I always consider 24 at its best when the supporting cast is strong enough to carry an episode on their own. I remember there was one episode of season four that focused almost exclusively on Michelle as she tried to maintain control of a hotel that was, coincidentally enough, exposed to a biological weapon. Jack, meanwhile, spent pretty much the entire episode trailing somebody in his car. I was thoroughly impressed, and then very shocked when I read that practically the entire supporting cast was fired as regulars so that season five could focus even more extensively on Jack.
Anyway, this week’s episode reminded me of those days. Sure, Jack appeared, but what did he really do? He spent a third of the episode in transportation, a third in holding, and a third watching a monitor. This episode was mostly about the bad guys on their mission, Tony and his attempt to take them down from within the compound, Moss and his quest to prevent this attack from happening, and the President and her struggle to make important decisions.
Speaking of Moss, how rough was his with Walker? Here he is, pouring his heart out to her, and she’s in tears because of her feelings for another man. Ouch. For a moment there, I thought he was going to kiss her, though.
I’ll eventually stop saying this, but I just love how sketchy Tony appears in every single scene he’s in. He just always looks like he’s up to something, or he’s not telling you everything he knows. Or something. It’s pretty incredible how dark, twisted, and generally bad ass he’s become. Can you imagine THIS version of Tony Almeida getting shot in a mall?
Oh, and then there’s our President. I stand by my assessment last week, that she’s essentially Coach Homer Simpson over compensating his love and support for Bart. Honestly, making her daughter the Chief of Staff – even if it’s just on an interim basis? You’ve got to be kidding me.
But hey, at least this means we get some more of Agent Pierce, right?
I do have to wonder why they’re bothering to give a deadly disease to somebody who clearly won’t be dying. Why not give it to somebody a bit more expendable, so that we might actually question whether the person will live or die. Then again, seeing Jack come to terms with his death and reconsider some of the decisions he’s made could be a fun ride. And I did appreciate the fake out by having the agents take Jack out of isolation upon receiving his results.
Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, Heroes, Prison Break, and Smallville. You can visit his blog at A Case of the Blog.
