24 - Gimmicks

Another disappointing episode.  Here's what we discussed at the office this morning.

The plot devices for several weeks now are non-events.  They're just manufactured crises or incidents that serve a short term purpose, not the larger story line.  They have nearly completely lost view of the terrorist attacks.  There's really no sense of urgency to get those suitcase nukes.  The writers are just playing games.

Is Doyle a tough guy or a good guy?  Now he's a religious seeker.  Can we please resurrect Curtis?  Why did Doyle need Nadia to check Milo's computer if he can clear the logs himself on another computer?  And if it wasn't illegal, why would Milo be arrested?  That would be fine with me, btw.  I'm sick and tired of Milo sitting around mooning over Nadia and brooding over Doyle.  Why doesn't he ever work?  Shouldn't he be tracking terrorists?

Palmer is in a life-threatening coma and a couple of hours later he's launching a missile attack he risked his life to stop?  I'm quite sure it's some kind of ruse, but that's the point.  All the tension this season is temporary and gimmicky.  Lennox bugs the VP but then doesn't use it to get rid of him if he's subverting the president?  All that scene was for was to give Lennox a moment of redemption. 

And if you're going to do a Constitutional crisis, could you do it believably?  It's just a big soap opera with no sense of urgency that we've had a nuclear attack in our own country.  Who's minding the country?  It's all just temporary gimmicks.

Jack's been relegated to a minor character.  And what happened to the floating bone fragments he was suffering with a couple of hours ago.  They keep bringing things up and then dropping them.

The intrigue with Jack's family was great.  Since his dad left it's fallen apart.

The beauty of 24 was that you could believe it happening in some possible universe.  It's no longer believable.  It's become a silly cartoon. It's sadly pathetic how suddenly a great show can fail.

The previews show Jack getting shot.  Maybe this time he really stays dead because he wants out of this bad script.

It's so sad to see such a great show get so bad so fast.

Comments

[Mo]

I no longer watch previews after Fox showed a major episode evident a few years ago. They totally ruined it.

But yes, I keep wondering what's going on this season and why Kiefer's getting so little screen time. I wondered if he was filming something else, but I think his next project isn't until May or something.

I have no clue what's going on. The writers have always prided themselves on flying by the seat of their pants, but the weaknesses have gotten worse and worse. I hope they recan turn things around, and soon.

[Mo]

(And I obviously cannot spell or type!)

[Aaron Snell]

I wholeheartedly agree that the show has lost its focus. Simply put, Jack Bauer is the driving force behind the drama - the show is a vehicle for his character, primarily - and as soon as the action and development shift away from him for too long, it all starts going south.

[B.B.]

They have created so many plot twists that they are running out of good ideas! Here's a twist; no more twists for 2 shows. Or how about this one: one of the camera men gets nuked and we lose a camera angle and everything goes black when we are viewing Jack from the right side!

[Patrick, Holland, MA]

I agree Melinda - but cool off now! Yikes! A little disappointed are we?!?