24: Grandpa Jack is Back!

Previously, on 24...

Season 8 is active, and I'm ready! We immediately have 2 bodies, and a sniper is trying to take down someone else, and that guy does get shot while hijacking a car, but he'll be okay for now because he has to get information to Jack, who we find... babysitting. Ugh. Jack's going to have to wicked interrogate someone later to make up for this.

Here are my thoughts so far on the new season:
I like that they have Anil Kapoor (from Slumdog Millionaire) as President Hassan. I predict he'll live. I don't like that they've added Freddy Prince Jr. as a field agent. He's a terrible actor, and doesn't look anything close to as bad ass as any of the field agents they've had during 24's run. His character, agent Cole Ortiz, is engaged to someone in CTU with a mysterious past. My guess is that she'll die, he'll cry, and Jack will say "DAMMIT" and Ortiz will have to toughen up to help save the day. I'm happy there's no more Janeane Garofalo, and hopefully madame president won't play as big a role this year- I found those two to be extremely annoying last year.

Kind of a weak setup to get Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) involved this year. Her husband Morris lost his job so she was forced to take a job at CTU NY, but she's all slow and incompetent there, so they just let her work with Jack. How could Morris lose his job and not find a new one, and how could Chloe not be good at her job anymore, and what kind of money does CTU pay anyway? Weak, but I'm okay with it because I like Chloe on Jack's team, and I like her complete lack of social skills. (Mary Lynn Rujskub is actually pretty funny herself. She was on Conan just last week).

I liked it when they first mentioned Jack Bauer at CTU, and Arlo said, "Who's Jack Bauer?" WHAT? Shouldn't Jack Bauer be in the CTU handbook? Shouldn't Jack Bauer BE the CTU handbook?! C'Mon!

An early "O, Jeez" moment came when Kim had to convince Jack to fight terror again. "If you don't save the day, you'll never be able to live with yourself!" Yeah, he's stopped a drug cartel, multiple presidential assassinations, biological warfare (twice), and nuclear warfare (twice), and he won't be able to hold his head high if he decides to skip this one.

Only one interrogation scene today, and that was between Director Hastings and the reporter chick. Hastings did say "tell me the truth", but he didn't yell "TELL ME THE TRUTH!!" Big difference. She's not going to be tortured or have anything interesting to add. If Jack was there she'd confess to everything, but this one will end up just being a waste of time.

The highlights of the show were the rocket launcher to blow up the helicopter, and Jack taking out the two guys by throwing one over the railing and hitting the other one in the guts with an axe. YES! Jack also stopped Victor's bleeding by using a dirty dumpster mattress, but then Victor died a minute later, which brings us to today's death tally:

Bad guys: 7 (Manny, Maurice, Victor, 2 cops, 2 CTU agents)
Jack: 2 (2 bad guys)

9 dead during the 2 hr premiere. At this rate we'll end up with a paltry 108 kills. Could be a slow season, but then again, Jack is a grandpa now.