Jack is back. And I could not be happier. Television needs a good swift kick in the ass and Jack is just the man for the job. It is about time for a show that just has some good action, drama and a man with a satchel of doom.
“24: Redemption” picks up three years after the seventh season ended. Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) has been around the world doing what he wants and for the past year has been avoiding a subpoena from the Senate to answer for what he has done. He is in Africa with a friend, Carl Benton (Robert Carlyle), of his who runs a school for boys. Colonel Juma (Tony Todd) and his men are going into villages and taking boys to turn into soldiers for their cause. When they come to the school and Jack does what he does best; kick ass. 
Meanwhile in the United States President-Elect Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) is about to be sworn in as president. Current President Noah Daniels (Powers Booth) is dealing with the uprising in Africa.
As a huge fan of the show, I could not contain my smile as I heard Jack Bauer say, “The following takes place between 2:00 p.m. and 3 p.m. Events occur in real time.” Its good to hear you again Jack, I missed you.
As a stand alone movie this does not work. As a prequel to the seventh season of the show, it is perfect.
It does a great job of introducing the characters who are going to be a part of the new season come January. The new president, who seems to be headed in a David Palmer direction, a shady man—quite possibly the villain of the season played by Jon Voight, the first family, the military commander leading the coup. All of these characters could make the season very interesting.
Action has always been the name of the game in “24” and it is at its best in “Redemption.” Jack has noting but two pistols and a few stick of dynamite as he takes on the rebels who invaded the camp. That is all he needs. He does what he does best, improvise and survive.
Granted if you have been paying attention, you know how this is going to end. Jack will rescue the kids and because of that he will end up having to go back to the States to face the charges. That does not make it any less intriguing. Jack is always fun to watch and he always gets the job in his own special, often violent way. 
There is just something about having “24” back that makes me happy. I don’t have to theorize about it, all I have to do is watch. It is a wild thrill ride and has kept things interesting, if not always good.
Now all I have to do is wait until January to see season seven.
I have been hearing a lot of negative things about this season of “Heroes” and quite frankly I am getting sick of it. Even with all its faults, it is still one of the best shows on television.
People have complained that things are getting too confusing, they storylines are not as strong and the show has lost the direction it had in the first season. A few weeks ago Entertainment Weekly published an article on how they could fix “Heroes” It sighted five reasons why the show has been dropping in the ratings: Too many heroes, absurd plot twists, over heightened reality, stale storytelling and the show is too disposable.
As much as I love the show, I think “Lost” is also partially to blame for the current state of “Heroes”. There is a lot of crossover between “Heroes” fans and “Lost” fans: me included. When it comes right down to it, “Lost” is the superior show. The story progression and writing are the best on television. They have the benefit of knowing when the show will end. ABC has scheduled the show for the next two years with 18 episodes a season.
I think “Heroes” would do well to do the same. Not to end the show for good like “Lost,” but wrap up these characters. I agree things are crowded on the show and they would do well to kill off characters or wrap up storylines. If each season was about different groups of heroes, it might keep the show fresh and new.
Yes, the show has its faults. Yes, there are things the show needs to do to fix it, but I still think the harsh criticism is a bit unwarranted.
I think things need to play out before a fair judgment can be made. No one dispensing the criticism knows when the end game for this volume is. Some of the things people gripe about (storylines, changes in character) could make the end all the better. I think that we need to see how it ends before we say that the show has lost its way.
“Heroes” is not a perfect show. The first season left a huge legacy to live up to, and the writer’s strike and the shortened weak second season has made many people jaded. The show may have lost its way but it is not beyond saving. If the creators and writers can tweak things just a little, they show can get back to what it once was. I will continue to support and defend the show. I like where the show is going and look forward to seeing how this volume ends.
Have you ever stopped to think about how many crime shows there are on television? Law and Order, Law and Order :SVU, Law and Order: CI, CSI, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Cold Case, Without a Trace, Life (more on that one to come), and those are just the ones I can think of. It takes something special to stick out and separate itself from all the rest. One show that does that is “Bones”
I have had some free time lately and I watched the older seasons of “Bones” on Hulu and fell in love. “Bones” is better than most others like it. The cases are more interesting, the show is funnier, the chemistry between characters is better and the characters are easier to care about. 
“Bones” is about forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan (Emily Deschanel). She is the best in her field and works in Washington D.C. at The Jeffersonian Institute where she helps the FBI solve cases. She works with Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) to solve some of the most gruesome crimes that fall under FBI jurisdiction.
The cases in this show are incredibility interesting. Bodies are found in all sorts of places, in all sorts of positions and situations. In this past season a body was found in a crushed car, in other seasons bodies, or body parts, were found in a bear, an alligator, walls and in a time capsule. One had victim was dressed as Santa, one as a superhero, one was found in the incinerator of the Jeffersonian. Complete skeletal remains were once found with hands and feet bound together making the body form a circle. 
I think I have made my point.
The driving force behind the show is not the cases like other shows it is the relationships. Especially when it comes to that of Bones and Booth. Since day one it has seemed like that they were going to end up together. It may seem like the classic “will they won’t they” that many shows have, but they never have and I doubt they ever will. The relationship is very playful. She is a brilliant scientist who understands things from an anthropological standpoint. He is a tough-as-nails, witty, FBI agent who understands human nature. As smart as Bones is, she is lost when it comes to things like pop culture, FBI procedure, and dealing with the living.
So much is said with just the looks that these two give one another. They clearly are about one another, but they have never crossed the professional line. While this would be annoying in most shows, I think it works really well in this show. They do not need to end up together in order to make the relationship better. It just as fun to watch them as merely partners, they do not need to be more.
The backgrounds on all the characters are fascinating. Booth is a former army sniper who is not comfortable with what he had to do for his country. Bones was in the foster system after her parents left her and her brother when they were young. It is easy to care about these characters. Over the pervious seasons we have been given details on their backgrounds. In season two, the body of Bones’ mother was found which eventually lead to the appearance of her father. He became a bigger part in the show when he killed the crooked head of the FBI because he had sent people after his children.
There is so much good about this show. It is one of the best shows you are not watching. Even though it is a show you don’t have to watch every week, I still do because it is that good.
Watch “Bones” on Fox every Wed at 8 p.m.
I recently started re-watching “24.” This is for a few reasons, one because the new season starts in January and it has been a while since I watched the old seasons. The television movie will air in about 2 weeks. The other is because over a year ago I began a quest to watch every DVD I own and those will go a long way in finishing my adventure. This has gotten me thinking about the precedent that this show has set. 
When it was first aired in 2001, the premise was nothing like television had ever seen. The show followed counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer over one whole day in his life. He and the rest of CTU are trying to figure out who is trying to assassinate David Palmer, a presidential candidate who eventually went on to win the election. Those behind the assassination attempt kidnap Bauer’s wife and daughter in order to get him to do what they want.
The show became a hit as millions tuned in weekly to see if and how Jack would ultimately prevail. There is more the show can claim than huge ratings. It is the reason we have shows like “Lost,” “Heroes,” and all the other shows that require weekly viewing. My love of shows like “Lost” and “Heroes” is well known and that can all be traced back to “24.”
Even at its worst, the show is still better most. I have not been the biggest fan of the past 2 seasons, but there is something that keeps me watching.
In season two Jack’s daughter Kim had an almost un-watchable story, at one point she gets stalked by a cougar, but the main story of the nuclear bomb threat was enough to make up for it. Season three again suffered from a forced Kim storyline. The last season had so much internal backstabbing in the White House that it weakened the rest of the season.
So why do I still love this show? Where “Lost” and “Heroes” are full of questions and theories, “24” does not. It relies on suspense, action, and Jack Bauer doing what it takes to do his job to keep the viewer coming back.
Last year’s writer’s strike resulted in no news season. The network said that they did not want to air a partial season. It was all or nothing. The strike lasted long enough to keep the show out of production. 
The father of serial television returns with “24: Redemption” on Nov. 23. This will do something never done in “24” history; abandon the 24 hour time format. It will be the prequel to the events that will occur on Jan. 11 when the seventh season of “24” begins. From what I have seen from the trailer of the movie, I am not expecting much. The trailer for the season though looks awesome and it looks like the show is back in true form.
Stay tuned. I will be reviewing both the movie and the new season in the near future and be sure to check out the trailers for "24:Redemption" and season seven which i have added below
