24 Reaction 12:00pm-1:00pm The Best of the Season

24 Reaction 12:00pm-1:00pm The Best of the Season

By Doug Norrie: 2010-05-10 20:10:35

When Renee was gunned down this year and President Taylor turned her back on Jack, it was plain the guy had lost almost everything in his life. Tonight’s episode was probably the best of the season. Let’s go bullet style again this week because we’ve got an arsenal of them.

- For as bad as Freddie Prinze has been this year, I felt bad for the guy when he had to identify Dana’s dead body at the scene. Just think, he started yesterday wondering what kind of tux he’d be wearing at the wedding and trying to pick out the song for their first dance. Less than 24 hours later his fiancé turned into a murdering, ex-con traitor to her country who finally took two to the chest execution style from Cole’s fellow CTU agent. He could write some kind of blog about disaster engagements.

- Meredith Reed makes a surprise return as the reporter who started off a season of scandal when she was outed for bedding Hassan. I liked this circular element to the season and honestly didn’t think we would see her again.

- Thank goodness for some more Michael Madsen as covert, rogue, set up man Jim Ricker. I wrote a couple of weeks ago that his cameo was frustratingly short and I had a bunch of questions about the guy. I still have the same questions, but it was nice to get him back in to the fold for even a couple of minutes.

- How do I get that awesome frosted glass electronic shades thing Pillar used to hide himself in his office?

-The standoff against Pillar in the interrogation room was Freddie Prinze’s shining moment so far this season and it came with him, thankfully, having to say very little.

- Once again Chloe is the first to figure out someone is keeping a secret from her. I think Chloe was the kind of girl, who in high school could just look at two people walking down the hall, go up to them and just say out of the blue, “I know you guys had sex last night.” (and she’d be right). Unfortunately, she had definitely had no friends.

- The scene in the mall was probably the second best (see below) few minutes of tension, suspense and action of the season with Jack turning the upper hand on the Russian operatives (with the help from Jim Ricker). This scene would have been good enough with just that angle, but watching Jason Pillar have to follow the action in real time knowing Bauer had beaten him in a bad way made the whole thing even sweeter. Seeing Logan’s reaction to the hit squad all getting iced made it legendary.

- Of course President Logan would watch Fox News. He is, after all, a douchebag.

- Speaking of Logan, the slimiest of the slimy, but also the dumbest of the dumb. Even when Pillar speaks nothing but common sense in wanting Logan to “distance himself” from the situation, Logan can’t see the negative forest for the trees.

- I’ve always thought Jack worked best when his motives were strictly personal. In this case, his motivation for killing lots and lots of Russians was Renee’s death. And I also thought we had seen the lengths which Jack was willing to go to uncover the truth. But nothing prepared me for the final ten minutes when Jack needed information from the Russian shooter. This may have been the best performance Kiefer Sutherland has given in the history of 24. From stumbling back out of shock after beating his captive (almost surprising with himself), to the rage he personified, to realizing his tactics weren’t working, to finally finishing off the Russian in the name of Renee, to realizing its Logan behind everything. This was the best ten minutes of the season.

Tonight’s episode sets up an eventual final standoff between Jack and Logan. Even if this season ends with Jack in a compromised position, it will be worth it knowing Logan finally got some, much deserved, comeuppance.

SERIES ENDING SPOILER WARNING: Yesterday The Hollywood Reporter informed us Jack Bauer wouldn’t necessarily be walking off into the sunset at the end of this final season of 24. Part of this could stem from the show’s producers not knowing this would be his curtain call going in to the season. Whatever befalls Jack by the end this final day, it will be fitting for a guy who couldn’t ever really catch a break. /END SPOILER

Source: Cinemablend