Apparently, everyone in China with an Internet connection. It's the most popular western TV show over there. Really!
See...another 24/China/Prison Break connection.

I'm taking 24 off my watch list. Storylines now are so predictable it's almost embarrasing to watch. The characters this year are sooo weak as well. Who cares about Ricky Schroeder, Milo, the female Muslim agent (can't even remember her name), the lame ass president and lame ass vice president, the chief of staff (he had such a better run in Ally McBeal), on and on. I miss Edgar, the old Chloe, Jack before his angst attack, the young and dumb daughter....
There's so much better to spend our time on.

There's so much better to spend our time on.

Which includes getting away from the computer. :)

Sir, slowly step away from the keyboard....


For a change of pace from the silliness of "24", try "The Shield" which started last night, sure, different show, one's broadcast and the other is cable etc, but wow, talk about some outstanding high intensity drama.

Sir, slowly step away from the keyboard....

For a change of pace from the silliness of "24", try "The Shield" which started last night, sure, different show, one's broadcast and the other is cable etc, but wow, talk about some outstanding high intensity drama.

Really interesting you mentioned this. As a longtime "24" fan (hell, I even own 4 of the DVD sets), I feel that while the show has occasionally run into problems in the past, it has been in a perpetual nosedive this year, and I'm still trying to figure out how they succeeded in neutering both Jack AND Chloe in the very same season. Peter McNichol seemed to be the only saving grace, other than the South Park send-up.

I also have read good things over the past couple of years concerning 'The Shield', but thought it was probably overrated. That was, until I caught 2 episodes last night . Now as both of these episodes were obviously the culmination of a lengthy plotline, it may not have been typical of this product, but I was really impressed.

________________________________________________
Palladin

Chance favors the prepared mind

I also have read good things over the past couple of years concerning 'The Shield', but thought it was probably overrated. That was, until I caught 2 episodes last night . Now as both of these episodes were obviously the culmination of a lengthy plotline, it may not have been typical of this product, but I was really impressed.
Two episodes? What channel were you watching? Was it FX or Spike? Last night the new season began on FX and there was only one.

I’m pretty sure that all of the seasons are on DVD. I highly recommend trying to catch them. It is a riveting show. It’s one of the few shows I watch that’s not in HD but I have to say, moments after an episode begins I’m so engrossed that I don’t even realize it.

Two episodes? What channel were you watching? Was it FX or Spike? Last night the new season began on FX and there was only one.

I’m pretty sure that all of the seasons are on DVD. I highly recommend trying to catch them. It is a riveting show. It’s one of the few shows I watch that’s not in HD but I have to say, moments after an episode begins I’m so engrossed that I don’t even realize it.

It was likely the last ep from last season and this seaon's premiere.

The Shield rocks! I've been watching both since the beginning and the Shield has had no real dropoff.

Please no spoilers about the Shield, haven't watched the premiere yet.

The Shield has been great from the Pilot on.

Really interesting you mentioned this. As a longtime "24" fan (hell, I even own 4 of the DVD sets), I feel that while the show has occasionally run into problems in the past, it has been in a perpetual nosedive this year, and I'm still trying to figure out how they succeeded in neutering both Jack AND Chloe in the very same season. Peter McNichol seemed to be the only saving grace, other than the South Park send-up.

I also have read good things over the past couple of years concerning 'The Shield', but thought it was probably overrated. That was, until I caught 2 episodes last night . Now as both of these episodes were obviously the culmination of a lengthy plotline, it may not have been typical of this product, but I was really impressed.

________________________________________________
Palladin

Chance favors the prepared mind
Definitely catch it from the beginning as some events happening now are related to the beginning.

Agree 100% about Jack and Chloe, it's as if they are not really in the show anymore. When I think back to the webisode pre-premiere of last season which focused on Jack and Chloe, that's the sort of thing that would really put this show backs on it's feet.

Two episodes? What channel were you watching? Was it FX or Spike? Last night the new season began on FX and there was only one.
Spike. Had trouble sleeping and watched the 2 eps during the early morning hours.

It was likely the last ep from last season and this seaon's premiere....
Please no spoilers about the Shield, haven't watched the premiere yet.
First one had Gina Torres from Firefly as Forrest Whittaker's ex-wife, who may or may not have been raped.

Second one was probably a pretty important event in the series, and I suspect anything I described would be a spoiler.

__________________________________________________
Palladin

Chance favors the prepared mind

I'm taking 24 off my watch list. Storylines now are so predictable it's almost embarrasing to watch. The characters this year are sooo weak as well. Who cares about Ricky Schroeder, Milo, the female Muslim agent (can't even remember her name), the lame ass president and lame ass vice president, the chief of staff (he had such a better run in Ally McBeal), on and on. I miss Edgar, the old Chloe, Jack before his angst attack, the young and dumb daughter....
There's so much better to spend our time on.

Bye. See you elsewhere on AVS Forum.

Agree 100% about Jack and Chloe, it's as if they are not really in the show anymore. When I think back to the webisode pre-premiere of last season which focused on Jack and Chloe, that's the sort of thing that would really put this show backs on it's feet.
Webisode?? You mean that wasn't just a really overextended Toyota commercial with some familiar faces? :D

___________________________________________________
Palladin

Chance favors the prepared mind

Prediction: Palmer is just using the threat of a nuke to force the hand of the Ambassador of Unknown-Middle-Eastern-Country to give up vital information which will allow Jack to capture 1, if not both, nuclear devices before another completely unbelievable plot line starts involving his dad and Logan in which blah blah blah...and it all ends with Jack's wife dying...again (well for the 3rd time)

Webisode?? You mean that wasn't just a really overextended Toyota commercial with some familiar faces? :D

___________________________________________________
Palladin

Chance favors the prepared mind
:p Hey, it worked for me, just a few characters and without all the inane and ridiculous crap that's destroying this show.

The thing is with "24" every year people bitch and moan, and then they do soemthing on the show that turns it all around....of course I sort of wish they'd hurry up with that this year as we are coming up on hour 17.

Yeah you're right, things normally start ramping up around hour 18 or 20. Lets hope it gets better or there will be anarchy. :D

The thing is with "24" every year people bitch and moan, and then they do soemthing on the show that turns it all around....of course I sort of wish they'd hurry up with that this year as we are coming up on hour 17.

but they've already done that. They blew the nuke (literally) in episode three. That and the episodes leading to it were the highpoint of the show and almost every episode has been downhill since then.

No matter what they do now, they can't top a nuclear explosion in the middle of LA.

They killed off most of the regulars its very hard to get into this new crew. Outstanding actors are many of these guest stars but you wouldn't know it the way they are cast. Its frustrating, as someone wrote, "I watch 24 out of duty rather than pleasure". How true.

For a place as security conscious as CTU is supposed to be, I've never seen a facility penetrated more often by moles in high places. They should find their biggest bad-ass guy and give him one of those hammers from the "whack-a-mole" game and have him patrol the office constantly.Terry Tate, Office Linebacker

v/r,
C-F

Terry Tate, Office Linebacker

v/r,
C-F

Now you're talking!!!!

"MILO! REFRESH THE DAMN SECURITY PROTOCOLS, BIT*H!!"

but they've already done that. They blew the nuke (literally) in episode three. That and the episodes leading to it were the highpoint of the show and almost every episode has been downhill since then.

No matter what they do now, they can't top a nuclear explosion in the middle of LA.


Don't you love how a nuclear explosion goes off in the Valley and yet people are out in LA like nothing happened - Santa Monica Pier open - no panic (did we forget hours 4-7?) and a so what attitude.

Having been in Los Angeles during the Rodney King Riots in 1992, I am sure there would be this calm - and of course the Mayor would never put in a curfew :rolleyes:

Having grown up in LA I can say apathy is rather pervasive in the area, "if it ain't happening to me, then I don't care", but a nuclear blast, yes, I would think that might get people to react appropriately, but, we are talking about LA...

Having grown up in LA I can say apathy is rather pervasive in the area, "if it ain't happening to me, then I don't care", but a nuclear blast, yes, I would think that might get people to react appropriately, but, we are talking about LA...

Having also grown up in LA, I agree with you. However, I also believe we are talking about TV. It ain't real folks, thank God......

Don't you love how a nuclear explosion goes off in the Valley and yet people are out in LA like nothing happened - Santa Monica Pier open - no panic (did we forget hours 4-7?) and a so what attitude.
Hey, it's the Valley, and most people in say West LA don't care much what happens there anyway (only half kidding.)

Having been in Los Angeles during the Rodney King Riots in 1992, I am sure there would be this calm - and of course the Mayor would never put in a curfew :rolleyes:
Yeah, but that was actually happening in central LA, not way over in Valencia. Now if the bomb had taken out Central Wilshire...

I know there's a nuke involved, but it's not like all businesses in Trenton, NJ or Stamford, Ct. closed the night of September 11, either. We saw a bar open at the pier, but it's not like we saw families with kids on the rides; I doubt the mushroom cloud would even have been visible from Santa Monica. (Not like people don't watch the news, but you get my drift.)

I like "24," but I'm actually surprised it's lasted this long. It is constrained by its formula, more than are most shows. It's all about the "ticking bomb scenario." Once that's been played out, and played out again, it's bound to feel repetitive. Enjoy it, or remember how you once enjoyed it. Don't expect it to transmogrify into something completely different.

Now you're talking!!!!

"MILO! REFRESH THE DAMN SECURITY PROTOCOLS, BIT*H!!"

We use the word "protocol", and it's derivatives, as a key component to our '24' drinking game. Along with any derivative of Jack exclaiming "There's no time!", and Chloe spouting technospeak. We used to use the CTU ring tone, but nobody was making it to the end of the episode conscious. :D

Hey, it's the Valley, and most people in say West LA don't care much what happens there anyway (only half kidding.)


The trial was in Simi Valley



Yeah, but that was actually happening in central LA, not way over in Valencia. Now if the bomb had taken out Central Wilshire...



errrr, no....as I sat outside and watched it from the roof of the Belage from the first night until @ 3pm the next day KCBS did a live shot from the roof of their studios on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood and within 90 minutes they had moved up to Hollywood.

And later that night, violence (though minor) did happen in the Valley.


I know there's a nuke involved, but it's not like all businesses in Trenton, NJ or Stamford, Ct. closed the night of September 11, either. We saw a bar open at the pier, but it's not like we saw families with kids on the rides; I doubt the mushroom cloud would even have been visible from Santa Monica. (Not like people don't watch the news, but you get my drift.)

The ferris wheel was lit and turning.

and again, if you don't think a curfew would be in effect in LA the first night after that happened, you are dreaming.

FWIW, there were no riots in Malibu either - but they were under a curfew just as well - and Gladstones was closed down that night.

You forget, as many do, with curfews in place, the workers who don't live in Beverly Hills or Malibu cannot get to work.

The rioting, following the King verdict, was a little more widespread than you might think. There were incidents in San Francisco and a couple of furniture stores were torched in Sacramento.

...KCBS did a live shot from the roof of their studios on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood and within 90 minutes they had moved up to Hollywood.I’ll never forget the image of the M1 Abrams tank parked in front of the Paramount Studios gates on Melrose Ave., as a very persuasive deterrent.

The trial was in Simi Valley
But the rioting was not.

errrr, no....as I sat outside and watched it from the roof of the Belage from the first night until @ 3pm the next day KCBS did a live shot from the roof of their studios on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood and within 90 minutes they had moved up to Hollywood.
I know - I recall the idiots looting the Fredericks of Hollywood store.

I guess I consider anything taking place south of Mulholland to be "central" LA. :D

and again, if you don't think a curfew would be in effect in LA the first night after that happened, you are dreaming.
Was it actually turning or were the lights just moving? I know Six Flags here in Denver leaves their rides lit at night a good part of the year when the park isn't even open.

You forget, as many do, with curfews in place, the workers who don't live in Beverly Hills or Malibu cannot get to work.Yeah, but the point is we saw the inside of one bar in Santa Monica; it's not like we saw Fayed at Barney's Beanery with the customary 20 person line outside. :p

If bars (not nightclubs, not restaurants, but bars) there are anything like they are in many other parts of thei country, they're usually single proprietorships, so it's very likely the owner would be there, tending bar regardless.

Think of the bar on Jericho if you need an example. :D

Yes, I know the rioting spread to San Francisco and Sacramento, the question is whether that's a West Coast thing or not.

People weren't looting stores in Newark the night of 9/11; had the Library Tower in Downtown LA been hit instead, would there really have needed to be a curfew to prevent looting at The Grove?

The rioting about the King thing was because people were pissed at The Man and were rebelling against authority.

There was no rioting on 9/11 because we were attacked by a foreign entity and we, if anything, solidified as a nation.

Having also grown up in LA, I agree with you. However, I also believe we are talking about TV. It ain't real folks, thank God......
One important thing, if not the most important thing about 24 is that all this stuff happens in a day. They have a hard time balancing this concept through the whole season. The nuke was written and shot months ago so the writers aren't going to bother including stuff about that any more.

Sometimes they mess up in the other direction. An airliner crash-lands on an L.A. freeway, yet "Fox News" is still showing taped stuff about former President Palmer's assassination from earlier that day.

38 minutes in. This hour ain't bad so far. The preview from last week hasn't spoiled anything,..... yet.

Wow that was AWESOME.

We can almost see that coming, can't we?

Best episode this season. Jack was simply awesome tonight. Nice surprise ending.

At least I tried not to ruin it for the viewers in the other time zones.

The writers of '24' have pulled a rabbit out of their hats.

I like the new direction we are heading down the stretch! Yaaayyy!

I will definitely catch the rest of the season now..

:)

lol no-one can disagree...that was one badass episode...it only took them 12 episodes to get there...but a few more episodes like this and my faith might be restored in 24

Best episode of 24 I've ever seen - I believed every twist, cleverly plotted, totally plausible, actually lightened my mood. They sure made up for last week. I figured Audrey was alive, I just thought they'd pursue that next season. I wish this had been the finale; would've been the perfect coda.

totally plausible

yeah...Jack must be bulletproof though ;)

great episode!

Excellent episode! For a moment I thought I was watching hour 24 :p

Coming soon to a TV near you - "The Jack Bauer Power Hour" FINALLY!!!

Holy crap. 24 is back. I don't think there can be any naysayers after this episode. I had chills up my spine during the last 15 minutes...it almost felt like an out of body experience. The Fayed climax, the twist at the end...wow. I'm speechless. I am without speech.

It took awhile to get the ball rolling, but they finally pulled it off.

I was really shaking my head for a minute, wondering "how could those guys in the armored car have known [what they'd have to know to do what they did]?" Then the big reveal, and I was satisfied with the plot twist. Nicely done.

Best line of the night -- Michael Doyle surveying the aftermath: "Damn, Jack!"

Damn, it was like the writers knew we'd all be a little disappointed by the time the last episode aired, so they knew they were going to have to turn this one up a notch. They didn't turn it up a notch.... they cranked it to the max. It will be an interesting stretch for the remainder of the season.

Best line of the night -- Michael Doyle surveying the aftermath: "Damn, Jack!"

Without a doubt. I think Doyle was speaking for all of us at home.

Also, its about time Jack finally breaks CTU protocol.... I was beginning to worry.

wow! jack bauer again steals the show. where are all those naysayers now??

I like "24," but I'm actually surprised it's lasted this long. It is constrained by its formula, more than are most shows. It's all about the "ticking bomb scenario." Once that's been played out, and played out again, it's bound to feel repetitive. Enjoy it, or remember how you once enjoyed it. Don't expect it to transmogrify into something completely different.
If you're only looking for ticking time bombs, that's what you'll see.

Was I watching the same show? I had trouble paying attention.

About the picture: I'm watching on a Sceptre x42 komodo... there seems to be more grainy video noise than I expected. CSI Miami follows that and is much clearer.

Yeah that was a big improvement over the last few weeks. It was good to see Jack Bauer getting a turn at last. Even Wayne wasn't the big drip he has been lately.

The rescue attempt was obviously fake from the moment Jack went down and the ending was totally over the top, but at least it puts Jack back in his rightful place of indestructible vengeance machine. In fact I thought it was the season finale when the end swung around. I was bit disappointed they are going to drag it out again by spinning it off with the Chinese.

One thing. How did the CTU crew in the fake rescue know about General Habib? The President only found out 15 minutes earlier. How did they have time to concoct and assemble that backstory and execute the plan?

I’m not convinced Audrey is dead. Something about that picture of her on the ground showing her bracelet makes me suspicious. This could lead to a different direction for 24 next season...FINALLY. I don’t think I can take another year of terrorism and corrupt government officials...
Halleluiah! It seems like 3 months since I posted this, and yet it’s just shy of 3 weeks. The sky is clear, the air smells fresh, and the birds are singing. Halleluiah! Halleluiah! Halleluiah!

Great episode! Hang ’em high.

Now this is the 24 I know and love.

When that armored truck came up and was yelling at the TV and telling my wife, this is crazy, here we go again, he gets broken out of custody and escapes. And Jack isn't even killing any of them and he usually can do one shot one kill. Go figure, every season. Then bam, totally faked me out. Loved it. Nice twist. I didn't like that a beaten Fahad (sorry don't know the spelling) was able to kill three men in the truck with his single pistol before either of those guys in the back could stop him. Didn't seem possible. Other then that loved all of it.

This show excels when it is about Jack and this episode proves that. Doyle's comments echo exactly what I said, damn Jack. That was excellent, Jack taking everyone out at the end then rushing in. Classic Jack. Excellent ending. Excellent episode. Loved every minute of it!

So, what is it the Chinese want. The preview showed Chang saying something like if you bring us the component? Do they want the nukes? China has their own nukes, why would they want them? Or is it something else?

"Damn Jack"

Classic

Wow, the Chinese timing is outstanding. They called within minutes of the nukes being secure. I wondered what would have happened if they called 10 minutes earlier. "we are sorry, Jack is unavailable right now. Please leave a message".

I'd put Audrey's chances of survival at around 6-1, at this point.

Now this is the 24 I know and love.

When that armored truck came up and was yelling at the TV and telling my wife, this is crazy, here we go again, he gets broken out of custody and escapes.

Me too, I was ready to be pissed at yet another unlikely escape. But when I saw Doyle go down, then Jack, I knew it was a 'setup'.

Holy crap. 24 is back. I don't think there can be any naysayers after this episode.

Wrong - I'll step up to the naysayer podium. That was a fantastic episode, beautifully written, and wonderfully acted.

But why is the finale aired the 2nd week of April, instead of at the end of the season? It appears the previous few hours were poorly written because the writers could not figure out how to stretch the plot to the end. We should all be thankful they came to this realization.

However, 6-7 hours of Jack chasing around LA looking for Audrey is not exactly a thrilling way to end the season IMHO.

{snip}
I didn't like that a beaten Fahad (sorry don't know the spelling) was able to kill three men in the truck with his single pistol before either of those guys in the back could stop him. Didn't seem possible. Other then that loved all of it.
{snip}


My first thought there was that Fayed was the terrorist version of Jack. He was hardcore. I think that's why they had the fight scene drag out a bit.

--Cross

It's nice to see they bailed on this horrible season and are starting over, rather than stick with it and try to fix it next season.

In order to make up for the past 2/3rds of this train wreck of a season, we'd better see the following:

1) William Devane
2) Jack's dad get caught and punished
3) A catfight between Audrey and Jack's newly-widowed former sister-in-law
4) An actual plot for the people at CTU. (Remember when Chloe used to do something on this show?)
5) At least a "wrapup" mention of the Logan/Martha/Aaron plotline... preferably an ending with Aaron shooting a weapon
6) At least a "wrapup" scene with Wayne's sister and her hospitalized boyfriend
7) LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of Kung-fu... possibly throwing stars... (Hey! It's the Chinese!)

Not likely to happen, but bonus points if the following happens:

1) Someone actually stating the name of "Fayed's Country"
2) Special guest star Chuck Norris... (Sort of an homage, since the Chuck Norris Facts/Jack Bauer Facts are now pretty much identical.)
3) Tony Almeida, Michelle Dessler, and David Palmer being resurrected from the dead by Wayne Palmer's doctor. Although slightly decomposed after 2+ years of being dead, they manage to get the job done with frequent injections of adrenaline! (You laugh, but who would be surprised by this show anymore?)

Wrong - I'll step up to the naysayer podium. That was a fantastic episode, beautifully written, and wonderfully acted.

But why is the finale aired the 2nd week of April, instead of at the end of the season? It appears the previous few hours were poorly written because the writers could not figure out how to stretch the plot to the end. We should all be thankful they came to this realization.

However, 6-7 hours of Jack chasing around LA looking for Audrey is not exactly a thrilling way to end the season IMHO.

I don't know...it may surprise you....last night renewed my faith.

My first thought there was that Fayed was the terrorist version of Jack. He was hardcore. I think that's why they had the fight scene drag out a bit.

--Cross

I'll bet Fayed's last thought was "why oh why did I insist on Jack Bauer in trade for info that was bogus anyway?!?!?"

I expect Chloe to go back to her old self soon. Jack's obviously going off the reservation again, and he'll need her help.

I was glad they gave Nadia something useful to do (translating Gen Habib and Fayed's conversation). She'd just been used as eye-candy and phony intrigue up to that point.

When did Palmer order them to shoot an unarmed missile at Middleastia instead of a real nuke? Was this originally the Veep's idea? Those silly people in his cabinet actually thought he was going to start World War III! Did you see the looks on their faces? Priceless! Man, David Palmer may have been a better president, but he sure couldn't pull off a practical joke like this!

We should punk countries like this all the time! Just elect a crazy-sounding guy like Powers Booth to threaten them whenever we want something, shoot a few phony missiles at them and watch them cower!

We should punk countries like this all the time! Just elect a crazy-sounding guy like Powers Booth to threaten them whenever we want something...
Well, we alrea.........mmmm...mmmm...mmmm...http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Deltoid/dogs.jpg




:)

I'd put Audrey's chances of survival at around 6-1, at this point.

chances are 4-1 that in the final episode Audrey bites it in the end. Someone close to Jack always dies. Maybe Audrey stuffs the nukes down her shirt and jumps in the ocean while Jack is tied down somehow. Terrorism is over, but once again Jack is left without someone close to him, and the show ends with him crying in his truck...

When did Palmer order them to shoot an unarmed missile at Middleastia instead of a real nuke? Was this originally the Veep's idea? Those silly people in his cabinet actually thought he was going to start World War III! Did you see the looks on their faces? Priceless! Man, David Palmer may have been a better president, but he sure couldn't pull off a practical joke like this!

We should punk countries like this all the time! Just elect a crazy-sounding guy like Powers Booth to threaten them whenever we want something, shoot a few phony missiles at them and watch them cower!
:D :D :D

Great episode, lot’s of fun.

I figured it out right away (the fake hijacking of the armored truck) but what confused me was when the agent handed over the loaded gun to Fayed. :confused: I thought that it was loaded with blanks, from witnessing the fake shoot out... and he was going to figure it all out.
Regardless, the episode was great entertainment. :cool:

Good ep for sure. The "Damn, Jack" line was well played after the thoughtful surveying of the destruction. But, I also liked the end of Fayed as Jack wrapped the chain around his neck, said "say hello to your brother" and reached for the control buttons to the pulley.

The "Damn, Jack" line was well played after the thoughtful surveying of the destruction. But, I also liked the end of Fayed as Jack wrapped the chain around his neck, said "say hello to your brother" and reached for the control buttons to the pulley.Yes, as stated by many here, that was a classic line and imagery. I thought that was the pinnacle moment of this season. :cool:

I agree that this was much more of a classic 24 episode. Damn, Jack. But I gotta say I feel a little ripped off that we went 16 out of the 24 episodes just to pretty much dump the whole story line.

I was bit disappointed they are going to drag it out again by spinning it off with the Chinese.Relief is but a button click away. End your suffering now! You can do it. I have faith in you!


ron

I agree that this was much more of a classic 24 episode. Damn, Jack. But I gotta say I feel a little ripped off that we went 16 out of the 24 episodes just to pretty much dump the whole story line.

But hasn't that been the hallmark of this series all along? I recall the early years, when you were surprised to see the assumed "main story" end abruptly to be followed up by something different. They almost always, if memory serves, seem to wrap up the early "big threat" about 3/4 of the way in and go off on a different, if connected, line. I don't think it's dumping the whole story, but rather the way they've always done things.

I'll bet we find out that Gradenko and Fayed were both working for the Chinese.... its not really the terrorists, its not really the rogue Russians from days gone by... its been the Chinese all along. Maybe we'll meet General Tso? (you laugh?)

Well, we alrea.........mmmm...mmmm...mmmm...http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Deltoid/dogs.jpg
No, I'm talking about electing a maddog crazy president. One that would talk about dropping nukes on China to end a war in Korea (yeah, my dad voted for Goldwater).

Hey, now 24 can actually say the name of a country: China. Yes, folks, China is the country with the evil government doing the bad things on the show now. They don't have to say Audrey is being held by "a large central Asian country" or anything like that. I don't know why 24 can pick on China and not Jordan or Syria. Maybe the Chinese laugh at the show like many of us do.

Maybe the Chinese laugh at the show like many of us do.


They are probably financing it....

But hasn't that been the hallmark of this series all along? I recall the early years, when you were surprised to see the assumed "main story" end abruptly to be followed up by something different.
Welcome back to season two. I kind of liked how that season switched gears. This season Jack didn't even get a chance to go to the bathroom before the next crisis revealed itself. In season two the nuclear threat was over (sound familiar?) and it seemed like the season was over. Then there was an strange episode where they kept hinting that something else was going to happen without telling us.

Unfortunately that "something else" in season two was one of the dullest dumbest story arcs in 24 history.

But, I also liked the end of Fayed as Jack wrapped the chain around his neck, said "say hello to your brother" and reached for the control buttons to the pulley.

And I'm not even going to say Die Hard. ;)

Hey, now 24 can actually say the name of a country: China. Yes, folks, China is the country with the evil government doing the bad things on the show now. They don't have to say Audrey is being held by "a large central Asian country" or anything like that. I don't know why 24 can pick on China and not Jordan or Syria.
There is an answer to this; however, it would likely lead this thread where it should not go. So, just laugh it off... (Loved that fake UN picture with the representative from "Fayed's Country.")

It was finally nice to see an episode that was less like a soap opera and more of just good old fashioned ass kicking .

So what do you guys think the chinese want? Is it the nukes?

Great episode.

"Damn Jack".....

So what do you guys think the chinese want? Is it the nukes?
China has had hydrogen bombs for 40 years now, so... somehow I doubt it.

So, what is it the Chinese want. The preview showed Chang saying something like if you bring us the component? Do they want the nukes? China has their own nukes, why would they want them? Or is it something else?
I don’t watch previews, and I wish the networks would do away with them. If I’m a fan of a show I’ll watch next week. I don’t need to be teased in order to tune in. I prefer using my imagination (which I do) to anticipate what will happen. I know previews are allowed, but I’d prefer people be courteous of the many that don’t watch them and leave them out of the discussion. Yeah, I’m being selfish, but that is how I feel. YMMV.

This season started with Jack being released by the Chinese as part of a negotiation so Fayed could get Jack. No sooner is Fayed dead, when Jack gets a call from Won Hung Lo. Someone had to let the Chinese know what was going on. As of yet we haven’t had a mole, and we ALWAYS have a mole at CTU. Who is going to be the mole? My fortune cookie tells me the Chinese want those 2 nukes. While its true the Chinese have nukes, they don’t have nukes on US soil. The Chinese are still pissed that the Chinese Consul was killed and are seeking revenge. They, like lots of other countries, don’t like to be made fools of. I suspect an apology is in order, as well as an admission of guilt.

My fortune cookie tells me the Chinese want those 2 nukes. While its true the Chinese have nukes, they don’t have nukes on US soil.
True, but they do have ballistic missile guidance technology now, courtesy of... Wait, never mind. That's some reality this thread doesn't need. My theory is that the Chinese are just still ticked at Jack, and want some revenge.

Did we ever find out just what sort of "deal" that Prez Palmer made with the Chinese to get Jack released in the first place? Iirc, the terms were steep. Wonder if this has anything to do with it.

The Chinese are still pissed that the Chinese Consul was killed and are seeking revenge.

My theory is that the Chinese are just still ticked at Jack, and want some revenge.

So, you buy my theory. ;)

This season started with Jack being released by the Chinese as part of a negotiation so Fayed could get Jack. No sooner is Fayed dead, when Jack gets a call from One Hung Lo. Someone had to let the Chinese know what was going on. As of yet we haven’t had a mole, and we ALWAYS have a mole at CTU. Who is going to be the mole? My fortune cookie tells me the Chinese want those 2 nukes. While its true the Chinese have nukes, they don’t have nukes on US soil. The Chinese are still pissed that the Chinese Consul was killed and are seeking revenge. They, like lots of other countries, don’t like to be made fools of. I suspect an apology is in order, as well as an admission of guilt.

I highly doubt they are considering using nukes on US soil as retaliation for Jack having shot their Consul (which he didn't and they have to know that, as he was shot in the back by one of his own men by accident).

There is something larger in play....

I highly doubt they are considering using nukes on US soil as retaliation for Jack having shot their Consul (which he didn't and they have to know that, as he was shot in the back by one of his own men by accident).

There is something larger in play....
I don’t think they know how he was killed, do they? I could be wrong about that, but as I recall, none of that was ever played out.

They need to wrap before seasons end, so this can’t be too convoluted.

True, but they do have ballistic missile guidance technology now, courtesy of.... :eek: Shhhh you might hit a nerve :cool: :D


Did we ever find out just what sort of "deal" that Prez Palmer made with the Chinese to get Jack released in the first place? Iirc, the terms were steep. Wonder if this has anything to do with it. :cool: I would say that's where we're headed.

I'll bet we find out that Gradenko and Fayed were both working for the Chinese.... its not really the terrorists, its not really the rogue Russians from days gone by... its been the Chinese all along. Maybe we'll meet General Tso? I agree....
...and I don't know what's funnier- your General or Aliens' Mr. Lo :D

chances are 4-1 that in the final episode Audrey bites it in the end. Someone close to Jack always dies. Maybe Audrey stuffs the nukes down her shirt and jumps in the ocean while Jack is tied down somehow. Terrorism is over, but once again Jack is left without someone close to him, and the show ends with him crying in his truck...
I think the Audrey story line came out of thin air when her show was cancelled and she was suddenly available. They were probably running out of ideas to extend the current story line another 8 episodes :)

I don’t think they know how he was killed, do they? I could be wrong about that, but as I recall, none of that was ever played out.

They need to wrap before seasons end, so this can’t be too convoluted.

They never showed it, but a simple autopsy would show he was shot from behind, and by a Chinese weapon.

But yes, Jack gave them a diplomatic black eye, and they wanted him to pay. Looks like they aren't done with him yet.

...I don't know what's funnier- your General or Aliens' Mr. Lo :D
Unbelievable! I just got an e-mail from Won giving me hell for misspelling his name. As a typical uncultured American, I assumed his name was spelled One, not Won. My apologies, Won. :o

But yes, Jack gave them a diplomatic black eye, and they wanted him to pay. Looks like they aren't done with him yet.
I dunno. That doesn't really make sense since Jack was abducted and imprisoned and finally released through a deal between Palmer and the Chinese gov't. Jack has "paid" and the Chinese (gov't at least) should be through with him, at least politically (they did get something in return but we don't know what yet). I think the issue might be more of a personal one between Jack and Mr. Lo - maybe the dead guy was his brother or something. I'm thinking that Mr. Lo might be working from his own agenda...

I dunno. That doesn't really make sense since Jack was abducted and imprisoned and finally released through a deal between Palmer and the Chinese gov't. Jack has "paid" and the Chinese (gov't at least) should be through with him, at least politically (they did get something in return but we don't know what yet). I think the issue might be more of a personal one between Jack and Mr. Lo - maybe the dead guy was his brother or something. I'm thinking that Mr. Lo might be working from his own agenda...

How doesn't it make sense? Regardless of whether Jack shot the Consul, he still embarrassed them...just because they released him doesn't mean they are done punishing/using him.

Where it becomes personal between Lo and Jack is that Jack never broke (probably the most unrealistic event in the series. Everyone breaks, given enough time)

So, you buy my theory. ;)
Yes, let all take note: I buy Aliens' theory on the 24 plotline. Great minds think alike, or something like that...

Yes, let all take note: I buy Aliens' theory on the 24 plotline. Great minds think alike, or something like that...
In a way, I was being sarcastic. That type of post in threads about who said it first and so on are pretty funny. I wanted my post to be considered for the Pulitzer, when and if things turn out that way. ;)

I think the Audrey story line came out of thin air when her show was cancelled and she was suddenly available. They were probably running out of ideas to extend the current story line another 8 episodes :)


I think that is exactly right.

(Loved that fake UN picture with the representative from "Fayed's Country.")Thanks! I would have made a better one, but I did it at work with MSPAINT instead of Photoshop. I wish I knew how to post it to this thread so that it would have showed up without clicking the link.. but I didn't know how.

Whats fishy to me is that if the chinese faked Audrey's death and kidnapped her six months ago...

Why didn't they use her as leverage to 'break' Jack? I mean isn't that a logical thing to do? we can't get you to talk, we have your girl friend, tell us what we want to know or we will torture her? seems to me to be more effective than holding her on the off chance that Jack may be released some day in the future and then you make your move. If Fayed didn't specifically ask for Bauer then Jack potentially would have rotted the rest of his life in a chinese prison and Audrey's kidnapping would have been pointless. From the Chinese perspective they were not giving him up for anything and it took a 'steep price to get him out of china', so why did they plan to have him released at the same time?

I think the Audrey story line came out of thin air when her show was cancelled and she was suddenly available.
I was expecting her to say something like: "Jack! Jack! I can't believe it! They canceled "The Six". And <sniff> it was a great show. So well written. And it came on right after Lost! It was supposed to be a sure thing but that damn Lost just kills everything that touches it! Now you gotta help me get back on 24! What, they killed me? So what. They killed everyone on Alias at least three times! Come on Jack, you can pull some strings at CTU, can't you? I'll even drive a Toyota in every scene if that'll help!"

I was really shaking my head for a minute, wondering "how could those guys in the armored car have known [what they'd have to know to do what they did]?" Then the big reveal, and I was satisfied with the plot twist. Nicely done.

Best line of the night -- Michael Doyle surveying the aftermath: "Damn, Jack!"No Jack telling Fayed : Say hello to your brother"

Unbelievable! I just got an e-mail from Won giving me hell for misspelling his name. As a typical uncultured American, I assumed his name was spelled One, not Won. My apologies, Won. :oCareful now, you don’t want to join Imus in the perp walk. :p

Whats fishy to me is that if the chinese faked Audrey's death and kidnapped her six months ago...

Why didn't they use her as leverage to 'break' Jack? I mean isn't that a logical thing to do? we can't get you to talk, we have your girl friend, tell us what we want to know or we will torture her? seems to me to be more effective than holding her on the off chance that Jack may be released some day in the future and then you make your move. If Fayed didn't specifically ask for Bauer then Jack potentially would have rotted the rest of his life in a chinese prison and Audrey's kidnapping would have been pointless. From the Chinese perspective they were not giving him up for anything and it took a 'steep price to get him out of china', so why did they plan to have him released at the same time?
I'm not sure they really wanted anything from Jack other than for him to suffer.

I think the Audrey story line came out of thin air when her show was cancelled and she was suddenly available. They were probably running out of ideas to extend the current story line another 8 episodes :)

I read an interview with Horsey Face last year in which she said that if "The Nine" was cancelled, the producers of "24" were ready to extend her a warm welcome back.

I'm not sure they really wanted anything from Jack other than for him to suffer.

Well in the season preview deelie they were trying to get information out of him and get him to talk. I suppose that was a form of making him suffer since his actions caused one of his undercover agents to die, but it did seem like hey were trying to pump him for some information... he wasn't giving up.

Jack: "Note to self, when torturing a suspect, break both his legs so HE CAN'T GET AWAY!"

I don’t watch previews, and I wish the networks would do away with them. If I’m a fan of a show I’ll watch next week. I don’t need to be teased in order to tune in. I prefer using my imagination (which I do) to anticipate what will happen. I know previews are allowed, but I’d prefer people be courteous of the many that don’t watch them and leave them out of the discussion. Yeah, I’m being selfish, but that is how I feel. YMMV.

Did you catch the rest of the preview when President Palmer is shot in the head by the vice president and then the UFO came down and zapped him away, turning him into a robot? :D :p

Did you catch the rest of the preview when President Palmer is shot in the head by the vice president and then the UFO came down and zapped him away, turning him into a robot? :D :p
See, this is what I’m talking about. Now the show is ruined for me. Thanks. :mad:






;)

Is Chloe even on the show anymore? I'm not sure, but I want to say it's been like 2 episodes since she's said anything.

The Chinese must be behind everything. And to think, CAIR is all upset about the show portraying muslims in a bad light, when we all know it's the Chinese pulling the strings.

Does anyone have a screenshot of the map they showed when Palmer launched the missile? Just curious if it would lend any insight into Fayed's Country, or if they just used a fake coastline or the coast of California to avoid offending anyone.

See, this is what I’m talking about. Now the show is ruined for me. Thanks. :mad:






;)

Guess you missed the quick shot of Bill Pulman shooting down the aliens from his F-16, then putting a voodoo spell on the VP.

I looked at the "coast" pretty intently. It looked totally generic and probably completely fabricated.

Whats fishy to me is that if the chinese faked Audrey's death and kidnapped her six months ago...

Why didn't they use her as leverage to 'break' Jack? I mean isn't that a logical thing to do? we can't get you to talk, we have your girl friend, tell us what we want to know or we will torture her? seems to me to be more effective than holding her on the off chance that Jack may be released some day in the future and then you make your move. If Fayed didn't specifically ask for Bauer then Jack potentially would have rotted the rest of his life in a chinese prison and Audrey's kidnapping would have been pointless. From the Chinese perspective they were not giving him up for anything and it took a 'steep price to get him out of china', so why did they plan to have him released at the same time?

She's the daughter of a former Secretary of Defense...she may have value to them over and above her relationship to Jack? Dunno.

I was expecting her to say something like: "Jack! Jack! I can't believe it! They canceled "The Six".


Lol...it was "The Nine"

Six? Nine? Jack? Audrey? hmm...

Six? Nine? Jack? Audrey? hmm...

They've both been languishing in Chinese prisons for a long time...it may not be pretty....

There was one shot in this particular episode that annoyed me .

When Jack and Doyle drives into the tunnel and does that sliding stop that showcases the Toyota Tundra.

Yeessshhh.

I guess it's better than Jack tooling around in the Toyota Yaris earlier in the episode though---that was really goofy.

Product placement is one thing...but that was pretty shameless.

[In Season 2--they were using the Ford F-150 tie-in.]

The vehicle should at least fit the character.

Action hero stars generally do not drive subcompacts in action films.

The vehicle should at least fit the character.

Yeah, but the Hummer is GM product..... :)

Lol...it was "The Nine"
I knew I should have looked it up! :eek:

That was easily the best episode so far this season. I almost gave up on it.

Whats fishy to me is that if the chinese faked Audrey's death and kidnapped her six months ago...

Why didn't they use her as leverage to 'break' Jack? I mean isn't that a logical thing to do? we can't get you to talk, we have your girl friend, tell us what we want to know or we will torture her? seems to me to be more effective than holding her on the off chance that Jack may be released some day in the future and then you make your move. If Fayed didn't specifically ask for Bauer then Jack potentially would have rotted the rest of his life in a chinese prison and Audrey's kidnapping would have been pointless. From the Chinese perspective they were not giving him up for anything and it took a 'steep price to get him out of china', so why did they plan to have him released at the same time?

maybe they were planning on having Audrey and Jack mate, then raise the child as the leader of their superarmy to defeat the US. That was, of course, until China gave Jack back to the US. So maybe they just want Jack's sperm...

All I'm waiting for is to see Jack evoke the same kind of torture on the Chinese men who have Audrey, that they laid on him. Now that would be a great season-ender

On important things...I thought the best kill (outisde of Fayed), was the guy Jack took out on the loading dock, textbook.

Take out the legs, snap neck...all within 3 seconds....well done.

On important things...I thought the best kill (outisde of Fayed), was the guy Jack took out on the loading dock, textbook.

Take out the legs, snap neck...all within 3 seconds....well done.

That's the old Jack..

1) Locate Terrorists
2) Kill all flunkies
3) Kill the leader in the most ruthless way possible, preferably with some cruel remark.

Got a little misty there...

That's the old Jack..

1) Locate Terrorists
2) Kill all flunkies
3) Kill the leader in the most ruthless way possible, preferably with some cruel remark.

Got a little misty there...

all that was missing was Jack looking panicked and a "DAMMITCHLOE! WEDON'THAVETIME" and a "TELLMEWHATINEEDTOKNOW!"

I expect Chloe to go back to her old self soon. Jack's obviously going off the reservation again, and he'll need her help.

I was glad they gave Nadia something useful to do (translating Gen Habib and Fayed's conversation). She'd just been used as eye-candy and phony intrigue up to that point.

Not entirely true. Nadia also serves the useful purpose of adding the melodrama storyline of two guys fighting over her. This week Milo despite nuclear bombs floating about decides he wants to play cave man and puts the grip on Nadia's arm.

Most professional women would have cracked him right there. But of course, flaco boy Milo will be seeing some action no doubt. This in lieu of a sexual harassment charge.

Is Chloe even on the show anymore? I'm not sure, but I want to say it's been like 2 episodes since she's said anything.

The Chinese must be behind everything. And to think, CAIR is all upset about the show portraying muslims in a bad light, when we all know it's the Chinese pulling the strings.

Does anyone have a screenshot of the map they showed when Palmer launched the missile? Just curious if it would lend any insight into Fayed's Country, or if they just used a fake coastline or the coast of California to avoid offending anyone.

The map was vaguely like a missile launch from the Arabian Gulf pointing vaguely toward Yemen or Saudi Arabia. In fact by trajectory, it had Riyadh written all over it although they were supposedly targeting a remote area. That would be more like Yemen or the border area of the two.

Not entirely true. Nadia also serves the useful purpose of adding the melodrama storyline of two guys fighting over her. This week Milo despite nuclear bombs floating about decides he wants to play cave man and puts the grip on Nadia's arm.

Most professional women would have cracked him right there. But of course, flaco boy Milo will be seeing some action no doubt. This in lieu of a sexual harassment charge.
Without a doubt the winner of the most "ridiculous scene of the episode award", I thought exactly the same thing.

Great ep otherwise, now if we can lose CTU and the silliness going on in Washington and have a Jack/Chloe rogue-style mission for the rest of the season 24 may just have a chance at redeeming itself as one of the best action thrillers on TV.

Unbelievable! I just got an e-mail from Won giving me hell for misspelling his name. As a typical uncultured American, I assumed his name was spelled One, not Won. My apologies, Won. :o

Don't forget his lackeys 'Hung Well', 'Long Wang' and 'Enormous Genitals'.

If you look closely in the previews for next week, you'll see a brief cameo by William Hung.

Without a doubt the winner of the most "ridiculous scene of the episode award", I thought exactly the same thing.

Great ep otherwise, now if we can lose CTU and the silliness going on in Washington and have a Jack/Chloe rogue-style mission for the rest of the season 24 may just have a chance at redeeming itself as one of the best action thrillers on TV.

Couldn't agree more. I didn't even watch the show until last night. Like many others became bummed with the show's lack of plot grip. The citation of Flaco-boy Milo was the only part that didn't ring true. So it's not really a complaint just an observation. But I guess this was written for the women who like to be manhandled by a guy with a short attention span who can't focus on anything else but them, re: Nadia's blue suit even if there are nuclear bombs that could blow up right above them at any moment.

Guess some women would find that charming. Me, I'm now down on flaco-boy Milo. I want to see Ricky Schroeder give him a run for the roses, re: hotttttieee. :p

Good ep for sure. The "Damn, Jack" line was well played after the thoughtful surveying of the destruction. But, I also liked the end of Fayed as Jack wrapped the chain around his neck, said "say hello to your brother" and reached for the control buttons to the pulley.

The chain around the neck and reaching for the controls as well as Jack sitting bolt upright after the fake hijack/rescue of Fayad was a nice little nod to the Terminator movies I thought. Jack certainly did his best Terminator to wipe out those guys and finally Fayad to get those 2 remaining nukes secured...Damn Jack!!! indeed... :cool:

Finally got around to watching this week's episode last night and I must say it was long overdue. I knew it would pick up in the last few hours but I was beginning to doubt it. Whew!
While I am really excited to see the real Jack back in action AKA, the"Bauer Power Hour"all I want to know is this:
"What's the body count for the episode?"
It was really low in the last few episodes with pseudo-Jack running around, barely there, but now we got 'ol bad-ass himslef back its gonna climb for sure :D
Jack.....is...Back!

How's that for a follow-up? Can't top last week's but compelling for different reasons. It's Jack vs Noah!

Tonight's episode was boring. It was 60 minutes of talk and no action.

I don't disagree the action is lacking tonight. This basically is a setup episode into the rest of the season which is again "Jack against just about everybody else". The acting in the press conference scene was pretty bad, though. Can they give DB Woodside a razzy (or the TV equivalent of it) for that?

It can't be action, action, action every week; you need setup.

Hated this episode. After the last episode I was on a high, felt like 24 returned to its roots. Then this episode. Boring, and SOOOO predictable. I knew exactly how it was going to turn out in the first 10 minutes. I knew exactly what would happen as soon as the president asked for the vice president's resignation. I knew what would happen to Jack, all of it. So predictable, so boring. Looks like next weeks episode is going to be another predictable episode.

Hated this episode. After the last episode I was on a high, felt like 24 returned to its roots. Then this episode. Boring, and SOOOO predictable. I knew exactly how it was going to turn out in the first 10 minutes. I knew exactly what would happen as soon as the president asked for the vice president's resignation. I knew what would happen to Jack, all of it. So predictable, so boring. Looks like next weeks episode is going to be another predictable episode.

well, you can be as doom and gloom about one episode as you want, but I can assure you that at least a couple of surprises are in store for you before the "day" is done.

I don't disagree the action is lacking tonight. This basically is a setup episode into the rest of the season which is again "Jack against just about everybody else". The acting in the press conference scene was pretty bad, though. Can they give DB Woodside a razzy (or the TV equivalent of it) for that?

Agreed - the lack of action was predictable. As a 24 Season 6-basher for the past 2 months, I'm only displeased with the plot line (Jack saving Audrey). However, the acting all-around was poor.

So Jack is going to save Audrey, blow himself and the Chinese agent up with C4, KS will be off the show, and it will continue with RS. That is awful.

Doesn't Jack "go rogue" at least once per season? And there never seem to be any reprecussions to his actions. I agree that it was really obvious that Palmer would collapse again at some point last night, putting the VP back in charge.

I always enjoy 24 and last night was no exception. The preposterous twists and turns, played with perfect earnestness no matter how silly the premise, tickle me to death. The preternaturally evil Vice President Daniels, played by the wonderful Powers Boothe is a particular favorite of mine. Nobody does a better job as the Bad Guy From Central Casting than Boothe. I loved it when, after witnessing President Palmer’s collapse, he got a look of satisfaction on his face and placed his letter of resignation in his inside coat pocket.

Last night was obviously just a setup episode for the rest of the season. And of course Jack goes rogue once per season. But so what? He's at his best when it's him against the world. At this point, he's working against DC and CTU, and I can't wait to see what happens.

Anyone want to place bets on whether or not Chang is still alive by 7 am?

Last night was obviously just a setup episode for the rest of the season. And of course Jack goes rogue once per season. But so what? He's at his best when it's him against the world. At this point, he's working against DC and CTU, and I can't wait to see what happens.

Anyone want to place bets on whether or not Chang is still alive by 7 am?

Jack's up against:

The US Government
The Chinese Government
The Russian Government isn't very happy with him either, especially if they find out what he's 'trading' for Audrey.

I'm looking forward to it...but I don't see how Chloe is going to be able to help him now...they've really neutered her this Season.

the VP is clearly the most interesting new character of the show. he is miles better as the evil president than logan ever was. he's so despicable i love it when he's on now. unfortunately this means lennox's days are numbered.

the VP is clearly the most interesting new character of the show. he is miles better as the evil president than logan ever was. he's so despicable i love it when he's on now. unfortunately this means lennox's days are numbered.

And Karen Hayes too. Which bids the next possibility....... Lennox+Hayes against Daniels. Lennox still got the tape recording, remember?

the VP is clearly the most interesting new character of the show. he is miles better as the evil president than logan ever was. he's so despicable i love it when he's on now. unfortunately this means lennox's days are numbered.

And Karen Hayes too. Which bids the next possibility....... Lennox+Hayes against Daniels. Lennox still got the tape recording, remember? And what happens to the loose ends of all the other characters, Graem's wife, son, Jack's dad, Logan and his wife (is Logan dead?), Reed Pollack, Secretary Heller .......

And Karen Hayes too. Which bids the next possibility....... Lennox+Hayes against Daniels. Lennox still got the tape recording, remember? And what happens to the loose ends of all the other characters, Graem's wife, son, Jack's dad, Logan and his wife (is Logan dead?), Reed Pollack, Secretary Heller .......

I don't mean this as a criticism of the show, but if it's like most seasons they won't bother tying up most of those loose ends. I would think we'd hear from Jack's dad again, but I could see the rest of those mentioned never emerging again.

I don't really see Graem's wife, son, Reed Pollack or Sec. Heller as loose ends. I expect they just go on with their lives.

Jack's dad is definitely a loose end but they might save him for another season. Logan is somewhat of a loose end. Surprise there hasn't been any mention on the "news" or at the White House/CTU about his death.

Lennox+Hayes against Daniels.

Sounds like a boxing match on HBO

I thought this week was back to the mediocre political bickering of previous weeks. I had two big problems with this weeks ep.

First, I really do not care about Audrey so saving her means zip to me. Will she live or die? Eh, whatever. If Jack isn't saving the world the least he can be doing is saving someone who is actually on the show. Like Chloe or Bill.

Second. The writers seem to have forgotten who Jack Bauer is! "You're asking me to send you on a suicide mission" said Wayne. Eh, Wayne, have you not being paying attention? Jack is always going on suicide missions. Remember him volunteering to fly a nuke into the desert? Living as a drug dealer in the middle of a cartel? Breaking into the Chinese embassy? etc. etc. I know he's got brain damage but it just sounds ridiculous that Wayne can forget what Bauer is.

I'm not sure if the line "Jack, you can't go up aginst the Whitehouse!" was supposed to be funny, but it was. That following a season in which he kidnaps the president. :rolleyes:

Worst of all. Doyle barking at Jack, "You. Come over here!" You don't diss Jack like that! He's the dude who saved the country thirty minutes earlier and took out 10 terrorists on his own! Are the writers going out of their way to make sure everyone really hates Doyle, because they really don't have to try at this point.

The highlight of the episode was in the last minute when Jack whips out his gun and tells Doyle he killed his partner this morning so don't get cocky. If Doyle doesn't die this season it will be a big mistake.

24 is back on track. The last 2 weeks have been great.

Powers Booth really makes this season.

Boothe's character is a little "too" evil for me to enjoy his presence.

Peter MacNicol has been the star of the season, IMO.

Hate to say it but I think they need to cut back on the number of episodes in a season. I know they have this whole format about an hour an episode. I say chuck it. The whole show takes place in 24 hours, but cut the number of episodes. Seems like they are reaching to fill the gaps to get to 24 episodes. A lot less episodes would mean more action and better pacing.

First, I really do not care about Audrey so saving her means zip to me. Will she live or die? Eh, whatever.
That's the main problem I have with this final arc of the season. Audrey was never anything special to me on the show.

i don't think shortening the season is the answer...... think of all the loose ends they could be filling up these episodes with...did Logan die or not? Where's Jack's dad? Is Jack ever gonna let Kim know that he's back?

I don't really see Graem's wife, son, Reed Pollack or Sec. Heller as loose ends. I expect they just go on with their lives.

Jack's dad is definitely a loose end but they might save him for another season. Logan is somewhat of a loose end. Surprise there hasn't been any mention on the "news" or at the White House/CTU about his death.
Agreed. On most shows these might be considered "loose ends." But on 24, well, they'll just deal with them "tomorrow."

And I don't think it's been said that Logan has died. But it's been a busy day and now it's late at night. Either way, I bet it'll make the morning news in 24's universe. :D

About loose ends. The best moment in the first season was when one of those "loose ends" from the beginning of the season (who had made Jack look like a moron) unexpectedly returned... and Jack was very very glad to see him.

That's the kind of stuff I wish 24 would do more. Since Papa Jack made his son look like a dummy and got away, it would be very nice for him to unexpectedly come back.

24 is back on track. The last 2 weeks have been great.

Powers Booth really makes this season.

Makes the season drag, maybe. I liked him in Deadwood but I'm not understanding the Powers Booth Love Brigade in this forum. The character is shallow, way too predictable, and PB is not doing much acting beyond a grunt here or there.

Yes, this ep was pure set-up, but what a set-up! Jack says of Chang: "He was responsible for my torture...he's not making it out of there alive!" What Jack did in finally securing the nukes was nothing compared to what they've set up in the confrontation with the Beijing connection.

The nukes were easy. Just a good old fist fight with Fayad. Chang doesn't know what's coming his way yet.

Yeah, but like in seasons past, the primary villian (Chang not Fayed) is gonna get off easy when killed.

Remember how anti-climatic Mahwan's death was? Or Saunders?

Fayed got a good villian death... Chang is gonna end up eating some bad bbq, and crap himself to death in a public restroom.

agreed - I think Booth is annoying

:confused: Maybe I’m missing something—and I thought that someone already brought this up here-- but how did Chang know what was going on? How did he know to call Jack right after the nukes were secured? He knew before the president. What am I missing here? Is it just understood that there is a mole? But even then, it still doesn't make sense. :confused:

:confused: Maybe I’m missing something—and I thought that someone already brought this up here-- but how did Chang no what was going on? How did he know to call Jack right after the nukes were secured? He knew before the president. What am I missing here? Is it just understood that there is a mole? But even then, it still doesn't make sense. :confused:

you're not missing anything, the 24 writers are.

I thought it was funny after Morris asks how it went after Chloe turned in Jack to Buchanon..."You're going to hold this against me". Chloe says, "Yes I am" and then Morris says "Can you give me a timeframe as to how long this will last?" Chloe - "I'll get back to you" :)

Ah yes... the Chloe we all know, love and miss :( :)

I thought it was funny after Morris asks how it went after Chloe turned in Jack to Buchanon..."You're going to hold this against me". Chloe says, "Yes I am" and then Morris says "Can you give me a timeframe as to how long this will last?" Chloe - "I'll get back to you" :)


That was the best line she had all season. I wonder why they kind of put her in the background this year I want the old Chloe back

How many more episodes are left in this season?

IIRC last hour was 11pm- 12am, so we should have 6 more hours ending at 7am. I could be wrong.

About the picture: I'm watching on a Sceptre x42 komodo... there seems to be more grainy video noise than I expected. CSI Miami follows that and is much clearer.
I think that is the intention of the producers, to make the show more grainy and gritty. I know it is annoying when you have a nice new HDTV and the picture is really grainy, but this also happens in movies sometimes where the directors want to give the film a more gritty and realistic look to it.

By the way, CSI Miami is arguably the most beautiful show on tv so it is hard to top that. ;)

I agree CSI Miami does look the best I also think Cold Case looks pretty darn good as well.

24 Looks ok for all the reasons mentioned.

I think that is the intention of the producers, to make the show more grainy and gritty. I know it is annoying when you have a nice new HDTV and the picture is really grainy, but this also happens in movies sometimes where the directors want to give the film a more gritty and realistic look to it.

By the way, CSI Miami is arguably the most beautiful show on tv so it is hard to top that. ;)

CSI miami is so oversaturated with color that it looks cartoony.

I think a lot of it has to do with shooting a night, which will remain through the end of the season. I don’t notice much graininess during the brightly lit indoor scenes. As a matter of fact, I think it looks darn good.

you're not missing anything, the 24 writers are.

Ah, the 'Manny Coto Effect' in action.

IIRC last hour was 11pm- 12am, so we should have 6 more hours ending at 7am. I could be wrong.

Actually seven more hours to go:

1--12:00-1:00
2--1:00-2:00
3--2:00-3:00
4--3:00-4:00
5--4:00-5:00
6--5:00-6:00
7--6:00-7:00

Interesting photo montage of Chloe here...

http://geeksugar.com/193007

Interesting photo montage of Chloe here...

http://geeksugar.com/193007


WOW Chloe looks good all cleaned up

I'd...well I can't say because my wife might read this

Nice bod on Mary, there. ;)

I'm not sure what's up with the bizarra Lara Croft thing... or the bomb she's carrying around.

I wonder what she'd look like smiling. Maybe she doesn't have the right facial muscles because of some rare genetic disorder.

Actually seven more hours to go:

1--12:00-1:00
2--1:00-2:00
3--2:00-3:00
4--3:00-4:00
5--4:00-5:00
6--5:00-6:00
7--6:00-7:00
Not quite. :)

12:00 AM - 1:00 AM
1:00 AM - 2:00 AM
2:00 AM - 3:00 AM
3:00 AM - 4:00 AM
4:00 AM - 5:00 AM
5:00 AM - 6:00 AM


Which will be done in 5 weeks. The last week will be a 2-hour episode.

Interesting photo montage of Chloe here...

http://geeksugar.com/193007
I’m not one that thinks Chloe is hot, but in those pics she is hotter than a goat in heat in a forest fire. What a bod!

That dual-pistol pose (Lara Croft) reminded me of an image I've seen too much this week. Downer.

That dual-pistol pose (Lara Croft) reminded me of an image I've seen too much this week. Downer.
Yeah...I really wish NBC had kept that info to themselves, or at least waited until the families had time to bury their own. Why give this guy the publicity and attention he obviously craved? And now he's ruined a Chloe picture for us too....

I wonder what she'd look like smiling. Maybe she doesn't have the right facial muscles because of some rare genetic disorder. :D Too funny. She was born with that pouty frowny disease... This face :( plus this face :mad: equals Chloe.

Not quite. :)

12:00 AM - 1:00 AM
1:00 AM - 2:00 AM
2:00 AM - 3:00 AM
3:00 AM - 4:00 AM
4:00 AM - 5:00 AM
5:00 AM - 6:00 AM


Which will be done in 5 weeks. The last week will be a 2-hour episode.

My mistake -- I assumed ion-man knew what he was talking about when he said the show ends at 7 am.

:D Too funny. She was born with that pouty frowny disease... This face :( plus this face :mad: equals Chloe.

Maybe she had a facelift, and the doctor pulled the wrong way?

Guess I screwed up then cause I thought it started at 7am this season, so it would end at 7. Sorry for the mixup.

Interesting photo montage of Chloe here...

http://geeksugar.com/193007

Air-brushed beyond recognition.

Nice bod though!

I think that is the intention of the producers, to make the show more grainy and gritty. I know it is annoying when you have a nice new HDTV and the picture is really grainy, but this also happens in movies sometimes where the directors want to give the film a more gritty and realistic look to it.

By the way, CSI Miami is arguably the most beautiful show on tv so it is hard to top that. ;)
24 actually has a pleasant amount of detail in its HD broadcast and it rarely breaks up, even in fast-moving scenes. The only problem is that, of course, it is very grainy in darker scenes. First, this could be artistic intention; the show isn't supposed to be flashy. Second, those indoor scenes are very hard to photograph - it's incredibly difficult to photograph indoor or dimly lit scenes without boosting the film speed on an sLr.

While I don't watch CSI too much, I agree that its PQ is incredible. Personally, I hate the overblown contrasty style and the extremely fast "cool" editing of the show, but that's just me. Personally, I find the HD broadcasts of Rome and Sopranos on HBO to be beautiful, but I realize that HBO (like all of the TV channels) compress the image too much for its own good.

24 actually has a pleasant amount of detail in its HD broadcast and it rarely breaks up, even in fast-moving scenes.
Fox uses 720p, which contributes to the lack of "break ups" in the picture during fast-moving scenes. The bandwidth requirements are slightly less than 1080i, and the image is not interlaced. That's why sports sometimes benefit from 720p, as well (although you'll find many people praise CBS' image quality for their HD football in 1080i).

I guess it's better than Jack tooling around in the Toyota Yaris earlier in the episode though---that was really goofy.

Product placement is one thing...but that was pretty shameless.

The vehicle should at least fit the character.

Action hero stars generally do not drive subcompacts in action films.

You obviously didn't see the movie "Cellular", then... ;)

24 actually has a pleasant amount of detail in its HD broadcast and it rarely breaks up, even in fast-moving scenes. The only problem is that, of course, it is very grainy in darker scenes. First, this could be artistic intention; the show isn't supposed to be flashy. Second, those indoor scenes are very hard to photograph - it's incredibly difficult to photograph indoor or dimly lit scenes without boosting the film speed on an sLr.
They shoot one medium-speed film stock through the whole season (the last article said they use Kodak Expression 500T (http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/products/negative/5229.jhtml)) and they're notoriously fast at setting up locations so they don't get a chance to light things up as well as they could. The grainiest scenes in 24 are nowhere near as grainy as Alias was in many scenes.

Fair bit of action after the last commercial break. This episode has a lot of elements which has made "24" so compelling during its first 5 seasons. For those who hasn't seen it, there are quite a few (and I do mean a few) unexpected twists throughout tonight. Really sets up the homestretch nicely for day 6. Remember some of those loose ends discussed earlier in this thread? ........ stay tuned.

Only 4 episodes left?! Already?

5

The final episode is 2 hours.

Decent episode tonight. I love how quickly things get done in the gov't on 24 (like Bill leaving). I work for the Feds and it takes forever to get anything done.

Also, being fired by your wife has to suck.

Nadia looked pretty good when she had to act tough as the new "acting director of CTU." The sophomoric banter between certain CTU agents is a detractor from the show--I wish they would knock that off. I never much liked Karen Hayes; tonight, I liked her much less. I almost laughed when Noah Daniels started to go all BC during his first hours in the Oval Office. Lastly, could Mr. Ally McBeal be any more wishy-washy?

The local Fox affiliate in Pittsburgh did a great job on yesterday's show. With 5 minutes to go, Jack holds up the detonator, places his thumb on it, and they cut to a local promo for the upcoming newscast. After 30 seconds they return to the show showing everyone on the run. Can't believe it!!

Also, being fired by your wife has to suck.

Yeah, he probably had to turn in his badge, gun, and genitalia on his way out :-)

:D :D

You obviously didn't see the movie "Cellular", then... ;)
or the Italian Job :D

After the past 2 hours, I think last night's episode was weak. I'd like to discuss a bit more with JCL, but I'd need to learn how to do the highlight that makes a text not to be displayed unless you go over with your mouse....

After the past 2 hours, I think last night's episode was weak. I'd like to discuss a bit more with JCL, but I'd need to learn how to do the highlight that makes a text not to be displayed unless you go over with your mouse....
It's called a PM.

Spoilers are not allowed in this thread, hidden text or not.

Back to the piss-poor dialog, over-acting, and stupid/pointless filler at CTU that makes everyone hate 24 so much...pretty sub-par episode last night but at this point, I have very low expectations for the rest of the season...

And come on...Audrey loosing her memory just like Teri in Season 1? LAME

Is it just me, or does the VP's hot assistant look like she's trying to act like she's happy to eat a pile of doggie doo-doo when the VP comes on to her?

I get the feeling that while she goes home to get a change of clothes, she'll also be refunding her dinner.

At least this guy has better taste than Clinton.

Dammit, we almost made it one day without a CTU director getting fired/killed.

anyone else think that the 5.1 audio last night was horribly compressed/thin sounding? there was one scene with really heavy bass in the music but overall the dynamic range seemed really really small......

I think that sound was intentional.

I think that sound was intentional.

intentionally crappy?

I almost laughed when Noah Daniels started to go all BC during his first hours in the Oval Office. :D When she was asking, what she could do for him, I was expecting to hear a Monica joke.

Is it just me, or does the VP's hot assistant look like she's trying to act like she's happy to eat a pile of doggie doo-doo when the VP comes on to her?

I get the feeling that while she goes home to get a change of clothes, she'll also be refunding her dinner.

At least this guy has better taste than Clinton.Agree, she did look like she wanted to put on a body condom.

intentionally crappy?
Intentionally compressed which is not always crappy.

Yeah, he probably had to turn in his badge, gun, and genitalia on his way out :-) :D

If the president survives he’ll fix it. He’ll have his miracle doctor stitch Bill back together again. :p

Intentionally compressed which is not always crappy.

seems like a contradiction to me.....

seems like a contradiction to me.....
You're wrong. They made the soundtrack more intense by limiting its volume range -- soundtracks are supposed to be in the background but don't tell that to anyone who works on a Bruckheimer show.

I thought it sounded excellent. It made the explosion of the helicopter much more startling.

Yeah, he probably had to turn in his badge, gun, and genitalia on his way out :-)

Let's leave male Hillary voters out of this, please!

we must be talking about two different things then....the dynamic range compression i was hearing was LIMITING the impact of explosions/gunshots/helicopters, etc. the only part that sounded "full" was that one bass-heavy song used throughout the episode....

most 24 episodes have not sounded like this on my system this season.

i have a feeling there was some sort of setting here in the atlanta master control that was adding some sort of filter to it....

oleus

Back to the piss-poor dialog, over-acting, and stupid/pointless filler at CTU that makes everyone hate 24 so much...pretty sub-par episode last night but at this point, I have very low expectations for the rest of the season...

And come on...Audrey loosing her memory just like Teri in Season 1? LAME
Really, cry-baby Morris wants a transfer, at midnight, less than 10 hrs after a nuke went off? Buchanan is fired, at midnight? They make Nadia the acting boss, who 6 hrs ago was their chief suspect in a mole hunt? The VP makes to get funky with his assistant in the Oval Office, what's he going to do, throw her on the desk?

Do these writers just throw this crap against a wall and see what takes the longest to slide down towards the crapper? A lot lame and ridiculous writing in this episode.

The only parts of this show that are interesting are the parts with Jack, maybe he 's overworked, tired, whatever, but when this show steers away from him is when it really gets bad.

For a couple of a good laughs:

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/tags/24

Really, cry-baby Morris wants a transfer, at midnight, less than 10 hrs after a nuke went off? Buchanan is fired, at midnight? They make Nadia the acting boss, who 6 hrs ago was their chief suspect in a mole hunt? The VP makes to get funky with his assistant in the Oval Office, what's he going to do, throw her on the desk?

Do these writers just throw this crap against a wall and see what takes the longest to slide down towards the crapper? A lot lame and ridiculous writing in this episode.

The only parts of this show that are interesting are the parts with Jack, maybe he 's overworked, tired, whatever, but when this show steers away from him is when it really gets bad.

yup...hence why everyone loved the past two weeks...it was centered around Jack and him doing his job...none of this BS CTU office politics and romance...thats not why we're watching 24

However, when Morris asked Chloe how he should be behaving and she says, "Umm maybe not arming nuclear weapons for terrorists" ... I almost died laughing...who the hell would say that? It was just absolutely horrendous writing...horrendously funny writing

Back to the piss-poor dialog, over-acting, and stupid/pointless filler at CTU that makes everyone hate 24 so much...pretty sub-par episode last night but at this point, I have very low expectations for the rest of the season...

And come on...Audrey loosing her memory just like Teri in Season 1? LAMEWhy would you continue to watch a show that you "hate so much". Somehow the intelligence in that just escapes me... BTW, it would appear that Audrey is the victim of some sort of mind manipulation from the Chinese. Clearly not simple amnesia at play there.


ron

However, when Morris asked Chloe how he should be behaving and she says, "Umm maybe not arming nuclear weapons for terrorists" ... I almost died laughing...who the hell would say that? It was just absolutely horrendous writing...horrendously funny writingWell, maybe you are finally starting to "get it". If you expect 24 to be realisitic, in pretty much any way, you are only in for disappointment. You have to be able to appreciate it for what it is, seriously over the top action/adventure with much campy dialog/acting thrown in for good measure.


ron

I love this show but last night reeked. Very unbelievable. Jacks whole plan hinged on a terrorist letting the hostage walk away? What was his backup plan if he said no? Then he botches his suicide? And the whole premise of this thing, why wouldnt the US just lie and say one of the bomb terrorists took the computer circuit board, tell the Russians one of the suitacse nukes had been stripped of it and that he must have sold the circuit board to the chinese? :rolleyes:

However, when Morris asked Chloe how he should be behaving and she says, "Umm maybe not arming nuclear weapons for terrorists" ... I almost died laughing...who the hell would say that?
Chloe O'Brien would say that. She's the kind of person who says ridiculous things like that on a regular basis.

For a couple of a good laughs:

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/tags/24
Funny stuff.

I hate to buy in to the "that was absurd" debate when we're discussing one of the most absurd shows in television history, but.....

What part of that Audrey transaction actually required Jack to have the real circuit board? He could have popped something off the inside of a gameboy or something and waved that around just as easily.

Funny stuff.

I hate to buy in to the "that was absurd" debate when we're discussing one of the most absurd shows in television history, but.....

What part of that Audrey transaction actually required Jack to have the real circuit board? He could have popped something off the inside of a gameboy or something and waved that around just as easily.
Another good point.

I don't think Cheng was going to let Jack go until he verified that the board was the right board in some way.

I don't think Cheng was going to let Jack go until he verified that the board was the right board in some way.Then why let the girl walk?

The CTU cast now is just AWFUL. Not believable and just boring.

I barely made it though last night's episode.

With Buchanon now gone, I don't like anyone there.

Time to bring back Nina, Tony, Michelle, and even Kim!

:)

Because they had Jack and could track down Audrey without much trouble if it turned out Jack was pulling a fast one.

Why would you continue to watch a show that you "hate so much". Somehow the intelligence in that just escapes me... BTW, it would appear that Audrey is the victim of some sort of mind manipulation from the Chinese. Clearly not simple amnesia at play there.


ron

spite

However, when Morris asked Chloe how he should be behaving and she says, "Umm maybe not arming nuclear weapons for terrorists" ... I almost died laughing...who the hell would say that? It was just absolutely horrendous writing...horrendously funny writing
Right on! It seems to me that those folks who go off on 24 by citing examples of writing that is “ridiculous” or “preposterous” fail to see what the show’s creators are about. 24’s central charm is its hilarious improbability, coupled with acting and direction that are deadly serious. It’s a great combination, both subtly funny and wildly exciting. Relax and enjoy it gang, it’s worth it to those of us who are willing to laugh at it and ourselves in the bargain.

Then why let the girl walk?She wasn’t going anywhere. :rolleyes: That dude had her in his scope. They could have clipped her for another couple of hundred yards or for at least the amount of time it was going to take Cheng to verify whether the board was real- it was- and then Jack was going to detonate. It all was plausible—especially in the 24 world. Ricky boy is the reason it was spoiled.

Another good point.
Enough with the good points. I'm trying to enjoy the rest of this season! :mad:

we must be talking about two different things then....the dynamic range compression i was hearing was LIMITING the impact of explosions/gunshots/helicopters, etc. the only part that sounded "full" was that one bass-heavy song used throughout the episode....
I didn't hear any of that. The RPG hitting the helicopter rattled my blinds. The music sounded compressed though.

Isn't Nadia just the temporary replacement for Buchanan? Who's going to fill in for him after that? As improbable as it sounds (finding a replacement for the head of CTU in the middle of the night), they pretty much did the same thing when Erin Driscoll left in the middle of the day during Season 4. Tony was acting director for like 2 hours and in comes Michelle Desslar.

I miss the uber-cutie, Michelle Dessler.

They clearly said that Nadia is just acting director until Division sends someone down.

Right on! It seems to me that those folks who go off on 24 by citing examples of writing that is “ridiculous” or “preposterous” fail to see what the show’s creators are about. 24’s central charm is its hilarious improbability, coupled with acting and direction that are deadly serious. It’s a great combination, both subtly funny and wildly exciting. Relax and enjoy it gang, it’s worth it to those of us who are willing to laugh at it and ourselves in the bargain.
That's the thing, the portions with Jack are the real "24" parts of the show, the pent-up anticipation and intensity of the show's title. That's what made it so good in the early years. The rest of it has become lame soap opera material.

Maybe they should call it "6" as that's about all we get of that edge of the seat excitement anymore. :D

The SFX budget must have been pretty low for this episode. It looked like they taped a couple sparklers onto the bottom of the helicopter to simulate being hit by the RPG.

And I agree, '24' is back to sucking again.

Isn't Nadia just the temporary replacement for Buchanan? Who's going to fill in for him after that?
Let's hope it's a hot woman who will immediately imply having had a lesbian relationship with Nadia. Hey, why not rip off everythng they did in the second season (remember Carrie)?

However, when Morris asked Chloe how he should be behaving and she says, "Umm maybe not arming nuclear weapons for terrorists" ... I almost died laughing...who the hell would say that? It was just absolutely horrendous writing...horrendously funny writing
What cracked me up was right after Nadia announced to the CTU squad, "Your objective remains the same -- bring in Jack Bauer before he can hand over the component to the Chinese", they cut to Milo who looked up at the ceiling and blinked about twenty times like, "Oh yeah, Bauer's got that thingie. I totally forgot. Good thing she mentioned that." :D

Enough with the good points. I'm trying to enjoy the rest of this season! :mad:

That's a good point.

Since when does a rocket hitting a helicopter cause it to spark and slowly twirl around and descend?

If the rocket hit the rear stabilizer blades, there would be sparks, and the helicopter would slowly twirl around and likely descend as the pilot realizes he will no longer be able to control it.

Hey, I know who would be a good replacement for Buchanan -- Gary Coleman.
http://www.rmwhome.com/Imagescurrent/garycoleman.jpg

Whatchu talkin' 'bout, RicWhite?