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http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/01/07/24-season-seven-an-early-look/
24 - Season 7
Tick, tock, tick, tock - it's been a while, but Jack is back and all is right with the world. Well... technically not all is right and that's why Jack is back but you get what I'm saying. After waiting over a year for a new season of 24 (fans around the world have been heard uttering Bauer-esque quips like "son of a bitch" for months now), the moment has finally arrived - the two night, four hour premiere kicks off this Sunday, January 11th, at 8PM ET on FOX. I've screened the first four hours of the season and trust me - the wait for Bauer's return was well worth it.
As the events of Jack's very bad day seven unfold (in real time, of course), three different plots emerge - a testament to the constant split-screen action that 24 is known for. Two-thirds of what occurs was already set up in Redemption (the Sangala conflict and President Taylor's son Roger's loose involvement) and the final third has been grilled into our brains since promos for season seven started airing way back in October 2007 - Tony Almeida is alive.
With dismal memories of the FOX drama's lackluster season six still in every fan's head, 24's producers have been assuring us for what seems like an eternity that, yes, the writer's strike was a good thing for the show. While the mediocre prequel was a direct result of the WGA strike, it's hard to say what, if anything, was changed in the first four hours. However, it doesn't really matter. Why? Because it's good.
As we learned in Redemption, the US government has disbanded CTU and plans to put Jack on trial as the poster boy for crimes against humanity. Jack is quick to point out his feelings on the matter (again, grilled into our brains from the endless promos) - he doesn't care. He had a job and he got it done by doing whatever he had to. However, there's no rest for the wicked, and before the Senate sub-committee can lay down judgment on Jack, the FBI subpoenas him as a new crisis unfolds... and gives him gun. That's when the fun begins.
With the city of Washington DC providing a new backdrop for Jack's exploits coupled with the fact that it has been over a year since a new episode, 24 certainly feels fresh again. While the topics of international terrorism are always tough to tackle (the second hour features an eerie 9/11-ish moment that's sure to raise the hairs on your neck), 24's writers have always handled those plots with a even balance of respect and action. The same is true here.
As for Tony - you loved to love him before and you'll love to hate him now. It's easy to accept the quick explanation surrounding his apparent "death," but my only issue? It's a bit hard to watch Almeida falling into all the used bad guy clichés that 24 always latches on to - shadowy hide-outs with concrete walls, cryptic phone calls delivered in scratchy deep voices, ski-masks, Halliburton briefcases, and - wait for it - gone is the soul-patch in favor of a scruffy beard. You'd think Tony would be a bit more sophisticated of an adversary. It's a far cry from his days sipping out of that Chicago Cubs mug. All that being said, there's a humongous twist surrounding Tony's actions that's gonna make your jaw drop.
Overall, the opening hours are exactly what we've come to expect from 24, though they're still not quite as good as the glory days of seasons four and five. However, any faults are forgivable since 24's return has filled a void that's been open for far too long.
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Gamertag: slballer
Last 7 movies I saw:
Burn After Reading: C+
Slumdog Millionaire: B+
Benjie Button: B+
Yes Man: B
Rendition: B-
Redbelt: C-
Invasion: C+
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