24 / Chuck reaction post

[dealan311]

OMG. SO MUCH GOODNESS IN ONE NIGHT.

Will edit this post and add coherent thoughts when I have calmed down. But for now, GOD I LOVE MONDAY SPY NIGHT NIGHTS.

Oh and spoilers in the comments.

***

Aaaand it's later:

1. I think I think too much like a writer when I watch this show, because I first suspected there was going to be a fake out the moment we got the line from Hodges to Greg about knowing your enemy. My cousin can attest to the fact that I called it then and there, since she was teasing me that I was wrong for most of the episode. But really, that was our first clue something was up, because otherwise, why leave that line in for us to see? It's the gun in the first act going off in the third act rule. Add on the fact that Hodges is too much of an egomanic control freak to let Greg introduce doubt in the other soldiers, I figured out there would be a play of some sort. To their credit, I wasn't sure if Hodges was just using Greg or if Greg was in on it as well, until Greg went and lied to Larry's face. (Which, thanks for that, because we got Angry!Hot!Righteous!Tony, which is the version I like best after Making-Out-In-Dark-Corners-With-Michelle!Tony). And they managed to bench Renee in a way that made sense (at least to the shippers), so Jack won't go in and save the day alone. But yeah, you knew it was solidly a trap when Hodges did nothing at the FBI's first arrival.

2. Jon Voight, I've decided, is basically just rehashing his role in Varsity Blues, wherein he plays this huge megalomaniac coach who is obsessed with leaving a huge legacy at all costs. Now here, we're talking love of country instead of town pride, but the same concepts apply. He's delusional but he's the kind of fanatic that believes that he has aligned his own interests with a higher ideal. So he doesn't have to hide the fact that he's preserving his company, because he truly believes what Starkwood represents is the epitome of what is right for the safety of his country. And because of that, he can speak with enough conviction to convince the men who follow him blindly to trust in him. These are people who lost their faith in something bigger than themselves, and Jonas has given them something to believe in again, twisted their patriotism into his own warped sense of serving a greater ideal. In that sense, he is like Juma, but because he's played by Jon Voight, it's probably just best to see him as Coach Bud Kilmer and you'll have all the explanation of his character motivation that you'll need.

3. Which is why I don't believe that Olivia has anything to do with Starkwood. She's too much obsessed with her own self-interest, from her job to her reputation to her family. It's all about her. I think the panic that we saw on her face had more to do with covering her ass and trying desperately to protect the second chance her mother has given her. The news about Starkwood means that Jack didn't kill Meyer, which means her broadcast reporter is going to be pissed and is going to name her as his source when it turns out to be wrong. And after laying in on pretty thick about the trust she needs in the people around her, finding out that Olivia did lie to her is going to break Allison's heart. It's going to happen, you just know it, and Olivia's screwed (no pun intended for the next week's previews). But that's why her face went all "Oh shit!" I think. If she turns out to be working with Jonas, I'll be VERY surprised.

4. On the bright side, yay to the awesome continuity we got this week! I was pretty certain it was Sunny Macer from S3 as the CDC Lady, but I didn't get confirmation until we heard her name. (Yay for (quarter) Filipino representation, y'all!) Still, awesome cameo, and a nice touch to have someone who must have worked with Jack when he was still feeling and whole. (My fanwank- yo, of course he worked with her. In the aftermath of the S3 finale, with Tony gone and Chase in the hospital with his hand, Jack would have to be the one telling her about the virus in the fridge). And of course, we had not just the scars, but people actually acknowledging them. TWICE! Which of course, leads me to....

The Triangle that Isn't.

HOLY CRAP. What an awesome, awesome episode for the OT3. Breaking it down:

a) Renee/Larry: I loved the scene where he tells her about Jack, because you can see them systematically re-building their relationship, despite the fact that it's all about Jack. In that scene, they're both kicking themselves for not being there to stop it from happening. Both of them are used to back-up, and the fact that Jack is now dying because he had none is eating at both of them. Larry is feeling guilty because he feels like he didn't get there in time. And Renee is just gutted because in addition to the *whatever* she's feeling for him, she's wondering if maybe Jack wouldn't have been exposed if she had told Larry earlier. Because Larry is *the* go-to person for bringing in the big guns and the SWAT and he probably would have if he had just been TOLD.

On top of that, you have Larry who still very clearly loves Renee and she's breaking in front of his eyes and it hurts him that she's hurting. Because all he want to do to hug her and kiss her and comfort her, but he stops himself and lets the moment pass because he knows anything he does won't stop it from hurting.

I loved the way Jeffrey Nordling and Annie Wersching played that scene because there's just so much apology there between the two of them, for all the things that have happened that they could have controlled, everything they couldn't, everything they've done and all the missed connections. It's not just the I'm sorry for not trusting you, there are undercurrents of "I'm sorry I couldn't give you what you want" and "I know, but I'm still here for you however you need me so let's not cut each other out anymore." And finally, we have some resolution. Finally they're back on the same page, being Larry and Renee, the freaking Dream Team of the FBI, best friends and trusted partners.

b) Renee/Jack: I was wondering how they were going to break the news to Renee- whether it would be Larry or Jack. And as it turned out, we got both. Plus we got to see her first reaction to his scars, which was all I wanted out of this episode. So the writers were so good to me this week. Because maaaaaan did they deliver.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I'm not completely sold on a romantic relationship between the two of them. But I do acknowledge the fact that they are amazing on screen together and the characters do care differently for each other than they do for anyone else. Renee was gutted when she found out the news and I think the fact that she stayed as tactical and wouldn't leave Jack alone says a lot when you contrast that with her need to see justice served. And Jack- he's gentle with her- and who wouldn't be when- GOD did you see her FACE when she thought he was okay? All happy and puppy like and then getting CRUSHED? And then he goes and tells her it's okay and apologizes for his scars, when he's the one dying and he's the one with the scars. I'm not sold on the romantic relationship because I think to do that, Jack would have to admit to himself that he needs other people and let himself hope and lean on someone again, which is too early for it to happen today with Renee. But the beginnings of that are there.

c) Larry-Jack: We finally got the completion of our OT3, ladies and gentlemen, because from here on out, it's clear that Larry now trusts Jacks and respects him, even when he has to say no. And when Larry is on your side, he is ON YOUR SIDE. Did you notice how he spoke with Jack in his soft voice that he uses on Renee all the time? And Jack's mirthless chuckle about "finally finding something they agree on" was just so heartbreakingly sad, because DAMN, it took Jack dying for them to finally see past the difference between each other's methods and find that they share the same love of country and life. And that love and respect, that Agape love has always been there, but only now are they recognizing it in each other.

It's funny because the writers have really done something cool in this season by making this a mostly non-romantic triangle. Normally the triangles we see on TV are romantic in nature. On 24, the two best examples, Jack/Tony/Michelle and Jack/Tony/Nina, were mirrors of each other. The onscreen tension between Jack, Nina and Tony in S1 was wrought with jealousy and insecurity and betrayal, born from a badly ended relationship. Eros (romantic) love, and all its complications, drove that triangle. By contrast, the Jack/Tony/Michelle relationship was a counterpoint to that negativity. The inter-relationships were mostly positive and secure and the dynamic between the characters came from the beautiful tension between Tony and Michell's eros and Jack and Tony's philos (family-brotherly) love. Although different, both triangles were interesting to watch unfold in their respective seasons as the action ratched up.

But what's interesting about the Jack/Renee/Larry triangle is that romance is on the periphery. Yes, you have Larry in love with Renee and Renee crushing on Jack but it's all in one direction. All the romantic Eros love is unrealized as of yet. In doing so, they've created an OT3 that is unlike any we've seen with on the show. It's not necessarily devoid of the romantic or friend relationships, but what drives the dynamic primarily is the three individuals' shared love of country and justice and preservation of life. Jack and Larry differ on priorities and where they think the line should be (and make their case to pull Renee in one way or another), but they have the same kind of faith and belief in the goodness of humanity. Their urgency and passion are rooted in the same need to protect the very things that make humanity redeemable. It's pure Agape love-the highest, the ultimate, unconditional love, and love encompassing all humanity and all of life. It's not romantic or familial affection. It's love at its most abstract and you can see it in their convictions and the way they feel about their country and morality and faith and trust.

That's really hard to pull off on TV these days, but the writers have somehow managed to do it. And whether you're Team Larry or Team Jack or want Renee with neither, you gotta admit, the way they've pulled Renee in different directions is more about her soul than it is about who winds up in bed together after today.

If they keep this up, this might be my favorite season yet. It's definitely jumped above S3, and right now it's neck and neck between S1 and S2. And while a lot of what I love about it couldn't happen without S1-S6, there's nary a cougar, amnesia, or mystery baby in sight. If the last 8 eps are as good as this season, this season is definitely going to win.

Comments

[withherhands]

AUGH. AUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH.

DUDE JUST.....AUUUUUGH. JACK AND RENEE HAVE KILLED ME DEAD.

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

And just wait, next week he actually falls over and she rushes to his side and omg your hurt/comfort table is just going to be all Jack/Renee from now on, isn't it?

SCARS TWICE. AND TEARS. AND HOPEFUL LOOKS CRUSHED INTO GUTTED REACTIONS.

AND CONTINUITY! Like hard core continuity with SUNNI MACER FROM S3 as the CDC lady. (That would be my Asian radar going off, since I knew we had seen her before).

Seriously. Too much awesomeness in one night.

[withherhands]

OMG leigh57 MENTIONED THAT BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET BECAUSE THEY DON'T SHOW THE PROMOS IN CANADA, AND AUUUUUGH WHY ARE YOU FAILING ME, GOOGLE, WHYYYYYY?

AND AUGH YES THE SCARS AND RENEE SEEING THE SCARS AND OMG SUNNY'S BACK BUT FOR SOME REASON SHE AND JACK DIDN'T, Y'KNOW, MENTION THAT THEY KNOW EACHOTHER OR ANYTHING.

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

Oh man, you are going freak next week.

Yeah I was surprised to see her, but had a nice moment of inner squee when we got confirmation with her name. (The actress who plays her is part Filipino, so yay for representation! Why do I pay attention to these things?). Anyway, Rachel pointed out that Sunny didn't really work with Jack, mostly with Tony in the beginning and Michelle in the hotel arc, I believe. Still, they must have at least met once, so now of course, her reaction to his scars are making the fic bunnies run rampant because I love any and all fics from the outsider's POV when it comes to Jack. And she would be one of the few people we have seen this season who knew the Jack of S3, when he was still somewhat whole and feeling.

[moofoot.livejournal.com]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep2qHqvfgQU

THERE YOU GO OMG.

[withherhands]

LEFT A YOUTUBE WINDOW OPEN AND JUST RAN THE SEARCH AGAIN AND FOUND IT RIGHT NOW BUT THANK YOU AND OMG.

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

Just watched the Jack/Renee split second of the preview approximately 25 times in a row. Her VOICE. Oy.

[withherhands]

AUGH YES. The amount of "OMG PANIC" and emotional investment in that one sentence is just *FLAIL*

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

Total flail. I can't stop watching that like, what is it? 2 seconds? Oh, lame, me. My brain will not turn OFF.

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

Nope. Me first. I swear. I have to drink more now.

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

Her face when she thought that Jack was okay was just....LOOK AT HER ALL "YAY I GOT A PUPPY FOR CHRISTMAS JUST LIKE I WANTED!"


And then with the school girl squee:


And then getting crushed and all lip quivering sad:


I just... GAH. :(

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

And you say you're not even committed yet. Can you imagine ME right now? Shit. Why am I still uuuuuuuuuuuuuup? Her face. OMG just. . . . my contacts are so going to fall out.

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

Okay weird, only one pic came out. Here are the pics I was gonna post:


and




Yes. This is me not committed.

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

You enjoy punching me in the stomach, right? Good times! I keep trying to remember the part where these are fake people. . . . Only it's not working.

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

*polishes halo*

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

You SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK. (which I say in the most affectionate way possible). Crap.

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

p.s. "This is me not committed." Are you finally starting to drink the kool aid? :-P

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

Not yet. My biggest problem committing to this ship is because I haven't been able to get a read on Jack yet. With Renee, it's fairly obvious now how she feels. But with Jack, it's more up in the air. I'm still sold on it being the Jack and Renee Kicking Ass and Taking Names Show, but as far as shippery stuff? The way I see it, it's like: Larry loves Renee but holds himself back. Renee loves Jack but holds herself back. And Jack just wants to stop the bad guys and try not to die.

She's definitely getting to him, I'll give you that. But I'm not quite sold on it being romantic feelings. At least not yet. It'd have to be a slow burn, as well as one could do a slow burn on 24, anyway.

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

Yeah nothing is slow on this show. Ever. Part of why I spend half my life now dying over it. Meh.

I do give you that Jack is super hard to read at this point, although I'm totally with you on the Renee/Larry thing. I think last night made the Renee half of my ship crystal clear. Canon now;) But Jack? He's tougher. The shippy side of me wants to believe that he's in full-out denial mode, and that one of the reasons that he has so much trouble engaging with Renee right now (when he's not being Tactical!Jack) is that she does get to him and he knows he can't afford to go there right now. I don't even mean in the romance sense. Just letting out the feelings that he obviously has on the subject of, well, at this point, his own imminent death.

Still, Shipper Goggles or not, he treats her differently than he does other people. Nobody else makes him shifty like that. Half the time he's avoiding eye contact with her. What it's about, I'm not sure.

Holy crap I need to stop watching this preview.

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

I said it somewhere else, but I'll say it again here. Hope is a dangerous thing for Jack right now. He's gone so long without it that if he lets in just a little, even that might be too much. He's like one of those people who have suffered from extreme starvation. You can't let them eat too much because their bodies won't be able to handle it and will make them expel the food. Likewise, if Jack lets himself hope too much too soon and he gets disappointed, I don't think he'll ever recover.

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

GAH how do you guys live in the 24verse without reaching for the sharp knives? I don't think I'm made of strong enough stuff to be a fan. Oh wait. Oops. TOO FUCKING LATE.

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

Just wait for the finale. I have no idea what it's going to be about or what will happen but without fail, every year, you end up going-


OH NO, you aren't going to leave us hanging off like that!!!!


And they do.

EVERY.SINGLE.FUCKING.YEAR. (Well, except last year, but that season sucked anyway.)

And the worst part is that the next season picks up years later so even then you're scrambling for answers and clues as to what the hell happened in the interim.

So that feeling you have right now about waiting until Monday? Get used to it because on May 18, you're going to be going "IS IT JANUARY YET?" Because in my experience, the better the season is, the worse they'll leave you wanting more in the finale.

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

*dives into large vat of despair* You are NOT HELPING.

No see, I know what's going to happen. And don't yell at me because this is entirely unrelated to any spoiler I have seen anywhere. It's just my paranoid mind deciding that of course, the show I manage to fall obsessively in love with would HAVE to do this to me. Okay well wait. One of two things will happen.

1) Jack is actually dying of this biotoxin thing, only it will take a really long time.
2) Something so horrible will happen at the end of THIS season that even though Jack and Renee are kinda trying to have a thing, they're too emotionally traumatized to do so.

I'm honestly trying not to think about the wait between May and January, primarily because I know that regardless of how I feel about it now, you're absolutely right that where they leave it will make my mental state 438964637947951973512789 times worse.

I'll spend the entire seven months tormenting you guys with fanfic so squashy you'll want to vomit. Augh! *goes to find knife*

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

Haha, welcome to the fandom, my dear.

Honestly, I worry more about Tony or Larry. If it comes down to it and the two of them have to choose between Tony or Larry, I think I'm gonna actually cry.


And oh please. You remember how you bemoaned the fact that there's no J/R fic and I told you to wait for the summer? This is why. It's everyone's coping mechanism. When 24 is on, you sit back, strap in, and brace yourself for the ride. You focus on picking up all the little pieces of backstory and everything. THEN when you get nothing to flail about for 8 months, that's when people start churning out the fic.

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

Do you think they'd actually kill Tony twice? Huh. I guess with this damn show you never know. I worry a LOT about Larry, but yeah there's a choice that would suck. Oh, the effing angst. I can't deal:(

However, I will hope you're correct about the summer fic explosion.

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

I think that Tony has a lot to account for because he did do some terrible things for those years he was with Emerson. And I'm not sure Tony could handle going back to jail again. I worry about his suicidal tendencies even more than I do about Jack's because Tony really doesn't have anything to live for once this threat passes. Jack at least has Kim and now the beginnings of a strong connection with Renee. But Tony...to quote Jack, at least if he dies today, he can die for something.

And I dunno if there will be an explosion of fic, per se, but I do know that there will probably be more than there is right now. Especially once we get the basic details of how much time difference there will be between S7 and S8. Because let's face it. Even just knowing what we know right now, the list of issues they'd have to work through if they did get together is a mile long. Just off the top of my head there's:

1) Jack and his scars and the fact that he's uncomfortable being touched.
2) Jack's inability to open up about his past.
3) The fact that he's never dated anyone who could take care of herself the way he can. They've always been civilians whom he's had to protect. And not only can Renee protect herself, she has a tendency to LEAP into danger, which Larry is TERRIBLE at controlling her instincts (Just think of how many phones he has had to give her just today)
4) The fact that he shot her (which, Jack has NEVER put any of the people he loved in any danger whatsoever, so that guilt's gonna haunt him later down the road.)
5) Their fundamental differences on where the line should be. They're meeting each other in the middle, slowly, but it's gonna take a while before they really see eye to eye and they'll probably disagree 90% of the time at first.
6) Their age difference. She's only a couple years older than Kim.
7) The fact that she looks like Teri and her own insecurities about competing with the memory of his dead wife. And Audrey.

So there'll be a lot of cover. It's just easier to focus once we know where the writers are gonna leave them at the end of the day.

[withherhands]

Not to mention Jack's issue of "Everyone I get close to gets hurt/dead somehow." Which has a twofold result: him wanting to protect people and staying away, and him withdrawing because if he doesn't get close to anyone, he can't get hurt again.

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

Awwww, the reverse midas touch. :(

Stupid!annoying!puppy!Death is always his companion, isn't it?

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

Um. You guys? Why am I sailing this ship again? I think it's the Titanic. It didn't say anything about that in the brochure. . .

Awesome. Now you've got me worried about Tony, too. Well at least that can maybe. . . spread the worry! Yes! That is IT:-P

Also Kay, thanks for number one, because now in addition to the fic I'm trying to write but can't, I just came up with an entire fic based on the scar issue alone. *runs to search frantically for missing "off" switch in brain*

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

Man, and you don't even *know* Tony yet. You haven't seen him in all his awesome kick-ass glory.

Haha, see, just embrace it and roll with the flaily emotions and spread the worry. As long as you have company, it's all good. ;)


And you're welcome? Btw, I take #4 back. He did date Nina. Although to be fair, Nina was an analyst, and she pretended to be weaker than she really was. Whereas Renee has Quantico training. So in the context of what Jack was used to in his romantic relationships, it still kind of works. Renee would definitely take some adjustments, especially given what has happened to all the women he's dated.

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

Well I don't know. One of the things I find most attractive about the way Jack treats Renee is that he KNOWS she can take care of herself and reacts accordingly. The dude lets her go first when they're all with the ass kicking! Larry, on the other hand, is in my opinion so overprotective that (while she doesn't always make good calls -- Matobos much?) he squashes her. Of course, Jack isn't in a relationship with her, so maybe as long as it's only on that level it's a lot easier for him not to get protective.

And ugh to the two hottest men on TV BOTH boning Nina Myers. Yeah yeah yeah I know she's supposed to be cool, but I know how that shit all turns out and I LOVE Jack. She's responsible for some of the most horrible angst in Jack's life, so I have to hate her like Satan. Plus I think she's ugly and her cheekbones are dumb. I'm so mature.

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but like you said. He isn't *dating* her. On one hand, it's good that his first impression of her is that she is capable. But Jack's got this protective streak when it comes to the people he loves, probably because they have a tendency to get harmed because of their affiliation with him. So I imagine he'd have a bit of a complex that both he and Renee would have to maneuver around.

And as the audience, we've never actually seen him in a relationship with someone who is capable of keeping up with him in a firefight. So for sure, that will be new to us.

And as for Larry, well it's sort of his job to rein her in because she's *supposed* to wait for back-up. And at least he let her follow her hunch to Juma's men. Plus do you honestly think if anyone BUT Renee suggested bringing Jack in, he would have let them? Renee's got his number and EVERYONE knows it. ;)

Aww Sarah Chalke isn't ugly. The character is eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil incarnate, but I do love the actress. I think half of it is chemistry (acting-wise). Whether she was bad or good, Sarah Chalke generates amazing sparks and gets great reactions out of Kiefer and Carlos.

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

Well Renee's got Larry's *something,* but a much as you know I adore him now, we all what what I think that is. He he he. All she has to do is make with the cute face and he's all, "Uh, okey dokey."

And you're right that Sarah . . . wait isn't it Sarah Clarke? Am I making this up? Isn't Sarah Chalke the one from Scrubs? Why do I think this? Ahem anyway. Sarah whatever isn't ugly. I think *Nina* is ugly in the scenes I've seen because she looks like a horrifying evil bitch who's giving everyone the death glare. I saw the scene where Jack did his Teri soliloquy (and cried, predictably) and she's just so. . . evil! But I'll have to wait for the summer to see how I react to her with Jack and Tony.

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

Nope you're right. Brain fart. Sarah Clarke. They're both awesome though.

Also, I love that Xander Berkley and Sarah Clarke met on 24, fell in love and got married. So.cute.

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

Did they? Yeah, totally didn't know that. That IS cute.

[layladebloody.livejournal.com]

...if awesome and ellie don't get back together I may boycott.

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

Don't worry. This is Awesome and Ellie we are talking about here. Just because they are fighting doesn't mean they are broken up. They'll get through it. :)

[evilmissbecky.livejournal.com]

I am so loving this season. For me it's already equal to Season 5, which to me is the best of them all.

I have SO MUCH LOVE for Larry right now. Mostly for the reasons you stated in your post, so much more eloquently than I could. When he pulls out that soft tone, I just die a little inside. If they kill him off next week, I am going to be very, very, very upset.

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

No! No killing off Larry. I will be very disappointed in the writers if they destroy the very special thing they've got going with Jack, Renee, and Larry.

For writer-y reasons, S1 is still my favorite because of the cohesiveness of the storylines and the themes they were able to draw into all of the threads. I also f-ing loved Teri. For the same reasons, I'm loving this season.

[evilmissbecky.livejournal.com]

Season 1 was more cohesive than the others, yes. But for me it's all about character. And that's why I'm so happy with this season. We're not just going from one threat to another, one explosion to another, one baddy to another. We're getting the quiet, reflective moments in between. We get Jack and his scars. Jack and Tony sitting beside the Reflecting Pool. Larry and Renee in the conference room, a heartbeat away from a kiss (that's my story and I'm sticking to it.) Jack sitting beside Bill's body. All the things we would normally skip right past, depriving us of the reasons these people are still going, even when all logic and reason scream at them to stop, to rest, to give in, to let someone else do it.

Yeah. Loving it. :-)

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

I think S1 had a lot of those moments you are talking about simply by virtue of the threat being smaller. It wasn't saving the world from a virus or a bomb or whatever. It was just about protecting one guy and Jack's family. Because of that, there were a lot of slow moments. The scene with waitress. The hospital scene with Teri. Tony and Nina's conversation about how hard it is to do their job. Because it was so...intimate, I guess is the best way to describe it, everything hit close to home emotionally. Maybe we just notice them more this season because we know Jack and Tony and Bill and Chloe's history now than when we first met them? I don't know. But I do know they were there. Lines still resonate and stick out in my head- my favorite line of the series is still the one Jack says to Nina about how people become bad guys by compromising...just once. (Well, aside from "I'm gonna need a hacksaw," of course.)

Still, you're right that we haven't seen it in a while. They definitely gone back to those emotional moments this season and they've scripted in some EXCELLENT lines. Off the top of my head, there is the "two worlds" line, oh and "the rules make us better," "I want to know if you feel anything," and "I regret that the world even needs people like me."

Definitely one of the best seasons.

[evilmissbecky.livejournal.com]

It wasn't saving the world from a virus or a bomb or whatever. It was just about protecting one guy and Jack's family.

That's one area where I feel the show has gone astray over the years. Bigger is not always better. The stakes can be high and yet remain personal. Both in my writing and in real life, I'm a big fan of "Less is more."

aside from "I'm gonna need a hacksaw," of course.

Single best 24 quote ever. *g*

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

So much WORD to "Less is more."


Hehe, and yeah. Even Kiefer admits, it's the coolest thing Jack Bauer has ever said. ;)

[(Anonymous)]

I am loving what you all have to say about 24. I am a huge fan of Renee (and Annie) and I love hearing your take on everything. I don't use livejournal, I just found this through searching for fics, but I love what you are doing. Also, how do you get these screencaps?

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

Yay! Go ahead and jump into the conversation, even if you don't have an LJ. It's always fun spitballin' with other people.

As for the screencaps, I just make them on the fly taking screengrabs from my desktop and cropping them. The better screencaps come when the DVDs arrive and I can use DVDcapture or something like that.

[anniefan32.livejournal.com]

I decided to make an account so you know who I am (the anonymous above). Nice thinkng with the screencaps, I'm definately going to have to make some of my own =D

As far as 24 goes, I am most interested in the conversation with you and leigh57. I have been a fan of the show since day1, but the Larry/Renee/Jack triangle dynamic is driving me crazy (in a good way). Renee is my favorite new character, and Annie has done a marvelous job. I have to say I am a major shipper for Renee/Jack, but I love Renee regardless. The fact that she is such a badass, but also warm at heart is just so great. Every time her and Kiefer are on screen together it is magic! The one thing I really havn't been able to figure out that bugs me is the history with Renee and Larry. I've heard a variety of takes, but I really want to know the truth!!! =D