Have you checked out The Purple Goldfish Project yet? Stan Phelps is collecting 1001 examples of Marketing Lagniappe. (Pronounced lăn-yăp.) That’s the Louisiana word that captures the way companies go above and beyond to make their customers happy and feel appreciated. (Think Baker’s Dozen.)
Out pals at Classic Shine in Greenwich are on the list.
Well, Stan found two incredibly creative and talented fellows who both write catchy jingles for businesses. They agreed to a “Jingle-Off” and both are available for viewing on the Marketing Lagniappe web site. Check them out and be sure to vote for your favorite.
And if you know a "Purple Goldfish", tell Stan about them and maybe they will make the list!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
24- Season 8.5 8pm: I Give This Episode Two Thumbs, no wait… One Thumb Up
8 pmWe begin in the fictional country of Kamistan, where the fictional participants in the attempted coup d'état are being rounded up by Hassan’s men. This uprising must be dealt with swiftly and severely in order to send the right message and keep Hassan’s power intact. It’s the only language these people understand. What this really means is that most of these people will be executed. This latest development gives Madame President a bad case of agida*, because she knows the global community “frowns upon” a little thing called human rights violations. So this could be a bit of a speed bump in the peace talks.
But Hassan Chop has other domestic problems on his mind. After ending the relationship with his mistress, he tries to reconcile with his wife, but she wants nothing to do with him. So now he’s got nothing. Meanwhile, his evil brother has plenty. When we catch up with Farthead he’s still working out the details of the transaction with Sergei, the Russian uranium salesman. Farthead needs about five hours to get the funds transferred from his account, so Sergei offers him two hot, Russian hookers to kill the time. I’ll tell you what, if I was Farthead, and that’s how I had to pass the time, I would pretend to get a text message and tell Sergei that the funds will actually take more like ten hours to arrive.
Back at CTU, Dana finishes up the background story for Jack & Renee. Chloe checks in with her for an update when Dana gets a call on her cell. But it’s not a call for Dana, its Kevin calling for Jenny. Nice to see CTU agents taking personal calls in the middle of a crisis. I wonder if they are updating their Facebook pages, sending tweets and winking to people on Match.com too.
Kevin reveals that Jenny is an ex-con and accessory to murder. So I guess about the only thing CTU agents don’t do on company time is thorough background checks on potential employees. Afraid of losing her job and her fiancé, Dana asks Arlo to cover for her and sneaks out. For four episodes, all we heard was how short-handed CTU is because of budget cuts, but Arlo has enough time to cover for Dana. But Arlo is sweet on Dana, so he’ll do whatever it takes. (He’d be better off on Match.com.)
When Dana gets home, she finds Kevin watching a football game with some shady friend of his. It made me think; this must mean that this is a Sunday, Monday or Thursday night, since those are the only nights the NFL is on. Except for Saturday games during the playoffs… but it’s too warm to be January. And it can’t be January, because then it would be too cold to fake L.A. for New York like they are doing. But I digress…
Kevin gets quite abusive with Jenny/Dana and finally offers her an ultimatum; if she will use her CTU connections to help him make a big score, he’ll finally leave her alone. She tearfully agrees, and but is secretly a bit relieved that Kevin and his buddy are just watching football and not running up her cable bill by pay-per-viewing porn.
Meanwhile, Joseph, the son of the uranium salesman, disobeys his father and takes his brother to a doctor in Mt. Vernon, where he forces the doctor to cooperate by threatening his family. I was a bit distracted at this point because once they mentioned Mt. Vernon, all I could think about was The Bayou restaurant on Gramatan Ave. in Mt. Vernon. One of my favorite places… great food, great bands, decorated with an Elvis bust and KISS dolls, an endless selection of hot sauces and VooDoo Wings that make my mouth water just thinking about them. (Oh God, who’s up for The Bayou the weekend? Email me.)
Now that we got all that other side-character crap out of the way, we can focus on the real meat of the story, Jack and Renee. It turns out I was wrong last week about two things; Zia’s name is actually spelt Ziya and Renee did not cut off his hand, just his thumb. This would be traumatic for anyone, but it’s especially bad for Ziya. You see, since coming to the U.S. he has become a big fan of the American TV icon, The Fonz. Thanks to Crazy Renee, he can never go out for Halloween as his hero. No matter though, his Happy Days are just about over anyway. Jack storms into the store and accuses Renee of being unstable, but that’s a little like the Burger King telling Ronald McDonald that his food is fattening. So instead of calling off the operation, they cauterize Ziya’s wound and head off for a meeting with Vlad. Renee and Jack communicate with a magic earplug that enables then to talk and hear, but it’s not visibly noticeable to anyone else. (This would certainly come in handy for Ziya, who will be requiring a hands-free phone from now on.)
Ziya takes Renee to Vlad’s hideout, and on the ride over, Chloe finds out that Vlad and Renee have a rough past that involves a lot of physical abuse and probably some rape. This got me thinking that maybe this season will turn into a rape revenge story, kind of like the Dirty Harry movie “Sudden Impact” or the all-time classic, “I Spit on Your Grave.”
Vlad is suspicious of Renee and quizzes her on her New Mexico back-story. Jack pulls a Cyrano de Bergerac and tells Renee what to say through the magic earplug. She maintains her ice cold poker face even when she has to wait for Chloe to funnel the answers to Jack. Renee gets all the facts straight, but Vlad still smells a rat and throws Ziya and Renee in the trunk of his car. Ziya, is probably thrilled to be in such close proximity to a hottie like Renee, but we’ll never know it because he can’t give us a thumbs-up.
Jack, fearing for Renee’s life, follows the car and instructs CTU to intercept and call off the mission. When he realizes he’s following a decoy, he unleashes a stream of “DAMMITS” so long, that if laid out in a row, would stretch all the way to Kamistan and back.
Once out of the truck, Renee and Ziya are held at gunpoint on their knees. Jack hears a gunshot and sh*#s a brick, but is relieved when he hears it’s only Ziya who is dead. Poor Ziya… but on the bright side, he doesn’t have to worry about that thumb anymore.
Vlad gives Renee one more chance to tell him the truth. She tells him that the truth is she has nothing to live for except this deal and encourages him to pull the trigger. Meanwhile, Jack continues to spout bricks. Vlad is moved by her words and decides to buy her story. Jack is relieved, but knows that there is more to Renee’s death wish than just the cover story.
Next week, it could be curtains for Renee when she goes dark. Shower curtains, that is. And Jack goes undercover using the Seinfeld glasses.
I can’t wait.
References -
Urban Dictionary Definition:
*Agida: Italian-American slang for heartburn but it can also mean mental aggravation. The word is Italian-American slang derived from the Italian "agitare" meaning "to agitate.”
The Bayou
www.bayourestaurantny.com
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Questions? Comments? Feedback? Want to get on the email alert list? Drop me a line at jack@backinjack.com or post a comment below.
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Questions? Comments? Feedback? Want to get on the email alert list? Drop me a line at jack@backinjack.com or post a comment below.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
24- Season 8.4 7pm: Red Handed
7 pm
Okay, here’s the episode all the guys have been waiting for. It’s the return of everyone’s favorite fiery redhead, Renee Walker. The woman I affectionately referred to last year as Agent Lohan. Although I did not come up with these, I wanted to quickly share some of the other names that other 24 fans have given her: Jacqueline Bauer and Rack Bauer. Brilliant, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
This episode picks up with us wondering if Fresh Freddie Prince will emerge from flaming wreck of his car. Davros, the assassin dressed like a motorcycle cop, draws his gun and sets off to finish off Hassan. This relentless killing machine in a CHiPs outfit couldn’t help but remind me of the bad Terminator from T2. But before he can get to Hassan, the Fresh Prince emerges from the wreckage and gets Hassan safely into a CTU vehicle.
Then, while on the phone with Jenny from the Block… I mean Dana, Fresh actually spots Davros out of a sea of policemen and chases him into the only dark and deserted alley within 10 miles of the UN. Ever the multi-tasker, even while he flees Davros advises Hassan’s evil brother Farthead to get the hell out of Dodge. Farthead, who is in a limo with Hassan’s wife and kid, is not one to dilly-dally. He jumps out of the car, stabs a cop in the neck and takes off into the night.
The Fresh Prince heads into the dark building and plays a game of cat & mouse with Davros. The bad guy gets the jump on Fresh, points a gun to his head and tells him to call in a false report that will enable him to escape. Fresh again impresses us by not cooperating, almost certainly sealing his fate. But when the shot rings out, it is Davros that falls. Jack Bauer has finally arrived.
Hassan and the body of Darvos are taken back to CTU, where Chloe is sitting on the biggest “I told you so” in the history of “I told you so’s”. And to her delight, Hastings finally gives her props. Just for a second, her smirk actually turns to a smile.
While at CTU, Hassan has a chance to thank the Fresh Prince for saving his life and to talk to his girlfriend, Miss Reed. Things would have gotten steamy between the two, but not for the mood-killing glass walls of CTU and the gawking eyes of the guards. There’s just no privacy there. I bet even the bathroom stalls have glass doors. Hassan basically tells Reed he loves her, but he has to end things and give it another try with his wife… for the greater good. Here’s where I predict that Miss Reed, who we were initially mislead into thinking was evil, will now actually do something bad. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Meanwhile, Davros continues to cause trouble, even from beyond the grave. His body triggers a bio-hazard alarm. (This kind of thing happens to Courtney Love all the time.) It turns out his body has trace-elements of weapons grade uranium. Hassan Chop figures that Farthead must have been trying to step-up his country’s nuclear program by purchasing uranium from the Russian mob. Faced with the task of taking on the Reds, CTU looks up the best agent for the job. The top undercover person they have is also a red… head. Yep, Renee Walker. It seems a few years ago she was under deep cover with the Ruskies and her cover is still intact. But she left the FBI under bad circumstances and has been living a troubled existence ever since. When Jack hears this, he explains that he tried to contact Renee a few times, but she blew him off. He decides that his part is done and prepares to leave for LA. But once he learns that Renee has agreed to go back undercover, he changes his mind. It seems his heart is also as big as Hassan’s hair. Poor Chloe… Jack has no problem saying no to her, but when it comes to Kim or Renee, he’ll change his mind in a New York minute.
But what about Farthead? He heads off to a Russian Tea Room to meet with some shady Russians who are drinking some tea. After being assured that the uranium is real by meeting a radiation-poisoned Ruskie locked in the cooler, Farthead moves ahead his plan to complete the uranium deal. I am still not sure why uranium being sold by Russians to Muslims needs to be in the United States at all. But I’ll just roll with it.
Back at CTU, Jack and Renee finally reunite. They hug and all that tension between then picks right back up. Jack shows us the scars on Renee’s wrists, just so we understand the extent of her problems. Renee, however, seems reinvigorated by the mission. Maybe a little too invigorated. So Jack joins the team, much to her chagrin. They have to find a Ruskie named Zia, an old contact of Renee’s who can lead them to another Ruskie named Vladimir. (Note, Vladimir is another alumni of Battlestar Galactica. And his character was a Cylon who had an obsession with Starbuck, better known as 24’s Dana. Small world, huh?)
The best part of the whole episode is that Renee’s undercover persona is a seductive, bad girl with a breathy voice and a come-hither look. Jack waits in the car while she heads into a store to talk to her old pal Zia. Zia is reluctant to help her, so she turns up the heat and starts to tease him. When he tells her he can’t help her because of his parole bracelet, Renee tells him it’s no problem. She knows how to get those off. She secures his arm in a vice and pulls out a power saw. As she lowers the blade, Zia mentions that she can’t cut the wristband or he’ll get in trouble. No worries, she has no intention of ruining a perfectly good wristband. Instead, she cuts off his freaking hand.
When he hears the screams, Jack races in and sees the mess she has made. He wants to call the whole operation off, but Renee tells him to man-up. This is the big leagues and things will get ugly. She has a point. Jack has done stuff like this before. It’s like the kettle calling the pot black… or red in this case.
Renee tells Jack to cauterize Zia’s nub so they can get on with the mission. Holy crap, Renee is nuts. I love it. This is awesome.
Four hours have elapsed, 20 more to go. I can’t wait to see what else Renee has up her sleeve. It’s certainly more than Zia, who without a hand, now has considerably less up his sleeve.
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Questions? Comments? Feedback? Want to get on the email alert list? Drop me a line at jack@backinjack.com or post a comment below
Okay, here’s the episode all the guys have been waiting for. It’s the return of everyone’s favorite fiery redhead, Renee Walker. The woman I affectionately referred to last year as Agent Lohan. Although I did not come up with these, I wanted to quickly share some of the other names that other 24 fans have given her: Jacqueline Bauer and Rack Bauer. Brilliant, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
This episode picks up with us wondering if Fresh Freddie Prince will emerge from flaming wreck of his car. Davros, the assassin dressed like a motorcycle cop, draws his gun and sets off to finish off Hassan. This relentless killing machine in a CHiPs outfit couldn’t help but remind me of the bad Terminator from T2. But before he can get to Hassan, the Fresh Prince emerges from the wreckage and gets Hassan safely into a CTU vehicle.
Then, while on the phone with Jenny from the Block… I mean Dana, Fresh actually spots Davros out of a sea of policemen and chases him into the only dark and deserted alley within 10 miles of the UN. Ever the multi-tasker, even while he flees Davros advises Hassan’s evil brother Farthead to get the hell out of Dodge. Farthead, who is in a limo with Hassan’s wife and kid, is not one to dilly-dally. He jumps out of the car, stabs a cop in the neck and takes off into the night.
The Fresh Prince heads into the dark building and plays a game of cat & mouse with Davros. The bad guy gets the jump on Fresh, points a gun to his head and tells him to call in a false report that will enable him to escape. Fresh again impresses us by not cooperating, almost certainly sealing his fate. But when the shot rings out, it is Davros that falls. Jack Bauer has finally arrived.
Hassan and the body of Darvos are taken back to CTU, where Chloe is sitting on the biggest “I told you so” in the history of “I told you so’s”. And to her delight, Hastings finally gives her props. Just for a second, her smirk actually turns to a smile.
While at CTU, Hassan has a chance to thank the Fresh Prince for saving his life and to talk to his girlfriend, Miss Reed. Things would have gotten steamy between the two, but not for the mood-killing glass walls of CTU and the gawking eyes of the guards. There’s just no privacy there. I bet even the bathroom stalls have glass doors. Hassan basically tells Reed he loves her, but he has to end things and give it another try with his wife… for the greater good. Here’s where I predict that Miss Reed, who we were initially mislead into thinking was evil, will now actually do something bad. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Meanwhile, Davros continues to cause trouble, even from beyond the grave. His body triggers a bio-hazard alarm. (This kind of thing happens to Courtney Love all the time.) It turns out his body has trace-elements of weapons grade uranium. Hassan Chop figures that Farthead must have been trying to step-up his country’s nuclear program by purchasing uranium from the Russian mob. Faced with the task of taking on the Reds, CTU looks up the best agent for the job. The top undercover person they have is also a red… head. Yep, Renee Walker. It seems a few years ago she was under deep cover with the Ruskies and her cover is still intact. But she left the FBI under bad circumstances and has been living a troubled existence ever since. When Jack hears this, he explains that he tried to contact Renee a few times, but she blew him off. He decides that his part is done and prepares to leave for LA. But once he learns that Renee has agreed to go back undercover, he changes his mind. It seems his heart is also as big as Hassan’s hair. Poor Chloe… Jack has no problem saying no to her, but when it comes to Kim or Renee, he’ll change his mind in a New York minute.
But what about Farthead? He heads off to a Russian Tea Room to meet with some shady Russians who are drinking some tea. After being assured that the uranium is real by meeting a radiation-poisoned Ruskie locked in the cooler, Farthead moves ahead his plan to complete the uranium deal. I am still not sure why uranium being sold by Russians to Muslims needs to be in the United States at all. But I’ll just roll with it.
Back at CTU, Jack and Renee finally reunite. They hug and all that tension between then picks right back up. Jack shows us the scars on Renee’s wrists, just so we understand the extent of her problems. Renee, however, seems reinvigorated by the mission. Maybe a little too invigorated. So Jack joins the team, much to her chagrin. They have to find a Ruskie named Zia, an old contact of Renee’s who can lead them to another Ruskie named Vladimir. (Note, Vladimir is another alumni of Battlestar Galactica. And his character was a Cylon who had an obsession with Starbuck, better known as 24’s Dana. Small world, huh?)
The best part of the whole episode is that Renee’s undercover persona is a seductive, bad girl with a breathy voice and a come-hither look. Jack waits in the car while she heads into a store to talk to her old pal Zia. Zia is reluctant to help her, so she turns up the heat and starts to tease him. When he tells her he can’t help her because of his parole bracelet, Renee tells him it’s no problem. She knows how to get those off. She secures his arm in a vice and pulls out a power saw. As she lowers the blade, Zia mentions that she can’t cut the wristband or he’ll get in trouble. No worries, she has no intention of ruining a perfectly good wristband. Instead, she cuts off his freaking hand.
When he hears the screams, Jack races in and sees the mess she has made. He wants to call the whole operation off, but Renee tells him to man-up. This is the big leagues and things will get ugly. She has a point. Jack has done stuff like this before. It’s like the kettle calling the pot black… or red in this case.
Renee tells Jack to cauterize Zia’s nub so they can get on with the mission. Holy crap, Renee is nuts. I love it. This is awesome.
Four hours have elapsed, 20 more to go. I can’t wait to see what else Renee has up her sleeve. It’s certainly more than Zia, who without a hand, now has considerably less up his sleeve.
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Questions? Comments? Feedback? Want to get on the email alert list? Drop me a line at jack@backinjack.com or post a comment below
24- Season 8.3 6pm: Cop Out
6 pm
The first thing I learned during the opening credits tonight was that the cop-impersonating bad guy, Mike Farmer, is really named Davros. I also learned that Hassan Chop’s brother’s name is Farhad. I think a good nickname for him is simply Farthead.
So the first hour starts with Davros forcing his police partner to call in and switch shifts with him. Then he kills them. We all saw that coming.
Then we cut to a leather-clad Jack Bauer strutting the means streets of New York. It quickly gets very reminiscent of the opening sequence of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Jack walks by some locals shooting some b-ball who don’t appreciate him wandering around their turf and start making trouble in the neighborhood. One guy gets in Jack’s face, so Jack calmly flashes his gun. Then he asks them if they have seen his suspect and offers a hundred bucks for any info. One of the guys tells him the guy is across the street in one of the houses. Jack thanks them and says “Yo Holmes, smell ya later.”
And this Fresh Prince reference has inspired me to start referring to Freddie Prince as the Fresh Prince on this blog.
Jack discovers the bodies of cop and wife that Davros killed in the house and cautiously enters, but Davros is gone. However, he spots a couple of cops circling the house. He gets the jump on the cop in the backyard and tries to explain the situation, but the other cop sneaks up and zaps him with a tazer. Jack collapses into a convulsing pile of goo. I was hoping he might yell “Don’t taze me, Bro!” But this is Jack Bauer, and he doesn’t call people “Bro”.
Jack wakes up tied to a chair in the basement. For a second, I thought we might have a Zed-like situation, like in Pulp Fiction, but that’s not the case. It’s more like Reservoir Dogs. All that was missing was “Stuck in the Middle with You.” The big, bad cop wants to punish Jack because he thinks he’s a cop killer, and the good cop is too timid to stop him.
Meanwhile back at CTU, Chloe is worried about Jack, who has not checked in. But Hasting has bigger fish to fry. He’s trying to get Meredith Reed to spill the beans about the assassination attempt while his team decrypts her laptop. Meredith is not the type to kiss and tell, and doesn’t want to admit to her affair with Hassan Chop, but when they find her key to his place, she has no other choice. So Hastings has to call Hassan and awkwardly ask him if he’s been getting jiggy with Miss Reed. Farthead urges him to deny it, but Hassan can’t betray his beloved mistress. I guess his heart is as big as his hair.
Farthead calls Davros and tells him the bad news, but they decide to move ahead with the plan anyway. When the laptop is decrypted, CTU discover schematics of the UN and a plot to bomb the building. They quickly move to evacuate the building, despite Chloe’s warnings that they may be playing into the killer’s hands.
While all of this is happening, Kevin, the redneck that has been stalking Dana, shows up at CTU. You’d think the Counter Terrorism Unit would be a hard to find, as would the home addresses of their employees. But Kevin finds both CTU and Dana’s address without a hitch. He must have used the advanced search feature on Google. Dana slips off her engagement ring and meets him out in the parking lot, where he goes practically goes Ike Turner on her. He obviously has something on her, so she gives him her keys and lets him crash at her apartment for the night. Besides the verbal abuse, I’m willing to bet he also made a bunch of long distance phone calls and ordered a bunch of pay-per-view porn at her place. That bastard.
Back in the basement, after taking a small beating, Jack manages to free himself and overpower the bad cop. Good cop steps in and finally corroborates Jack’s story with the authorities and they also figure out which cop is the assassin. When Jack gets word from Chloe about the bomb threat, the good cop gives him both a ride to the UN and his Jack Sack back.
CTU gets in touch with the Fresh Prince, but it’s too late to stop the evacuation. Hassan’s limo is already heading out to the street, where it will run over a bomb hidden in a manhole. Jack tells the Fresh Prince to stop that limo at all costs, so Fresh channels his inner Buffy, puts the pedal to the metal. He heroically drives his car in front of Hassan’s limo and takes the brunt of the explosion.
Did the Fresh Prince Survive? Will Davros get away? Will Farthead be discovered? Did the car crash muss up Hassan’s hair? We’ll find out in a few minutes, when the next hour begins.
The first thing I learned during the opening credits tonight was that the cop-impersonating bad guy, Mike Farmer, is really named Davros. I also learned that Hassan Chop’s brother’s name is Farhad. I think a good nickname for him is simply Farthead.
So the first hour starts with Davros forcing his police partner to call in and switch shifts with him. Then he kills them. We all saw that coming.
Then we cut to a leather-clad Jack Bauer strutting the means streets of New York. It quickly gets very reminiscent of the opening sequence of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Jack walks by some locals shooting some b-ball who don’t appreciate him wandering around their turf and start making trouble in the neighborhood. One guy gets in Jack’s face, so Jack calmly flashes his gun. Then he asks them if they have seen his suspect and offers a hundred bucks for any info. One of the guys tells him the guy is across the street in one of the houses. Jack thanks them and says “Yo Holmes, smell ya later.”
And this Fresh Prince reference has inspired me to start referring to Freddie Prince as the Fresh Prince on this blog.
Jack discovers the bodies of cop and wife that Davros killed in the house and cautiously enters, but Davros is gone. However, he spots a couple of cops circling the house. He gets the jump on the cop in the backyard and tries to explain the situation, but the other cop sneaks up and zaps him with a tazer. Jack collapses into a convulsing pile of goo. I was hoping he might yell “Don’t taze me, Bro!” But this is Jack Bauer, and he doesn’t call people “Bro”.
Jack wakes up tied to a chair in the basement. For a second, I thought we might have a Zed-like situation, like in Pulp Fiction, but that’s not the case. It’s more like Reservoir Dogs. All that was missing was “Stuck in the Middle with You.” The big, bad cop wants to punish Jack because he thinks he’s a cop killer, and the good cop is too timid to stop him.
Meanwhile back at CTU, Chloe is worried about Jack, who has not checked in. But Hasting has bigger fish to fry. He’s trying to get Meredith Reed to spill the beans about the assassination attempt while his team decrypts her laptop. Meredith is not the type to kiss and tell, and doesn’t want to admit to her affair with Hassan Chop, but when they find her key to his place, she has no other choice. So Hastings has to call Hassan and awkwardly ask him if he’s been getting jiggy with Miss Reed. Farthead urges him to deny it, but Hassan can’t betray his beloved mistress. I guess his heart is as big as his hair.
Farthead calls Davros and tells him the bad news, but they decide to move ahead with the plan anyway. When the laptop is decrypted, CTU discover schematics of the UN and a plot to bomb the building. They quickly move to evacuate the building, despite Chloe’s warnings that they may be playing into the killer’s hands.
While all of this is happening, Kevin, the redneck that has been stalking Dana, shows up at CTU. You’d think the Counter Terrorism Unit would be a hard to find, as would the home addresses of their employees. But Kevin finds both CTU and Dana’s address without a hitch. He must have used the advanced search feature on Google. Dana slips off her engagement ring and meets him out in the parking lot, where he goes practically goes Ike Turner on her. He obviously has something on her, so she gives him her keys and lets him crash at her apartment for the night. Besides the verbal abuse, I’m willing to bet he also made a bunch of long distance phone calls and ordered a bunch of pay-per-view porn at her place. That bastard.
Back in the basement, after taking a small beating, Jack manages to free himself and overpower the bad cop. Good cop steps in and finally corroborates Jack’s story with the authorities and they also figure out which cop is the assassin. When Jack gets word from Chloe about the bomb threat, the good cop gives him both a ride to the UN and his Jack Sack back.
CTU gets in touch with the Fresh Prince, but it’s too late to stop the evacuation. Hassan’s limo is already heading out to the street, where it will run over a bomb hidden in a manhole. Jack tells the Fresh Prince to stop that limo at all costs, so Fresh channels his inner Buffy, puts the pedal to the metal. He heroically drives his car in front of Hassan’s limo and takes the brunt of the explosion.
Did the Fresh Prince Survive? Will Davros get away? Will Farthead be discovered? Did the car crash muss up Hassan’s hair? We’ll find out in a few minutes, when the next hour begins.
Monday, January 18, 2010
24- Season 8.2 5pm: The Bronx is Up and The Bauer is Down - Part 2
Welcome back for a new season of 24. Scroll down for the recap of the first hour and then comeback and read this one.
5 pm
The second hour of the premiere has Jack and Cole heading back to CTU, where they have discovered that someone has been hacking into the UN security computers. The evidence all points to Meredith Reed, the reporter that has just gained access to President Hassan. I realize we need a nickname for Hassan, and “Slumdog” is just too obvious, so I am going to go with the Bugs Bunny reference and call him Hassan Chop. (See http://www.hassanchop.com/)
While CTU scrambles to find Miss Reed with facial recognition software, Chloe points out that the trail to this suspect was a little too obvious. But CTU Director “Bubba” Hastings does not want to hear it. While his agents swarm and capture Reed at the UN, he gets Chloe out of the way by sending her to debrief Jack. Jack sees merit to the photos Chloe finds of a suspicious character coming and going from Reed’s apartment right around the time her laptop would have been tampered with. But to her surprise, Jack wants nothing to do with the case. Kim is on her way to pick him and he just wants to get on with his life. That’s when Chloe calls him out on all the favors she’s done for him in the past. It’s awesome. How many times has she risked her job and broken the law to help him? But still, Jack says no.
Meanwhile, Hassan Chop and Madame President continue their negotiations. We learn that Hassan has had an affair with Reed, because he’s been living in a loveless marriage that is only still intact for show. Perhaps we should be calling Hassan “Bubba” instead of Hastings, because this sounds a lot like another President I know.
Reed is taken back to CTU and hooked up to their fancy equipment… like what seems to be an electronic bible that can tell if you are lying when you place your hand on it. And when they question her, they can in fact tell that she is lying. Unfortunately, she is lying about her affair, not a plot to kill Hassan Chop.
While all this is happening, also learn that while Dana Walsh is not what she seems. While she may appear to be a fancy, CTU agent with lots of gadgets, she’s still just Jenny from the Block. She gets a call from Kevin, some redneck, ex-con who knows her real identity and also has some kind of dirt on her. My guess is that this is the set-up for a blackmail scenario that will inevitably cause Dana to betray CTU.
Kim comes to CTU to pick up Jack, who thanks to CTUs open layout, has overheard Cole confronting Hastings about not sending enough agents to the roof. When Jack sees Kim, he finds out that she has talked to Chloe and she also does not want him to leave. She convinces Jack to stay, but she also wisely heads for the airport. God knows if she sticks around she’ll end up as a hostage or stuck in a bear trap, fending off mountain lions. So Jack heads back into CTU. As he passes through the threshold the background music switches from soft and emotional to the heroic Jack Bauer theme. It’s 5:37 and Jackie Boy is officially back in the game.
Naturally, the first thing Jack and Chloe do is break the rules. Chloe hacks into the drone computer system to see if she can get additional pictures from Reed’s apartment. They are able to zoom in on the suspect’s taxi cab and Jack now has a trail to follow. So naturally, Chloe helps him break into the armory so he can fill the Jack Sack with an arsenal. But Arlo discovers Chloe’s handiwork and Jack is busted by Hastings and Cole.
Across town, the bad guy shows up at a young couple’s apartment. The woman calls him Mike Farmer, and it turns out that he is a cop on security detail at the UN. The apartment is his partner’s. He asks his partner if he will switch shifts with him. When his partner refuses because of a prior commitment for his kid, Farrmer drops his fake American accent and pulls a gun. He ties up and shoots the wife in the leg, forcing his partner to call and switch shifts with him. Now he has access to Hassan Chop.
Back in the armory, Hastings is about to have Jack taken into custody when Jack plays the “P” card. He says that if Hastings doesn’t let him go, he’ll tell his pal, the President, about how Hastings did not send enough agents to the rooftop rendezvous. Hastings relents and let’s Jack fill his sack and go investigate his suspect. Cole, observing the entire exchange, is visibly aroused and now obviously has a man-crush on Jack.
Over at the UN, the talks continue. Hassan Chop’s brother, who has never been happy with all of the compromises being made in the negotiations, gets a phone call. It’s Mike Farmer. OMG, Hassan’s brother is helping the bad guy. He is the inside man.
Tonight, we’ll see if Farmer can get to Hassan. And another old friend returns. This one is cute as a button, tough as nails and looks a little like Lindsay Lohan.
See you in a little while.
----
Questions? Comments? Feedback? Want to get on the email alert list? Drop me a line at jack@backinjack.com or post a comment below.
5 pm
The second hour of the premiere has Jack and Cole heading back to CTU, where they have discovered that someone has been hacking into the UN security computers. The evidence all points to Meredith Reed, the reporter that has just gained access to President Hassan. I realize we need a nickname for Hassan, and “Slumdog” is just too obvious, so I am going to go with the Bugs Bunny reference and call him Hassan Chop. (See http://www.hassanchop.com/)
While CTU scrambles to find Miss Reed with facial recognition software, Chloe points out that the trail to this suspect was a little too obvious. But CTU Director “Bubba” Hastings does not want to hear it. While his agents swarm and capture Reed at the UN, he gets Chloe out of the way by sending her to debrief Jack. Jack sees merit to the photos Chloe finds of a suspicious character coming and going from Reed’s apartment right around the time her laptop would have been tampered with. But to her surprise, Jack wants nothing to do with the case. Kim is on her way to pick him and he just wants to get on with his life. That’s when Chloe calls him out on all the favors she’s done for him in the past. It’s awesome. How many times has she risked her job and broken the law to help him? But still, Jack says no.
Meanwhile, Hassan Chop and Madame President continue their negotiations. We learn that Hassan has had an affair with Reed, because he’s been living in a loveless marriage that is only still intact for show. Perhaps we should be calling Hassan “Bubba” instead of Hastings, because this sounds a lot like another President I know.
Reed is taken back to CTU and hooked up to their fancy equipment… like what seems to be an electronic bible that can tell if you are lying when you place your hand on it. And when they question her, they can in fact tell that she is lying. Unfortunately, she is lying about her affair, not a plot to kill Hassan Chop.
While all this is happening, also learn that while Dana Walsh is not what she seems. While she may appear to be a fancy, CTU agent with lots of gadgets, she’s still just Jenny from the Block. She gets a call from Kevin, some redneck, ex-con who knows her real identity and also has some kind of dirt on her. My guess is that this is the set-up for a blackmail scenario that will inevitably cause Dana to betray CTU.
Kim comes to CTU to pick up Jack, who thanks to CTUs open layout, has overheard Cole confronting Hastings about not sending enough agents to the roof. When Jack sees Kim, he finds out that she has talked to Chloe and she also does not want him to leave. She convinces Jack to stay, but she also wisely heads for the airport. God knows if she sticks around she’ll end up as a hostage or stuck in a bear trap, fending off mountain lions. So Jack heads back into CTU. As he passes through the threshold the background music switches from soft and emotional to the heroic Jack Bauer theme. It’s 5:37 and Jackie Boy is officially back in the game.
Naturally, the first thing Jack and Chloe do is break the rules. Chloe hacks into the drone computer system to see if she can get additional pictures from Reed’s apartment. They are able to zoom in on the suspect’s taxi cab and Jack now has a trail to follow. So naturally, Chloe helps him break into the armory so he can fill the Jack Sack with an arsenal. But Arlo discovers Chloe’s handiwork and Jack is busted by Hastings and Cole.
Across town, the bad guy shows up at a young couple’s apartment. The woman calls him Mike Farmer, and it turns out that he is a cop on security detail at the UN. The apartment is his partner’s. He asks his partner if he will switch shifts with him. When his partner refuses because of a prior commitment for his kid, Farrmer drops his fake American accent and pulls a gun. He ties up and shoots the wife in the leg, forcing his partner to call and switch shifts with him. Now he has access to Hassan Chop.
Back in the armory, Hastings is about to have Jack taken into custody when Jack plays the “P” card. He says that if Hastings doesn’t let him go, he’ll tell his pal, the President, about how Hastings did not send enough agents to the rooftop rendezvous. Hastings relents and let’s Jack fill his sack and go investigate his suspect. Cole, observing the entire exchange, is visibly aroused and now obviously has a man-crush on Jack.
Over at the UN, the talks continue. Hassan Chop’s brother, who has never been happy with all of the compromises being made in the negotiations, gets a phone call. It’s Mike Farmer. OMG, Hassan’s brother is helping the bad guy. He is the inside man.
Tonight, we’ll see if Farmer can get to Hassan. And another old friend returns. This one is cute as a button, tough as nails and looks a little like Lindsay Lohan.
See you in a little while.
----
Questions? Comments? Feedback? Want to get on the email alert list? Drop me a line at jack@backinjack.com or post a comment below.
24- Season 8.1 4pm: The Bronx is Up and The Bauer is Down - Part 1
Welcome back to a new season of 24. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get going. I’m going to split up the two hours of the premiere so I can get to bed at a decent hour.
4 pm
Start spreading the news… Jack Bauer is back, and he’s in the Big Apple.
When last we saw Jack, he was on his deathbed. He was finally at peace with himself and had gone into an induced coma, awaiting death’s sweet embrace. But Kim Bauer was not ready to lose her father and submits to a dangerous stem cell procedure that could possibly save him.
Danger? Fiddlesticks.
She’s a Bauer; Danger is her middle name, baby.
We pick up sometime later. Jack has moved from the deathbed to the couch, where he is enjoying an afternoon with his granddaughter, Teri. He has fully recovered from the disease and is contemplating a move to LA with his daughter Kim and her husband Stephen. I’m guessing the move to California is Stephen’s idea, because he looks an awful lot like Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and probably gets a lot of grief living in New York.
Before we go any further, I want to remind you people of something. It’s the most basic rule of watching 24; don’t get too attached to any character. It’s just not worth it. They will burn you. Remember, any one of them could be a mole, a sleeper cell or some other kind of covert bad guy. On the other hand, some of the people that may seem bad may really be good…. like a double agent, or maybe even a triple or quadruple agent. But most of all don’t get attached because anyone can die at any moment.
A perfect example is the very first character we meet tonight, Victor. Don’t get too attached. Victor is played by the guy who was Aceveda on The Shield. So this guy is going from Vic Mackey to Jack Bauer. (If you know The Shield, you know that is like going from the frying pan to the fire, except besides boiling oil, the frying pan was also full of corrupt cops, evil gangbangers and compromising cell phone pictures.) When we meet Victor, he is dressed like Little Red Riding Hood and being tailed by some assassins. He manages to escape, but not before he is shot in the shoulder. He makes his way to Jack Bauer’s place and we learn that he is an old CTU informant. As usual, he wants to trade protection and immunity for information about an impending assassination attempt on Omar Hassan, the President of the fictional Muslim nation of Kamistan and the owner of one impressive head of hair. Hassan is played by the Indian Regis Philbin guy from Slumdog Millionaire. But in this case, he’s the one who’s gonna need a lifeline. Hassan is in town for peace talks with our old pal, Madame President.
Yep, Allison Taylor’s run as President is still going, even though her marriage is not. I guess turning in her murderous daughter was too much for the First Hubby. Either that or maybe she just doesn’t put out anymore. But her old pal Nathan is still by her side. With Nathan it’s “‘til death do the part.” Unfortunately that might happen sooner rather than later. During a break in the negotiations we see Nathan popping pills and we learn that he is dying. This being 24, he can expect him at death’s door before the end of the day. Perhaps he’ll be sacrificing himself at some point. Just a hunch.
Jack calls CTU and tells them about Victor’s news and they agree to send a chopper to a nearby police precinct to pick them up. This is where we get to meet the new clowns at CTU: NY and also see their new digs. The new CTU office has a CSI: Miami look to it, while maintaining the trademark windows and stairways that we all have grown to love. There’s also some cool Get Smart-like sliding doors and plenty of new technology. And having trouble keeping up with this new technology is one familiar, scowling face, our girl Chloe. She’s working under the new, hot CTU computer chick, Dana Walsh. Dana is played by Katie Sackhoff, who was also the new, hot Starbuck on BattleStar Galactica. It was a big night on Fox for Galactica alumni, because Tricia Helfer, the hot, blonde Cylon, was on Human Target just before 24.
Dana is engaged to Cole Ortiz, played by Freddie Prince Jr., who is the latest hot shot CTU agent in the tradition of Chase and Rickey Schroeder. There’s also a geek named Arlo, who runs the flying drones that fly around Manhattan. Arlo also uses the drones to spy on sunbathing chicks and is caught gawking at Dana’s rack at one point. This makes him the most realistic guy in 24 history. We also meet the new head of CTU, Brian Hastings, who is played by Bubba from Forrest Gump.
Dana is a bit more knowledgeable than Chloe about the new CTU software and is also a much more formidable rival than Agent Garofalo from last year. She’s smart, attractive, and confident and she outranks Chloe. Chloe does even attempt to hide the chip on her shoulder. She also has problems with Hastings, who is not confident in her Chloe’s abilities and even less thrilled with her attitude. There are also signs of budget problems and downsizing at CTU. We learn that Morris was laid off and that CTU is running lean. When you hear the word “lean” at your job, you know it’s time to revise your resume. Unfortunately, this means that CTU does not send enough men to pick up Jack and Victor.
When Jack and Victor head out for the rendezvous, another long lost character makes an appearance. Yep… the Jack Sack is back. And like the way the Batmobile evolves with each new Batman movie, this Jack Sack has a new look too. This time it’s a swanky leather courier bag; possibly Coach or Gucci. It seems Mr. Bauer has been spending some time uptown, or maybe it’s a knock-off he bought from a guy on a corner.
Anyway, the bad guys are monitoring the emergency frequencies and find Jack while he’s attempting to clean Victor’s wound in an alley with the cloth from a dirty mattress. (That’s sanitary, right?) He must have cut the tag off the mattress, because someone spots him and calls the cops. Jack and Victor flee from the bad guys after a shoot out that kills a couple of cops. Jack runs out of bullets, and the bad guys seem to have them cornered in a stairwell. But this is Jack Bauer, and he don’t need no stinking bullets. He takes a page out of The Shining and chops down the bad guys with a fire ax.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Sorry. Combined references to The Shining and Jack Bauer can do that to me.
Jack and Victor make it to the roof, and meet an understaffed Freddie Prince… I mean Ortiz. Just as Jack has convinced Ortiz that he does not need to go back to CTU, a missile flies in and takes out the chopper. Everyone except Jack and Cole die. With his dying breath, Victor tells Jack that there is an insider involved in the assassination plot. To this I would expect Jack to say “No sh*t, Sherlock.” After all, this is 24. When is there not an insider involved?
And who might this insider be? It just might be Meredith Reed, a perky, blonde reporter who has been denied entry into the UN but is able to call Hassan directly and have him grant her access for an interview, despite the reservations of his brother… who looks a lot like Jason Schwartzman, the guy from Funny People, Bored to Death and I Heart Huckabees. It is clear Hassan has the hots for Reed, even though he is married. Maybe they should call him Tiger Hassan.
The hour ends with Miss Reed gaining access to the UN from Hassan. Is she on her way to do an interview, make sweet love or to kill him? The episode is over, but the two hour premiere is just getting started.
Scroll up for the recap of hour two.
---
Questions? Comments? Feedback? Want to get on the email alert list? Drop me a line at jack@backinjack.com or post a comment below.
4 pm
Start spreading the news… Jack Bauer is back, and he’s in the Big Apple.
When last we saw Jack, he was on his deathbed. He was finally at peace with himself and had gone into an induced coma, awaiting death’s sweet embrace. But Kim Bauer was not ready to lose her father and submits to a dangerous stem cell procedure that could possibly save him.
Danger? Fiddlesticks.
She’s a Bauer; Danger is her middle name, baby.
We pick up sometime later. Jack has moved from the deathbed to the couch, where he is enjoying an afternoon with his granddaughter, Teri. He has fully recovered from the disease and is contemplating a move to LA with his daughter Kim and her husband Stephen. I’m guessing the move to California is Stephen’s idea, because he looks an awful lot like Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and probably gets a lot of grief living in New York.
Before we go any further, I want to remind you people of something. It’s the most basic rule of watching 24; don’t get too attached to any character. It’s just not worth it. They will burn you. Remember, any one of them could be a mole, a sleeper cell or some other kind of covert bad guy. On the other hand, some of the people that may seem bad may really be good…. like a double agent, or maybe even a triple or quadruple agent. But most of all don’t get attached because anyone can die at any moment.
A perfect example is the very first character we meet tonight, Victor. Don’t get too attached. Victor is played by the guy who was Aceveda on The Shield. So this guy is going from Vic Mackey to Jack Bauer. (If you know The Shield, you know that is like going from the frying pan to the fire, except besides boiling oil, the frying pan was also full of corrupt cops, evil gangbangers and compromising cell phone pictures.) When we meet Victor, he is dressed like Little Red Riding Hood and being tailed by some assassins. He manages to escape, but not before he is shot in the shoulder. He makes his way to Jack Bauer’s place and we learn that he is an old CTU informant. As usual, he wants to trade protection and immunity for information about an impending assassination attempt on Omar Hassan, the President of the fictional Muslim nation of Kamistan and the owner of one impressive head of hair. Hassan is played by the Indian Regis Philbin guy from Slumdog Millionaire. But in this case, he’s the one who’s gonna need a lifeline. Hassan is in town for peace talks with our old pal, Madame President.
Yep, Allison Taylor’s run as President is still going, even though her marriage is not. I guess turning in her murderous daughter was too much for the First Hubby. Either that or maybe she just doesn’t put out anymore. But her old pal Nathan is still by her side. With Nathan it’s “‘til death do the part.” Unfortunately that might happen sooner rather than later. During a break in the negotiations we see Nathan popping pills and we learn that he is dying. This being 24, he can expect him at death’s door before the end of the day. Perhaps he’ll be sacrificing himself at some point. Just a hunch.
Jack calls CTU and tells them about Victor’s news and they agree to send a chopper to a nearby police precinct to pick them up. This is where we get to meet the new clowns at CTU: NY and also see their new digs. The new CTU office has a CSI: Miami look to it, while maintaining the trademark windows and stairways that we all have grown to love. There’s also some cool Get Smart-like sliding doors and plenty of new technology. And having trouble keeping up with this new technology is one familiar, scowling face, our girl Chloe. She’s working under the new, hot CTU computer chick, Dana Walsh. Dana is played by Katie Sackhoff, who was also the new, hot Starbuck on BattleStar Galactica. It was a big night on Fox for Galactica alumni, because Tricia Helfer, the hot, blonde Cylon, was on Human Target just before 24.
Dana is engaged to Cole Ortiz, played by Freddie Prince Jr., who is the latest hot shot CTU agent in the tradition of Chase and Rickey Schroeder. There’s also a geek named Arlo, who runs the flying drones that fly around Manhattan. Arlo also uses the drones to spy on sunbathing chicks and is caught gawking at Dana’s rack at one point. This makes him the most realistic guy in 24 history. We also meet the new head of CTU, Brian Hastings, who is played by Bubba from Forrest Gump.
Dana is a bit more knowledgeable than Chloe about the new CTU software and is also a much more formidable rival than Agent Garofalo from last year. She’s smart, attractive, and confident and she outranks Chloe. Chloe does even attempt to hide the chip on her shoulder. She also has problems with Hastings, who is not confident in her Chloe’s abilities and even less thrilled with her attitude. There are also signs of budget problems and downsizing at CTU. We learn that Morris was laid off and that CTU is running lean. When you hear the word “lean” at your job, you know it’s time to revise your resume. Unfortunately, this means that CTU does not send enough men to pick up Jack and Victor.
When Jack and Victor head out for the rendezvous, another long lost character makes an appearance. Yep… the Jack Sack is back. And like the way the Batmobile evolves with each new Batman movie, this Jack Sack has a new look too. This time it’s a swanky leather courier bag; possibly Coach or Gucci. It seems Mr. Bauer has been spending some time uptown, or maybe it’s a knock-off he bought from a guy on a corner.
Anyway, the bad guys are monitoring the emergency frequencies and find Jack while he’s attempting to clean Victor’s wound in an alley with the cloth from a dirty mattress. (That’s sanitary, right?) He must have cut the tag off the mattress, because someone spots him and calls the cops. Jack and Victor flee from the bad guys after a shoot out that kills a couple of cops. Jack runs out of bullets, and the bad guys seem to have them cornered in a stairwell. But this is Jack Bauer, and he don’t need no stinking bullets. He takes a page out of The Shining and chops down the bad guys with a fire ax.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Sorry. Combined references to The Shining and Jack Bauer can do that to me.
Jack and Victor make it to the roof, and meet an understaffed Freddie Prince… I mean Ortiz. Just as Jack has convinced Ortiz that he does not need to go back to CTU, a missile flies in and takes out the chopper. Everyone except Jack and Cole die. With his dying breath, Victor tells Jack that there is an insider involved in the assassination plot. To this I would expect Jack to say “No sh*t, Sherlock.” After all, this is 24. When is there not an insider involved?
And who might this insider be? It just might be Meredith Reed, a perky, blonde reporter who has been denied entry into the UN but is able to call Hassan directly and have him grant her access for an interview, despite the reservations of his brother… who looks a lot like Jason Schwartzman, the guy from Funny People, Bored to Death and I Heart Huckabees. It is clear Hassan has the hots for Reed, even though he is married. Maybe they should call him Tiger Hassan.
The hour ends with Miss Reed gaining access to the UN from Hassan. Is she on her way to do an interview, make sweet love or to kill him? The episode is over, but the two hour premiere is just getting started.
Scroll up for the recap of hour two.
---
Questions? Comments? Feedback? Want to get on the email alert list? Drop me a line at jack@backinjack.com or post a comment below.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Jack in the Saddle Again
Welcome back.
So it's finally here; season eight of 24 starts tonight.
Just a little housekeeping before we get started....
As you may know, this blog started on my old web site, Back in Jack, then I moved it to this Blogger site because it's MUCH easier to manage.
Well, I finally fixed the old URL so it points here, so now you can find me at www.backinjack.com. And www.backinjack.blogspot.com also still works.
I'll be back later after football and the big two hour premiere.
Viva L'Almeida!
So it's finally here; season eight of 24 starts tonight.
Just a little housekeeping before we get started....
As you may know, this blog started on my old web site, Back in Jack, then I moved it to this Blogger site because it's MUCH easier to manage.
Well, I finally fixed the old URL so it points here, so now you can find me at www.backinjack.com. And www.backinjack.blogspot.com also still works.
I'll be back later after football and the big two hour premiere.
Viva L'Almeida!
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