24 Season 8 4:00pm-6:00pm

****WARNING - if you have not seen the first two episodes of 24, and plan to watch them, DO NOT READ THIS. In fact - that's a general warning for all of my blogs specific to any show. It's kinda impossible to write them without spoilers. So, please keep that in mind for future reference. I'll remind you again as I start other shows too***


It's finally season 8 of 24, and so begins another craptastic day in Jack Bauer's life! Well, it doesn't start out so craptastic. He's hanging with his granddaughter, Terry (named for his late wife), and is planning to move back to LA with Kim and Steven (or, Stefan. Run Kimmy! It's a Vampire!!). Everyone is happy until Aceveda from The Shield, (or in this case, some old informant, Vinnie) comes shot in the arm to Jack's door. Turns out there is a plot to assassinate the President of Iran (host of India's Who Wants to Be A Millionaire!!) who is in NYC meeting with the President of the United States to work out a peace treaty. Vinnie knows the deets, but at spilling until Jack takes him to CTU to work out a deal. And we all know Jack can't ever turn down thwarting a good assassination attempt!

Let me take a brief moment to point out, this is probably somewhere around 2016-2020 in 24 time. Between every season the period of time that was supposed to have passed has ranged from 6 months to 2 years - do the math. Where are my floating cars, dammit??

Well, instead of floating cars, we get CTU: The Nightclub. That place looks like there should be velvet ropes and two very large men standing outside only letting the pretty people in. As it turns out - they only seem to let the pretty people in. I should take a moment to apologize, but it will take me until at least tonight's show to get all the names down, but let's run through the newbies at CTU. There is secret keeping Dana/Jenny (the incomparable Katee Sackhoff). Can't tell if she is actually being helpful with Chloe, or just a bitch. I'm hoping she is not a bitch, because I love Katee! I also hope she gets out of The Nightclub and gets to kick ass, cuz boy howdy, can she kick ass. There is pretty boy, Freddie Prinze Jr, or Cole the Boyscout. If he wants to kick ass he needs to live up to his wife! Arlo the geeky obnoxious tech guy. I hold off on judging him. These characters can always go either way. And then the incompetent leader, Hastings (played by Mykeleti Williamson who once told me my kid is cute, so I will forgive him playing an idiot character). We all knew this character would be there! Why is the head of CTU always an idiot? Do they just pick names out of a hat? I miss Bill (**moment of silence**).

There are also a slew of other new character hanging around the Pres (glad to see you back, Cherry Jones! You Rock, lady!). Ethan Kanin is back in his rightful place of Secretary of Defense, and I suspect, maybe more. Cuz they looooove each other, am I right??? I'm right. She has a new Cheif of Staff, the amazingly funny, Chris Diamantopoulos (aka Mr. Becki Newton - Amanda on Ugly Betty). I like him, and I'm really hoping that he does not turn out to be the inevitable mole in the White House because if we have learned anything in 7 seasons of 24, it is that there is always someone dirty working in the White House! I mentioned Anil Kapoor as the Iranian president, and Jason Schwartzman as his brother/chief of staff. What? That's not Jason Schwartzman? Well, it's his Iranian half-brother then. The presidents wife (who I thought was a Disney Villain when she was looking in the mirror. She scared my inner child) and his overly sensitive daughter. Names to come, people. There is also the presidents booty call/reporter, Meredith Reed (Jessica Westfeldt aka the real Mrs. Don Draper).

Really, we don't learn much the first two hours. There is a plot to kill the Iranian president seemingly led by (but I'm sure there are at least 5 guys above him pulling the strings) Doug Hutchinson with a ridiculous Russian accent. He's made it look like Meredith Reed is in on the plot, but it's really the brother. And apparently he is a cop, because why not?! Hastings is a crap CTU leader and asked Boyscout to lie about it, but he said "hey, I'm a boyscout, I'll never tell a lie". Actually, he said "ok, but just this once, mister." Chloe for some reason can't figure out all the fancy new equipment at CTU so she is extra cranky. Jack just wants to go to LA, but a helicopter blew up in front of him and then right afterwards the informant dies before giving Jack anything useful except that someone close to the pres is in on the plot. Chloe asks for Jack's help at CTU, he says no, she says "DUDE! I was arrested for TREASON for you MULTIPLE TIMES you selfish son of a bitch!!!" Well, something like that. And in the best moment of the show....

KIMMY AND JACK BOTH GROW UP! I thought for sure Jack would just jump right back in to the CTU drama due to his extreme loyalty to do-gooding. Then Kimmy would throw one of her "you love the job more than me" hissy fits. But finally, FINALLY these two have figured out how to be grown ups and have a real relationship. I guess that near death experience was good for something! He said no to staying, because he wants his family, and she said to stay at CTU because it is who he is and he can fly to LA sometime after 4:00pm tomorrow, cuz these things always seem to last exactly 24 hours. (Cue my sigh of relief that at least one thing has changed on this show!)Because CTU is apparently the mob, just when Jack thought he was out, they pulled him back in.

So, that's it. Here are a few of my other random highlights/observations:

-Best moment: When Arlo said "Who's Jack Bauer?" and Cole and Dana look at him like he is on crack. THANK YOU! I hated the past couple seasons when people didn't know who Jack was!
-Second best moment: Jack saying, "I hate this place" in reference to CTU. I wonder why, buddy!
-Love that Chloe said the Meredith Reed discovery was too fast and too easy. Looks like SOMEONE has been watching all the previous seasons!
-Why when they do 2 hour episodes do they have the "Previously on 24" segment at the start of the second hour? Why?!?! I JUST saw it!!! My memory is not that bad!! Who starts watching at hour 2??

For the record: At the end of these two episodes 2 hostiles, 2 CTU agents, 2 cops, 1 informant, and 1 helicopter all died. I miss the helicopter the most.


Looking forward to the next 2 hours. And all the other stuff on Monday nights! (NPH! I can't go a blog without an NPH shoutout!) Thank goodness for my DVR!