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.