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24 7.2: "Day 7: 9AM - 10AM" |
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Monday, 12 January 2009 |
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By John Keegan
Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries.
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(Note: This review covers the second half of the Sunday night seventh season premiere event. The first half was covered under a previous review.)
The second episode of the seventh season seems designed to confirm all the suspicions formed during the first hour, which is not necessarily the problem that it appears to be. The writers are letting the plot progress at a measured and reasonable pace, and that's better than the frenetic mess that has marked recent seasons.
As suspected, there are plenty of moles within the FBI working with Tony's terrorist group, and that group is in turn working with General Juma in Sangala. One can assume that the current domestic terrorism is linked to the shadowy elements shown in "Redemption", the seventh season prelude. The First Husband's confrontation with Sam (the delectable Carly Pope) is surely just the beginning of the process of peeling back the layers of that particular onion.
Getting to Tony is the name of the game, but how that happens is not so interesting. In essence, the FBI task force ends up being incredibly dense and inexperienced, leaving Jack to recognize the team member that doesn't fit. It's like Where's Waldo: The Terrorist Version. What makes it interesting is the attempt at philosophical debate.
As it turns out, while Agent Ross and others within the FBI see Jack as a symbol of everything that's wrong with the "anything goes" culture of counter-terrorism, that's not the only opinion among the intelligence community. Jack gets a boost from an agent who makes it clear that some within the FBI see him as something of a hero. By placing Agent Walker distinctly in the middle, willing to step outside of the operational boundaries but with an eye to the letter of the law, she becomes the lens through which the audience can consider both sides of the debate.
Jack puts it in very interesting terms. The way he sees it, the need for effective counter-terrorism demands the creation of two worlds: that of the operatives, and that of the people. The operatives choose to live in the violent and lawless world to provide the masses with the safer world they desire. (Fans of "Serenity" will note, with interest, that Jack Bauer is channeling the Operative from that mythos.) The counter-terrorism operatives don't have the luxury of playing within the rules, and they can't regret their actions. Yet, at the same time, Jack acknowledges that the price is taking responsibility, both legally and personally, for what the actions require.
The unspoken promise is that this season will explore that dichotomy. The masses want these anti-heroes to exist, but they want them to operate under the surface and out of the public eye. They don't want to see what it takes to stop the terrorists. Pragmatically speaking, a lot of people will admit that they know what methods are employed in the field each and every day, but they will balk when the details are confirmed. Part of protecting the "world of the people" is shielding them from what that entails.
If one thing has never wavered since the very first hour of the very first day, it must be Jack's patriotism. Jack's view of his place in the world can only be justified if he truly believes, to his core, in the ideals of the nation he fights so hard to protect and preserve. He's blackening his soul for a purpose, which is why he's viewed as an anti-hero. One can then ask the question: what might happen if the object of that idealism becomes blemished beyond repair?
As it currently stands, that is the rationale for Tony's current character turn. Tony and Jack both arrived at the same place, having lost everything. Tony, however, seems to have stared into that abyss and found the object of his idealism to be wanting. If the writers play this right, Tony will become the voice for all of Jack's internal doubts, pressing Jack to analyze his own choices and allegiances.
That level of philosophical exploration has always been an ephemeral quality of "24". Just when it seems to be an integral part of a season arc, it can disappear without a trace. No one wants to see Jack turn into some kind of emo poster boy, but given the scope of Jack's overall character journey, this is precisely the direction they needed to take. By questioning the underpinning of Jack Bauer's worldview, the writers can explore the reason to reaffirm it. |
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