(2:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.)
Review/Commentary
Reviewer: D
First off, I have to extend my thanks to J for giving me a chance to add my babbling to his every once in a while this season. J was one of the few prophets who believed in "24" back in the days before Kim and her cougar encounter became every TV critic's favorite joke. I greatly appreciated his observations and interpretations last year and I hope my ramblings have a comparable level of insight and/or entertainment value.
OK, now that I've gotten that out of the way, I'll detach my lips from J's butt and get down to business.
While Hour Two picked up the pace a bit, it still feels like we're at a simmer here, not quite a rolling boil. Of course, it takes a while to build some layers of intrigue and invent more reasons for Jack to go out and shoot folks so I'll cut the writers some slack. There are some interesting possibilities developing but also some dangerously formulaic elements emerging. I mean, as J has already pointed out, this young agent/old agent dynamic between Chase and Jack seems destined to be resolved with each of them saving each other's lives and coming to have a greater understanding of each other and blah blah blah. As original and surprising as "24" has been, it'll be a shame if it starts to resemble every other two-bit buddy cop flick that's come down the pike in the past 25 years.
And, speaking of Chase, was I the only one who thought of "Airplane" when he told Jack that it wasn't a good day to give up smack? I had trouble shaking the vision of Lloyd Bridges saying "Looks like I picked the wrong day to stop sniffing glue" for the rest of the episode.
But let's put my random visions aside for a minute and talk about the good stuff, or, in other words - the Kimster! OK, so she's not in her underwear yet but she does have a wonderfully persistent lack of good judgment. "Um, dad, I know you've got a lot on your mind, what with saving the world and everything, but your partner and I have been doing the nasty for the past few months. I hope that doesn't distract you." I was worried that putting Kim in a suit and giving her a job would mean she'd gain some common sense. How delightful to see that her tendency to make bad situations worse has remained intact. Perhaps once the virus actually gets out, she'll tell dad she's pregnant?
Random question #1: Shouldn't there have been something on Chase's computer screen when he was talking to Kim? An "Arrested Development" screensaver or a game of Tetris or something?
Random question #2: Did you notice "Counter Terrorism Unit" listed as a "character" during the intro? I believe that's a first. Do you think someone in the "24" trenches said, "Oh crap! We went through an entire hour of the show and never said what CTU stands for? What do we do?"
Kim was definitely the highlight of this episode for me. Not only did she complicate things for Jack and Chase but she had a heart-to-heart with Michelle in the bathroom, a scene that brought together the two hottest actresses in "24." And though it was kind of a throw away scene, it did provide me a brief fantasy of hot girl-on-girl action going on in the CTU bathroom. Kim also had that nice little moment when Chase asked her what Jack said when she revealed their relationship. Her brief response - "Nothing" - communicated a whole world of disappointment and hurt and maybe even embarrassment. Say what you will about the way Elisha Cuthbert fills out a tank top (oh, and I hope I'll be saying a lot), she clearly has some actual talent to fall back on when forced to remain fully clothed.
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