Amy's Robot

24: season 5 premiere

We should have gotten to this a few days ago, but earlier this week FOX launched season 5 of 24. The four episodes were typically action-packed and bloody, but we all know we're entering another 4-month cycle of sometimes great, sometimes agonizing television.

Certain character types seem to appear year after year on this show, and even with some casting shake-ups (read: violent deaths) during the first few minutes of the season, it already feels like we've seen some of these new faces before.

For example, many 24 fans out there were likely dismayed at the speedy incineration of Michelle Dessler, played by the lovely Reiko Aylesworth. However, this season we are treated to another gorgeous actress of indeterminate ethnic origin: Sandrine Holt, who plays Evelyn, the First Lady's aide and confidant. Oh, and actually it turns out that Sandrine Holt has a French mother and a Chinese father.

And what would 24 be without an irritating little pissant of a teenage character for us all to swear at when they come on the screen? In seasons 1-3 we had Kim Bauer and her posse of moron friends; there was the would-be cocaine dealing little surfer shithead from season 3 who nearly infected L.A. with a deadly virus; and last season we had the Secretary of Defense's whiny psuedo-pacifist weasel of a son, who acted like he believed in personal freedom and civil liberties and stuff like that, but in reality just didn't want to admit that he was gay. Presumably that character is now getting some intensive therapy, since his secret one-night stand nearly lead to nuclear annihilation.

And this season, we have Derek, the nosy paranoid sullen little brat who sasses his mom, and resents Undercover Kiefer, his mom's new tenant/lover. This kid has already blown Kiefer's first chance to bust the terrorists from within Ontario airport, but we did get to see him blubber and hyperventilate while having a gun held to his head for a solid 10 minutes.

I haven't gotten over losing Shohreh Agdashloo as the coolest villain ever, last season's Dina Araz, aka Dragon Lady. This year's addition of Jean Smart as the unstable, often-sedated First Lady is a nice addition, and covers some of the same ground with her unpredictability and willingness to play both sides.

So far the season is going OK, though showing the murders of hostages by masked terrorists over the internet was a lot like the start of last season, in which terrorists held the Secretary of Defense hostage and broadcast very similar images. Plus, CTU is taking orders from a Hobbit. It seems like the real storyline is just starting up now, and those first few episodes were just loud, violent filler. We'll see how it goes.

categories: TV
posted by amy at 2:02 PM | #