Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

vmpaul · Mar 31, 2004, 02:40 AM

Wow. Just wow.

Great episode (tonight's 3/30). I was really disappointed with this season the way it started but tonight's episode made up for it. Especially after the long layoff for AI, I was thinking they needed to do something dramatic. They did.

Pretty dramatic stuff with the hotel. Michelle is now a kick-ass babe. I knew they wouldn't let Alvers give away his boss. Plus, the last scene between the President and the virus guy was great. I was wondering what he was going to ask for. It'll be interesting to see what his demands will be.

(I did a search for an existing thread I could bump but didn't see any. Maybe we can keep this alive as the season goes on.)

nforcer · Mar 31, 2004, 03:39 AM

I was decidedly unimpressed with tonight's episode. It was just predictable and not much happened. Although I wasn't expecting much since the previous 2 episodes were great (and it seems to be bad episodes always follow the really good ones).

vmpaul · Mar 31, 2004, 08:53 AM

You've got to be kidding.

They could've easily wimped out on the effects of the virus in the hotel, instead thy made it fast-acting so we're already seeing casualties. Plus, the setup to have the President conduct policy under threat of more release of the virus is brilliant.

If you think it's so predictable, here's your chance to tell us all what's going to happen in that story arc.

velodev · Mar 31, 2004, 09:56 AM

Originally posted by nforcer:
I was decidedly unimpressed with tonight's episode. It was just predictable and not much happened. Although I wasn't expecting much since the previous 2 episodes were great (and it seems to be bad episodes always follow the really good ones).

Now that's how I felt right around hour 17-ish in season 1. How many times does your daughter need to be kidnapped and your wife held for ransom? How many times do I need to hear "I'm Jack Bauer, you have to trust me..."

The show is extremely predictable. This is one show I typically turn-off.

ryju · Mar 31, 2004, 09:57 AM

I still think the first season is the best.

Superchicken · Mar 31, 2004, 10:22 AM

Season 2 is better than 3 so far. Last night's episode was OK nothing amazing though. You can tell they're trying to avoid doing the same thing as the last two seasons though... which is a bit frustrating. That said what do we expect for surprises any more? They can't blow up CTU AGAIN.

boardsurfer · Mar 31, 2004, 01:32 PM

Last night was great. The idiot in the lobby freaking out and getting shot was cool. I don't imagine anyone else will be making a break for it.

I like that the hotel guests are showing signs already, it is creating a very hostile environment that looks like it will get out of control with people trying to leave and stuff.

::maroma:: · Mar 31, 2004, 04:31 PM

I enjoyed last night's episode. It was a nice return from a long break. I was getting infuriated every time I turned on FOX to watch 24 and saw yet another episode of American Idol (I hate this show with a passion).

I'm interested to see how Jack knows this terrorist guy. And I'd like to see how the President gets out of his lie about that chick's (Sherry?) whereabouts.

I give this episode a

vmpaul · Mar 31, 2004, 05:05 PM

Originally posted by ::maroma:::

I'm interested to see how Jack knows this terrorist guy. And I'd like to see how the President gets out of his lie about that chick's (Sherry?) whereabouts.

I loved it too.

I'm curious to see what this guy is going to demand out of the President. And if the President will relent, considering what's happening in the hotel. That took me by surprise. I thought he'd just ask for the usual terrorist stuff - money, release of prisoners, etc.. He wants a puppet.

Also, I hope they don't try get away with anybody in that hotel living through this. That just wouldn't be plausible. Those people are gone...

rezzi · Mar 31, 2004, 06:01 PM

24 has really gotten out of hand with it's many plot twists, IMO. It's really starting to go down. One problem I have is; there are no criminals this smart in real life. So, it looks like there's nothing left for Fox unless you like NASCAR. First they killed Dark Angel, and it looks like 24 could be next.

nforcer · Apr 1, 2004, 12:03 AM

Originally posted by ryju:
I still think the first season is the best.

I agree. The thing that turns me off most is the lack of planning and constant "lets just improvise as we go along and if a plot turns out stupid, oh well". The wedding stuff in season 2 was a complete waste. The Kim stuff in s2 was a complete waste, too. In s3 the Palmer stuff has been a complete waste and mostly uncentral to the story. Who cares about his doctor or some old guy dying when there is this horrible virus?

The other thing that turns me off is that the #1 bad guy one week turns out to have a #1 bad guy boss the next week who turns out to have a #1 bad guy boss himself the next week. And so on and so on, until we have the full hierarchy of evil.

S1 was at least planned pretty well and we knew the enemy and what they were about from the start. Even if it did repeat with a kidnapping, and have a really sucky moment with amnesia, it had fewer worthless moments that were uncentral to the main story, and it had more consistency to it. And all of the characters had a point and believable reason for being in it. Whereas S2 and S3 have pretty much been "hmm, how can we get Kim, Palmer, Nina, and Sherry back into this".

dzhim · Apr 1, 2004, 12:49 AM

Well, I think last night's episode was one of the best all season. The virus threat was suddenly a whole lot more real, and it also split into two plot threads (the hotel situation and Amador and the "bigger picture") which helped push out some of the less interesting threads.

Originally posted by nforcer:
The other thing that turns me off is that the #1 bad guy one week turns out to have a #1 bad guy boss the next week who turns out to have a #1 bad guy boss himself the next week. And so on and so on, until we have the full hierarchy of evil.

That was largely the case last year when we had the CTU Bomb crew who gave up Joseph Wald, who gave up Nina, who gave up Mamud Faheen, who led to Syed Ali, who gave up the nuke. Then Jack's torturers gave up Peter Kingsley, and there was the guy on the yacht who was apparently never caught.

But this season we started with the Salazar brothers, then Amador was introduced, and now this Stephen Saunders guy. That's three people. Comparing that to the first season, Dan/Rick and Mandy introduced us to Gaines, who introduced us to Andre (and thus Victor) Drazen.

it's many plot twists

mother*@%#er.

prutz11 · Apr 1, 2004, 09:57 AM

Wow. I am totally shocked to learn that people love season 3 of 24! I loved season 1 and 2... I was really excited about season 3.... but I feel like they really dropped the ball.

They don't seem to take the real time stuff seriously anymore... its more like "IN REAL TIME... give or take 30 minutes"...

The plot lines are weak at best... all the loose ends don't tie together as well as previous seasons. Personally I believe there was a lack of serious outlining of the season before the shooting began.

They have completely compromised the morals of Palmer's character (which were a central part of his character in the previous seasons)

It is lacking the realism of the first 2 seasons. With the first seasons it was easier to believe in what I was watching. This season seems to be way to far out there to be believable.

And what is with jack's secretary? Cloe is her name I think... I loved that actress in Mr. Show, but she is freakin horrible in this role. It's hard to watch when she is on screen.

Anyway I could keep going, but I won't... Is Jack going to be in season 4, or is kiefer jumping ship?

Montezuma58 · Apr 1, 2004, 10:51 AM

Originally posted by prutz11:
Anyway I could keep going, but I won't... Is Jack going to be in season 4, or is kiefer jumping ship?

They'll really need to jump the shark if Kiefer jumps ship. I don't really have high hopes for a season 4 with or without him.

vmpaul · Apr 1, 2004, 11:23 AM

Originally posted by prutz11:
Wow. I am totally shocked to learn that people love season 3 of 24! I loved season 1 and 2... I was really excited about season 3.... but I feel like they really dropped the ball.

Nah, it isn't that I like season 3 so much, in fact i thought it was the weakest till this weeks episode. Finally, finally the sh*t started hitting the fan. I think it took to long for some really nasty stuff to start happening. That's one of things I like about this show. It'll do things that other shows wouldn't even come close to trying - nuclear explosions, decapitation, presidential treason, etc.. Now we have a hotel full of people infected with a virus and some principle characters that will get knocked off. How many shows are brave enough to do that? Before this week it seemed like just anther crime show. It could've been 'Murder She Wrote' for all we knew. It was that lame.

My only quibbles are that the bad guys hang around too long (Nina, Sherry, etc.), Palmer is an unrealistic goody-two-shoes, and anything involving Kim-becile. She's cute but not worth it to the plot.

dzhim · Apr 1, 2004, 03:50 PM

I found Season 2 to be mostly entertaining (with the exception of Kim's post-nuke adventures and the annoying bickering Warner family), but I felt that the last few episodes of the season were poorly-executed and led to a sloppy "resolution" with several loose ends.

In Season 3, so far the writers have done a better job cleaning up loose ends. During the first few hours of this "day" there were a handful of inconsistencies, but the twist that Gael was helping to get Jack undercover cleaned up many of them and showed that the writers actually were planning ahead. I've found this season to be interesting, but ever since the auction took place in Mexico I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop. "They really need to tell us what's the driving threat for the rest of this day," I thought -- and gradually each episode has brought us a little bit closer to that.

The first season got off to a great start for a fast-paced, wild ride, but it spun its wheels a bit in the early afternoon before picking up steam again for the home stretch. The second season was going well until dropping off the table a few hours after the nuke. This season has had a different, more deliberate pace -- I don't think that's a bad thing. Certainly it makes it a bit of a wait-and-see regarding how everything resolves, but based on this past episode and the preview for next week, I'm feeling very optimistic/excited about the rest of the season.

Monique · Apr 1, 2004, 07:21 PM

I loved all 3 seasons. Just wondering who is really behind it all. My guess is the guy that called the shots in season 1. They have not told us who those people were.

Also, I loved this episode when Michelle said if you move I will shoot you and the guy said no you will not and she did it. It was great for once someone meant it when they said I will shoot you.

capuchin · Apr 1, 2004, 07:24 PM

Personally, I'm glad that Elisha Cuthbert has more to do than just run around being girly and getting into peril. It's nice to see some character progression, and see Kim actually acting like an adult instead of a boy-crazy teenager. Hate the new 'do, though.

It's been a slow season so far, but if the last episode is any kind of an indicator, it looks like things might heat up now. There may be life in this old dog yet.

vmpaul · Apr 19, 2004, 11:52 AM

*bump* for sunday night episode - 4/18

Whoa, I really expected them to find some way out of that ending last night. Bye bye Ryan.

That was pretty good. I'm a little suspicious that Michelle hasn't shown symptoms yet. Another Sherry-free episode with minimal Kim-becile involvement too.

C.J. Moof · Apr 19, 2004, 12:44 PM

I don't have the first half of Sunday's ep... got the last half since that's when Arrested Development would be, and I record that timeslot.

Hopefully the bittorrent I found of it will start doing something soon.... stupid presidential press conferences....

vmpaul · Apr 19, 2004, 12:51 PM

Originally posted by C.J. Moof:

I don't have the first half of Sunday's ep... got the last half since that's when Arrested Development would be, and I record that timeslot.

Hopefully the bittorrent I found of it will start doing something soon.... stupid presidential press conferences....

I know. I almost completely missed it. it was only by chance that I stumbled onto the episode.

Nothing really happened too much in the beginning. Mostly setup for the ending. Also, looking for the guy that may have left the hotel.

C.J. Moof · Apr 19, 2004, 04:31 PM

Fortunately, BT came through for me. I've got an MPEG1 waiting to be turned to a VCD sitting at home.

This interweb thing is cool.

funkboy · Apr 19, 2004, 06:40 PM

I'm sure 24 is a great show... but why did it cut out an episode of Arrested Development on Sunday?

Is Arrested back next week?

I want the show back! It's funny, and fast!

Agasthya · Apr 19, 2004, 06:55 PM

Originally posted by funkboy:
I'm sure 24 is a great show... but why did it cut out an episode of Arrested Development on Sunday?

Is Arrested back next week?

I want the show back! It's funny, and fast!

AD is back next week. AD is a great show but apparently its not getting good ratings. 24 was cancelled on Tuesday because of President Bush's press conference so this was the best time to make it up I guess.

funkboy · Apr 20, 2004, 03:15 PM

Originally posted by Agasthya:
AD is back next week. AD is a great show but apparently its not getting good ratings. 24 was cancelled on Tuesday because of President Bush's press conference so this was the best time to make it up I guess.

Waaaait a minute.

24 was ... delayed, you mean, right? Yeah, that must be what you mean.

I somehow doubt AD is going to be renewed for another season... or if a second season was ever in the cards to begin with. But we can hope, I guess.

24 is not cancelled as a show, though, is it?

Agasthya · Apr 20, 2004, 03:27 PM

Originally posted by funkboy:
Waaaait a minute.

24 was ... delayed, you mean, right? Yeah, that must be what you mean.

I somehow doubt AD is going to be renewed for another season... or if a second season was ever in the cards to begin with. But we can hope, I guess.

24 is not cancelled as a show, though, is it?

Sorry, poor wording on my part. It was indeed delayed till Sunday. I don't know the status of Season 4 but I think they might pick it up. And Arrested Development has already been picked up for a second season

funkboy · Apr 20, 2004, 04:14 PM

Originally posted by Agasthya:
...And Arrested Development has already been picked up for a second season

Yayyy!!!

Now, back to the regularly scheduled 24 thread in progress...

::maroma:: · Apr 20, 2004, 04:16 PM

Originally posted by vmpaul:
*bump* for sunday night episode - 4/18

Whoa, I really expected them to find some way out of that ending last night. Bye bye Ryan.

That was pretty good. I'm a little suspicious that Michelle hasn't shown symptoms yet. Another Sherry-free episode with minimal Kim-becile involvement too.

I just watched it yesterday, after recording it (couldn't miss Band of Brothers). I'm still not 100% convinced that Ryan is dead. Maybe Jack shot him in the shoulder or something, I don't know. You just never know with this show. I guess I'll find out tonight.

vmpaul · Apr 20, 2004, 04:56 PM

Originally posted by ::maroma:::
I just watched it yesterday, after recording it (couldn't miss Band of Brothers). I'm still not 100% convinced that Ryan is dead. Maybe Jack shot him in the shoulder or something, I don't know. You just never know with this show. I guess I'll find out tonight.

Never thought of that. He sure was acting like it was real. You never know with this show though.

Nice speculation.

Agasthya · Apr 20, 2004, 05:24 PM

Originally posted by ::maroma:::
I just watched it yesterday, after recording it (couldn't miss Band of Brothers). I'm still not 100% convinced that Ryan is dead. Maybe Jack shot him in the shoulder or something, I don't know. You just never know with this show. I guess I'll find out tonight.

Chappelle has to be dead. They even used the silent clock at the end of the episode. And if Saunders receives a wounded, instead of dead, Chappelle, a lot of people are going to die.

itai195 · Apr 20, 2004, 05:30 PM

Just wanted to check in and say I'm enjoying this season. But having a ReplayTV certainly makes it easier to enjoy

I would invariably miss episodes in the last two seasons... I wish FOX would replay the week's episode during some other time slot, maybe even a slow one like Saturday afternoon.

::maroma:: · Apr 20, 2004, 05:32 PM

Originally posted by Agasthya:
Chappelle has to be dead. They even used the silent clock at the end of the episode. And if Saunders receives a wounded, instead of dead, Chappelle, a lot of people are going to die.

Good point about the silent clock at the end. I noticed that as I was editing out the commercials, and got to the end. Anyway, I'm wondering if Jack has a trick up his sleeve for handing over Chappelle's body. Who knows. Can't wait for tonight's episode.

By the way, I really enjoyed the scene where Chase and his crew were infiltrating that building they thought the bad dude was in. Good action, good editing, and good music. One of my favorite scenes so far.

vmpaul · Apr 20, 2004, 05:56 PM

Originally posted by ::maroma:::

By the way, I really enjoyed the scene where Chase and his crew were infiltrating that building they thought the bad dude was in. Good action, good editing, and good music. One of my favorite scenes so far.

They edited that like that the scene in 'Silence of the Lambs' when the FBI was closing in on the killer. I kinda guessed that might be coming. But it was good nonetheless.

Do you think Michelle is going to die? I figure she should start showing symptoms by now.

From the previews it looks like they're going to get Kim-becile more involved this week. You know she's just going to create problems for Jack.

Demonhood · Apr 20, 2004, 06:15 PM

i'll be rooting for the mountain lion.

::maroma:: · Apr 20, 2004, 06:25 PM

Originally posted by vmpaul:
They edited that like that the scene in 'Silence of the Lambs' when the FBI was closing in on the killer. I kinda guessed that might be coming. But it was good nonetheless.

Do you think Michelle is going to die? I figure she should start showing symptoms by now.

From the previews it looks like they're going to get Kim-becile more involved this week. You know she's just going to create problems for Jack.

I think Michelle will live. Or she'll get it late in the game, and the Jack will find an anecdote or something. I just think if they were going to kill her off, they'd of had her showing signs of infection already.

And I hope Kim gets more involved. I want to see her get her hands dirty a little more. You know, maybe accidentally lose her jacket, and get that white shirt all wet for some reason.

Agasthya · Apr 20, 2004, 06:42 PM

Originally posted by ::maroma:::
I think Michelle will live. Or she'll get it late in the game, and the Jack will find an anecdote or something. I just think if they were going to kill her off, they'd of had her showing signs of infection already.

And I hope Kim gets more involved. I want to see her get her hands dirty a little more. You know, maybe accidentally lose her jacket, and get that white shirt all wet for some reason.

Someone suggested that a good subplot for Kim would be that she falls into a pool with her white shirt on and tries to get out for 12 hours and then takes a shower for other 12 hours.

Montezuma58 · Apr 20, 2004, 09:19 PM

Originally posted by Demonhood:
i'll be rooting for the mountain lion.

I wish that I had amnesia so I would not remember any of the Kim sub plots from season 2.

Demonhood · Apr 21, 2004, 05:12 PM

Chloe has now replaced Kim as the '24 character I'd most like to see kicked in the face by a donkey'
how many times do people have to tell her to just "shut up and do it"?

finboy · Apr 21, 2004, 05:36 PM

Originally posted by Demonhood:
Chloe has now replaced Kim as the '24 character I'd most like to see kicked in the face by a donkey'
how many times do people have to tell her to just "shut up and do it"?

Yeah, being the whiney b*tch must be in her contract or something.

The whole Kim thing last night was just dumb. Especially when she's under scrutiny and Jack says "get up and walk to the stacks." That's just moronic. Her character is usually a waste of space, but last night she was a waste of time, too.

There are so many logical flaws this season that it's getting more tedious each week. It will be a joy to see it done and over with.

::maroma:: · Apr 21, 2004, 06:37 PM

Well, I guess Chappelle is really dead. Not to say I'm sad to see his character go. He was a pain in the arse most of the time anyway.

Last night's episode wasn't as exciting as the previous week's. But they can't all be winners I guess. I'll wait to judge the Kim subplot until later. It wasn't all that great this week. But I did enjoy watching her run around. <boingie! boingie! boingie!>

(jeez.. I'm so immature)

stevesnj · Apr 21, 2004, 09:43 PM

I have never seen 24 untill this season and regret missin the previous 2 seasons...all I have to say is that this is one of the greatest shows I have ever seen...It will never beat out Seinfeld in my book but it's close. Keifer Sutherland is a very good actor. What were the 2 previous seasons about? Different dilema's like this one?

Agasthya · Apr 21, 2004, 10:32 PM

Originally posted by stevesnj:
I have never seen 24 untill this season and regret missin the previous 2 seasons...all I have to say is that this is one of the greatest shows I have ever seen...It will never beat out Seinfeld in my book but it's close. Keifer Sutherland is a very good actor. What were the 2 previous seasons about? Different dilema's like this one?

In season 1 there was a plot to kill Senator Palmer. It was set the day of the California primary.

S2 there was a nuke. S2 was really messy, not nearly as good as S1.

vmpaul · Apr 21, 2004, 10:57 PM

Originally posted by stevesnj:
I have never seen 24 untill this season and regret missin the previous 2 seasons...all I have to say is that this is one of the greatest shows I have ever seen...It will never beat out Seinfeld in my book but it's close. Keifer Sutherland is a very good actor. What were the 2 previous seasons about? Different dilema's like this one?

Go to your local rental outlet and get the DVD's . They're a blast. Better than this season.

Angus_D · Apr 22, 2004, 06:45 AM

Originally posted by ::maroma:::
Or she'll get it late in the game, and the Jack will find an anecdote or something.

What exactly would stumbling across a short account of an interesting or humorous incident achieve?

starman · Apr 27, 2004, 12:16 AM

OK...

So, my wife and I were COMPLETELY bored with this season. So much in fact that we just let the tiVo tape show after show after show...from way back in DECEMBER. We finally caught up. This season is really starting to take a serious turn for the better. It looks like next week's show is going to be another good one. Does the virus get contained or not? What's with the daughter? I'm wondering if this crap with Miligan's going to have any more bearing on the season now that it's almost over. Chapelle's death is going to seem meaningless now that it seems that the guy (I'm blanking on his name) was trying to keep CTU from finding out he had a daughter.

At least Nina's finally dead; shot dead in the same room where Teri died. I was wondering how long they were going to milk that.

I don't know if I would consider S2 'messy'. It was more plausable than that amnesia/kidnapping crap from S1.

Mike

starman · Apr 27, 2004, 12:17 AM

Oh, and 24's been renewed for next year.

Mike

mishap · Apr 27, 2004, 09:31 AM

tonight will be a good night... new powerbook and what looks to be a really good episode.

build-up build-up build-up

vmpaul · May 19, 2004, 01:15 PM

:bump:

Haven't discussed this in a few weeks. Since there's only one more show, seems like a good time to speculate.

Ding, dong the witch is dead. It wasn't the best season out of the three but at least Lady MacSherry is dead (and Nina too). It was good to see her get her due. I'm wondering if these means we've seen the last of President Palmer. I mean, really, how much more can this guy go through? And mess up?

It seemed WAY too easy to find and neutralize the ten other vials. The producers of 24 have turned into the producers of the Star Trek (pick any new one) series. Let's setup some manufactured suspense and solve it in the last 2 minutes with technobabble. I hate that. Looks like we're looking forward to a season finale of 'can they get it, no they can't' with the last vial. My bet is that they'll get it. But who knows? Maybe it'll be another cliffhanger.

I hate that Saunders was a smooth, ultra-smart, ultra-cool baddy and then got stupid in the last 2 episodes. How could he allow himself to get caught? It was way too easy.

york28 · May 19, 2004, 01:24 PM

Agreed. Last few episodes

itai195 · May 19, 2004, 02:10 PM

I haven't watched this show consistently in the past, but the whole scenario where married/dating CTU agents are allowed to work side by side cannot possibly be realistic... that seems like such an obvious plot hole to me. I also agree about the 10 other vials. And I'm still wondering why Saunders wouldn't have stowed his daughter away somewhere safe before the whole thing even began, as she was obvious leverage that could be used against him... I'm no fanatic, Trekkie type that likes to pick apart everything, but this show has some pretty glaring holes.

Anyway, it's an exciting show, even if the writers aren't the greatest.