November 24, 2008

24 - Patriots - 24...

Pretty entertaining episode of 24 last night, with the following observations...

- Took awhile to get going; if you weren't a 24-phile, it would not have been unheard of to bail after the first 15 minutes.

- Tough subject, that recruiting kids to fight thing in Africa; so much so that even at the end when Jack completes his mission, with shades of fleeing Saigon, tough to see the thousands of innocents who remain in peril.

- Since 24 was cancelled due to the writer's strike last yr - but the show was already half-written, I wonder if the female president was more in line with what the handwriting on the wall was at the time of the strike -- not clear Republican leader and hilary the Dem frontrunner.

- Heard on D & C this AM on WEEI - late in the show, when the helicopter was chasing Jack and the kids along the river, you can clearly see a cameraman dressed in black next to Jack and the kids. Anyone who still has it on DVR will see it (I didn't see it, but it was a D&C emailer who alerted them to it, then they replayed it and saw the 24-cameraman).

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* By the way how about Matt Cassel? They still have their fate a little out of their hands & may not even make the playoffs, but watching these games are a ton more exciting than last year -- watching Cassel's Game get better and better is incredible. Totally different offense & personnel, so it's not an equal comparison, but Cassel's 1st season is shaping up better than Brady's first foray (Brady never threw for over 300 yards the first season and now we have the Pat-precedent setting two consecutive games of 400 from Cassel -- that said, even last year, Brady never had consecutive games of 400).

And, the one thing I've heard from analysts (and seen with my eyes) is that Cassel is undoubtedly a better runner. I love when he goes for it -- as we all know from last week, it's no small thing being the only QB in NFL history to throw for 400 and run for 60 (although, for the purposese of that stat, I'd only go back to, say, '96, as rules and the game have changed significantly to promote the pass and offense in general -- as well as protect the Cube).

I won't do the ridiculous thing of talking about a QB controversy, because Brady is cool-as-the-other-side-of-the-pillow, Joe-Montana-Brady, but how difficult will it be before Brady's new knee is tested to let Cassel go?

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- Interesting how last night's 24 is a prologue to the season. It flowed in real time, but you can't tell me on Jan 11, when the season starts, it picks up from Jack's 'copter ride -- just the air-travel to the states would take up half of the 24 hrs.

- Interesting how the UN-guy is painted as not just uninformed and ineffective, but such a back-biting two-timing scoundrel. Love his UN-baby-blue outfits too ;).

- I'll bet the burn on Jack's face (ear?) becomes a non-factor in the new season -- even last night... seriously, could you imagine the huge puss-filled bubble that would have resulted from that torture burn. I kept pictured Jack lancing that thing and wrapping his face in gauze for the rest of the show -- but I am just fine suspending my disbelief too.

- Jon Voight as the bad guy -- tons of corruption wiothin the US gov't itself - although this isn't too unique to 24 storylines

- Looking at the new President's son, I think he could be groomed to be a carry-over character in other 24 seasons.

- In the previews for the new season... five words -- A Very Bad Tony Almeida (and, Jack's line to him in the previews, "Tell me what I need to know, or else I'll kill you and this time you'll stay dead).

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Go Pats

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