Since the end of October I have been sitting around basking in the warm glow of another (yes I just typed the word ANOTHER) Red Sox World Championship, the Patriots weekly assault on the NFL, its teams and all time records, and the new Gang Green Boston Celtics (who as we speak own the best record in the NBA at 13-2). I sat back and watched Theo and his Band of Renouned re-sign Curt Schilling to a below market deal (thanks Curt) so he can finish his career in Boston (with a 3rd championship dare I ask???) and sign the goodest (sure I made that word up) third baseman on the planet Mike Lowell, to a nice shiny new deal. Great we all thought. Now we can sit back and enjoy the winter. Maybe grab some middle relief, maybe another bat or something. You know - take it EASY.
Then the Twins had to go and make all world pitcher Johan Santana available to the highest bidder. Since MLB has no salary cap the "highest bidder" is one of approximately 5 teams. There's no way the Royals or Nationals get Johan. Step right up Red Sox, Yankers/Chokers (or whatever you'd prefer to call them these days), Angels, Mets and Dodgers. You see it's not just about having the prospects to give up for him. You also have to pony up the $150million extention as well. YUMMY.
So Johan becomes available. So of course the Red Sox (and Chokers - I'm going with that) have to get involved. With dueling prospect packages. The problem is not the $$$. It's which prospects the Twins want. Perhaps you saw this kid Ellsbury in the playoffs last year. Batted .400. Stole the "base that fed a country". Broke hearts all the way from Bangor to Newport. Well - the Twins want him. Oh yeah - and the kid who threw the no-hitter last September. They want him. The Twins are like the Air Force. AIM HIGH.
Well now this just keeps going back and forth. Chokers up their prospect package. Sox change theirs around. Back and forth they go.
Then I see this note in the news yesterday. Another ace may be available next to a little picture of Eric Bedard of the Orioles. DING. The light goes on. This is the same Eric Bedard who was leading the league in K's with an ERA around 3 before he tweaked a muscle in his side and had to shut it down in September. So - why not bid up the deal with Santana but hold firm on the Lester, Crisp and two minor league studs package while also reaching out to the Orioles about Bedard.
I hardly think it's that crazy an idea.
Ummm Theo? You listening??
Saturday, December 01, 2007
First Snow
After yet another self imposed blogging hiatus, I couldn't think of a better time to make my triumphant return than the first snowfall of the season here in Beaverton. I do have to clarify that when I say first snow I don't mean a sea of white as far as the eye can see and snowballs and snow angels....we could only be so lucky. Instead we have been treated to lots of big fluffy flakes falling harmlessly to the ground against a backdrop of pine trees for a beautiful holiday view. It's been enough to bring a smile to my face, inspire a load of phone calls to relatives and friends living outside of the Pacific NW, and most of all get my 5 yr old daughter outside in her pj's in sub-freezing weather to catch some snowflakes on her tongue (a task at which she was wildly successful).
I remember as a child (as well as a young adult and adult I must admit) hearing snow in the forecast for the first time of the season and practically not being able to sleep from the excitement. I would peer out of my bedroom window looking for the falling snow against the light of the streetlights and was always immensely disappointed when there was nothing yet to see. I remember sitting in class at school looking out the window just waiting to see that first flake fall from the sky and then along with the rest of the class, rushing outside once it had officially begun.
After moving to CA from the East Coast and living there for 18 yrs, I never realized how much I missed the snow until last year when the family and I moved to Oregon. Last November we got a bit of snow (I wrote about it on the blog) and I was again filled with that excitement. In January we actually got a real snow-STORM here where my wife and daughter actually got to play in snow for the first time (my wife was born in LA, my daughter in Palo Alto, CA). It was such a blast!!!!
We certainly won't get a big dump today but the first fluffy flakes of the year are certainly a welcome sight for sore eyes.
I remember as a child (as well as a young adult and adult I must admit) hearing snow in the forecast for the first time of the season and practically not being able to sleep from the excitement. I would peer out of my bedroom window looking for the falling snow against the light of the streetlights and was always immensely disappointed when there was nothing yet to see. I remember sitting in class at school looking out the window just waiting to see that first flake fall from the sky and then along with the rest of the class, rushing outside once it had officially begun.
After moving to CA from the East Coast and living there for 18 yrs, I never realized how much I missed the snow until last year when the family and I moved to Oregon. Last November we got a bit of snow (I wrote about it on the blog) and I was again filled with that excitement. In January we actually got a real snow-STORM here where my wife and daughter actually got to play in snow for the first time (my wife was born in LA, my daughter in Palo Alto, CA). It was such a blast!!!!
We certainly won't get a big dump today but the first fluffy flakes of the year are certainly a welcome sight for sore eyes.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
SEASON 7 trailer!!!
The Season 7 trailer is up and running !!!
After being extremely disappointed with last season (along with most folks out there) - surprisingly I am totally pumped for next season. The fact that the trailer looks totally cool certainly helps.
3 words - TONY IS BAD.
I can't wait for January!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Wes Welker and Dustin Pedroia
The same person?
I think so.
I've never seen both of them in the same room at the same time.
You decide.
I think so.
I've never seen both of them in the same room at the same time.
You decide.
American League Champions!
I'm so pumped...but in a subdued way. I don't know why.
The 2007 playoffs have been so different than 2004. Well - both years featured the utter destruction of the Angels....but the ALCS had a totally different vibe. The desperation just wasn't there. The 86 years of pressure was gone. There were no Yankee ghosts to excise. This year it was all about baseball. Two great teams playing great baseball. So even when the Sox were down 3 games to 1 there wasn't any panic. There was just the steadfast belief that given time, the hits would start falling in (and out of the park), the law of averages would even out and the Red Sox - the same team with the best record in baseball this year - would put it all together.
And so they did.
And now its onto the World Series.
7 down. 4 to go.
Monday, October 08, 2007
ALCS here we come
(AP photo)Wow. That was FUN!
Is it supposed to be that easy or are the Red Sox really playing THAT well?
I can only speak for myself when I say that right now I'm cautiously optimistic. I think that comes from the years upon years of pre-2004 disappointment ingrained into my SoxFan DNA.
The 2007 Red Sox? They look awesome. They are hitting top to bottom. Everyone seems to be getting hot at the right time (hello Manny and JD) and the pitching staff has been rolling. As we have learned from every talking head in the country - getting hot in October is the key to winning the WS. What a surprise.
So now we get to wait for 5 days, let the boys rest their alcohol soaked bodies and ready themselves for the Indians or Yankees.
Enjoy the time off guys!! You have earned it.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Don't Get Me Started
The Democratic Congress and their lack of a set of balls.
That's all I'm going to say for now so I don't throw something at something.
GRRRR.
That's all I'm going to say for now so I don't throw something at something.
GRRRR.
Fall Tv
What Mrs.Geek and I are watching this fall season -
Heroes
Bionic Woman
Grey's Anatomy
Big Shots (which I keep calling Hot Shots)
Survivor: CHINA
Desperate Housewives
Brothers and Sisters
Will probably check out -
Friday Night Lights
Journeyman
Pushing Daisies
Supernatural (if we can make the time - otherwise its DVD time)
Really enjoyed over the summer -
psych
The 4400
Burn Notice
(USA network rules!)
Entourage (Medillon aside)
Can't wait for -
LOST
24 (no really)
Battlestar Galactica
Need to catch up on -
The Dead Zone
Not really interested in (that are being shoved down my throat)-
Cavemen (please)
Dirty Sexy Money
This should be fun.
Heroes
Bionic Woman
Grey's Anatomy
Big Shots (which I keep calling Hot Shots)
Survivor: CHINA
Desperate Housewives
Brothers and Sisters
Will probably check out -
Friday Night Lights
Journeyman
Pushing Daisies
Supernatural (if we can make the time - otherwise its DVD time)
Really enjoyed over the summer -
psych
The 4400
Burn Notice
(USA network rules!)
Entourage (Medillon aside)
Can't wait for -
LOST
24 (no really)
Battlestar Galactica
Need to catch up on -
The Dead Zone
Not really interested in (that are being shoved down my throat)-
Cavemen (please)
Dirty Sexy Money
This should be fun.
Let us not forget
A few 2007 NFL football fun facts to nibble on...
The New England Patriots are 4-0.
This guy Tom Brady is pretty darn good.
Oh yeah - so is this Moss character.
All Mike Vrabel does is catch touchdowns.
Adalius Thomas can run very fast...like wide receiver fast.
I've heard that Glendale, AZ is pretty nice in February.
Next up at the Razor - the Cleveland Browns.
The New England Patriots are 4-0.
This guy Tom Brady is pretty darn good.
Oh yeah - so is this Moss character.
All Mike Vrabel does is catch touchdowns.
Adalius Thomas can run very fast...like wide receiver fast.
I've heard that Glendale, AZ is pretty nice in February.
Next up at the Razor - the Cleveland Browns.
It's ON!
The 2007 baseball playoffs are here.
Ladies and Gentlemen - start your engines.
Tomorrow. 6:35pm EST. Angels v. Red Sox at the Fens.
11 wins to go.
Be there.
Ladies and Gentlemen - start your engines.
Tomorrow. 6:35pm EST. Angels v. Red Sox at the Fens.
11 wins to go.
Be there.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
24 news and notes - TONY LIVES!
Near the end of Season 5, we all bowed our heads in silent tribute when everyone's favorite CTU agent (after Jack of course....and probably Bill...well - don't forget Chloe....err - you get the point), Tony Almeida, was killed.
Not. So. Fast.
According to the friendly folks at Fox - "when the seventh season of "24" returns on Jan. 13, 2008, CTU will be dismantled and Jack Bauer will be in trial in Washington DC, where the show will now be set instead of the subterranean Los Angeles headquarters of the former Counter Terrorist Unit where the first six seasons have been set."
More importantly - Tony Almeida will be back!!!!!
"Tony's uncertain fate near the end of Day 5 left the door open for his return," executive producer Howard Gordon said in a press release. "And since there was no silent clock at the conclusion of his last appearance -- the '24' tribute to a major character's demise -- we always kept this as a possibility."
ROCK ON!!
Other Day 7 tidbits:
Jack Bauer will be on trial for "his actions in the pursuit of justice." Yeah - whatever!
Chloe O'Brien and Bill Buchanan will both be back!
There will be a host of newcomers as well including Cherry Jones as President Allison Taylor (so much for Wayne), Janeane Garofalo as FBI agent Janis Gold, Colm Feore as First Gentleman Henry Taylor and Bob Gunton as White House Chief of Staff Ethan Kanin.
Day 7 begins with hour long episodes on Sunday Jan. 13th and Monday Jan. 14th rather than the 2-hour episodes that started the last two seasons.
I'm sure the Fox folks are doing that solely so that I will have the ability to re-cap the first two episodes quickly and not fall hopelessly behind....right?
Not. So. Fast.
According to the friendly folks at Fox - "when the seventh season of "24" returns on Jan. 13, 2008, CTU will be dismantled and Jack Bauer will be in trial in Washington DC, where the show will now be set instead of the subterranean Los Angeles headquarters of the former Counter Terrorist Unit where the first six seasons have been set."
More importantly - Tony Almeida will be back!!!!!
"Tony's uncertain fate near the end of Day 5 left the door open for his return," executive producer Howard Gordon said in a press release. "And since there was no silent clock at the conclusion of his last appearance -- the '24' tribute to a major character's demise -- we always kept this as a possibility."
ROCK ON!!
Other Day 7 tidbits:
Jack Bauer will be on trial for "his actions in the pursuit of justice." Yeah - whatever!
Chloe O'Brien and Bill Buchanan will both be back!
There will be a host of newcomers as well including Cherry Jones as President Allison Taylor (so much for Wayne), Janeane Garofalo as FBI agent Janis Gold, Colm Feore as First Gentleman Henry Taylor and Bob Gunton as White House Chief of Staff Ethan Kanin.
Day 7 begins with hour long episodes on Sunday Jan. 13th and Monday Jan. 14th rather than the 2-hour episodes that started the last two seasons.
I'm sure the Fox folks are doing that solely so that I will have the ability to re-cap the first two episodes quickly and not fall hopelessly behind....right?
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
24 news and notes - Day 6 complete
So...we FINALLY finished watching last season’s 24...Actually finished it a bit ago but just getting around to putting fingers to keyboard to let you all know.
What did I think?? On a scale of 1-10 it was about a 4. I, like most people out there, had major issues with the convoluted and recycled storylines, the killing of practically every regular for no apparent reason other than shock value and the fact that they left us hanging a number of plot points – almost too many to remember.
Some comments and random questions:
Will Agent Doyle ever regain his eyesight? Do we really care? Do we really want to have to put up with his Jack Bauer-lite attitude? Most importantly – what the heck actually happened in Denver?
Is Charles Logan dead or alive? Where have they got Martha locked up (I mean she’s just GOTTA be locked up after stabbing Chuck with a pen)? Is Aaron still close by to provide her with flowers, fresh fruit and her daily meds?
Will we ever get official confirmation that Josh is Jack’s kid or are we left on our own to just assume the season’s most obvious sub-plot?
Wayne Palmer? Dead? Alive? Vegetable? Yet another unresolved plotline we have been expected to discuss amongst ourselves. The problem – we really don’t care. Find a way to bring back David and we’ll do backflips!
Speaking of coming back from the dead – HELLO Secretary Heller! It was great to see that after high speed car plunge off a cliff into the ocean that he was no worst the wear. Even so – could he have been any more harsh to Jack?? You are cursed. Everything you touch dies. OUCH.
What about Lisa Miller?? Brain damaged? A government witness? Do we care?
Bill Buchanan is simply the best. He and Jack are like 24’s own Butch and Sundance...errr – how about the Lone Ranger and Tonto? We here in the land of the Geek love Bill and look forward to him playing a significant part of the coming season. Karen? Not so much. Oh well – you need to take the good with the bad right?
By the end of the season Tom Lennox had won me over with his deft way of telling it like it is while playing both sides of the fence and showing a (surprising) sense of moral character. Of all the folks at the White House this past season – he is who I will miss the most.
So Chloe and Morris are going to have themselves a little analyst! You think that the first words out of its mouth will be some sort of sarcastic crack?? Yeah – me too. Should be fun watching Chloe be a mom.
As for the plot points that they actually decided to resolve (horribly!!) – You’re telling me that the best that they could do with Papa Bauer is have him end up shot by Josh?????? And then lectured by Jack before being blown up. Level of satisfaction for the American viewer – no more than a “so-so” on the satisfaction meter. Phil needed to suffer...oh well maybe next time. Come on writers!!!!!
The biggest disappointment of all...one word...CHENG! After kidnapping Jack and torturing him in a Chinese prison for 18 months then kidnapping his lady-love and torturing her as well – all we get is a slightly burned face and CTU custody? I for one wanted to see Jack get himself a little bit of payback...well – I didn’t really want to see it but I certainly wanted to know that it was happening. We got to see Jack shoot a suspect full of pain inducing drugs and attempt to suffocate them with a plastic bag – and that was family! Couldn’t Cheng at least lose a finger or a tooth or something?? Is that too much to ask???
Strangely enough – I am looking forward to the new season with a hopeful optimism. With it being so crappy this season it has nowhere left to go but up...right?? We still have a while to wait for the new season to arrive. Until then you’ll all just need to put up with me babbling about the new fall TV season, summer gems that have already passed us by, Red Sox baseball in October, Patriots football ‘til February (Super Bowl is Feb.3, 2008) and a slew of other random goodies I feel fit to print.
So sorry for lagging on everyone’s favorite CTU agent.
What did I think?? On a scale of 1-10 it was about a 4. I, like most people out there, had major issues with the convoluted and recycled storylines, the killing of practically every regular for no apparent reason other than shock value and the fact that they left us hanging a number of plot points – almost too many to remember.
Some comments and random questions:
Will Agent Doyle ever regain his eyesight? Do we really care? Do we really want to have to put up with his Jack Bauer-lite attitude? Most importantly – what the heck actually happened in Denver?
Is Charles Logan dead or alive? Where have they got Martha locked up (I mean she’s just GOTTA be locked up after stabbing Chuck with a pen)? Is Aaron still close by to provide her with flowers, fresh fruit and her daily meds?
Will we ever get official confirmation that Josh is Jack’s kid or are we left on our own to just assume the season’s most obvious sub-plot?
Wayne Palmer? Dead? Alive? Vegetable? Yet another unresolved plotline we have been expected to discuss amongst ourselves. The problem – we really don’t care. Find a way to bring back David and we’ll do backflips!
Speaking of coming back from the dead – HELLO Secretary Heller! It was great to see that after high speed car plunge off a cliff into the ocean that he was no worst the wear. Even so – could he have been any more harsh to Jack?? You are cursed. Everything you touch dies. OUCH.
What about Lisa Miller?? Brain damaged? A government witness? Do we care?
Bill Buchanan is simply the best. He and Jack are like 24’s own Butch and Sundance...errr – how about the Lone Ranger and Tonto? We here in the land of the Geek love Bill and look forward to him playing a significant part of the coming season. Karen? Not so much. Oh well – you need to take the good with the bad right?
By the end of the season Tom Lennox had won me over with his deft way of telling it like it is while playing both sides of the fence and showing a (surprising) sense of moral character. Of all the folks at the White House this past season – he is who I will miss the most.
So Chloe and Morris are going to have themselves a little analyst! You think that the first words out of its mouth will be some sort of sarcastic crack?? Yeah – me too. Should be fun watching Chloe be a mom.
As for the plot points that they actually decided to resolve (horribly!!) – You’re telling me that the best that they could do with Papa Bauer is have him end up shot by Josh?????? And then lectured by Jack before being blown up. Level of satisfaction for the American viewer – no more than a “so-so” on the satisfaction meter. Phil needed to suffer...oh well maybe next time. Come on writers!!!!!
The biggest disappointment of all...one word...CHENG! After kidnapping Jack and torturing him in a Chinese prison for 18 months then kidnapping his lady-love and torturing her as well – all we get is a slightly burned face and CTU custody? I for one wanted to see Jack get himself a little bit of payback...well – I didn’t really want to see it but I certainly wanted to know that it was happening. We got to see Jack shoot a suspect full of pain inducing drugs and attempt to suffocate them with a plastic bag – and that was family! Couldn’t Cheng at least lose a finger or a tooth or something?? Is that too much to ask???
Strangely enough – I am looking forward to the new season with a hopeful optimism. With it being so crappy this season it has nowhere left to go but up...right?? We still have a while to wait for the new season to arrive. Until then you’ll all just need to put up with me babbling about the new fall TV season, summer gems that have already passed us by, Red Sox baseball in October, Patriots football ‘til February (Super Bowl is Feb.3, 2008) and a slew of other random goodies I feel fit to print.
So sorry for lagging on everyone’s favorite CTU agent.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
failed miserably
Back in July I promised to make an effort to post something (anything) on this blog each day.
Here's where the failed miserably comes into play.
Rather than feel like I'm apologizing to some enormous group of people that come to this blog daily to see what I will come up with next, I feel like I have been a disappointment to myself. I know what a difference it makes each day to write about something that has pushed its way to the front of my brain.....or current events (BYE BYE GONZO).....or the summer of TV.......or the upcoming fall season (and all that it has in store for us).
Instead I have found myself making excuses or finding something different to do rather than take a minute or two to write.
Am I going to make some ridiculous pledge again to be here everyday? Nah....Instead I will be realistic and say - I'll do my best to be here.
There is SO much going on that I can comment on....and Mrs.Geek and I only have 4 hours left to finish 24.
Wish us luck.
Here's where the failed miserably comes into play.
Rather than feel like I'm apologizing to some enormous group of people that come to this blog daily to see what I will come up with next, I feel like I have been a disappointment to myself. I know what a difference it makes each day to write about something that has pushed its way to the front of my brain.....or current events (BYE BYE GONZO).....or the summer of TV.......or the upcoming fall season (and all that it has in store for us).
Instead I have found myself making excuses or finding something different to do rather than take a minute or two to write.
Am I going to make some ridiculous pledge again to be here everyday? Nah....Instead I will be realistic and say - I'll do my best to be here.
There is SO much going on that I can comment on....and Mrs.Geek and I only have 4 hours left to finish 24.
Wish us luck.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Let's shuffle
First a short back story....I do dishes. It's kinda my job around the house. We have a dishwasher but it's not currently working so it defaults to me. To pass the time when I'm scrubbing away I have taken to throwing the buds in the ears and listening to my iPod. Sometimes I choose a particular artist or album while other times I just press shuffle and off we go.
Tonight was a shuffle. It turned out to be not just any shuffle but a perfect 20 song shuffle. It took me 20 songs to do the dishes and cut up a watermelon for summertime consumption.
Since I consider this to be some sort of musical planetary alignment I just had to share.
Here goes -
1. Meditate . . INXS (something old)
2. 61 Seconds . . The Outfield
3. How Deep is Your Love . . Bee Gees
4. Livin' for Your Lover . . Chris Isaak
5. Cool Change . . Little River Band
6. Surrender . . Elvis
7. City of Blinding Lights . . U2 (a top-5 favorite)
8. It Must Be Love . . Madness
9. Knowing Me Knowing You . . ABBA
10. Wise Up . . Aimee Mann
11. Another Idea . . Chris Isaak
12. Big Bottom . . Spinal Tap
13. Devil's Party . . INXS (something new)
14. Talkin' About A Home . . Chris Isaak
15. Cadillac Car . . James "Thunder" Early
16. I Go To Extremes . . William Joel
17. Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting . . Elton John
18. Character Flaw . . Joe Ely
19. Running To Stand Still . . U2 (another top-5 fave)
20. Desperado . . Eagles
As you can see my musical tastes exist far on this side of obscurity with a healthy lean towards the 80's. There are times I step to the dark side but they are few and far between. Not trying to defend or justify. It's just who I am....and I dig it.
Though this hasn't been a ton of typing tonight, its enough for now.
More later.
ps. I got the new Harry Potter book at midnight friday night (didn't dress up or anything but still had a blast). I'm only about 200 pages in so SHHHHHHH......don't tell me how it ends. I must say - it's pretty darn good so far. Off to read.
Tonight was a shuffle. It turned out to be not just any shuffle but a perfect 20 song shuffle. It took me 20 songs to do the dishes and cut up a watermelon for summertime consumption.
Since I consider this to be some sort of musical planetary alignment I just had to share.
Here goes -
1. Meditate . . INXS (something old)
2. 61 Seconds . . The Outfield
3. How Deep is Your Love . . Bee Gees
4. Livin' for Your Lover . . Chris Isaak
5. Cool Change . . Little River Band
6. Surrender . . Elvis
7. City of Blinding Lights . . U2 (a top-5 favorite)
8. It Must Be Love . . Madness
9. Knowing Me Knowing You . . ABBA
10. Wise Up . . Aimee Mann
11. Another Idea . . Chris Isaak
12. Big Bottom . . Spinal Tap
13. Devil's Party . . INXS (something new)
14. Talkin' About A Home . . Chris Isaak
15. Cadillac Car . . James "Thunder" Early
16. I Go To Extremes . . William Joel
17. Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting . . Elton John
18. Character Flaw . . Joe Ely
19. Running To Stand Still . . U2 (another top-5 fave)
20. Desperado . . Eagles
As you can see my musical tastes exist far on this side of obscurity with a healthy lean towards the 80's. There are times I step to the dark side but they are few and far between. Not trying to defend or justify. It's just who I am....and I dig it.
Though this hasn't been a ton of typing tonight, its enough for now.
More later.
ps. I got the new Harry Potter book at midnight friday night (didn't dress up or anything but still had a blast). I'm only about 200 pages in so SHHHHHHH......don't tell me how it ends. I must say - it's pretty darn good so far. Off to read.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Go SOX
You'd think I'd be freaking out.....the Red Sox just dropped yet another one run game to the Kansas City Royals (yep - the frakking ROYALS) while the Yankees "edged" Toronto 6-1 to creep within 7 games of first place. Here we go again.......I say again - you'd think I'd be freaking out.....but I'm not. The thing is I LOVE the Sox and watching them play just well enough to lose and continue their post all-star case of the shits....it sucks. But I was watching TV this morning before work and I came across the last 20 minutes or so of the HBO special "Reverse the Curse of the Bambino". In case you can't guess it's an hour long special about the Red Sox 2004 post season and their World Championship. I happened to turn it on right near the end of game 4 just as Brian Roberts stole 2nd base and watched it through the game 6 highlights of Curt Schilling's bloody sock. Since I needed to finish getting ready for work I pressed the record button on the DVR vowing silently to watch it later when I had time.
Fast forward to about 30 minutes ago. I'm looking for something to watch and I see I have 11 minutes of the RtCotB on DVR. So I of course fire it up. I'm watching it and smiling and then crying - like I always do when thinking and talking about the 2004 ALCS and World Series and I realize - no matter how the Red Sox are doing these days or how they do for years to come - nothing can ever take away the memories and the feelings that incredible 2004 team inspired. They will always make me smile and that little 8 game slice of baseball history will always mean the world to me.
Go Sox.
Monday, July 16, 2007
A week?
Has it really been an entire week since I last posted something??? SHAME ON ME. What good is making a committment to do something so simple as spew some misc. jibber jabber if I'm not going to take the time to do it.
So what was the week that was??
Per my simple request - the American League hung on to win the All-Star game this year (for the 10th year in a row) assuring that the Red Sox will open the World Series this year at home versus the San Diego Padres.
USA television is back for the summer. With the return of psych on friday July 17th coupled with their (good) new show this summer burn notice (not the crappy one with Debbie Messing about the wife in Hollywood.....STARTERS WIFE) and of course the old favorites DEAD ZONE and The 4400, USA has again become required viewing in the Geek house.
It's finally cooled below solar surface temperature here in the Portland metro area - so that's nice. Still very much enjoying the warm summer nights here along with the awesome lightning storm we had last thursday evening. After spending close to 18yrs in California, I had forgotten there is this little thing called weather in the summer? How refreshing.
Gotta go for now.
More later.
So what was the week that was??
Per my simple request - the American League hung on to win the All-Star game this year (for the 10th year in a row) assuring that the Red Sox will open the World Series this year at home versus the San Diego Padres.
USA television is back for the summer. With the return of psych on friday July 17th coupled with their (good) new show this summer burn notice (not the crappy one with Debbie Messing about the wife in Hollywood.....STARTERS WIFE) and of course the old favorites DEAD ZONE and The 4400, USA has again become required viewing in the Geek house.
It's finally cooled below solar surface temperature here in the Portland metro area - so that's nice. Still very much enjoying the warm summer nights here along with the awesome lightning storm we had last thursday evening. After spending close to 18yrs in California, I had forgotten there is this little thing called weather in the summer? How refreshing.
Gotta go for now.
More later.
The News is Out There
News from the Land of the Totally Pumped!!!
Just saw this little tidbit!
July 16: Apparently, there's even more truth out there
X-Files fans can rejoice, as star David Duchovny revealed that plans are well underway for another theatrical movie based on the Fox series.
"I think we're going to do a movie in the fall," the actor told USA TODAY. "I'm actually supposed to get a script next week," penned by creator Chris Carter and longtime writer Frank Spotnick. Carter also will direct the film.
Duchovny and co-star Gillian Anderson are committed to the project, which Duchovny expects will begin in November. The first X-Files movie, released in 1998, grossed almost $190 million worldwide.
Duchovny says it may be tough at first to re-inhabit the role of Fox Mulder. "I don't want to be imitating myself; it'll have to be organic." Meantime, he's starring in Showtime comedy Californication, premiering Aug. 13.
Allow me to join the (I would assume) lengthy list of people to say - it's about time!
Monday, July 09, 2007
HR Derby
Baseball's All-Star game is being played tomorrow night in San Francisco. As a HUGE baseball fan and a former Bay Area resident I'm kinda bumming I'm not there for the festivities. Mind you - a ticket would be out of the question but wandering around the park amid all of the hoopla would be cool. Alas - it was not meant to be. Should MLB decide to re-locate a team to the Portland area and then award the city an All-Star game I'd be pretty pumped. Check back with me in about 10 years and we'll see where things stand.
To alot of people the All-Star game means the HR Derby. Everyone likes to watch major league baseball players hit HR's. Don't forget - chicks dig the longball. The thing is - I end up having a couple of issues with the HR Derby. For one - it can get a bit boring. Ohhhh - there goes another one.....that one measured 474 ft.......oooohh - there goes another......Now that I really think about it I don't think it's that the HRD is boring, it's that I'm getting tired of Chris Berman. Tonight - if I had to hear another one of his "BACK BACK BACK - GONE! All the way to Alcatraz (or Sausalito or Half Moon Bay etc...)" I was going to throw up in my mouth. Just as Charlie Steiner cannot call a baseball game if the fate of the Western world depended on it, Chris Berman should not have anything to do with baseball on any level. Put him in the studio with Tommy Jackson and other assorted athletes/analysts (YAY Steve Young!!!), and he shines with his nicknames and "He could go ALL THE WAY"! I guess that's what happens when you've been doing the same thing for 25 yrs. He has his place in the world - it just wasn't working for me tonight during the HRD.
By the way - did you see Vlad Guerrero hit that one 503 ft!!!!!! Holy moly - I thought he was going to hit the glove. Pretty cool stuff huh?
All said - I am looking forward to the game tomorrow night. This new generation of players are something special and will be fun to watch for years to come. Nothing like watching the best of the best show their stuff. Go American League! We need the home field advantage for the World Series so the Red Sox get 4 games at The Fens.
Misc. Tidbits
> Wasn't part of the No Doubt/Gwen Stefani love fest that has been going on for years but I now have to admit she's got me hooked. I'm listening to the No Doubt remake of It's My Life as I write this and I just LOVE her voice. It's seems like nowadays everything she does is good. Glad I have officially joined the party.
> Started re-reading the INXS autobiography again last night. With the new Harry Potter book on the way I'm not sure why I decided to pick it up again but after reading just a few chapters I'm reminded why I'm such a big fan of the band and their music. If you are curious about their lives and rise to fame check it out. It's worth the read (and the re-read).
>Back to Gwen - HELLA GOOD rocks!
>As I mentioned yesterday summer is officially here. Tomorrows forecasted high - 101.....yikes. This should be fun.
>For my listening pleasure - here's a 10 song shuffle from my iPOD
1. American Idiot - Green Day
2. Love Bites - Def Leppard
3. Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen
4. Voyage Around The Moon - The Saturn 5
5. Viking Juice - INXS
6. Funeral In The Rain - Chris Isaak
7. Peace On Earth - U2
8. Dreams - Van Halen
9. Da Do Do Do, De Da Da Da - The Police
10. Love and Affection - Nelson
On that note - I'm off to bed......"I can't live without your Love and Affection....I can't face another night on my own...."
To alot of people the All-Star game means the HR Derby. Everyone likes to watch major league baseball players hit HR's. Don't forget - chicks dig the longball. The thing is - I end up having a couple of issues with the HR Derby. For one - it can get a bit boring. Ohhhh - there goes another one.....that one measured 474 ft.......oooohh - there goes another......Now that I really think about it I don't think it's that the HRD is boring, it's that I'm getting tired of Chris Berman. Tonight - if I had to hear another one of his "BACK BACK BACK - GONE! All the way to Alcatraz (or Sausalito or Half Moon Bay etc...)" I was going to throw up in my mouth. Just as Charlie Steiner cannot call a baseball game if the fate of the Western world depended on it, Chris Berman should not have anything to do with baseball on any level. Put him in the studio with Tommy Jackson and other assorted athletes/analysts (YAY Steve Young!!!), and he shines with his nicknames and "He could go ALL THE WAY"! I guess that's what happens when you've been doing the same thing for 25 yrs. He has his place in the world - it just wasn't working for me tonight during the HRD.
By the way - did you see Vlad Guerrero hit that one 503 ft!!!!!! Holy moly - I thought he was going to hit the glove. Pretty cool stuff huh?
All said - I am looking forward to the game tomorrow night. This new generation of players are something special and will be fun to watch for years to come. Nothing like watching the best of the best show their stuff. Go American League! We need the home field advantage for the World Series so the Red Sox get 4 games at The Fens.
Misc. Tidbits
> Wasn't part of the No Doubt/Gwen Stefani love fest that has been going on for years but I now have to admit she's got me hooked. I'm listening to the No Doubt remake of It's My Life as I write this and I just LOVE her voice. It's seems like nowadays everything she does is good. Glad I have officially joined the party.
> Started re-reading the INXS autobiography again last night. With the new Harry Potter book on the way I'm not sure why I decided to pick it up again but after reading just a few chapters I'm reminded why I'm such a big fan of the band and their music. If you are curious about their lives and rise to fame check it out. It's worth the read (and the re-read).
>Back to Gwen - HELLA GOOD rocks!
>As I mentioned yesterday summer is officially here. Tomorrows forecasted high - 101.....yikes. This should be fun.
>For my listening pleasure - here's a 10 song shuffle from my iPOD
1. American Idiot - Green Day
2. Love Bites - Def Leppard
3. Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen
4. Voyage Around The Moon - The Saturn 5
5. Viking Juice - INXS
6. Funeral In The Rain - Chris Isaak
7. Peace On Earth - U2
8. Dreams - Van Halen
9. Da Do Do Do, De Da Da Da - The Police
10. Love and Affection - Nelson
On that note - I'm off to bed......"I can't live without your Love and Affection....I can't face another night on my own...."
Sunday, July 08, 2007
I'm Back
With little fanfare - 24Geek is back.
First of all - I STILL have yet to finish watching this season of 24. I have about 4 hours left and contrary to conventional wisdom these days, I am looking forward to watching them. Once I do you (all) will be the first to know.
Much has happened since I last posted something back in April but until now I always found some sort of reason not to jump into the Land of Blog and write about it. What has changed??? Nothing really except I have re-committed to the idea of trying to write and post something every day. I've decided that it doesn't have to be earth shattering but rather it just needs to be something.
My wife is in the midst of writing her first novel (has been since March) and also is working The Artist's Way so she spends a ton of time writing - but still doesn't get to write as much as she would like. For a while I was writing morning pages each day but I found I'd rather get an extra 30-45 minutes of sleep then spend the time putting pen to paper to write about whatever thoughts or feelings were clogging up my brain. Smart?? Probably not but it is what it is.
What I have decided to do instead is make sure that I write something (ANYTHING) each day here just to keep the artistic juices flowing. Do I have any idea what each day might bring?? Not a chance but at least at the end of the day I'll feel like I shared.
Today was a productive day. This is a good thing. One of the reasons we up and bolted from the Bay Area was due to the housing prices (along with just about everything else) being outrageously priced - and hence being WAY out of our grasp. Owning a home is something we have wanted for quite a while and the move to Oregon opened up that possibility. So...we've been looking around at the different homes, townhomes and condos that are being built in the area to see if we could find something that we liked. Fortunately we did (very much actually) and took the time today to sit down with a lender to find out exactly how things stand for us, what we might qualify for right now, and some steps we can take to put ourselves in the best possible position to get a loan. This is where the productive day kicked in. The individual that we spoke with (that would be you Adam), took the time to explain the home buying process , reviewed our credit (which turned out to be pretty ok...), gave us some steps to take to improve our scores and left us feeling optimistic about the idea of buying our first home.
Now the plan is to take those steps to move further down the path to buying. It's going to take some work (most good things do) but in the end we know it will help. I'm sure I'll end up writing more about all this as the days go by so for anyone out there who might care - stay tuned for more.
Misc. Tidbits :
> LOST - the 2nd half of the season absolutely rocked and the season finale was...WOW!
> If I had to vote for President tomorrow...John Edwards gets my vote. There's something about him that has me hooked. 560 days, 21 hours and 23 minutes until our National nightmare comes to an end.
> Saw the movie Pursuit of Happyness today - quite an inspirational story...but bring the kleenex. Hey, what do you want?? These things get to me.
> Another good flick - Chronicles of Narnia. Finally got the chance to see it and really liked it. Loved the book so I was glad they managed to pull it off.
> Two words - HARRY POTTER. The summer of Potter begins July 11th.
> Still haven't seen Spider Man 3 or Pirates 3 (or Casino Royale for that matter) but I will....in the near future.
> Dang it's going to be hot here in Oregon over the next few days. The forecast is calling for temps in the mid-90's for most of the week. No it's not Vegas hot (that's just plain crazy) but for those of us NOT living in the desert it will be warm. Thank heavens for the POOL!
> The Red Sox have a 10 game lead in the American League East at the All-Star break....WOW!
> The Yankees head into the break under .500 for the first time since 1995. Couldn't be happening to a more deserving group of guys.
> Alex Rodriguez is an incredible baseball player.
> I can't wait to see the New England Patriots in action this season.
Time for me to go to sleep.
Day 1 is done.
Stay tuned Bat-fans. See ya tomorrow. Same Bat-time. Same Bat-channel.
G'night.
First of all - I STILL have yet to finish watching this season of 24. I have about 4 hours left and contrary to conventional wisdom these days, I am looking forward to watching them. Once I do you (all) will be the first to know.
Much has happened since I last posted something back in April but until now I always found some sort of reason not to jump into the Land of Blog and write about it. What has changed??? Nothing really except I have re-committed to the idea of trying to write and post something every day. I've decided that it doesn't have to be earth shattering but rather it just needs to be something.
My wife is in the midst of writing her first novel (has been since March) and also is working The Artist's Way so she spends a ton of time writing - but still doesn't get to write as much as she would like. For a while I was writing morning pages each day but I found I'd rather get an extra 30-45 minutes of sleep then spend the time putting pen to paper to write about whatever thoughts or feelings were clogging up my brain. Smart?? Probably not but it is what it is.
What I have decided to do instead is make sure that I write something (ANYTHING) each day here just to keep the artistic juices flowing. Do I have any idea what each day might bring?? Not a chance but at least at the end of the day I'll feel like I shared.
Today was a productive day. This is a good thing. One of the reasons we up and bolted from the Bay Area was due to the housing prices (along with just about everything else) being outrageously priced - and hence being WAY out of our grasp. Owning a home is something we have wanted for quite a while and the move to Oregon opened up that possibility. So...we've been looking around at the different homes, townhomes and condos that are being built in the area to see if we could find something that we liked. Fortunately we did (very much actually) and took the time today to sit down with a lender to find out exactly how things stand for us, what we might qualify for right now, and some steps we can take to put ourselves in the best possible position to get a loan. This is where the productive day kicked in. The individual that we spoke with (that would be you Adam), took the time to explain the home buying process , reviewed our credit (which turned out to be pretty ok...), gave us some steps to take to improve our scores and left us feeling optimistic about the idea of buying our first home.
Now the plan is to take those steps to move further down the path to buying. It's going to take some work (most good things do) but in the end we know it will help. I'm sure I'll end up writing more about all this as the days go by so for anyone out there who might care - stay tuned for more.
Misc. Tidbits :
> LOST - the 2nd half of the season absolutely rocked and the season finale was...WOW!
> If I had to vote for President tomorrow...John Edwards gets my vote. There's something about him that has me hooked. 560 days, 21 hours and 23 minutes until our National nightmare comes to an end.
> Saw the movie Pursuit of Happyness today - quite an inspirational story...but bring the kleenex. Hey, what do you want?? These things get to me.
> Another good flick - Chronicles of Narnia. Finally got the chance to see it and really liked it. Loved the book so I was glad they managed to pull it off.
> Two words - HARRY POTTER. The summer of Potter begins July 11th.
> Still haven't seen Spider Man 3 or Pirates 3 (or Casino Royale for that matter) but I will....in the near future.
> Dang it's going to be hot here in Oregon over the next few days. The forecast is calling for temps in the mid-90's for most of the week. No it's not Vegas hot (that's just plain crazy) but for those of us NOT living in the desert it will be warm. Thank heavens for the POOL!
> The Red Sox have a 10 game lead in the American League East at the All-Star break....WOW!
> The Yankees head into the break under .500 for the first time since 1995. Couldn't be happening to a more deserving group of guys.
> Alex Rodriguez is an incredible baseball player.
> I can't wait to see the New England Patriots in action this season.
Time for me to go to sleep.
Day 1 is done.
Stay tuned Bat-fans. See ya tomorrow. Same Bat-time. Same Bat-channel.
G'night.
Monday, April 16, 2007
In the midst of tragedy...
Seems El Presidente definitely wants to make sure he doesn't forget to placate his voter base.
Here's the statement from the White House regarding today's shocking shootings at Virginia Tech:
"A White House spokesman said President Bush was horrified by the rampage and offered his prayers to the victims and the people of Virginia. "The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed," spokeswoman Dana Perino said."
The President believes that there is a right for people to bear arms???? What the hell does that have to do with being horrified by the rampage and offering his prayers to the victims????
Guess he just wanted to make sure the NRA didn't get any sort of crazy idea that he might be thinking of taking away their guns.
UNBELIEVABLE!
Here's the statement from the White House regarding today's shocking shootings at Virginia Tech:
"A White House spokesman said President Bush was horrified by the rampage and offered his prayers to the victims and the people of Virginia. "The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed," spokeswoman Dana Perino said."
The President believes that there is a right for people to bear arms???? What the hell does that have to do with being horrified by the rampage and offering his prayers to the victims????
Guess he just wanted to make sure the NRA didn't get any sort of crazy idea that he might be thinking of taking away their guns.
UNBELIEVABLE!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
On Dissatisfaction Hiatus
I apologize for weeks and weeks of nothing but this season has me completely uninspired.
I'm 2 (or 3 episodes) behind and the last few I did see have been a jumbled mess of storytelling.
Rumor has it that this past monday's episode was pretty good. I'll have to catch up and see if its true.
::sigh::
Come on Jack! Give me something to work with here.....
Monday, March 05, 2007
UNBELIEVABLE
Sorry I'm a few days late with this but I have been stunned since I heard/read/saw Ann Coulter's wildly offensive comment regarding John Edwards on friday.
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised because it is Ann Coulter (and now I'm talking about her which is exactly what she wants) but at what point does this woman draw the line? Apparently there is nothing she will not say. With any luck people will continue to respond to this the way they have - by denouncing this kind of hate and demonstrating that there is absolutely no place for it in our society.
Unbelievable!
Monday, February 26, 2007
24 news and Notes - 1pm - 2pm
I’m not even going to try and pretend that I have no idea what is going to happen in the coming two additional hours that I have to re-cap. All I’ll try and do is give you an idea of what I was thinking at the time something happened. At this point its all I can do. If it actually came true – well then – my predictability point from the last post is indeed true. That said I mind as well just get to it – eh??
1:00 P.M.
As Jack choppers to look for Morris, Chloe has trouble helping him because she cannot get the satellite to respond. Milo sees that she is distraught over Morris, and it is making her slip up.
COMMENT: Chloe? Slipping up?? Hmmmm….a disturbing trend to say the least.
1:01 P.M.
Buchanan lets Jack know that Graem has died from cardiac arrest, which was most likely caused by the interrogation. Jack asks him to break the news to Marilyn when she arrives at CTU.
COMMENT: …and the hits just keep on coming for Jack.
1:02 P.M.
Milo alerts Buchanan that Chloe’s mind is on Morris instead of her job. Despite her uncharacteristic frustration, Chloe assures them that she is fine. Buchanan relieves her of her post and Milo helps Jack track Morris. Chloe sulks.
COMMENT: Chloe sulks….hahahahahaha….Love the lemon face! I used to hate it but now there is only love for the one they call Chloe.
1:04 P.M.
As Rita drives, Morris tells McCarthy that CTU is already on their tail.
1:06 P.M.
McCarthy sees the helicopter and realizes they are being followed.
COMMENT: Welcome to the Land of Implausibility!!!! You mean to tell me that the CTU helicopter couldn’t follow McCarthy from far enough away not to be spotted?? Of course last time I checked it wasn’t really that easy to spot a helicopter from the ground when you are fleeing a scene. Whatever….so disappointing.
1:07 P.M.
Jack loses sight of them when Rita hides the car under a freeway overpass. He orders the helicopter pilot to put him down on the ground.
McCarthy goes to hotwire another car, leaving Morris alone with Rita. He brings her up to speed that McCarthy plans to use him to trigger the other nuclear bombs. CTU doesn’t know that she even exists, so she could walk away free if she lets Morris go.
1:08 P.M.
The chopper touches down on an eighteen wheeler truck and Jack gets out on foot.
COMMENT: Cool helicopter landing…I’m just saying.
1:09 P.M.
McCarthy comes back to unlock Morris and put him in the stolen car. Rita questions him about his involvement in the nuclear threat. “What this is about, is about seven million dollars,” he answers.
Jack comes upon McCarthy’s car but it is empty. CTU cannot find which vehicle they have escaped in. The TAC team arrives and picks up Jack.
1:10 P.M.
Fayed calls McCarthy and tells him where to meet. McCarthy pulls over to plug the address into the GPS. Suddenly, Rita shoots him dead. She pushes McCarthy’s body out of the car and takes over the wheel. Morris’s relief is only short-lived because Rita plans to turn him over to Fayed and take the money herself. Since CTU doesn’t know she exists, she is in the clear.
COMMENT: WHOA…She just shot him!!! Finally something I didn’t expect. Rita – you’re in way over your head but let’s just go with this now shall we?
1:16 P.M.
Wayne Palmer asks an unhappy Lennox if he will still support his policies even though he doesn’t believe in them. Before Lennox can answer, the President gets word that Assad has landed at Andrews Air Force Base.
1:17 P.M.
Feeling spurned, Lennox tells Reed that he intends to resign because he no longer has influence over the Administration. Lennox isn’t so sure that Wayne has the courage to lead the country.
COMMENT: How is Lennox now like some sort of spoiled brat who isn’t getting his way?? Come on writers – pick a personality and run with it.
1:19 P.M.
Reed secretly dials a man named Carson on Capitol Hill and informs him that Lennox’s proposals were rejected by the President. Their “plan” is dependent on Reed having access to the White House, and Lennox’s resignation will deter that. Reed wants to let Lennox in on the plan in hopes that he will reconsider quitting.
COMMENT: Hmm – apparently Reed isn’t the lacky we all assumed that he was…I’m sorry but I just can’t get used to Chad Lowe trying to act all evil…it just doesn’t work.
1:21 P.M.
Marilyn and Josh arrive at CTU. Buchanan tells her that Graem suffered a fatal heart attack, and she assumes that it was because of something Jack did.
COMMENT: Is it me or does ‘ole blue eyes not seem very shaken up about the demise of Graem??
1:22 P.M.
Jack finds McCarthy’s body. A witness said he was shot by a female who was accompanied by a man fitting Morris’s description. The phone on McCarthy’s body had a call that came in from an encrypted ID. Jack sends the data to CTU for tracing.
1:23 P.M.
Rita drags Morris into Fayed’s building and explains to the terrorists that she works for McCarthy. Morris points out that he is not an engineer, but Fayed knows that he works for CTU. Fayed won’t give Rita the money until Morris detonates the nuclear bombs. Morris courageously refuses to do so, and Fayed has him beaten up.
COMMENT: Let the terrorist torture begin…
1:29 P.M.
Milo is having difficulty tracing the call made to McCarthy’s phone. Chloe offers to try, apologizing for her earlier behavior. She comes up with an address of the call’s origination. Jack heads there with the TAC teams. Because of Chloe’s actions, Buchanan agrees to allow her back to work.
COMMENT: How nice of Bill….
1:31 P.M.
Assad is escorted into the White House bunker. If Fayed detonates any more bombs then Wayne will not sign a peace agreement. Wayne wants Assad to make a public address asking Islamic communities worldwide for help bringing down Fayed. Assad is hesitant because his people will assume he has become an American puppet. Wayne will not back down.
COMMENT: Wayne showing some balls. This is what we like to see. He’s no David (who is?) but then who is??
1:33 P.M.
Jack arrives at Fayed’s building, where TAC teams are in place.
1:34 P.M.
Buchanan has satellite position of the building, but they don’t know which apartment Fayed is in. Jack asks Chloe to trigger the building’s fire alarm.
COMMENT: Pretty amazing what they can do remotely huh?
1:35 P.M.
Fayed’s men torture Morris and they stop when the fire alarm sounds. Residents exit the building. Fayed knows that CTU has found him.
1:36 P.M.
With time running out, Fayed plunges a power drill bit into Morris’s shoulder. Morris screams in pain. Fayed threatens to do him more harm unless he helps them rig the trigger.
COMMENT: Power drill eh? Ouch.
1:37 P.M.
Rita becomes scared and says she will give up the money if they let her go. Fayed shoots her, and she falls dead. Morris says he will do whatever Fayed wants.
COMMENT: So much for the “Rita the undercover government agent” storyline I was hoping for….
1:43 P.M.
Lennox expresses his frustration to Reed about Wayne using Assad in a televised speech. This will convey that America has declared that terrorism works. Reed brings up the idea that there may be others who have the same notions as Lennox and would want to see the Vice President lead instead of Wayne. Lennox is appalled and wants to know who he is talking about. Reed becomes evasive. Although he disagrees with Wayne’s policies, Lennox does not advocate the President’s removal. He notes that Reed’s intimations are grounds for treason. Reed doesn’t say anything further.
COMMENT: So – they want to take out the President…Another recycled storyline…
1:45 P.M.
With the apartment residents evacuated, CTU is able to trace infrared on who is left in the building. Chloe and Milo determine the apartment number.
COMMENT: Love the techie geek infrared stuff…
1:46 P.M.
As Fayed breathes down his neck, Morris works feverishly on the computer program.
1:47 P.M.
Jack and the TAC teams quietly raid the building.
1:48 P.M.
Morris completes his task and Fayed orders him to arm one of the bombs. After it works, Fayed instructs his men to kill Morris.
1:49 P.M.
Suddenly, an explosion rips through the apartment. Jack and the CTU teams engage in gunfire with Fayed’s men, taking them down. Fayed escapes unnoticed. None of the agents outside saw him leave.
COMMENT: Of course Fayed escapes….and no one sees him….could we expect anything less?
1:50 P.M.
Jack finds the armed nuclear weapon. He radios to CTU.
COMMENT: Gulp…of course we know that Jack is not going to blow up so a bit of the tension is diffused. Such is the life of Jack Bauer.
1:55 P.M.
While reading the schematics on her screen, Chloe guides Jack in disarming the bomb. The agents find Fayed’s escape route in a crawl space cut out of a wall. They think Fayed slipped out onto a medical helicopter that was spotted taking off nearby.
COMMENT: Come on CTU TAC teams….you need to do a little better job securing a perimeter…sigh.
1:56 P.M.
Jack gingerly follows Chloe’s instructions with shaking hands. He deactivates it with a sigh of relief.
COMMENT: Anyone out there surprised??
1:58 P.M.
Morris tells Jack that the reprogramming device he was forced to build will allow Fayed to detonate the other bombs. Jack is furious that Morris made the device work.
COMMENT: Oh come on Jack…back off! Morris is not a super agent like yourself. What the heck did you expect??
1:59 P.M.
Lennox gets an alert over the wire that Fayed still has the capability to arm the remaining suitcase nukes. He calls Reed. “That talk we were having in my office, I don’t think I misunderstood you,” Lennox says. Reed warns him not to speak over the phone until he has a secured location. Lennox hangs up, unsure of the dark road he is about to undertake.
COMMENT: Lennox and Reed together again…I can hardly wait.
So – where are we at??
+ Fayed has 3 more nukes and the ability to detonate them whenever and wherever he feels like.
+ Forces within the administration are secretly planning on removing Wayne from office (most likely permanently).
+ Chloe is pouting.
+ Morris has been drilled.
+ Jack’s dad is a bad man.
+ Jack sister in law is a former flame.
+ Jack’s son (errr – nephew) is….well we’ll just have to see what he is.
Next hour coming up!
1:00 P.M.
As Jack choppers to look for Morris, Chloe has trouble helping him because she cannot get the satellite to respond. Milo sees that she is distraught over Morris, and it is making her slip up.
COMMENT: Chloe? Slipping up?? Hmmmm….a disturbing trend to say the least.
1:01 P.M.
Buchanan lets Jack know that Graem has died from cardiac arrest, which was most likely caused by the interrogation. Jack asks him to break the news to Marilyn when she arrives at CTU.
COMMENT: …and the hits just keep on coming for Jack.
1:02 P.M.
Milo alerts Buchanan that Chloe’s mind is on Morris instead of her job. Despite her uncharacteristic frustration, Chloe assures them that she is fine. Buchanan relieves her of her post and Milo helps Jack track Morris. Chloe sulks.
COMMENT: Chloe sulks….hahahahahaha….Love the lemon face! I used to hate it but now there is only love for the one they call Chloe.
1:04 P.M.
As Rita drives, Morris tells McCarthy that CTU is already on their tail.
1:06 P.M.
McCarthy sees the helicopter and realizes they are being followed.
COMMENT: Welcome to the Land of Implausibility!!!! You mean to tell me that the CTU helicopter couldn’t follow McCarthy from far enough away not to be spotted?? Of course last time I checked it wasn’t really that easy to spot a helicopter from the ground when you are fleeing a scene. Whatever….so disappointing.
1:07 P.M.
Jack loses sight of them when Rita hides the car under a freeway overpass. He orders the helicopter pilot to put him down on the ground.
McCarthy goes to hotwire another car, leaving Morris alone with Rita. He brings her up to speed that McCarthy plans to use him to trigger the other nuclear bombs. CTU doesn’t know that she even exists, so she could walk away free if she lets Morris go.
1:08 P.M.
The chopper touches down on an eighteen wheeler truck and Jack gets out on foot.
COMMENT: Cool helicopter landing…I’m just saying.
1:09 P.M.
McCarthy comes back to unlock Morris and put him in the stolen car. Rita questions him about his involvement in the nuclear threat. “What this is about, is about seven million dollars,” he answers.
Jack comes upon McCarthy’s car but it is empty. CTU cannot find which vehicle they have escaped in. The TAC team arrives and picks up Jack.
1:10 P.M.
Fayed calls McCarthy and tells him where to meet. McCarthy pulls over to plug the address into the GPS. Suddenly, Rita shoots him dead. She pushes McCarthy’s body out of the car and takes over the wheel. Morris’s relief is only short-lived because Rita plans to turn him over to Fayed and take the money herself. Since CTU doesn’t know she exists, she is in the clear.
COMMENT: WHOA…She just shot him!!! Finally something I didn’t expect. Rita – you’re in way over your head but let’s just go with this now shall we?
1:16 P.M.
Wayne Palmer asks an unhappy Lennox if he will still support his policies even though he doesn’t believe in them. Before Lennox can answer, the President gets word that Assad has landed at Andrews Air Force Base.
1:17 P.M.
Feeling spurned, Lennox tells Reed that he intends to resign because he no longer has influence over the Administration. Lennox isn’t so sure that Wayne has the courage to lead the country.
COMMENT: How is Lennox now like some sort of spoiled brat who isn’t getting his way?? Come on writers – pick a personality and run with it.
1:19 P.M.
Reed secretly dials a man named Carson on Capitol Hill and informs him that Lennox’s proposals were rejected by the President. Their “plan” is dependent on Reed having access to the White House, and Lennox’s resignation will deter that. Reed wants to let Lennox in on the plan in hopes that he will reconsider quitting.
COMMENT: Hmm – apparently Reed isn’t the lacky we all assumed that he was…I’m sorry but I just can’t get used to Chad Lowe trying to act all evil…it just doesn’t work.
1:21 P.M.
Marilyn and Josh arrive at CTU. Buchanan tells her that Graem suffered a fatal heart attack, and she assumes that it was because of something Jack did.
COMMENT: Is it me or does ‘ole blue eyes not seem very shaken up about the demise of Graem??
1:22 P.M.
Jack finds McCarthy’s body. A witness said he was shot by a female who was accompanied by a man fitting Morris’s description. The phone on McCarthy’s body had a call that came in from an encrypted ID. Jack sends the data to CTU for tracing.
1:23 P.M.
Rita drags Morris into Fayed’s building and explains to the terrorists that she works for McCarthy. Morris points out that he is not an engineer, but Fayed knows that he works for CTU. Fayed won’t give Rita the money until Morris detonates the nuclear bombs. Morris courageously refuses to do so, and Fayed has him beaten up.
COMMENT: Let the terrorist torture begin…
1:29 P.M.
Milo is having difficulty tracing the call made to McCarthy’s phone. Chloe offers to try, apologizing for her earlier behavior. She comes up with an address of the call’s origination. Jack heads there with the TAC teams. Because of Chloe’s actions, Buchanan agrees to allow her back to work.
COMMENT: How nice of Bill….
1:31 P.M.
Assad is escorted into the White House bunker. If Fayed detonates any more bombs then Wayne will not sign a peace agreement. Wayne wants Assad to make a public address asking Islamic communities worldwide for help bringing down Fayed. Assad is hesitant because his people will assume he has become an American puppet. Wayne will not back down.
COMMENT: Wayne showing some balls. This is what we like to see. He’s no David (who is?) but then who is??
1:33 P.M.
Jack arrives at Fayed’s building, where TAC teams are in place.
1:34 P.M.
Buchanan has satellite position of the building, but they don’t know which apartment Fayed is in. Jack asks Chloe to trigger the building’s fire alarm.
COMMENT: Pretty amazing what they can do remotely huh?
1:35 P.M.
Fayed’s men torture Morris and they stop when the fire alarm sounds. Residents exit the building. Fayed knows that CTU has found him.
1:36 P.M.
With time running out, Fayed plunges a power drill bit into Morris’s shoulder. Morris screams in pain. Fayed threatens to do him more harm unless he helps them rig the trigger.
COMMENT: Power drill eh? Ouch.
1:37 P.M.
Rita becomes scared and says she will give up the money if they let her go. Fayed shoots her, and she falls dead. Morris says he will do whatever Fayed wants.
COMMENT: So much for the “Rita the undercover government agent” storyline I was hoping for….
1:43 P.M.
Lennox expresses his frustration to Reed about Wayne using Assad in a televised speech. This will convey that America has declared that terrorism works. Reed brings up the idea that there may be others who have the same notions as Lennox and would want to see the Vice President lead instead of Wayne. Lennox is appalled and wants to know who he is talking about. Reed becomes evasive. Although he disagrees with Wayne’s policies, Lennox does not advocate the President’s removal. He notes that Reed’s intimations are grounds for treason. Reed doesn’t say anything further.
COMMENT: So – they want to take out the President…Another recycled storyline…
1:45 P.M.
With the apartment residents evacuated, CTU is able to trace infrared on who is left in the building. Chloe and Milo determine the apartment number.
COMMENT: Love the techie geek infrared stuff…
1:46 P.M.
As Fayed breathes down his neck, Morris works feverishly on the computer program.
1:47 P.M.
Jack and the TAC teams quietly raid the building.
1:48 P.M.
Morris completes his task and Fayed orders him to arm one of the bombs. After it works, Fayed instructs his men to kill Morris.
1:49 P.M.
Suddenly, an explosion rips through the apartment. Jack and the CTU teams engage in gunfire with Fayed’s men, taking them down. Fayed escapes unnoticed. None of the agents outside saw him leave.
COMMENT: Of course Fayed escapes….and no one sees him….could we expect anything less?
1:50 P.M.
Jack finds the armed nuclear weapon. He radios to CTU.
COMMENT: Gulp…of course we know that Jack is not going to blow up so a bit of the tension is diffused. Such is the life of Jack Bauer.
1:55 P.M.
While reading the schematics on her screen, Chloe guides Jack in disarming the bomb. The agents find Fayed’s escape route in a crawl space cut out of a wall. They think Fayed slipped out onto a medical helicopter that was spotted taking off nearby.
COMMENT: Come on CTU TAC teams….you need to do a little better job securing a perimeter…sigh.
1:56 P.M.
Jack gingerly follows Chloe’s instructions with shaking hands. He deactivates it with a sigh of relief.
COMMENT: Anyone out there surprised??
1:58 P.M.
Morris tells Jack that the reprogramming device he was forced to build will allow Fayed to detonate the other bombs. Jack is furious that Morris made the device work.
COMMENT: Oh come on Jack…back off! Morris is not a super agent like yourself. What the heck did you expect??
1:59 P.M.
Lennox gets an alert over the wire that Fayed still has the capability to arm the remaining suitcase nukes. He calls Reed. “That talk we were having in my office, I don’t think I misunderstood you,” Lennox says. Reed warns him not to speak over the phone until he has a secured location. Lennox hangs up, unsure of the dark road he is about to undertake.
COMMENT: Lennox and Reed together again…I can hardly wait.
So – where are we at??
+ Fayed has 3 more nukes and the ability to detonate them whenever and wherever he feels like.
+ Forces within the administration are secretly planning on removing Wayne from office (most likely permanently).
+ Chloe is pouting.
+ Morris has been drilled.
+ Jack’s dad is a bad man.
+ Jack sister in law is a former flame.
+ Jack’s son (errr – nephew) is….well we’ll just have to see what he is.
Next hour coming up!
Monday, February 12, 2007
24 News and Notes - 12pm-1pm
Before I get into this past weeks recap I do have to talk about the fact that 24 has become a bit – dare I say – predictable. Mrs.Geek and I (along with most of the viewing public I expect) were well ahead of every “shocking” twist this episode had in store. Was it a bit disappointing?? A bit? Was there some sort of satisfaction in doing this?? Not really. Will this trend continue?? I’m not sure. Since it began 24 has shown the ability to push the envelope and surprise us with the lengths it’s been willing to go to shock us. Because of this I believe we have developed the ability to look forward and in some ways expect the worst most shocking thing. Do I have a point?? I’m not really sure….
Onto the show -
12:00 P.M.
Wayne watches news reports of the nuclear blast, affected by what he is seeing. When Lennox comes in, Wayne is suspicious of his involvement in Karen’s resignation. Lennox suggests that Karen quit because she knew she couldn’t stop his new plan for the Administration. Wayne is resistant to sign Lennox’s executive orders, knowing they will abuse power and civil liberties. Yet Lennox makes a strong argument and Wayne despairingly tells him to convene his cabinet.
COMMENT: Oh dear – is Wayne going to actually give in and allow himself to be manipulated by Tommy-Boy? I certainly hope the hell not! We are still waiting to find out why the heck Tommy is such a trusted member of Wayne’s inner circle when they clearly don’t see eye to eye on so many things… Writers – we’re waiting.
12:03 P.M.
Lennox lets Reed know that they have succeeded and that the President is ready to sign the order. “Getting rid of Karen was distinctly unpleasant, but she left us no choice,” Lennox says.
COMMENT: What a couple of dirtbags!
12:04 P.M.
Karen tells Buchanan that she resigned, but she refuses to tell him why. She abruptly hangs up on him, and when he calls her back Karen does not pick up the phone.
COMMENT: What the hell is this insanity???? Why in the heck is Karen not telling Bill what the heck is going on???? Can you tell I’m a little pissed with Karen?? Obviously she Is hiding something. Time to spill it Karen!
12:05 P.M.
Chloe reports to Buchanan that neither Jack nor the support teams are answering her calls.
COMMENT: Bill is thinking – another one of Jack’s support teams bites the dust…Mrs.Geek and I are thinking – how can these teams be so inept that they always wind up dead?
12:06 P.M.
Graem goes to his house to erase all of his hard drives.
12:07 P.M.
Captive in the van, Phillip wearily admits that everything he ever did was for Jack. Phillip only now realizes that he pushed him away. After Jack left, Graem was all he had left.
COMMENT: The first of several Bauer family moments this hour.
12:08 P.M.
After arriving at a cement plant, Jack and Phillip are lead out in handcuffs. Phillip offers the men double whatever Graem is paying them, but they don’t accept. Phillip refuses to get on his knees at a freshly dug grave. With the men distracted, Jack is able to wrestle one of their guns with his locked hands. He shoots both men. Phillip grabs the keys and releases the handcuffs.
COMMENT: Sorry folks. That was WAY too easy. My suspicion antennae are up and twitching.
12:09 P.M.
Jack uses the dead man’s cell to call Buchanan. He lets him know that his brother lied to him and tried to have him killed. Buchanan sends a field team to Graem’s mansion. Jack wants Burke the torture specialist brought in too.
COMMENT: Is Jack really ready to torture his brother?? I guess so since Burke is on the way. Wonder what Dad thinks about this whole thing.
12:10 P.M.
McCarthy phones Fayed because he has found someone to program the triggers for the bombs. McCarthy emails Fayed the engineer’s photo and background. “He’ll need to be coerced,” McCarthy warns.
COMMENT: Mrs.Geek and I instantly deduct that it will be someone we know. Obviously. See what I mean?
12:15 P.M.
Fayed’s call is intercepted by the feds, and the CTU team hears McCarthy notifying Fayed about someone to detonate the nuclear weapons. Morris attempts to salvage an image file that McCarthy sent to Fayed of the engineer.
12:16 P.M.
Jack meets up with the field team outside Graem’s mansion. Although Phillip wants to go with him, Jack says he will need to question Graem alone and do “whatever it takes to find out what he knows.”
COMMENT: We all know what that means. Hide the lamps and plastic bags!!
12:17 P.M.
While Graem works feverishly on his laptop, he lies to Marilyn about what’s going on. Suddenly, the CTU teams raid the house. Graem pulls out his gun, but he is surrounded. Jack and Graem are locked in a standoff, but Graem gives up his weapon. Jack has an agent upload all computer hard drives to CTU.
COMMENT: Now let the fun begin!
12:18 P.M.
Jack drags an angry Marilyn into another room. She doesn’t believe that Graem would try to have Jack and Phillip killed. He tells her about Graem’s involvement with the nuclear bombs. While she believes that her husband is capable of such things, Marilyn does not know about any of his dealings. Jack promises to look after both her and Josh, but Marilyn only wants to leave. “I’ve seen what happens when you try to protect people,” she shouts. Jack orders for Marilyn and Josh to be transported to CTU.
COMMENT: WOW Marilyn! Talk about gutting Jack like a marlin. He’s just trying to help.
12:20 P.M.
Outside the house, Marilyn sees Phillip and asks him if what Jack said about Graem is true. She takes Phillip’s silence as confirmation.
12:21 P.M.
As Agent Burke sets up a camera to monitor body temperature, Graem claims to Jack that he doesn’t know where McCarthy is. Burke sees that Graem is lying about something. Jack calls for Burke to bring in the interrogation setup.
COMMENT: Oh goodie! Get the needles out!
12:28 P.M.
Milo lets Chloe know that Morris’s brother was exposed to radiation and is in critical condition. Milo wants to keep this from Morris, but Chloe disagrees.
COMMENT: What is this?? Edgar all over again??
12:29 P.M.
Chloe brings Morris the bad news. Morris is confused because his brother wasn’t supposed to be in Valencia. He tries calling the hospital but cannot get through.
COMMENT: Brother not supposed to be there? DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!!
12:30 P.M.
With no information on his dying brother, Morris gets up to leave. Chloe convinces him to stay and finish decrypting the photo that was sent to Fayed.
COMMENT: Hmmm – so maybe it’s not Morris (like we ALL think it is)…
12:31 P.M.
Jack checks in with Buchanan and learns that Fayed found an engineer to detonate the nukes. Jack realizes his time is running out, and he presses Graem to tell the truth. Burke prepares a syringe of hyocine-pentothal to induce pain, but Graem still claims that he doesn’t know McCarthy’s whereabouts. Graem is injected with a small amount and winces in agony. Jack is disturbed to see his brother go through this torture.
COMMENT: Do we see this as Jack getting soft or just becoming more human? Discuss amongst yourselves…
12:33 P.M.
Jack clutches Graem’s head and begs him to give up what he knows and forestall any more pain. When Graem offers nothing, Jack has the levels of serum increased. Graem launches into a series of spasms and Jack holds him tight for comfort.
COMMENT: Cringe.
12:34 P.M.
When Graem is still tight-lipped, Jack urges Burke to go even higher with the IV. This prompts Graem to confess that he arranged for the assassinations of David Palmer, Tony Almeida and Michelle Dessler. He even arranged it so that Jack would come out of hiding to take the fall. “Today wasn’t the first time I’ve tried to have you killed, Jack,” Graem says with spiteful pride. Jack reacts in heartbroken disbelief.
COMMENT: Okay you got me here….HOLY TRUTH SERUM BATMAN!!!!! Graem admitted to all of last seasons crap. Whoa.
12:36 P.M.
Graem claims his actions were for his country, and he says that the two of them are the same. “We are not the same!” Jack yells in rage before throwing back Graem’s chair. He charges Burke at gunpoint to increase the serum to a deadly level and then threatens to kill Graem. As Jack points his gun at Graem’s temple, he looks up and sees his father in the doorway. Jack suddenly stops in his tracks. He has Burke shut down the IV drip on Graem and walks away in silence.
COMMENT: Come on Jack. He told you all that stuff and all you did was push over his chair?? Hit him with something hard. Draw blood. I’m so disappointed…
12:40 P.M.
Lying in a hospital bed, Walid conveys to Sandra that he is ashamed for spying on the innocent men in the prison. She gets a call from Wayne, who apologizes for what happened to Walid. Sandra tells him that the inmates only saw the information on the internet. Wayne’s administration is detaining people who might be able to help, but they are afraid to come forward because they will be imprisoned or deported.
COMMENT: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ……oh excuse me. I fell asleep there for a while. Easily the most boring part of this entire day.
12:42 P.M.
Distracted, Morris is unable to make the image clearer. He downloads an unlicensed hack to help further the task.
Jack briefs Buchanan on what Graem disclosed. His brother doesn’t know where McCarthy is. Buchanan lets him know that Morris is working on the image of the engineer to be used for the nukes. He sends a chopper to pick Jack up.
12:43 P.M.
Jack approaches his father, who is visibly devastated by what he has witnessed. Jack consolingly says that he cannot blame himself for Graem’s choices. Yet Phillip is more upset at how the family has treated Jack and the time lost between them. Jack asks Phillip to return to CTU.
COMMENT: Bauer family moment #2. still not sure I trust Dad but what can you do. I don’t trust anyone. (thanks to my X-Files roots)
12:50 P.M.
Morris gets the plug-in to work and the image begins to sharpen. Since it will take a few minutes, he leaves it in Milo’s hands so that he can go tend to his brother. Chloe kisses Morris goodbye as he walks out.
COMMENT: NOOOOO – don’t let Milo leave the building!!!
12:47 P.M.
From the airborne cabin of Air Force Two, Vice President Noah Daniels congratulates Lennox about the plan he has pushed through. “To be honest, I didn’t think this President had the stomach for the cure,” Daniels growls.
COMMENT: Creepy VP alert. This guy is going to be nothing but trouble. Makes you wonder how the heck he ended up on the ticket with Wayne.
12:48 P.M.
Lennox puts Daniels on speaker phone as Wayne enters the bunker conference room. It is filled with generals, cabinet members and advisors. Wayne explains to the group that Lennox’s plan sacrifices rights and freedoms granted by the Constitution. To implement it would be a mistake. Lennox argues his case, but Wayne is insistent that the American Muslim community is the country’s best line of defense. Daniels suggests the President hear from some other sources, but Wayne stands firmly by his decision.
COMMENT: WOOOO HOOOO!!!! Right on Wayne!!! It’s about time you grow a set and start acting like the President! Nice to see Tommy-Boy eat a little crow.
12:53 P.M.
As the image materializes, everyone at CTU is shocked when Morris’s face and resume is revealed. Buchanan orders an APB on Morris’s car and he tells Jack what has occurred.
COMMENT: Everyone at CTU is shocked?? Good morning. Welcome to the show. No one watching in America was shocked!!! As soon as he left the building he was doomed.
12:54 P.M.
Chloe reaches Morris on his cell, and patches Jack and Buchanan through. They tell him that his brother’s illness was a setup and that he was the engineer McCarthy was looking for. Morris is shocked and goes to turn his car around. Suddenly, McCarthy pulls alongside Morris and fires at his windshield. CTU can hear the gunshots and McCarthy ordering Morris out of the car. Buchanan rouses a shocked Chloe to pull up the satellite so they can find him.
COMMENT: Okie….Let’s see how this one plays out now. Is it me or could Morris have done a little bit more to get away?? Oh well.
12:55 P.M.
Rita helps handcuff Morris inside their car as McCarthy calls Fayed to tell him he is on his way. McCarthy makes it clear that he is only delivering Morris. Fayed will have to make him cooperate.
COMMENT: More torture…I can’t wait. (not)
12:56 P.M.
Jack boards the helicopter.
At the mansion, Burke allows Phillip to speak to Graem in private. Graem is proud of himself for taking whatever Jack did to him and not revealing Phillip’s involvement in the plot. He assures his father that he won’t tell Jack anything, no matter how much worse the interrogation gets. They successfully convinced Jack that Phillip was innocent. Their plan is for Graem to take the rap and for Phillip to get him released in time. “The company lives on,” Graem says.
COMMENT: NO NO NO – don’t let Dad alone in the room with Graem. Only bad can come of it…..Just like we suspected – Dad is evil. Non-surprise #717 this hour….sigh.
12:58 P.M.
Despite Graem’s confidence, Phillip isn’t so sure that his son will hold firm. Graem tells Phillip that he loves him, and Phillip returns the compliment. Then Phillip apologizes and injects Graem’s IV with a full dose of hyocine-pentothal. As Graem convulses, Phillip covers his mouth so no sound can escape. Graem’s body goes limp, and Phillip kisses him on the head.
COMMENT: Told you he shouldn’t be alone with Graem. Bye Bluetooth – we hardly knew ya!
12:59 P.M.
Phillip bellows that his son has had a seizure. Burke and the other agents try to revive Graem. “If you people kill my son, I swear you’re gonna regret it for the rest of your life,” Phillip threatens.
COMMENT: Hmmm – the angry grieving father card. Let’s see how long that play works.
Dad vs. Son. Let the adventure begin.
Onto the show -
12:00 P.M.
Wayne watches news reports of the nuclear blast, affected by what he is seeing. When Lennox comes in, Wayne is suspicious of his involvement in Karen’s resignation. Lennox suggests that Karen quit because she knew she couldn’t stop his new plan for the Administration. Wayne is resistant to sign Lennox’s executive orders, knowing they will abuse power and civil liberties. Yet Lennox makes a strong argument and Wayne despairingly tells him to convene his cabinet.
COMMENT: Oh dear – is Wayne going to actually give in and allow himself to be manipulated by Tommy-Boy? I certainly hope the hell not! We are still waiting to find out why the heck Tommy is such a trusted member of Wayne’s inner circle when they clearly don’t see eye to eye on so many things… Writers – we’re waiting.
12:03 P.M.
Lennox lets Reed know that they have succeeded and that the President is ready to sign the order. “Getting rid of Karen was distinctly unpleasant, but she left us no choice,” Lennox says.
COMMENT: What a couple of dirtbags!
12:04 P.M.
Karen tells Buchanan that she resigned, but she refuses to tell him why. She abruptly hangs up on him, and when he calls her back Karen does not pick up the phone.
COMMENT: What the hell is this insanity???? Why in the heck is Karen not telling Bill what the heck is going on???? Can you tell I’m a little pissed with Karen?? Obviously she Is hiding something. Time to spill it Karen!
12:05 P.M.
Chloe reports to Buchanan that neither Jack nor the support teams are answering her calls.
COMMENT: Bill is thinking – another one of Jack’s support teams bites the dust…Mrs.Geek and I are thinking – how can these teams be so inept that they always wind up dead?
12:06 P.M.
Graem goes to his house to erase all of his hard drives.
12:07 P.M.
Captive in the van, Phillip wearily admits that everything he ever did was for Jack. Phillip only now realizes that he pushed him away. After Jack left, Graem was all he had left.
COMMENT: The first of several Bauer family moments this hour.
12:08 P.M.
After arriving at a cement plant, Jack and Phillip are lead out in handcuffs. Phillip offers the men double whatever Graem is paying them, but they don’t accept. Phillip refuses to get on his knees at a freshly dug grave. With the men distracted, Jack is able to wrestle one of their guns with his locked hands. He shoots both men. Phillip grabs the keys and releases the handcuffs.
COMMENT: Sorry folks. That was WAY too easy. My suspicion antennae are up and twitching.
12:09 P.M.
Jack uses the dead man’s cell to call Buchanan. He lets him know that his brother lied to him and tried to have him killed. Buchanan sends a field team to Graem’s mansion. Jack wants Burke the torture specialist brought in too.
COMMENT: Is Jack really ready to torture his brother?? I guess so since Burke is on the way. Wonder what Dad thinks about this whole thing.
12:10 P.M.
McCarthy phones Fayed because he has found someone to program the triggers for the bombs. McCarthy emails Fayed the engineer’s photo and background. “He’ll need to be coerced,” McCarthy warns.
COMMENT: Mrs.Geek and I instantly deduct that it will be someone we know. Obviously. See what I mean?
12:15 P.M.
Fayed’s call is intercepted by the feds, and the CTU team hears McCarthy notifying Fayed about someone to detonate the nuclear weapons. Morris attempts to salvage an image file that McCarthy sent to Fayed of the engineer.
12:16 P.M.
Jack meets up with the field team outside Graem’s mansion. Although Phillip wants to go with him, Jack says he will need to question Graem alone and do “whatever it takes to find out what he knows.”
COMMENT: We all know what that means. Hide the lamps and plastic bags!!
12:17 P.M.
While Graem works feverishly on his laptop, he lies to Marilyn about what’s going on. Suddenly, the CTU teams raid the house. Graem pulls out his gun, but he is surrounded. Jack and Graem are locked in a standoff, but Graem gives up his weapon. Jack has an agent upload all computer hard drives to CTU.
COMMENT: Now let the fun begin!
12:18 P.M.
Jack drags an angry Marilyn into another room. She doesn’t believe that Graem would try to have Jack and Phillip killed. He tells her about Graem’s involvement with the nuclear bombs. While she believes that her husband is capable of such things, Marilyn does not know about any of his dealings. Jack promises to look after both her and Josh, but Marilyn only wants to leave. “I’ve seen what happens when you try to protect people,” she shouts. Jack orders for Marilyn and Josh to be transported to CTU.
COMMENT: WOW Marilyn! Talk about gutting Jack like a marlin. He’s just trying to help.
12:20 P.M.
Outside the house, Marilyn sees Phillip and asks him if what Jack said about Graem is true. She takes Phillip’s silence as confirmation.
12:21 P.M.
As Agent Burke sets up a camera to monitor body temperature, Graem claims to Jack that he doesn’t know where McCarthy is. Burke sees that Graem is lying about something. Jack calls for Burke to bring in the interrogation setup.
COMMENT: Oh goodie! Get the needles out!
12:28 P.M.
Milo lets Chloe know that Morris’s brother was exposed to radiation and is in critical condition. Milo wants to keep this from Morris, but Chloe disagrees.
COMMENT: What is this?? Edgar all over again??
12:29 P.M.
Chloe brings Morris the bad news. Morris is confused because his brother wasn’t supposed to be in Valencia. He tries calling the hospital but cannot get through.
COMMENT: Brother not supposed to be there? DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!!
12:30 P.M.
With no information on his dying brother, Morris gets up to leave. Chloe convinces him to stay and finish decrypting the photo that was sent to Fayed.
COMMENT: Hmmm – so maybe it’s not Morris (like we ALL think it is)…
12:31 P.M.
Jack checks in with Buchanan and learns that Fayed found an engineer to detonate the nukes. Jack realizes his time is running out, and he presses Graem to tell the truth. Burke prepares a syringe of hyocine-pentothal to induce pain, but Graem still claims that he doesn’t know McCarthy’s whereabouts. Graem is injected with a small amount and winces in agony. Jack is disturbed to see his brother go through this torture.
COMMENT: Do we see this as Jack getting soft or just becoming more human? Discuss amongst yourselves…
12:33 P.M.
Jack clutches Graem’s head and begs him to give up what he knows and forestall any more pain. When Graem offers nothing, Jack has the levels of serum increased. Graem launches into a series of spasms and Jack holds him tight for comfort.
COMMENT: Cringe.
12:34 P.M.
When Graem is still tight-lipped, Jack urges Burke to go even higher with the IV. This prompts Graem to confess that he arranged for the assassinations of David Palmer, Tony Almeida and Michelle Dessler. He even arranged it so that Jack would come out of hiding to take the fall. “Today wasn’t the first time I’ve tried to have you killed, Jack,” Graem says with spiteful pride. Jack reacts in heartbroken disbelief.
COMMENT: Okay you got me here….HOLY TRUTH SERUM BATMAN!!!!! Graem admitted to all of last seasons crap. Whoa.
12:36 P.M.
Graem claims his actions were for his country, and he says that the two of them are the same. “We are not the same!” Jack yells in rage before throwing back Graem’s chair. He charges Burke at gunpoint to increase the serum to a deadly level and then threatens to kill Graem. As Jack points his gun at Graem’s temple, he looks up and sees his father in the doorway. Jack suddenly stops in his tracks. He has Burke shut down the IV drip on Graem and walks away in silence.
COMMENT: Come on Jack. He told you all that stuff and all you did was push over his chair?? Hit him with something hard. Draw blood. I’m so disappointed…
12:40 P.M.
Lying in a hospital bed, Walid conveys to Sandra that he is ashamed for spying on the innocent men in the prison. She gets a call from Wayne, who apologizes for what happened to Walid. Sandra tells him that the inmates only saw the information on the internet. Wayne’s administration is detaining people who might be able to help, but they are afraid to come forward because they will be imprisoned or deported.
COMMENT: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ……oh excuse me. I fell asleep there for a while. Easily the most boring part of this entire day.
12:42 P.M.
Distracted, Morris is unable to make the image clearer. He downloads an unlicensed hack to help further the task.
Jack briefs Buchanan on what Graem disclosed. His brother doesn’t know where McCarthy is. Buchanan lets him know that Morris is working on the image of the engineer to be used for the nukes. He sends a chopper to pick Jack up.
12:43 P.M.
Jack approaches his father, who is visibly devastated by what he has witnessed. Jack consolingly says that he cannot blame himself for Graem’s choices. Yet Phillip is more upset at how the family has treated Jack and the time lost between them. Jack asks Phillip to return to CTU.
COMMENT: Bauer family moment #2. still not sure I trust Dad but what can you do. I don’t trust anyone. (thanks to my X-Files roots)
12:50 P.M.
Morris gets the plug-in to work and the image begins to sharpen. Since it will take a few minutes, he leaves it in Milo’s hands so that he can go tend to his brother. Chloe kisses Morris goodbye as he walks out.
COMMENT: NOOOOO – don’t let Milo leave the building!!!
12:47 P.M.
From the airborne cabin of Air Force Two, Vice President Noah Daniels congratulates Lennox about the plan he has pushed through. “To be honest, I didn’t think this President had the stomach for the cure,” Daniels growls.
COMMENT: Creepy VP alert. This guy is going to be nothing but trouble. Makes you wonder how the heck he ended up on the ticket with Wayne.
12:48 P.M.
Lennox puts Daniels on speaker phone as Wayne enters the bunker conference room. It is filled with generals, cabinet members and advisors. Wayne explains to the group that Lennox’s plan sacrifices rights and freedoms granted by the Constitution. To implement it would be a mistake. Lennox argues his case, but Wayne is insistent that the American Muslim community is the country’s best line of defense. Daniels suggests the President hear from some other sources, but Wayne stands firmly by his decision.
COMMENT: WOOOO HOOOO!!!! Right on Wayne!!! It’s about time you grow a set and start acting like the President! Nice to see Tommy-Boy eat a little crow.
12:53 P.M.
As the image materializes, everyone at CTU is shocked when Morris’s face and resume is revealed. Buchanan orders an APB on Morris’s car and he tells Jack what has occurred.
COMMENT: Everyone at CTU is shocked?? Good morning. Welcome to the show. No one watching in America was shocked!!! As soon as he left the building he was doomed.
12:54 P.M.
Chloe reaches Morris on his cell, and patches Jack and Buchanan through. They tell him that his brother’s illness was a setup and that he was the engineer McCarthy was looking for. Morris is shocked and goes to turn his car around. Suddenly, McCarthy pulls alongside Morris and fires at his windshield. CTU can hear the gunshots and McCarthy ordering Morris out of the car. Buchanan rouses a shocked Chloe to pull up the satellite so they can find him.
COMMENT: Okie….Let’s see how this one plays out now. Is it me or could Morris have done a little bit more to get away?? Oh well.
12:55 P.M.
Rita helps handcuff Morris inside their car as McCarthy calls Fayed to tell him he is on his way. McCarthy makes it clear that he is only delivering Morris. Fayed will have to make him cooperate.
COMMENT: More torture…I can’t wait. (not)
12:56 P.M.
Jack boards the helicopter.
At the mansion, Burke allows Phillip to speak to Graem in private. Graem is proud of himself for taking whatever Jack did to him and not revealing Phillip’s involvement in the plot. He assures his father that he won’t tell Jack anything, no matter how much worse the interrogation gets. They successfully convinced Jack that Phillip was innocent. Their plan is for Graem to take the rap and for Phillip to get him released in time. “The company lives on,” Graem says.
COMMENT: NO NO NO – don’t let Dad alone in the room with Graem. Only bad can come of it…..Just like we suspected – Dad is evil. Non-surprise #717 this hour….sigh.
12:58 P.M.
Despite Graem’s confidence, Phillip isn’t so sure that his son will hold firm. Graem tells Phillip that he loves him, and Phillip returns the compliment. Then Phillip apologizes and injects Graem’s IV with a full dose of hyocine-pentothal. As Graem convulses, Phillip covers his mouth so no sound can escape. Graem’s body goes limp, and Phillip kisses him on the head.
COMMENT: Told you he shouldn’t be alone with Graem. Bye Bluetooth – we hardly knew ya!
12:59 P.M.
Phillip bellows that his son has had a seizure. Burke and the other agents try to revive Graem. “If you people kill my son, I swear you’re gonna regret it for the rest of your life,” Phillip threatens.
COMMENT: Hmmm – the angry grieving father card. Let’s see how long that play works.
Dad vs. Son. Let the adventure begin.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
24 News and Notes - 11am-12pm
An all around solid episode – nothing spectacular just good stuff across the board. Onto the show ->
11:00 A.M.
Karen confronts Lennox about his progress on detention centers without the President’s authorization. She accuses him of setting dangerous precedent, but Lennox claims he is only taking defensive actions in light of the nuclear threat.
COMMENT: Back to not liking Tommy Boy again…wow – that was quick.
11:03 A.M.
Lennox turns to his Deputy Chief of Staff, Reed Pollock, to help get Karen off his back so he can focus on his proposals for the President.
COMMENT: Welcome Chad Lowe! Both Lowe brothers are back on network TV.
11:05 A.M.
Nadia expresses her concern to Buchanan that the new internal security mandate requires all personnel with Middle Eastern backgrounds to succumb to new clearance restrictions. She will now be hindered from working on all sensitive files when they need her the most.
COMMENT: A little surprised that Bill left her hanging like that…but if my Nadia mole theory comes to fruition then he did the right thing.
11:06 A.M.
At Graem’s mansion, Jack threatens to suffocate his brother to get the truth. Graem fakes crying that he doesn’t know where their father is. When Jack goes to use the plastic bag again, Graem admits that Phillip went to see one of his employees named Darren McCarthy. The Russian general gave their company BXJ smaller nuclear weapons to dismantle. Graem had hired McCarthy to handle it, but didn’t check him out. McCarthy stole the nukes and sold them to the terrorists. Graem and Phillip didn’t report it because they thought they could take care of the situation privately. Phillip put together a security team and staked out McCarthy in Simi Valley. Jack unties Graem and forces him to go there.
COMMENT: Gray is such a wuss…I expected more balls from the head of the Bluetooth Group….That said - I wouldn’t exactly be in any great shape if my sibling tried to suffocate me with a plastic bag.
11:09 A.M.
As they leave the house, Graem orders his wife to stay in the house with Josh. Jack and Marilyn trade a look.
COMMENT: A look…and so it begins.
11:10 A.M.
Jack calls in McCarthy’s address to Chloe.
11:15 A.M.
Despite Morris and Milo sniping at each other, the CTU team determines that they can look for Fayed in the opposite direction of the nuclear fallout and through the technology he is using to track that fallout.
COMMENT: Well how about that…they actually managed to accomplish something.
11:16 A.M.
As they drive to Simi, Graem accuses Jack of implicating the family. Jack assures him that CTU’s only interest is to stop further bombing.
Jack briefs Buchanan on his family’s involvement through McCarthy. He still isn’t sure if BXJ has any other links. Graem notes Jack’s lack of loyalty to their family. “If I were you, I wouldn’t talk about loyalty,” Jack says pointedly.
COMMENT: What is up with Gray? Why is he being such a wimp?
11:17 A.M.
McCarthy works the phone to find someone who can reprogram a nuclear trigger. His girlfriend Rita complains that she doesn’t feel safe and he gets annoyed. Rita softens with the thought of the seven million dollars he is expected to reap. Fayed calls McCarthy, and learns that the search is taking longer than expected.
COMMENT: I’m still thinking that Rita is a government plant…what other use can she possibly have?
11:18 A.M.
At Anacostia, Sandra watches as the FBI agent sends photos of the detainees in Walid’s circle to CTU.
11:19 A.M.
Morris is prevented from cross-checking the Anacostia inmates because he’s waiting on a manifest from Nadia. Milo asks Nadia why she hasn’t sent it out yet, and she claims that she is “backed up.” Nadia doesn’t want to tell him that her security clearance has been altered.
COMMENT: Why the heck doesn’t Nadia just tell him what the hell is going on??? Why have him waste his time having to go speak with Bill?? Just silly!
11:20 A.M.
Milo approaches Buchanan about Nadia falling behind in her workload. Buchanan covers for her until Milo objects. Buchanan confesses that Nadia was flagged because of her Muslim background. Milo is outraged.
COMMENT: Why the heck is Bill being so coy about it? Just tell Milo what is going on?? Share information people!!!!!!
11:21 A.M.
Buchanan calls Karen about the new racial profiling of agents affecting his team. Karen blames Lennox and wants to address the issue with the President.
11:22 A.M.
In the prison, Walid asks Salim and the other men about the four nuclear weapons still at large. One of the men, Heydar, smuggled in a cell phone and has been in contact with the terrorists.
Sandra listens in, and the FBI agent explains that he will need Walid to get the phone so they can place a trace. He wants Walid to stay inside to keep talking to the inmates.
11:23 A.M.
Reed gives Lennox a paper with names on it. Lennox approaches Karen and asks her to tender her resignation because she covered up her husband’s incompetence. Over a year ago, Fayed was held in custody and Buchanan signed off on his release. Karen explains that Fayed was not a prisoner at the time. Lennox points out that the incident was covered up at Homeland Security, and he shows her the paper with all the people willing to testify against her. Karen is adamant that she did nothing illegal or improper, and she threatens to uncover his secrets in return blackmail. Yet Lennox has the proof in his hands and he again demands her resignation.
COMMENT: KAREN – TAKE THE PAPER, WALK INTO THE PRESIDENT’S OFFICE AND TELL HIM WHAT TOMMY BOY IS TRYING TO DO!!!!!! Mrs. Geek and I were practically yelling at the TV in frustration!...sigh…
11:31 A.M.
When they arrive at McCarthy’s office building in Simi, Jack has Chloe check all the vehicles in the area to find out if any are registered to McCarthy.
11:32 A.M.
Milo covers up for Nadia when Morris questions her slow work. Milo admits that Buchanan told him the truth. He illegally logs her in on his I.D. so that she can work properly.
COMMENT: Watch – she’s going to be a mole and Milo just screwed up BIG TIME!!! I’m not buying the whole “she’s been in this country since she was 2. she’s a republican” argument. It’s the perfect cover.
11:33 A.M.
With the CTU agents outside standing by, Jack and Graem break into McCarthy’s office.
11:34 A.M.
Jack opens up McCarthy’s computer, but it is systematically shredding files. Jack hears a noise, and handcuffs Graem to go investigate. He finds his father Phillip with two security guards.
COMMENT: Hi Dad.
11:35 A.M.
Jack chides Phillip for not alerting the authorities to BXJ’s involvement when the bombs went off. Phillip says he was only trying to protect Graem from going to prison. Jack goes to call CTU, and Phillip asks him to let them handle it themselves. Graem blames Jack for never putting family first, like he did when Teri was killed. This enrages Jack, and he goes to slug Graem. Phillip gives in and says they will do it Jack’s way and turn their information in.
COMMENT: Ooooh – Gray. Playing the “Teri” card. Very bold of you.
11:36 A.M.
Graem refuses to accept Phillip’s decision. He gives a nod to the other guards, who grab both Jack and Phillip at gunpoint. Graem takes Jack’s cell phone to prevent him from calling CTU.
COMMENT: Ooops. Had to see this one coming though…Gray was only going to be a wimp for so long.
11:40 A.M.
At Anacostia, Walid notices Heydar read a message on the cell phone window. Walid walks in front of him and falls to the ground. When Heydar helps him up, Walid pick pockets the phone.
COMMENT: So exactly where did Walid learn his pick pocketing skills??? Give me a break!
11:41 A.M.
The FBI agent gives Walid a number to dial so that CTU can trace the phone. Chloe logs the phone’s SIM card and the agent signals Walid to return the phone. Sandra implores for Walid’s release, but the agent needs to find out what else these men know about the bombs.
COMMENT: Settle down Sandra…Also – asking Walid to return the phone to the guys pocket without being found out? Come on – what’s he going to do?? Bump into him again?? Mrs.Geek had the right idea – go back to the place they originally “bumped” into each other and drop the phone on the ground….I mean – DUH! Do we have to think of everything?
11:43 A.M.
Karen tells Wayne that she is quitting, and he asks if it has anything to do with her feud with Lennox. Karen will not give him the details. “You know what to do, Sir,” she emphasizes before asking to be reassigned to CTU in Los Angeles. Wayne approves military transport for her.
COMMENT: AWWW – come on Karen. Just tell him!!!!!!!!! The whole “re-assign me to LA” thing is such a lame plot device to get her and Bill together. I just knew she’d be asking to go…sigh…
11:46 A.M.
As Karen leaves the President’s office, she bumps into Reed and he asks her to hand something to the President. She tells him to give it to Lennox instead. Reed quickly calls Lennox with the news that Karen is out.
COMMENT: Slime. Pure slime.
11:55 A.M.
McCarthy and Rita check into a motel so that he cannot be located.
COMMENT: Ok – whatever.
11:56 A.M.
Chloe looks up the log from Heydar’s phone and finds that none of the numbers are connected to Fayed. The phone’s browser has logged onto a terrorist website that had all the information. The inmates are not actively involved with the bombings. Sandra orders the FBI agent to get Walid out.
In the yard, Heydar realizes his phone is gone and he points to Walid. The other men grab Walid and find the cell phone. Heydar and the crowd of men start attacking Walid.
COMMENT: Ooops. All that kicking and punching must be quite uncomfortable….
11:57 A.M.
Sandra runs into the yard with a guard who pulls them off. Sandra tends to Walid, crying.
COMMENT: Why is it I feel absolutely no sympathy for Sandra? I feel like this is just going to make her more of a royal pain in the ass…I can’t wait.
11:58 A.M.
Graem’s men lead Jack and Phillip out of the office building in handcuffs. Outside, the CTU agents are dead.
COMMENT: These CTU security teams just suck at being Agents. They just keep ending up dead. Bummer.
11:59 A.M.
As Graem goes in another car, Jack and Phillip are loaded into a van.
COMMENT: Wow – Gray sure is Mr.BigShot bad guy now that he has a gun and doesn’t have a plastic bag over his head. Don’t worry – he and Jack will meet again….very soon.
Not quite the explosive shocking 24 that we have been treated to so far. Karen’s blackmail ouster was a bit of a shock – but I still think it could have been avoided. It will be interesting to see if she just shows up at CTU – Los Angeles or if she gives Bill a head’s up call.
It looks like we have settled into the storytelling portion of the show so I think we are safe from any major developments for a bit – but we will still be treated to Jack yelling louder and louder to get people to do what he wants.
Think that will work with my daughter?
11:00 A.M.
Karen confronts Lennox about his progress on detention centers without the President’s authorization. She accuses him of setting dangerous precedent, but Lennox claims he is only taking defensive actions in light of the nuclear threat.
COMMENT: Back to not liking Tommy Boy again…wow – that was quick.
11:03 A.M.
Lennox turns to his Deputy Chief of Staff, Reed Pollock, to help get Karen off his back so he can focus on his proposals for the President.
COMMENT: Welcome Chad Lowe! Both Lowe brothers are back on network TV.
11:05 A.M.
Nadia expresses her concern to Buchanan that the new internal security mandate requires all personnel with Middle Eastern backgrounds to succumb to new clearance restrictions. She will now be hindered from working on all sensitive files when they need her the most.
COMMENT: A little surprised that Bill left her hanging like that…but if my Nadia mole theory comes to fruition then he did the right thing.
11:06 A.M.
At Graem’s mansion, Jack threatens to suffocate his brother to get the truth. Graem fakes crying that he doesn’t know where their father is. When Jack goes to use the plastic bag again, Graem admits that Phillip went to see one of his employees named Darren McCarthy. The Russian general gave their company BXJ smaller nuclear weapons to dismantle. Graem had hired McCarthy to handle it, but didn’t check him out. McCarthy stole the nukes and sold them to the terrorists. Graem and Phillip didn’t report it because they thought they could take care of the situation privately. Phillip put together a security team and staked out McCarthy in Simi Valley. Jack unties Graem and forces him to go there.
COMMENT: Gray is such a wuss…I expected more balls from the head of the Bluetooth Group….That said - I wouldn’t exactly be in any great shape if my sibling tried to suffocate me with a plastic bag.
11:09 A.M.
As they leave the house, Graem orders his wife to stay in the house with Josh. Jack and Marilyn trade a look.
COMMENT: A look…and so it begins.
11:10 A.M.
Jack calls in McCarthy’s address to Chloe.
11:15 A.M.
Despite Morris and Milo sniping at each other, the CTU team determines that they can look for Fayed in the opposite direction of the nuclear fallout and through the technology he is using to track that fallout.
COMMENT: Well how about that…they actually managed to accomplish something.
11:16 A.M.
As they drive to Simi, Graem accuses Jack of implicating the family. Jack assures him that CTU’s only interest is to stop further bombing.
Jack briefs Buchanan on his family’s involvement through McCarthy. He still isn’t sure if BXJ has any other links. Graem notes Jack’s lack of loyalty to their family. “If I were you, I wouldn’t talk about loyalty,” Jack says pointedly.
COMMENT: What is up with Gray? Why is he being such a wimp?
11:17 A.M.
McCarthy works the phone to find someone who can reprogram a nuclear trigger. His girlfriend Rita complains that she doesn’t feel safe and he gets annoyed. Rita softens with the thought of the seven million dollars he is expected to reap. Fayed calls McCarthy, and learns that the search is taking longer than expected.
COMMENT: I’m still thinking that Rita is a government plant…what other use can she possibly have?
11:18 A.M.
At Anacostia, Sandra watches as the FBI agent sends photos of the detainees in Walid’s circle to CTU.
11:19 A.M.
Morris is prevented from cross-checking the Anacostia inmates because he’s waiting on a manifest from Nadia. Milo asks Nadia why she hasn’t sent it out yet, and she claims that she is “backed up.” Nadia doesn’t want to tell him that her security clearance has been altered.
COMMENT: Why the heck doesn’t Nadia just tell him what the hell is going on??? Why have him waste his time having to go speak with Bill?? Just silly!
11:20 A.M.
Milo approaches Buchanan about Nadia falling behind in her workload. Buchanan covers for her until Milo objects. Buchanan confesses that Nadia was flagged because of her Muslim background. Milo is outraged.
COMMENT: Why the heck is Bill being so coy about it? Just tell Milo what is going on?? Share information people!!!!!!
11:21 A.M.
Buchanan calls Karen about the new racial profiling of agents affecting his team. Karen blames Lennox and wants to address the issue with the President.
11:22 A.M.
In the prison, Walid asks Salim and the other men about the four nuclear weapons still at large. One of the men, Heydar, smuggled in a cell phone and has been in contact with the terrorists.
Sandra listens in, and the FBI agent explains that he will need Walid to get the phone so they can place a trace. He wants Walid to stay inside to keep talking to the inmates.
11:23 A.M.
Reed gives Lennox a paper with names on it. Lennox approaches Karen and asks her to tender her resignation because she covered up her husband’s incompetence. Over a year ago, Fayed was held in custody and Buchanan signed off on his release. Karen explains that Fayed was not a prisoner at the time. Lennox points out that the incident was covered up at Homeland Security, and he shows her the paper with all the people willing to testify against her. Karen is adamant that she did nothing illegal or improper, and she threatens to uncover his secrets in return blackmail. Yet Lennox has the proof in his hands and he again demands her resignation.
COMMENT: KAREN – TAKE THE PAPER, WALK INTO THE PRESIDENT’S OFFICE AND TELL HIM WHAT TOMMY BOY IS TRYING TO DO!!!!!! Mrs. Geek and I were practically yelling at the TV in frustration!...sigh…
11:31 A.M.
When they arrive at McCarthy’s office building in Simi, Jack has Chloe check all the vehicles in the area to find out if any are registered to McCarthy.
11:32 A.M.
Milo covers up for Nadia when Morris questions her slow work. Milo admits that Buchanan told him the truth. He illegally logs her in on his I.D. so that she can work properly.
COMMENT: Watch – she’s going to be a mole and Milo just screwed up BIG TIME!!! I’m not buying the whole “she’s been in this country since she was 2. she’s a republican” argument. It’s the perfect cover.
11:33 A.M.
With the CTU agents outside standing by, Jack and Graem break into McCarthy’s office.
11:34 A.M.
Jack opens up McCarthy’s computer, but it is systematically shredding files. Jack hears a noise, and handcuffs Graem to go investigate. He finds his father Phillip with two security guards.
COMMENT: Hi Dad.
11:35 A.M.
Jack chides Phillip for not alerting the authorities to BXJ’s involvement when the bombs went off. Phillip says he was only trying to protect Graem from going to prison. Jack goes to call CTU, and Phillip asks him to let them handle it themselves. Graem blames Jack for never putting family first, like he did when Teri was killed. This enrages Jack, and he goes to slug Graem. Phillip gives in and says they will do it Jack’s way and turn their information in.
COMMENT: Ooooh – Gray. Playing the “Teri” card. Very bold of you.
11:36 A.M.
Graem refuses to accept Phillip’s decision. He gives a nod to the other guards, who grab both Jack and Phillip at gunpoint. Graem takes Jack’s cell phone to prevent him from calling CTU.
COMMENT: Ooops. Had to see this one coming though…Gray was only going to be a wimp for so long.
11:40 A.M.
At Anacostia, Walid notices Heydar read a message on the cell phone window. Walid walks in front of him and falls to the ground. When Heydar helps him up, Walid pick pockets the phone.
COMMENT: So exactly where did Walid learn his pick pocketing skills??? Give me a break!
11:41 A.M.
The FBI agent gives Walid a number to dial so that CTU can trace the phone. Chloe logs the phone’s SIM card and the agent signals Walid to return the phone. Sandra implores for Walid’s release, but the agent needs to find out what else these men know about the bombs.
COMMENT: Settle down Sandra…Also – asking Walid to return the phone to the guys pocket without being found out? Come on – what’s he going to do?? Bump into him again?? Mrs.Geek had the right idea – go back to the place they originally “bumped” into each other and drop the phone on the ground….I mean – DUH! Do we have to think of everything?
11:43 A.M.
Karen tells Wayne that she is quitting, and he asks if it has anything to do with her feud with Lennox. Karen will not give him the details. “You know what to do, Sir,” she emphasizes before asking to be reassigned to CTU in Los Angeles. Wayne approves military transport for her.
COMMENT: AWWW – come on Karen. Just tell him!!!!!!!!! The whole “re-assign me to LA” thing is such a lame plot device to get her and Bill together. I just knew she’d be asking to go…sigh…
11:46 A.M.
As Karen leaves the President’s office, she bumps into Reed and he asks her to hand something to the President. She tells him to give it to Lennox instead. Reed quickly calls Lennox with the news that Karen is out.
COMMENT: Slime. Pure slime.
11:55 A.M.
McCarthy and Rita check into a motel so that he cannot be located.
COMMENT: Ok – whatever.
11:56 A.M.
Chloe looks up the log from Heydar’s phone and finds that none of the numbers are connected to Fayed. The phone’s browser has logged onto a terrorist website that had all the information. The inmates are not actively involved with the bombings. Sandra orders the FBI agent to get Walid out.
In the yard, Heydar realizes his phone is gone and he points to Walid. The other men grab Walid and find the cell phone. Heydar and the crowd of men start attacking Walid.
COMMENT: Ooops. All that kicking and punching must be quite uncomfortable….
11:57 A.M.
Sandra runs into the yard with a guard who pulls them off. Sandra tends to Walid, crying.
COMMENT: Why is it I feel absolutely no sympathy for Sandra? I feel like this is just going to make her more of a royal pain in the ass…I can’t wait.
11:58 A.M.
Graem’s men lead Jack and Phillip out of the office building in handcuffs. Outside, the CTU agents are dead.
COMMENT: These CTU security teams just suck at being Agents. They just keep ending up dead. Bummer.
11:59 A.M.
As Graem goes in another car, Jack and Phillip are loaded into a van.
COMMENT: Wow – Gray sure is Mr.BigShot bad guy now that he has a gun and doesn’t have a plastic bag over his head. Don’t worry – he and Jack will meet again….very soon.
Not quite the explosive shocking 24 that we have been treated to so far. Karen’s blackmail ouster was a bit of a shock – but I still think it could have been avoided. It will be interesting to see if she just shows up at CTU – Los Angeles or if she gives Bill a head’s up call.
It looks like we have settled into the storytelling portion of the show so I think we are safe from any major developments for a bit – but we will still be treated to Jack yelling louder and louder to get people to do what he wants.
Think that will work with my daughter?
Friday, January 26, 2007
24 News and Notes - 10am-11am
Still sitting here stunned that they blew up Valencia…but much more is in store in hour number 6.
10:00 A.M.
The White House team watches news reports of the bomb blast in Valencia, which is just outside of Los Angeles. Luckily, the wind is blowing the radiation away from populated areas. Karen learns that there are four more nuclear weapons. Although the Secret Service moves the President to the bunker, Wayne wants to give a televised speech to the public within the hour.
COMMENT: I’m sorry but I’ve seen the LA basin from the air – away from populated areas?? Where exactly might that be?? The only unpopulated area near LA is the ocean…oh well.
10:03 A.M.
Milo gets word that all field agents in the area who were engaged with hostiles were killed in the blast.
COMMENT: From the “Goes Without Saying” file…
10:04 A.M.
Karen calls Buchanan from the bunker and is relieved to find out that the CTU office was not affected. Buchanan cannot confirm whether Fayed was killed in the blast or whether the other four nukes are still at large.
COMMENT: Bill and Karen…aww. Can only imagine how she must have felt to see that bomb go off and know her hubby’s right there in the neighborhood.
10:06 A.M.
Chloe is overwhelmed when she finds out that Curtis is dead. She tells Morris that Jack quit because he was forced to kill Curtis.
COMMENT: As is most of CTU?? No?
10:07 A.M.
Mass panic ensues on a street in Granada Hills. Fayed drives in a van, telling a man named Darren McCarthy on the phone that the bomb went off when the feds found his location. Both the engineer and the trigger were destroyed in the blast. Fayed offers McCarthy double the price to find him someone who can replicate the trigger device for the remaining four warheads.
COMMENT: Okay – who’s this McCarthy guy and why the heck is he working with Fayed?
10:08 A.M.
Amid the fleeing people, Jack stands alone, silently looking at the mushroom cloud. A man approaches him for help because his helicopter crashed into a roof and there is someone stuck inside. The man had no idea that a nuclear bomb went off.
10:09 A.M.
Jack runs to the crash site and climbs to the roof of the building. The helicopter teeters on the edge. Jack opens the chopper door and pulls the survivor out just before the craft topples to the ground and explodes into flames.
COMMENT: Just when we thought he was out – they keep pulling him back in!!! He saves the guy and we get to see a really cool explosion as well. All in all a good scene.
10:11 A.M.
Jack phones Buchanan, who tells him that there are still four more bombs. Jack asks to be picked up even though he intended to quit. “Not after this,” Jack says, looking at the mushroom cloud.
COMMENT: Look out Fayed – Jack’s coming for you!
10:16 A.M.
The White House compiles a list of countries that might be funding Fayed. They all claim to disavow the attacks. An Admiral advises the President to bomb all of these countries to send a message. Wayne says they will only retaliate against the enemy. Karen reports that CTU assesses that the bomb was meant for a more populated area. The scientist Numair was responsible for triggering it, and he was killed in the blast.
COMMENT: LOVED when Tommy Boy shut the Admiral down! I actually liked Tommy in this scene. Could the tide be turning?
10:18 A.M.
Fayed has the other four weapons with him.
Assad arrives at CTU. He pledges to Buchanan that he is not their enemy today.
COMMENT: No handshake from Bill?? I guess Assad still has a bit to prove.
10:19 A.M.
Buchanan briefs Assad on the four other bombs still at large. Assad had no idea that Fayed possessed nuclear firepower. He had sent Fayed to meet with a Russian general a year ago about weaponry, but nothing transacted. Chloe starts looking up the name Dmitri Gredenko.
10:25 A.M.
Morris compiles a list of Los Angeles people who conducted business with Gredenko. One of them is Phillip Bauer, the chairman of BXJ Technologies. This is Jack’s father.
COMMENT: Jack’s father?? Who knew he had a father??...(wink wink)
10:27 A.M.
Buchanan calls Jack to tell him about his father’s link to Gredenko. Although Jack hasn’t spoken to his father in over nine years, he wants to question him alone.
COMMENT: Oh boy – this should be fun. “Hi Dad – how have you been? Are you doing business with a terrorist?”
10:28 A.M.
At the Anacostia Facility, the FBI agents tell Sandra that they will need to wire Walid so that they can pick up more terrorist cel chatter from the inmates. Sandra is outraged because Walid isn’t trained for this.
COMMENT: Baby Palmer – shut up and go sit in the corner! How can she be SO ANNOYING!
10:29 A.M.
Walid approaches Salim in the prison yard and asks if he has heard anything more about the attacks. Salim says nothing. The FBI agents make a show of grabbing Walid. The other inmates watch and listen as Walid is interrogated about his terrorist activities. The agents quietly explain to Walid that they are wiring him. He follows along as they pretend to rough him up. They let him know that he is to say the FBI asked him about Fayed. The agents give him a bruise under his eye for effect.
COMMENT: Walid working the yard. Nice.
10:30 A.M.
Afterwards, Salim goes to Walid, but he doesn’t want to talk. The agents confirm that they have a clear signal from the wire.
10:31 A.M.
Jack phones his father’s San Marino mansion and speaks to Sam, the servant. Phillip left mysteriously and didn’t take his cell phone. Sam says he tried to find him through Jack’s brother as well. “Where’s Gray?” Jack asks.
COMMENT: His brother?? Jack has a brother?? A father and a brother? Wow.
10:32 A.M.
Liddy, the head of security at the Bauer mansion, overhears Sam’s conversation. Liddy phones Graem Bauer, Jack’s brother, to tell him that Jack is in Los Angles looking for their father. Graem is the leader of the Bluetooth power broker conspirators who were controlling President Logan. “Damnit, we should have killed Jack when we had the chance instead of handing him over to the Chinese,” Graem says. “We tried,” Liddy responds.
COMMENT: Holy s*** moment #3 this young season – Jack’s brother is the head of the Bluetooth Group!!!!! (getting dizzy – head spinning – must sit down)
10:38 A.M.
Jack calls Graem, who acts completely surprised. Graem claims he and Phillip attempted to get him out of China. He also says he has no idea where their father is, and he promises to call back.
10:39 A.M.
Jack calls Chloe to look up his brother’s address because he doesn’t want Graem to know he’s coming.
COMMENT: Ooooh this should be REALLY good!
10:40 A.M.
Graem returns to his house and is greeted by teenage son Josh. His wife Marilyn is shocked that Jack is back in town. Graem accuses her of still having feelings for Jack, whom she used to date before they were married.
COMMENT: Wait – Bluetooth (I’m sorry – Gray) has a family?? His son Josh?? Jack’s got a nephew?? His wife had the hots for Jack?? Ooooh – this is going to get REALLY REALLY good!
10:42 A.M.
The White House staffers argue over the wording in the President’s speech. Lennox believes that this is the perfect opportunity to act more aggressively. Wayne wants the message to be more calming rather than coming off as a policy dictum.
COMMENT: There’s the old Tommy Boy we know and love.
10:43 A.M.
As McCarthy works the phone looking for a bomb expert, he picks up his girlfriend Rita. She is eager to flee the city, but McCarthy says that they have a change of plans and are staying because a lot of money is on the table.
COMMENT: Girlfriend Rita? The point of Rita is???? Should we really care about Rita?? Writers – my head is spinning. Please don’t waste my time. Unless “Rita” is some sort of undercover government agent – I’m thinking she is a waste of my time and energy.
10:44 A.M.
McCarthy calls Fayed to tell him he will have someone for him within the hour.
10:49 A.M.
Nadia is convinced that Assad really does want peace. Buchanan thanks Assad for his intel and ships him off to Washington, per order of the President.
COMMENT: Wait – Assad is leaving us?? He’s going to Washington why?
10:50 A.M.
Milo gets word that the FBI has a wired man inside the Anacostia Detention Facility and they may have a lead on Fayed.
10:51 A.M.
As Salim defends Walid as “one of them” to his fellow prisoners, Sandra argues with the FBI agent that Walid should not be participating in this. The agent says that Walid is doing the right thing and that the guards on the inside know to protect him.
COMMENT: Sandra – SHUT UP! They aren't forcing Walid to do anything!!(argh)
10:52 A.M.
Salim approaches Walid, who feigns reluctance to talk. Walid finally admits that the guard confiscated the phone number of Abu Fayed from him. Salim invites Walid to join the other inmates.
10:54 A.M.
Jack shows up at Graem’s mansion. Graem hugs him but Jack does not respond. They haven’t seen each other since Teri’s funeral. Jack demands to know where their father is, but Graem avoids the topic.
COMMENT: On a scale of 1-10 on the Awkward Hug Scale that was about a 12. Loved when nephew Josh entered the room to meet Uncle Jack. Mrs.Geek commented it’s like looking at a male version of Kim. She delivered the line of the night after the exchange between Josh and Jack. Josh asked if they could talk a bit later and catch up and Jack says he’d like that. Mrs.Geek adds – BECAUSE I’M YOUR FATHER. I’m thinking – YES. It would be the perfect twist. We’ll see if she is right. (I think she will be)
10:56 A.M.
Jack slugs Graem and knocks him out. He ties Graem up in a chair. Jack grabs him by the throat and threatens to hurt him if he doesn’t give up information. Graem says he is already hurting him. “Trust me, I’m not,” Jack says intently.
COMMENT: HAHAHAHAHA – possibly the funniest scene of the night. Jack slugging Gray. Is it me or is Gray a huge wimp?? My first thought when Jack grabbed the lamp (to get some wire to tie him up) was that he was going to use the lamp to shock the heck out of him (a la Paul last season). I guess I can never look at a lamp the same way in Jack’s hands.
10:57 A.M.
Before he goes on live television, Wayne confesses to Lennox that he doesn’t want to let the public see how scared he is. Lennox assures him that bravado would be no more appropriate than fear.
10:58 A.M.
Despite Jack’s demands for the truth, Graem swears that he has no idea where Phillip is. Jack is not swayed. He takes a plastic bag and begins to suffocate his brother.
COMMENT: WHOA! Not quite a nuclear explosion but still another shocking scene of Jack torturing his own brother. I’m thinking he and the rest of the family have some real issues to work through. Ya think??
I for one really enjoyed this episode. Always nice to get one or two real shockers thrown in there and the Bluetooth Group connection revelation was just that. It’s going to be fun to learn more about Jack and his family. I look forward to seeing if Mrs.Geek is right and that Jack has himself a son as well.
Phew – all caught up.
Questions? Comments?? Let me know.
Have a nice weekend.
10:00 A.M.
The White House team watches news reports of the bomb blast in Valencia, which is just outside of Los Angeles. Luckily, the wind is blowing the radiation away from populated areas. Karen learns that there are four more nuclear weapons. Although the Secret Service moves the President to the bunker, Wayne wants to give a televised speech to the public within the hour.
COMMENT: I’m sorry but I’ve seen the LA basin from the air – away from populated areas?? Where exactly might that be?? The only unpopulated area near LA is the ocean…oh well.
10:03 A.M.
Milo gets word that all field agents in the area who were engaged with hostiles were killed in the blast.
COMMENT: From the “Goes Without Saying” file…
10:04 A.M.
Karen calls Buchanan from the bunker and is relieved to find out that the CTU office was not affected. Buchanan cannot confirm whether Fayed was killed in the blast or whether the other four nukes are still at large.
COMMENT: Bill and Karen…aww. Can only imagine how she must have felt to see that bomb go off and know her hubby’s right there in the neighborhood.
10:06 A.M.
Chloe is overwhelmed when she finds out that Curtis is dead. She tells Morris that Jack quit because he was forced to kill Curtis.
COMMENT: As is most of CTU?? No?
10:07 A.M.
Mass panic ensues on a street in Granada Hills. Fayed drives in a van, telling a man named Darren McCarthy on the phone that the bomb went off when the feds found his location. Both the engineer and the trigger were destroyed in the blast. Fayed offers McCarthy double the price to find him someone who can replicate the trigger device for the remaining four warheads.
COMMENT: Okay – who’s this McCarthy guy and why the heck is he working with Fayed?
10:08 A.M.
Amid the fleeing people, Jack stands alone, silently looking at the mushroom cloud. A man approaches him for help because his helicopter crashed into a roof and there is someone stuck inside. The man had no idea that a nuclear bomb went off.
10:09 A.M.
Jack runs to the crash site and climbs to the roof of the building. The helicopter teeters on the edge. Jack opens the chopper door and pulls the survivor out just before the craft topples to the ground and explodes into flames.
COMMENT: Just when we thought he was out – they keep pulling him back in!!! He saves the guy and we get to see a really cool explosion as well. All in all a good scene.
10:11 A.M.
Jack phones Buchanan, who tells him that there are still four more bombs. Jack asks to be picked up even though he intended to quit. “Not after this,” Jack says, looking at the mushroom cloud.
COMMENT: Look out Fayed – Jack’s coming for you!
10:16 A.M.
The White House compiles a list of countries that might be funding Fayed. They all claim to disavow the attacks. An Admiral advises the President to bomb all of these countries to send a message. Wayne says they will only retaliate against the enemy. Karen reports that CTU assesses that the bomb was meant for a more populated area. The scientist Numair was responsible for triggering it, and he was killed in the blast.
COMMENT: LOVED when Tommy Boy shut the Admiral down! I actually liked Tommy in this scene. Could the tide be turning?
10:18 A.M.
Fayed has the other four weapons with him.
Assad arrives at CTU. He pledges to Buchanan that he is not their enemy today.
COMMENT: No handshake from Bill?? I guess Assad still has a bit to prove.
10:19 A.M.
Buchanan briefs Assad on the four other bombs still at large. Assad had no idea that Fayed possessed nuclear firepower. He had sent Fayed to meet with a Russian general a year ago about weaponry, but nothing transacted. Chloe starts looking up the name Dmitri Gredenko.
10:25 A.M.
Morris compiles a list of Los Angeles people who conducted business with Gredenko. One of them is Phillip Bauer, the chairman of BXJ Technologies. This is Jack’s father.
COMMENT: Jack’s father?? Who knew he had a father??...(wink wink)
10:27 A.M.
Buchanan calls Jack to tell him about his father’s link to Gredenko. Although Jack hasn’t spoken to his father in over nine years, he wants to question him alone.
COMMENT: Oh boy – this should be fun. “Hi Dad – how have you been? Are you doing business with a terrorist?”
10:28 A.M.
At the Anacostia Facility, the FBI agents tell Sandra that they will need to wire Walid so that they can pick up more terrorist cel chatter from the inmates. Sandra is outraged because Walid isn’t trained for this.
COMMENT: Baby Palmer – shut up and go sit in the corner! How can she be SO ANNOYING!
10:29 A.M.
Walid approaches Salim in the prison yard and asks if he has heard anything more about the attacks. Salim says nothing. The FBI agents make a show of grabbing Walid. The other inmates watch and listen as Walid is interrogated about his terrorist activities. The agents quietly explain to Walid that they are wiring him. He follows along as they pretend to rough him up. They let him know that he is to say the FBI asked him about Fayed. The agents give him a bruise under his eye for effect.
COMMENT: Walid working the yard. Nice.
10:30 A.M.
Afterwards, Salim goes to Walid, but he doesn’t want to talk. The agents confirm that they have a clear signal from the wire.
10:31 A.M.
Jack phones his father’s San Marino mansion and speaks to Sam, the servant. Phillip left mysteriously and didn’t take his cell phone. Sam says he tried to find him through Jack’s brother as well. “Where’s Gray?” Jack asks.
COMMENT: His brother?? Jack has a brother?? A father and a brother? Wow.
10:32 A.M.
Liddy, the head of security at the Bauer mansion, overhears Sam’s conversation. Liddy phones Graem Bauer, Jack’s brother, to tell him that Jack is in Los Angles looking for their father. Graem is the leader of the Bluetooth power broker conspirators who were controlling President Logan. “Damnit, we should have killed Jack when we had the chance instead of handing him over to the Chinese,” Graem says. “We tried,” Liddy responds.
COMMENT: Holy s*** moment #3 this young season – Jack’s brother is the head of the Bluetooth Group!!!!! (getting dizzy – head spinning – must sit down)
10:38 A.M.
Jack calls Graem, who acts completely surprised. Graem claims he and Phillip attempted to get him out of China. He also says he has no idea where their father is, and he promises to call back.
10:39 A.M.
Jack calls Chloe to look up his brother’s address because he doesn’t want Graem to know he’s coming.
COMMENT: Ooooh this should be REALLY good!
10:40 A.M.
Graem returns to his house and is greeted by teenage son Josh. His wife Marilyn is shocked that Jack is back in town. Graem accuses her of still having feelings for Jack, whom she used to date before they were married.
COMMENT: Wait – Bluetooth (I’m sorry – Gray) has a family?? His son Josh?? Jack’s got a nephew?? His wife had the hots for Jack?? Ooooh – this is going to get REALLY REALLY good!
10:42 A.M.
The White House staffers argue over the wording in the President’s speech. Lennox believes that this is the perfect opportunity to act more aggressively. Wayne wants the message to be more calming rather than coming off as a policy dictum.
COMMENT: There’s the old Tommy Boy we know and love.
10:43 A.M.
As McCarthy works the phone looking for a bomb expert, he picks up his girlfriend Rita. She is eager to flee the city, but McCarthy says that they have a change of plans and are staying because a lot of money is on the table.
COMMENT: Girlfriend Rita? The point of Rita is???? Should we really care about Rita?? Writers – my head is spinning. Please don’t waste my time. Unless “Rita” is some sort of undercover government agent – I’m thinking she is a waste of my time and energy.
10:44 A.M.
McCarthy calls Fayed to tell him he will have someone for him within the hour.
10:49 A.M.
Nadia is convinced that Assad really does want peace. Buchanan thanks Assad for his intel and ships him off to Washington, per order of the President.
COMMENT: Wait – Assad is leaving us?? He’s going to Washington why?
10:50 A.M.
Milo gets word that the FBI has a wired man inside the Anacostia Detention Facility and they may have a lead on Fayed.
10:51 A.M.
As Salim defends Walid as “one of them” to his fellow prisoners, Sandra argues with the FBI agent that Walid should not be participating in this. The agent says that Walid is doing the right thing and that the guards on the inside know to protect him.
COMMENT: Sandra – SHUT UP! They aren't forcing Walid to do anything!!(argh)
10:52 A.M.
Salim approaches Walid, who feigns reluctance to talk. Walid finally admits that the guard confiscated the phone number of Abu Fayed from him. Salim invites Walid to join the other inmates.
10:54 A.M.
Jack shows up at Graem’s mansion. Graem hugs him but Jack does not respond. They haven’t seen each other since Teri’s funeral. Jack demands to know where their father is, but Graem avoids the topic.
COMMENT: On a scale of 1-10 on the Awkward Hug Scale that was about a 12. Loved when nephew Josh entered the room to meet Uncle Jack. Mrs.Geek commented it’s like looking at a male version of Kim. She delivered the line of the night after the exchange between Josh and Jack. Josh asked if they could talk a bit later and catch up and Jack says he’d like that. Mrs.Geek adds – BECAUSE I’M YOUR FATHER. I’m thinking – YES. It would be the perfect twist. We’ll see if she is right. (I think she will be)
10:56 A.M.
Jack slugs Graem and knocks him out. He ties Graem up in a chair. Jack grabs him by the throat and threatens to hurt him if he doesn’t give up information. Graem says he is already hurting him. “Trust me, I’m not,” Jack says intently.
COMMENT: HAHAHAHAHA – possibly the funniest scene of the night. Jack slugging Gray. Is it me or is Gray a huge wimp?? My first thought when Jack grabbed the lamp (to get some wire to tie him up) was that he was going to use the lamp to shock the heck out of him (a la Paul last season). I guess I can never look at a lamp the same way in Jack’s hands.
10:57 A.M.
Before he goes on live television, Wayne confesses to Lennox that he doesn’t want to let the public see how scared he is. Lennox assures him that bravado would be no more appropriate than fear.
10:58 A.M.
Despite Jack’s demands for the truth, Graem swears that he has no idea where Phillip is. Jack is not swayed. He takes a plastic bag and begins to suffocate his brother.
COMMENT: WHOA! Not quite a nuclear explosion but still another shocking scene of Jack torturing his own brother. I’m thinking he and the rest of the family have some real issues to work through. Ya think??
I for one really enjoyed this episode. Always nice to get one or two real shockers thrown in there and the Bluetooth Group connection revelation was just that. It’s going to be fun to learn more about Jack and his family. I look forward to seeing if Mrs.Geek is right and that Jack has himself a son as well.
Phew – all caught up.
Questions? Comments?? Let me know.
Have a nice weekend.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
24 news and Notes - 9am-10pm
I could waste time trying to explain how and why I have already fallen behind on re-capping season 6 but instead I’ll just say two words and get to it…”So intense”…now onto the show.
9:00 A.M.
Neither the Palmdale officers of the satellite can find Numair in the area near the prison. Buchanan is frustrated because Numair is a nuclear engineer and can build a bomb.
COMMENT: I’m thinking they could have done a little bit better job keeping track of the prisoners…There’s this concept called headcount. Anybody heard of it?? Guess not…
9:02 A.M.
Milo asks Morris for help on the search, but Morris claims he is doing a task for Chloe. Chloe denies assigning any work to him. Milo tells Morris off and orders him to do what he is told.
COMMENT: Can we PLEASE drop the whole Milo/Morris “bitching like they’re 12” storyline?? It is completely a waste of time…there’s enough going on at CTU to keep us interested…let’s move it along…
9:04 A.M.
Karen lets the President know that a suitcase nuke might potentially kill hundreds of thousands of people. “Get me Jack Bauer,” Wayne intones.
COMMENT: Atta boy Wayne – now you are talking!!
9:05 A.M.
Jack is with Assad and Curtis going over the wreckage at the storage facility. Curtis makes it clear to Assad that he is still the enemy. Wayne calls Jack and asks him to take charge of the search for Fayed. Jack isn’t sure if he is up to the task, but has dutifully accepts the President’s request.
COMMENT: Okay – we get it…Curtis has an issue with Assad (how big an issue?? Soon we will see)
9:06 A.M.
Jack pleads with Curtis to accept Assad as part of the investigation because he is invaluable. Curtis snidely questions what the Chinese did to Jack that would affect his judgment. Assad interrupts with news that a PDA was found in the blast site. It says that the “visitor” arrived last week. Assad says that this is a code for a nuclear weapon. He thinks Numair must be the key to making the device operational.
COMMENT: WATCH YOURSELF CURTIS!! That’s Jack Bauer’s judgement you’re questioning. Don’t EVER question his loyalty or judgement. That’s #213 of the 712 Rules of Jack Bauer (patent – and list – pending)
9:08 A.M.
Jack warns Curtis that nothing is more important than finding Fayed and Numair. Yet just in case, Jack calls Chloe to secretly run a cross check on any relationship between Curtis and Assad.
COMMENT: You’d think that they might have checked any connection out a while ago wouldn’t you?? Must have been short-staffed at CTU yet again… sigh .
9:09 A.M.
Numair arrives at Fayed’s safe house and he examines the nuclear device. It still requires Ahmed’s component to reprogram the trigger.
9:10 A.M.
Ahmed orders Ray to deliver the component to Fayed, but Ray refuses. Ray threatens to destroy the component unless he knows his family is safe. Ahmed will only release one of them, and he lets Jillian go. Ahmed instructs Jillian to drive away and call her husband on the payphone to prove she is safe. He warns her that he will shoot Scott if she calls the police.
COMMENT: It wasn’t quite Sophie’s Choice huh? Interesting move letting Jillian go after Ray’s no-brainer choice to have Scott released. That Ahmed is a tricky little wounded terrorist huh?
9:11 A.M.
Jillian calls Ray from the road, and both aren’t sure whether Ahmed will kill Scott regardless of their actions. Ray doesn’t want to risk it. He phones Ahmed from the payphone and receives an address to deliver the package to Fayed.
9:13 A.M.
Despite her husband’s wishes, Jillian calls 911.
COMMENT: Gut instinct on this move is thumbs up to Jillian.
9:19 A.M.
Chloe tries to break up an argument between Milo and Morris by laying the cards on the table. She dated Milo a few times, but it didn’t work out so she got back together with Morris. She orders the two of them to get over it. Both men are a bit embarrassed and return to work.
COMMENT: So Chloe dated Milo (heehee)…It’s still insane that they are squabbling like they were…interesting story though.
9:21 A.M.
Buchanan puts through Jillian’s call to Jack. She explains that Ahmed is holding her son captive so that her husband will deliver a package to someone named Fayed. Jack heads to Jillian’s house. Curtis is reluctant to have Assad accompany them on a tactical mission, but he follows Jack’s command.
9:22 A.M.
The President meets with an ambassador from a Middle East country. While the ambassador is not one hundred percent sure, he has reason to believe that Assad wants to negotiate towards peace. This corroborates Jack’s claim. Karen wants to lock down cooperation with Assad. Lennox is hesitant to form such a partnership with a known terrorist.
COMMENT: The jury is still out on Tommy Boy. I’m figuring it’ll end up being pistols at dawn for him and Karen.
9:24 A.M.
Wayne calls Jack and tells him he wants to make a formal arrangement with Assad. Wayne speaks to Assad and offers him full protection and a pardon for past crimes in return for his help finding Fayed and a commitment to furthering peace. Assad asks for the pledge in writing. Jack tells the President that he is glad he did not have to make that decision himself.
9:25 A.M.
Lennox intercepts a call from Sandra and refuses to disturb the President. She is angry that Walid is still being held in prison. Sandra threatens to embarrass the Administration in order to protect Walid. She says she will hold Lennox personally responsible if anything happens to him.
COMMENT: It took some guts by Tommy Boy to cut off Baby Palmer like that but after watching her for the first few hours of the day – I don’t blame him for a minute. She needs to get over herself – and quickly!
9:26 A.M.
Walid is lead into the Anacostia Detention Facility in Washington. Salim, the man who Walid stood up for in the lineup, recognizes him and says, “Before this day is over, they will all pay.” Although he doesn’t understand Arabic, Walid listens intently as Salim speaks to another man.
9:28 A.M.
Ray arrives at Fayed’s safe house with the package. Fayed is not pleased, but intends to keep Ray alive as a bargaining chip in case something goes wrong.
9:31 A.M.
Ray tries to explain that Ahmed will release his son if Fayed gives the OK. Fayed calls Ahmed and chides him for involving an outsider. He orders Ahmed to kill the boy.
COMMENT: Was that surprising at all to anyone?? I didn’t think so.
9:37 A.M.
Lennox advises the President to keep Assad’s official pardon hidden from the public, and he and Karen are able to work up a statement that is palatable to the press. Lennox confides to Wayne that he is still not comfortable colluding with Assad. “It makes me appreciate your loyalty all the more,” Wayne says.
COMMENT: Yet another cryptic comment between Wayne and Tommy Boy. What the hell is really going on there???
9:38 A.M.
Jack and his TAC team pull up to the Wallace house and scan the perimeter.
9:39 A.M.
Inside, Scott questions why Ahmed is still holding him captive when his father completed the task. Ahmed is about to kill Scott, who begs for his life.
COMMENT: Scott just needs to be quiet and stop talking.
9:41 A.M.
The TAC team raids the house and Ahmed shoots back. Ahmed is about to fire at Jack when another agent shoots Ahmed. Jack calls for the EMT because he needs Ahmed awake enough to tell him where Ray took the package. Yet Scott remembers the address and tells the agents. Jack quickly calls it in to Buchanan.
COMMENT: Mrs.Geek and I were screaming at the TV – “Scott and Jillian know!!” and reciting the address to them ourselves. Not sure if that helped but we were there for them too!!
9:48 A.M.
With the location of Fayed’s safe house now known, Chloe pulls up satellite images of the area. Buchanan calls the White House with the news that they may have found the suitcase nuke.
9:49 A.M.
Sandra visits Walid at the Anacostia Facility. He tells her that he overheard some of the inmates repeat an Arabic phrase he didn’t understand. He thinks it has connections with the terrorist attacks. Walid must convince Sandra to forget her lawyer tendencies and pass on the phrase to the FBI. They kiss goodbye.
COMMENT: She still doesn’t get it does she?? What part of “it may have connections with the terrorist attacks” did she miss?? In case you all hadn’t guessed, she’s bugging me.
9:50 A.M.
Jack gives Assad the pardon from the President. Assad wishes him luck and shakes his hand.
COMMENT: Nice moment between Jack and the former terrorist.
9:51 A.M.
Curtis is angry that Assad has been given a pardon by the United States government. Jack explains that it is up to neither of them. Curtis seemingly accepts this.
COMMENT: Curtis – still pissed. Danger Will Robinson!!!!
9:52 A.M.
Jillian returns home, and Jack explains that his team will try to save Ray. Chloe tells Jack that she found a connection between Curtis and Assad. After Desert Storm, Assad’s men ambushed Curtis’s squad and beheaded some of his soldiers.
COMMENT: Oh s***! This is going to end badly.
9:53 A.M.
Jack finds Curtis outside with his gun held up to Assad’s forehead. Jack tells him to put down his weapon by order of the President. Curtis refuses. Jack says that he gave Assad his word that he would protect him. As Curtis keeps his gun trained, Jack begs him to stop. “I can’t let this animal live,” Curtis says. Jack shoots Curtis in the neck and the TAC members shuffle Assad to safety.
COMMENT: No *** here – holy shit! He shot Curtis. Wow. The first unexpected casualty of the new season.
9:55 A.M.
Jack drops his gun and raises his hands in a gesture not of surrender but of despair at Curtis’s death. Jack walks away in tears. He vomits and falls to the ground.
COMMENT: We feel your pain Jack. We definitely feel your pain.
9:56 A.M.
Buchanan calls Jack after hearing what happened and tries to bolster his spirits. “Tell the President I’m sorry,” Jack says. “I can’t do this anymore.” Buchanan beseeches him to continue with the mission because he is needed. Jack says he is done and hangs up. He continues sobbing.
COMMENT: Well we all know he’s not really done – but it was still quite a surreal moment to see Jack totally broken.
9:57 A.M.
Buchanan remains pensive and a bit shaken by his conversation with Jack. He gets word that Ahmed died of his wounds. CTU and the White House teams watch on monitors as the TAC teams get into position at Fayed’s safe house.
COMMENT: Gotta love Bill.
9:58 A.M.
Numair completes work on the suitcase nuke. One of the guards sees the TAC teams and gunfire erupts. Ray ducks to the ground. Amid the shooting, Numair detonates the nuclear device.
From where he is, Jack can see the mushroom cloud in the sky.
The White House team is in shock. Wayne orders Karen to put the entire military at the disposal of the Los Angeles response teams.
COMMENT: WOW…they actually had the bomb explode….I know its just TV but no matter how you look at it, it’s a totally chilling image watching a mushroom cloud erupt over Los Angeles.
9:59 A.M.
As CTU watches the video in horror, Milo alerts them to a warning from the FBI. An Arabic phrase was overheard at one of the detention centers. Nadia translates it: “five visitors.” There are four more nuclear weapons out there
COMMENT: So one isn’t enough. There are 4 more? It’s going to be a LONG season.
So a nuclear bomb has just exploded...where the heck can they go from here??? I could pretend to speculate about hour number 5 like I haven't already seen it - but then I already have so that wouldn't be nice. There are too many juicy nuggets of information (including a Bauer family stunner!!!) to chew on so I promise to have a re-cap up within the next 24 hours.
Promise.
9:00 A.M.
Neither the Palmdale officers of the satellite can find Numair in the area near the prison. Buchanan is frustrated because Numair is a nuclear engineer and can build a bomb.
COMMENT: I’m thinking they could have done a little bit better job keeping track of the prisoners…There’s this concept called headcount. Anybody heard of it?? Guess not…
9:02 A.M.
Milo asks Morris for help on the search, but Morris claims he is doing a task for Chloe. Chloe denies assigning any work to him. Milo tells Morris off and orders him to do what he is told.
COMMENT: Can we PLEASE drop the whole Milo/Morris “bitching like they’re 12” storyline?? It is completely a waste of time…there’s enough going on at CTU to keep us interested…let’s move it along…
9:04 A.M.
Karen lets the President know that a suitcase nuke might potentially kill hundreds of thousands of people. “Get me Jack Bauer,” Wayne intones.
COMMENT: Atta boy Wayne – now you are talking!!
9:05 A.M.
Jack is with Assad and Curtis going over the wreckage at the storage facility. Curtis makes it clear to Assad that he is still the enemy. Wayne calls Jack and asks him to take charge of the search for Fayed. Jack isn’t sure if he is up to the task, but has dutifully accepts the President’s request.
COMMENT: Okay – we get it…Curtis has an issue with Assad (how big an issue?? Soon we will see)
9:06 A.M.
Jack pleads with Curtis to accept Assad as part of the investigation because he is invaluable. Curtis snidely questions what the Chinese did to Jack that would affect his judgment. Assad interrupts with news that a PDA was found in the blast site. It says that the “visitor” arrived last week. Assad says that this is a code for a nuclear weapon. He thinks Numair must be the key to making the device operational.
COMMENT: WATCH YOURSELF CURTIS!! That’s Jack Bauer’s judgement you’re questioning. Don’t EVER question his loyalty or judgement. That’s #213 of the 712 Rules of Jack Bauer (patent – and list – pending)
9:08 A.M.
Jack warns Curtis that nothing is more important than finding Fayed and Numair. Yet just in case, Jack calls Chloe to secretly run a cross check on any relationship between Curtis and Assad.
COMMENT: You’d think that they might have checked any connection out a while ago wouldn’t you?? Must have been short-staffed at CTU yet again… sigh .
9:09 A.M.
Numair arrives at Fayed’s safe house and he examines the nuclear device. It still requires Ahmed’s component to reprogram the trigger.
9:10 A.M.
Ahmed orders Ray to deliver the component to Fayed, but Ray refuses. Ray threatens to destroy the component unless he knows his family is safe. Ahmed will only release one of them, and he lets Jillian go. Ahmed instructs Jillian to drive away and call her husband on the payphone to prove she is safe. He warns her that he will shoot Scott if she calls the police.
COMMENT: It wasn’t quite Sophie’s Choice huh? Interesting move letting Jillian go after Ray’s no-brainer choice to have Scott released. That Ahmed is a tricky little wounded terrorist huh?
9:11 A.M.
Jillian calls Ray from the road, and both aren’t sure whether Ahmed will kill Scott regardless of their actions. Ray doesn’t want to risk it. He phones Ahmed from the payphone and receives an address to deliver the package to Fayed.
9:13 A.M.
Despite her husband’s wishes, Jillian calls 911.
COMMENT: Gut instinct on this move is thumbs up to Jillian.
9:19 A.M.
Chloe tries to break up an argument between Milo and Morris by laying the cards on the table. She dated Milo a few times, but it didn’t work out so she got back together with Morris. She orders the two of them to get over it. Both men are a bit embarrassed and return to work.
COMMENT: So Chloe dated Milo (heehee)…It’s still insane that they are squabbling like they were…interesting story though.
9:21 A.M.
Buchanan puts through Jillian’s call to Jack. She explains that Ahmed is holding her son captive so that her husband will deliver a package to someone named Fayed. Jack heads to Jillian’s house. Curtis is reluctant to have Assad accompany them on a tactical mission, but he follows Jack’s command.
9:22 A.M.
The President meets with an ambassador from a Middle East country. While the ambassador is not one hundred percent sure, he has reason to believe that Assad wants to negotiate towards peace. This corroborates Jack’s claim. Karen wants to lock down cooperation with Assad. Lennox is hesitant to form such a partnership with a known terrorist.
COMMENT: The jury is still out on Tommy Boy. I’m figuring it’ll end up being pistols at dawn for him and Karen.
9:24 A.M.
Wayne calls Jack and tells him he wants to make a formal arrangement with Assad. Wayne speaks to Assad and offers him full protection and a pardon for past crimes in return for his help finding Fayed and a commitment to furthering peace. Assad asks for the pledge in writing. Jack tells the President that he is glad he did not have to make that decision himself.
9:25 A.M.
Lennox intercepts a call from Sandra and refuses to disturb the President. She is angry that Walid is still being held in prison. Sandra threatens to embarrass the Administration in order to protect Walid. She says she will hold Lennox personally responsible if anything happens to him.
COMMENT: It took some guts by Tommy Boy to cut off Baby Palmer like that but after watching her for the first few hours of the day – I don’t blame him for a minute. She needs to get over herself – and quickly!
9:26 A.M.
Walid is lead into the Anacostia Detention Facility in Washington. Salim, the man who Walid stood up for in the lineup, recognizes him and says, “Before this day is over, they will all pay.” Although he doesn’t understand Arabic, Walid listens intently as Salim speaks to another man.
9:28 A.M.
Ray arrives at Fayed’s safe house with the package. Fayed is not pleased, but intends to keep Ray alive as a bargaining chip in case something goes wrong.
9:31 A.M.
Ray tries to explain that Ahmed will release his son if Fayed gives the OK. Fayed calls Ahmed and chides him for involving an outsider. He orders Ahmed to kill the boy.
COMMENT: Was that surprising at all to anyone?? I didn’t think so.
9:37 A.M.
Lennox advises the President to keep Assad’s official pardon hidden from the public, and he and Karen are able to work up a statement that is palatable to the press. Lennox confides to Wayne that he is still not comfortable colluding with Assad. “It makes me appreciate your loyalty all the more,” Wayne says.
COMMENT: Yet another cryptic comment between Wayne and Tommy Boy. What the hell is really going on there???
9:38 A.M.
Jack and his TAC team pull up to the Wallace house and scan the perimeter.
9:39 A.M.
Inside, Scott questions why Ahmed is still holding him captive when his father completed the task. Ahmed is about to kill Scott, who begs for his life.
COMMENT: Scott just needs to be quiet and stop talking.
9:41 A.M.
The TAC team raids the house and Ahmed shoots back. Ahmed is about to fire at Jack when another agent shoots Ahmed. Jack calls for the EMT because he needs Ahmed awake enough to tell him where Ray took the package. Yet Scott remembers the address and tells the agents. Jack quickly calls it in to Buchanan.
COMMENT: Mrs.Geek and I were screaming at the TV – “Scott and Jillian know!!” and reciting the address to them ourselves. Not sure if that helped but we were there for them too!!
9:48 A.M.
With the location of Fayed’s safe house now known, Chloe pulls up satellite images of the area. Buchanan calls the White House with the news that they may have found the suitcase nuke.
9:49 A.M.
Sandra visits Walid at the Anacostia Facility. He tells her that he overheard some of the inmates repeat an Arabic phrase he didn’t understand. He thinks it has connections with the terrorist attacks. Walid must convince Sandra to forget her lawyer tendencies and pass on the phrase to the FBI. They kiss goodbye.
COMMENT: She still doesn’t get it does she?? What part of “it may have connections with the terrorist attacks” did she miss?? In case you all hadn’t guessed, she’s bugging me.
9:50 A.M.
Jack gives Assad the pardon from the President. Assad wishes him luck and shakes his hand.
COMMENT: Nice moment between Jack and the former terrorist.
9:51 A.M.
Curtis is angry that Assad has been given a pardon by the United States government. Jack explains that it is up to neither of them. Curtis seemingly accepts this.
COMMENT: Curtis – still pissed. Danger Will Robinson!!!!
9:52 A.M.
Jillian returns home, and Jack explains that his team will try to save Ray. Chloe tells Jack that she found a connection between Curtis and Assad. After Desert Storm, Assad’s men ambushed Curtis’s squad and beheaded some of his soldiers.
COMMENT: Oh s***! This is going to end badly.
9:53 A.M.
Jack finds Curtis outside with his gun held up to Assad’s forehead. Jack tells him to put down his weapon by order of the President. Curtis refuses. Jack says that he gave Assad his word that he would protect him. As Curtis keeps his gun trained, Jack begs him to stop. “I can’t let this animal live,” Curtis says. Jack shoots Curtis in the neck and the TAC members shuffle Assad to safety.
COMMENT: No *** here – holy shit! He shot Curtis. Wow. The first unexpected casualty of the new season.
9:55 A.M.
Jack drops his gun and raises his hands in a gesture not of surrender but of despair at Curtis’s death. Jack walks away in tears. He vomits and falls to the ground.
COMMENT: We feel your pain Jack. We definitely feel your pain.
9:56 A.M.
Buchanan calls Jack after hearing what happened and tries to bolster his spirits. “Tell the President I’m sorry,” Jack says. “I can’t do this anymore.” Buchanan beseeches him to continue with the mission because he is needed. Jack says he is done and hangs up. He continues sobbing.
COMMENT: Well we all know he’s not really done – but it was still quite a surreal moment to see Jack totally broken.
9:57 A.M.
Buchanan remains pensive and a bit shaken by his conversation with Jack. He gets word that Ahmed died of his wounds. CTU and the White House teams watch on monitors as the TAC teams get into position at Fayed’s safe house.
COMMENT: Gotta love Bill.
9:58 A.M.
Numair completes work on the suitcase nuke. One of the guards sees the TAC teams and gunfire erupts. Ray ducks to the ground. Amid the shooting, Numair detonates the nuclear device.
From where he is, Jack can see the mushroom cloud in the sky.
The White House team is in shock. Wayne orders Karen to put the entire military at the disposal of the Los Angeles response teams.
COMMENT: WOW…they actually had the bomb explode….I know its just TV but no matter how you look at it, it’s a totally chilling image watching a mushroom cloud erupt over Los Angeles.
9:59 A.M.
As CTU watches the video in horror, Milo alerts them to a warning from the FBI. An Arabic phrase was overheard at one of the detention centers. Nadia translates it: “five visitors.” There are four more nuclear weapons out there
COMMENT: So one isn’t enough. There are 4 more? It’s going to be a LONG season.
So a nuclear bomb has just exploded...where the heck can they go from here??? I could pretend to speculate about hour number 5 like I haven't already seen it - but then I already have so that wouldn't be nice. There are too many juicy nuggets of information (including a Bauer family stunner!!!) to chew on so I promise to have a re-cap up within the next 24 hours.
Promise.
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