24 is back!

In 1986 after an 18 month hiatus, Doctor Who returned with a season of adventures tied together by a court case, the Doctor on trial for meddling in the affairs of other planets. The subtext was, of course, far from subtle, the country had fallen out of love with the show, with the character and everyone was quite literally on trial.

I think we now know what Colin Baker did in that 18 month hiatus!

Returning this week after what was probably longer than an 18 month hiatus is 24 which also opens with our protagonist on trial. After the spectacularly disappointing sixth season and the criticisms over the portrayal of torture within the show, it's no real surprise to find Jack Bauer on trial for human rights abuses. Again, a none too subtle subtext.


Thankfully, unlike the Trial of a Timelord season, the show dispenses with this plot strand rather quickly and again, unlike that season of Who, Day 7 of 24 is well on the way to being one of the best seasons in recent memory.

Building on events in the recent Redemption TV Movie, the action shifts from CTU in L.A (Where it's been firmly rooted for 6 years.) to the F.B.I in Washington and it's a refreshing change, sure all the cliches are the same (There's a mole, Jack isn't trusted by his superiors, one character will have a personal issue to deal with in a soapy subplot, a witness will be killed before imparting any information....) but there is a renewed energy about the whole series so far primarily down to the large number of new characters kicking about. No real favourites as yet, though Renee, the sultry FBI agent Jack is partnered with until...well, I wont spoil that for my SKY viewing friends. Although I'm convinced she'll be the one who's revealed to be sleeping with/has slept with their boss which would explain why Agent Moss keeps giving the pair of them suspicious looks.

I think he's gonna fuck her....

Also making for a refreshing change is that the threat and the villains are relatively low key, sure they're threatening to drop planes from the sky but that's small potatoes in relation to chemical weapons and detonating a nuke in the centre of L.A. The villains from Redemption rear their heads again as the villains of this series invoking a refreshing political and personal angle which was missing from last seasons extremely messy Chinese/Muslim/American/Russian villains. It's almost like going back to the Serbian revenge plot from the seminal Day 1. And is Tony Almeida really a terrorist? Having seen episodes 3 and 4, I know the answer but I wont tell you. What I will say is that I like the angle they're playing in these first few episodes that Jack himself could've very well gone this way too, they tried that in Day 3, but at least this time they have the sense to play him off a character who we know, who we loved, whose death reduced us to blubbering wrecks.

Anyway, the 24 team seem to have learned from their mistakes, so let's hope they don't mess up with the other 20 episodes. But isn't it absolutely great to have real, proper, wonderfully daft 24 back for the first time in years?

"Now why don't you get down into the shelter like all the other children?"

Kiefer Sutherland and a young African boy find solace in each other over 24 season 6.

There are times in life when we're hurt by the people we love. A betrayal perhaps, or just a genuine feeling that they've let us down. I'm sure, like myself you all have tales of woe. One such tale of mine involves a Counter Terrorist Agent called Jack Bauer, a nuclear bomb, an illegitimate son and some evil family members. I'm talking, of course, about the lazily written, woefully bad sixth series of much loved real-time action drama 24. The seventh series begins, after writers strike and prison sentence related delays some time in January, but to fill in the gaps, Fox put together a 2 hour TV Movie entitled 24: Redemption. So then, does it wash away that bitter taste left in the mouth by the downright ridiculous antics of season six? The answer is....not quite, but it's a damned good start.

First of all, it was fantastic to hear Kiefer say: "The following takes place between 3pm and 5pm...events occur in real time." That shit sends shivers up my spine that only the theme tune to Doctor who has managed.

Relocating the action to Africa and D.C respectively there is instantly a sense of a refreshing change, the main problem with the past few seasons of 24 were that it was pretty hard to believe that terrorists were only interested in bombing out large parts of L.A. Things reached a pretty barmy climax when the showrunners decided to nuke part of the city last season and have everyone carry on as if practically nothing happened.
Even more refreshing is that Redemption's storyline has no connection to terrorism whatsoever. Instead it focuses on a planned military coup in a fictional African nation, bankrolled by a suitably sinister and enigmatic Jon Voight. (Presumably next seasons rich white guy villain, 24's stock in trade for the past 6 years.)

Boo, and indeed hiss...

Thank god then, that Jack is hiding out in Sengala at a school run by former buddy Benton, hiding from a federal case against him. Benton is played by Robert Carlyle, doing his best Angelas Ashes Irish accent, even if his eventual fate is a tad predictable. (Hint: He's a mate of Jacks, which makes him evil, or victim of a tragic death. Or both if your Tony Almeida.)

The rebels are hiring children as soldiers and set their sights on Benton's school. Cue a classic Jack Bauer ass-kicking, some self sacrifice, a bit of torture and everything else you'd expect from your average 24 episode.

Meanwhile back in America, the groundwork is being laid out for next season, no evil Tony Almeida as yet, but we get a glance at the new female president (24 did the whole black president thing back in 2001) the aforementioned Voight and his sinister minions and the Presidents son, who appears to have stumbled on what Voight's character is up to. If I were him I'd be pretty careful, especially as Voight appears to have hired Gordon Ramsay as one of his henchmen.

It's nowhere near as beautifully plotted, fun or exciting as the best seasons of the show but of course it never could be, it's a 2 hour telly movie and a fun one at that. And also a damned sight better than the glorified car adverts that have preluded the last 3 seasons. Of course it's predictable, overly sentimental and there's some ridiculously heavy handed satire on the UN. (The title quote being one of Jack's criticisms of a cardboard cutout peacekeeper character whose name I didn't remember.) But it's a refreshing change of pace, and hopefully one they'll be able to carry on into Season 7.