Calling TV a ubiquitous entertainment medium would be a ridiculous understatement. To declare that the majority of all programming available is lacking even the slightest shred of originality would be laughably obvious. But sometimes a program will still achieve absolute diversionary victory; not through an attempt at being unique in ways of story, plot, character development, drama, or suspense, but in the sheer flawless execution of these elements. Even if that victory is only won in and of itself, inside its scheduled hour alone, it doesn’t matter as much to me personally if it all falls apart after the fact. It is a startling and rare accomplishment to keep a viewer on the edge of his/her seat for an hour.
What I’m trying to say, Lager, is that 24 was fuckin great Monday night! Granted, I’ve been a shameless disciple of Jack Bauer since his inception in 2001. Granted, also, that this season’s plot may not survive the most trivial onslaught of logic (none do). But the plot isn’t what makes this show great. In fact, I’m not always sure why it’s so easy to become such an unapologetic devotee to 24.
I think it’s the tricky guaranteed plot twists that you know are coming, but you don’t know when or how, and you’re still sometimes caught off guard after 7 seasons. I think it’s the near flawless acting talent of not only the always in-flux ‘main cast,’ but every secondary character and nameless walk-on involved. Maybe it’s those intelligent drive-by moral dilemmas about torture or stem-cells. Or maybe it’s those harrowing save-the-world moments that would normally be as cliché as outrunning a fireball while saying “I have a bad feeling about this.” Except in the 24 universe, they really could happen. Sometimes, Jack really doesn’t disarm the clock in time. California got nuked in one season for Christ’s sake! One President was blown out of the sky in Air Force One; another was assassinated! No cast member is safe from being slaughtered at a moments notice (save Jack, or maaaaybe Chloe Obrien).
But the writers even found their way around that one; Jack’s CDC appointed doctor (last Monday he was exposed to a bioweapon, and his condition has quickly deteriorated) hinted that not only is Jack “dying;” the chemical agent is permanently altering his personality. In a few episodes, Jack may be saved by the grace of Elisha Cuthbert’s stem cells (!?) but he likely will be a very different Jack indeed. His reuniting with his daughter, whom we haven’t seen in several seasons, was actually touching even for my cynical heart. We find that Kim has had a mature change of heart towards her father, and had been actively searching for him for a period of time. You can really see, especially in dramatic scenes like this one that Keifer really has a handle on Jack’s character; how much his image of the ‘strong guy in control’ endures in every situation of peril, and only starts to crack when his family is involved.
While Jack is medically confined to FBI, he is still able to run Ops on an off-the-grid last minute ploy to blow Jonas’s missiles up with C4 (while writing this, I do wonder where Tony gained access to explosives, but whatever). Jonas and chief lackey Seden are in “negotiations” with President Taylor, which include turning Jonas’s private army for-hire Starkwood effectively into the 6th branch of the US military. Not only that, Jonas envisions himself at the “head of the table:” level 6 clearance (above the VP) massive funding, and obvious continuing blackmail power over Taylor. The first half hour details this and the simultaneous execution of Tony and Jack’s operation; Tony subdues chief henchman Lazarus (don’t know his real, name, but he did “come back from the dead” three episodes prior) and forces him into the missile chamber. Tony is then able to attach and arm the explosives to the outfitted missiles, but upon return is ambushed by another bad guy feigning unconsciousness. In the ensuing combat, Lazarus is able to hit the alarm, causing head Science Guy to prep the missile for launch. Tony drops the C4 switch down a grate, and has only seconds to pick it up. Again, this scenario would be very tired in any other format, but on this show you really don’t know how it will end. It is equally likely that some medium sized city in Maryland will be exposed to a nerve agent than Tony succeeding. But Tony prevails, once and for all redeeming himself for past transgressions. The missiles are destroyed; Jonas and Seden are arrested, not before Jonas hints that it’s not over.

What!?

How is it not over? This is one petrushka doll off a terrorist network! First rogue African military, then Blackwater-esque baddies, and now…Tony??
Like I said before, as much of a fan as I am, I just always believed that Tony was a good guy in his heart. It made perfect sense for him to betray the government he had served for years when Michelle died. But after working with Jack again, after saving thousands of lives, it seemed pretty clear where his true loyalties lay. Not so, it appears, and the come-from-behind murder of Larry Moss with the help of bioweapon toting henchman sets the stage for 5 more Monday nights…

10 out of Mofo 10 -The Storm