24 - Season 6, Episode 13 - 6:00PM to 7:00PM

This week's episode of 24 was a very typical episode, featuring a variety of stunts and plot points that have become extremely familiar to loyal viewers of the show. It almost makes me wonder if the writers have some sort of template that they just fill in each week like Mad Libs. It might look something like this:

1. Jack gets trapped in a (insert foreign country) government building and must (escape/kill someone/steal something) before the (insert type of nuclear device) is detonated by (insert Russian/Arab last name).

2. The president is undermined by the despicable, morally bankrupt (insert name of vice president/chief of staff) who wishes to unseat the morally gold president in hopes of instituting some horribly immoral policy.

3. (insert name of past 24 star) returns, only to be "shockingly" killed off.

4. Chloe makes some semi-humorous sarcastic comment. Morris does too. What a pair.

5. The new Head of (insert CTU/Field Ops/Homeland Security) is hard-ass who is tough to work with, but usually does the right thing and gets the job done.

Had enough? I certainly have. Sure, I love watching Jean Smart babble like a crazy person, and of course I love to watch Gregory Itzin's neck fat flap around like a rooster's wattle, but really folks, what do the creators of 24 think they're pulling here? Is anyone riveted by this season's events? If you are, I'd love to read your comments because personally, I'm just bored to tears. I love a good Aaron appearance as much as the next guy, but has it really come to this? The idea well is so dry that each episode seems to just blend into the next?

If this is case, then I urge Fox to holster their guns, shut off their satellite imagery and throw in the towel. It's remarkable that the show has had such continued success for almost six years now, but I think it's pretty clear that the writers are simply out of gas. There's just no more mileage left in this show. Who could Jack possibly fight that he hasn't already? Mer-men? How many more presidents can be undermined by their ludicrously untrustworthy running mates?

In my opinion, the show is lacking three crucial elements that have made previous season's so much more intriguing than the current. The first is women. No woman has lasted this season for more than 2 or 3 episodes before disappearing off the face of the Earth (besides Chloe, who I wish would just die already). Where's Audrey? Where's Kim? Where are Nina, Sherry and Michelle? These female characters add a great level of depth to the show, a depth that is sorely missing at the moment.

Second, and very much connected to my first point, is the absence of a good American villain. Gredenko and Fayed blend right in with Bierko, Sayid Ali, Victor Drazen, etc. etc. etc. But what about Nina Meyers and Sherry Palmer? What about Alan Miliken and Peter Kingsley? Hell, what about Charles Logan? Facing real, 3-dimensional villains who have jobs and families and live on our own soil is much scarier than following faceless Arab and Russian terrorists around (who we know will be killed by the end of the season anyways).

Third, and this one is a more general comment that both my first suggestions sort of fall under, is a total lack of interesting supporting characters. This season, all the supporting characters have either disappeared after a small 2-3 episode arc or have been totally marginalized and are basically playing caricatures of themselves. The list of vanishing supporting roles this season is stunning: President Palmer, Walid and Palmer's sister, Jack's father/brother/nephew/sister-in-law, that blonde chick and the guy she was with who were both killed trying to get money from Fayed, etc. etc. etc. Just reading this list makes me want to die from boredom these characters suck so much. And those small characters who remain are incredibly boring and stupid as well: Buchanan is basically a phone operator and Chloe/Morris/that pretty girl with brown hair/Milo contribute absolutely nothing to the plot. Where are Curtis, Tony, David Palmer, George Mason, Chase, Secretary Heller, Paul Raines, Behrooz, and all of the other fun characters I mentioned above? What the hell is going on here?!

Sadly, it seems as if 24 is going to go out with much more of a whimper than a bang. This week's episode was a cookie cutter plot that created no suspense and blended right in with every other boring episode from this boring, boring season. For this reason, (though I do appreciate a nice guest star turn from Jean Smart and Gregory Itzin) I sadly and dejectedly give this episode a C+


Favorite Scene: When Martha stabs Charles in the neck! How do you like them apples, Mr. President?

Favorite Line: "Is Martha capable of having a coherent conversation with Anya Suberov?"
"Honestly, I don't know." -Bill Buchanan and Aaron Pierce