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24
Episode 2.01, 8 AM to 9 AM
Written by Joel Surnow
Directed by Jon Cassar
It's the beginning of a second season on 24 and I must confess to being slightly under whelmed. The premise that they've put forth is interesting enough, and the potential for greatness is there. It's just that this premiere doesn't grab me as strongly as last year's had. Don't get me wrong though, an under whelming episode of 24 is still better then 90% percent of everything else out there.
The main thrust of this year's storyline revolves around a nuclear bomb being smuggled into LA with the threat of imminent detonation. The people behind this act are a Middle Eastern terrorist group dubbed Second Wave. This has obviously thrown the government into a state of chaos and the now-President Palmer must struggle to make sure the pieces don't fall apart.
Dennis Haybert once again brings a sense of pathos and seriousness to the role that elevates Palmer into one of the most compelling figures on television. That might be one of the benefits of this second season - we already know these characters so their subtler actions are more defined now. Palmer's threatening of an unnamed Middle Eastern country that possibly supports the terrorist group *cough*IRAQ*cough* brings to mind the mercurial temper that surfaced last year, but his subsequent follow up planning with his advisors show the calmer and more rational side of the character. Palmer is at heart a good man who struggles to control his own passions.
Between an over eager aide who's blustering for war and his own self doubt, Palmer tries to tap the once source he truly trusts in LA - Jack Bauer.
Jack isn't doing so well after the events of last year though; the death of his wife at the hands of Nina still rips him apart inside and the subsequent alienation from Kim doesn't help him at all. It seems that Kim can't stay at home anymore, because when she sees Jack it invariably reminds her of her mother and she can't handle that. Jack has also quit the CTU as further evidence of him trying to escape his past.
Unfortunately, much like last year, Jack's past life comes back to haunt him. In one of the ops missions that he had previously run, Jack had infiltrated a group of people who had dealings with Second Wave. This means that he's the only agent who has a chance of being able to find the terrorist cell that's behind this bomb threat. And though he's initially reluctant to involve himself in anything this deep again, the looming threat of nuclear death is something he can't turn his back on.
But the Jack of this year is most definitely different then last year. Before Bauer was always a character keeping a natural rage in check, one always got the feeling of a restrained fury that finally burst out in the final hour. This year he has not managed to put the beast back in the box, as he kills a pedophile without a second thought.
Kiefer plays this sense of rage and frustration to great effect, and you can begin to see that the character of Jack Bauer has become a second skin to him. It's the kind of acting that lets you forget any past connotations you might have associated with the actor and instead focus upon the character actually portrayed. His portrayal of Jack Bauer comes forward as more real then just about any character on television.
If there's something that sets off the alarms in the first episode though, it's Kim's subplot. I understand that the writers were in a tough spot with her, since she was such a prominent character they can't just leave her on the sidelines this year. On the other hand, they can't have her get kidnapped again by Second Wave as that would be completely repetitive. So instead we get a storyline featuring Kim as an au pair for a well-to-do family.
Apparently she took this job in order to be away from her father, as it raises too many painful memories of her mother's fate. There's actually a touching scene in the beginning as Jack tries to visit with Kim and gets shut down. The one person in this world who could be a lifeline to him is too busy drowning in her pain to save him. Of course, this would be a boring storyline if nothing happened, and we soon realize that the father of this family that Kim works for is a world class creep. Besides staring lustfully at her when she's in her panties (which you really can't blame the guy for) he seems to harbor darker impulses. He's a wife beater with a hair-trigger temper, which of course happens to surface on the same day that Jack is busy trying to save LA
That's the problem with that storyline; it strains the credibility that both dramatic events are occurring simultaneously. Why other shows thrive on coincidence and thus such storylines wouldn't be an issue, 24 has always been different. The nature of the show places it into a quasi-realistic world where coincidence stands out in an almost glaring fashion.
So Kim bears witness to this and takes the father's little girl with her on the run so that the child won't be hurt. What follows will inevitably be a game of cat and mouse as Kim flees from the man bent on pursuing her.
The other storyline seems to revolve around a new girl played by Sarah Wynter, who believes that the man that her sister might soon be marrying could have ties to a terrorist group. Here's is a place that 24 should really be careful with though. Obviously Middle Eastern terrorist groups are all too frighteningly real in this world, but they would be remiss to portray every Middle Easterner as a terrorist. Luckily this has always been a show of intelligence and conscience, so I really don't foresee that happening.
So 24 is back in all its glory, though it appears to be a bit slow getting out of the gate. An abundance of exposition and set-up should hopefully pay off by next episode which promises to be far more action packed. So if you missed this episode on Tuesday, be sure to catch it again on Monday night on Fox as they re-air it. This may not have the perfect episode, but the potential has never been greater.
Episode Rating: 7 out of 10
-- Tim Ritenour
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