24 Day 7 10am Primer
So while I did enjoy the first 2 hours of Day 7 I have to admit they were a little on the sedate side for the first 2 episodes of a season of 24. I mean, let’s compare:
(Warning: Spoilers follow. If you plan on catching up on 24 do not continue reading. I’m talking to you Jon. Seriously, that jackass hasn’t even watched season 4 yet which is only about the best season ever.)
Day 1: A plane blows up and Jack’s boss gets killed.
Day 2: Jack shoots a federal witness in the chest and then cuts off his head.
Day 3: A body infected with a super-deadly virus is dropped off at the hospital.
Day 4: A train blows up, Jack shoots a suspect in the leg, and the Secretary of Defense is kidnapped.
Day 5: An ex-president and an ex-CTU director are assassinated.
Day 6: Jack stops a bomb on a subway and discovers the president’s been double-crossed.
Day 7: Two planes almost crash but don’t, a sniper kills a semi-bad guy, Tony is captured.
So I guess I would place the first 2 hours of Day 7 above Days 3 and 6 but below the rest.
Now that said, I’ve got a bead on what’s happening tonight and it looks pretty good. Remember the fourth hour of Day 6 had that season’s holy-crap-I-have-to-watch-the-whole-season-even-if-I’ve-never-seen-this-show-before moment. So the holy-crap moment of the premiere may very well be coming tonight.
But part of me wonders what if it doesn’t? What if they’re now just playing to the fans? With an average first-run audience of somewhere between 12 and 14 million viewers in the US alone, do they even need to try and bring new people in?
Anyways, clearly the primary plot is all about Tony. If you don’t really know (and love!) who Tony is, the relevance and dramatic weight of everything that’s happened so far might be somewhat lost on you. So let me try to bring you up to speed on what’s going on so that in case you’ve never seen 24 before (and might I ask what the hell is wrong with you if you haven’t?) you should be able to jump right in tonight.
(Jon: Are you still reading? Knock it off. Seriously, this post will still be here after you watch season 4. At least finish episode 7 of Day 4 before continuing for the love of God. I can’t be held responsible for what happens if you keep reading before watching that episode. It’s freaking beautiful and if you keep reading you’ll just be crapping all over it)
Jack used to be Tony’s boss at CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit) and there was tension and resentment between the two over similar romantic interests and differing views on how to handle certain situations. Eventually both are betrayed by the same woman but a personal tragedy makes Jack resign. Tony works hard and eventually takes over Jack’s old job and falls in love with a woman under his command named Michelle. Michelle and Tony marry but when Michelle is taken hostage by terrorists Tony commits treason to save her. Subsequently Tony loses his job, goes to jail only to be bailed out by Jack, and develops a drinking problem that causes him to separate from his wife. Jack offers what assistance he can but Tony’s in no mood to receive help from anyone.
(Jon: Okay seriously, stop reading now. This isn’t funny anymore.)
Then Jack gets stuck, surrounded by terrorists, his girlfriend at his side, completely without ammunition or a hope and he knows there’s only one man he can trust, only one man he can call. Jack’s hiding, the terrorists are about to find him, he’s holding his empty gun by the barrel futilely preparing to defend himself with the butt of his gun and precious little else against insurmountable odds when 2 shots ring out and it’s Tony, the man who was convinced he had nothing to live for. Jack not only bends over backwards to help him but gives Tony a good kick in the ass for his own good while moving heaven and earth to get Tony reinstated. Tony slowly begins to regain his old confidence and even manages to put his marriage back together all largely because of Jack’s help. Tony and Michelle leave government work altogether and start up their own security company and for a time things are better than ever for them. Until Michelle is assassinated by a bomb meant for both of them. Tony narrowly escapes with his life but is severely injured and later that day is killed by the man responsible, Christopher Henderson, via some kind of injection. Tony dies in Jack’s arms – his last words are “she’s gone”, referring to Michelle. Jack breaks down into uncontrollable sobbing. Tony is quickly carted away.
Now a series of technology thefts have lead the FBI to believe that Tony is alive and leading a terrorist group. Jack doesn’t believe it but has been convinced that somehow Tony is alive. He and an FBI agent have just apprehended him.
The following takes place between 10am and…
