I applaud the writers for actually resolving something. This felt like a good week because we moved the story along in some meaningful ways. That is a satisfying thing to the audience. Still, they sorta screwed it up by rushing things along. They should have dragged things out a bit more and had the fake attack on Jack be the cliffhanger. Either that or Jack being on the undercarriage of the truck could have been the final scene. We went waaay too quickly this week... though that did make it satisfying for the audience.
I like the idea of moving on to different storylines with different villians and the such. I've mentioned to friends in the past that one of the failings of 24 was dragging out the same plot through 24 episodes meant you had to go no where a lot. By having essentially 2 completely separate storylines this season we get some resolution and then get something new. It is a nice idea. Props to them for thinking a little bit outside the box in an effort to save a slowly dying show.
Still, as usual, the execution was ham-handed. If the Chinese guys had called just a minute or two earlier, then they would have given Jack's position away instead of catching him just before he took his first bathroom break or nap in more than a day. Maybe Jack just had his phone on vibrate and then switched it to ringer as soon as Fayed was dead. Oh well, I don't think anyone really cares about the plot holes seeing as there are a million from this season that will now never get resolved. I am still dying to know what Gredenko was thinking last episode or how Jack's father was involved in this thing and why he gave Jack the ex-President's phone number only moments after thinking his best course of action was to kill Jack and everyone else in his family. The holes in the storytelling are big enough that a nuclear explosion could not widen them at all.
I wonder if we will see a big dropoff in 24's audience after tonight's episode. The show has clearly given viewers an out. We are starting a new storyline and I cannot fathom how anyone would feel very connected to it unless you thougth Jack and Audrey had some real chemistry and want to see their relationship saved (lucky thing that bank robbery TV show sucked so Audrey could come back, eh?). So, if you want to ditch the show, now if the moment to do it.
As for me, I am at a real crossroad. MY wife is discgusted and wants to be done with 24. If Heroes was back on next week, I'd be sorely tempted to give in to her and give up on Jack and CTU. But, Heroes is still 2 weeks away (want a spoiler? Roddy McDowell has the power to heal-- not to heal himself like Claire. He can heal others... and even bring them back from the dead, I think.) So, with no Heroes to take up my time, I may still give 24 a chance next week. Sigh... I need some 12 step program to give up on this !#^@&@!^
-Jason "for the love of !#%!^, please plot out this storyline better than all the others over the past 120 or so episodes!!" Evans