The short version of this season is that I loved the first 2/3 and conceptually like the last 6 but that it failed in the execution for me in some important aspects. Every year, there are always three threads to follow in the show (with FBI/CTU subplots as filler). You have the MacGuffin storyline (click on link for definition of MacGuffin), the President's storyline, Jack's personal storyline. The strongest arcs in those respective storylines, in my opinion, were the Dubaku arc, the episodes where Allison was the central focal point, and Jack's entire storyline. For that reason, the middle of the season, from about 7x08-7x16, was the best run for me. The weakest points for me came at the end, mostly because I didn't like the pacing and how the MacGuffin storyline lacked resolution (more of that after the cut), and for that reason, it's hard to say that it's the best season yet.

Still overall, I have to say it's a pretty strong season and coming off of S6, that's a damn near miracle. To really breakdown the season, we gotta look at the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Pull up a chair and brace yourself cuz this is a LONG post, so here we go:

( Part I: The Good )

( Part II: The Bad )

( Part III:The Ugly )

Despite these negatives, however, I still really really loved this season and I agree with the critics and the cast and crew that this is one of their strongest seasons yet. I came for the Tony but I'm staying for the Renee, and the bar for S8 is now set extremely high.

Final Score
Storyline Concept: A-
Storyline Execution: B
Writing Mechanics (lines and themes) : A+
Acting: A

Final ranking of the seasons: S2/S7 (tied), S3, S5, S4, S6. I refuse to rank S1 because it's too much of an origin story to compare to the rest. The MacGuffin, Jack's family, and Jack himself are too different, that any comparison would be unfair.

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: ( Thoughts on Hour 11:00pm-12:00am )

The Triangle that Isn't. ( 24 is about love. Anyone who says differently is wrong. )

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.

Thoughts on 10-11pm: ( Was it just me or did that episode go by REALLY REALLY quickly? )

Thoughts on rules, boundaries and the "Whatever it takes" debate.( Who are you doing this for, Jack? )

Thoughts on Hour 14: ( Bulldozers of Justice and TerrorMinion Slumber Parties (no you're not invited.) )

Thoughts on Renee/Jack/Larry: ( Oh Triangle that Isn't. Why do you hurt so good? )

Hi. It occurred to me that some of you (Maree) don't really know what I'm talking about when I make TV/movies/entertainment news posts, because I use fan termionology. For that I apologize and so, here's your crash course on Terms to Know When Navigating Fandom.

( Fandom Lexicon. Vague spoilers for Veronica Mars, HIMYM, Grey's Anatomy, Harry Potter, Stargate SG-1, Chuck, Bones, Pushing Daisies, the Office and Lost )

Any questions?

A couple people asked me what my thoughts on S3 of Grey's Anatomy have been thus far, as well as my thoughts on the Grey's Spinoff. If you want my bottom line, it's that I still love the individual crazy, wonderful, complex characters, but I think the show has gotten beyond the writers' capacity to write a tightly knit season that weaves all the characters' storylines into a central theme. (Hence its replacement by Ugly Betty as my favorite show on TV right now.  At some point, I'm going to post about that, but only after I give Jack Bauer and 24 this kind of treatment, which is up next).

If you want to know the full explanation, however, this is it, barring the blanket statements of "Sandra Oh continues to spin anything into gold" and "Bailey remains the most kickass character on this show." I wrote this up a long time ago over the summer and added to it over the winter break, but with the news of the spinoff and the latest batch of episodes, I put in some concluding thoughts, and decided to post it here now.  Because of that, it's really really long, so fair warning. Still, this pretty much sums up my thoughts on the series as a whole.

( My thoughts on the relationships on Grey's in essay form, complete with diagrams! )