24: Season Eight (1 Viewer)

[Walter C]

First off, I find it funny how some performers are still called by their character's name from previous shows here, and the threads for FlashForward, V, and Heroes.

Also, I find it better to follow this show on FOX than on DVD, because it is just very difficult not to be exposed to spoilers, especially when listening to the radio, or when reading TV Guide magazine (which I like to read).

I thought it was a very good start to the season, but now, I wonder about the momentum of the show. I also find the Dana/Jenny storyline dragging the show down.

Can we say Renee has a death wish?

 

[ScottH]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walter C

First off, I find it funny how some performers are still called by their character's name from previous shows here, and the threads for FlashForward, V, and Heroes.

Yeah...very annoying...

 

[Josh Dial]

Originally Posted by ScottH

Quote:

Yeah...very annoying...

I actively tried to move people away from that habit in the FF and V threads. Eventually people started using the propper names.

 

[ScottH]

Youdaman Josh!

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

You know someone is a nutcase when Jack Bauer starts to look like the sensible one lol.

Renee is giving off some seriously dangerous vibes, like she's a live wire that could snap out and zap your ass at any second.

At least that one dude doesn't have to worry about his hand hurting him now.

 

[WillG]

I'm hooked for now...the Starbuck side story is what's bugging the hell out of me so far.

For me, this is the least interesting aspect of the story. For the
moment it looks nothing more than an annoying, destructive old
boyfriend story -- as if the writers threw it in for the sake of it. I
hope it turns into something more interesting.

I would seem likely now that this subplot is going to lead to what inevitably compromises CTU. Like, She'll end up having to pull a Nedry from Jurassic Park like scenario. I guess they're trying something different as opposed to just having another mole in CTU.

Also, I'm really not believing that the same Renee who at the beginning of last season was so horrified by Jack's tactics and what she was witnessing that day is the same person who had this whole past with the Russians. Surely in her time undercover she must have seen some f'ed up shit.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Dana/Jenny seems pretty assertive at work. I just don't understand why she doesn't just shoot the old flame, claim he broke into her apartment and make it seem like self defense? He's an ex-con who served time for Murder and she is a respected CTU analyst. Its really contradictory to see her assertive at work and kowtow at home. How the heck did he find her anyway?

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by Adam Gregorich

Dana/Jenny seems pretty assertive at work. I just don't understand why she doesn't just shoot the old flame, claim he broke into her apartment and make it seem like self defense? He's an ex-con who served time for Murder and she is a respected CTU analyst. Its really contradictory to see her assertive at work and kowtow at home. How the heck did he find her anyway?

Based on the commercial for this episode, I thought she was going to shoot him. However if she shot him and claimed self-defense, her secret identity might be found out. Plus, she was seen with him outside of CTU, he's been calling her all day and there was no break-in. A little bit of an investigation and her old life would be found out.

 

[Jason Charlton]

Originally Posted by TravisR

Based on the commercial for this episode, I thought she was going to shoot him. However if she shot him and claimed self-defense, her secret identity might be found out. Plus, she was seen with him outside of CTU, he's been calling her all day and there was no break-in. A little bit of an investigation and her old life would be found out.

Count me in as another who's little interested in this whole side plot. Yeah, we figure she's going to be coerced into doing something illegal from within CTU, and there will be more "mole intrigue" as a result...

Doesn't CTU HR conduct background checks on people? Silly question I know, given events in past seasons, but come on. Even if she's part of witness protection or something, she wouldn't be allowed to work in the government without everyone involved knowing about her situation...

Oh, and as a public service reminder, there are many folks who read this thread (and others) who avoid ANY knowledge of upcoming episodes (previews, commercials, etc.) before they air. Travis was nice enough to wait until AFTER the episode before mentioning what was hinted at in the commercial. PLEASE follow his lead and refrain from anything even remotely spoiler related (including the above mentioned stuff) until after the espisode in question airs.

Thanks all!

 

[KevinGress]

Originally Posted by Adam Gregorich ">[/url]

Dana/Jenny seems pretty assertive at work. I just don't understand why she doesn't just shoot the old flame, claim he broke into her apartment and make it seem like self defense? He's an ex-con who served time for Murder and she is a respected CTU analyst. Its really contradictory to see her assertive at work and kowtow at home. How the heck did he find her anyway?

[/QUOTE]All depends on the backstory, but since she said that they were involved when she was a minor, I'm sure it probably comes down to psychology - it's hard to overcome patterns developed in childhood, and it looks like an abusive one in their case.

[QUOTE]Originally Posted by [b]WillG[/b] [url=/forum/thread/294427/24-season-eight/60#post_3653564]

 

[WillG]

Didn't it mention something to the effect that it's at least 5 years since day 7? (I think it was the time she spent undercover)

I don't think it's been quite that long. I think it was mentioned that it was 2 years she spent undercover. Still, unless I missed something, She was undercover during her days with the FBI and she was terminated from the FBI very shortly after Day 7 based on her "handing" of the interrogation of the head bad guy from that day. After that, it was mentioned that she worked for some private security firm.

If someone can contradict that, let me know.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by KevinGress

Didn't it mention something to the effect that it's at least 5 years since day 7? (I think it was the time she spent undercover). That's a lot of time, especially given the level of physical (and no doubt, mental) abuse she endured. Not to mention the shattering of her belief system just in one day with Jack.

Has anyone calculated what year it would be in the 24 universe, if figuring all the time elapsed between days? I didn't start watching until day 5, but it seems like at least a couple of years elapse between days. That'd make it at least 2018 or so!

I'm pretty sure it's been 2 years since Day 7.

As for the timeline, there's never been an established year but it's been a long, long time. If you say S1 takes place in 2001 (the same as the year the show premiered) and say that it's spring (since most Presidential primaries take place then), you get:

spring 2001: Day 1
fall 2002: Day 2 (takes place 18 months later)
fall 2005: Day 3 (3 years later)
spring 2007: Day 4 (18 months later)
fall 2008: Day 5 (18 months later)
spring 2010: Day 6 (20 months later)
January 2014: Redemption (Taylor's inauguration)
spring 2014: Day 7 (just under 4 years after S6 and two months after Redemption)
spring 2016: Day 8 (2 years later)

So Teri's been dead for 15 years and Kim is now 30 or 31 years old.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by WillG

She was undercover during her days with the FBI and she was terminated from the FBI very shortly after Day 7 based on her "handing" of the interrogation of the head bad guy from that day.

That's my take on it too. She was undercover a few years before she met Jack in S7 and was definitely fired for beating Wilson at the end of last season.

 

[Joe_H]

Originally Posted by TravisR



I'm pretty sure it's been 2 years since Day 7.

As for the timeline, there's never been an established year but it's been a long, long time. If you say S1 takes place in 2001 (the same as the year the show premiered) and say that it's spring (since most Presidential primaries take place then), you get:

spring 2001: Day 1
fall 2002: Day 2 (takes place 18 months later)
fall 2005: Day 3 (3 years later)
spring 2007: Day 4 (18 months later)
fall 2008: Day 5 (18 months later)
spring 2010: Day 6 (20 months later)
January 2014: Redemption (Taylor's inauguration)
spring 2014: Day 7 (just under 4 years after S6 and two months after Redemption)
spring 2016: Day 8 (2 years later)

So Teri's been dead for 15 years and Kim is now 30 or 31 years old.

Strangely enough, I was just reading something about this on ESPN (most of the way down the page if you want to look at the original link):

I noted that on "24," Jack Bauer saves critical minutes by traveling during commercials. Kevin Woods of Santa Rosa, Calif., provides further details on time dilation in the series: "In the first season, in 2001, Jack was a highly successful federal agent with a 15-year-old daughter. Although Jack's age was never stated, he had to be at least 40. He was a college graduate who had received his master's in criminology, then joined the U.S. Army, reaching the rank of captain in the prestigious Delta Squad. After the Army, he worked for Los Angeles SWAT team, then joined the CIA in its clandestine wing. After this, he was recruited to the CTU, the mysterious agency where Jack toils when the series begins. Jack had to be 40 when the series began.

"Let's assume 43. Here is where the time line gets tough. Season 2 was 18 months after season 1, making Jack 44-45. Season 3 was three years after season 2, making Jack about 47-48. Season 4 was 18 months after season 3, making Jack about 50. Season 5 was 18 months after season 4, making Jack about 52. Season 6 was 20 months after season 5, making Jack about 54. 24-Redemption, a two-hour movie that supposedly tied things together, was four years after season 6, making Jack about 58. Season 7, happening shortly after Redemption, still has Jack at around 58. Season 8, looks to be two-three years after season 8, because Jack's grand-daughter is seen having conversations with him, making Jack around 60 years [old]. He's quite spry for 60! Also, add up the years and it is now 2014 in the series. Maybe that explains all the CTU super-technology that does not seem to exist in our reality."

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Yuh know, 24 Fans by now are used to getting a bit
bored halfway into the season as the plot stretches
out to the finale.

Are we supposed to be bored within the first few
hours already?


My God, this already turning out to be the worst
season of 24 to date. I have no interest in any of
these characters and the storyline is just...well...bland.

I think part of the problem is that this show has
just gone on for too many years. All the cliches
of past seasons are in place...

1. There is someone betraying the President or
CTU. They make you believe it is one person
and suddenly...aha...we have been duped, it's
someone else.

2. While 24 is notorious for killing off major
characters you can always tell when one of
them....
....about to be picked off in a dramatic
final seconds episode ending -- gets spared.
Such was the case last night. I knew they weren't
going to kill off Renee.

Sorry to be so unhappy so early in the season,
but does anyone really think this show is living
up to the hype it once had?

 

[Patrick Sun]

58 is the new 42! I'd thought Jack was around 35 when season 1 started, he seemed to blow through his tours quicker than his contemporaries, and his "logic" reasoning skills have been written such that he quickly puts together the logistics of sinister forces and puts into play the requires counter-play (PROTOCOLS!!!!) Heh.

Jack Bauer is sort of like the John Clark character in the Tom Clancy novels, where Clark has been in many skirmishes through the decades, but it feels like it's only in the early 50's when he is more like in his late 60's, but can still kick some butt.

 

[Joe_H]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein

Yuh know, 24 Fans by now are used to getting a bit
bored halfway into the season as the plot stretches
out to the finale.

Are we supposed to be bored within the first few
hours already?


My God, this already turning out to be the worst
season of 24 to date. I have no interest in any of
these characters and the storyline is just...well...bland.

I agree quite a bit. I think I said this already, but even the horrible S6 had that first few hours that drew me in. This hasn't had anything of the sort yet.

And I agree, we've seen pretty much anything that they could do. I really think out of nowhere, someone should just kill Jack, to shake things up entirely (though I've been saying that for a while). The only problem with that is, the characters we'd have to rely on now are nowhere near as strong as they once were. Curtis, in my mind, would've once been perfect to carry the show if that happened, but I'm not sure that the Renee character could handle it.

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

Count me in the minority, then, because I'd much rather see Renee carry on the series than Curtis. Curtis was a Boy Scout. Jack is a Boy Scout who probably saw someone drop litter in the forest, walked up to him and yelled "PICK UP THAT TRASH!!" Then stepped on his pinky toe until he cried out in pain, regretted his transgression, picked up the trash, and hiked it for miles to the nearest trash can.

Renee isn't exactly the same, but she's close enough. She'd just stare at the person with eyes that are obviously calculating maximum bodily damage until the perp nerviously picks up the trash and walks away.

Other difficulties aside, maybe Starbuck didn't shoot her tormenter and lie about it because she isn't a murderer.

 

[Quentin]

I, for one, haven't found the show compelling in years. That said, thanks to Tivo, I still watch (I can just FF thru the stuff I don't care about).

I do think this season is showing some of the best and worst that 24 has to offer:

The best - Jack not in control and following a clearly out of control Renee is a very fun and fresh idea. She's having fun with it and it's definitely new to watch Jack in this sort of a situation. Certainly, the best this season has to offer us so far...and, one of the better ideas I've seen in the series.

The worst - you get Starbuck on your show, she looks as hot as ever, she's as badass as ever...and, she's wasted in what I consider the lamest sub-plot the series has ever seen. It was bad enough when Samwise had the junkie sister...but, this takes it to a whole new lame level. Sorry for the 'other show' references - but, as far as I'm concerned these characters don't deserve name recognition from these terrible side plots. Just kill Starbuck and move on. I FF every time I see her face. I should probably drink too.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

I'm actually contemplating stopping right here and waiting for the DVD's.

I agree that this season seems to have no center or emotional forward momentum, as if it's just running in place.

Maybe it's because I'm not used to waiting a week for the next hour and the momentum gets lost for me, I much prefer being able to keep going and keeping the suspense intact rather than having a whole week to cool off.

I'm really not liking that.

As for how much time has passed between day 7 & 8 it has been at least two years, Kim's daughter was a newborn baby on day 7 and she's at least two now.