24 7.3: "Day 7: 10AM - 11AM"

Monday, 12 January 2009

By John Keegan Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries.   (Note: This review covers the first half of the Monday night seventh season premiere event. The second half will be covered under a subsequent review.) "24" is always full of twists and shifts in loyalties, and this season is already proving to be a bit confusing. The previous episode had set up some intriguing character dynamics, and had they kept to that initial formula, it might have worked better. That said, the essentials haven't necessarily changed; a lot of questions need to be answered before the philosophical basis for the season can be declared DOA. Frankly, there's not much time in this episode to discuss or explore the implications of anything. So Tony is apparently working undercover for Bill Buchanan, with tech support from Chloe. That's enough for Jack to break Tony out of FBI custody, essentially undermining any sympathy he had in the Bureau, but should it have been? CTU has been disbanded, and Bill and Chloe looked like they were working out of someone's den. Which means that Jack's decision to trust Bill, Chloe, and Tony may be a complete mistake. If nothing else, they can't possibly be working in some official capacity, which makes them something of a rogue vigilante agency. And if they are, in fact, going after the vast government conspiracy undermining the Taylor presidency and supporting General Juma (stretching back all the way to "Redemption"), then wouldn't those elements of the government happily declare them as a terrorist organization? At the same time, this probably explains why CTU was disbanded in the first place. Considering how instrumental CTU has been in uncovering the wrongdoing of corrupt officials over the years, why not use public distaste with extreme methods to justify taking them out of the equation? That puts most of the cards in the hands of the conspiracy. There's no doubt there is one, of course, because at this point, Taylor's adviser (Chief of Staff?) Ethan might as well be twirling a handlebar mustache. Subtlety is not exactly the word of the day. He's pushing Taylor to withdraw and give General Juma the run of Sangala, and we know from "Redemption" that the information he gave the First Husband is entirely false. So this is once again a corruption that leads to senior members of the White House staff. Meanwhile, President Taylor is wringing her hands over a zero tolerance policy for terrorists. As contrived as the "CIP firewall" is, that little plot device does highlight the problem with zero tolerance. It demands a response that may not fit the circumstances. If Taylor sticks to her guns and orders the invasion, hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of Americans die. If she backs down, her Democratic principles are violated, hundreds of thousands of Sangalans will be slaughtered, and the international standing of the United States will suffer immeasurably. Jack's decision to trust Bill might negate one of the more interesting aspects of the season thus far: Agent Walker's wavering stance on extreme measures. Walker seems more than ready to authorize a little torture when it seems prudent (and in the face of a presidential deadline), and she was well on her way to becoming another Jack Bauer acolyte (with all the potential death that comes with the honor). It would be a shame if Jack's apparent betrayal eliminated that opportunity to explore such a rationale. Ultimately, the episode is slightly hobbled by the gambit to break Tony out of the FBI building in the first place. Despite some of the challenges, it still felt way too easy. How hard could it have been for the FBI to track a bright blue van in the wake of a prisoner escape in the middle of DC? The Janice/Chloe battle was a nice touch, since Janice is a Chloe clone in the first place, but that wasn't enough to overcome the head-shaking implausibility.

 

< Prev		Next >