Palmer assassinated!
Michelle ditto!
Chloe gets her groove on!
Jack a patsy!
And so, another one of those days begins for our dedicated yet angst ridden friends at CTU. If nothing else, the first two hours proved that the writers have not lost their touch in generating excitement, confusion, and gobs of speculation about where this season’s storyline will take Jack Bauer and through him, we the people of the United States.
This time around, we already know the identity of a high level mole which should make for some suitably maddening viewing as CTU peels back the layers of the conspiracy to try and unmask him. And there should also be a traitor at CTU given that the same data mining operation that led to the discovery by the government that Jack Bauer was alive was probably also run by the terrorists. Besides, what would a season of 24 be without an internal mole hunt?
And a great big shoutout to the producers for spending a little money to bring back Palmer and Michelle just to kill them off. It’s that kind of attention to detail that we’ve come to expect from the show. Also kudos to Dennis Haysbert and Reiko Aylesworth for agreeing to be killed off on camera. The way these things are usually done on TV is that the characters are whacked out of camera range because the actors either don’t agree to come back or the producers don’t even bother. It certainly heightened the emotional impact to see characters that the audience had come to know and love so shockingly killed.
SUMMARY
It’s been 18 months since faking his death and Jack has settled into his exile as a roughneck, renting a room from the attractive Diane whose teenage son Derek is way too nosy for his own good about Jack’s past. One gets the distinct impression that the writers don’t like teenagers very much given that they usually end up dead or up to their eyeballs in trouble. Come to think of it, that’s a pretty realistic assessment of what happens to teenagers generally.
After being grilled by Derek about his past at the breakfast table, who should give Jack a call to pass the time of day but Chloe. It seems that after a wild night of geek passion with fellow CTU analyst Spencer, Chloe was called into headquarters to work on the Palmer assassination. Upon receiving a call from Fat Geek Edgar (who has had a crush on Chloe since last year) informing her of the death of Michelle and Tony’s critical injuries, she puts two and two together and realizes that of all the people on planet earth who know that Jack Bauer is still alive, she’s the only one who is still unscathed. That appears about to change as she is suddenly being chased through suburban Los Angeles by a rather large mean looking bald man, the lack of hair a sure sign that he’s a terrorist.
After temporarily ditching Baldy, Chloe makes her desperate call to Jack. Obviously bored with working on oil rigs, Jack jumps back into the game with both feet in order to save Chloe from the thugs and get to the bottom of his friend Palmer’s assassination. The ease with which Jack slid back into his persona as the angel of death makes one realize that Jack was truly born to end lives.
Stealing a helicopter - but not before nosy kid Derek who followed Jack to the helipad is forced to come along for the ride - Jack races to LA to save Chloe.
Meanwhile, President Jellyfish is anticipating the arrival of the Russian President and the signing of some kind of arms control agreement. The assassination of Palmer has forced CTU to recommend he cancel the ceremony but Jellyfish won’t hear if it. The guy is a weasel about almost everything except that he tends to dig in his heels and take a stand on all the wrong things. Witness last year as CTU was closing in on the terrorist Marwan when inexplicably, Jellyfish insisted that Jack be arrested for disobeying his orders. The fact that the cur had only minutes before been weeping on Palmer’s shoulder shows him for what he is; a blustering, insincere blowhard who no one has any confidence in.
His wife Mrs. Jellyfish is, to be kind, loonier than a June bug. After getting all dolled up for the ceremony, she gazes into the mirror saying “I look like a wedding cake” and then proceeds to dunk her head in the sink.
Of course, she has information that could begin the process of unmasking the conspiracy but nobody believes her because she’s a nutcase. That, and the intervention of sleazeball Chief of Staff Walt Cummings who not only is a traitorous wretch but has awful taste in suits. Cummings alters the tape of a conversation between Palmer and the First Lady where the former President made an appointment to talk about a matter of “national security.” Ultimately, this was the reason for his assassination. And, as we discover, the car bomb that killed Michelle and injured Tony as well as the targeting of Chloe are all because the terrorists want to pin the crime on Jack.
Back at CTU headquarters, a security tape is found that clearly implicates Jack as the assassin. By the Book Bill Buchanan initiates a manhunt for Jack despite the protestations from Jack’s former flame Audrey. It’s interesting that Audrey has forgiven Jack his torturing her estranged husband as well as preventing doctors from saving his life at gunpoint. Can’t wait for the first meeting between Diane and Audrey. That should be an interesting conversation.
Jack rescues Chloe while killing two terrorists and executing another. The triggerman in the Palmer assassination gives Jack the bare bones outline of the plot before Jack violates his constitutional rights permanently. Given Jack’s body count, it was interesting how shocked I personally was at the cold blooded murder of the triggerman. There was no satisfaction in it, just a sadness that Jack actually pulled the trigger.
Jack’s next move was obvious, right? Go to the scene of the Palmer assassination to look over the “clues.” This is why I’ve learned to suspend belief when watching the show. For Jack to infiltrate the scene of the crime makes no sense except if you look at it as a dramatic device to put Jack into more hot water.
Jack, Chloe, and Derek end up in the parking garage of the apartment building where Palmer’s brother Wayne lives and where the ex-President was killed. Jack manages to to make it to the crime scene, slipping into the study where he discovers an encrypted page from Palmer’s autobiography that contains a reference to “Chevensky” who turns out to be a baggage inspector at a small airport outside of LA. Enlisting the help of the President’s brother Wayne, Jack slips out of the apartment just in time as CTU has discovered that Chloe has logged in remotely to the CTU database and sics the FBI on the trio.
Somehow, Jack and Derek elude the dragnet by getting out of the parking garage on foot. Chloe was not as fortunate. Caught and cuffed, Chloe refuses to tell Bill that Jack went to the airport to follow up on the Chevensky lead. Taken back to CTU, Chloe is ushered into the dreaded “holding room” where she will probably be subject to Dr. Feelgood’s tender ministrations.
Back at the Presidential retreat, the Russian President is minutes away from landing when word comes that terrorist chatter indicates an attack on the summit. Jellyfish insists that his moment in the sun not be ruined by a bad photo op and refuses to alter any of the plans.What a piece of work.
In the meantime, we meet a shadowy mystery man who seems to be directing the terrorists from some kind of operations center. Could it be CTU? I’m sure we’ll find out eventually but we do discover that the target of the attack is not the summit but rather the very airport where Jack has gone to follow up the Chevensky lead and drop off nosy kid Derek into the waiting arms of his mother. Jack’s confession to Diane about deceiving her is rather perfunctory but that’s because he has bigger fish to fry. After saying goodbye to Derek who now realizes Jack is pretty cool because he’s some kind of secret agent, Jack makes his way to the office of Mr. Chevensky. No sooner does Jack start to beat the information out of the hapless baggage inspector than the terrorists hit the terminal holding dozens of innocent people hostage including Derek who saw the terrorists walk into the terminal and tried to warn Jack.
With Jack’s back turned, Chevensky bites down on a cyanide pill and dies thus depriving Jack of his only lead. But Jack is right where he wants to be - in an airport full of terrorists who no doubt will soon get a taste of Jack’s idea of rough justice.
BODY COUNT
RIP Palmer and Michelle. Jack whacks three terrorists and Chevensky committs suicide. Terrorists pick off two security guards at the airport.
Jack: 3
Show: 8
I thought seriously of giving Chloe half a kill for her expert marksmanship in gutting the triggerman but if we started to give out half kills, there would be no end to it.
SPECULATION
Too early for intelligent speculation but hey! We don’t call this the Nuthouse for nothing.
I’ll take Spencer as the CTU mole. How did the terrorists know Chloe had left her apartment? Someone could have called and Spencer was the only one who knew. That plus he acted rather strangely when Fat Geek Edgar was questioning him about Chloe’s whereabouts.
Makes sure you stop by tomorrow for analysis and speculation from tonight’s 2 hour extravaganza!
9:31 am
Question: Chloe took a taxi. Jack demolished the terrorists’ cars. Where did that white van come from that Jack, Chloe and Derek were in later?
Comment: “Cold-blooded murder” - more of an execution. I took it Jack shoots the hitman because Palmer was his friend. Still, dumb move; no proof that the facts given were really all the hitman knew, and there were places he could lead them to which might have helped.
10:03 am
It was just the car that got wrecked. The white van was what Palmer’s assassin was in.
“After being grilled by Derek about his past at the breakfast table…”
In fairness to the writers, Derek asked Jack about stuff that happened even before he first sat down at their breakfast table.
10:29 am
You know the first few seasons of 24 were fun, but I’ve come to be dismayed by how much suspension of disbelief I have to bring into the show. The only covert intelligence operation as inept as CTU is our own CIA.
11:27 am
“Suspend Belief” indeed. I still love the show. The Nixon look alike is well played because you see a ‘lame-ass’ needing an embarrassment to make him go away.
‘Lotta moles though. Isn’t there anyone loyal in Gov’t service anywmore besides Edgar? They’re all Stae Dept. career flunkies or CIA leakers. For once it would be nice to simply battle ‘outsiders trying to get ‘in’.
Call me a gun nut but, I like Jack’s frontier-justice-wacking of bad guys. Skip Miranda, simply stand on the open wound while interrogating. Toss the attorney privilages and ‘niceties’ insisted upon by moderates. When we’re talkin’ terrorists, it’d be nice if some of the alleged ‘liberatarian’ left had a bit more bite for America’s survival than a concern about appearances.
11:27 am
Season Premier of 24
The much anticipated season premiere of 24 hit with a powerful punch last night. LJStrata hooked me this last year by getting me into all of the first four seasons on DVD - the only way to watch this show. She was ready to go last night as the seaso…
12:56 pm
Just what I needed…
…another TV Show Jones.
Rick Moran has offered numerous posts about the fictitious, modern-day, terrorist-terminating anti-hero Jack Bauer. A recent post piqued my interest in 24, which I’ve never watched (network TV and I are simply not…
1:08 pm
24
Last night’s season premier kicked ass. What’s not to like? CTU agent Jack Bauer tortures a terrorist then executes him, ignores FISA, and obviously violates California handgun laws. And that was the opening credits! I’ll be popping the traditional…
1:18 pm
The perfect ending to tonight’s second part of the season opener would be Jack Bauer pistol whipping a FISA court judge. Too much to hope for?
1:44 pm
I still don’t trust President Jellyfish. I suspected him last year and was accused on this site of ‘jumping the shark’!!! I’ll expect an apology later this season, haha. I think his total incompetence is just an act.
1:48 pm
WOO HOO! Actually get to watch these in realtime for a few weeks, as wifie doesn’t teach evening class until Feb.
Jack’s whacking of the triggerman to me looked like 25% expediency — yearight, like he was going to get him to a hospital — and 75% revenge. Yea, unsettling to see the cold-blooded thing, but well deserved.
Spencer as the mole… now that you mention it, yea, but he sure seems too obvious given your summary of the evidence. Would expect a bit more from the writers.
Do we have an accurate body count from the airport yet? I thought there were some downed security guards… maybe that’s what you counted, Rick.
2:32 pm
24: The Mayhem Has Begun (Russian Style)
FoxTrot (Mon 16 Jan 05) by Bill Amend
It’s begun, and boy what a doozie the first two hours of 24 were. To fend off last year’s criticisms by CAIR over the show’s treatment of Arabs, this year the writers decide to pick and poke at our old nemeses…
2:47 pm
So I’m not the only one who thinks Jellyfish is Nixonian. What a wimp/loser. Hasn’t “the other President” come out of his Season 4 coma yet?
Somebody warn Diane. “Jack” and Vince Flynn’s “Mitch Rapp” are REAL Fatal Attractions.
CTU rivals only CHEERS for most dysfunctional loonies under one roof. The CTUers, who aren’t double agents, are nutcases.
Will Jean Smart (Mrs Jellyfish) end up calling the gals from Sugarbakers to cover her back?
Did Edgar ever get to bury his mamma?
Does the CTU Infirmary still just have one doctor on staff? Now that they know “Jack is back” they better call a doctor-temp service. Somethings tells me business will be picking up real soon.
I’m a 24 DVD kinda guy … never tried to do it in weekly episodes. Not sure I can handle the waits.
BLS
3:48 pm
WWJBD: WHAT WOULD JACK BAUER DO?
I discovered today that Rick Moran, proprietor of Right Wing Nuthouse and a contributor to The American Thinker has written exactly the article that I have had in mind since I was first turned on to the television show 24…
4:17 pm
Nixonian? I always thought Jellyfish was more “Carter-esque”. Even with Nixon’s faults, you can’t say he was weak on domestic security. But I can perfectly image Carter in this spineless role.
4:18 pm
Agreed that Spencer is probably the CTU mole. He is entirely too insincere and manipulative for a Geek.
4:28 pm
Jellyfish is “Nixonian” in his appearance - the nose, eyes, etc. … not in his demeanor.
Yes, probably “Carter-like” in his spinelessness.
5:04 pm
And By the By: Chloe is HOT! She cemented her cool collective and deceptively wimpish demeanor last season by whackin’ the terrorist type with the machine gun. It’s good to see her doing more field work. But we don’t want too much of a good thing.
5:30 pm
I can’t believe I didn’t find out about your episode-by-episode coverage until this season! Consider me hooked to something other than the show itself.
Bumping off the triggerman? Jack couldn’t take him with him and, given his experience with the twerps at CTU, I can’t hardly fault him for doubting that there’d be anything useful that they could get out of him. If they managed to retrieve him at all, that is. It wasn’t all that clear at the time of the execution that Jack was going to let CTU know where he was anyways.
I’d have done the same thing. But I’m sick. Once the bad guys are useless and/or an impediment to the mission, there’s no reason to let them stay alive. It was pretty clear that Triggerman had told him all that he knew (he spilled the beans far too quickly to make me wonder if he knew something more. He was scared shitless and desperate to stay alive. Hired gun) so why keep him alive? He might have gotten away and alerted the others.
SOP: Shoot him. I agree with Jack on this one. I’d have done the same. Triggerman’s continued existence at that point was at best useless and at worst a complication. Not to say that the fact that he’d just killed Jack’s buddy Palmer played no role in it, because it was pretty obvious from Jack’s tone when he said “so you were the trigger man?” that he was plenty peeved.
Thankfully, sometimes SOP and personal feelings AREN’T antagonists, so Jack got the best of both worlds.
Huge letdown: Tony’s critical injury. We’re only covering a 24 hour period, so it’s unlikely that Tony will see much action and I really love that guy. Not to mention that I’d have loved to see him extract some good ol’ fashioned vengeance for Michelle’s death. Not professional, I agree, but seeing her and Palmer knocked out really pissed me off, which is to be taken as a praise of the show. If they aimed to gut-punch me with the first 10 minutes, they surely succeeded. Big kudos for that. I felt like I felt when Wash got killed at the end of “Serenity.”
I farkin’ KNEW that Cummings was the mole. Gut instinct. Now I see why they didn’t reveal one in the last season. They needed his identity kept secret for this one. I knew it from his first lines last season: This guy was dirty. I expect to find out a lot about his previous involvement as this season continues.
In short: This season is off to a rocking start.
It’s amazing that they can keep it up, but those must be some damnably good writers.
5:34 pm
[...] and doesn’t care what he has to do to GET it done. What we didn’t know is that LC & IB Rick Moran has been running a whole series of posts on each epi [...]
7:47 pm
I Need You To Trust Me…
Some quick thoughts on last night’s season premiere of 24 I am still shocked that President Palmer was assassinated - and after I had finally gotten past hearing Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill every time he was on screen.
9:08 pm
Corey Feldman! is shorter than Chloe. Whooda thunk.
I suppose 24’s ratings will increase amongst the blue state set now that the writers aren’t writing about Middle Eastern terrorists, if I’m not mistaken (I’m half watching - they’re Russian, no?)
10:08 pm
Mr. McClelland:
What possible relevance did your comment have to this post?
I don’t know what planet you’re from, but on this one, if the comment is not germane to the post, it gets deleted.
You’ve got a blog - post it there.
10:31 pm
Lalor Says:I suppose 24’s ratings will increase amongst the blue state set now that the writers aren’t writing about Middle Eastern terrorists, if I’m not mistaken (I’m half watching – they’re Russian, no?) They’re probably twice removed Chechen rebels operating under some anti-democracy Russia guise, preferring a Stalinist gov’t after (of course) they ransom some US dollars for start-up bucks.
11:32 pm
This is the first time I’ve seen 24, and I was hooked in the first few minutes. Jack Bauer is my new hero.
1:35 am
24 Season 5 - Thank God for Torrents!
I have to publically admit it - the new season of 24 has really started with the bang I was after.
2:04 am
Uummm….”Chloe is Hot”??
OK…to each his own. I always thought she was a bit to bitchy, pessimistic and demanding, and it shows in the constant scowl…..but that’s just me.
7:35 am
Little Known Facts About Jack Bauer
Much has been made about the formidable powers that Chuck Norris possesses, and justifiably so. Due to the sheer quantity and quality of beatings he has administered, Norris has earned the right to have his name spoken in hushed whispers
8:57 pm
Great! Gotcha linked.
12:35 am
[...] The only thing elephants used to fear was mice. Until they hurt one of Jack Bauer’s friends. The only thing Lucifer himself used to fear was — well &# [...]
1:52 am
24
Update: I was having doubts about this entry, and the one below - especially since they were done so hastily… but Balta told me that this one looked fine, and I am glad to see that a lot of other bloggers are also writing about this topic. I feel bet…
1:15 am
This Season On 24
Am I alone in thinking that the current season of Fox’s 24 is the best yet ?
I have to believe that I’m not. I mean, look at what we’ve got so far. Jack Bauer back from the dead. A terrorist threat that seems to be knowingly playing on the weakn ….
9:13 am
[...] The only thing elephants used to fear was mice. Until they hurt one of Jack Bauer’s friends. [...]