(S07E02) "What the hell happened to you?" - Jack
Two hours in and I've gotta say - this might be the best ensemble cast that 24 has had yet. Cherry Jones and Colm Feore are just great as the President and First Gentleman. Annie Wersching and Jeffrey Nordling are doing awesome filling the void that CTU has left, and on top of all that, Carlos Bernard is back. It's shaping up to be a pretty good season of 24.
Picking up right where we left off earlier tonight, Walker and her FBI cronies locked down the building ASAP once they figured out where Gabe's shooter was. I mention that because it brings to light one of the unavoidable issues that 24's real-time format can't shake - making easy tasks seem like they take forever. On any other show, the FBI would have swept that building in minutes and been done with it. But on 24, it takes almost the whole hour. It was a bit much, especially with Jack sitting in the back of that SUV doing squat. But it comes with the territory on this show, and the whole mess was sufficiently broken up by everything else that was going on.Two big things got revealed:
- Number one: Tony isn't working for himself. He's outsourcing his talents to someone we now know as David Emerson, another non-descript white male in the long and distinguished line of 24's shadowy baddies. This speaks to the question I posed in my earlier review tonight - what's Tony's endgame? Is he just working for this guy because he's truly bad now? Or does he have his own agenda regarding Michelle's death? Remains to be seen - but trust me, there's another huge layer to this. Thoughts? Predictions?
- Number two: Emerson is working with Col. Dubaku - or at least selling him Latham's technology. Dubaku's motives are simple - revenge for his brother's death (he was killed by Jack in Redemption). And just like that, all three major plots are now tied together. Tony, Sangala, and Roger's death all have a connection. That should hopefully make things simpler moving forward.
As for the mole - looks like Tony (or Emerson) does indeed have a guy buried in the FBI. However, it can't just be that one field agent who helped Tanner (the shooter) out of the building. He's way too low on the chain of command to be an effective mole. So who's above him? We may never find out with Tanner shot and Tony now captured. After Jack saw Tanner's work-boots, you knew exactly how it would play out. One important thing to note? When Jack had the opportunity to shoot Tony, he didn't. That never happens with Jack.
A few more thoughts...
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Does anyone think that Sangala's former PM Matobo will actually keep his promise to Taylor to try Juma in a court of law? I don't see the Sangalan people being OK with that. They'll want blood.
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It's going to be interesting to see how Kanin uses the info on Henry going to a private investigator regarding Roger.
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If Tony's job was just to deliver Latham's device, why did he need to go so far by almost crashing those two planes? Couldn't there have been an easier way to test the device before it got handed off to Dubaku? At least one with less exposure?
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Remember all that talk about not needing to see Redemption to know what's going on in the beginning of the season? Seems like a lot is tying in, and while I'm sure answers are forthcoming, those that have seen the prequel certainly have a clearer picture right now.
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In keeping with 24's history, the Sangala conflict (while similar to Darfur) is very quickly becoming a metaphor for US involvement in Iraq and the belief that many shared - we shouldn't have gotten involved. 24's writers and producers have never been shy about their feelings in the past...
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Raise your hand if you think Samantha played a role in Roger's death. Why else would she have been paid off?
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Moss seemed concerned when he found out that Renee was in the room when Gabe got shot. Think those two have a past? It seems pretty clear he doesn't trust her, or else he wouldn't have had Janis track her.
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Also, for those who thought Benton killed Dubaku with that mine in Redemption ... then you need to see the extended version on DVD. He survived the explosion. I'm surprised there was no explanation...
As hour two wound down, one thing struck me - I love how Jack has a "partner" in Renee. It's going to be great to see them interact, but more importantly to see how well Jack can mold her. So far, she seems pretty open to his methods - especially when it comes to butting heads with Moss. Wait'll you see what happens when those two get Tony in an interrogation room.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1-11-2009 @ 11:19PM
VP said...
Thank You for the explanation about Dubaku. When i saw him in the second hour i was like "You blew 2 feet from a landmine!!". That is a pretty low of the 24 producers to leave it out of Redemption just to stick it on a stupid DVD.
I sure thought those two planes are going to crash because the show usually has some kind of a shocker in the first couple of hours.
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1-12-2009 @ 3:46PM
Michael said...
Having two planes collide is VERY tricky even if you send them on intersecting runways (which by the way is the stupidest airport design ever) you still have to time it precisely
Simpler plan would be to tell the pilot that the ground is several feet lower than it actually it that war the plane collides with the ground because the pilot doesent know the ground is closer than it actually is thats what they did in Die Hard 2
1-13-2009 @ 10:40AM
Brent McKee said...
Michael, it may sound like a stupid design for an airport but if you look at overhead photos of most airports you'll see runways that cross each other.
1-11-2009 @ 11:27PM
Pinwiz said...
"In keeping with 24's history, the Sangala conflict (while similar to Darfur) is very quickly becoming a metaphor for US involvement in Iraq and the belief that many shared - we shouldn't have gotten involved. 24's writers and producers have never been shy about their feelings in the past..."
I thought it seemed like a post-Iraq mindset instead of a direct Iraq-metaphor. We know why the US would go into Sangala, and certainly the case is stronger than Iraq ever was.
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1-12-2009 @ 10:27AM
Charles said...
The vibe I was getting is that Renee and Moss are dating, not that he's suspicious of her. More worried for her.
That teaser they put in for tomorrow night's show was *AWFUL*!!! (yes, three exclamation marks worth of suck-ti-tude!) It gave away a huge plot twist in 30 seconds, totally ruined the suspense of the Tony situation.
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1-12-2009 @ 10:27AM
khamel said...
did anyone else notice that the 'head' guy at the fbi, when he called about the shootings at the forgers building said there were three dead bodies when there were only 2? i'm not sure if that was a writing mistake or if thats indicative of something but it was strange.
other than that, great start to the season.
if someone has to be a bad guy, i'm going with the too personal boss.
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1-12-2009 @ 11:22AM
huskypup said...
i believe "the head fbi guy" is working with tony, and the plan all along was to have jack go with the female agent so that basically jack would be a sitting duck, he probably went on assumption and thought jack got hit by the sniper, so i'm pretty much betting on agent moss being the mole, but it could have been a blooper by the writers, but i'm sure they are smart enough to pick up something that obvious
1-12-2009 @ 10:27AM
Eludium-Q36 said...
I can appreciate the technology angle they're playing, harkens back to how "cloning" a cellphone was problematic for a period of time. Now they're projecting that a few notches up in impact. But for those worried about this occurring in reality, not at all likely, since there's several levels of encrypted device identification and authentication that protect against this sort of thing happening. But, hey, it's plausible enough for a tv show. Looking forward to 10am and 11am tomorrow...
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1-12-2009 @ 10:27AM
shadowracer said...
Plus the entire "infrastructure" isn't controlled by one system. Suck it Eagle Eye.
BTW - Does anyone remember the shadow organization who was giving Logan orders? Where the hell do they tie in? I want more about them and Jacks father and his love child. Those were interesting plot points that don't look like they are going to be picked up this season.
I'm not familiar with Cherry Jones but I wish they would have gone with a stronger actress. I know Mary McDonell can't play every female president. But there had to be someone else that fits that tone.
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1-12-2009 @ 10:28AM
Brian said...
Not sure what you mean by this whole Iraq thing. "24" is notoriously conservative, so if there were to be a political bias here, it would definitely be pro-Iraq war.
And, whether they're going for the parallel you mentioned or not, I don't see how you would argue that the bias is AGAINST getting involved in this Sangala issue. Clearly, they're portraying it as not just the right thing to do from a moral perspective, but the right thing to do from a safety perspective, since that country is interested in attacking America.
Great episode and good review, but if you're going to analyze the political bias, do it correctly.
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1-12-2009 @ 10:28AM
Ryan said...
I really hope they get off the completely unrealistic Die Hard 4 story line. I know that all these systems are not tied together and I am pretty sure they are completely offline so this can not happen.
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1-12-2009 @ 10:28AM
fvineis said...
I loved how Jack used the sniper as a human shield while the fbi agent covered him from behind. I missed Jack
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1-12-2009 @ 10:29AM
Mike said...
First of all - Walker? Red hair, blue eyes, and freckles? And she can kick ASS? New vote for hottest tough chick on TV, thank you very much.
Now, on to business. The first thing that jumped into my head is when the bad guys sold the gadget to Dubaku is that there are about to be a number of very expensive pieces of hardware on their way to Africa at the President's order, and that the little gizmo could cause a whole lot of trouble when used on say, aircraft carriers and nuclear armed submarines. And when Dubaku said that America would pay for interfering with their affairs, that pretty much confirmed it for me. And that might not even be the main plot, since the action takes place in Washington.
Hmm, maybe they'll try using the little gizmo to send launch codes to the subs, trying to get them to fire on Washington or New York? Any guesses?
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1-12-2009 @ 11:46AM
Aditya said...
What the hell happen to you jack ?? http://tinypix.in
"Hmm, maybe they'll try using the little gizmo to send launch codes to the subs, trying to get them to fire on Washington or New York? Any guesses?"
go on dude i am waiting
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1-12-2009 @ 12:14PM
Mike said...
Hell, I don't know. What else would you use a 'gizmo' like that for over in Africa, when it was just used to almost crash two jumbo jets? Especially when the President is about to send all that hardware to Africa?
1-12-2009 @ 1:32PM
D-Bo said...
Damn I'm glad Jack's back. I too think that there's a past/present romantic connection between Agent Hottie McKickass and her boss Mr. Possiblyabadguy. The prez's sons gf is definitely hiding something. Jack vs Tony tonight, I can't wait!
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1-12-2009 @ 1:50PM
const said...
the only parallel with Iraq is the statement that we make sure we get the post-occupation part right.
Sangala poses zero threat in the 24 world as far as the administration is currently aware of. It's no threat. The prez mentions that we have a morale imperative to intervene.
I'm sure the bleeding hearts out there will all support that.
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1-12-2009 @ 1:54PM
Sy said...
The best thing about 24 is it's neither conservative or liberal. Generally, the show lay it on the table and let the viewers decide. For a catalyst, the show uses Jack Bauer. In order for the show bring the issues to the forefront, Jack Bauer has to push the envelope. Jack Bauer wouldn't be much of a catalyst if he does everything by the book, following Geneva Convention and all.
In regards to foreign intervention, it is always a tough for a nation to get involve or not. Do we stand by and watch a genocide when we can do something about it? How much is too much? Hundreds of thousands, millions? This is not a liberal or conservative issue.
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1-12-2009 @ 3:19PM
RT said...
Best ensemble cast? This might be the weakest (with the exception of the young lady playing Renee Walker.) Nobody scares me, nobody creeps me out. Whoever cast the new president was asleep at the switch. I actually picked up a magazine in the second hour.
As long as Brannon Braga is involved in this show, it will never be what it once was.
We need Chloe!
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1-12-2009 @ 3:37PM
Michael said...
Raise your hand if you think Samantha played a role in Roger's
Or maybe Roger isn't dead and he is the source of the money
or
Roger is dead as we all think but is still the source of the money
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