24 Starting to Keep it Ral Again with Big Episode [13] in Season 7

Let’s face it, 24 started its seventh season pretty soft. The writers had their strike and the show had a couple years off except for that little fill-in where Jack goes from confused orphan conductor back to badass revenge killer, thankfully it was a huge coincidence that he was doing his good deeds in Sangala because that’s where the new terrorists are from. The show has thankfully shaken off most of the rust and ep 13 the other night probably kept it more RAL than all others this season, a closer look at why…

Benjamin Juma threatens U.S. President: Gotta give it to this General, he’s a pretty hands-on guy. Instead of sitting in a control room to give orders he took a few homies and swam from a Washington sewer into the White House wine cellar and bullied his way into capturing her and others. He showed he was compassionate by “releasing” one of the hostages [into the afterlife] before sticking his waterproof speech in Taylor’s face and having her read it over the internet to the American public.

Bill Buchanan sacrifices himself in a burning blaze of glory to save President Taylor and a bunch of random schmo’s: Old white-haired Billy boy took it upon himself to steal JB’s suicide plan and rip down a corridor of the White House drawing terrorist fire and blowing up some kind of gas that Jack magically released while making out with the Pres (did we mention the Commander in Chief is female this season?) in the panic room. The little part that was fairly NONRAL was the timid swipe Bauer took at Bill to stop him, the guy beat heroin and sky-dived out of a spaceship to stop a nuke from going off in one previous day but couldn’t subdue someone’s Grandpa.

John Quinn throat slit: Some Chief of Staff in a hospital knew something about something that was going to happen somewhere (like we haven’t seen this before) so this evil agent diverts hospital staff by snuffing out some gentle heart patient like the big Indian in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and then tip-toes his way through the air vent system and drops in on JB’s interrogation. Knocks Jack out for exactly 22 seconds with a black market nerve agent and then frames Bauer by slitting Ryan Burnett’s throat and stabbing him in the heart with a shard of glass before disappearing again. Only thing that kept it more RAL was that Jack woke up like he’d had a peaceful 12 hour sleep and didn’t hesitate to follow suit up the air vent before having to answer to the Fibbies.

What did not keep it RAL? – That scene with Aaron Pierce and Olivia Newton-Taylor that went something like this?

ONT: Ohhh you got shot in the awmy-awm? Fank you!
AP: Don’t worry about it Miss, I was just doing my duty.
ONT: Cute! Thanks so much Agent Piewce, how could I ever thank you?
AP: You can call me Aaron, that’s how sweetie-pie. You have a truly good heart as well.

Etc. etc.

Preview of Next Episode: