So I was beginning to think we were going to get two weeks in a row with Jack on the backburner as Renee takes center stage. That really only ended up being half true. I will say this, though: Don’t you just love when you can see a Jack ass kicking coming a mile away? I don’t mean that as an insult in the least. Like, when Vlad told his men to kill Jack once the money is transferred, I didn’t say to myself, “Oh no, I hope Jack is okay.” I said, “Oh man, those guys are dead.” And, indeed, those guys pretty much died.
I don’t know why, but I got a kick out of Jack wearing the thick, round rimmed glasses. It was just a funny visual. Honestly, we’re so used to seeing Jack yell and scream and look sad and angry, that it’s a bit fun seeing him play a role. And it was also great seeing him in his element. Oh, you want me to speak German? Bam, here you go! What, I have an English accent? Pow, here’s a grand explanation for you! Much like the final season of Prison Break, the writers of 24 recognize that the audience will find pleasure and enjoyment in seeing things work out for the hero. Not everything has to be an obstacle to overcome.
I was going to comment on this last week, but I sort of enjoyed the story with the two brothers and the doctor. The series has a tendency to portray their terrorists as extremists that don’t care about anybody or anything other than whatever cause they’re fighting for. I’m not going to try to get inside the minds of these people, because I obviously can’t comprehend what they’re thinking, but after eight years it’s nice to see some depth to your villains (additionally, it acts as a counterbalance to the story with the Islamic president and his brother). So, showing a family that genuinely cares about each other was nice. But then the dad beat the crap out of the older brother and then executed the younger brother. So there you go.
By the way, I do think the older brother is going to infect the father with the radiation poisoning. The doctor made it a point to say, “this virus can be transmitted through bodily fluids,” so the method is right there. There has to be a reason why that information was presented to us.
It might be best that I don’t even discuss the Dana story arc. I am so incredibly not into this. Am I supposed to sympathize with her plight? Really, she just looks like an idiot for jeopardizing everything she’s afraid of losing when it’s obvious that he’s not going to leave her alone after the job is done. And I don’t find her awkward relationship with Arlo interesting either. And that’s a good word to describe their interactions. It’s not cute or humorous or endearing or playful, it’s just creepy.
Not much to say about the political portion of this episode. I’m going to wait and see what happens with it next week. So what are you doing reading this — GO WATCH LOST!!
Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
