Misunderstood at first (or mistaken as slightly “off”--I mean Chloe does look a bit autistic) but knows how to get things done. Also, she’s not a big fan of violence or people telling her what to do. The most disappointing thing about the ending of this episode is that for 59 minutes,
Things get worse for Bubba when NSA arrives. I could list the amount of times that NSA has screwed things up on this show (all of Season 2 with their moles), but you could tell from the start they weren’t going to be good news for the CTU crew. NSA is on site and pulling power plays. The guy who helped design it is there and he’s not happy what Bubba has done with the place. Does he mean the hole blown through the side of the building or the fact that they allow moles into their operation? Such a loaded statement there when you think about it (don’t think too hard).
Well Chloe is trying to fix things but she’s getting distracted by everyone. First Denny shows up and Chloe tells her to get the heck out of her way. Then she tries to go to Bubba or Arlo the Horndog (who is definitely Pauly D—a good enough guy who just wants to go get drunk and get laid) for help but both aren’t giving her the support she needs. Then she goes down to convince the NSA guys to listen to her but no one is having a bit of her. So, after a quick phone call with Freckles, who tells her to “do what she needs to do”, Chloe does just that. She walks back into the room where NSA is working, demands they follow her plan to drill into the trunk line, and when they don’t listen (and her anger builds), she pulls a gun. “You’re probably an OK guy when you’re not at work,” Chloe said to the NSA guy as she made him leave the room. Poor Chloe/Snooki and their guy troubles.
While Chloe is trying to save the systems, Bubba, NSA, and co are trying to drill their way into the room to stop her. When they finally get into the room, Chloe tries to explain her plan to Bubba but when he asks Denny if this is possible, Denny throws her under the bus and says that she’s “gone off the deep end”. What a bitch. “I didn’t want to…I don’t even like guns*,” Chloe said after pulling a Jack and just requested 10 minutes to try to get the systems back online.
*Side Note: I’m not sure, but I believe the last (and maybe only?) time we saw Chloe with a gun on this show was at the end of Season 4 (or was it 5?) where she was capping some terrorist with multiple rounds. She didn’t look too good using it then and she sure doesn’t now.
Well Chloe, who is worried about being electrocuted has everything about done is about to pull the switch (why doesn’t Chloe put on some gloves to start up this electrical system if she’s so worried about being electrocuted?) and after a few sparks, the system comes back online*. Which leads to one of the best lines of the season as Bubba was praising Chloe for doing a good job: “I’m not good with praise” – Chloe. Amazing!
*Side Note: She saves everything. Ugh. Of course, the EMP was the equivalent of my mom picking up the line while I was on AOL—it just required them to dial up again and they’re back online. I’m not any more familiar with EMPs than what I read on Wikipedia last week, but there’s no way that systems are that OK after an EMP attack. Electronics get fried. Not temporarily disconnected from the internet.
Jack as The Situation
Jack is a situation but he’s a lot like Mike “The Situation”. If you’re on his good side, The Situation and Jack are really good guys to be around. They’re going to have your back, be your wingman, and kick some ass. But if you’re on their bad side…watch out. Jack and The Situation are poisonous to women though--you really don't want to get in a relationship with either one of them. Also, while The Situation takes off his shirt a ridiculous amount of times, Jack goes into battle with a ridiculous lack of armor (more on that later). Jack realizes CTU is down and phones a buddy at NSA,“I need you to shut down all bridge and tunnel traffic into the city”. “Done,” said the NSA guy (and we wonder why there’s so much traffic on New York City bridges and tunnels?!).
Jack is able to figure out where the terrorists are at and goes with FP jr., The Rookie, and some other dude who you know is getting capped. All of a sudden, FP jr. sees something out of his nightvision. Uh oh. Jack tries to call for backup but the phones are being jammed. He tries to back up out of there but it’s a trap. He’s being shot at from all directions. Jack ends up backing the SUV right into a corner and the car dies (“Fucking American car” – Jon). Before the terrorists escape, Tarin* recognizes one of the guys firing: “It’s Jack Bauer…he’s one of their best agents.” Uh oh. Did he say “one of their best?” He’s going to get Jack very angry…
*Side Note: Unimportant plotline I just want to summarize here: Kayla finds out Tarin is alive and that she was used. Bubba needs Kayla to identify IRK members who could be working with Tarin, but, amazingly she isn’t able to do so in the 45 minutes or so she’s looking at pictures. Kayla reunites with her parents who are reuniting with each other and the peace agreement (remember that little thing?). And that plotline goes dead for an episode.While Jack and co are being flanked in an epic gun fight, Tarin and the Hispanic head of the organization (the guy is Hispanic, right? Because he sure doesn’t look Middle Eastern) take the zodiac and the nuclear rods and escape across the river. Jack, FP jr., The Rookie, and Dead Man Walking decide to form a wedge to get to the hardline. Except Dead Man Walking decides not to listen to Jack—and gets shot. The Rookie wants to go help him but Jack tells him to stay. Of course, The Rookie doesn’t listen to him and gets shot (posthumous award for Rookie of the Year? Definitely the “Vinny” of 24). The lesson: people get killed when they don’t listen to Jack! Jack decides he’s willing to be next as he tells FP jr he needs to get to the hardline and Jack will be a human target (next, on FOX). Jack gets shot (of course, not in the large area he’s not covered by a bulletproof vest--I could go on and on about this, but I'll just leave it as an "UGH") and is down for the count. A sniper has him in his sights and is about to pull the trigger when “bam!” he gets shot by Freckles*!
*Side Note: How does Freckles get back in the field? Chloe calls her and tells her to find a spot on the 4 miles of the east river where Jack could be. I guess she could have heard the gun shots…but then again, couldn’t have NYPD? Also, Freckles is definitely JWOWW. Complete with the ability to throw a smack down and the fact that she’s definitely been abused in a past relationship. Lastly, Jack may be gay—did you see where his apartment was? Maybe that’s been the issue all along: Jack’s been in the closet. And wasn't he moving today? Why the heck does he have so much stuff in his apartment including a bag full of guns?
Although Almost.Worst.Sideplot.Ever. was so bad, I sort of liked Milton as a character on 24. But he left too soon and so did Angelina on Jersey Shore*. Milton is first given the heave-ho and doesn’t seem to be too happy about that. Of course, Milton doesn’t leave though, is allowed to stay in the office and can request an audience with the head of CTU New York (even though he’s only a probation officer from Arkansas)…and he gets it. Maybe Bubba decided “hey, I was going to get a snack while the power is down, but I’ll meet with him instead”.
*Side Note: I want to see a CNBC special report about how much money Angelina lost out on by leaving the Jersey Shore early. It has to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. For a girl that used trash bags in place of suitcases, that's a lot of money. Why hasn't this been done already? Someone needs to get on it!
But as Milton Waddams is sitting and waiting (probably for his red swingline stapler), you see Denny turning evil--and you can Denny is going to bring out her evil side with Milton. And she does--by choking the life out of him Godfather-style!…because she’s absolutely nuts…and she’s going to put the body in the vent! Whoa (sorry for the stream of consciousness there, but it was how I wrote it while I watched). That’s one way to get rid of your problem. She then makes a phone call and we find out---Denny is working with the terrorists, not Milton! What a twist! Whoa! The terrorists drive away in a Times Square Taxi* cab (what a racist show!)
*Side Note: "Times Square Taxi"? Really? Come on, 24. As Sarah pointed out to me very adeptly, you're in the biggest media market in the United States and you're making up things like this? If you'd have asked me, I would have been your fact checker for very cheap. It's just laziness at this point. I understand you can't use all real names (Law & Order and other shows showing crime in New York aren't allowed to either) but at least try to be believable to New Yorkers. If you're going to bring nuclear rods into our city, it's the least you can do.
Listen, I like plot twists, but 24 writers, just because a plot twist is shocking does not mean that it is good. I know that 24 is continually trying to reinvent the wheel after the first 5 seasons that rival any show out there, but this one was so ridiculous (as Paul would say "BRUTAL!") when you think about it. The woman sat down by the river for an entire episode and couldn't pull the trigger on an Ex even though she's about to help in mass murder. She also had a great chance to just get rid of FP jr (he was there with her and she had a gun) and she decided not to take that opportunity. She's been helping out CTU and even helped Hassan not get assassinated earlier. Also, if she were truly were bad, wouldn't she have been doing more to help out instead of just chasing around her past? Couldn't she have helped them out with security feeds like she did with her Ex? It's not as bad as the Tony plot twist last season, but it's no Nina Myers or President Logan. Maybe my expectations are too high, but it's still not great. At least we know that Denny is probably going to get killed now because she's aligned with the terrorists. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
Also, CTU has the worst human resources ever. Background checks? A way to spot a mole? Do they just do the honor system with job applications. "Are you a terrorist? No? OK, we believe you and we'll do nothing more to search into your past". CTU has been infiltrated more times than Snooki and JWOWW combined. Season 1 had a side plotline where Jack had weeded out some agents who were corrupt and taking a cut. But that doesn't even begin to compare with what is happening now. Not even close. The plot twist at the end makes you wish that Denny was just a bumbling fool with a difficult past who was willing to do a few unKosher things. Now? She's complicit in mass murder. Wait 'till FP jr. finds out--methinks that wedding won't be happening anymore. CTU: where you can draw guns on your co-workers, work for terrorists, get attacked and fraternize in the office. What a lovely place to work.
Season grade so far: B+. I have to say, it was a really good episode and the plot twist is a game changer. But it doesn't make it any better than a B+ and I don't think it's even there quite yet, but after last week's really good episode, it was followed up by another good episode (back-to-back good episodes are as rare as back-to-back good starts from A.J. Burnett) so I'll be nice and give it a B+. Maybe I'm being harsh or comparing it too much to the first 5 seasons. But I just feel like it's going to hop over that hump--especially after seeing the "next on 24"s--and it doesn't quite do it. Not yet at least. But I'm excited to see where the rest of the season goes. And for that excitement, it's worth a B+ in my book despite the plot holes.
Best line of the week: “I’m not good with praise” – Chloe. Amazing episode for one of the most underrated characters on 24. If you rank characters under Jack as "best 24 characters" where does Chloe rank? I think she has to be in consideration for 2nd place--though it's really like asking "who is the best hockey player after Wayne Gretzky?". There's the best and then there's a large gap. I may put Chloe as #2 meaning she may have just passed President David Palmer. That's pretty high praise.
Best moment of the week: Freckles killing the sniper right before he kills Jack/Denny killing Milton. It's a tie because both are game changers. Freckles is back in the field meaning that team of Jack, FP jr and Freckles that I've been pining for all season is set. And the other was the plot twist that went from Almost.Worst.Sideplot.Ever. to the biggest twist of the season. Big show moments right there.
Ari's body count: 52. Big episode for kills (and you know it's a big episode when a gunfight breaks out in the early stages. 4 bad guys, the Rookie, Dead Man Walking, and Milton, plus two confirmed CTU security guards from last episode. Big kills usually means a good episode and it didn't fail to disappoint here.
So what do you think? Thoughts? Like the episode? Excited by the plot twist? Or was it just more of the same BS? Let us know in the comments below!
Pictures from the great 24 Wikia
Posts
At first, I was shocked to see that Dana was working for the terrorists, especially when a few episodes ago she was about to confess to everything. In addition, she was playing the mole role long enough to meet FPJr, start a romantic relationship, and plan to get married? These are just a few of the things that don't make sense. I'm sure if I went back and watched the season from the beginning there would be even more that doesn't make sense.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing about her mole role that now makes sense from last night's episode was her recommendation that Chloe not connect "directly to the trunk." I would imagine that Dana knew it would work and that it would compromise the terrorists' operation.
Btw, who is betting that Dana is also romantically involved with lead terrorist?
As for Milton, he turned out to be exactly what he was, although how in the world does he think that what he needs is so important in the midst of a national crisis and terrorist threat (and how is Dana dumb enough to store a dead body in a vent? That body is gonna start to smell...).
Angelina may not have lost as much money as you'd think. I'm willing to bet that MTV paid her off to leave the show. It's all scripted anyway. Her leaving early became a plotline. And it's not like she missed that much...she was on all the "Jersey Shore Afterhours" shows as well as the "Jersey Shore Reunion" shows. Despite just 3 regular episodes, she still made bank I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the line about "how many dead" -- Ari, they were doing your body count work for you!
Dana's decision to hide Milton's body in the vent actually made sense. The body won't start to smell for 2-3 days, possibly longer. She's just stashing it there until the crisis is over. Then, when things have returned to normal, she and Cole will covertly remove it...much less likely to get busted then as compared to in the middle of the current hysteria. This is just a temporary solution.
Good episode overall. I did not see the plot twist coming. But you know what I did see? Plot holes. A freaking ton of them.
1. Nobody in Queens/Brooklyn (wherever the shootout was) heard any shots fired? Not a single NYPD officer was within 15 blocks of a dock that could launch a boat with nuclear rods towards Manhattan? Come on.
2. All the bridges and tunnels into Manhattan were closed. Okay. So Jack and FPJr. "deduced" that the only way onto the island was across the East River? How about the HUDSON River? Or the Harlem River? Or the bay near lower Manhattan where the Staten Island Ferry goes to? It's ridiculous that they picked the "only possible location" the terrorists could be at.
3. CTU New York is presumably a top government agency. Right up there with the NSA and maybe even the CIA. Certainly better than the NYPD! So why are their officers so freaking bad? They act like they've never been in the field before. They never listen to Jack. They never act calm, cool, and confident. They break under pressure and generally get themselves killed.
So why does CTU New York seem to have like 1 good field agent (FPJr.) and 1 good ex-CTU agent (Jack)? They have literally nobody else worthwhile in the field. It's all rookies and nervous, bumbling idiots. This is the worst government agency of all time. OF ALL TIME!
Jay I think #2 was because Tarin and co. went over the Williamsburg bridge.
ReplyDeleteAlso - as someone in my office said RE: Denny "her character suddenly seems less annoying now that she's bad" - Paulina
When Milton told Dana he was going to "nail her ass to the wall", all I could imagine was him using a giant, red Swingline stapler to do it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, another mole in CTU? Really? Again? 24 is becoming like Night Boat: there's always a canal, or an inlet, or a fjord.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/20679/the-simpsons-night-boat
Yeah...I didn't have as much problem with them being on the right river as you did Jay, but finding them so easily and no police coming was a bit much.
ReplyDeleteAnd you have to love technology on 24. The terrorists have an easy time using things like cell phone jamming and spy surveillance, but CTU is totally inept. Lovely. Jay is right. They are the worst gov't agency of all time. Big, expensive, and inept. Definitely Obama's fault.
While I'm glad the Denny side-plot is actually showing some gusto it seems so weird to me. Yesterday this girl was a top notch up and coming CTU analyst and now she's a psycho killer? It seems she really unraveled. Very quickly.
ReplyDeleteAnd as for the J-Wow/Freckles you have got that nailed right there. (HOW DID SHE GET OVER THERE!?!)
Good review as always Andrew. I know we were all shocked by Denny's new twist based on comments we made in the last couple of weeks. Why? Because it's way to far-fetched as mentioned above. One interesting thing though, the whole side-plot was used to distract the audience from figuring this out. I suspected Denny could be a mole early in the season but then dropped it after Kevin showed up. If I am correct with this assumption, then I guess it wasn't the worst sideplot ever, although still pretty bad.
ReplyDeleteThe more I think about it, I'm okay with Denny being engaged to Cole to keep her cover. People who support terrorist do crazy and ridiculous things to help their motive. But it's far fetched mainly because what Andrew mentioned - why wouldn't she kill Cole at the lake? I mean come on, BRUTAL! But this is what 24 does, I argue that even Season 1 didn't add up with Nina (which is why it's not the best season). Granted this Denny thing is much worse with way too many holes.
Sidenote - Ben brings up the fact that Denny tells Bubba that Chloe is crazy to connect via the trunk. I thought at the time it was because she was afraid if everything is back up and running, then the parole officer would be able to get the tape he wanted. So another interest twist just before they reveal she is the mole.
Overall, the show is good again and it looks like it's going to have a fun ending. We'll have to see, maybe something stupid will come like the Terrorist works for Tony Almeida who is planning the whole plot from his jail cell....
Also - last night was the 13th episode this season - so if we are getting Logan for 6 episodes - should be coming soon!
ReplyDeleteAnd let's bring back Aaron Pierce, too! We should start a petition. Only have a few episodes left to get him back in the picture!
ReplyDeleteJay, I'm not sure that Angelina is as well off as you make it seem. She's losing a ton of money in appearance fees, merchandise, and endorsements and she was given a non-guaranteed contract for Season 2.
Also, Paul pointed out to me that it's ridiculous that we've gone through more than half a season and there's been no mention of Jack's miraculous recovery from the radiation of last season. And now he has a punctured lung? I'm sure he'll come back in a few minutes from that one. People heal faster on "24" than they do on The Island in LOST
ReplyDeletePerhaps we will see Aaron Pierce when Logan comes back into the picture...
ReplyDeleteI think Angelina made a lot of money from her 3 episodes and various appearances in reunions and afterparty shows. Considering that she came into Jersey Shore using garbage bags as suitcases, imagine how much better off she is now as compared to Summer 2009. Maybe she's not as "rich" as Snooki and The Situation, because she gets less in appearance fees and merchandise as they do, but I'm sure she's making a good amount of money.
J-Lo she's not, but J-Woww...she might be closer than we think.
Plus, she could be back next year, which I fully support since she is the always-entertaining flat out bitch of the group.
True - she might not be sporting a set of Louis or Ghurka trunks if she treks down to Florida - but maybe she'll have an Ed Hardy suitcase or something
ReplyDeleteDid you know? You can buy your very own brand new 24 pinball game!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sternpinball.com/24.shtml
The website doesn't list the price (you have to contact a sales representative to learn that) but what does price matter when you're buying a collector's item for a soon-to-be-defunct TV show??
So we don't get Aaron Pierce on "24" this season but he has time to be on an episode of "Law & Order"? Ugh. Can we start a petition to get him back on "24" before the season is done.
ReplyDelete