24 Blow by Blow: Season 5 - Episode 9 - 3pm-4pm

The gear has shifted in to 3rd as his ebb over the 1/3 point on this season of "24!" Let's get to it blow by blow!

-- Warlock Boy!! Actor Julian Sands joins the cast of "24" this season and I am elated! There was a little movie called "WARLOCK" back in the late 80's that provided Sands as the evil Warlock in an almost-as-good-as "HIGHLANDER" romp. I totally recommend it and cant wait to see where this role takes him in the realm of "24".

-- Erwich is Gone!! One of the golden hallmarks of television shows I've been watching over the years, is their ability and tendency to take established characters and KILL THEM! Not to be outdone by the prison show, "OZ" this year's "24" continues the proud tradition of establishing characters and then yanking them out of the mix.

-- Druggy Jenn and the Keycard: Does anyone else have a job where you're in charge of hundreds of intelligent personnel, hoping to save the free world from almost certain chemical gas release? You do? Oh - well do you also have a drug addict sister that apparently calls you at all kinds of day and nite to ask for fix money, to ask you to meet her in the alley next to your governmental secret workplace and then roll you like a homeless guy with the help of a pimp/boyfriend/dopefiend? I didn't think so. Ahh, the magic of "24" and it's writing emergeth! :)

-- Sam is on the Warpath: As this episode unfolds, along with Lynn's remaining sanity, we see that he is this close to donning a tattered brown cloak, grabbing a short stubby blue sword and screaming "Get back or I'll have you, Longshanks!" While I had high hopes for Sean Astin in this season, he is sadly headed down the road to complete and utter stress-induced destruction. Note to Lynn: Solve time-sensitive terrorists-with-nerve-gas crisis before venturing out in the BACK ALLEY of CTU to rendezvous with sister that provides oral sex to whoever's on the corner for drug money.

-- Conference Room Door Opening Sound: One of the great items about this show is the sound design. Anyone else noticed the authoritative >thud!< style="font-weight: bold;">-- Jack Into Custody?? Hasn't Lynn watched the previous seasons of "24" on DVD yet? Everyone KNOWS you don't take Jack Bauer into custody! You know why? Because he will render your ass unconscious in less than 8 seconds, that's why! More on that later.

-- Nathanson/Earbud Guy has Num for CTU and Desire to Talk to Jack? Can someone please call 411 and get me the number for CTU's station number 5? Yeah the one with the cute blonde named Audrey, please. Thanks! While I LOVE that we've now basically shoveled guilt onto someone else that we probably know, I am awestruck when stories take turns like this because the request for suspension of disbelief is a tall one, but hey - I'm on board!

-- Walt Wasn't the Only Mole: Intrigue is only one of the main reasons I watch this program folks. When you roll together all of the items that are as implausible as as they are entertaining, things like his are the perfect breeding grounds for the black helicopter lot. When in doubt, and you've killed what is apparently the last lead - inject more guilt on people you already probably know! -- Dialog Genius - Audrey, Jack and Nathanson: Wow - if you have to wonder why "24" wins so many awards, I invite you to watch this short, less than 1 minute exchange between three charcters, all of whom are in mobile/remote/moving locations. It's done perfect, the facts needed are there, and then you're done. That's how you make television, folks.

-- Real Life Graphic Novelesque Shots: another wonderful trait of this show is it's propensity to provide you with what is moving, real-life graphic novelesque pictographs during what is almost the entire show. The proof of this is being able to take almost any still that is provided, regagrdless of the content, put it in a picture frame and hang it on the wall. The cinematographers on this show REALLY have flair and it makes the icing of the actual visual presentation even more elegant and satisfying.

-- Holy Rabbit Punch! Down Goes Curtis! While I was watching the "Chronicles of Riddick" this weekend guess who I noticed? That's right! There was Curtis in his silver-armored glory gettin an ass-kicking by Vin Diesel. Here's your second chance to see a little bit of non-lethal sleeper-hold, taking him down in less than 8 seconds flat. "Don't fight it Curtis, don't fight it..."

-- Like to Be Like Jack: You talk about wanting to be like Michael Jordan? I want to be like Jack. How would you like to have an argument that ended in less than 8 seconds with a non-lethal sleeper hold and an excedrin for your friend who "sees things differently?" Hook a bruddah' up. That would have worked WONDERS in college without question.

-- Order Boy is Losing It: It really looks like it's long bottom leaf time for Lynn at this point. He is clearly out of control and not able to discharge or provide effective delegation of required duties. Why don't any of the people there ask that HE be taken into custody until things can be sorted out? Until he stops thinking that everyone is conspiring against him to dillute the solving-skills of CTU? I'd like to see the Riders in Black show up and haul his ass into a holding cell.

-- Tea with Terrorists : Logan Style: one of the best books I've ever read is one called "Prophet of Doom" by Craig Winn. It's just about as straight-forward as it sounds and provides a dialog where the terrorists tell him what they want and what they will do to achieve it. Without taking a complete departure on a television show review, the bottom line is that terrrorists, however rediculous they may seem, have an overall goal. Warlock provides his goal and asks audience with the President to secure it. Would it actually every happen? Would the President "get into bed/negotiate with terrorists to save potentially hundreds of thousands of lives? More important is this question - would the terrorists ever "do what they say they will" and not go any farther? The sad answer is that they would do what they said, and then try to kill more, which is why you CANNOT DEAL WITH TERRORISTS. Period. Enter in your own thoughts here because the questions initiated from something like this are huge and worth the dialog.

-- You Make the Call: IF YOU were the President, would you give up the Russian Presidential entourage in lieu of "potentially saving hundreds of thousands of American lives?

-- The Dreaded System Glitch: Having filled out my own share of HelpDesk tickets at my workplace, I can tell you that stranger things have happened than an entire phone log being made to disappear. I really would have appreciated something else inserted here though. "A system glitch" just seems so incredibly inane at this point and there is SO much technobabble used already inthe program - why not use something more exotic?

-- "CTU is Porous": While our chubby, recently Rosey Cotton-marrying Middle-Earth friend is losing it, he is spot on when he tells Bill that "CTU is Porous." After the internal "problems" I can't imagine anyone being allowed any slack at all, much less some of the things that go on currently. While I think that his actions are sound, his method has a lot to be desired. Perhaps that's why we have the shallow introduction of yet another CTU family member "in distress" stressing out a valuable operative again. What do YOU think?

-- New Type of Cell Bud - Very Slick: For those of you that don't know me, I wear hearing aids, and have MARVELED in the innovation of new earbuds making their way into the mainstream. While it makes a saunter down the street for me a lot less uncomfortable, I am always on the look out for things that are being introduced into the technology realm. In this case, Jack's new Nathanson-provided earbud. It looks very much like a chubby drop earring, but I'd love to see more of it. Looks like it has the function stuff right on the (where the jewel would be) nubb.

-- Captioning Hiccup - Hostile Identities: When the hostiles arrive via "black helicopter!", Jack explains to Earbud Man/Nathanson that they are entering. In the captioning, it also states that "they are not CTU!" I find this strange that it was either deleted or never ADR'd in session as it really could mean the difference between Jack getting anything from Earbud Man and not.

-- Ahh, Instant Card Reader: I would at a computer company, everyday, and even I am never able to have a card reader/required port when I need it. It's AMAZING that Jack has a device on him that will apparently accept what is the connection that will allow him to see the data on now Dead Earbud Man's Thumbdrive, also apparently now known around the world as a "T-Drive."

-- Casting Brilliance: I am VERY impressed this season, with the casting of both known, and literally foreign actors using a variety of languages to keep us guessing. While I am always willing to see and support the fact that the next "set of attackers that do their best to harm us" will be of Arab decent, all of what is going on still falls into the same real of believeability that every American can take to heart and use as real knowledge to keep your eyes peeled. The mall is a great sample of things that could yet become reality.

-- Wifey Needs to Go: While I was initially curious where they would take the character of Mrs. Logan, I am now more certain than ever that she needs to die. :) Looking at how the episode ends this week and continues next week, we may just be witness to that. When they mention the attack how about telling her that... he's having a lumbago attack! A Chocoattack! Anything but telling her the truth and have Aaron take her for some quiet time in the room with white paint until the nerve gas crisis is done!

-- Budget Cutbacks? How come the President is only capable of having one to two advisors at a time. Doesn't he have, like, a huge staff of directors and cabinet secretaries dedicated to dealing with these disasters. Instead, he has Mike Novak. A guy who hasn't figured out that Logan will always take the EXACT OPPOSITE approach that he recommends. How about some good old parental-reverse-psychology, Mike?

-- Captioning Hiccup: Upperhanded Terrorists: Something that was omitted again in this episode from the captioning reference (which is usually taken from cues from the original provided script) is that the President apparently was scripted to tell his wife that "These terrorists have the upper hand" which is what shuts her up as they walk to the limo to greet the soon-to-be-coughing-lung-tissue Russian Presidential entourage.

-- Samwise's Section 23 Redundancy Paranoia and Micromanaging: How about a Section 8 for our micromanaging, paranoid wee-one from the Shire? Can you imagine a room of what -- 25+ people all having their screens and activities monitored, mirrored and reviewed by one person before things can move forward in a situation like the one that's been painted for us so far? If you go back to my previous point of why things like this and prior points would make a very solid case for Lynn to removed, you'll see that there is a clear case of something being awry. Our country couldn't possibly stand that kind of micromanagement.

-- On the Next Episode of "24": Lynn McGill begins his journey to retrieve the keycard and toss it into the firey pit of Mount Doom, CA. Thankfully, Mt Doom, CA is a short 10 minutes by motorcar, courtesy of the CTU Driver, Gollum.

SideNote: "The Unit" In addition to being the voice of Allstate, my own insurance provider, our own President Palmer, actor David Haysbert, will be playing a member of our United States Military in a show beginning in May called "The Unit." I don't have many details but did see a commercial for it recently. Check the link provided for more details and be sure to Tivo that to see what allowoed David to leave the "24" realm :)

-- Mrs. Logan Decides to Go for a Long Drive on a short and Soon-to-Be Foggy Pier: Why is it that while I know Mrs. Logan is headed for almost certain doom, the only person I care about is Aaron, the venteran Secret Service dude? :) Is this the end for our redhaired friend?

-- Look! We're Watching FoxNews! One of the greatest benefits of Fox hosting the series is that they can make incredibly real news notes on television screens without fear of lawsuit! It really does help to sell what's going on and add an aire of total legitimacy!

New Segment! "24" Trailer Review -- Tell Us YOUR Thoughts!

-- Mrs. Logan Riding and Pre-reacting to the Events to Unfold: Up or down vote, folks, do you want her to stick around to nag the Logan administration into the ground or is it time for the white Cloud White House in the sky?

-- Jack Rides/Infiltrates Again! Jack will apparently, again, infiltrate a top secret government facility to collect some information/personnel next episode. All I can say is MORE less-than-8-second takedowns!

-- A Black Rider: Looks like Curtis, the "other black dude" on "24" is going to be delivering some confronation to our stout Ale-drinkin' Frodo buddy next episode. If Curtis leads him to a golden, wooden ship and the Annie Lennox song starts up, I may have to draw a sidearm myself and go on my own CTU shooting spree.

-- Presidential Path Ready to be Struck: We see a series of terrorists in place and ready to attack and I have to tell you from first hand experience: the realm of believeability for his is ZERO. I've had the happenstance of being on the highway, heading in the opposite direction of both the President (GW), and Vice President (Cheney) of the United States and there is a forward team that look for things just like this, that includes AH-6 light attack helicopter, that would rain down all kinds of bad news on a terrorist set up like that - period. Between that and the always available alternate routes on things like that, it wouldn't ever happen - unless someone on the inside was helping!

-- Do They Recall the Motorcade or Not? As is made clear by our Internet Radio show, and by my previous blogs, I want to see destruction like what will be depicted here for more reasons than I want to see wanton destruction. There is something to be said for a "sample of what may come" in shows like this, and I think it's the perfect delivery system for a populace in the United States that have apparently forgotten much about the 11th Day of September.

The show continues to escalate, excite and keep you guessing! It's all about entertainment and consider me entertained! See you on the show this week, and for next weeks Blow by Blow of "24!"