatic soap-opera type touch (although it might be too early to tell after only seventeen minutes). There are several cracking one-liners and some very strong moments. So far, there were no explosions, and the only shots were fired at the very beginning. The explosions will come, of course, but so far, tension is built through dialogue. And that is what makes me hope. Maybe 24 is going back to the roots after all.

Two scenes stand out in particular: Jack’s testimony at the Senate hearing, and his reaction to Tony Almeida’s resurrection. During “24: Redemption”, I had the feeling that Kiefer Sutherland had somehow lost touch with Jack Bauer; he seemed a little beyond himself, a little unmotivated. In retrospect, maybe that was deliberate. Because before the Senate, Jack’s back, and Kiefer plays him flawlessly. Bauer is a man who’s been everywhere, who’s seen it all, and who will take no B/S from anyone, not even a smug US Senator. Unlike in the trailers, though, Jack is in control of his emotions. He speaks with calm, which gives his words even more impact. Right then and there, he owns the room. His speech about what it takes to be a successful combat soldier will enter 24’s history books as one of the most memorable moments of the series.

Despite all these improvements, out of self-preservation, I am trying not to expect too much from the upcoming season, even though – for the first time in a long time – seeing new 24 material and new Tony on the screen made me smile and cautiously relit the flame called excitement. I’m afraid of getting over-excited and then disappointed, I am scared of the writers’ ongoing blood lust and what it might lead to. I’m still inclined to believe that the show is past its best days, and that it probably should have stopped a couple of seasons ago. But I’ll watch it. If not only for the Tony factor, then simply because it will still be better than most things that the TV feeds us these days. Obviously, seventeen minutes aren’t enough to judge an entire season. But what I’ve seen seems promising. If “revamping the show” does prove to be a back to the roots voyage in terms of character depth and writing of a sustainable quality it will be worth it. When it returns to the screen after a much too long absence, I want my show to rise like the Phoenix from the ashes that were season 6. So as an ex-24 addict who doesn’t quite want to stay “clean”, I am willing to give my drug another chance to refuel the addiction.

I really need it to.

J_A is 31, a fan and active member of 24 forums since 2002, a co-admin of our very own 24fans.com forum and an avid writer of 24-related fanfiction. Her stories can be found at http://www.fanfiction.net/u/863385/JackAddict.

Hell Yeah!, It’s The One I’ve Been Waiting For ! : 31%
Yeah, Looks Good : 29%
“Shrug” : 21%
Looks Like A Waste Of Money : 19%

The new polls asks how excited you are at the idea of the S7 Prequel TV Movie.

If any of this changes or if I can get better confirmation i’ll be sure to let you know

There’s a wealth of Fox PR on the boxset at the link below.

more : tvshowsondvd.com

Barack Obama : 32%

David Palmer : 30%

Hilary Clinton : 13%

John McCain : 11%

Mike Huckabee : 8%

Mitt Romney : 4%

Ron Paul : 2%

The new poll asks how excited about the S1 Special Edition DVD you are.

At the moment the only release date known is for the region one edition on May 20th. But i’m fairly certain a region two release can’t be that far behind.

Extras include (items in bold are extras not found on original release) :-

• Season One Introduction by Kiefer Sutherland
• All-new documentary The Genesis of 24
• Five extended episodes (7:00PM – 8:00PM; 10:00PM – 11:00PM; 8:00PM – 9:00PM; 11:00PM – 12:00AM; 9:00PM – 10:00PM)
• 25 extended / deleted scenes
• Never-before-seen alternate season finale ending #2
• Commentary on the series premiere episode (12:00AM-1:00AM) by director Stephen Hopkins and Director of Photography Peter Levy
• Commentary on the series finale episode (11:00PM-12:00AM) by director Stephen Hopkins and actress Leslie Hope
• The Rookie online short films (sponsored by Degree)
  • “Coffee Run”
  • “Get This To…”
• Alternate season finale ending (with optional commentary by executive producer Joel Surnow)

For me the most interesting extras will be the commentaries on both the pilot and the series finale, it will be incredibly interesting to hear Stephen Hopkins, one of the key architects of the show’s unique style talk about these two key episodes. As well as to hear Leslie Hope talk about the series finale.

The boxset will retail for around $60 in the U.S.

source : dvdtimes.co.uk

more : tvshowsondvd.com

45% – Neither, Just Want It Sorted Out Soon
32% – Support The WGA
19% – Angry At Both Sides
5% – Support The Studios & The Networks

The new poll asks, Which Forgotten Favourite Would You Most Like To See Return To The Show? You’ve got 12 options which i’ll run through quickly.

Richard Walsh (Series 1) – Jack’s closest friend at the agency and mentor. Last Seen: Being shot by a unknown sniper.

Mandy – (Series 1, 2 & 4) – Hired gun with a multitude of skills. Last Seen: Being pardoned for her crimes in exchange for giving up Marwan.

Alberta Green – (Series 1) – Career minded CTU employee who was brought in to replace Jack when it was believe he’d “gone rogue”. Last Seen: Being overruled by Ryan Chappelle regarding Jack’s reinstatement.

Robert Ellis – (Series 1) – Behind the scenes go-to guy who helped set up Operation Nightfall. Last Seen: Being strangled in a men’s room of a bar in New Orlean’s whilst on the phone to Jack.

Paula Schaeffer – (Series 2) – CTU Tech Analyst, was being socially ackward before anyone had ever heard of Chloe O’Brian. Last Seen: Going into cardiac arrest on a gurney after the bombing of CTU.

Bob Warner – (Series 2) – Business Man whose family being inexplicably tie up in a terrorist plot on his daughter’s wedding day. Last Seen: Visiting his daughter Marie in prison trying to understand her actions.

Yusuf Auda – (Series 2) – Middle east intelligence agent who helped Jack and Kate secure “the chip”. Last Seen: Huddled in a phonebooth after being shot several times.

Jonathan Wallace – (Series 2) – Soldier turned hired gun, killed his entire military squad before blackmailing Jack when his employers double crossed him. Last Seen: Bleeding out in an urgent care centre.

Walt Cummings – (Series 4 & 5) – Charles Logan’s Chief Of Staff, responsible for ordering a hit on Jack at the end of series 4, and then a key conspirator in series 5. Last Seen: Hanging from his neck-tie in a presumed suicide that was later revealed to have been staged.

Diane Huxley – (Series 5) – Jack’s “land lady” at the start of Series 5, got dragged into things when her son followed Jack and eventually was taken hostage in the airport siege. Last Seen: Leaving CTU with her son.

Theo Stoller – (Series 5) – Deep cover German intelligence agent, who got in the way between Jack and a suspect. Last Seen: Being double crossed by Jack after giving up the suspect.

Shari Rothenberg – (Series 5) – CTU low level analyst given a provisional promotion to help out after the gas attack on CTU left them severally undermanned. Also more than a little odd, so much so she freaked Chloe out at times. Last Seen: Telling her superiors she let a locked up Chloe escape.

Poll will run for two weeks, good luck choosing.

The new poll is a little more fun, and hopefully the results will not be so straight forward. It asks which is your favourite “worst” storyline, with there being an option from each season, so Day 1 pitches in with “Teri and The Amnesia”, Day 2 with “Kim and The Cougar” and so on.

I don’t want to do harm to the writers views, so I won’t try and summarise the article, expect to say it’s on the subject of torture on the show, and that I disagree with his view on the matter.

link : new.ifmagazine.com

I know many are sick to death of torture, so I really hope that this can be a final word on the subject, but I have a feeling this may be a debate which will run as long as the show is on the air.

My opinion of torture on the show is simple, especcially the sixth series, is that it’s just a really cheap lazy way to fill air time and try and build tension that the show has done so often now that it’s actually getting stupid, even silly. I quite frankly fail to see the entertainment value, and I can’t imagine it was ever in the creators original plans for the show (“yeah, and we’ll have these heavy torture scenes every 3 or 4 episodes”). The closest thing to torture in Day One is a threat of a painful death for a suspect Jack had kidnapped in a limo, and if you look at that scene carefully, analyse why it works, why its tense, it’s because we don’t know if the suspect Jack has kidnapped has anything to do with the ongoing threat and there is the very real possibility that the emotional stress of the day so far has started to take it’s toll on Jack and his judgment – leaving us thinking is Jack about to fall off the edge and kill an innocent man?. It’s a scene which is played out the way it is for the development of character as well as story.

I’m not neccesarily against all torture on the show, but when it’s nothing more than a way to play for time then I as a viewer feel as if the writers are insulting me, and I feel like sending them home to rewatch series one to take notes about how to build tension properly.

I have personally defended the show against a lot of critism from all sides, but for me the show has crossed the line with the amount of torture in the lastest series, and if the levels had continued to increased I would have stopped watching – or atleast waiting for the DVD releases so I could fast forward the torture.

Feel free to share your views on the subject in the comments, but please keep them measured – any nasty or abusive comments will not make it on to the site.

To the delight of millions of viewers, federal agent Jack Bauer … may be having the longest day of his life, [and] far from losing its momentum, the suspenseful anti-terrorism series returned to the water coolers and online discussion boards with the explosion of a nuclear device in California [and] the death of a familiar face…

Insightful overview of series six and the show as a whole.

source : media.ndsmcobserver.com – spoilers for non-US viewers