24 - Day 8: 11:00 PM - 12:00 AM Review (plus, recaps and mini-reviews from hours before)

- FOX

Yes, yes, I know, I know... I missed two hours. I get it. Anyway, to mildly compensate for my "slacking off" (if that's what you want to call it), before the actual review of hour eight I have two mini-reviews of the hours preceding it. Aren't I nice?

RECAP & REVIEW: 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Dana Walsh: Dana the dipstick keeps making stupid decisions, burying herself into even deeper trouble on her own part. Seriously, the side story, already heavy on the cheese and unbelievability, did not get any better. Thankfully, however, we didn't see much of a it. A few short scenes were all that were necessary to only slightly push this terrible plot forward. At the beginning of the hour, Dana, rather than thinking even somewhat rationally, gives her redneck 'friends' a call, informing them of a location where they can cop an evidence container worth over $100,000. The two, obviously, are happy with her findings, and give each other an honorary high five (if that's what it was...). And... that's pretty much it. Nothing else about this story is worth mentioning. Not impressed. Moving on.

President Hassan: Not too much went on at the United Nations this episode... save for Mr. Hassan getting more paranoid of the people around him by the second, ordering arrests for almost everyone he knows or suspects has dealings with the people wishing to impeach him. The ones who once trusted them, obviously, are bewildered by his actions and demand him to calm down and revise his ways. Hassan is adamant that his cause will not be obstructed, and proceeds with his antagonistic manner, demanding that a man from within his own party is arrested and questioned at length. While the plotline isn't necessarily badly written or illogical, it's not particularly compelling. Something major needs to happen down the line for the pace of this these slow moments to quicken, because, right now, it's just wasting time.

David Anders and Company: In the episode before, Sergei's son, Josef, arrived at doctor's office requesting, no, demanding that his suffering brother be treated for radiation poisoning. In time, daddy calls, wondering why they have not yet reached the cottage, where they were supposed to be. OF course, Sergei becomes suspicious of the two and sends several of his men to investigate, following Josef and his brother's trail. Later in the episode they show up, killing everyone in the office and exfiltrating the two. Upon their return to their father's restaurant, they find an unhappy Sergei, furious that his son had defied him. Maddened and aware that Oleg, his sick son would not survive, he shoots the boy with Josef looking on in fear. Apparently, Sergei is a man who will do anything to meet his goals, even if that means murdering his son to ensure a smooth operation.

Jack, Renee and the Russians: Ah... finally, the main storyline; the most compelling one of all. Jack, apparently, is fluent in German, and, as part of the undercover coup must pose as a German wishing to deal in nuclear arms. The scene where Jack meets with a member from Vladimir's group is wonderfully scripted, with the Lugo chatting in German to test Jack's proficiency. The tasteful piece concludes with Lugo pulling a gun out on Jack and Cole swiftly taking down three of the four Russians with a sniper rifle, sparing Lugo. Jack, thankfully, is still good at what he does. On the Renee side of things, little occurs plotwise, yet her character development continues to be strong. All of Wersching's scenes in the episode are with Vladimir, a suave yet compulsive and demeaning Russian mob leader played by Battlestar's Callum Kieth Rennie. The chemistry between the two on-screen is phenomenal; the range of emotions palpable and each and every moment is a joy to watch.

SCORE: 7.4

RECAP & REVIEW: 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Dana Walsh: Well, Dana’s new roommates sure didn’t waste too much time getting to the evidence lockup and, just five minutes into hour seven, they arrive in their van and get to searching the building. Initially, it’s a number game, with Dana on the phone giving the two security codes for each obstruction they run into. It gets old and repetitive fast, and, as Kevin and his friend sure aren’t the sharpest ones, they screw up more than a few times in finding their prize. But, lo and behold… here it is, the shocker of the episode; no wait, the season: the police show up as soon as they are about to leave. Instead of finding a way to smartly maneuver around the cop, the clumsy couple delivers a serious beat down to the officer and then flee the scene. Things just keep getting worse for Dana and, as Arlo and Chloe continue to become more suspicious about her activities outside of work, it seems as if she’ll have a hell of a lot of explaining to do when (not if) she’s caught.

President Hassan: And he keeps getting crazier. As the day progresses into the later hours, Hassan begins to make his own transition. He’s legitimately paranoid, and no one can go against him. Last week he had ordered for a man with him at the UN to be interrogated, yet apparently he knew nothing; he had no connection to the political outrage back in Kamistan. But Hassan can never be wrong. He needs answers, and he knows that someone is holding information from him. He pushes on, calling for the family of his confined party member to be held captive and even tortured. He is a determined man, and, though this side plot isn’t as absorbing as it could be, it’s always interesting to see someone spiral further into insanity.

David Anders and Company: Segei Bazhaev had quite some trouble with his sons last hour, ending with him killing the radiation-poisoned Oleg, and, for part of hour 7, he has to tie up those loose ends. A prayer service is called before Oleg is buried and Bazhaev has a heartfelt discussion with Josef, explaining that that every act he had committed in the last hour had been for his family. Admittedly, such a talk would have been more timely perhaps before he had shot his other son. But, finally, after much exposition, the two mob stories meet, with Vladimir giving Sergei a call. Unsurprisingly, it’s about the nuclear materials, and Renee is closely by Vlad’s side for the conversation, hopeful that things will play out accordingly. In a slight twist, things don’t, with Sergei declining (and lying) to possession of any nuclear materials. Apparently, as he says, “No one deals in [that].” As the call ends, however, Sergei gets worried, making a call to a truck travelling through New York with the uranium rods and ordering him to pull over and stop. In short, Sergei isn’t naïve, and he’s not going to confirm criminal dealings such as these over the phone.

Jack and Renee: Yet again, the main plot continues to shine, with Vladimir’s life brought to a satisfying conclusion. More on that later. At the beginning of the episode, Jack arrives at the Russian hideout and, from there, character interactions begin to get really interesting, save for the little talk Bauer has with Renee early on. Not even worth mentioning. Anyway, as Renee and Vlad attempt to find a seller of nuclear materials, things get more and more uncomfortable for the two, and their dark past becomes more and more evident as the hour progresses. When Vlad can’t find anyone, she begins to plead for him to call everyone he knows again, determined to be successful and demonstrate that she can handle herself in the field. Vlad erupts, hitting her hard across the face and knocking her on the ground. Renee snaps, grabbing a knife and stabbing him repeatedly in the eye. It was a shocking moment that only got better, with Jack running into the room after hearing trouble and approaching Renee. Instinctively expecting someone else, she turns around and stabs Jack clean in the stomach, who, after a quick recovery pulls out the knife and throws it sharply at Lugo in the neck. And for the icing on the cake, he then proceeds to gun down the last of Vlad’s crew. The highlight of the night for sure, such a moment more than made up for some disappointing moments early on, ending things on a memorable note.

SCORE: 7.6

REVIEW: 11:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Pacing. Honestly, how important is it that a television show (or, for that matter, any form of entertainment or performance) be well-paced? The answer: more important than you’d think. You can’t barrage a viewer with non-stop action with little to no substance making up the story. That just doesn’t make compelling TV. And, in addition, the audience would soon suffer from something known as ‘combat fatigue’. They need something other than just over the top battles and fighting. Therefore, you gotta mix things up. Throw in some character development every now and again, a funny scene here, a suspenseful one there. The only goal, really, is to create something that feels balanced, equal, and, most importantly, complete. However, such a formula will only work if every element is of top quality; each aspect has to be interesting to watch or the other parts will ultimately fall apart as well. I’ll give 24 credit for almost always nailing its pace. Even with episodes that contain a lot of action, the writers still allot time to other scenes that aren’t as combat-oriented. And, for the most part they work well. Not as much with this episode, unfortunately.

Here’s why. Remember last episode, where Jack handed himself over to the Sergei’s mob of Russians solely for the cause of his mission? Well, they’re convinced he’s a cop, and, unless he talks and tells them who’s his superior, one of Bazhaev’s men is gonna put the hurt on in the form of electrocution. And, as Jack’s all so used to it, he doesn’t even bat an eyelid (well, for the most part at least). Jack’s warden is obviously oblivious to that: “Everybody has limit, don’t worry.” For heaven’s sake, he spent years held in captivity by the Chinese and never talked once, so, honestly, does anyone expect him to even wince at the torture of one lone henchman? Anyway, it doesn’t take long for Jack to initiate bad-ass mode and knock the guy the out with his own torture devices. And then, with Jack struggling to find a way out of his shackles, we’re sent to commercial break. Cool… I though, we can create some suspense of the commercial break and reconnect with Jack after a few short minutes. Oh, was I wrong. Instead, we’re given a rather dry scene of Hassan and his daughter arguing. Boo. What this did, rather than increasing tension, was dampen the episode’s tempo. It was progressing along nicely, and, rather than letting the set-piece take its course, it was broken up a little too often. With moments like these, I could understand why 24 works better on DVD without commercials (thankfully, I’m watching the episodes on iTunes).

But the writers made that feeling all the much better when they finally reconvened with Jack. I’ll get to the that later, though. We’ve gotta touch on Dana’s story for a bit, the one where predictability and stupidity reigns supreme. Okay, Dana. Let me ask you something. Did you honestly expect these goons to give up now? They’ve already shown that they can manipulate and get the better of you; what’s to make them think that they can’t do the same thing once again? Stupid, stupid, stupid, Dana. She’s useless at CTU and apparently useless at having any sort of foresight. But she proceeds on, making one bad decision after the other and very rarely will she get back to her damn job, shut the hell up and do something worthwhile!

But, believe it or not, there’s a shimmer of hope in this awful side plot: its days are numbered. Dana is looking finally to take matters into her own hands, and, if next week’s episode is any indication, she’ll end her past for herself by taking out some rednecks. After that, Dana, will you please get back to work?

And then there’s Jack. Once he finally releases himself from his cuffs, it’s evident that he has a plan in mind. And boy, he doesn’t waste one bit of time after that, taking out every one of Sergei’s men through an assortment of creative ways and then securing a shotgun-wielding Bazhaev by throwing a dinner table on him. Quite a spectacular action sequence that, for me, tops last week’s.

When CTU arrives at Sergei’s restaurant to clean things up, Sergei and Jack have a little talk, and, in exchange for full immunity for both his son and he (24 fans should be used to this situation by now), attempts to hand the uranium rods over. Josef, on the other hand, complicates matters, stealing the materials for himself by raiding the vans before Cole and his team can get to them. Apparently, Josef didn’t take his father murdering Oleg lightly, and, through aligning with Farhad, wants to make his father pay.

It was a long time coming, but at last we received an episode that was almost entirely about Jack. After Renee in the spotlight for a few weeks, Mr. Bauer was more than overdo for his own share of the action, and, almost solely because of the main plot, hour eight was solid. Although the episode’s conclusion was a slight letdown, it moved quite a few elements into play, neatly concluding one segment while at the same time providing much-needed exposition for future developments. Let’s hope that includes Dana getting back to work.

RATING FOR 24 -DAY 8: 11:00 pm - 12:00 am (OUT OF 10)

24 - Day 8: 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM Review

- FOX 

SPOILER ALERT:   Significant plot details follow. 

24 has a history of inconsistency, especially in its early episodes. A story arc that lasts no less than 24 hours is long for any TV series so most of its missteps are excusable early on. Regardless, however, each episode still needs to be interesting to watch and provide ample realistic set-up. Here, in the fifth episode of season eight, the show’s plot is still unfolding and becoming more complex by the minute, even though most of it will be forgotten later on. That’s conventional with nearly all television shows, though even more so with a program such as 24. Unfortunately, season eight seems to be having a little trouble getting its footing right and not all of it is working as well as it should.  A very enjoyable, fresh and dramatic main plotline is marred by some silly and sloppily written storylines that tag along. This, of course, makes for episodes that feel very unbalanced.

Last week finished strongly and promised unique interactions between Jack and the damaged Renee. With its tense and well-acted scenes, I’m happy to report that  8:00 PM – 9:00 PM’s main plot continued this narrative in a fashion that was, for the most part, quite fun to watch.

First, however, let’s get to the things that were not fun to watch. Yes, I’m talking about Dana Walsh’s laughably useless side story. What an unfortunate position Battlestar veteran Katee Sackhoff is in. The actress who once played the brash and short-tempered Starbuck has assumed the role of a character taking orders and nearly tearing up as she’s thrown against the wall by degenerate white-trash. What’s more, she must excuse herself from her job in the middle of an undercover operation for Jack and Renee to meet up with him at her own apartment. The fact that CTU would allow her to even leave the building during a time such as this is completely unbelievable on its own. Apparently they don’t care. So, she submits to her ex and the story gets worse from there. When she arrives, Kevin has the audacity to demand that Dana steal information from CTU so he and some guy named Nick can make off big time… sigh… Please, writers, either wrap this story up, or tie it in. Hell, I’d consider the whole plot redeemed if Dana would just put a bullet in Kevin’s head next week and have her deal with things from there on. You have one last chance with this one.

Anyway, on the villain side of things, little worth mentioning occurs, despite the fact that the episode begins with Farhad Hassan on the phone in mob boss Sergei Bazhaev’s posh restaurant. While the conspiracy against President Hassan deepens and beings to spread to his country of Kamistan, the ramifications of such happenings aren’t clearly defined yet. As Farhad’s phone call progresses, a military contact is introduced, as well as potentially a new side plot that could have legs. But, the conversation is quickly silenced as Serfei enters the room inquiring about his payment in exchange for nuclear weapons. Conveniently, it’ll take five hours for Farhad’s funds to be transferred, and 24’s mid-season event will undoubtedly tie into this fitting occurrence. In an effort to pacify Farhad for a few hours, Sergei gives Farhad a private room and a couple of prostitutes to hang out with. Enjoy!

President Hassad has his own share of troubles in hour five, finally catching word of political strife in his homeland. To calm the uproar he begins efforts to penalize the conspirators and naysayers, though President Taylor has issues with his ways, and worries about the fate of her peace treaty as a result. While it makes sense in practice, Taylor will have to offer some compromise here, as Hassan must be allowed some reaction to chaos back home.

Thankfully, the meat of the episode more than made up for some disappointing side stories. Renee, fearless and tolerant, is subjected to unrelenting questioning by a Russian mob outlet to get her back undercover. Even when things get tough for her, she remains forceful in her ways, and is successful in the end. It is revealed that she has a disturbing past with a Russian contact named Vladimir, a history that could create an interesting and compelling dynamic if handled correctly. Renee’s part in the show makes the sometimes senseless sequences in the eighth season of 24 worth watching, and, just as she stared down at the barrel of the gun in the final few minutes of the episode, unsure of what would happen next, I too am uncertain of what direction the show will go in the next few episodes. It’s anyone’s guess from here.

RATING FOR 24 -DAY 8: 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm (OUT OF 10) 

24 - Day 8: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Review

- FOX

SPOILER ALERT:   Significant plot details follow. 

Renee, you badass, you.

The premiere of 24 is now over, and, unsurprisingly, there’s a whole lot going on. Dana’s got a shady history; uranium is a hot-topic; the Russian mob is relaxed as hell; Renee Walker is a loose cannon and Jack’s caught in the middle of everything. Yes, the eighth season of 24 has finally kicked in.

The unfortunate thing is that not all of these stories are handled well, namely Dana Walsh’s. Unimaginative and unbelievable are probably the only words I can use to describe such a lackluster side story. When the notion of a cloudy past for Dana Walsh came in from far left field in the first night, I actually saw some potential for it, provided the writers explore the many options they had for the story. Consequently, they took the ‘trailer trash’ route and things have already fallen flat. Kevin, an old “friend” of Ms. Walsh, has been released from prison and, naturally, he just wants a place to “crash” for the night. And before you even ask, yes, he lives out of a trailer with a beard and a denim jacket. Yawn. Anyway, Kevin Wade decides that his girlfriend from years past is just dying to talk to him and is still the same person he knew from before he was behind bars. He phones Dana at CTU and learns that she has completely changed; even her name is different. It turns out that Dana Walsh is not who she says she is, and her name is merely an alias she has taken on to mask her former life. Kevin calls her “Jenny” and, indeed, she responds.

But he does not get the loving reaction he was expecting, and, in hour three, Kevin makes his way to CTU to find Jenny or Dana or whatever she’s called.

WAIT A MINUTE!!!! Hold on, hold on, hold on!  Did some generic 'redneck' just find the offices of CTU NY on his own? Isn’t this place some sort of intelligence agency? Really, the CTU of Day 8 looks pretty secure, and most of it even appears to be underground, with only a few entrances poking their heads up from the tarmac. This doesn’t seem likely. At all. Anyway, Dana (Jenny?) even gives Kevin the key to her apartment, allowing an obviously perturbed man free reign of her home. Something here doesn’t add up. Hopefully we can make things a little more coherent in future episodes.

But I digress from the main plot points of the two episodes. Jack is on the move already from the get-go, searching the suburbs for the season’s first villain Davros. Within minutes he has arrived on the scene of the Russian’s handiwork, but, alas too late. The bodies of Davro’s hostages lay lifeless on the kitchen chairs, with bullets in each of their heads. Within minutes of Jack’s arrival, the cops show up at the door, and, it just so happens that one of that of Davros’ victims was an officer himself, effectively labeling Jack as a cop-killer. Enraged, one of the cops starts delivering a beat down to Jack, and his mission is unfortunately delayed, but only for a short time. With effort, Jack is able to take control of the situation, and manages to return to the UN in time to save President Hassan from an untimely death and kill Davros.

It isn’t until the fourth hour that things begin to get really interesting, introducing old though scarred friends.  Last season, we already began to see the metamorphosis of Renee Walker, as she turned from a passive employee of the FBI to a character caught in the gray, unsure of what’s wrong and what’s right. And, while she crossed boundaries from time to time in season seven, she looked her part. Oh, how a day with Jack has changed her.

After examining Davros’ dead body, a number of odd looking symbols are found, along with traces of weapons-grade uranium. Things don’t look good, and, shockingly enough, the only agent with the right knowledge (and body) on the Russian mob is Miss Renee Walker. She doesn’t like to talk much, but she sure is determined.

 Her assignment will bring her back undercover with the Russians, though it has apparently been years since Renee was in that line of work. It’s a rocky and unpredictable undertaking, and Jack isn’t sure if Renee is up to it. He forces himself along with her, and Renee is immediately resentful, claiming that he’s only there to “babysit.” She has not time for nonsense, and will apparently go to whatever lengths she needs to fulfill her duties. She’s had a rough past as is, and her character’s actions speak for themselves, delivering a shocking and gruesome ending to a plot-driven episode.

An unpredictable and battered soul, Renee alone delivers a solid hour, and what may be most interesting is seeing how she grows further. While the premiere of 24’s eighth day was inconsistent at best, a few memorable moments shined. The interactions between Jack and Renee may very well be what this season is remembered for, and, if future episodes play out as unexpectedly as the final few minutes of hour four, we may very well see an excellent season.

RATING FOR 24 -DAY 8: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm (OUT OF 10) 

24 – Day 8: 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM Review

- FOX

Following an impressive act is hard to do. 24’s seventh season has been largely revered as one of the better entries into the 24 canon, and, while it introduced so many radical changes and new characters, the core formula was still there and the show delivered on almost every front. Featuring a breakneck pace and a story that never slowed, season seven had more than its share of memorable moments, shocking twists and lovable villains, and it quickly became one of my favorites.

It’s been eight months now since the satisfying and emotional conclusion of season seven, and, after a finale such as that one, the show could have gone in any direction. Ambiguous though understandably predictable, it effectively closed the curtains on a stellar season, leaving fans hungry for more.

In some ways, the premiere of 24’s eight day is very similar to season seven’s. New characters and sets abound, making for a fresh opening that gives the show a whole different ‘feel’ to it. And, just like last season, the writers have to explain and introduce a lot in just two hours; on show and in real time. Therefore, the premiere is mostly exposition, and that’s understandable. There’s a new locale, new CTU, new members of staff - heck, Jack’s even a grandfather now! Just as we enter a new decade, 24 itself experiences many dramatic changes.

Admittedly, things are pretty predictable, and, for the most part, serve primarily to get the audience familiarized and oriented with the story and new characters that dot each frame. By 24’s standards, this is not surprising. However, since the writers have so many new devices this time around, it’s going to take some time before the story can really kick into gear and find that quick pace 24 is all too well known for.

And it seems that even Jack Bauer himself is taking things slowly. At least for a little while. For the first time in, well, ever, we find him happy – relaxed, on the couch while he spends the afternoon with his granddaughter, channel-surfing. It’s an adorable and sharply written scene that works on so many levels, showing us that Jack Bauer finally has something to live for – a family. At the beginning of the episode, Jack even agrees to move back to Los Angeles with his daughter, Kim, and the rest of her company. But this is 24. A show where things never pan out correctly. Something has to happen to set things off, and, sure enough, a match is struck and a wild fire begins, with Jack reluctantly thrown into the midst of it all.

In just two hours, we’re taken on a mad dash through the streets of New York, watch Jack dodge bullets and narrowly escape death (naturally), and witness sloppy criminals at the United Nations. It’s a typical start to a bad day and one that’s destined to get worse. Along the way we see a few familiar faces mixed in with a sea of newcomers, though, for the most part, character interactions play off quite well. Teri and Kim Bauer are seen, along with her husband Stephen, who offers little, if anything to the episode. Jack’s own family has the potential to become an interesting side device to be used later on, so long as Kim doesn’t find herself captured or stalked by mountain lions (shudder). At the shiny and ultra-sleek CTU offices elsewhere, everything, save for one character, is new. Snide comments run amuck, and the banter seen throughout the employees is reminiscent of those who habited the CTU of the show’s earlier seasons. The director Brian Hastings, played by Mykelti Williamson, is a gruff an impatient figure - a man of speed. And, oddly enough, it is Chloe O’Brian herself who can’t keep up. Rough around the edges and not in tune with the quick ways of NY, she finds herself overwhelmed and unable to please Hastings. Dana Walsh, played by Battlestar Galactica’s Katee Sackhoff, takes light in her troubles, donning the know-it-all persona that Chloe had held for some time, though is much more outward in her adoption of it. The two have some fun screen-time together and the contrast in expressions between the two actresses is well played.

While it’s predictable to a fault, 24’s eighth day starts on a strong note. Sure, there’s nothing out of the ordinary here, and it may take a while before the plot gets some legs, but that’s to be expected with a show such as this one. A lot was covered in two hours, but, as mentioned, none of it was unexpected, and the whole thing needs more ‘meat.’ In the first two hours, the eighth season of 24 seemed to only get its shoes on. From here, however, it needs to start running.

RATING FOR 24 -DAY 8: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (OUT OF 10)