Monday, January 18, 2010

Yoga Pose of the Day: Camel

That's a good stretch! (And tonight's episode definitely stretched credulity.)

Good night!

OK, I Won't Shirk My Responsibilities. Recap/Spoilers Included!

Tonight we saw a glimmer of hope. After a pretty much yawn inspiring, incredulity stretching, desert of "dammits" (what only one or two dammits? WTH?) hour one, things started to look up.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Dammit =4 (both episodes)
Women proven stupid =0
Women proven evil = hmmm
Women proven freaking insane =1
World of pain =1 (Renee, yes she's back)
Perimeter = almost 1
Hair gel moments = several
Bauer kills =1
Improbable convos between world leaders and CTU functionaries = at least 2
Events imported from a slasher film=2
Dead handsome black men =0
Points where "NYC" can be positively identified as a Hollywood backlot = abounding.

First of all, Jack has been armed and headed out to Queens to follow the trail of our Transylvanian friend, Mike Farmer. Mike's in cahoots with the Bollywood-bound eeevil younger brother of Jack Lord dead ringer, the President of the Islamic Republic. To divert attention, the bad guys have framed the pulchritudinous blonde journalist who happens to be, um, "interviewing" said President.

Hastings, CTU's new head, who appears to lack a variety of things, including a first name, spends a good part of the first hour failing to listen to Chloe and interrogating President Hassan's Infidel Girlfriend.

Chloe's got Jack's back, but loses him on comms. Hastings, the tool, refuses to send backup. It turns out that Jack has picked up the Transylvanian's trail, sadly after "Mike" has killed one of his NYPD colleagues and his wife.

Another pair of cops finds Jack, tases him, and a guy who's both too old and doughy to be a credible NYC patrol cop proceeds to beat Jack briefly for having killed the other cop and his wife...until his hot younger partner stops the proceedings, calls it in, and learns the truth: that the Transylvanian cop is the bad guy and Jack is the good guy. Hot Cop and Jack speed off for the UN.

In the meantime, Bridezilla's secret past, including an abusive ex-boyfriend just back from 7 years of hard time, is catching up with her.

After being abused and shamed by Management for not being up to speed (heh) Chloe is gaining credibility in CTU with every scene. We haven't seen Morris or their child. (What was his name? I'll remember it.)

There's another analyst named Arlo. I say he's toast, I'm not going to waste much time on him here. Remember Milo? I thought so.

Jack, Bridezilla's intended (Cole) and a host of others foil the assassination attempt. Stuff blows up...and I think I'm at hour 2 now.

There's a really tight split screen montage of all of the pieces happening at the UN, driving, the Transylvanian killer moving around masquerading as one of NY's finest. As if. Excellent music, and the crowd at CTU watching the proceedings on TV as stuff blows up. Awesome.

Cole (Bridezilla's intended) and co. bundle Jack Lord off to CTU.

Bollywood boy gets a call from "Mike", who tells him he's about to be outed as an accomplice, and he takes off. But first he knifes a CTU operative in the side of the neck. Eew, can you say slasher film? Very Dawn of the Dead.

Cole then catches a whiff of Mike and goes off after him, with Jack and the Hot Cop bound for the scene. Just as the bad guy is going to shoot Cole, Jack arrives and dispatches the Transylvanian.

As SOP for having shot a faux cop, Jack rips the shirt off the dead guy, to see Russian gang tattoos. Everyone heads back to CTU for debriefing.

Bolly-boy is on the phone with another bad guy arranging a rendez-vous. (Every 3-4 hours, a new bad guy.) The Islamic President chats away with Mr. Hastings, the President, everything is on target for tomorrow's peace accord. (Because yeah, world leaders flood to town any place that bad guys are gunning for other world leaders.)

Jack calls a car service for his trip to the airport, to catch up with Kim, toddler Teri and hubby in LA. And someone makes the brilliant move to call in Renee, apparently the only person who can deal with the Russian mob due to a deep cover assignment of 6 years ago, still intact.

Jack and Renee reunite. She's in a World of Pain. And seriously in need of a comb. But she's willing to help.

Jack heads to the airport. Not.

Instead, Renee and Jack are deputized by Hastings, and an undercover operation is hastily prepared.

Oh yeah, in the meantime, Bridezilla is tracked down by her evil-ex, Kevin. It's clear that she's going to have to kill him. But first he threatens her, she offers him money and then gives him the keys to her pad. (Clearly, she's taking payoffs somewhere, it's a nice place. Which he then proceeds to trash as he orders her to get home. She can set the whole thing up as a "home invasion"...)

Also, the Transylvanian's body turns out to be radioactive. The Islamic President takes this as confirmation that his brother was involved with the attack....they are making weapons, even as the President vows to sign the peace accord.

Bolly boy is shown meeting the new evil guy, who shows his evilness cred by introducing Bolly boy to his son, who had been "careless" with the uranium rods, and is starting to look kind of crispy and not long for this world. Bad Dad gives his feckless son an unfeeling glare as he leaves him suffering in some supply room and ushers Bolly boy off to negotiate.

I predict that The Rods will become this season's Canisters.

Renee finds one of her Russian mob cohorts. In one of the oddest and most unexpectedly weird 24 happenings I can recall (though I can't actually recall too much) they get into a conversation about the parole bracelet he's wearing. He lets Renee put his hand in a vise and saw it off with a power tool that just happens to be close by. (I think he's in a butcher shop, I was not paying attention...I don't think she came in with a bone saw. Cue music from Psycho, weet, weet, weet!)

Eew.

Jack comes in and castigates Renee, who is like, "Whatever, Jack. I'm back."

Bloop, bloop.

Last Dammit

Uh, yeah.

Eew!

OK, that's ridiculous.

Yawn

This whole Jack Renee undercover operation is putting me to sleep.

Chloe, Here's Your Chance

Now you can really prove you're up to speed: Bridezilla has to go home to kill her old boyfriend. Can you cover for her?

That's A Pretty Fancy Pad

On a CTU analyst's budget?

Kevin, you're toast.

That Weapons Dealer Is Really EEEvil

Butter wouldn't melt in his mouth!

Will the Rods become this seasons Canisters?

Yeah, This is How We Prep for an Undercover Assignment


My uncle has a barn, let's put on a show!

Hastings, you tool, don't you have a first name? "Mister"? Since when did we have such formality in CTU?


Nucular! Jack, that was an awesome argument.

Mr. Hastings, I officially request that you send in another "retired" agent...

Is it Love?

Or just a tender moment between the President of the Islamic Republic and his infidel girlfriend?

Ah, Another Probable Plot Jump

How would her cover with the Russians still be intact, seeing how she and Jack pretty publicly saved the world?

I have to say, she's got a bit more gravitas now. (And she "almost killed" Wilson? Was that Will Patten? Is he coming back to us?)

Are We Sure We're Looking For Russians?

And not Transylvanians?

And Today's First Hair Gel Moment

Get Renee a comb and some hair gel, stat.

Renee!

World of Pain!

Ah, The CTU Morgue?

And is the dead Transylvanian cop a WMD? Is he nucular?

Ah, all of the unlikely convos between CTU agents and heads of state. That's what we love about 24.

Chloe, If Looks Could Kill




She's back. And there are gonna be issues.

Ooh, with Jack Lord At CTU

There's an opportunity for googly eyes with the journalist!

But you don't owe your life to Hastings, that tool. It's all Jack, baby.

Intro to Hour 2

OK, that was about 4 minutes of extremely exciting TV. Better.

And Jack coming in to save the day, that's the 24 we used to enjoy.

We Don't Actually Grow Our Cops So Beefy Here

The TV cop who tazed Jack may have an overdone New York accent, but most of our cops are young and in amazing shape...he does not look like an NYC patrol officer. A guy that age would have already done his 20 and be retired somewhere...else.

Let me stop picking away at problems with the NYC setting. I'll try to suspend disbelief.

Agh. More of the meta that we used to love 24 for...CTU agents watching Cole's car accident on screen.

Cut to commercial. I like Cole, hope they get him out of the car.

Mikey?

Does he have a missile launcher?

Dammit!

First Dammit, Bridezilla.

And Arlo, definitely too saucy to be allowed...

Ah, Queens


I must have been snoozing.

"Chloe, You Can't Go Out. You're Needed Here."

CTU Chief Calls President McGarrett

Yeah, that's probable.

Is Chloe smirking?

"M", "M", Put the Kids To Bed Early!

It's definitely more fun with you!

And we knew that nice couple were toast. (Of course, none of New York's finest would have been fooled by Mikey.)

Perimeter! (kind of, a "traffic perimeter"...) Problem is, our Transylvanian friend is inside the perimeter.

Hastings, You Tool

Bridezilla Has Definitely Traded Up

Sadly, she's going to have to kill Kevin.

Jack's Lost


There are no street gangs on W. 23rd street. And the surrounding terrain -- including the spiky shrub Jack just walked by -- looks very LA to me.

Clearly, Jack is lost. He only thinks he's in NYC.

Haha, not to mention the suburban garage and backyard he's running through. Maybe part of the plot is that Jack's delusional.

(Or was I napping when Jack took one of the East River crossings over to another borough?)

Mikey's A Transylvanian Terrorist


Accent problem =1

These guys are toast.

Cocktail Dress

What the heck is Bridezilla wearing? Is this really appropriate for an intelligence professional in the workplace?

Previously On 24: 5pm - 7pm


I think that this would be gilding the lily today...we usually post a recap, but since nothing happened, I can't really make it any funnier.

Onwards.

(Although I will mention -- we'd love to see Will Patton again this season. Sadly, all we're expecting is Renee.)