Thoughts on 24: Redemption
Yes, believe it or not, I only JUST got around to seeing this!
Firstly, general observations after the first half hour or so: it really feels good to see Kiefer Sutherland running around and doing Stuff again. I didn't realise how much I missed '24' and the general feel of the show.
0:42:02 - While I highly doubt that 24 will ever get rid of Kiefer Sutherland, despite all their claims that absolutely everyone is replaceable and may die at any moment, it pleases me to see that in the extremely unlikely event of Jack's death, Benton (Robert Carlyle) would make an excellent spiritual successor. You can tell because he says 'dammit!' in just the right way while hanging up/being hung up upon the phone. Also, I forgot that Robert Carlyle is The Sex. :D Although I have a worrying feeling that Benton will be dead by the end of this film/whatever you want to call it. But hey, it's not like that's keeping Tony down or anything. ;)
Also, I suppose this depends on whether or not Robert Carlyle is still busy wasting his talent on Stargate Universe.
Oh, and the Irish accent makes me blink a little bit. Natural Scots accent not good enough or something? :(
0:55:27 - Wow - soon-to-be-ex-President What's-His-Face really is a total dick, isn't he?
1:02:48 - Thank goodness those enforcer guys are fluent in Mac, otherwise this scene could have been a bit embarrassing.
ENFORCER: "Yes! We're going to delete the files, and then kill you!" [pause] "Now I just... um... is this...? This isn't Windows, is it? Where's the Recycling Bin? Ah, screw it, I'll just right-click and... um... your mouse only has one button. Huh?"
1:09:41 - Ah, I guess it's time to wave bye-bye to Benton, then. Like I said earlier, I kind of saw it coming. Though I still find it frustrating on '24' when heroes die/are massively inconvenienced directly as a result of other people's stupidity or refusal to follow instructions - fair enough on the kid not knowing to anticipate or recognise landmines, but Benton was shouting at him to stop moving and he totally ignored him. What makes the death frustrating is not, of course, that it happens as a result of rescuing someone - that part makes it noble - but the sensation that it could have been so easily avoided. It always annoys me in any show when a character dies a death that wouldn't have happened if they or the people around them had just shown the slightest bit of common sense.
1:13:34 - Okay, since Benton didn't die on-screen I'm happily going to substitute the implied reality with a happier version of my own: he ran away from the landmine very fast, allowing it to kill all the bad dudes with guns while Benton himself escaped with treatable injuries. After recovery he went on to lead a mostly happy and worthwhile life composed entirely of good deeds and just generally being awesome, though for safety's sake he did so under a new name to prevent detection by any relatives of these dead bad dudes (since they seem to have a thing about familial revenge). Thus, there would be no record of Benton having survived the explosion.
Attempts to argue against my personal reality with your so-called 'logic' will be met with tears and wobbly bottom-lip.
1:14:05 - Oh, good going on telling the small child that his parent-figure is dead, Mr Idiot Man!
1:14:26 - Jack is repeating the phrase 'Mr. Benton died' to make it clear to the viewers that that persona is dead and instead Benton will now live on with a new name. Yes, yes, that is the reason.
1:18:51 - Mr. Evil Old Man really has a thing abut murder, doesn't he? The whole conversation seems to go like this:
Mr. EOM: "So, what's up?"
Henchman: "Drug dude is dead, files are gone, everything is a-okay."
EOM: "But the President's son knows something incredibly vague and impossible to prove, right?"
Henchman: "Well yeah, if he doesn't assume his junkie friend was just being paranoid. Seriously man, don't worry about it."
EOM: "We cannot allow anyone to have the slightest inkling that something may possibly, maybe and very vaguely been amiss in an incredibly unspecific and evidence-free fashion! Kill the son!"
Henchman: "........"
When even your henchmen are advocating the murder-free route, you should take it as read that it's not going to be a problem.
1:21:00 - It was pretty obvious that Ambassador Arsehole was going to pull some kind of crap like this, but that doesn't make it any less heartbreaking now. Though to be honest I was expecting more that they'd lie to Jack to get him inside the grounds and then just nab him because technically he's on American soil then or something like that.
Well, that's over then. In summary: good stuff. :) When does Season 7 start?
Firstly, general observations after the first half hour or so: it really feels good to see Kiefer Sutherland running around and doing Stuff again. I didn't realise how much I missed '24' and the general feel of the show.
0:42:02 - While I highly doubt that 24 will ever get rid of Kiefer Sutherland, despite all their claims that absolutely everyone is replaceable and may die at any moment, it pleases me to see that in the extremely unlikely event of Jack's death, Benton (Robert Carlyle) would make an excellent spiritual successor. You can tell because he says 'dammit!' in just the right way while hanging up/being hung up upon the phone. Also, I forgot that Robert Carlyle is The Sex. :D Although I have a worrying feeling that Benton will be dead by the end of this film/whatever you want to call it. But hey, it's not like that's keeping Tony down or anything. ;)
Also, I suppose this depends on whether or not Robert Carlyle is still busy wasting his talent on Stargate Universe.
Oh, and the Irish accent makes me blink a little bit. Natural Scots accent not good enough or something? :(
0:55:27 - Wow - soon-to-be-ex-President What's-His-Face really is a total dick, isn't he?
1:02:48 - Thank goodness those enforcer guys are fluent in Mac, otherwise this scene could have been a bit embarrassing.
ENFORCER: "Yes! We're going to delete the files, and then kill you!" [pause] "Now I just... um... is this...? This isn't Windows, is it? Where's the Recycling Bin? Ah, screw it, I'll just right-click and... um... your mouse only has one button. Huh?"
1:09:41 - Ah, I guess it's time to wave bye-bye to Benton, then. Like I said earlier, I kind of saw it coming. Though I still find it frustrating on '24' when heroes die/are massively inconvenienced directly as a result of other people's stupidity or refusal to follow instructions - fair enough on the kid not knowing to anticipate or recognise landmines, but Benton was shouting at him to stop moving and he totally ignored him. What makes the death frustrating is not, of course, that it happens as a result of rescuing someone - that part makes it noble - but the sensation that it could have been so easily avoided. It always annoys me in any show when a character dies a death that wouldn't have happened if they or the people around them had just shown the slightest bit of common sense.
1:13:34 - Okay, since Benton didn't die on-screen I'm happily going to substitute the implied reality with a happier version of my own: he ran away from the landmine very fast, allowing it to kill all the bad dudes with guns while Benton himself escaped with treatable injuries. After recovery he went on to lead a mostly happy and worthwhile life composed entirely of good deeds and just generally being awesome, though for safety's sake he did so under a new name to prevent detection by any relatives of these dead bad dudes (since they seem to have a thing about familial revenge). Thus, there would be no record of Benton having survived the explosion.
Attempts to argue against my personal reality with your so-called 'logic' will be met with tears and wobbly bottom-lip.
1:14:05 - Oh, good going on telling the small child that his parent-figure is dead, Mr Idiot Man!
1:14:26 - Jack is repeating the phrase 'Mr. Benton died' to make it clear to the viewers that that persona is dead and instead Benton will now live on with a new name. Yes, yes, that is the reason.
1:18:51 - Mr. Evil Old Man really has a thing abut murder, doesn't he? The whole conversation seems to go like this:
Mr. EOM: "So, what's up?"
Henchman: "Drug dude is dead, files are gone, everything is a-okay."
EOM: "But the President's son knows something incredibly vague and impossible to prove, right?"
Henchman: "Well yeah, if he doesn't assume his junkie friend was just being paranoid. Seriously man, don't worry about it."
EOM: "We cannot allow anyone to have the slightest inkling that something may possibly, maybe and very vaguely been amiss in an incredibly unspecific and evidence-free fashion! Kill the son!"
Henchman: "........"
When even your henchmen are advocating the murder-free route, you should take it as read that it's not going to be a problem.
1:21:00 - It was pretty obvious that Ambassador Arsehole was going to pull some kind of crap like this, but that doesn't make it any less heartbreaking now. Though to be honest I was expecting more that they'd lie to Jack to get him inside the grounds and then just nab him because technically he's on American soil then or something like that.
Well, that's over then. In summary: good stuff. :) When does Season 7 start?