Bauer by Hour: The Countdown Begins

| Print Post This | Like (0) | Comments (3)

Matt Swenson is never down for the count

The following takes place between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m.

IT'S JUST LIKE OLD TIMES on "24."

Chloe is back helping Jack. The CTU server is back online at the FBI — "What are we, CTU-light?" asks Janeane Garofalo, aka the new Chloe.

Dammit, Jack even thinks David Palmer is president.

OK, so Palmer has actually been dead for some time and oddly, there were no "dammits" — Jack's unofficial catchphrase — that I can recall, but this is as close to old-school "24" as we get.

The good news is that this means the real Chloe should be here to stay for the final four episodes.

The bad news is that "24" is known for its less-than-thrilling conclusions. There's plenty of Internet speculation that this season's original final story arc was scrapped for what we'll wind up seeing in the coming weeks.

For now, all we know is that this was a set-up episode. It's understandable, given the myriad terrorist attacks and Tony Almeida twists and turns we've seen.

Yet this was a bit of a dud, aside from the triumphant music when the CTU — that's short for Counter Terrorism Unit for all you newbies — logo arrives.

Will the year end with a Jack vs. Tony showdown, or is that next year's angle? Will Kim Bauer share her stem cells with Jack, whose memory is quickly ebbing away? Will Jon Voight survive? Is Agent Crybaby a one-year wonder or a new recurring character?

So many questions, and a few weeks left to answer them.

To the minutes.

» WHERE'S THERE A WILL ... Last week — while your loyal blogger was on vacation — Will Patton showed up as a bad guy. This week, he shows some major influence by convincing a group of evil bigwigs to let Tony set off a bio-weapon by rush hour.

» PRODIGAL DAUGHTER: President Taylor's daughter, Olivia, is up to her old tricks. She might be her mom's chief of staff, but she won't sit down when Jon Voight is put in the witness protection program for giving details on that evil group that he was a part of. When last we see her, Olivia is on the phone with someone who looks like he's about to become an assassin to solve her problem.

» UN-DEAD: Thought Voight was dead before the looming assassination attempt? That poison-induced heart attack last week didn't take, leaving him alive to take a deal after a Jack Bauer interrogation.

»MIA: No Kim Bauer this week, nor Naked Mandy, who seems so perfect for this huge evil conspiracy.

»WHY THIS SHOW IS "24" AND YOURS ISN'T MOMENT: The guy who smuggled the pathogen canister past the FBI for Tony turns on Tony, who then chokes him to death with a shower curtain. Ladies and gentleman, we have an evil Jack Bauer.