"24": Am I Too Blinded to See the Truth?

WARNING: If you have not seen the four-hour premiere of “24,” stop reading now…

So now that all of you have seen the entire premiere of “24,” let’s talk about it…

First, let’s address some continuity issues between the premiere and “24: Redemption”…

Yes, that is the same Col. Dubaku that appeared to get blown up by a land mine in “Redemption.” But in the director’s cut, it was revealed that he did indeed survive (The scene actually looked a little cheesy to me, so I’m glad they cut it for broadcast.). You may have noticed during his “Let’s punish the Americans speech” that he said the American government killed his brother. But from “Redemption,” we know it was Jack who killed his brother. However, I’m willing to let this one go since a maniac like Dubaku probably wouldn’t differentiate between Jack and the government. And he’s really just looking for an excuse…

And yes, the President’s son, Roger, who allegedly committed suicide, is the same son we saw a lot of in “Redemption.” As you may remember from the movie, Roger got involved in this whole thing thanks to a friend who found something he shouldn’t have and then sent it to Roger. But in the premiere, Roger’s girlfriend made it sound like Roger had found all of that stuff. That kind of lessens the impact of what happened to Roger’s friend, but it does keep the show from having to do a lot of explaining.

Remember, that “Redemption” was written quite a while after the first seven episodes were completed so it’s not surprising the transition is not completely seamless…

Now to the moment everyone was waiting for—the explanation of how Tony is still alive. Yes, I know it was very short and sweet, but I thought it was totally plausible. The drug that Tony was injected with was some type of torture drug so it’s totally possible that it only stopped his heart as opposed to killing him. And it’s totally possible with all of the secrets running around CTU that someone would come and steal Tony away hoping to recruit him for some secret mission. And remember, Tony couldn’t have gotten in touch with Jack to let him know he was alive, because Jack was in China. And then after 24 hours of coming back and saving the world, Jack disappeared…

See? Totally plausible!

And maybe it’s totally plausible that I was just so blinded by the reunion of Jack and Tony that I am willing to believe anything this show tells me…

I mean, how awesome was that interrogation scene? When Tony pushed Jack’s biggest button—Teri—I actually gasped out loud…

But I have to say that I saw the next scene coming. Back forever ago when I first heard about Chloe and Bill involved in a shadowy independent organization, I speculated that Tony was actually working with them, so Bill being on the other end of the phone was no big surprise. But it was still great to see.

And it finally gave us our Chloe back in all of her glory. “I can’t believe what they said to you,” she told Jack about the Senate hearing. “You look good though.”

And how can you argue with that?

There were plenty of other great moments like Jack and Tony apologizing to each other for the interrogation, Jack driving out of that parking garage (I have to believe Kiefer Sutherland ad-libbed, “This is gonna hurt.”), and Jack frustratingly yelling at Tony, “And why the h—l are you not dead?” When the four of them gathered at Bill’s, it was like the gang was finally back together again…

But I’m going to restrain myself from throwing a party just yet, because the writers have left a huge door open for the possibility that Tony is not a good guy after all. When Jack noticed that Tony admires the guy he’s working for, Tony said he would do what needed to be done. But will he? I’m not so sure…

And I’m not so sure how I’ll react if I’m right…

As for the B story of the President’s son, I would agree with some critics that it has a little touch of soap opera to it; but when does the “24” b-story not have a touch of soap opera (Okay, season five’s b-story was totally awesome, but you get my point.)? And at least this story ties into the main one.

The biggest surprise so far for me is that I actually find myself liking Renee. After all, it’s obvious that the show is looking to set off some sparks between her and Jack and I HATE that…

My policy is that if Jack wants to sleep with every woman in the world on his own time, that’s fine. But during the 24 hours he’s on my time, I just want him to kick butt and save the world…

And I’m probably a little jealous…

But Renee is one tough cookie, regardless of what her boss seems to think. I love how Larry feels like he has to protect her even though he clearly doesn’t. There is obviously something going on there. When she told Jack that she just lied to her boss, I couldn’t help but think him being her boss was not the problem. And Jack knew that too from the sly smile he gave her when she said she trusted Larry completely.

Or maybe he was just smiling because she probably just identified the mole…

The previews show the undercover sting continuing another week as Jack is forced to turn on Renee. But where it’s going after that, who knows?

And isn’t that just the way we like it…

So what did you think of the premiere? Feel free to leave your thoughts…

Photos Credit: Kelsey McNeal/FOX