Season 5; Hour Fourteen (8:00pm - 9:00pm)
Air Date: 20 Mar 06
Reviewer: D
Generally, I don’t like it when 24’s plot seems to be driven by when an actor is contracted to appear. Also, my eyes start to glaze over when the highest amount of anxiety generated during an episode has to do with bureaucratic wrangling within CTU. And I tend to find it annoying when a simple misdirection is the best thing hyper-smart Chloe can come up with when faced with a technical roadblock.
And most of all, it’s a darn shame that one of the truly vital and interesting characters on 24 is wrapped up and rolled out without so much as a second thought.
So, given all of these negatives, why was this past episode still above average in my book, and not the outright stinker it could have been. Two reasons: a slice of true mystery (what’s up with Wayne Palmer?) and a gasp-inducing surprise (Audrey?). I spent 45 minutes watching this episode getting more and more aggravated, but, in a dramatic turn-around, I was smiling again by the time I turned the TV off. And that smile had nothing to do with surfing hottie-with-a-heart-of-gold Stana Kanic’s website. (Warning: this mother takes forever to load…)
In seasons past this would have been one of those transition episodes where the folks at CTU sweep up dead bodies, mop up explosion debris, miraculously reconstruct vital clues from discarded chewing gum, install a new mole or two around the office, and generate some new plot twists. But instead, even though CTU was apparently littered with dead folks last hour, everything is spic and span as the new Homeland Security wonks arrive on site at the beginning of this hour. [Yeah, and, um, is there any residue from the noxious, seal-eating gas that was breaking down bio-seals an hour ago? --J] The only body we see is Tony’s as it is rather unceremoniously covered up and carted out. I don’t know what I expected – a twenty-one gun salute or something – but I think Tony deserved better. Even Lynn McGill got to be heroic before he drooled out his last breath; Tony (once known affectionately as Soul Patch) helped make the show great, particularly last season. I hope he and Michelle are happily making out in that CTU death clinic in the sky.
Meanwhile, Peter Weller will not be cashing a check this week as apparently RoboChris Henderson has left the building without much of a trace. What’s with that? Henderson was the biggest/only lead Jack had a couple of hours ago and, his unwillingness to crack notwithstanding, he obviously knows something. (I'm surprised Jack hasn't resorted to the old 'scream-a-question-over-and-over-again' method that has worked so well for him in seasons past…) But apparently it is important for Henderson to have a one-hour headstart in his getaway before he’ll become a concern again. Is Weller just costing too much per episode or what? Do the producers have to make the call: do we pay Weller for Hour 14 or pay for a groovy car crash with Wayne Palmer? Sorry, Pete, cool your jets for a few days… [Honestly, how much could Peter Weller cost? -- J]
Luckily, in the familiar CTU tradition, there is a miraculous computer breakthrough to fill the space as Chloe is finally able to get something off of Henderson’s computer that points conveniently to our hot and sexually vigorous information broker, Collette. I have to say, that German intelligence dude Theo has got to be the luckiest agent in Interpol history. When I think of undercover international brokers, I think old, fat guys like George Clooney’s character in 'Syriana,' not chicks with custom crotch-enhancing gun holsters. I’m thinking Theo wouldn’t have been nearly as insistent on bedding his mark if it was Clooney.
At Camp David (maybe soon Wayne?) Palmer, Logan has made one of those things he avoids like the plague – a decision – and the troops start to roll through the streets of L.A.. I loved how literally 5 minutes after making this momentous announcement to the press, after repeatedly and strenuously asserting to his wife that he’s made up his alleged mind, Logan is already tossing attitude at Gardner because of the mixed press reaction. Did he expect the press to laud his strong and well-considered leadership? Of course, in the real world, the biggest outcry probably would have come because he made the announcement at 8pm, probably pre-empting 'American Idol' and thereby throwing millions of teenagers across the country into AI withdrawal, while at the same time they wonder, 'Who's this Marshall dude and why does he have his own law?'
And maybe I was just on the rag, but I didn't understand why the hell Wayne Palmer was calling Pierce? Don't get me wrong, I love the guy. But he's a Secret Service agent with little real authority in terms of the functions of the US government. Surely, there has got to be someone else Wayne could call. And at the same time, doesn't Pierce have a real job involving protecting our national leaders? Does he really have time to play secret agent man?
So now let's spend a very little bit of time talking about the Homeland Security / CTU spat. OK, is that enough?
Fine. So this Papazan-chair guy is an asshole. We're clear on that, right? He could almost make Chloe seem warm and fuzzy in comparison. [And could he have been any creepier in his staring at Chloe? I thought he wanted to eat her. --J] This Karen chick seems tough and all, but don't all the newbies that wander into CTU seem tough at first (even Lynn) before Jack mashes them up into refried wonk-meat?
And the real question here is, does it make any sense at all for one agency to completely take over the operations of another in the midst of a national crisis? And be complete jerks about it while they're at it? Any effectiveness they could have reasonably hoped for -- from the people whose jobs it is to counteract terrorists (remember, the CT part of CTU?) -- would be pretty well shattered after Papazan-chair snatched all of their keycards. [And a HUGE missed opportunity there -- when he demanded Chloe's keycard and she flatly said "no," why not have her follow up with a bitch-rant about how being casual with keycard locations is how they got into this current position of not having to worry about layoffs for a while? --J]
For the next 15 minutes, things kind of poke along. Call me jaded but the Stoller - Jack - Curtis standoff was pretty ho-hum, particularly since Stoller's jump from the roof on to Curtis was played and replayed in the promos. We have the makings of a relatively interesting complication of European and American anti-terrorist work being at cross-purposes but Jack cleverly circumvents this, stating in the most unemotional tone imaginable for Jack: "This is personal." It may be personal but Jack has yet to go very far off the rails as far as playing by the CTU book goes. Sure, he gives the Germans the WET list (which might be more interesting if it actually existed. Why did they decide to call it the WET list -- to reflect that people would be spitting on it all the time, or something?). Clearly this is a heck of a bad thing, darnit. But where's the raging loonie who wants to avenge the death of Michelle and Tony? Where's the sorrow-addled nutjob that turns so anti-Russian he'll shoot anyone he finds eating caviar and drinking vodka? If we saw a little of that in Jack, I'd be more convinced this was personal…
In order to get Jack this all important terrorist list, Chloe has a most brilliant idea involving spilling coffee. Clearly this Papazan-chair guy has never matched wits with the likes of a supergenius like Chloe. Or a 4 year old.
Our babe Collette gets together with Bierko in the midst of this, where she is leeringly searched after slinking out of her sweet red Lexus. Perfect car for someone who generally wants to remain under the radar. [Hee! --J] Bierko transfers her scads of money she'll undoubtedly never see and she decrypts some schematic of a mysterious gas distribution facility. And I don't think we're talking a Boston Baked Bean manufacturer here.
So now we're about at the 8:40pm mark and things start to show signs of getting interesting. Gardner lets Palmer in through the roadblock. Hmmm. It's seems Palmer would be the kind of distraction they wouldn't exactly want around at this point. Plot begins to thicken.
Stoller asks Jack about growing attached to a woman while undercover. (Was this a vague reference to Jack's Mexican chica of Day 3?) This also gives some foreshadowing that this might be personal for Stoller too -- maybe we'll see him again down the road?
Soon after, Jack and Karen have their first shouting match, with Stoller listening in. Very nice. Jack puts the bureaucrat in a bind, laying the responsibility on her if he can't get what he needs. Her "there will be repercussions" was a prime example of the impotent cry of powerless bureaucrats everywhere. What exactly will happen to Jack? A firm shaking of the finger in his general direction? This is a guy who faked his own death to avoid repercussions; you really think he's gives a crap what Homeland can do to him?
Jack grabs Collette while Stoller drives away, never to have as good a lay ever again (unless maybe that Clooney thing works out…) Before long, Stoller's cute little PDA turns into a 4th of July sparkler and he's screwed. Jack will clearly not be getting Weinerschnitzel from this guy on Octoberfest. Back at the airport, Collette is pulling the "I want immunity" ploy (at Camp David Palmer some underling is overheard saying, 'We're going to have to print up more of these immunity agreements. We've run through another batch…')
And in a climax that belies the mediocre build-up, Wayne is run off the road. What could this mean? Gardner is dirty? Gardner is working with Henderson? Logan forgot to turn off his robot assault team security alarm? Assuming Wayne makes it through the tunnel and eventually into Camp DP itself, we have the makings of some real intrigue here. [And, seriously, Wayne? You're rolling in a Lexus, dude. If you can't outrun/outmanuever a Ford Econoline van, you deserved to get carjacked. --J]
Then back at the airport, Collette drops the A-bomb -- Audrey bomb that is -- and somehow Audrey is either mixed up in all of this much deeper then we would have thought or someone has framed her rather expertly. Either way, Jack will be grabbing her by the throat sometime real soon, in a development that is sure to hobble his reconciliation with his former lover. Maybe it's not too late to get Kim's boyfriend back in here to help these lovebirds work out the little roadblocks in their relationship. Maybe he could get them to breathe deeply together…
From the coming attractions, we know that poor Peter Weller will again be picking up a paycheck next week. But if he's that expensive, I don't expect he'll be around long. We know Jack will be picking on Audrey -- though presumably not using the electricity conductivity test on her that he used on her husband. We know little or nothing, however, about Wayne which leaves me slightly salivating in anticipation of next week and the twists and turns we still have in store.
Reviewer: D
Generally, I don’t like it when 24’s plot seems to be driven by when an actor is contracted to appear. Also, my eyes start to glaze over when the highest amount of anxiety generated during an episode has to do with bureaucratic wrangling within CTU. And I tend to find it annoying when a simple misdirection is the best thing hyper-smart Chloe can come up with when faced with a technical roadblock.
And most of all, it’s a darn shame that one of the truly vital and interesting characters on 24 is wrapped up and rolled out without so much as a second thought.
So, given all of these negatives, why was this past episode still above average in my book, and not the outright stinker it could have been. Two reasons: a slice of true mystery (what’s up with Wayne Palmer?) and a gasp-inducing surprise (Audrey?). I spent 45 minutes watching this episode getting more and more aggravated, but, in a dramatic turn-around, I was smiling again by the time I turned the TV off. And that smile had nothing to do with surfing hottie-with-a-heart-of-gold Stana Kanic’s website. (Warning: this mother takes forever to load…)
In seasons past this would have been one of those transition episodes where the folks at CTU sweep up dead bodies, mop up explosion debris, miraculously reconstruct vital clues from discarded chewing gum, install a new mole or two around the office, and generate some new plot twists. But instead, even though CTU was apparently littered with dead folks last hour, everything is spic and span as the new Homeland Security wonks arrive on site at the beginning of this hour. [Yeah, and, um, is there any residue from the noxious, seal-eating gas that was breaking down bio-seals an hour ago? --J] The only body we see is Tony’s as it is rather unceremoniously covered up and carted out. I don’t know what I expected – a twenty-one gun salute or something – but I think Tony deserved better. Even Lynn McGill got to be heroic before he drooled out his last breath; Tony (once known affectionately as Soul Patch) helped make the show great, particularly last season. I hope he and Michelle are happily making out in that CTU death clinic in the sky.
Meanwhile, Peter Weller will not be cashing a check this week as apparently RoboChris Henderson has left the building without much of a trace. What’s with that? Henderson was the biggest/only lead Jack had a couple of hours ago and, his unwillingness to crack notwithstanding, he obviously knows something. (I'm surprised Jack hasn't resorted to the old 'scream-a-question-over-and-over-again' method that has worked so well for him in seasons past…) But apparently it is important for Henderson to have a one-hour headstart in his getaway before he’ll become a concern again. Is Weller just costing too much per episode or what? Do the producers have to make the call: do we pay Weller for Hour 14 or pay for a groovy car crash with Wayne Palmer? Sorry, Pete, cool your jets for a few days… [Honestly, how much could Peter Weller cost? -- J]
Luckily, in the familiar CTU tradition, there is a miraculous computer breakthrough to fill the space as Chloe is finally able to get something off of Henderson’s computer that points conveniently to our hot and sexually vigorous information broker, Collette. I have to say, that German intelligence dude Theo has got to be the luckiest agent in Interpol history. When I think of undercover international brokers, I think old, fat guys like George Clooney’s character in 'Syriana,' not chicks with custom crotch-enhancing gun holsters. I’m thinking Theo wouldn’t have been nearly as insistent on bedding his mark if it was Clooney.
At Camp David (maybe soon Wayne?) Palmer, Logan has made one of those things he avoids like the plague – a decision – and the troops start to roll through the streets of L.A.. I loved how literally 5 minutes after making this momentous announcement to the press, after repeatedly and strenuously asserting to his wife that he’s made up his alleged mind, Logan is already tossing attitude at Gardner because of the mixed press reaction. Did he expect the press to laud his strong and well-considered leadership? Of course, in the real world, the biggest outcry probably would have come because he made the announcement at 8pm, probably pre-empting 'American Idol' and thereby throwing millions of teenagers across the country into AI withdrawal, while at the same time they wonder, 'Who's this Marshall dude and why does he have his own law?'
And maybe I was just on the rag, but I didn't understand why the hell Wayne Palmer was calling Pierce? Don't get me wrong, I love the guy. But he's a Secret Service agent with little real authority in terms of the functions of the US government. Surely, there has got to be someone else Wayne could call. And at the same time, doesn't Pierce have a real job involving protecting our national leaders? Does he really have time to play secret agent man?
So now let's spend a very little bit of time talking about the Homeland Security / CTU spat. OK, is that enough?
Fine. So this Papazan-chair guy is an asshole. We're clear on that, right? He could almost make Chloe seem warm and fuzzy in comparison. [And could he have been any creepier in his staring at Chloe? I thought he wanted to eat her. --J] This Karen chick seems tough and all, but don't all the newbies that wander into CTU seem tough at first (even Lynn) before Jack mashes them up into refried wonk-meat?
And the real question here is, does it make any sense at all for one agency to completely take over the operations of another in the midst of a national crisis? And be complete jerks about it while they're at it? Any effectiveness they could have reasonably hoped for -- from the people whose jobs it is to counteract terrorists (remember, the CT part of CTU?) -- would be pretty well shattered after Papazan-chair snatched all of their keycards. [And a HUGE missed opportunity there -- when he demanded Chloe's keycard and she flatly said "no," why not have her follow up with a bitch-rant about how being casual with keycard locations is how they got into this current position of not having to worry about layoffs for a while? --J]
For the next 15 minutes, things kind of poke along. Call me jaded but the Stoller - Jack - Curtis standoff was pretty ho-hum, particularly since Stoller's jump from the roof on to Curtis was played and replayed in the promos. We have the makings of a relatively interesting complication of European and American anti-terrorist work being at cross-purposes but Jack cleverly circumvents this, stating in the most unemotional tone imaginable for Jack: "This is personal." It may be personal but Jack has yet to go very far off the rails as far as playing by the CTU book goes. Sure, he gives the Germans the WET list (which might be more interesting if it actually existed. Why did they decide to call it the WET list -- to reflect that people would be spitting on it all the time, or something?). Clearly this is a heck of a bad thing, darnit. But where's the raging loonie who wants to avenge the death of Michelle and Tony? Where's the sorrow-addled nutjob that turns so anti-Russian he'll shoot anyone he finds eating caviar and drinking vodka? If we saw a little of that in Jack, I'd be more convinced this was personal…
In order to get Jack this all important terrorist list, Chloe has a most brilliant idea involving spilling coffee. Clearly this Papazan-chair guy has never matched wits with the likes of a supergenius like Chloe. Or a 4 year old.
Our babe Collette gets together with Bierko in the midst of this, where she is leeringly searched after slinking out of her sweet red Lexus. Perfect car for someone who generally wants to remain under the radar. [Hee! --J] Bierko transfers her scads of money she'll undoubtedly never see and she decrypts some schematic of a mysterious gas distribution facility. And I don't think we're talking a Boston Baked Bean manufacturer here.
So now we're about at the 8:40pm mark and things start to show signs of getting interesting. Gardner lets Palmer in through the roadblock. Hmmm. It's seems Palmer would be the kind of distraction they wouldn't exactly want around at this point. Plot begins to thicken.
Stoller asks Jack about growing attached to a woman while undercover. (Was this a vague reference to Jack's Mexican chica of Day 3?) This also gives some foreshadowing that this might be personal for Stoller too -- maybe we'll see him again down the road?
Soon after, Jack and Karen have their first shouting match, with Stoller listening in. Very nice. Jack puts the bureaucrat in a bind, laying the responsibility on her if he can't get what he needs. Her "there will be repercussions" was a prime example of the impotent cry of powerless bureaucrats everywhere. What exactly will happen to Jack? A firm shaking of the finger in his general direction? This is a guy who faked his own death to avoid repercussions; you really think he's gives a crap what Homeland can do to him?
Jack grabs Collette while Stoller drives away, never to have as good a lay ever again (unless maybe that Clooney thing works out…) Before long, Stoller's cute little PDA turns into a 4th of July sparkler and he's screwed. Jack will clearly not be getting Weinerschnitzel from this guy on Octoberfest. Back at the airport, Collette is pulling the "I want immunity" ploy (at Camp David Palmer some underling is overheard saying, 'We're going to have to print up more of these immunity agreements. We've run through another batch…')
And in a climax that belies the mediocre build-up, Wayne is run off the road. What could this mean? Gardner is dirty? Gardner is working with Henderson? Logan forgot to turn off his robot assault team security alarm? Assuming Wayne makes it through the tunnel and eventually into Camp DP itself, we have the makings of some real intrigue here. [And, seriously, Wayne? You're rolling in a Lexus, dude. If you can't outrun/outmanuever a Ford Econoline van, you deserved to get carjacked. --J]
Then back at the airport, Collette drops the A-bomb -- Audrey bomb that is -- and somehow Audrey is either mixed up in all of this much deeper then we would have thought or someone has framed her rather expertly. Either way, Jack will be grabbing her by the throat sometime real soon, in a development that is sure to hobble his reconciliation with his former lover. Maybe it's not too late to get Kim's boyfriend back in here to help these lovebirds work out the little roadblocks in their relationship. Maybe he could get them to breathe deeply together…
From the coming attractions, we know that poor Peter Weller will again be picking up a paycheck next week. But if he's that expensive, I don't expect he'll be around long. We know Jack will be picking on Audrey -- though presumably not using the electricity conductivity test on her that he used on her husband. We know little or nothing, however, about Wayne which leaves me slightly salivating in anticipation of next week and the twists and turns we still have in store.
Labels: Season Five
posted by Dave T at 11:24:00 PM
4 Comments:
If there was any doubt '24' was gaining mainstream cred, here's another argument for it: a CNN profile of the only socially awkward geek you're ever likely to suffer gladly, our own Chloe.
I don't like how the bad chicks in 24 end up non-wasp and somewhat "flawed beauty",like this Stana Kanic or mexican girl in S3. Lombroso's theories apply even less than they normally do,with international top-models...
Oh,and this S5 plot looks too artificially sustained. There's always a bang,a death and a capital defection every 3 hours,it's starting to look like Hollywood. Maybe this is not catastrophicly bad,but S1 had really nothing this frantic: it was elegant,the CTU tribolations actually had a meaning,and Jack wasn't a shouting machine.
Though this season's been great, I know that it won't be satisfing if Tony doesn't get the proper Silent Clock he deserves (or some freakin' rememberance in SOME fashion! GOSH, is that SO hard to do!? Hey, the writers DO have TEN more hours to do it!!)
On the other note, the two twists this hour were rewarding.
First off: Aaron gets deeper in the plot. While this makes me EXTREMELY happy because now Aaron has more of a role, and after five years this man deserves it for his uber-loyalty - BUT I know worry because Aaron may just find himself in worse trouble than he suffered in the Limo (Did you NOTICE the HUGE Patch in his NECK??!) May he survive into next season and REMAIN a hero. (You don't have to die to be a hero!)
Now for Audrey. My two hopes for her are that she either WILLINGLY sold it to Collete as some "Hate Attack" on the US eighteen months ago because of her two lover's deaths, and NOW she's about to find out how bad the repercussions are (Though she never meant it to be that bad) ORRRR she sold it WILLINGLY in an attempt to save her Father or (maybe even, though odds aren't good) her brother.
I REALLY don't want to learn that it wasn't her / she was framed / she didn't know what she was doing scenario, because they've frankly all been done before in some way or fashion.
Other than that, it was a great article, and I wonder/hope that these two new plots go along fine.
Oh yeah, Chloe needs to shoot someone soon . . . it's been too long. Show that not only Jack, Tony, or Buchanan can pull some weight around there!! (Speaking of which, I would have REALLY hoped Buchanan would have done the OPPOSITE and told Audrey what was REALLY going on . . .)
I would definitely prefer that Chair & Card Stealing Co-Worker. He's got, "I'm dead" written all over him!
To me,this trademark on-screen timer has become useless: since the days don't start anymore at midnight,I can't tell anymore "when" in the day I am (I have to use a tv guide)
Post a Comment
<< Home