24 Season 8

So, what started out as an interesting, even arguably innovative hour of television has turned into one of the worst shows on TV in my opinion. Bad acting, worse writing and a show that really should not have lived beyond it's (again arguably) ground breaking inaugural season.

Truth be told, I've only seen seasons one and seven in their entirety and watched about half of two and three before just giving up after losing so much interest I could barely stay awake during an episode. What struck me watching three and seven recently (blame unemployment) is how casually and the frequency at which people are killed off and murdered in any given episode. I even considered keeping count during season three, the last one I attempted to watch, however the first episode had an early scene where two truck loads of bodies were dumped, burned and buried on a Mexican hacienda's grounds...I'd never get an accurate count and as I said I was so bored, I think I somehow inspired the great song by Wavves.

So here we are, season fucking eight...how on Earth can this show still be on the air? How does Keiffer Sutherland simply not have better things to do with his time? Does anyone actually watch this crap and actually get into it and enjoy it for it's writing or taut story lines ripped from yesterdays headlines?

As I admitted, I was unemployed this summer and watched season seven in it's entirety, it was tough but I kind of got the whole action movie on one night a week appeal, but forchristsakes it's twenty four episodes long, and it's only 'interesting' for about four to six of those episodes right at the end, but I felt this need to just finish it no matter how bad, I really could not care less about how it ended, I felt obligated to collect the last Pog and then throw them all away just so I could say I did it.

So out of a combined need to discipline myself into posting regularly and having some fun critiquing bad TV minutia, I will attempt to offer some snide commentary as only the internet can provide as well as keep count of the bodies and paranoid CTU looks while we the audience are trying to figure out who the mole is this season.

So lets begin...chirp, chirp, chirp...the following takes place between 4 PM and 5 PM.

Man that former police chief/city councilman David Asaveda from the excellent FX series The Shield certainly must get better offers than this bit part, and he looks a little old for the CI role. Time for a new agent dude.

Can you really show someone smoking heroin or crack at 8PM?

Dead body #1 - Manny?/Maddy? - Shot in the head and found dead in the shower...we are 1:40 into the fucking show.

Dead body #2 - Mauricio, also shot in the head and found dead on the street - 2:04

We see retired grandpa Jack for the first time, babysitting Kim's kid. I'm always amazed at child actors that are this young, can remember lines and pretend strangers are their parents and relatives. She may be the best actor on the show.

Elisha Cuthbert...how were you ever a star? You can barely act and now that you are losing your looks what are you gonna do? This scene between her and her husband is fucking painful.

Hey, it's that crazy game show host guy from Slumdog Millionaire, still hamming it up.

The guy who plays Ethan is terrible.

The set design of the UN is impressive, lotsa nice mid century Scandinavian looking wood furniture. On the other hand, the NY CTU head quarters is just out of control and likely must have been responsible for most of the budget...seriously, when we first see the security entrance, it looked like something from Blade Runner or a Roche Bobois showroom. And whats with all the head sets? Those crazy computer set ups? Lame.

Man this reporter chick who's having the affair with the Pakistani president is weird looking.

I could never really get into BSG because of the bad acting and Starbuck here is still terrible with her pursed lips.

Freddy Prinze Jr. eh?

Oh Chloe...you and your frustrated Peppermint Patty face, why are you in New York anyway?

Someone not knowing who Jack Bauer is, nice touch.

Shameless Sprint promo #1

Dead Body #3 and #4 - a pair of NYC's finest.

Dead Body #5 and #6 - pair of thugs, one by fireman axe(!) and the other goes flying down the center of a winding staircase three to four floors hitting almost everything possible on the way down. Nice stunt and the highlight of this episode so far.

Splosion! Why people watch this show...they blew up a fucking helicopter for real on a roof top in NYC!

Dead body #7 - Victor (the CI). It also looks like the two other passengers of the helicopter and possibly another CTU agent, I'll clarify next episode.

Whew...no way I'll do 24 of these.