Are the producers of 24 ...
Question: Are the producers of
24 completely clueless? In a season with no surprises and very little originality, why do they continue to blow any suspense by listing "unexpected" characters in the guest credits
before the program begins? In the past two weeks, the appearances of
William Devane and
James Cromwell, respectively, might have caused us to sit up (or even wake up) if we had not known they were coming. Who didn't figure out Jack's father was the one calling the shots in that ludicrous invasion on CTU (the most porous place on earth) once Cromwell's name appeared in the credits?
24 can't afford to miss even one opportunity to surprise its audience, yet it continues to sabotage itself. Why?
Answer: At this point in the game, why ask why? Let's just tough it out like grown-ups and wait for the show to reinvent itself next season. The William Devane moment (a restraining order against Jack? Really?) was so absurd that I didn't care that they blew the reveal, but it's true that bringing back Jack's dad should have been kept in the dark until the last moment. It wouldn't have made it much more dramatically credible — although the raid on CTU did at least resemble the good old suspenseful days of yore, and it did give us the added benefit of killing off
Eric Balfour's dreadful Milo character. At the very least, it's just a matter of common sense that Cromwell's return should have been kept a surprise instead of making us wonder all episode when he would turn up. Right now, my biggest gripe about the overall season is that, no matter how many times Jack saves the day and saves the world, no one cuts him a break. He doesn't get out of custody until the Chinese have already taken over CTU. Nadia won't let him go after Cheng. Audrey's dad won't let him near his daughter. No one listens to Jack, which is why "the component" gets in the hands of the Chinese in the first place. And so on. I really do hope Jack is a Ludlum-esque lone wolf next season. None of these boobs deserves him.
