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So Dad's back. I'm no longer living on my own, which means that the house won't be as clean as it is right now. And it no longer means sleeping whenever the hell I want or coming and going whenever I want without comment, but hey, at least there's someone else to talk to in the house. Funny thing is, I pretty much slept through the weekend because I was feeling sick all the way through Thursday night. I'm better now, but it kinda threw my sleeping patterns, as Dad has severe jetlag, and we are almost on the same sleep schedule. Whoops?
Ah well. Anyway, happy belated Bday to Ya Din and Paulette! I kinda find it amusing that I slept through Valentine's day and didn't do my ritual of watching When Harry Met Sally, but then again, there's no Steph on the phone to lovingly mock it with, so I suppose it's just as well.
In other news, I'm glad people liked the 24 parody. Since there was such a positive response, I'll go ahead and keep doing them, but I need to know 2 things first:
[Poll #1350678]
And finally:
1. So this is the first post-strike ep. The first 8, perhaps because of the writers' strike, felt very contained and we reached a nice stopping point. As such, this ep feels almost like a season premiere/turn in the narrative. It reminds me in many ways of S3. The first 8 prior to the Gael triple agent reveal seem almost separate from the Mexico and hotel arcs. That said, I think so far, S7 is much stronger and although not too much happens in this episode, they're setting things up and getting ready to ramp up for the rest of the season. I'm glad they reminded people that Jack has a personal connection to Dubaku through Redemption, as I'm sure it's now going to play into things sometime later.
2. President Taylor continues to have balls of steel. She's different from Palmer, who was all about finesse and diplomacy, but she takes no shit and and is pretty flippin' awesome. I'm not so sure about why we've never heard at least one reference to the daughter Olivia, but she's played by Sprague Grayden (Heather! of Jericho fame) so at least I like the actress.
3. Also? AARON MUTHAFUCKIN' PIERCE! I'm so glad that I don't read spoilers because when Bill said that he knew of someone, I was, "who? Tony's on the lam and Chloe's headed to the FBI." So when he showed up and they showed his BADGE first, I literally squealed in delight. That, as they say, is how they get shit done. Secret Service compromised? No worries. Pierce is there. This pretty much seals it, I'm going full on no spoilers for the rest of the season. Only promos, and I'm going to avoid all casting spoilers as much as possible. (Rachel, you're going to have to help me out on this.)
4. I'm still wondering where Tony went (Is he off looking for his Cubbie mug?), but it's like they're really getting the band back together with all the old favorites / important characters to Jack. And I'm LOOOOOOVING it. This contrast of the new guard and old guard is pretty awesome, and it's why in part why I'm loving this season. It feels like our reward for sitting through 6 seasons of 24, as the writers continue to make parallels and the characters themselves reference older players. Sean and Erica I could do without and Janis is okay, but I'm loving the contrast of the CTU of old and Larry and Renee. They are the two best new characters for sure.
5. The scene with Larry and Chloe worked so well too. Chloe's got a kid and a pretty stable (from the looks of it) relationship with Morris. Also, wasn't Chloe originally from CTU DC? I think I remember that from the game. So she must be pretty well-adjusted now, which is why she might not survive, esp with both Morris and Larry calling out her long record with the danger-magnet Jack.
That said, waaaay to lay the smackdown on Larry. Plus, all the references- Chappelle, Curtis, and Teri....so good. Mentioning Teri is where Larry crossed the line, I think. He had a point with Chappelle and Curtis because Jack actually pulled the trigger. It was the mention of Teri that was uncalled for (and personally, I think that the only ones who ever invoke her name correctly, to or in regards to Jack, are Tony and Kim, because they were the only ones who actually knew her.)
6. I LOVE Renee and Jack as partners. Renee's headed for a breakdown for sure, but I continue to love watching her struggle with it. She feels like the old Jack of S1, and I love that by virtue of who she is and what she is doing, she makes Jack see just how much he has lost of himself and what a shell of a person he has become. I am SO excited for the next episode. It's not even sexual tension, it's the fact that she pokes and prods at him like no one, except maybe Tony has. He's gone so long with turning off his emotions for the sake of the mission that when confronted with Renee, who is so much like his Ghost of Christmas past- he is forced to deal with that self-reflection. It's not just shoved to a few short moments throughout the season; it's constantly there in his face whenever they clash.
Because Renee *is* like him. So much so. Right down to it being so important to save Marika because she gave Marika her word. She knows that it has to be done, but she still feels it, acutely. That scene with Larry was so freaking awesome, as he keeps reminding her that her list of questionable, illegal actions is piling up and fast. And he keeps trying to pull her from the edge, but she's so much like Jack, she's pulled to follow Jack's instructions because they make so much sense to her. I'm beginning to think that Renee is a better version of what they were trying to do with Chase's character in S3, because Chase was too eager to be just like Jack. Renee's more reluctant and in that way, far more so like S1 Jack, who was tragically caught up in the urgency and unable to slow his descent into the madness. Her own struggle is interesting because we've seen it before and we're curious to see how she'll wind up.
As much as Renee is turning into Jack, Jack used to be Renee, and that's why I think the writers did such a great job pairing the two up. The comparisons go both way so we're interested in both characters.
Ah well. Anyway, happy belated Bday to Ya Din and Paulette! I kinda find it amusing that I slept through Valentine's day and didn't do my ritual of watching When Harry Met Sally, but then again, there's no Steph on the phone to lovingly mock it with, so I suppose it's just as well.
In other news, I'm glad people liked the 24 parody. Since there was such a positive response, I'll go ahead and keep doing them, but I need to know 2 things first:
[Poll #1350678]
And finally:
1. So this is the first post-strike ep. The first 8, perhaps because of the writers' strike, felt very contained and we reached a nice stopping point. As such, this ep feels almost like a season premiere/turn in the narrative. It reminds me in many ways of S3. The first 8 prior to the Gael triple agent reveal seem almost separate from the Mexico and hotel arcs. That said, I think so far, S7 is much stronger and although not too much happens in this episode, they're setting things up and getting ready to ramp up for the rest of the season. I'm glad they reminded people that Jack has a personal connection to Dubaku through Redemption, as I'm sure it's now going to play into things sometime later.
2. President Taylor continues to have balls of steel. She's different from Palmer, who was all about finesse and diplomacy, but she takes no shit and and is pretty flippin' awesome. I'm not so sure about why we've never heard at least one reference to the daughter Olivia, but she's played by Sprague Grayden (Heather! of Jericho fame) so at least I like the actress.
3. Also? AARON MUTHAFUCKIN' PIERCE! I'm so glad that I don't read spoilers because when Bill said that he knew of someone, I was, "who? Tony's on the lam and Chloe's headed to the FBI." So when he showed up and they showed his BADGE first, I literally squealed in delight. That, as they say, is how they get shit done. Secret Service compromised? No worries. Pierce is there. This pretty much seals it, I'm going full on no spoilers for the rest of the season. Only promos, and I'm going to avoid all casting spoilers as much as possible. (Rachel, you're going to have to help me out on this.)
4. I'm still wondering where Tony went (Is he off looking for his Cubbie mug?), but it's like they're really getting the band back together with all the old favorites / important characters to Jack. And I'm LOOOOOOVING it. This contrast of the new guard and old guard is pretty awesome, and it's why in part why I'm loving this season. It feels like our reward for sitting through 6 seasons of 24, as the writers continue to make parallels and the characters themselves reference older players. Sean and Erica I could do without and Janis is okay, but I'm loving the contrast of the CTU of old and Larry and Renee. They are the two best new characters for sure.
5. The scene with Larry and Chloe worked so well too. Chloe's got a kid and a pretty stable (from the looks of it) relationship with Morris. Also, wasn't Chloe originally from CTU DC? I think I remember that from the game. So she must be pretty well-adjusted now, which is why she might not survive, esp with both Morris and Larry calling out her long record with the danger-magnet Jack.
That said, waaaay to lay the smackdown on Larry. Plus, all the references- Chappelle, Curtis, and Teri....so good. Mentioning Teri is where Larry crossed the line, I think. He had a point with Chappelle and Curtis because Jack actually pulled the trigger. It was the mention of Teri that was uncalled for (and personally, I think that the only ones who ever invoke her name correctly, to or in regards to Jack, are Tony and Kim, because they were the only ones who actually knew her.)
6. I LOVE Renee and Jack as partners. Renee's headed for a breakdown for sure, but I continue to love watching her struggle with it. She feels like the old Jack of S1, and I love that by virtue of who she is and what she is doing, she makes Jack see just how much he has lost of himself and what a shell of a person he has become. I am SO excited for the next episode. It's not even sexual tension, it's the fact that she pokes and prods at him like no one, except maybe Tony has. He's gone so long with turning off his emotions for the sake of the mission that when confronted with Renee, who is so much like his Ghost of Christmas past- he is forced to deal with that self-reflection. It's not just shoved to a few short moments throughout the season; it's constantly there in his face whenever they clash.
Because Renee *is* like him. So much so. Right down to it being so important to save Marika because she gave Marika her word. She knows that it has to be done, but she still feels it, acutely. That scene with Larry was so freaking awesome, as he keeps reminding her that her list of questionable, illegal actions is piling up and fast. And he keeps trying to pull her from the edge, but she's so much like Jack, she's pulled to follow Jack's instructions because they make so much sense to her. I'm beginning to think that Renee is a better version of what they were trying to do with Chase's character in S3, because Chase was too eager to be just like Jack. Renee's more reluctant and in that way, far more so like S1 Jack, who was tragically caught up in the urgency and unable to slow his descent into the madness. Her own struggle is interesting because we've seen it before and we're curious to see how she'll wind up.
As much as Renee is turning into Jack, Jack used to be Renee, and that's why I think the writers did such a great job pairing the two up. The comparisons go both way so we're interested in both characters.
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2) OMG I love Taylor. I LOVE that they've made her with gigantic balls but she's still somewhat cautious and intelligent about what she's doing, not just charging ahead because that's what she's going to do, dammit. It'd be very easy to characterize someone very forceful and blunt as someone who's also kind of a bull-in-a-china-shop/brute-force-and-ignorance kind of person and she's not.
3) OH YEAH BITCHES, PIERCE IN THE HIZZOUSE. I was spoiled for the casting from reading an article somewhere (and I kind of shrieked when I saw it *g*) but I still went all mad flaily when I saw his name in the guest appearance credits and squealed so loudly when we saw him. I LOVE YOU, AARON.
4) I'm not sure how they're doing it exactly, but I love that this season while the characters reference earlier characters, it actually works. As opposed to being a bit like some past seasons where it seemed more like a cheap ploy by TPTB to get us invested in the characters quickly, as they'd killed off everyone else.
5) NO. CHLOE CANNOT DIE, DAMMIT. SHE HAS A KID. SHE'S THE PERFECT COMIC FOIL FOR JACK. NO.
I loved her interaction with her and Moss, and squealed so loudly at the mention of Chappelle. Though sometime I would die to see Renee actually mention it to/ask Jack about it, considering I've seen two recent interviews where Kiefer says that Jack still really hasn't forgiven himself for killing him and I would love to actually see him convey that onscreen.
And yeah, mentioning Teri was over the line. Hopefully Moss knows better than to mention that to Jack's face, considering he was watching Tony's interrogation. :D
6) OH MY GOD I LOVE JACK AND RENEE TOGETHER IN ANY CAPACITY. So much WORD to everything you said, and actually reading that I can finally articulate something that's been percolating in my brain for a while. What I really hope is that Renee's reactions kind of bring out more of that side that Jack has closed off and give him back something, more than she she starts heading down Jack's dark path. WHY I STILL HAVE ANY KIND OF HOPE WHEN IT COMES TO THESE CHARACTERS AFTER 6 SEASONS I DO NOT KNOW. But yeah, I want to see Jack get some of that humanity back, dammit (and I don't want Renee to die to do it)!
I also really, really, really, want to see Renee and Jack's ideas about what they should do diverge--and for Renee's idea to ACTUALLY WORK instead of just her resisting Jack's idea of what they have to do and then giving in. Jack's plans aren't always right--sometimes they succeed, sometimes they fail--so it's not that Jack's always right, it's more that his is always the only option, whether it succeeds or not. Even if it doesn't succeed, it was the only thing they could do, and I'd love to see that change. Especially if TPTB are trying to question whether Jack has done the right thing, it's still just kind of telling instead of showing as long as they show torture/doing crazy illegal shit is the *only option*.
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2. I think Rachel was the one who said that the Taylors are the emotional trauma of the show this season, and it's kinda hilarious how we're suddenly getting a First Daughter, now that the First Son and fiancee are dead and Henry is in surgery. The First family is rotating through like a merry-go-round in "obligatory loved one in danger role" of the season. Given the trend (S1!Teri&Kim, S2!Kim, S3!Michelle, S4!Audrey&Tony), this is definitely a change, although understandable since Jack has lost so much already.
4. 24 always works best when they take old storylines and situations and put the current cast in them. That's why Renee and Larry work. Renee is S1!Jack. Larry is S1!Tony. It's why Tony and Michelle are so successful as characters. S3!Tony was S1!Jack. S4!Michelle was S3!Tony. Same situation, different results because each character is different; but it has more resonance precisely BECAUSE we've seen it before.
The reason why this season is gelling so much is because S7!FBI is S1-S6!CTU. It essentially casts everyone who used to be CTU in the role of S4-S6!Jack. That's why these references to the past are working so well across the board.
5. Considering Jack shot Renee for the sake of the mission? Dude, Ryan Chappelle must have been going through her head over and over and over as she lay down there in ground. She's read his file. She knows about Ryan, and I'm just waiting for her to break and call him out on it at some point.
6. I agree wholeheartedly with the show/tell thing. I want Renee to come up with a non-torture, pure synthesis of Jack's out of the box thinking and Larry's by-the-book thinking. You know, something just inside the rules.
What I really hope is that Renee's reactions kind of bring out more of that side that Jack has closed off and give him back something, more than she she starts heading down Jack's dark path.
I really really cannot wait until next week. Renee represents all that Jack was and what I think he really wants to have back. He wants to care again, but so many years have eaten him up. It's so much more effective to have her slap him and ask if he feels that than to have Larry criticize him and tell he's lost everything. Renee pushes and prods- and for that reason, she CAN'T DIE.
They say that the way to break a person who has already lost everything is to give it back to him broken. If Renee dies as she's trying to straddle the two worlds Jack describes in Hour 2, it would be like proof that it's just not possible. If she survives this day without completely losing it, then it's almost as if just by that, she's giving him hope that he could go back and try to be like that again. But if she dies, so too does that line of thought that maybe he could do things differently.
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1. Also first ep after they thought of Redemption, which is obvious as it's the first time we actually get a personal connection with Dubaku from Jack - and you HAVE to wonder if Dubaku is ever EVER going to make the "guy who killed my brother" connection. I loved how Jack saw the kids outside playing soccer. Nice call back, guys.
Yes, although I'd argue that the game changing ep was all the way back in ep 3 and now the game's changed again, so we have several "this will change everything" moments that actually DO change everything instead of like in s4 with Air Force One going down which was shocking to probably two people and both were TV reviewers.
I like the s3 comparison. Although it wasn't nearly as big a twist as "it was all a set up!" I think s7 has more plot and characters than s3 at the moment. Also many more moles. The thing about s3 is that it and s4 were the "authority" seasons, where no one inside the government was working against our heroes at least not like s7 (dear 24, we all know Heller's evil, c'mon, please?). So s7 is very different in the way that it's more like 1, 2, and 5.
2. I LOVE Taylor. I thought she had a total right to want to go see her husband, especially since she feels horribly guilty/responsible. And oh Bill, I love Bill being all "well I could do it!" I also ALREADY love the daughter. Funny thing, did you know guy she was trying to sign on was David Fury?
3. I can't help with casting spoilers! I already know one more! But uh, I can try not to look at others? Aaron! *loves* It's like okay, everything's okay now, Aaron's there. He's the rock.
4. I NEED MORE TONY IN MY LIFE. But I'm okay with him going away a little bit as long as he comes back. As much as I'd love to see Jack, Tony and Renee working together, one of them might be a little redundant. I kinda love Janis, I know that makes me a freak a little bit with the 24 fandom, but, eh, I've loved Janeane since I was a kid.
5. Chloe and Morris and Prescott!! I've been waiting for this scene since we got the original baby spoilers. Aw, he's SO CUTE (played by Howard Gordon's kid). I love how Morris is all "I'm totally supportive but uh, do you need help? Please let me help!" Supportive, but jealous and bored. Also, 24, even X-Files did a better job of hiding pregnancy. I did often wonder what would happen if someone got pregnant on the show. The five month break didn't help, either.
She was great with Larry. He had no idea what to do with her. She wasn't trying to be mean, she's just...awkward. Dude, he so crossed the line. Like, you can say, yes, Ryan and Curtis, you can blame him for those but bringing in Teri? (Also they remember! they remember!) And Chloe was all "you think that was Jack's fault!?" *loves*. Well, only Tony really, as Kim would call her mom. Even in s6 we got only references to Jack's dead wife. Tony's the first person to use her name in years.
6. Renee! *loves* The scene with the mirror and the moment that Larry gets to her with the murder of Vossler, you see in her eyes where she's like oh my god, what am I doing? I love the point about turning into Jack and how he used to be more like her. However, I'd almost say he was more like Larry in a way, as he was turning in dirty agents. Then again, he and Tony apparently had side projects, so maybe not. Yes, shell of a person - I think that's totally true, and you could tell he kind of wants to push her away but also needs her help.
I didn't think I had this much to say about the episode...
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I never caught that. Good eye.
(dear 24, we all know Heller's evil, c'mon, please?)
Oooh, if only.
2. I also ALREADY love the daughter. Funny thing, did you know guy she was trying to sign on was David Fury?
Yes! He always has the best cameos. (*They took! The mustard! Out!*) Hehe, I love David Fury's work. He's actually part of the reason why I jumped on board this season, despite S6 and my misgivings about their bringing back Tony. He's one of the writers I always keep track of, along with Joss Whedon, Brian K Vaughn, JJ Abrams, Jane Espenson, Deborah Cahn, Tim Minear, Greg Berlanti, Bryan Fuller, Jason Katims, and Ron Moore (the last two have now made up for fucking up Roswell with their work on FNL and BSG).
3. I can't help with casting spoilers! I already know one more
I think I know the one you are talking about. But seriously, I am like in total lockdown from now on. 24 is the most fun when I don't have any idea what is going to happen and can just let the writers take me on the ride. I only read spoilers when I'm bored of the show or feel the need to prepare myself (see: s6)
4. As much as I'd love to see Jack, Tony and Renee working together, one of them might be a little redundant.
I find, as always, that things work best in threes and fives. I don't know why, but those numbers seem to create enough of a dynamic for people to play off each other. (Bill seems to be our connection to Taylor for now, so, I'm waiting for Jack to get pulled out of the game so we can get Tony, Larry, and Renee (with Janis and Chloe for support). IT WILL HAPPEN!)
5. 24, even X-Files did a better job of hiding pregnancy.
HAH. It's hilarious.
6. However, I'd almost say he was more like Larry in a way, as he was turning in dirty agents. Then again, he and Tony apparently had side projects, so maybe not.
Jack turned in dirty agents for taking bribe, but that doesn't mean that he was by the book. I can't remember because it's been a while, but I think I remember shooting Mason with a tranq dart in the first episode of S1. So, kind of like Renee was unorthodox enough to bring in Bauer, willing to look into other "just inside the line" tactics that Larry refused to even consider when interrogating Tony- Jack was one to see the rules as more like guidelines, even before the end of S1.
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Also I gotta say, bring back Tony was one of the main things I was excited about this season.
Er, anyway, I need evil Heller. I think it would help make a lot of seasons 4-6 make more sense. It's almost the only way to explain his reaction to Audrey being alive.
I don't want to read spoilers but I'm dying to find out about Tony, like seriously dying. Okay, yeah I think you know that one, but that's not really a *spoiler* as it would be almost impossible to avoid.
*facepalm* Yes. The shooting Mason in the leg to find out his business dealings. Good point. I think that makes sense as a parallel too. I'm slow enough that I just remembered even though it only happened about a month ago a reason why Larry isn't exactly thrilled about Jack, which is the whole punching in the face thing even beyond his threatening his relationship with Renee.
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Well, yes, there is that. Also, there's the whole, "You put your hands on my woman!" thing in that he attacked Renee too. I wonder if Larry knows just how much bodily harm Jack has put Renee in. I really, really want Larry to at some point ask Renee why she has a bandaid on her neck, cuz I don't think he knows that Jack was the one who shot Renee and buried her alive. And you just know he'd blow a gasket if he found out.