24 – Day 8: 9:00pm – 10:00pm

All events really did occur in real time this week as I finally figured out what is making this season stand out for me, even though not much happened tonight. Let’s get started.

Debrief

• Renee had to sleep with Vlad, who raped her at least once before. Jack is trying to get her taken out of the operation because she’s FREAKING NUTS! Hastings won’t go for it unless she’s truly compromises the operation. Jack officially begins his cover as the nuclear buyer. After the initial funds were transferred, Vlad tried to kill him, but Cole sniped them and the deal continues.

• Dana got her ex and his buddy information about a confiscated transit station locker that has drug money in it. She gives them the way in and will then talk them through getting the money and leaving. Arlo is suspicious, but no one will listen to him because…well…he’s Arlo.

• President Hassan continues his paranoid rampage on the opposition in his home country. He learns that one of the men his police arrested is cousins with one of his advisors. That advisor is being arrested. The peace talks are beginning to fall apart.

• The doctor was about to give Josef all the tools he needed to help cure his brother, but he was killed by Sergei. The brothers were taken back to the restaurant where Sergei killed his own, poisoned son.

Agent Philboy’s Assessment

Having recently joined the ranks of the unemployed,  I’ve been catching up on some reviews of this season. Most of what I’ve read has been negative, and there is a sentiment that this season has been scattered and a tad too unbelievable. While I see what others are saying,  I feel like I have to defend the season a bit because even with all of its faults its adding in a few new ingredients to the “24” recipe, all of which are satisfying my tastebuds.

This season hasn’t had the the action of previous seasons. Usually at this point in the ‘day’ we’ve had a nuclear explosion or two, or at the very least a major characters had died. Maybe we’re not getting that, but what we are getting is a deeper look at the characters. So instead of complaining because there hasn’t been a huge body count or enough explosions, look at it through a different lens. You’ll see an interesting, if flawed, tale of people consumed by fear and paranoia, being pushed to the brink and reacting in wildly different ways.

Hassan’s increasing paranoia might bring him to President Logan levels. The peace talks have been under utilized, but I think are an excellent driving motivation for Taylor to try as hard as she can to resolve this conflict. I’ve missed the involvement of the White House in CTU goings on. I know that this adventure is going to take about 15 different turns in the next 17 episodes, so we will eventually get to that point, but I’m ready for Washington to get its hands dirty. Plus, I know I’ve mentioned it before, but Renee being completely unhinged is fascinating to watch and is really the saving grace so far this season.

Still, there are some things that aren’t just working this season: Arlo! Dana! Hastings! Some elements are there to buy time, and I understand that, but if they want me to stay in the moment during the course of an episode, they shouldn’t have the action take place in a workplace where Dana is allowed to come and go whenever she pleases; Hastings has absolutely no one to answer and Arlo is free to make 14 suggestive, innuendo-filled comments before the commercial break.

What I Learned this Week

• To go undercover as a German arms dealer, you don’t really need an accent.

• As long as you say you’re from the right country, you can wear the DUMBEST LOOKING GLASSES EVER.

• On a related note, I want a pair of those glasses. Jack Bauer has the power to make the uncool cool.

• Apparently, an ailment that needs a team of surgeons and a bone marrow transplant can be cured with some drugs.

This Week’s Kill Count = 6 Total Kill Count = 16

Have you jumped off the “24” bandwagon or are you still along for the less action-packed ride?