Looks like things just got a hell of a lot more personal for Jack Bauer... and if last night's episode was any indication things are going to get a lot worse for Jack's day before they get better. After all, this is 24 we're talking about here.If you were expecting a little breather after last week's nail-bitingly tense two-hour episodes, you were dead wrong. And being forced to kill his compatriot Curtis seems to have snapped Jack out of his funk, as it were. Well, that and a suitcase nuke going off in Valencia.
But enough about that. What I am most interested in is what this all has to do with Jack's estranged family, which were finally introduced last night. Turns out Jack hasn't spoken to his father Philip (to be played by Farmer Hoggett, James Cromwell, himself) in nine years and the old fox seems to have gotten mixed up in some rather shady dealings involving those aforementioned suitcase nukes. But Philip seems to have vanished and the only person who might possibly know where he disappeared to (or had a direct hand in that disappearance) is Jack's brother Graham (Paul McCrane).
And who's Graham? Why he's that serious baddie from last season who orchestrated that whole crazy plot from Day 5 with the Russian separatists and the nerve and kept, you know, trying to kill Jack. (Ah, brotherly love.) It now makes sense why this guy knew so much about Jack and why he had it in for him in the first place... and with evil ex-president Charles Logan (Gregory Itzin) scheduled to show up sometime this season, it is only fitting that his co-conspirator play a vital role in this chapter of Jack's life.
Remember way back in Day 2 and Day 3 how the villains were some American business group with ties to oil? Think that Graham and Philip Bauer could be connected to this plot? And that Jack's family might have been pulling the strings of all of the world-threatening activities Jack has been working so damn hard to combat these past few years?
Intriguing.
Meanwhile, I love that Jack had a history with Graham's wife Marilyn (Rena Sofer). Gee, could Graham and Marilyn's blonde-haired son possibly be Jack's kid? And maybe that's why Marilyn is so determined to avoid Jack altogether?
Me, I can't wait to see what happens next.
What's On Tonight*
8 pm: NCIS (CBS); Dateline (NBC); Gilmore Girls (CW); America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC; 8-10 pm); American Idol (FOX); Wicked Wicked Games (MyNet)
9 pm: The Unit (CBS); Dateline (NBC); Veronica Mars (CW); Watch Over Me (MyNet)
10 pm: 48 Hours Mystery (CBS); Dateline (NBC); Boston Legal (ABC)
*The State of the Union Address will impact the lineup of the Big 4 Networks, so check local listings.
What I'll Be Watching
8 pm: American Idol.
Simon, Randy, and Crazy--I mean, Paula Abdul--continue their search for the next great American Idol, but first the show's producers want them to sit through some truly ear-splinteringly bad auditions, starting tonight. Tune in for the music, stay for the humiliation.
8 pm: Gilmore Girls.
Le sigh. I'm not sure why I am still watching this, as it's just so damn depressing to watch this once-great series continue to fall off the tracks. On tonight's episode ("Santa's Secret Stuff"), Lorelai and Christopher put Christmas on ice until Rory returns from London and Luke asks Lorelai to write a recommendation letter for his custody battle for April. I'm boring myself just writing this.
9 pm: Veronica Mars.
YAY! Veronica *finally* returns (at least for a few weeks, before the dreaded Pussycat Dolls reality show knocks it off the schedule again) with new episodes. On tonight's installment ("Show Me the Monkey"), Veronica tracks down a missing monkey, while Mindy O'Dell asks Keith to investigate her husband's suspicious death. Remember how Dean O'Dell (Ed Begley Jr.) was shot in his office by an unseen assailant? Well, the investigation begins tonight.
Comments
I thought the twist was great. I definitely didn't see it coming that Graham was Jack's brother! Though maybe if he spent more time with his family instead of hiding out, presumed dead at an factory or being tortured in china, and maybe the country would be a safer place. I wonder why Jack and his dad stopped talking and why Jack and his brother stopped talking at Teri's funeral. He should have kept better tabs on his family in light of their line of work and his suspicions of Graham. But I guess even someone that doesn't trust anyone, would still trust their family... Who know Graham hated Jack so bad that he wanted him dead last season (and framed for a President's assasination). I wonder what they were like when they were kids - did Jack take Graham's action figures or tease him mercilessly? Or does Graham still have hatred for Jack over his affair with his wife (and the fact that his kid is Jack's)?